Baking&Snack - December 2011 - 75

Airing Out Snack Production Airing Out Snack Production
Frying akes nacks taste good, but h process Frying makes snacks t ste good bu the p oces Frying makes snacks taste good, but the process g oo s can load them with up to 30% fat by weight. As ca o can load them with up 30% fat by weight. e w % weight ht. a result, producers of pellet-based snacks often r sult producers pellet-based snac often result, producer ult lt, d ers e let-base snacks f n t se acks find it challenging to prepare more healthful airfind it challenging o prepare more healthful airnd challenging hal g repa p or healthfu a a f popped snacks that are lower in fat but have nearly but a popp d n ck popped snacks that are lower in fat b have nearly opped t e ower we earl rly rl the same expansion, flavor and mouthfeel as those the same expansion, flavor and mouthfeel as those h same p nsion avor d sion a u hfee thos ose fried in oil. frie frie fried n oil. il. il To create similar taste and texture, the create s mila ta t and text r the reat similar tast n texture, e t ila taste lar ex AeroExpander by Buhler Aeroglide, Cary, NC, relies Buhler er glide ary NC, relies Ae oEx ande AeroExpander by Bu l Aeroglide, Cary, NC relies Expa ide, i on dual-plenum air flow to surround each pellet n dual-plenum airfl w to surround each pellet ual-p num r flow s r o d a pellet let evenly and deliver enough thermal energy to evenly and deliver enough th r a energy to venly d e i e y ou thermal ne y transform the moisture in the pellets into steam transfor h transform the moisture in the pellets into steam ansform r oist e h pell t n o t am llet that can help them expand. that can help them expand. ha n elp m xp nd With air expansion technology, snack producers Wi h i With air expansion technology, snack producers pansi n echno gy ack ro uce s sion ch can diversify their produc lines often without diversify their product lines ft without can d v si thei p oduc li e often w t out e uct reformulating their pellets, noted Paul McKeithan, refor latin h i el e reformulating their pellets, noted Paul M Ke t an f n t a McKeithan, regional director for Buhler Aeroglide. The systems regional irector o Buhler e oglid The systems regional director for B h r Aeroglide. Th syst m eg l lide t come in multiple sizes, including 300, 600 and multiple izes, nclud n 0 00 c m come n m ltip sizes, including 300, 600 and p u 1,200 kg per hour. 1,200 per hour. 0 e our. ▼ With advances in techn gy,, air-popped pellet snacks contain th advances technology, air-popped pellet snacks contain d a s e hnolog r popped pellet acks contain e significantly less fat, but they also have a flavor and mouthfeell similar to sign fican y lless fat, b they also e gnificantly a but h y s and mouthfeel sim lar n mou hfee simi a those fried in oil.. those fried il. those frie oil
BUHLER AEROGLIDE HLER AEROGLIDE

▲ Using co-extruders, snack producers can add functionall iingredients iincluding soy and root Using co-extruders, s c producer can a f nctional ngrediients ncluding soy and root s n o ex uders snack producers a add functional n ed e s nclud ng y s ducer c tion ludi u o vegetables as welll as ancient grains to build the nutrition, flavor and texture of their products. v g ab s well nc ent grains build vegetables as wel as ancient grains to b ild the nutrition, flavor and texture o their products. n s utr t o avo a t x u rit ei r ducts cts.
CLEXTRAL CLEXTRAL LEXTRAL T A

consists counter-rotating o i consists of counter-r tatin forcing consists of counter-rotating forcing s s ounte n t rolls that positively push the dough roll ha rolls that positively p lls s tivel push the dough e e u from the fill hopper into the main ll op er nt h f m from the fil hopper into the main extrusion augers resulting in even e trusion ugers esulti extrusion augers resulting in even s lting ve and consistent dough flow through ow through an consiste t u and consistent dough flo t roug t ug the extrusion process. extrusion rocess. the e trusion process. SEED-UCTIVE SOLUTIONS. ExSEED- C TIVE OLUTIONS SEED-UC TIVE SOLUTIONS. Ex D-UC S truders come in many styles, intrud s m truders come in uder n styles, n yl , cluding single-screw, double-screw, cluding single-sc w double-screw, cluding single screw, do -c cooker extruders, roll extruders and extruders, ro l extru rs and xtruders xtruders co-extruders, observed Don Setsma, co-extruders, observed Don e d serv se d n vice-president, sales and marketing, v ep vice-president, nt, and marketing, n mark ng Hi-Tech/FPA, Grand Rapids, MI. Hi-Tech/FPA, rand apid , I Hi-Tec /FPA Grand Rapids, MI. d “Which method to use depends “Which ethod “Which method use depends epends on the end product the manufacturer the end product the manufacturer d roduct anufacturer wishes to produce,” he said. “FPA produce, said. “FPA wishes wishes to produce, aid. P looks at the customer’s objective and the customer’s objective and objective looks looks ustomer’s the yield per hour needed. Through yield hour eeded. rough the yield per ho needed. Through lab testing, [the company] can rec lab testing, [the company] can rectesting, the company] ecommend the appropriate equ pommend he appropriate equipmmend ropriate quip ment. If we do not manufacture the manufacture ment ment. t type needed, we will recommend the needed, d l company that manufactures the best y manufac actures [system] for the application.” for To meet the demand for betterfor-you snacks, many bakeries and snack manufacturers are developing a greater number of products that include nuts and seeds to enhance their nutritional profiles, according to John McIsaac, vice-president, strategic business development, Reiser, Canton, MA. “In recent years, I cannot recall any customer coming to us to produce a bar that did not have beneficial health effects,” he said. “Flaxseed, sunflower seeds, gluten-free and fruits have all been factors in the range of cookies and bars we have run recently.”

Consumers want to see larger, see larger, C sumer want Consumers w t to se l rge ers rger more identifiable particulates to reidentifiable particulates to rem re more d ntifi ble articulat s fia fi icula e inforce the more wholesome nature infor h m e holesome a ur inforce the more wholesome nature nfo forc l m re of today’s products. Reiser’s Vemag f today’s products. Reiser’s Vemag oday roducts. eise ’ V ma d y oducts iser’ has a positive displacement, doublepositive sp acem n h has positive displacement, doubles m ublescrew pump that can transport deliscrew p p a c transpo deli screw pump that can transport de is cate inclusions withou smearing or cate inclusions without smearing or nclusions without m ar g h crushing them. cr sh n h crushing them. To provide product provide production ver atility, versatility, r de o uction versatili Mr. McIsaac said, Reiser has develMI a McIsaac R er Reiser a deve evel oped attachmen that allow bak rs bakers ed attachments that allow bake t a ments h l and snack producers to switch from an snack producers switch from nack r ducer witch extruding and sheeting to filling, diextruding and sheeting to filling, diding n sheeting lling, viding or depositing Operators can depositing. Operators vi g r depositing. Operators can swap out these attachments for quick swap out these attachments for quick t hese ttachments o uick changeovers. They can also use the atchangeovers. e changeovers. They can also use the ate tachments on the single-lane Vemag tachments tachments the single-lane Vemag ingle-lane emag 500 or its HP E series machines to 500 its HP series machines series achines create small bars, pan-sized sheets create mall ars, an-s z create small bars pan-sized sheets heets and multiple-outlet portioni g, Mr. multiple-outlet portioning, Mr. and multiple-out e porti ning M McIsaac noted. McIsaac ted. Mc aac noted According to Mr. Eshelman, Acco d g Ac ording r Reading Bakery Systems can upgrade upgrade Reading e d pg g many of its existing extruders with its t co-extrusion capabilities to produce more elaborate products such as filled snack sticks. “The extruder forms continuous dough tubes while, at the same time, injecting a filling into the dough jacket,” he said. EVERY SHAPE AND SIZE. In addition to chips, crackers and health bars, extruded snacks include wholegrain nuggets, thin and crispy chips and even dipping-strength chips, Mr. Butler explained. Extruded multigrain wavy chips came first, and now snack producers are adding a greater level of sophistication with high-fiber, low-fat, nutrient-enriched formulas, he said.

In some cases, food producers are literally changing the shape of snacks to come. “We’re creating innovative shapes such as cartoon characters, animals, logotypes and more — made possible with recent advances in die and cutter technology,” Mr. Butler said. To increase throughput while maintaining product quality, Reading Bakery Systems upgraded its cutting systems over the years, Mr. Eshelman said. Back in the early 1960s, its first pneumatically operated cutters could make 40 to 50 cuts per minute. Ten years ago, a more advanced mechanism achieved 175

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Baking&Snack - December 2011

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