EXTRUSION IN FOOD PROCESSING

Pilot Food Extrusion PacMoore Innovation Lab

From TVP to protein cereal crisps, to snacks, to crisp grains, to crunchy cookie bits, our twin screw food extrusion systems are designed to accommodate a broad range of extruded ingredients and inclusions to meet your needs in further processing, as well as extruded snack products. Consequently, we seek to help you create the products your customers want. We have thus designed our equipment to meet that need.

Sound Process

Food extrusion is one of the oldest and most reliable forms of food processing, dating back well over a century and expanding to cover more and more food sectors. As technology improves, so does food extrusion. The extrusion process in the food industry involves forcing mixed ingredients through a perforated plate or die in order to cut the end product into a specific size and shape. Food extruders typically produce in food categories including breads, confectionary, cookies, cereals and even pet foods. At PacMoore, we currently emphasize two product types. The first is inclusions for use by our customers in further processing. These include direct expanded cereal-based inclusions, high density pellets, and texturized vegetable proteins among others. The second is finished extruded snacks. We are then able to coat them with flavors and package, allowing our customers to take them directly to their consumers.

Over time, the technology used for extrusion in food processing has come a long way, and so has PacMoore. We thus only use state-of-the-art food extrusion equipment to offer you efficient and reliable services.

Innovation Emphasis

On June 22, 2015, PacMoore opened our Innovation Lab in Gridley, IL and dedicated it to the glory of God. This site was designed with our customers in mind – to offer product development support by utilizing our Wenger TX-57 twin screw pilot extruder and PacMoore’s own Jon Baner – our Senior Technical Manager, a Certified Food Scientist, and a guru in the field of extrusion.

Production Mindset

PacMoore’s proudly commissioned our full scale Coperion 120 twin screw extruder at our Mooresville facility at the end of 2016. The Gridley extrusion pilot facility provides a valuable entry point for customers to develop and validate products before they move to the next step of full-scale production. At PacMoore, you will thus find a team of professionals who are dedicated to building long term relationships founded on trust and understanding. From an equipment standpoint, the food extrusion setup includes:

  • Full scale Coperion 120 mm twin screw extruder
    • Preconditioner
    • Conveyor dryer
    • Classification equipment
    • Metal detection and magnets
    • 2,000 to 3,000 pounds per hour capacity
    • Pilot Wenger 57 mm twin screw extruder
    • Classification equipment
    • Fluid bed dryer/cooler
    • 100 to 250 pounds per hour capacity

Our equipment can deliver a wide range of inclusions, ingredients, and extruded snacks in various shapes, textures, coatings, and colors. Additionally, we are able to produce nutritional products rich in protein, fiber, vitamins, or minerals. Here are a few examples of the types of raw materials, products, and applications we serve:

Raw Materials

      • Cereals (wheat, rice, corn, oats, barley, etc.)
      • Ancient grains (quinoa, amaranth, teff, millet, etc.)
      • Legumes (peas, beans, lentils, chickpeas, etc.)
      • Whole grains and mixtures of grains
      • Tubers and roots

Products

      • Protein-fortified cereal crisps
      • Textured vegetable proteins
      • Puffs, curls, sticks, etc.
      • Crisp grains
      • Cookie bits

Applications

      • Nutritional bar inclusions
      • Plant-based meat substitutes
      • Adult snacks & Toddler snacks
      • Cereals and granolas
      • Ice cream and confectionery inclusions

To learn more about PacMoore’s food extrusion capabilities and services, contact us today. Our team is ready to help.

Food Processing Capabilities