Technologies for Transforming Fermented Beverages from Liquid to Powder: A Systematic Literature Review

Córdova García C.C.; Garcia Peña L.Y.; Lozada Coello A.L.; Mathews Mendoza G.D.; Tocto Correa F.I.; Rojas Estela D.R.A. · Proceedings of the LACCEI international Multi-conference for Engineering, Education and Technology (2026) · DOI: 10.18687/laccei2026.1.1.1302

Resumen

The growing need to extend shelf life, facilitate transportation, and preserve bioactive compounds in fermented beverages has driven increasing interest in their conversion to powder form. This process requires maintaining physicochemical, sensory, and microbiological properties that ensure functional and nutritional value. This systematic review evaluated the most effective technologies for obtaining powdered fermented beverages, using a non-experimental descriptive design based on PRISMA and PICOC criteria, including studies published between 2020 and 2025 in Scopus, Web of Science, and EBSCOhost. Results showed that spray drying was the predominant technique, standing out for its energy efficiency, ease of industrial scaling, and process yields ranging from 70% to 97.5%, along with encapsulation efficiencies of bioactive compounds between 72% and 85%. Freeze-drying, although less commonly used due to its high energy consumption, demonstrated superior preservation of sensory, nutritional, and microbiological quality, with bioactive compound retention between 78% and 99.6%, water activity values ranging from 0.336 to 0.392 aw, and microbial viability close to 93%. Beverages such as water kefir, craft beer, yogurt, fermented milks, and fermented guava and noni juices have been successfully powdered while maintaining their functional stability. However, traditional beverages such as chicha de jora have received limited research attention, highlighting the need for future studies aimed at optimizing their transformation and promoting their technological and industrial valorization.

Instituciones: Universidad Tecnológica del Perú