Snack Food Pellet Starch Segmentation for Uniform Expansion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Manufacturing expanded snack foods from a mixture of potato and non-potato starches results in overcooking of potato starch, leading to loss of desired characteristics and non-uniform expansion, especially when using a common cooking and extruding process.
Innovation Solution
Individual processing of potato and non-potato starches, followed by combining them before extrusion, to control the characteristics of the resultant expanded snack food, using a cooking device with mechanical and thermal energy input and a steam jet, and forming pellets with a specific starch matrix composition.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a common cooking and extruding process is used for a mixture of potato starch and non-potato starch, then the pellet achieves sufficient processability and uniform expansion, but the potato starch is overcooked and loses its desired characteristics
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the starch mixture into two separate components: a processed starch component (cooked and gelatinized non-potato starch) and a native potato starch component. These components are processed separately through different pathways and then combined before extrusion, allowing each starch type to be treated according to its specific requirements without interfering with the other's characteristics.
2Ease of operation
If a high proportion of potato starch is used in the pellet, then the expanded snack food achieves desired sensory characteristics, but the pellet becomes difficult to process uniformly when mixed with non-potato starch
Solution Approach 1:
The non-potato starch is pre-cooked and gelatinized in advance to achieve the necessary processability and uniformity, while the potato starch is kept native and added later to the processed starch component. This preliminary processing of the non-potato starch component allows the final mixture to be extruded uniformly without overcooking the potato starch, thereby preserving both processability and sensory characteristics.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Achieves controlled and uniform cellular microstructure in expanded snack foods, maintaining desired potato characteristics and preventing overcooking, thereby ensuring consistent quality.
Implementation Method 1
inputting mechanical and thermal energy into the cooking device so as to cook and gelatinise the first starch ingredient in the cooking device
Implementation Method 2
forming the starch mixture into pellets by extrusion
Data Source
AI summary
A method of manufacturing a starch-based snack food pellet for manufacturing an expanded snack food, the method comprising the steps of: feeding a first starch ingredient into a cooking device; inputting mechanical and thermal energy into the cooking device so as to cook and gelatinise the first starch ingredient in the cooking device, thereby to provide a processed starch component; adding a potato starch ingredient comprising native potato starch to the processed starch component to provide a starch mixture; and forming the starch mixture into pellets by extrusion. Also disclosed is a starch-based snack food pellet for manufacturing an expanded snack food.