Electrohydrodynamic drying of probiotics

Drying and moisture content is known to influence long-term storage stability of probiotics. In this study, electrohydrodynamic drying (EHD) of probiotics using ionic wind was investigated. The EHD drying process was found to be dependent on several parameters such as polarity and voltage of the electric field, collector type, surrounding temperature and gas, and use of excipient. By using a moving mesh flat electrode collector to facilitate the airflow during EHD processing, the water evaporation and cell viability were 76% and 61%, respectively. Moreover, comparison of the EHD drying process with the freeze-drying, reveals that the survival of probiotics and the water evaporation rates were similar, as well as the surface properties of the cells (zeta potential and hydrophobicity).