Modeling Study of a Microbial Spray-Drying Process Based on Real-Time Sampling

Abstract

The process of microbial spray-drying has inherent defects such as short time, complexity, and non-visualization of particle trajectory. However, there has been a lack of effective methods for real-time sampling, rehydration, and non-destructive storage of dried particles, as well as mathematical modeling of the drying process of yeast particles based on sampling and measurement data. Therefore, firstly, a real-time sampling system was developed which completed real-time sampling, rehydration, and non-destructive storage of spray-dried particles, and realized the real reproduction of the changes of yeast particles in the process of spray drying. The laws that the motion trajectory of microbial particles during spray drying are divided into the first cycle region and the reflux cycle region were concluded, and the partition mechanism was explored. Then, based on the sampling data and the law of heat and mass transfer, a mathematical model of porous media was established to predict the variation of moisture content and rehydration survival rate of dried microbial particles with drying time. Finally, the mathematical model was tested by a microbial spray drying experiment, and the maximum errors between the predicted value and the test value of moisture content and rehydration survival rate were Xmax1=0.027(d.b) and Qvmax1=1.06%, respectively, both were less than 5% which proved the correctness of the mathematical model of porous media and laid a foundation for the study of the damage mechanism of microbial spray drying.