Diffusion of short chain alcohols from amorphous maltose-water mixtures above and below their glass transition temperature.

The apparent diffusion coefficient for short chain alcohols in undercooled maltose-water mixtures close to the calorimetric glass transition temperature, Tg, was measured by following desorption using headspace gas chromatography. The plasticising effect of the alcohols on Tg was characterised using differential scanning calorimetry. The initial appearance of alcohol in the headspace showed a linear dependence on the square root of time, allowing it to be modelled as a Fickian diffusive process. The diffusion coefficient decreased with increasing molecular size of alcohol and proximity to Tg. Close to the glass transition the variation of diffusion coefficient with temperature and composition does not follow that of viscosity and, for ethanol, divergence was observed at Tg/T> 0.88.

Phase behavior and component partitioning in low water content amorphous carbohydrates and their potential impact on encapsulation of flavors.

The compositions at which amorphous ethanol-maltose-water mixtures exhibit liquid-liquid separation have been determined in the temperature range from 20 to 80 degrees C. At water contents below approximately 20% w/w two phases were observed, with the maltose-rich phase slightly richer in water. Partition coefficients of organic nonelectrolytes ranging in hydrophobicity from 1, 2-ethanediol and 1,2-propanediol to benzyl alcohol and propyl acetate have been measured for octanol/sorbitol, benzyl alcohol/sorbitol, and 1-butanol/sorbitol mixtures. Linear correlations were found between the log partition coefficients in the various solvent systems. Replacing water with sorbitol results in more organic partitioning into the octanol. Replacing octanol with benzyl alcohol or 1-butanol also results in more organic partitioning into the hydrophobic phase. The results establish a relationship with partition coefficients for octanol/water mixtures, which are well studied experimentally and for which predictive approaches exist. The implications of these results for flavor retention and encapsulation are discussed.

Factors affecting the release of flavor encapsulated in carbohydrate matrixes.

The effects of water content and temperature variation on the release of flavor components into the headspace over flavors, encapsulated by an extrusion process, in low water content carbohydrate matrixes is studied. The largest amounts of release occurred when the matrix was above its glass transition temperature, whether this was due to increased water content or elevated temperature. Under these conditions up to 70% of the sucrose in the matrix crystallized over a period of 10 days, as quantified using Fourier transform Raman spectroscopy. Smaller amounts of headspace release occurred when the water content of the encapsulated flavor system was decreased from 3. 5 to 3.1% w/w. Small amounts of release occurred from the "as prepared" materials, which were associated with the presence of small amounts of unencapsulated flavor oil with direct access to the headspace. It was concluded that release due to matrix permeability was relatively slow as compared with the above mechanisms.