Innovative formulations using spray-drying technology for plant-based high-oil powders: physicochemical and micro-structural analyses

Plant-based ingredients, which are considered sustainable sources, are increasingly used to produce food alternatives to animal-origin products. However, despite being considered a sustainable option, the wider acceptance of plant-based alternative foods is poor. The major reasons are the inferior sensory attributes of prepared foods and the lack of desirable functionalities in plant-based food ingredients compared to their animal-based counterparts. To fulfil this gap, this study focuses on the production and characterization of plant-based high-fat powder with enhanced functionalities, which could serve as an alternative ingredient to the dairy-based cream powder in the food manufacturing sector. Plant-based high-oil powders containing 20% and 40% total oil were prepared from a corn oil emulsion having mean oil globule sizes of 0.47 μm and 0.75 μm, by spray-drying. Formulations used a water-soluble fraction of mung bean protein isolate as an emulsifier and maltodextrin as a wall material. The physicochemical analyses of the powders revealed that the powder prepared from corn oil emulsion with a mean fat globule size (D[4,3]) of 0.47 μm and 20% oil content had a lower angle of repose, higher bulk density and lower free oil content than other high-oil powder samples. Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images also showed that powders prepared from smaller fat globules were less clustered, with low surface oil coverage compared to the powders prepared from larger fat globules. This study highlighted the suitability of plant-based sources for developing high-oil powders that could find potential applications in creating valuable food products.