Process of producing puffed food using puffing machinery

In recent years, a series of crispy, easily digestible snack foods have been produced both domestically and internationally using puffing machinery, including high-puffing and screw extrusion.

First, according to the process flow, the steps are: raw material mixing - feeding - puffing - cutting - lifting - frying - vibrating screen - lifting - seasoning. The required equipment includes: a powder mixer, feeder, twin-screw puffing machine, cutter, elevator, continuous fryer, vibrating screen, elevator, and single drum.

The puffing effect of high-temperature puffed food depends on several factors: the content of amylopectin in the starch raw material—the higher its proportion, the better the puffing effect; the moisture content and internal crystallization degree of the semi-finished product; during the heating and drying stage of the semi-finished product, the addition of a leavening agent, which partially decomposes to form a very fine porous loose structure within the semi-finished product, while the remaining part decomposes upon heating to produce gas. The synergistic effect of these two processes results in a fully puffed and fluffy structure of the product.

Raw material ratio: The main raw materials are starch and flour. The higher the amylopectin content in the raw materials, the better. The proportion of amylopectin in common raw materials decreases sequentially, and the puffing degree also decreases accordingly. Commonly used starches include wheat starch, potato starch, tapioca starch, glutinous rice, and corn starch.

Product packaging: Puffed food is packaged with linear low-density polyethylene film or aluminum foil and stored at room temperature for 10 weeks. The crispness and moisture content of the product are measured every two weeks. As a result, the packaged puffed soybean food shows no quality change when stored at room temperature for 6-8 weeks.

In the production of puffed food, choosing a suitable puffed food production line is as important as selecting a popular recipe in the market.