Page 23 - FoodFocusThailand No.246 October 2026

SPECIAL FOCUS FOCUS
SPECIAL

ADVANCED FOOD POWDERS:

SPRAY DRYING AND MICROENCAPSULATION

INNOVATIONS FROM RESEARCH TO

COMMERCIALIZATION

Food powders are part of everyday life, from milk powder and instant coffee to seasonings and ingredients
used in the food industry. Behind these familiar products are scientific challenges: preserving valuable
compounds, protecting flavor, ensuring good dispersibility, and maintaining stability during storage. Developing
the next generation of food powders therefore begins with designing their properties during production,
creating products that are convenient to use and consistent in quality.

Designing Food Powders for
Purpose: Spray Drying and
Microencapsulation
One of the key technologies behind
these products is spray drying.
This process converts a liquid feed
solution, suspension, or emulsion into
fine droplets that come into contact
with hot air. Their large surface area
allows water to evaporate rapidly,
leaving behind powder particles. This
brief transformation also enables the
design of particle structures through
“microencapsulation”, in which
target compounds are entrapped
within a protective material. By
developing the formulation and drying
conditions together, manufacturers
can create powders suited to specific
applications.
In microencapsulation, target
compounds are retained within a
wall material, often as substances
distributed throughout a solid matrix.
Designing this system requires an
understanding of both the compounds
being encapsulated and the intended
function of the powder. Goals may
include retaining volatile aromas
during processing and storage,

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