Preparation of ethyl vanillin spherical particles with functions of sustained release and anti-caking by an organic solvent-free process

Ethyl vanillin is an important synthetic flavor that occupies a large market share in food additives. However, the shortcomings in terms of too fast aroma release rate and poor powder properties have severely limited its further application. In this work, the intrinsic mechanism of ethyl vanillin oiling-out process is revealed with the help of process analytical technologies. Further, a green and efficient spherical particles preparation technology is developed by constructing the oiling-out phase diagram of ethyl vanillin in the aqueous solution of sodium chloride. The ethyl vanillin spherical product has excellent powder properties with high bulk density (0.74 g/ cm3), good sphericity (93.4 %), high flowability (29 degrees), high yield (>95 %) and adjustable particle size distri-bution. More importantly, the spherical product exhibits 57.9 % lower aroma release rate at 323.15 K and 1400 % higher critical caking cycle compared to irregularly shaped powder, which confirms its sustained release and anti-caking function.