LAUSR

Abstract Four drying methods such as freeze drying, vacuum drying, hot-air drying, and spray drying, with or without carriers (maltodextrin and gum arabic) were applied to evaluate their influence on the physicochemical properties, microstructures, and storage stability of the resulting xylooligosaccharides (XOS) products. The glass transition temperature (Tg), freezable water content, water activity, water sorption isotherms, microstructure (characterized by XRD, FT-IR, and SEM), chemical quality, and shelf life were mainly studied. The results showed that freezable water content was negatively correlated with Tg. Tg and monolayer water content (Xm) greatly affect the processability and stability of the XOS product, which had a further impact on the microstructure of the product during the storage. For comprehensive consideration, the freeze-dried product with 32–50% maltodextrin and 6–18% gum arabic has higher Tg and lower Xm, and storage stability are relatively good, which can be used as the best conditions for drying the crude XOS liquid.