Baking & Snack - March 2019 - 54

SNACK TECHNOLOGY

Traditional wafer equipment
can be adjusted to accommodate snack production,
especially snacks made with
better-for-you ingredients.
Franz Haas Machinery of America

new products or better-for-you twists on old favorites,
and many equipment suppliers stand ready to not only
provide the right equipment but also aid in new product
development.
"We work with processors to develop recipes with
many non-traditional raw materials to make snacks with
natural and authentic appeal," said Jose Coelho, president, Clextral USA. He identified ancient grains, quinoa,
vegetable powders and inclusions as well as high-protein
pulses as some of today's hottest snack food ingredients.
"For new products, we have more latitude as there are
no previous expectations," Mr. Coelho said. "However,
taste mouthfeel and visual appeal are still top priorities
for healthy snacks."
A few years ago, Franz Haas, a division of Bühler, Inc.,
identified heathy and better-for-you snacks as a growing
market and discovered an opportunity to apply its traditional wafer technology to savory snack production.
"We did a lot of research on different products using
ingredients like chickpea flour and millet," said Kevin
Knott, technical sales manager, Franz Haas Machinery
of America. "Insect flour is also very big."
Franz Haas often works with its customers during
R&D and might even develop new products of its own to
demonstrate the versatility of the wafer equipment. "We
created a liquid deposit that flows a little," Mr. Knott said.
"We have one product we call a 'Scoopie' that is made of
chickpea flour. It's a scoop that has a three-dimensional

shape and is stackable. We use different baking plates
and different shapes on the plates," he added.
Additionally, Bühler's extrusion technology offers
options for processing healthy snacks with ingredients
such as chickpea flour and beans. "We dry traditionally
extruded snacks, and we also have popping dryers that
use high impingement, high heat transfer air popping for
pellet products," said Mike Shaw, sales account manager,
snacks/cereals, Bühler, Inc. "A customer can either extrude and expand snacks directly out of the extruder, or
they can purchase pellets from a supplier in the market,
and they can simply have the expansion in our Aero
Expander, our hot-air expander." Hot air popping with
pellets is a lower cost equipment option that gives flexibility for quick product launches, Mr. Shaw added.
In addition to seeking new products with better-foryou ingredients, health-conscious snackers also turn to
bars as one of their many mini-meals throughout the
day. "Many of Reiser's customers who produce bars are
looking to make a variety in smaller batches," noted John
McIsaac, vice-president, strategic business development,
Reiser. "We're seeing more creativity in their recipes, using seeds whole nuts and dried fruit, as well as gluten-free,
organic, vegan and high protein. These processors need a
bar system that allows fast and easy changeovers from one
product to another and from one shape to another."
Modifying a traditional snack such as a cracker to fit a
healthier profile by incorporating different ingredients
into a wheat-based dough can dilute the gluten content
and weaken the structure, according to Ken Zvoncheck,
director, process technology, Reading Bakery Systems
(RBS). "In some cases, depending what the ingredient is
and the quantity we're incorporating in the formulation, it's
still sheetable, but in other cases, we might need additional
ingredients to help bind that dough back together," he said.
These types of adjustments will require producers to
look carefully at how they process better-for-you snacks.

Handle with care
For Rob Sarlls, president and CEO, Wyandot Foods,
Marion, OH, ingredients are an ongoing concern for
producing a variety of better-for-you snacks, especially
when it comes to choosing the right equipment.
"It needs to handle well with different ingredients,

"[Equipment] needs to withstand the pressure and heat
that's required to produce something that actually
tastes good and holds the consistency and flavor."
Rob Sarlls, Wyandot Snacks

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