Effects of drying temperature on quality of dried Indian Gooseberry powder

A study was conducted using a laboratory scale mini spray dryer to produce instant Indian gooseberry drink using maltodextrin as an encapsulating agent. The effects of two inlet temperatures, 120°C, and 160°C on the quality of powder were investigated. The dried Indian gooseberry powders were analysed for moisture content, water activity, dissolution time and vitamin C content. As inlet drying temperature increased, the moisture content and subsequently the water activity decreased significantly at 0.05 level. The results also show that an increase in the inlet drying temperature results in a lower vitamin C content. The changes in water activity of instant drink samples packed in an aluminium foil with an inner layer of LDPE and vacuum sealed were compared with those of non vacuum sealed control samples. The vacuum sealed samples did not change in water activity as opposed to the control samples which increased.