Chemical Engineering and Processing 44 (2005) 209214

Food powder handling and processing: Industry problems, knowledge barriers and research opportunities
John J. Fitzpatrick a, , Lilia Ahrn b
a b

Department of Process Engineering, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland SIK, The Swedish Institute for Food and Biotechnology, Gothenburg, Sweden

Received 26 August 2003; received in revised form 1 March 2004; accepted 19 March 2004 Available online 17 July 2004

Abstract This paper highlights some of the outcomes from a EU Accompanying Measure focussing on food powders. The main goals of the work were to outline the major industrial problems, knowledge barriers, and research challenges and opportunities in relation to food powders, and to promote the creation of a sustainable network of excellence in the area of food powders. Food powders are powders rst and foremost, thus many of the research challenges and opportunities are similar to handling and processing of other powders. As a result, much can be learned from other industries that deal with powders. What makes food powders different from many other powders is their composition, which is mainly of biological origin, and that they are eventually consumed by people and animals. Consequently, stability of food ingredient functionality and prevention of contamination are major issues right through from powder production to nal application of the powder, which is usually in the form of a wet formulation. 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Food powder research; Powder handling; Powder processing

1. Introduction 1.1. Background and objectives This paper originates from a 1-year project funded by the EU Commission through an Accompanying Measure, which was completed in April 2003. The focus of the project was to highlight industry problems, knowledge barriers and research and development opportunities in relation to food powders. It was also envisaged that this would act as a necessary step in fostering the potential for future research ideas and collaborative research. The specic objectives of the project were to outline research and development needs and opportunities in terms of industrial problems with handling, processing and production of safe, high quality food powders that require

further targeted research initiatives; areas requiring further science and engineering knowledge so that this can be applied in the development of new and more efcient processes to produce added-value food powders that are safe and of high quality; new and emerging food powder technologies requiring research and development; to promote the creation of a sustainable network of excellence in the area of food powders. The main steps in implementing the objectives of the project consisted of holding of a workshop on food powders; creation of a strategic document for research on food powders; dissemination of the output from the project. This paper summarises some of the key ndings from the strategic document for research in food powders [1].

Corresponding author. Tel.: +353 21 4903089; fax: +353 21 4270249. E-mail address: j.tzpatrick@ucc.ie (J.J. Fitzpatrick). 0255-2701/$ see front matter 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.cep.2004.03.014

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1.2. Food powders what is special about them The development of formulation engineering concepts in food manufacturing and the demand for diversity in food products has driven a substantial market increase for food ingredients. Most ingredients are supplied in powdered form and therefore powder technology is an increasingly important issue both to food ingredient manufacturers and food producers. The two major aspects about food powders that make them special are biological origin and the fact that they are ultimately consumed by humans and animals. The major reason for production in powder form is simply to prolong the shelf-life of the ingredient by reducing water content, otherwise the ingredient will be degraded and broken down in its natural biological environment. So, the major function of the powder form is to maintain the stability of the ingredient functionality until it is required for utilisation, which is usually in some sort of wet formulation. The major functionalities of food ingredients can be broadly classied as physical/chemical: for example, gelation, emulsication, foaming, pH control; nutritional: for example, vitamins, nutraceuticals; organoleptic: for example, colour, taste, smell, texture. There are a multitude of food ingredients available with a whole variety of different functions, and there is huge scope for R&D into investigating new ingredients, and new and improved functionalities. As the role of the powder form is mainly to preserve this functionality over time and to deliver it when required, the focus of this work deals with the powder issues and not the different ingredient functionalities. The major powder issue with regard to food ingredient powders is maintaining the stability of ingredient functionality from production right through to nal powder application. Most food powders are not directly consumed by humans and animals, they are usually mixed with water and other liquids to produce wet formulations, which are further processed to produce products that are directly consumed. As a result of being ultimately consumed by humans and animals, prevention of contamination of the powders with microorganisms, viruses and undesirable chemical components is a huge issue for food powder manufacturers and the food industry in general. One major case of food poisoning linked to a contaminated powder can be very detrimental to a producer. Other powder issues are also important in delivering the food powder, and these include the ability to handle and transport ingredient powders, dust problems, dust re and explosion hazards, allergy problems, creation of desirable powder particle properties, and the ability to dissolve these powders when required. Many of these issues are in common with other powders and much can be learnt from other industries dealing with powders.

1.3. Identication of problems, knowledge barriers and research challenges and opportunities When looking at the processes involved in going from powder production to its nal application, they can be broadly divided into the following two categories in Table 1. Category A processes have the dominant inuence in creating the powder properties that inuence the powders nal application. Category B processes may inuence the powder properties by degrading them or by requiring certain properties to allow effective handling and transport. To identify problems, knowledge barriers and research challenges and opportunities, it may be useful to look at these categories separately and to generically investigate how research possibilities may come about as a result. For example, for category A processes, it may be useful to rstly look at the applications of the powder (how it is nally applied) and work backwards to the production of the powder. There are not many food powders that are directly consumed by the nal consumer in powder form only. Most are incorporated as ingredients into some sort of wet formulation somewhere along the chain before being nally ingested by the consumer. As a result, an important area is research into the technologies and processes involved in addition and mixing of powders to produce these wet formulations. Allied to this, is the creation of powder properties that enable these processes to function and that enhance process performance. From this, a major area of research is the investigation of how powder properties inuence their roles in forming wet formulations. Some of these properties may be difcult to dene and measure, thus denition and measurement may become research areas that must be tackled before effective investigation of how the properties affect application. A further step back from application to powder production is the processes that create the desired powder properties. Thus, another major area of research involves the study of these processes, and investigating how raw material variables and process input variables affect the engineering of the desired powder properties. Finally, as mentioned above, a very important aspect of research for food powders is component stability, all the way from powder production,

Table 1 Classication of powder processes A. Processes that give powder its properties Powder production processes Drying Comminution Crystallisation/precipitation + drying Mixing Separation Agglomeration/granulation Coating/encapsulation B. Handling and transport processes Storage (e.g. silos, IBCs, bags, cans) Transport (e.g. feeders and conveyers) Packaging equipment

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through storage, handling and processing right through to nal application of the powder. There are also holistic issues of importance for food powders, including health and food safety, re and explosion hazards, energy efciency and cost of manufacture especially for basic food powders. As a result of the above considerations, the following six sections were created to gain a more focused insight into typical industrial issues and problems, knowledge barriers and research opportunities in areas that have importance to food powders in particular, and which also are relevant to powders in general Quality and safety Powder production processes Mixing and agglomeration Other added-value technologies Powder storage and transport Characterisation of powders

Research into agglomeration, coating, encapsulation, and barrier technologies, to maintain component stability and to provide smart composite powders for triggered release and targeted delivery. 2.2. Prevention of contamination Contamination of a food powder with undesirable bio-life forms and chemical components is a major concern due to direct impact on human and animal health. As a consequence, one high prole case can cause major damage to an individual company and a whole industrial sector. Because of its importance, a lot of work has already been done to prevent contamination. There are plenty of methods and procedures available to eliminate most contamination risks, however the key to success requires constant monitoring and strict implementation of current good manufacturing practices (cGMP). The EU hygienic engineering design group (EHEDG) has produced documentation on the hygienic design of food equipment, including those dealing with dry particulate solids [2]. Problems still exist with dust formation leading to powder settling on equipment, which may provide a growth environment for microbes when contact with moisture exists. 2.3. Dust prevention and control Dust generation can lead to a number of problems for food powders. These can be summarised as follows: (i) health problems, in particular allergy problems; (ii) contamination and plant hygiene issues due to dust settling and sticking onto equipment; and (iii) re/explosion hazards. As a result, improvement in dust measurement, prevention and control is a major issue when dealing with food powders. Due to their biological origin, there is always the possibility that a food powder may contain biological active components, such as enzymes, that may be harmful and may produce allergy problems. Consequently, this may eventually lead to the imposition of stricter dust exposure limits. Self-ignition of food powders that stick onto the drying chamber is still a big problem. The powder may be experiencing temperatures below its minimum ignition temperature, however the temperature and moisture content may be high enough to favour other exothermal reactions, that may cause the product to heat up over time until it reaches a temperature that can sustain combustion reactions. At this stage, it will start to smoulder and then it can start a re or a dust explosion. This self-ignition scenario can also occur in other equipment, such as lter bag houses. There is a need for a greater understanding of these self-ignition mechanisms and how to prevent their occurrence. There is also a need for in-line sensors that can detect volatiles coming from these reactions and give early warning of self-ignition. Sensors for measuring carbon-monoxide have been developed and are already industrially implemented in the dairy industry but sensors for

These areas are explored in detail in the strategic document for research in food powders. Some of the major issues that surface from these sections are presented in the following two sections.

2. Powder issues of practical importance to food powders 2.1. Maintaining or stabilising the functionality of ingredients This is a critical theme for food powder ingredients as many of them will be added to form wet formulations and they will be expected to perform. For example, will the egg white have the same functional performance when dried, handled and rehydrated as it did before it was dried? How can polyunsaturated fats be dried, stored and applied without being readily oxidised and producing noxious odours? What lactic acid culture activity will remain after it has been dried, stored and rehydrated after 1 year? Thus, research into maintaining the stability of ingredient functionality during formulation prior to drying, drying, storage, handling, processing and rehydration is key to food powder ingredients. Some examples of general research topics include Research into formulation technology prior to drying and the role of excipients in maintaining and enhancing component stability. Research into the mechanisms of small molecule stabilisation of biopolymers during the removal of water during drying. Research into improved and alternative drying technologies that maintain the stability of components (e.g. low temperature drying). Research into factors that affect the destabilisation of the functionality of ingredients in powder form during storage, handling and rehydration.

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measuring other volatiles where CO is not given off are required. 2.4. Stickiness Occasionally during spray drying of many different product formulations, there may be one formulation whereby the powder starts sticking onto the wall of the drying chamber and coating it. In powder mixing where a small amount of liquid ingredient is sprayed onto a powder, the powder may stick to the mixing chamber surface and form a crust over time. Both these examples may appear mundane, however they cause major problems when they occur, as the chamber now needs to be cleaned. There is a need for testing that can predict the likelihood of a powder sticking onto a surface, and how this is affected by the composition of the powder and processing conditions. Furthermore, there is a need for determining approaches to overcoming these stickiness problems. 2.5. Segregation of food ingredient mixes Many food ingredients are supplied as food ingredient mixes, which, in some cases, can contain many ingredients. If the ingredients have different particle properties, in particular, particle size, this may lead to segregation or demixing after the mixing process. This problem can seriously limit the potential for creating ingredient mixes. Industry people would like to have tools for measuring segregation tendency and for predicting the maximum difference in particle properties tolerable before segregation becomes a problem. Furthermore, it is desirable to have a systematic approach to assist in the development of non-segregating mixes. 2.6. The value of food powders Food powders are usually perceived to have a low quality and thus low value. As a result, low cost production drives powder production and thus there is little investment available to stimulate innovation and change, so the technology tends to stagnate and change little over time. From this, there is a need for investment in powder science and technology in the food industry to help solve recurring problems, improve process efciency and engineer added-value properties into food powders. Solving problems and improving efciency will reduce cost and added-value properties will increase the value of food powders. Some of this cost saving and additional revenue can then be ploughed back in to continue the cycle of product and process innovation. Simultaneously, there is a challenge for scientists and engineers to continue to demonstrate that powder education and R&D in the food industry is worth the investment. Powder storage and transport operations are perceived not to add value to the powder, thus there is little investment into dealing with and solving storage and transport problems. Processors appear to simply live with the problems

and do not appear to realise that solving these problems can save a lot of headache and more importantly, bottom-line cost. A major underlying problem is education insofar as many working in the food industry do not have an adequate knowledge of powder science and technology to be able to apply it effectively in the food industry. 2.7. Particle engineering This involves the engineering of food powder ingredient particles that can maintain ingredient stability and functionality, that do not present dust formation problems, that do not present difcult handling and transport problems, and can be readily rehydrated to deliver their required functional performance in a wet formulation. The major limitation to this type of approach is the low value of food powders and the low cost driven nature of food powder product that stunts this type of innovation. On the other hand, particle engineering is the key to the higher added value of food powders, e.g. by producing products with excellent instant properties.

3. Issues of importance to powders in general, including food powders Food powders are powders rst and foremost, thus many issues that are relevant to powders in general, are also very relevant to food powders. These are summarised as follows. 3.1. Education Most of the industry people dealing with food powders come from a food science and technology background or an engineering background. Powder science and technology is seldom taught in engineering courses or food science and technology courses. The subject is too important in the practical life of an engineer or scientist for this to be omitted from curricula. Thus, there is a need for incorporation of powders into existing undergraduate and postgraduate education. The world of particle and powder technology should be as important as uids. The educational scenario is more complex for practicing engineers and scientists. For those wishing to obtain a greater knowledge of powders, there are a number of short courses available conducted mainly by industry consultants and some academic institutions. The question is: Is this sufcient or is there a need for more educational opportunities? There may be potential for a European or even world-wide distance learning programme dealing with aspects of powder science and technology. Allied to this is the problem that many practising engineers and scientist do not realise their deciency in powders or are simply not aware of the educational opportunities or are not given the time and support to pursue them. This can only be overcome by promoting a greater awareness of the importance of particle and powder

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science and technology, which is denitely making progress with time. 3.2. Transfer of existing knowledge into application in industry Much more attention should be paid to transfer of existing knowledge from universities, research centres and consultancies into industry. In most cases, knowledge transfer, mainly in the form of innovative equipment and system design, is introduced to industry via powder equipment suppliers. Consequently, there is potential for greater synergy between these suppliers and centres of research. Non-multinational companies/SMEs, in particular, can use much more knowledge to escape from the trial and error approach. There is an enormous amount of wasted time and effort because the same mistakes and problems appear time and time again throughout the process industries. There is a lot of wisdom scattered about that can be applied to solve many of these problems and prevent many of these mistakes. However, the limiting steps are education and knowledge transfer, although the situation is gradually improving with time and with more and more individuals promoting the importance of particle/powder science and technology. 3.3. Standardisation of powder property denition and measurement In the world of particles and powders, there are many properties and there is a multitude of property denitions and measuring techniques, which may even vary from one industry to another. There is a need to standardise the denition and measurement of these properties. This will help streamline denitions and measurement techniques to those that are most applicable. It will help in obtaining greater reproducibility and also enable greater comparison of work undertaken by different groups. 3.4. Fundamental science, modelling and design Description and modelling of the fundamental mechanisms that can be applied in the design of most powder processes is still very much at an early stage. It is comparable to the pre McCabe-Thiele era in distillation technology. This is particularly true for many common operations like dry powder mixing, mixing of powders and liquids, granulation and coating. Many of them have similar mechanisms taking place, such as particle motion and particle/liquid contact, thus there is potential for cross-fertilisation. There is much scope for progress in this area. Modelling techniques, such as DEM and CFD, are trying to model particle/particle and particle/uid motions and interactions, however it may take many years before these techniques are useful for design involving real powders, and some are dubious whether they will ever be useful for real cohesive powders. The rst step in the modelling of spray-drying has already been taken.

In addition, there is potential for looking at alternative mechanisms that may result in more effective ways of doing things that could lead to the development of new equipment based on these new concepts. For example, the concepts behind most present-day dry mixers have been around for decades. Maybe, there are alternative approaches, such as the application of chaos in mixing that could lead to more effective mixing with less energy requirement. Similar comments could be made for other processes, such as granulation, whereby a greater understanding of the fundamental science may lead to alternative approaches to granulation process design. 3.5. On-line and in-line monitoring and control This is very much in its infancy as applied to powder processes, and as a result, there is a lot of scope for work in this area. The advantages of improved monitoring and control are early warning of problems, reduced costs and more consistent product quality. Presently, there are a number of sensors that have potential for use on- or in-line, however there is scope for the development of on-/in-line versions of existing sensors and totally new sensors. The major challenges for the application of existing sensors are either one or a combination of the following: (i) reducing sensor cost; (ii) improvement of sensor robustness for real-time operation in a powder environment, and (iii) development of data analysis technology that can lter the sensor output and convert it into useful information for control. 3.6. Nanoparticle technology Nanotechnology is gaining more and more popularity throughout industry. As a result, nanoparticle technology represents a new promising eld of application to food powders, although current research and development is very much in its infancy. 3.7. Energy efciency Most powder processes, and in particular drying and comminution, are not very energy efcient. An improvement in the fundamental science, modelling and application to design coupled with improved on- and in-line monitoring (e.g. model predictive control) will give opportunities to improve energy efciency while ensuring product quality.

Acknowledgements We would like to acknowledge the ve group leaders in the project for their valued contributions: Prof. Koen Dewettinck, Ghent University, Belgium; Richard Farnish, Wolfson Centre for Bulk Solids Handling Technology, UK; Prof. Peter Lillford, University of York, UK; Dr. Sivert Ose, POSTEC, Norway; and Prof. Karl Sommer, TU-Munich,

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Germany. We also acknowledge Prof. Fernanda Oliveira, UCC Ireland and Prof. Thomas Ohlsson, SIK Sweden for their assistance and support during the creation and implementation of the project. Finally, we acknowledge all those who participated in the workshop and the many others who made contributions to the creation of the strategic document.

References
[1] Strategic document for research in food powders. http://www. foodpowders.net, March 2003. [2] G. Hauser, K. Mager, R.R. Maller, K. Masters, G.M.H. Meesters, W. Rumpf, G. Schleining, EHEDG document no. 22, general hygienic design criteria for the safe processing of dry particulate materials, Trends Food Sci. Technol. 12 (2002) 296301.