METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF SWEETENERS
A sweetener in the dried form is described. Methods for drying sweetener in the liquid form into sweetener in the dried form are presented. The methods may include introducing the sweetener in the liquid form into a gas stream and recovering sweetener in the dried form from the gas stream.
1 . A method for producing a sweetener, comprising:
mixing trehalose and a high intensity sweetener in water;
introducing the mixture of the trehelose, the high intensity sweetener and water into a gas stream having a maximum velocity of at least 10 n/s; and
recovering the sweetener in a dried form from the gas stream.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the gas stream is a pulsed gas stream.
3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the mixture of the trehelose, the high intensity sweetener and water is introduced into a portion of the gas stream having a temperature between 700° F. and 1300° F.
4 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the mixture of the trehelose, the high intensity sweetener and water is introduced into a portion of the gas stream having a temperature between 900° F. and 1100° F.
5 . The method of claim 3 , further comprising pulsing the gas stream in a frequency of pulses between 30 Hertz and 1000 Hertz.
6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein a second temperature of the gas stream ranges from about 150° F. to about 250° F.
7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the high intensity sweetener comprises aspartame.
8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the high intensity sweetener comprises aspartame and acesulfame potassium.
9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the trehalose and a high intensity sweetener in water are mixed to about 50% solids.
10 . A sweetener in dried form, prepared by the process comprising:
forming a sweetener in a liquid form by combining trehalose with a high intensity sweetener in water;
introducing the sweetener in the liquid form into a gas stream having a maximum velocity of at least 10 m/s; and
recovering the sweetener in a dried form from the gas stream.
11 . The sweetener of claim 10 , wherein the gas stream is a pulsed gas stream having a first temperature and second temperature.
12 . The sweetener of claim 11 , wherein the mixture of the trehelose, the high intensity sweetener and water is introduced into a portion of the gas stream having a temperature between 700° F. and 1300° F.
13 . The sweetener of claim 11 , wherein the mixture of the trehelose, the high intensity sweetener and water is introduced into a portion of the gas stream having a temperature between 900° F. and 1100°
14 . The sweetener of claim 11 , wherein the frequency of pulses range from about 30 to 1000 Hertz.
15 . The sweetener of claim 14 , wherein a second temperature of the gas stream ranges from about 150° F. to about 250° F.
16 . The sweetener of claim 10 , wherein the high intensity sweetener comprises aspartame.
17 . The sweetener of claim 10 , wherein the high intensity sweetener comprises aspartame and acesulfame potassium.
22 . The sweetener of claim 10 , wherein the sweetener in the liquid state comprises about 50% solids.