Instant nutrients

Instant nutrients are nutrient supplements or food components that are in instantized form. Instant nutrients are available either in powder form or as a tablet or effervescent tablet. They can therefore be dispersed and rehydrated particularly quickly in water, milk, or other liquids. They typically consist of powders or granules and provide macro- and micronutrients such as proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, and minerals in a formulation designed for high wetting ability, rapid sinking, and lump-free solubility.

Typical application areas include infant and toddler nutrition, medical nutrition, sports nutrition, dietetics, as well as enriched instant beverages, soups, and cereals, where despite quick preparation, nutritional quality and sensory properties must remain stable.

From a technological perspective, instant nutrients can be characterized by parameters such as wetting time, dispersing time, sedimentation tendency, as well as physical parameters such as bulk density and particle size distribution. These are significantly influenced by agglomeration, spray drying, and coating processes.

In practice, the better the particle structure and surface are adapted to the target medium, the lower the tendency for dust, demixing, and lump formation, and the more reproducible the nutrient uptake.