Food and beverage companies are continually looking for new innovative ways to increase their sales and market share and for the same purpose they are adding new products in the markets. They are also doing it by innovating more professional promotional campaigns. New techniques and methods are invented every day to increase the quality of processed foods.
Salting and drying are said to be the techniques used by humans to process the freshness of their food and increase its flavor. But today, new and improved techniques have helped increase our food supply through extended shelf life. These new techniques slow down and sometimes completely stop the spoilage process and also increase the variety and flavor of food products available.
One such technique used in the food processing industry is “extrusion.” Various processed foods, such as all snack foods, breakfast cereals, confectionery, and some pet foods, are now also made using a technique called extrusion. The extrusion process basically involves compressing the food into a semi-solid mass and then passing it through a very small hole to bring out the variety of textures, shapes and colors obtained from the basic foods. This technique has given the opportunity to increase again and again the variety of designs, shapes and textures of the same products. In fact, this extrusion technique shapes and very occasionally cooks raw foods into finished processed foods.
All of this is done through an extrusion machine called an ‘extruder’. Normally, an extruder contains a power source to drive the main screw, a feeder to push all the raw ingredients, and a barrel to surround the main part, i.e. the screw. This screw passes raw material through and into a shaped hole and matrix from which the product shape is formed. The good thing about this extrusion process is that it can be done at very high temperatures and pressures and even in a simple process without cooking or forming. One of the biggest advantages of applying extrusion technology for food production in the food processing industry is the fact that it helps preserve food products. This process is also used to limit water-related activities in food. This, in turn, controls the growth of microorganisms and also spoilage. Therefore, extrusion is considered very useful for the production of shelf-stable foods and is gaining importance for the production of a variety of processed foods such as snack foods, breakfast cereals, and many types of sweets.
We all know that the snack food sector is the fastest growing sector in the food processing industry and this new technique called extrusion has already made its mark as a source for manufacturing new and creative products. Most grains can now be extruded and all grain-containing products [e.g. bread, breakfast cereals and cakes] It can be processed through the extrusion technique. It is also used to prepare many pet foods.
This technique is widely used for preparing food for the military, camping, food needed to meet some special dietary needs, and most importantly, feeding during natural disasters and recovery. The use of the extrusion technique has successfully produced a fresh new variety of food products and holds great promise for humanity in the future.
