Dehumidifier-Assisted Drying Characteristics of Nutrient Enriched Gellan and Agar Gels.

The characteristics of moisture removal and selected physical
properties during the dehumidifier-assisted drying of model food
gel systems like agar and gellan gels were studied. The effect of
gel forming ingredients/nutrients like FeSO4 (0.05%), whey protein
concentrate (WPC; 5%), and flaxseed powder (FSP; 5%) were
investigated with an overall intention of developing a delivery system
for nutrients as a convenience food. Gellan and agar gels were
prepared at concentrations of 1, 2, and 3% (w/w) and subjected to
drying at a low temperature of 40�C in a dehumidifier-assisted dryer
up to 12 h. The different quality parameters that were determined
included the extent of shrinkage, moisture content, textural
parameters, and the diffusion coefficient. Agar gels possessed higher
moisture ratios compared to corresponding gellan samples. The
diffusion coefficients for agar and gellan gels were 0.83�10�7� 2.38�10�7m2s�1. The gellan gels were much harder than their
corresponding agar gels. The addition of WPC, FeSO4, and FSP
increased the textural indices like fracture force, fracture strain,
fracture energy, and total energy for 50% compression for all the
gels. Gellan and agar gels showed volume shrinkage; the lowest
shrinkages were with WPC added gels followed by the FSP and
FeSO4 incorporated samples. Dehumidifier-assisted dried food gels
can serve as a delivery system for nutrients.