Combination of methods to understand the lactose caking mechanisms
2016
CARPIN, Mélanie | Bertelsen, H | Bech, J.K. | Jeantet, Romain | Risbo, J. | Schuck, Pierre
Caking is a recurrent problem across different industries whether it occurs during production, storage or transport of powders. Several caking mechanisms have been underlined in the literature. However they are often difficult to consider in an industrial context given the complex and multiple process, product and storage parameters which influence caking. Taking crystalline lactose powder as an example, the present study investigates how different product parameters are correlated and contribute to caking under relevant storage conditions. The key product parameters to include were identified considering possible variations in the production process. Dynamic vapor sorption, isothermal microcalorimetry and spectroscopic methods such as near infrared and Raman combined with multivariate data analysis were used to assess moisture sorption, polymorphic content and amount of impurities. Moreover the caking ability was measured with a ring shear tester. The amorphous and mineral contents were found to be critical to control in order to prevent enhanced moisture sorption and caking. Indeed it was shown that caking could result from the presence of residual amorphous lactose. Finally recommendations concerning production and storage are given to avoid caking in commercial lactose powder.
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