LAUSR

Abstract The Pressurized Gas eXpanded (PGX) liquid technology was developed for simultaneously drying and purifying high molecular weight biopolymers, resulting in nano/micro-sized powders with large surface areas that can be loaded with various bioactives. The preparation of PGX-dried gum arabic (GA) and its loading by adsorptive precipitation with coenzyme Q10 (coQ10) was investigated in a two-step process. In step one, the effects of feed solution concentration, flow rates and flow rate ratios on the PGX-processed GA were studied. Low flow rates and high ratios resulted in larger (up to 65 m2/g) surface areas. In the second step, the impact of different recirculation flow rates and pressurization rates on the coQ10 loading was tested. Only an increased pressurization rate (4.5 vs. 1.5 MPa/min) showed an effect, increasing the coQ10 loading from 0.6 to 2.0% w/w. PGX drying followed by adsorptive precipitation shows great potential for the development of bioactive delivery systems.