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Grinding systems without losing volatile oil of spices

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Biss

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Posted 27 December 2010 - 04:07 AM

Hi all,

Anyone using a spice powdering system which can reduce the loss of essential oil in spices?

Kindly share your thoughts


Biss

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Posted 27 December 2010 - 12:30 PM

Hi all,

Anyone using a spice powdering system which can reduce the loss of essential oil in spices?

Kindly share your thoughts


Hi Biss,

I know that some chefs use liquid nitrogen to freeze the fresh spice/herb before grinding them into powders. Thus, you can even skip the dehydration process before grinding to produce a fresh spice powder. This probably won't work in the food industry as once they are thaw, the ice crystals will melt and cause the powders to be wet.

Although it is not wise to produce fresh spice/herb like the above (unless you consume them on the same day), the same theory can be applied by using liquid nitrogen/carbon dioxide onto the spices before milling to reduce the heat generated by friction.

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Biss

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Posted 29 December 2010 - 05:38 AM

Hi,

thanks for your valuable feedback.

anyone one has the past experience in these cryogenic systems ?

does it really preserve the oil content and economical


Biss

GMO

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Posted 29 December 2010 - 09:03 AM

Hi Biss,

I know that some chefs use liquid nitrogen to freeze the fresh spice/herb before grinding them into powders. Thus, you can even skip the dehydration process before grinding to produce a fresh spice powder. This probably won't work in the food industry as once they are thaw, the ice crystals will melt and cause the powders to be wet.

Although it is not wise to produce fresh spice/herb like the above (unless you consume them on the same day), the same theory can be applied by using liquid nitrogen/carbon dioxide onto the spices before milling to reduce the heat generated by friction.

Mill and Sieve Cooling

Turnkey System



I was about to suggest this not realising people did it already. I don't understand though why it would make them wet as the liquid nitrogen would be dry (water long being removed before you get down to temperatures that Nitrogen would liquify at), therefore, as long as you grind it in a dry area or maybe have a grinding machine that vents (as the air will expand as the spices are ground) but doesn't let in air, I can't see why they'd get wet? Also if you're really cunning about it, you may be able to store the spices under the nitrogen gas which is liberated and not let them back into an oxidative environment (which will presumably prevent oxidation of some of the delicate oils.)

Just be aware that use of liquid nitrogen does bring H&S risks but having tipped some over my feet several times and having kept all of my toes it's not as scary as most people think (don't try it at home though)!


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Posted 29 December 2010 - 09:50 AM

I was about to suggest this not realising people did it already. I don't understand though why it would make them wet as the liquid nitrogen would be dry (water long being removed before you get down to temperatures that Nitrogen would liquify at), therefore, as long as you grind it in a dry area or maybe have a grinding machine that vents (as the air will expand as the spices are ground) but doesn't let in air, I can't see why they'd get wet? Also if you're really cunning about it, you may be able to store the spices under the nitrogen gas which is liberated and not let them back into an oxidative environment (which will presumably prevent oxidation of some of the delicate oils.)

Just be aware that use of liquid nitrogen does bring H&S risks but having tipped some over my feet several times and having kept all of my toes it's not as scary as most people think (don't try it at home though)!


I think I wasn't clear on my post. When I mentioned fresh herb/spice, I mean really fresh, before any kind of dehydration process. Thus, there would bound to be some moisture content in them. The addition of LN helps to make them brittle and easier to break into small pieces. LN then evaporates, as per your explaination, but leaving the moisture still in the "powder" to thaw. In the end, you get a moist/wet powder if they are not used before they thaw.

Attached some pics from Cooking Issues.

Posted Image
Powdered fresh herbs. This technique gives you a powder as fine as any dried herb, but with fresh. It looks great, smells great, and tastes great. It is the best way to evenly apply a mixture of herbs. 1) blanch your herbs in boiling water or they will turn black. Squeeze out extra water. 2) Fill a Vita-Prep pitcher at least halfway with LN. The large pitchers with the wet blades don’t work well for this because product sprays everywhere. The smaller pitcher with the dry blade never causes problems. Put your herbs in the pitcher and let them freeze. 3) Cover and blend, slowly working your way up to high speed. Don’t wait too long to turn on the blender after you’ve added LN or the bearings will make an awful noise. 4) Pour the mix through a chinois into a bain. 5) The stuff that is left in the chinois is too coarse for us. Put it back in the pitcher for the next round. 6) Pour the mixture in the bain through a coffee filter. This is the good stuff. 7) Put the powder in a chinois and tap it onto your dish—do it while the powder is still frozen. You can also fold this stuff into whipped cream, mashed potatoes, etc. Remember the flavor and aroma will increase dramatically as the herbs thaw. Don’t overdo it. 8 ) Allow to thaw.


Posted Image
1) Frozen olive oil. 2) Frozen maple syrup. 3) Frozen honey. 4) Frozen honey as it thaws.



And yes, I do agree that LN should be used with caution! You are lucky to still have your toes. I assume you had your safety shoes on?

@ Biss,

I think the cryogenic systems are by no means cheap. But if the customers request/expects such high quality herbs/spices, they should be able to pay for it.


"World Community Grid made it possible for us to analyze in one day the number of specimens that would take approximately 130 years to complete using a traditional computer."

- Dr. David J. Foran, professor and lead researcher at The Cancer Institute of New Jersey, UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.




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GMO

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Posted 29 December 2010 - 10:06 AM

I think I wasn't clear on my post. When I mentioned fresh herb/spice, I mean really fresh, before any kind of dehydration process. Thus, there would bound to be some moisture content in them. The addition of LN helps to make them brittle and easier to break into small pieces. LN then evaporates, as per your explaination, but leaving the moisture still in the "powder" to thaw. In the end, you get a moist/wet powder if they are not used before they thaw.

Attached some pics from Cooking Issues.



And yes, I do agree that LN should be used with caution! You are lucky to still have your toes. I assume you had your safety shoes on?

@ Biss,

I think the cryogenic systems are by no means cheap. But if the customers request/expects such high quality herbs/spices, they should be able to pay for it.


Ah as the poster was asking about spices, I assumed they meant dried whole spices.

Nope, no safety shoes, this was when I was a chemist in my former life.




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