Optimization of the production of a self-stable powder from date fruit variety ‘Shahani’

The objective of this study was to prepare a self-stable powder from date paste. The concept of glass transition temperature (Tg) was used to predict the stability of powder at room temperature. The effect of maltodextrin (MD) as a drying additive in the range of 28 - 55%, tricalcium phosphate (TCP) as an anti-caking agent and glycerol monostearate (GMS) as a flowability agent in the range of 0.3 - 3% on some physico-chemical and thermal properties of the date powder was studied, using response surface methodology (RSM). Proposed mathematical models were successfully capable to fit the experimental results for different physico-chemical properties of the powder such as moisture content, bulk density, solubility, Tg, hygroscopicity and color index (L*, a*) with high R2 values (R2 > 0.9). The optimal combination of additives was determined as 35% MD, 3% TCP and 3% GMS with the overall desirability of 82.3%