Extrusion Technology Saves Resources

Twin-screw extrusion technology can bring savings in the production of core ingredients for the bakery industry, reducing the space, the equipment, the energy and the labor.

Typical examples of foods that can be extruded include breadcrumb, croutons, gluten-free bread products, modified and pre-gelatinized flours, rusk for sausage fillings and ice cream inclusions.
WorldBakers.com asked Keith Graham, Baker Perkins marketing manager, what are the major challenges for a processor in choosing an extruder.

“Firstly, it is necessary to ensure the extruder is correctly specified for the products the processor wishes to make, in terms of correct barrel length and the correct amount of heating and cooling so that the process can be executed correctly”, Graham says, adding that the Baker Perkins Innovation Centre in Peterborough can help create new products and processes, produce samples for evaluation, and conduct feasibility trials.

Secondly, a processor must ensure that the extruder has the built-in flexibility to change to production of different products in the future as markets change and develop.

“They must ensure that the supplier has the ability to advice on conversions and provide the necessary technical and engineering support,” Graham added. The extrusion process has the advantages of being flexible, enabling quick and easy switching between different recipes, hygienic and energy efficient. Breadcrumb production is a typical example because it entails forming and baking bread before discarding the crusts and grinding, while the traditional process involves mixing. The same product can be made with no waste using only a twin-screw extruder and dryer.

An operator would require some training to understand the effects of the adjustments they make to the extruder. All the recipes are normally stored during the commissioning process so all the operator has to do is recall them. Courses can train the staff to set up and adjust machines during operation and to changeover to a different product.  This would normally take a maximum of one week. Typically, one operator will run an extrusion line – not just the extruder itself, explained the Baker Perkins representative.