The three routes in one paragraph each
Spray drying atomises a concentrate or juice into hot air. The droplet dries in seconds and falls out as a fine, highly soluble powder. Fruit sugars have low glass transition temperatures and would stick to the dryer wall, so a carrier is almost always required. Cheapest per kilogram of fruit solids, best solubility, lowest aroma retention.
Drum drying spreads a puree onto a heated rotating drum and mills the dried film. It accepts a viscous pulpy feed a spray dryer cannot handle and needs little or no carrier. Direct and comparatively long heat contact darkens colour and develops a cooked note.
Freeze drying sublimes ice under vacuum. Colour, aroma volatiles and heat-labile actives survive better than in either alternative. It is the slowest and the most energy-intensive route, and the resulting powder is porous, low in bulk density and aggressively hygroscopic.
What belongs in the specification
- Carrier type and carrier percentage, stated numerically
- Fruit solids content, which is the number the price should be normalised against
- Water activity at 25 degrees Celsius with the method named
- A particle size distribution across at least three sieve fractions, not a single mesh figure
- Instrumental colour against a sealed reference, plus an in-application colour check at the pH and dosage of the finished product
- A dispersion or wettability acceptance test where the powder goes into a beverage
- Salmonella absence in a defined sample mass where no downstream kill step exists
The regulatory layer
Anti-caking agents and colours are permitted additives under Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 within the authorised uses and levels, and they are declarable. Drying concentrates rather than removes: residue references under Regulation (EC) No 396/2005 and contaminant levels under Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/915 apply to the commodity as traded, not to the fresh fruit behind it. Microbiological criteria sit in Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 – drying stops growth but does not sterilise, and survivors revive on rehydration. The liner is a food contact material under Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004 and its declaration of compliance belongs on file before the first delivery.
Where to start
The drying methods comparison guide sets the three routes side by side on every parameter that affects a purchase decision. If the alternative under consideration is an ambient liquid base rather than a powder, the aseptic puree guide covers that format on the same terms.