COPENHAGEN, Denmark—GEA Niro developed a process to spray dry aloe vera for use in the cosmetics industry. Until now, the therapeutic plant has been dried naturally in the sun, a fairly crude process with limited uses, or has undergone an extensive and expensive preparation for freeze drying for pharmaceutical use. The new process bridges the gap providing a high-quality powder that is suitable for use in personal care.
GEA Niro already supplies freeze-drying technology that produces aloe vera powder for use in pharmaceutical products; however, spray drying will provide an efficient and economic option for those looking to use the final dried product as a functionality enhancing agent for face creams and cosmetics, or nutricosmetic options such as beverages.
The process requires the aloe vera cactus leaves to be processed so the moisture absorbing pulp can be micro disintegrated and spray dried efficiently. The leaves are first filleted to remove the hard outer shell. What is left, the inner tissue, is made up of 98 percent water and 2 percent tissue matter that behaves like a sponge. This means, when the aloe vera has been spray dried it will act as a thickening agent and provide texture and volume to the end product without adding calories.
The aloe vera fillet is then put through a shredder and a milling machine to create a feed that is able to be atomized, the feed pulp is heated to less than 50 C and dosed with enzymes in a reaction tank; these enzymes break down the cellulose chain reducing viscosity. The fibres are then segregated and those less than 200 microns continue in the process. Aloin, used as a bittering agent in beverages and as a pharmaceutical laxative, is extracted. The remaining pulp then goes on to be pasteurized creating a gel. After evaporation to increase the total solids of the gel it is spray dried into a fine, free flowing powder.
Robert Djernaes, Food Sales Group Manager for GEA Niro explained the new process would make aloe vera much more accessible to a wide range of industries. “The spray-dried powder is ideal for use in all products, and the spray-drying process has lower operation costs compared to freeze drying," he explained. “We are confident the process will be widely used throughout the personal care industry. It is the first time this process has been produced industrially and we are excited to be able to include it as part of GEA Niro’s core business processes."