Method for spray drying coffee whitener

Claim 1

A method for drying liquid coffee whitener so as to simultaneously provide a first product having a relatively high bulk density and a second product having a relatively low bulk density and good sinking characteristics, comprising providing particles of a liquid coffee whitener dispersion in the drying chamber of a spray dryer, introducing circulating air into said chamber, said air being of a quantity, temperature and humidity sufficient to dry said particles and provide an outlet air temperature in the range of from about 190*F to about 210*F, entraining a fraction of said dried particles in said circulating air and removing said circulating air containing a first fraction of particles from said drying chamber, separating said first fraction of particles having a relatively high bulk density of from about 0.60 to about 0.70 grams per cc from said circulating air, removing from said drying chamber a second fraction of coffee whitener particles having a bulk density of from about 0.40 to about 0.55 grams per cc by gravity and simultaneously cooling while conveying only said second fraction to provide a packageable product having relatively low bulk density and rapid sinkability and solubility, said conveying being effected by vibratory conveying so that said dried particles of said second fraction are maintained in slight relative motion in respect to each other and said cooling during said conveying being sufficient to reduce the temperature of said second fraction by at least about 20*F.

Claim 2

A method for drying liquid coffee whitener so as to simultaneously provide a first product having a relatively high bulk density and a second product having a relatively low bulk density and good sinking characteristics, comprising providing particles of a liquid coffee whitener dispersion in the drying chamber of a spray dryer, introducing circulating air into said chamber, said air being of a quantity, temperature and humidity sufficient to dry said particles and provide an outlet air temperature in the range of from about 190*F to about 210*F, entraining a fraction of said dried particles in said circulating air and removing said circulating air containing a first fraction of particles from said drying chamber, separating said first fraction of particles having a relatively high bulk density of from about 0.60 to about 0.70 grams per cc from said circulating air, removing from said drying chamber a second fraction of coffee whitener particles having a bulk density of from about 0.40 to about 0.55 grams per cc by gravity and simultaneously cooling while conveying only said second fraction to provide a packageable product having relatively low bulk density and rapid sinkability and solubility, said conveying being effected by vibratory conveying so that said dried particles of said second fraction are maintained in slight relative motion in respect to each other and said cooling during said conveying being sufficient to reduce the temperature of said second fraction by at least about 20*F.