Abstract:
In the milling process, wet milling coupled with spray drying is a widely employed processing technique. However, the high viscosity of yam slurry resulting from wet milling leads to issues such as equipment clogging and wall adhesion during spray drying. To address these challenges, this study utilized a high-energy fluidic microfluidizer (HEFM) system for the wet milling of yam and investigated the impact of varying pressures (0, 60, 90, 120 MPa) on the rheological properties of the yam slurry. Additionally, the effect of HEFM coupled with spray drying on the phenomena of equipment wall adhesion and nozzle blockage, as well as the properties of yam powder were studied. The findings indicated that treatment with the HEFM system significantly reduced the viscosity of yam slurry and mitigated wall adhesion issues during spray drying. As pressure in the HEFM system increased, there was approximately a twofold enhancement in yam powder collection rate, particle size diminished with D4,3 decreasing by about 15% and Dx(90) by around 12%. Furthermore, large dry hollow particles within yam powder, while agglomeration decreased and smaller particles increased in number and exhibited greater sphericity. Moreover, damaged starch content rose by 88.24% and gelatinization viscosity declined. Fast-digestible starch content increased by 9.6%, leading to markedly improved digestibility of the powder. This research provides valuable data support and theoretical insights for efficient wet milling-spray drying processes involving yam and contributes to product development.