Production of third-generation snacks

Abstract

Extruded snacks are products which are easy to consume, tasty, crispy, with thousands of shapes, flavours, textures and are consumed worldwide. They can be expanded directly or indirectly. Directly expanded products are cooked, expanded, shaped and cut off the extruder, dried and packaged. It is a less complicated process than the indirect expansion, products have low bulk density, and are seasoned with different types of flavours and oils. Indirectly expanded products are stable during storage and have high bulk density, provide opportunity to produce a wide range of products. Different types of raw materials (corn, potato, wheat, oat, by-products of food industry, etc.) and combination of ingredients can be incorporated into the products. Non-starch ingredients such as protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals are more likely to be incorporated into indirectly expanded products than into directly expanded products. This makes them delicious, healthier and more interesting to customers. The most commonly used ways of expansion are deep fat frying, hot-air puffing and microwave heating.