Influence of process conditions on the physicochemical characteristics of cumaru (Amburana cearensis) powder produced by spray drying

The aim of the work was to study the spray-drying of ethanolic extract from Amburana cearensis (Allem o) A.C. Sm., Fabaceae, in order to obtain powders with better pharmacological and technological properties for herbal medicine. A 23 fractional factorial statistical design was used to find adequate spray-drying operating conditions (inlet air temperature; feed flow rate and air flow rate) to produce A. cearensis powder with adequate concentration of active principles (amburoside and coumarin), low moisture content and high process yield. The HPLC analyses showed that the spray-drying powder of A. cearensis production did not cause alterations in the chromatographic profile when related to the fluid extract. The most significant factor that affected the amburoside concentration was air flow rate, while the concentration of coumarin, a thermolabile molecule, was influenced mainly by inlet air temperature. The moisture content of the spray-drying powder of A. cearensis varied from 3.72 to 5.85% (w/w), while the maximal process yield was 41.1% (w/w). The present study demonstrates for the first time the best operating conditions to produce A. cearensis extract powder that were adequate when related to the coumarin and amburoside concentrations and moisture content. However, additional studies are still needed to improve mainly it technological characteristics.