What are the processing technologies and applications of fruit and vegetable powders?

Fruit and vegetable powder is used fruit and vegetable juice, pulp, fruit after dehydration prepared into powder or crushed particles, all or part of the fruit and vegetable to retain the taste, fiber, color, nutrition and other ingredients, to become the production of food taste and flavor of the health ingredients.
Fruit and vegetable powder can be divided into: solid beverage type fruit and vegetable powder, raw material type fruit and vegetable powder, starch type fruit and vegetable powder, ready-to-eat type fruit and vegetable powder, flavored fruit and vegetable powder.

Advantages of fruit and vegetable powder

1. Good stability
Fruit and vegetable powder moisture content is generally less than 7%, which can effectively inhibit the propagation of microorganisms, but also can reduce the enzyme activity of fruits and vegetables.

2. Low transportation cost
Fruit and vegetable drying powder after volume reduction, quality reduction, saving packaging materials, but also greatly reduces the cost of transportation.

3. Nutritional enrichment

Processed fruit and vegetable powder basically maintains the original nutrients and flavor of fruits and vegetables, and makes some nutritional and functional components more conducive to digestion and absorption.

4. Efficient and comprehensive utilization of resources
There is no requirement for the size and shape of raw materials, and even the skin and core of some fruits and vegetables can be effectively utilized.

5. Rich variety of products
Compound as a multi-functional nutritional powder, the production of nutritional chewable tablets or as an ingredient added to other foods also improves the color, flavor and nutrition of food.

Processing technology of fruit and vegetable powder

1. Ultra-fine powder technology
Generally refers to the processing of 0.1-10μm of ultrafine powder and the corresponding grading technology, the particle size of the product particles is very small, the specific surface area increases dramatically, the cell breakage rate increases, thus improving the physical and chemical properties of the material (dispersion, adsorption, solubility, chemical activity, biological activity, etc.), to expand the scope of application of the material, to strengthen the use of the material effect.

2.Bio-enzymatic technology
For fresh fruits, vegetables and fungus, after crushing, it adopts bio-enzymatic treatment to break down the cell wall and dissolve the nutrients.

3.Vacuum freeze-drying
Vacuum freeze-drying technology is to freeze water-containing materials as a solid, under low-temperature and low-pressure conditions using the biochemical properties of water, so that the material low-temperature dehydration to achieve the drying of new drying methods. It has the advantages of preventing undesirable chemical and biochemical changes and small loss of flavor, aroma and nutrition.

4. Spray drying technology
The use of spray drying powder, the raw materials used for the sauce-like material liquid, to avoid the problem of difficult processing and molding, the drying process in the temperature is not higher than 100 ℃ instantaneous (a few seconds) to complete the general fruit color, aroma, taste and nutrients can be better protected, is currently the best method of fruit and vegetable powder.

5. Low temperature differential pressure expansion technology
Variable temperature differential pressure expansion drying technology is a reference to the hot air drying, vacuum expansion drying and other joint drying technology, absorbing the advantages of hot air drying and vacuum freeze-drying, overcoming the shortcomings of the vacuum low-temperature frying drying, you can produce similar to the products processed after freeze-drying, belonging to a new type of environmentally friendly, energy-saving expansion drying technology.

6. Screw extrusion technology
With the help of screw and barrel friction, extrusion and melting effect on the material to achieve the purpose of conveying, compression and crushing, mixing, expansion and polymerization.

7. Microwave/vacuum technology:
Combine the two technologies of microwave drying and vacuum drying. Accelerate the rate of water dissipation at low temperature, suitable for heat-sensitive substances, suitable for the production of vegetable powder, egg yolk powder and dehydrated grapes.

Fruit and vegetable powder in food applications

Fruit and vegetable powder can be applied to various fields of food processing, which can help to improve the nutritional composition of the products, improve the color and flavor of the products and enrich the variety of the products.

Can be mainly used for: pasta products, such as carrot powder added to the noodles processed into carrot noodles; puffed food, such as tomato powder as a puffed food seasoning; meat products, such as ham and sausage in the addition of vegetable powder; dairy products, such as a variety of fruits and vegetables added to the milk products; confectionery products, in the processing of sweets, apple powder, strawberry powder; baked products, such as cookies added to onion powder, tomato powder, etc.. powder, tomato powder, etc.

Fruit and vegetable powder to make beverages, does not affect the flavor of fresh fruits and vegetables; fruit powder can be made into fruit wine, fruit vinegar by fermentation, blending, filtering process.

Candy, confectionery, cookies, bread and many other foods can be added in the production process of a certain percentage of fruit and vegetable powder, can improve the nutritional structure of the products, but also to make the products in the color, aroma and taste better.

Fruit and vegetable powder contains pigments, pectin, tannins and other ingredients, some specific fruits and vegetables also contain medicinal ingredients, can be extracted through the biochemical pathway from the valuable by-products.

Fruit and vegetable juice is rich in a variety of vitamins and minerals, after appropriate processing, adding cyclodextrin and other substances in fruit and vegetable juice of the vast majority of nutrients in the effective protection of the embedded, while some of the nutrients are strengthened, and then homogenized, vacuum freeze-drying to get nutritious fruit and vegetable powder.

Adding fruit and vegetable powders to foods for infants, young children and the elderly can supplement vitamins and dietary fiber for a balanced diet.