Process for drying and powderizing functional foods, nutraceuticals, and natural health ingredients

A system for producing free-flowing powder with a narrow particle size distribution from liquid solutions or liquid suspensions or liquid dispersions of functional foods, nutraceuticals, and natural health ingredients comprising in combination:

• (a) a feeding reservoir equipped with an agitator to maintain homogenous liquid compositions of said liquid solutions or liquid suspensions or liquid dispersions;
• (b) a positive displacement pumping device to pump said liquid composition into at least one atomizing device;
• (c) said at least one atomizing device composed of:
• (i) at least one fluid nozzle fitted at its bottom with a body in the shape of a truncated cone to distribute an upward gaseous drying medium over said nozzle;
• (ii) at least two lateral streamlined tube-like devices for directing said fluid or liquid suspensions, and compressed air flow at a pressure of more than 275.79 Kilo Pascal and less than 675.69 Kilo Pascal, respectively;
• (iii) a cylindrical plenum chamber wherein the fluid nozzle is located;
• (iv) an accelerating zone of a drying medium consisting of a cylindrical pipe located at the bottom of the cylindrical plenum and having a length equivalent to at least five times a diameter of said cylindrical plenum chamber;
• (d) a conical-cylindrical drying chamber sustaining a temperature of gaseous drying medium at 250° C. and above equipped with a manhole, and a multi-nozzle manifold;
• (e) an intermediate drying medium consisting of a single bed or multi-beds of inert carriers leading to reduced volume of the drying chamber.