LAUSR

Banana pulp was treated with Pectinex Ultra SP-L and Celluclast 1.5 L individually or in combinations at different concentrations (0–2.5% v/w) and incubation times (0–2.5 hr) prior to spray drying process. About 41.12 and 61.27% viscosities reduction were achieved with Celluclast 1.5 L and Pectinex Ultra SP-L, respectively. Enzymatic liquefaction obtained with combinations of 1.5% (v/w) Pectinex Ultra SP-L and 1.0% (v/w) Celluclast 1.5 L for 2.5 hr showed the greatest viscosity reduction (88.54%). Liquefied puree was added with 10–50% w/w maltodextrin and spray-dried at different inlet temperatures (140–180 °C). The results indicated that the highest drying yield (51.50%) was obtained at 150 °C with 30% (w/w) maltodextrin. The obtained powders were analyzed for water activity (0.25 ± 0.01 Aw), moisture content (0.29 ± 0.01%), hygroscopicity (13.58 ± 0.01%), solubility (54.00 ± 1.00 s), color (L* = 91.73 ± 0.05; a* = 0.39 ± 0.01; b* = 7.53 ± 0.04), and bulk density (0.44 ± 0.03 g/ml). The produced powder could potentially be incorporated into other fruit-based products. Practical applications Tropical fruits are widely cultivated in developing countries as a source of nutrition and revenue. Most of these fruits are high in moisture content (>80%), therefore, they are prone to deterioration and have a shorter shelf life. The amount of fruits spoiled during the harvesting season can be minimized by dehydration method via spray drying to increase their shelf life and to ensure their availability all year round. The resulting spray-dried powders can potentially be incorporated into various food products as a source of functional food additive such as flavoring or coloring. The detailed knowledge obtained from this study on the best conditions for enzymatic liquefaction to ease the drying process and optimum drying conditions to reduce the stickiness problem for the production of good quality fruit powder. In addition, these parameters can be used as a reference for large scaled production in food industry.