with the collaboration of Iranian Society of Mechanical Engineers (ISME)

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

1 Department of Biosystems Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran

2 Mechanical Engineering of Biosystems, Faculty of Agriculture, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran

3 Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran

Abstract

Introduction
Dracocephalum moldavica L. is an annual plant with blue or white flowers and fragrant leaves which belongs to the family of Lamiaceae with the height of up to 80 cm. This plant is native to Central Asia and is accepted in Central and Eastern Europe. In Iran, it is mainly grown in the province of West Azarbaijan and the Alborz Mountains. The essential oils and extracts derived from the secondary metabolisms which are mainly used in the pharmaceutical industry, dietary, cosmetic, flavoring and also as tea and beverage with sugar or honey. The liquid extract of the herb contains a high percentage of water, which should evaporate to increase shelf-life, easy transport, handling and storage, the ease of standardization and preservation of the product quality. On the other hand, the active compounds of the extracts are affected by temperature, oxygen, light and enzymes. Therefore, because of the uses and benefits of herbal extracts, they need to be dried by a practical and effective method like spray drying. In literature still there are no studies taking into account to the comparisons between RSM and TOPSIS as two important optimization methods. So, as the main objective of the present work, the effects of moisture content, drying performance, total phenol content, total flavonoid content and antioxidant activity have been surveyed. Finally, the optimal point of each process variable was presented by two optimization methods.
Materials and Methods
Aerial parts of Moldavian balm plant were cleaned and drying of plant was carried out under shade and thin layer conditions. The extraction of Moldavian balm was obtained by maceration method using ethanol 50 % (v/v), plant to solvent ratio of 1/10 (w/v). After 48h, the extract was concentrated in a rotary evaporator (Buchi Rotavapor R-205, Switzerland) to obtain a solid concentration of 6%. The used carrier was: Maltodextrin and apple pectin. Different ratios of carrier were prepared, then the ratio was added to distilled water and stirred by a magnetic stirrer. Finally, the solution was mixed with extract. The drying of Moldavian Balm plant extract was performed using a spray-dryer (Büchi B-191, Switzerland) with co-current flow regime. The powders provided by the spray drying were stored in refrigerator until they were needed for the experiment.
Results and Discussion
The results of variance analysis showed that the Box-Behnken design with the second-order model has led to the meaningfulness of the model, insignificant of the Lack of Fit and the appropriate correlation coefficient for each of the responses. A total number of 15 experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of process variables such as inlet air temperature, compressed air flow rate and concentration of carriers on moisture content, drying performance, total phenolic content, total flavonoid content and antioxidant activity of  Moldavian balm powder. Inlet air temperature and compressed air flow rate had the most significant effect on moisture content and drying performance, while Chemical properties of the powder affected by changing the concentration of carriers.
Optimization parameters of the spray drying process was performed using surface response and TOPSIS methods. The optimum predicted conditions in the response surface method and TOPSIS method were obtained at inlet air temperature, compressed air flow rate and concentration of carrier (152.5-150°C), (8.046-7.5 lit min-1) and 20%, respectively.
Conclusion
By comparing two methods, it can be concluded that although they could provide the same optimum points, the RSM is more efficient. Because RSM offers a mathematical model that can be used at any desired point of variables to predict the output quantities as well as describing the process trend, while TOPSIS method is unable to predict the process trend and only provides the ranking of alternatives.

Keywords

Open Access

©2020 The author(s). This article is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source.

1. Aghkhani, M., M. Abasspour-Fard, M. Bayati, H. Mortezapour, S. Saedi, and A. Moghimi. 2013. Performance analysis of a solar dryer equipped with a recycling air system and desiccant chamber. Journal of Agricultural Machinery 3: 92-103. (In Farsi).
2. Akowuah, G., Z. Ismail, I. Norhayati, and A. Sadikun. 2005. The effects of different extraction solvents of varying polarities on polyphenols of Orthosiphon stamineus and evaluation of the free radical-scavenging activity. Food Chemistry 93: 311-317.
3. Bae, E. K., and S. J. Lee, 2008. Microencapsulation of avocado oil by spray drying using whey protein and maltodextrin. Journal of Microencapsulation 25: 549-560.
4. Bahmanpour, H., S. Sajadiye, M. Sheikhdavoodi, and M. Zolfaghari. 2017. The Effect of Temperature and Drying Method on Drying Time and Color Quality of Mint. Journal of Agricultural Machinery 7: 415-426. (In Farsi).
5. Beketov, E., V. Pakhomov, and O. Nesterova. 2005. Improved method of flavonoid extraction from bird cherry fruits. Pharmaceutical Chemistry Journal 39: 316-318.
6. Bonjar, S. 2004. Evaluation of antibacterial properties of some medicinal plants used in Iran. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 94: 301-305.
7. Chang, C. C., M. H. Yang, H. M. Wen, and J. C. Chern. 2002. Estimation of total flavonoid content in propolis by two complementary colorimetric methods. Journal of Food and Drug Analysis 10.
8. Chaul, L. T., E. C. Conceição, M. T. F. Bara, J. R. Paula, and R. O. Couto. 2017. Engineering spray-dried rosemary extracts with improved physicomechanical properties: a design of experiments issue. Revista Brasileira de Farmacognosia 27: 236-244.
9. Chiu, Y. T., C. P. Chiu, J. T. Chien, G. H. Ho, J. Yang, and B. H. Chen. 2007. Encapsulation of lycopene extract from tomato pulp waste with gelatin and poly (γ-glutamic acid) as carrier. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 55 (13): 5123-5130.
10. Cordeiro, D. S., and W. P. Oliveira. 2005. Technical aspects of the production of dried extract of Maytenus ilicifolia leaves by jet spouted bed drying. International Journal of Pharmaceutics 299: 115-126.
11. Dastmalchi, K., H. D. Dorman, M. Koşar, and R. Hiltunen. 2007a. Chemical composition and in vitro antioxidant evaluation of a water-soluble Moldavian balm (Dracocephalum moldavica L.) extract. LWT-Food Science and Technology 40: 239-248.
12. Dastmalchi, K., H. D. Dorman, I. Laakso, and R. Hiltunen. 2007b. Chemical composition and antioxidative activity of Moldavian balm (Dracocephalum moldavica L.) extracts. LWT-Food Science and Technology 40: 1655-1663.
13. Domian, E., A. Brynda-Kopytowska, J. Cenkier, and E. Świrydow. 2015. Selected properties of microencapsulated oil powders with commercial preparations of maize OSA starch and trehalose. Journal of Food Engineering 152: 72-84.
14. Eren, I., and F. Kaymak-Ertekin. 2007. Optimization of osmotic dehydration of potato using response surface methodology. Journal of Food Engineering 79: 344-352
15. Ersus, S., and U. Yurdagel. 2007. Microencapsulation of anthocyanin pigments of black carrot (Daucus carota L.) by spray drier. Journal of Food Engineering 80: 805-812.
16. Fallah, S., M. Rostaei, Z. Lorigooini, and A. A. Surki. 2018. Chemical compositions of essential oil and antioxidant activity of dragonhead (Dracocephalum moldavica) in sole crop and dragonhead-soybean (Glycine max) intercropping system under organic manure and chemical fertilizers. Industrial Crops and Products 115: 158-165.
17. Fazaeli, M., Z. Emam-Djomeh, A. K. Ashtari, and M. Omid. 2012. Effect of spray drying conditions and feed composition on the physical properties of black mulberry juice powder. Food and Bioproducts Processing 90: 667-675.
18. Gallo, L., J. M. Llabot, D. Allemandi, V. Bucala, and J. Piña. 2011. Influence of spray-drying operating conditions on Rhamnus purshiana (Cascara sagrada) extract powder physical properties. Powder Technology 208: 205-214.
19. Lim, Y. Y., and J. Murtijaya. 2007. Antioxidant properties of Phyllanthus amarus extracts as affected by different drying methods. LWT-Food Science and Technology 40: 1664-1669.
20. Li, X., K. Wang, L. Liu, J. Xin, H. Yang, and C. Gao. 2011. Application of the entropy weight and TOPSIS method in safety evaluation of coal mines. Procedia Engineering 26: 2085-2091.
21. Marinova, D., F. Ribarova, and M. Atanassova. 2005. Total phenolics and total flavonoids in Bulgarian fruits and vegetables. Journal of the University of Chemical Technology and Metallurgy 40: 255-260.
22. Martinez-Vazquez, M., R. Estrada-Reyes, A. Martinez-Laurrabaquio, C. Lopez-Rubalcava, and G. Heinze. 2012. Neuropharmacological study of Dracocephalum moldavica L. (Lamiaceae) in mice: sedative effect and chemical analysis of an aqueous extract. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 141: 908-917.
23. Mestry, A., A. Mujumdar, and B. Thorat. 2011. Optimization of spray drying of an innovative functional food: Fermented mixed juice of carrot and watermelon. Drying Technology 29: 1121-1131.
24. Muzaffar, K., and P. Kumar. 2015. Parameter optimization for spray drying of tamarind pulp using response surface methodology. Powder Technology 279: 179-184.
25. Namavar, S. S., J. A. Parian, and R. A. Chayjan. 2018. Analysis of Microscopic Image Textural Features of Artichoke Leaf Extract Powder Produced from Vacuum Spray Drying. Journal of Agricultural Machinery 8: 295-308. (In Farsi).
26. Oztekin, S., and M. Martinov, 2014. Medicinal and aromatic crops: harvesting, drying, and processing: CRC Press.
27. Pierucci, A. P. T., L. R. Andrade, M. Farina, C. Pedrosa, and M. H. M. Rocha-Leão. 2007. Comparison of α-tocopherol microparticles produced with different wall materials: pea protein a new interesting alternative. Journal of Microencapsulation 24: 201-213.
28. Rahmati, E., F. Sharifian, and M. Fattahi. 2018. Effects of different drying methods and additives on the physicochemical properties of Moldavian balm (Dracocephalum moldavica L.) extract. Iranian Journal of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants 5: 781-793. (In Farsi).
29. Razmipour, M., N. A. Naeini, H. Mortezapour, and A. G. Moghaddam. 2015. Performance Evaluation of a Solar Dryer with Finny, Perforated Absorber Plate Collector Equipped with an Air Temperature Control System for Dill Drying. Journal of Agricultural Machinery 5: 134-142. (In Farsi).
30. Sablania, V., and Bosco, S. J. D. 2018. Optimization of spray drying parameters for Murraya koenigii (Linn) leaves extract using response surface methodology. Powder Technology 335: 35-41.
31. Sadeghi, A., F. Shahidi, S. A. Mortazavi, and M. N. Mahalati, 2008. Evaluation of different parameters effect on maltodextrin production by–amylase Termamyl 2-x. World Applied Sciences Journal 3: 34-9.
32. Shishir, M. R. I., F. S. Taip, N. A. Aziz, and R. A. Talib. 2014. Physical properties of spray-dried pink guava (Psidium guajava) powder. Agriculture and Agricultural Science Procedia 2: 74-81.
33. Tan, S. P., C. K. Tuyen, S. E. Parks, C. E. Stathopoulos, and P. D. Roach. 2015. Effects of the spray-drying temperatures on the physiochemical properties of an encapsulated bitter melon aqueous extract powder. Powder Technology 281: 65-75.
34. Tonon, R. V., C. Brabet, and M. D. Hubinger. 2008. Influence of process conditions on the physicochemical properties of açai (Euterpe oleraceae Mart.) powder produced by spray drying. Journal of Food Engineering 88: 411-418.
35. Tuyen, C. K., M. H. Nguyen, and P. D. Roach. 2010. Effects of spray drying conditions on the physicochemical and antioxidant properties of the Gac (Momordica cochinchinensis) fruit aril powder. Journal of Food Engineering 98: 385-392.
36. Watson, M. A., J. M. Lea, and K. L. Bett‐Garber. 2017. Spray drying of pomegranate juice using maltodextrin/cyclodextrin blends as the wall material. Food Science & Nutrition 5: 820-826.
37. Yousefzadeh, S., F. Daryai, A. Mokhtassi-Bidgoli, S. Hazrati, T. Yousefzadeh, and K. Mohammadi. 2018. Morphological, essential oil and biochemical variation of Dracocephalum moldavica L. populations. Journal of Applied Research on Medicinal and Aromatic Plants 10: 59-66.
CAPTCHA Image