Sign in
Register now
My Reward PointsDehydration and spray-drying extend food shelf life, limit microbial growth, reduce waste, and prevent foodborne diseases.
They improve food safety, stability, and product quality, reduce costs, and retain nutrients. Their applications are diverse, including food, drinks, cosmetics, nutraceuticals, and pharmaceuticals.
This blog will clarify the distinctions between dehydrated and spray-dried products, their applications, and their pros and cons, enabling readers to choose the best option for their needs.
What Are Dehydrated Products?
Dehydration is the process of removing moisture from food items, such as fruits, vegetables, herbs, and powders, using methods like air-drying, sun-drying, and freeze-drying.
While it offers benefits like longer shelf life and concentrated nutrients, it may also lose vitamins.
What Are Spray-Dried Products?
Spray drying, a process of drying liquids with hot air, offers high efficiency, consistency, and versatility but faces challenges like high energy consumption, equipment costs, volatile component loss, and dust explosions.
Spray-dried items include milk powder, coffee, fruit powders, and flavourings.
Key Differences Between Dehydrated And Spray-Dried Products
Dehydrated and spray-dried items differ in texture, solubility, and nutritional profile due to manufacturing processes.
Spray drying uses atomisation and a hot air stream, while dehydration uses simpler methods, retaining some texture.
1. Moisture Content & Shelf Life
Dehydrated and spray-dried products have varying moisture content and shelf life, with dehydrated products having longer shelf lives due to lower moisture and spray-dried products having shorter shelf lives but better solubility.
2. Nutrient Retention
Spray-dried products have lower nutritional retention due to heat-sensitive vitamins degrading faster. Dehydration methods, on the other hand, are less harsh and result in higher nutrient retention at a slower rate.
Both methods offer significantly longer shelf life than fresh food.
3. Texture & Appearance
The dehydrated items are larger, chewier, and darker due to heat-induced shrinking and browning, while spray-dried products are fine, homogenous powders with a smooth texture and richer colour and aroma.
4. Nutrient Retention
Spray-dried products have lower nutritional retention due to heat-sensitive vitamins degrading faster. Dehydration methods, on the other hand, are less harsh and result in higher nutrient retention at a slower rate.
Both methods offer significantly longer shelf life than fresh food.
5. Flavour & Aroma
Spray-dried items have a brighter flavour and aroma due to the quick air process, which preserves delicate aromatic compounds better than traditional dehydration.
However, heated items may lose volatile flavour and aroma constituents, resulting in a slightly cooked or caramelised taste.
6. Processing Cost & Scale
Spray-drying, despite higher capital and operational expenses, is cost-effective for large-scale manufacturing of food and pharmaceutical goods due to its ability to produce a free-flowing powder and improve product stability, homogeneity, and handling.
7. Applications
Dehydration is used in various industries, including dried fruits, vegetables, meats, herbs, noodles, and spices. Spray drying is a quick method that produces homogeneous powders from liquids, used in milk powder, instant coffee, fruit juice powders, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and flavoured drinks.
Which Is Better: Dehydration or Spray-Drying?
Neither dehydration nor spray-drying is always "better"; the best option depends on the product and desired output.
For fruits, vegetables, and whole foods, dehydration is favoured. Spray-drying works well for powders, quick drinks, vitamins, and flavouring.
It is up to businesses, like food and cosmetics, to determine which approach to utilise based on budget, purpose, and shelf-life requirements.
Applications in Different Industries
Food and beverage, cosmetics and skincare, and pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals are just a few of the industries and applications that use the dehydration and spray-drying techniques.
1. Food & Beverages
Dehydration and spray-drying are used in the food and beverage industry, including dried fruits and instant powders, to remove moisture, preserve items, and prolong shelf life by inhibiting microbial growth and chemical breakdown and encapsulating essential oils.
2. Cosmetics & Skincare
Spray drying is a cosmetics and skincare technique that transforms liquid formulations into stable powders, encapsulating active chemicals, perfumes, and oils, enhancing product stability, shelf life, and efficacy without high heat exposure.
3. Pharmaceuticals & Nutraceuticals
Dehydration and spray-drying are essential in pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals for producing stable, dry powders; increasing shelf life and product efficacy; and encapsulating heat-sensitive substances like vitamins, enzymes, and bioactive molecules.
The examples of use include probiotics and supplements.
Pros and Cons of Dehydrated and Spray-Dried Methods
Dehydration preserves food but can cause nutrient loss, while spray drying offers speed, efficiency, scalability, and homogenous materials, despite potential heat-sensitive chemicals and additional additives. Here are their pros and cons:
Pros of the Dehydrated Method
1. Cost-effective
Because dehydrated items require less processing than spray-dried items, they are typically more affordable for both consumers and enterprises.
2. Natural preservation
Dehydrated items preserve natural flavours and aromas by removing moisture, inhibiting microbial growth, and extending shelf life without chemical additives, especially in fruits and herbs.
3. Simple process
The dehydration process consists of a simple drying method using basic equipment at a normal temperature, which makes the finished materials easy to handle.
4. Whole product form
The dehydration method can preserve the shape and texture of the original food, such as dried apple slices and herbs.
5. Minimal additives
Dehydrated items are natural preservation methods that eliminate water, inhibit microbial growth, and increase shelf life without adding carriers or chemicals.
Cons of the Dehydrated Method
1. Nutrient loss
The food ingredients that have undergone the dehydration process will lose nutritional value, such as heat-sensitive vitamins (like vitamin C), when compared to the spray-drying technique.
2. Texture changes
Dehydrated products have a different texture that can range from rubbery and leathery to crunchy and tough, chewy, or brittle, depending on the product and drying method.
3. Flavour concentration
Poor drying procedures, such as protein denaturation or lipid oxidation, can lead to the loss of specific qualities or off-flavour in dehydrated products, sometimes resulting in a stronger taste.
4. Slower process
Dehydration, a slow process for preserving food by gently removing moisture, requires time and controlled temperatures, potentially taking hours or days compared to spray-drying.
5. Bulk storage
Compared to powdered spray-dried alternatives, dried foods may require more space because they are packaged in large quantities.
Pros of Spray-Drying
1. Powder form
Spray drying is a straightforward method for converting liquids into stable, free-flowing powders, enhancing stability and particle quality, and is easy to handle and store and rapidly disperses in liquids.
2. Longer shelf life
Spray-dried items typically have a longer shelf life than their dehydrated counterparts. For example, fine powders have a low moisture content; thus, they last longer.
3. Uniformity
Spray drying provides highly homogenous products, particularly in terms of particle size and shape, making them suitable for a variety of industries such as food, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics.
4. Scalable
Spray drying is a highly scalable and adaptable method that may support production ranging from tiny laboratory-scale operations to big commercial-scale manufacturing in industries such as food, pharmaceuticals, and chemicals.
5. Versatile
Spray drying works extremely well for liquids such as milk, coffee, fruit juices, extracts, and pastes, converting them into dry, powder-like items by swiftly drying them with hot gas.
Cons of Spray-Drying
1. High cost
Spray drying is a commercially produced process that requires sophisticated equipment and high thermal energy.
Despite the use of advanced atomisers and recovery systems, effective liquid-to-powder conversion still requires significant energy.
3. Nutrient degradation
Spray drying reduces nutritional degradation compared to many other approaches; however, some heat-sensitive molecules may be lost if not under adequate management.
4. Loss of aroma
Spray drying can cause loss of scent in items because the high temperatures and rapid drying process diminish volatile flavours.
5. Additives required
Maltodextrin and gum arabic are common spray-drying additives used as carriers for sticky substances, sensitive chemicals, and powders with low glass transition temperatures, as well as for powder stabilisation.
6. Not suitable for all foods
Spray drying is not suitable for all foods due to high viscosity, stickiness, heat-sensitive components, and sticky particles. It works well with liquids and semi-liquids, not whole foods.
FAQs—Dehydrated vs. Spray-Dried Products
We hope by now you know the difference between dehydrated and spray-dried products. Here are some additional frequently asked questions.
Q 1. What is the difference between dehydrated and spray-dried powder?
Ans: "Dehydrated powder" refers to powdered food products that have moisture removed, while "spray-dried powder" is a specific type created through the spray-drying process.
Q 2. Which retains more nutrients: dehydration or spray-drying?
Ans: Dehydration and spray-drying do not retain more nutrients by default; the outcome is determined by the precise method, temperature, and length of the process for each nutrient.
Q 3. Is spray-dried food healthy?
Ans: Spray drying is a safe and effective method for producing food products, preserving nutritional value, increasing shelf life, and minimising waste when properly controlled.
Q 4. Can dehydrated products last longer than spray-dried products?
Ans: Dehydrated products may have longer or shorter shelf lives than spray-dried ones, but their shelf life is influenced by storage conditions and processing methods, with some dehydrated foods having longer shelf lives.
Conclusion
Dehydrated and spray-dried products differ in texture, solubility, and nutritional profile due to manufacturing processes.
Dehydrated products have longer shelf lives and lower moisture content, while spray-dried products have shorter shelf lives but better solubility.
Spray-dried products have a brighter flavour and aroma and are cost-effective for large-scale manufacturing in food and pharmaceuticals.
The choice depends on product type and usage. It is suggested to try both methods depending on industry needs.
