REGULARITIES OF THE DRYING OF LACTULOSE SOLUTIONS

The existing patented technologies of the production of lactulose were analyzed, and leading producers were defined. Crystalline lactulose was produced via the spray drying of lactulose solutions with various mass fractions of solids. The principal dependences of the finished product output on the drying temperature, the solution flow rate, the air flow rate generated by an aspirator, and the gas spray rate were studied. The results of analyzing the presented dependences allowed us to determine the optimal mass fraction of solids in a solution for spray drying. The results of studying the quantitative parameters of dry lactulose, including hygroscopicity, particle size, moisture content, and finished product solubility index, were presented.