The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) has bared the development of natural flavors from traditional “bagoong balayan” (salted fish sauce) and “bagoong alamang” (shrimp paste) in powder form through the spray-drying method.
DOST Secretary Fortunato “Boy” T. de la Peña said the agency’s Industrial Technology Development Institute (ITDI) through its Food Processing Division developed the spray-dried natural flavors from fermented fish and shrimps.
“Spray drying converts a slurry into a dry powder by rapid drying with hot gas, resulting in consistent, fine, particle size powder,” he said during his weekly report on Friday, Aug. 13.
He cited instant coffee, instant tea, milk powders, stevia sweetener, and instant fruit juices as examples of spray-dried products .
“The optimized spray-drying process from the traditional bagoong offers convenience since the product can be packed in small pouches that are less bulky than the traditional bottled bagoong,” the DOST chief said.
“It can be used in flavoring mixes and easily manipulated as the product is very soluble,” he added.
De la Peña said processors or individuals in the regions interested in adopting the ITDI spray-dried bagoong technology can use one of the 17 spray drying units rolled out to the DOST Regional Food Innovation Centers.