High-quality tea powder using an efficient drying process.

There are numbers of instant tea powders, such as green, black or Matcha tea. Instant tea powder is a growing market, as flavor, stimulatory effects, health and convenience benefits can be claimed. The consumers mix the instant tea powder with warm or cold water or milk or industry is using it as food additive. Tea prepared from powder, similar to coffee powder, is the most used beverage worldwide as it is easy to handle and can be stored for a long time. The drying of food is a common method to improve food stability. Unfortunately, food quality suffers from this treatment, as flavor, aroma, appearance and nutrient value are decreased in dry products. Manufacturers are looking for drying treatments that are gentler with lower energy requirements. The method of the inert gas injection into the material is well known, as the drying rate is increased with the creation of a foamed structure (see Figure 1, page 2). It results in a reduced drying time and an improved quality of the dried product due to less thermal degradation. Creating a stable foam is a major challenge for the food industry, the problem being solved by the use of emulsifiers, although they are not desired by the costumer. Additionally, foaming is often a very harsh treatment and not suitable for sensitive material such as flavors or proteins. Kinematica provides with the MT-MM the technology and a proven solution for these kinds of issues.