Vacuum band dried extract differs from spraydried by being very coarse. Band dried products are made by introducing a liquid malt extract onto a slowly moving band passing through the vacuum drying oven. Drying occurs after the circulation of hot air through this moving bed of material. The vacuum allows evaporation to happen at a lower temperature and aids the extract to ‘bubble up’. The resultant honeycomb of material is milled into a coarse powder prior to packing.
Band dried extracts offer many of the benefits associated with Spraymalts. They also contribute to the following characteristics: