GEA Niro develops spray drying process for aloe vera
Bridges gap between natural drying and costly freeze drying
A Danish company has developed a spray drying process to prepare aloe vera for use in cosmetics. The new process, the brainchild of GEA Niro (part of GEA Process Engineering), is claimed to bridge the gap between traditional but limited sun drying methods and more expensive freeze drying processes.
According to GEA Niro, spray drying offers an efficient yet economic option for those looking to use the final dried product as a functionality-enhancing agent in cosmetics.
The process requires the aloe vera cactus leaves to be processed so the moisture absorbing pulp can be micro disintegrated and spray dried efficiently. The hard outer shell is removed and the aloe vera fillet – comprising 98% water and 2% tissue – is put through a shredder and milling machine. The resulting feed pulp is heated to 50ºC and dosed with enzymes which break down the cellulose chain reducing viscosity. The fibres are then segregated and those smaller than 200 microns continue the process. The pulp is pasteurised to create a gel, before being evaporated and spray dried into a fine, free flowing powder.
“We are confident that the process will be widely used throughout the food and personal care industries,” commented Robert Djernaes, food sales group manager, GEA Niro. “It is the first time that this process has been produced industrially and we are excited to be able to include it as part of GEA Niro’s core business processes.”
