Weerachet Jittanit, Maythawee Chantara-In, Tithiya Deying, and Wantanee Ratanavong

pp. 33 - 41

Abstract

Tamarind powder specimens were produced by drum-drying of mixture between juice squeezed from tamarind pulp
and drying aid. Two popular drying aids namely maltodextrin (MD) and Arabic gum (AG) were applied at the ratios of juice
(20°Brix) and drying aids of 1:0.4, 1:0.8 and 1:1.4. A double drum dryer was employed in this work at the drying temperatures
of 120 and 140°C, drum speed of 0.35 rpm, and the gap between drums of 0.4 mm. The results indicated that in order to obtain
the tamarind powders, the ratio of tamarind juice and MD should be 1:0.8 if drying at 140°C or 1:1.4 if drying at 120-140°C.
In case of using AG as a drying carrier the proportion should be 1:0.4 or 1:0.8 for drying temperatures between 120 and 140°C.
Sensory evaluation indicated that the tamarind powders with MD were preferred in facet of appearance, color, and overall
liking, while those with AG were favored in their aroma and taste. The energy costs of producing tamarind powders were
between 7.27 and 21.00 Baht/kg_powder whereas the drying aid costs were in the ranges of 208-228 Baht/kg_powder and 640-768
Baht/kgpowder if using MD and AG respectively.