The new healthy choice for snacking
In order to answer to the growing healthy snacks market trends, Clextral has developed a complete technology for the production of a whole grain and multi-grain extruded chips that is a healthier alternative to regular potato chips or corn chips.
By using the Twin Screw Extrusion technology, Clextral introduce a chip with the advantages of being rich in whole grains and fibers and low in fat content compared to regular potato chips. Chips can be available in different attractive shapes (wavy, square, and triangle), texture and flavors and show visible inclusions.
The versatility of the Twin Screw Extrusion technology allows the creation of healthy multigrain chips:
These multigrain chips are produced using the Twin Screw Extruders technology as the heart of the process.
In the case of the production of multigrain chips, Twin Screw extrusion is mainly used to mix, compress, cook and form an extruded product that will be expanded later thanks to post treatment operations.
The Twin-Screw extrusion process design for the production of multigrain chips is gentle enough to disperse and protect the visible inclusions, and appropriate to obtain a micro mixing of all the ingredients, the right thermomechanical cooking of the food materials and the right dispersion of the water content. It is the perfect dispersion of the melt obtained thanks to the twin screw extrusion design that allows the production of a homogeneous texture during post treatment operations.
Multigrain chips are designed to be a healthy choice for snacking.
- They present well-balanced formulation: recipes typically include at least 51% whole grains. Whole grain sources may come from corn, wheat, rice, barley, rye or oat. They can be incorporated to the recipe in different dry forms: flours, meals, fine grits or coarse grits. In addition to this starch matrix, formula may include minor ingredients that bring different functionalities: sugar, salt, emulsifiers, starches, proteins, fibers…etc.
- Dried ingredients are weighed and mixed prior to extrusion process and then feed directly into the twin screw extrusion through a loss-in-weight feeder or a volumetric feeder or to an intermediate pre-treatment such as the preconditioner.
- After mixing or preconditioning, the mix enters continuously the twin screw extruder. Twin screw extrusion cooks the ingredients with a combination of thermal energy, mechanical shear and added moisture. Temperature control is critical for the production of such chips, as the cooking level will determine the quality attributes of the finished products.
- At the end of the twin screw extruder, the die allows shaping the product. Extruded chips are then cut into individual pieces that are then conveyed to post treatment operations.
- Finally, extruded fried or baked chips are seasoned with various flavors such as onion, ranch or cheddar cheese. Seasoning typically takes place in a continuous drum where dry flavors are incorporated between 1 and 10% depending on desired product characteristics.
Production line capacity are available from as low as 100 kg/hr (220 lbs/hr) up to 1000 kg/hr (2200 lbs/hr) finished product.
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Clextral takes the dipping chip concept to a new level of sophistication.
Clextral is offering new technology for creating extruded snacks that combine style and crunch with generous dip-handling capacity, creating a new niche for snack manufacturers.
Clextral's newly developed die and cutter technology provide the tools to create innovative three dimensional shapes never before possible. It is now possible to make dipping chips with ridged designs that add structural strength for heavy dipping, or open celled snacks with a broad shape and light crunch for soft dips, and virtually anything in between.
Clextral's twin screw extruders’ flexibility allows precise adjustments in each processing parameter, and our extensive R&D in snack technology make these advances possible.
Clextral’s processing technology and expertise can craft snacks with specific attributes such as texture, mouthfeel, and cell structure to make each product unique.
Clextral has also committed significant R&D with new ingredients to give processors an advantage in devising new formulas in the test plant. Although traditionally processed from corn, chips used for dipping can benefit from the addition of bean flour for flavor and fiber, or blends of masa flour combined with other ingredients, including oat, wheat, rice, root vegetables, and ancient grains.
Snack processors are encouraged to explore their new snack ideas at Clextral’s test plants.
