Food extrusion involves processing several ingredients, forcing them to flow under a predetermined pressure through various conditions, such as shear, mixing, and heat application. The melted mixture passes through a ‘die’ or perforated plate which is typically designed specifically for the food being shaped. Besides, vitamins and minerals can also be added after the cooking process.
Extrusion food processing is continually gaining popularity because it is proven to be one of the most eco-friendly and energy-efficient processes for several food products. The process is widely preferred by experts within the food industry because the process streamlines productivity and reduces cooking time. Since it encompasses cooking at high temperatures, it also potentially eliminates anti-nutrient enzymes and harmful microbial organisms.
Many developing countries worldwide still face the persistent problem of food insecurity, which results from insufficient dietary or nutritional intake, ultimately leading to malnutrition. Food security, critical to maintain optimal health, includes but isn’t limited to:
- Access to safe and high-quality goods to ensure children can grow properly and remain active
- Adequate information and training to prepare, procure, and consume a safe and nutritionally-sufficient diet
- Healthy life for adults and children
- Access to a healthy environment and reliable health services that ensure effective utilization of food being consumed
Food insecurity can be addressed efficiently with global strategies, dedicated to ensuring the provision of culturally-acceptable, nutrient-dense, and affordable foods that are considered safe for human consumption. The goal is to achieve food fortification and diversification through micronutrient supplementation and agricultural interventions that can revolutionize food product development.
Food extrusion seems like a promising method to address the issue of food insecurity. It can help design a wide range of nutritious foods that are affordable, have a longer shelf life, and meet the societal needs to address malnutrition.
Extruded foods offer countless benefits, ranging from enhanced starch and protein digestibility to boosted retention of many essential micronutrients. It’s a sustainable way of ensuring nutrient-dense foods are being consumed. Extruded foods can be easily made accessible to both rural and urban food-insecure households and other disadvantaged communities.
Reach out to the experts at CFAM Technologies (Pty) Ltd if you want to learn more about food extrusion development or single screw extruders and twin-screw extruders.
We offer world-class products and advanced food and feed processing technologies to help you streamline your food processing or waste processing plant. You can also get in touch with us for extruder operation and maintenance to extruder operational training and specialized machine designs when you browse through our sophisticated extruder processing technologies.