Determination of spray-drying parameters to obtain a dry extract rich in saponins from quinoa scarified residues.

Quinoa scarification residues are generated in large quantities in Bolivia and have a high content of saponins, compounds with various properties that give them a potential use in cosmetics, agriculture, health and others. For this reason, it is important to have methods to obtain dry extracts rich in saponins from these residues. In the present work, we determined some parameters for spray-drying the aqueous residual extract from a hydroalcoholic extraction process: EtOH:H2O (50:50) for 72 h, followed by removal of EtOH by rota-evaporation. For this, a 23 factorial experimental design was used, taking as independent variables: the concentration of the residual aqueous extract, the drying temperature and the speed of the air flow. It was determined that the significant variables to obtain a higher extraction yield in the spray drying process are: the drying temperature (100°C) and the speed of the air flow (4192 rpm), with a feed flow of 8 .0mL/min. The dry product obtained has a yield of 27.6% respect of quinoa residues and 68.73% of saponins. The spray-drying technique presented some advantages over the lyophilisation, such as the higher percentage of saponins in the dry extract and the shorter time used for drying.

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