Case Study

Improving Probiotic Processing with Electrostatic Spray Drying Technology

Challenges with Conventional Dryer Process

Probiotics, like the widely used Lactobacillus plantarum, are often dried to enhance stable shelf-life. Tests of Lactobacillus plantarum revealed that temperature and water activity were critical factors for probiotic survival during storage.

Traditional spray drying causes inactivation of micro-organisms, due to the thermal and dehydration inactivation.
Freeze drying can also damage biological systems, primarily because of the change in the physical state of membrane lipids or the change in the structure of sensitive proteins. Freeze drying is also time-consuming and energy intensive.

Common strategies employed to overcome these issues and optimize probiotic drying include:

Inducing bacterial stress adaptation to enhance cellular intrinsic tolerance
Applying protective agents to minimize cell damage during process
Optimizing these conventional processes to moderate the harsh conditions

Download the Fluid Air case study for Improving Probiotic Processing with Electrostatic Spray Drying Technology.