Spray Drying Frequently asked questions
Looking for answers about spray drying? You’re in the right place.
This FAQ page covers everything from how spray drying works to carrier selection, powder characteristics, and what it’s like to work with Spray-Tek. No matter where you are in your development process—whether you’re just getting started or scaling production—you’ll find clear, practical answers to help guide your next steps.
Jump to a Section:
SPRAY DRYING BASICS
Spray Drying Basics: What You Need to Know
What is spray drying?
Spray drying is a method of turning a liquid or slurry into a dry powder by spraying it into a stream of hot air. As the droplets dry almost instantly, solid particles are left behind—forming a fine, free-flowing powder.
A liquid mixture is pumped through an atomizer, which turns it into tiny droplets. These droplets are then introduced into a drying chamber filled with heated air. Upon contact with the hot air, the moisture evaporates almost instantly, and dry particles are collected using a cyclone or filtration system.
Spray drying offers several benefits:
* Rapid drying for heat-sensitive materials
* Consistent particle size and flowability
* Easy scalability from lab to production
* Improved stability and shelf life of sensitive ingredients
* Ability to encapsulate actives or convert liquids into solid form
A wide range of materials can be spray dried, including:
* Flavors and fragrances
* Vitamins and nutrients
* Plant extracts and natural colorants
* Pharmaceuticals and excipients
* Polymers, resins, and specialty chemicals
Spray drying uses hot air to rapidly evaporate moisture from liquid droplets, producing dry powders in seconds. In contrast, freeze drying—also known as lyophilization—removes moisture by first freezing the material, then using a vacuum to sublimate the ice into vapor. While both methods preserve ingredients, spray drying is faster and more scalable.
Yes. Even though it uses heated air, the residence time in the drying chamber is extremely short—often just a few seconds. This minimizes heat exposure, making it ideal for ingredients like vitamins, enzymes, natural extracts, and essential oils
Spray drying is used across many industries, including:
* Food and beverage (e.g., powdered flavors, dairy, coffee)
* Nutraceuticals and supplements
* Pharmaceuticals
* Personal care and cosmetics
* Fragrance
* Agriculture and animal feed
* Home care and cleaning products
* Industrial materials and coatings
Spray-dried powders usually range from 10 to 500 microns in diameter, with most falling between 100 and 200 microns. The exact size distribution varies based on feed properties, atomization method, and process settings.
Common carriers include maltodextrin, gum arabic, modified starches, whey protein, and cellulose derivatives. In spray drying, these materials play a critical role—they help protect sensitive ingredients, improve powder stability, and assist with handling and dispersibility.
Yes. By removing moisture and encapsulating sensitive compounds, spray drying helps prevent oxidation, degradation, and microbial growth—improving the shelf life, stability, and performance of the final product
The terms contract spray drying and toll spray drying are often used interchangeably, and while they’re closely related, they generally refer to the same type of service: outsourcing the spray drying process to a third-party provider. In this setup, the customer typically supplies the formula or active ingredient, while the spray drying partner provides the equipment, technical expertise, and production labor needed to process the material at scale. This approach allows brands to avoid the capital investment and complexity of in-house spray drying while still maintaining control over their formulation.
Spray drying costs vary based on the material, process requirements, batch size, and production scale. In general, pricing typically includes setup, processing time, utilities, labor, and materials. To receive an accurate quote, you’ll need to provide details about your formulation, volumes, and desired outcomes.
TECHNICAL INSIGHTS
Technical Insights: Spray Drying Process & Performance
What factors affect powder flowability in spray drying?
Powder flowability is influenced by several factors, including particle size, shape, moisture content, surface texture, and the presence of electrostatic charges. Larger, more spherical particles with low residual moisture and a smooth surface tend to flow better. Choosing the right atomization method, carrier, and drying conditions can significantly improve flow behavior.
The inlet temperature controls how quickly moisture is evaporated, while the outlet temperature reflects the final product conditions. Higher inlet temperatures can speed up drying but may degrade heat-sensitive actives. Lower outlet temperatures often indicate higher residual moisture. Balancing both temperatures is critical to achieving the desired stability, appearance, and functionality without damaging the ingredient.
Encapsulation efficiency refers to how much of the core material (e.g., an active ingredient) is successfully retained within the dried particles. It’s typically expressed as a percentage. A high encapsulation efficiency is important because it indicates effective protection, minimal loss of volatiles, and a well-formed barrier between the core and external environment. It depends on the formulation, carrier selection, atomization method, and drying parameters.
Yes. Spray drying is one of the most widely used methods for microencapsulation. It enables the formation of protective coatings around active ingredients to control release, improve stability, or mask undesirable taste or odor. It’s particularly effective for producing stable, flowable powders from liquid actives or emulsions.
Spray drying uses hot air to evaporate moisture and create a dry powder, while spray chilling (also called spray congealing) uses cool air to solidify melted or liquid materials into particles. Spray chilling is typically used for fat-based or waxy ingredients, while spray drying is suited for water-based systems and heat-sensitive actives that need drying rather than cooling
WHAT TO EXPECT
Working With Spray-Tek: What to Expect
Do I need to supply the active ingredient or raw materials?
You can—but you don’t have to. We offer flexible options:
* You can supply your own active ingredients, or
* We can help source materials that meet your specifications.
Either way, we’ll ensure everything aligns with your formulation goals and quality standards. Our team also qualifies all inputs for consistency and performance.
Yes. We specialize in supporting customers from R&D through full-scale production.
Whether you’re still refining a formula or ready to scale, we can:
* Help identify and source compatible carriers or encapsulation materials
* Optimize formulations for spray drying
* Translate lab-scale concepts into commercial-scale runs
* Coordinate production timelines across our network of partners
We make sure your scale-up is efficient, reliable, and market-ready.
Absolutely. We offer pilot-scale spray drying to:
* Test feasibility
* Refine your formulation
* Validate performance before full-scale production
Our R&D support includes carrier selection, process optimization, and troubleshooting. In other words, you can confidently move from concept to commercialization
We’re more than a contract manufacturer—we’re your formulation partner.
What sets us apart:
* 14 patented technologies to solve performance and stability challenges
* An asset-light model that integrates seamlessly into your supply chain
* The flexibility to use your active ingredient—not just ours
* Deep experience across nutrition, beauty, home care, and industrial markets
* A culture of collaboration, follow-through, and technical excellence
Spray-Tek helps innovative brands scale smarter, faster, and more sustainably.
Thanks for exploring our spray drying FAQ. If you didn’t find what you were looking for, we’d love to connect directly. Our team is here to answer questions, evaluate your formulation, and help you determine if spray drying is the right fit – Contact us today!
