Characterization of Spray Dried Starch Systems of Natural Antioxidant Compounds

Starch systems of natural antioxidants containing different starch sources (lentil, chickpea, corn, pea, and tapioca) and a variety of antioxidants (ascorbic acid, linalool, carvacrol, and cinnamic acid) are prepared using a pilot scale spray dryer. The effect of drying process on structural, morphological, and physical properties of the starch complexes is investigated. X‐ray analysis (XRD) reveals that there is a possible molecular interaction of starch with natural antioxidants. Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) shows the presence of an endothermic peak ranging from 91.0 to 112.1 °C, which is most probably attributed to the dissociation temperature of starch systems. Microscopic examination shows that the spray dried particles are irregular and spherical in shape and the antioxidant molecules are uniformly distributed within the starch systems matrix. All powders have moisture content values lower than 10%. The spray dried powders exhibit high lightness (L*) values and hue angle values close to 90 implying a yellow color. Chickpea‐ascorbic acid systems exhibit the highest bulk and tapped densities values and are the most hygroscopic while tapioca‐cinnamic acid systems have the lowest ones. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Cluster analysis  show that there is a strong relationship between the physical properties of the powders.