 Advanced manufacturing technologies have become a necessity for manufacturing operations that are cost-sensitive and require waste elimination. Technologies like autonomous robots, Integrated Computational Materials Engineering, and Digital and Additive Manufacturing are revolutionising the manufacturing industry.
But to guarantee better control over the production process and ensure efficient production standards, it’s important to understand the advantages of these technologies. Let’s look at some of the benefits of advanced manufacturing technology:  Extrusion processing is a popular processing technology used in the food industry. It uses a single screw or a set of screws to push food materials through small openings. Within the span of a minute, the food being pushed out is cooked at a high pressure and temperature, and then encased in a barrel.
 Food extrusion technology has become quite popular around the globe. It is a process in which a number of ingredients are combined together to form a final product packed with nutrients. It’s commonly used in ready-to-eat porridge, cereal, snacks, and pet food.
 Extrusion is the process where raw material (such as maize meal) is cooked in an extruder at a high pressure and temperature, resulting in a cooked, dry product within seconds. Due to the quick cooking process, the digestibility, nutrient consumption and taste of the product is enhanced. However, the greatest advantage of the extrusion process is that vitamins and minerals can be added to the dry product AFTER the cooking process. The only preparation needed for the consumer is to add milk or water to this powdered, dry product.
Here are the top nutritional benefits of extruded food products.
 As cases of coronavirus are rapidly increasing, it has become difficult for developing economies to survive. It is a struggle for them to lead their primary sector industries while the lockdown restrictions have to be implemented for social distancing. As they are more labor-oriented, it takes a toll on their revenue streams. Without advanced technology, it leaves them with various issues.
Food extrusion technology can help improve the economy of developing countries in numerous ways. Let’s have a look at a few of them.  The ever-increasing global population is directly related to the ever-increasing demand for food production. Food security is a topic that is actively discussed by all international bodies as well as individual states.
As a result, food and feed producers are constantly on the lookout for better production methods to reduce costs while increasing production. Additionally, climate change also makes production more challenging, triggering an increase in feed commodities prices like wheat and soy.  Food security is a frequently discussed global issue; from insufficient nutritional intake in first-world countries to malnutrition in underdeveloped states, many factors affect food security.
Food extrusion is one process that is popularly used to efficiently manufacture food products that last longer and have added nutritional benefits.  At the current CAGR of 5.2 percent, the global healthy snacking industry is expected to stand at US$ 32.88 billion by 2025.
Over the last decade, snacking trends have evolved significantly with changing consumer lifestyles and preferences. Increasing urbanization has led to busier lifestyles as people look for convenient and easily accessible snacking options. At the same time, the growing demand for healthy snacks means that a bag of salty, oily chips just won’t cut it. As a result, cereal and granola have made their way to the top. They’re convenient, healthy snacks that can be paired with other nutritious items too. Advanced food processing technology even gives manufacturers the flexibility to try out various shapes, flavors, and combinations, so consumers can enjoy new snacking experiences. Let’s take a look at the benefits they have to offer: Healthy image Ready-to-eat (RTE) cereals and granola can be produced in a variety of formats, including low-fat, low-salt, and low-sugar variants. Additionally, using food extrusion technologies, you can even get options that are gluten-free or high in fiber and protein. With expanding consumer demands, the road to success is meeting the specific needs of niche markets. Extrusion technology gives you the flexibility to produce a wide range of cereal by altering raw materials and control configurations. Quality and consistency Unlike conventional food processing technologies, modern processes that use extrusion machines really only need one piece of equipment. Twin-screw extruders, in particular, allow users to shape, cool, heat, shear, pump, and even transport the material inside. This gives manufacturers more control over the manufacturing process, thereby ensuring uniform output under the same conditions. New combinations The versatility of granola and cereal make them ideal for use in a variety of applications. For instance, granola cereal can be customized and added to savory products such as guacamole or cheese. Moreover, the extrusion process can make unique combinations and textures, such as crisp cereal pillows with cream inside. With all this functionality, there is extensive potential for product innovation. Improve your processes and enhance consumer delight with extrusion technology. Improve processes with food extrusion technology CFAM Technologies is a well-established and renowned food and feed extrusion equipment manufacturer. Apart from supplying state-of-the-art twin-screw extruders, they also offer extruder operation training and capacity building expertise. Their team is continuously working on new ways to improve the process of developing food and feed products. Find out more about their specialized machine design service and manufacturing technologies.  We live in a time of rapidly growing population, increased migration, and urbanization. According to FAO, animal products’ consumption is likely to rise by 70% by 2050, which will ultimately require increased animal raising and a substantial amount of animal feed production.
Due to the high demand for animal products, animal feed is a critical component of the global food industry. In fact, it’s one of the largest sectors of the food manufacturing systems. Therefore, food industries must ensure safe and affordable production of animal proteins. Extrusion is an essential part of sustainable animal feed composition. It’s a high-temperature process that compacts and cooks animal feed with high humidity levels, temperature, and pressure within a minimal amount of time. The goal of animal feed extrusion is to achieve the desired level of food expansion and granulation to obtain a high-quality product. A stable animal feed extrusion process involves adding the mixture of ingredients to advanced food manufacturing machines such as single-screw and twin-screw extruders. Starch gelatinization Extrusion transforms the food starch in two ways. It first gelatinizes the mixture’s food ingredients by breaking up the starch molecules’ crystals, expanding the animal feed materials. When these starch crystals absorb the food’s water content, they break the expanded starch particles, turning them into a gelatinized melt. The extruder’s pressure drops as soon as it releases the food components, excreting steam. When the extruded starch granules isolate from one another, they begin to form a micro-porous feed in the shape of gelatin. Moreover, the starch degradation throughout this process diseases its average molecular weight. Fat degeneration Extrusion is a high-intensity process that destroys the oil seeds’ cellular structure, releasing fats and oily substances. The animal feed’s expansion produces a compound fat product like lipoprotein made with a combination of starch and proteins. These nutrients can significantly minimize the mixture’s free fatty acid content, prevent oil degradation, and help avoid the food components’ spoilage after being stored and packaged. The fat regeneration process through extrusion boosts the shelf life of animal food, promoting its long-term preservation. Enhanced feed digestibility The purpose of constant animal feed extrusion is to obtain animal food that offers increased digestibility and nourishment. The final extruded product has a fresh aroma, crispness, and minuscule granularity. The expansion of food materials creates spare space for enzyme production, increasing the contact of starch chains and digestive enzymes. The production of digestive nutrients ultimately improves the feed’s palatability and edibility. Simoné van Niekerk
Consumer scientist, CFAM Technologies. Malnutrition and reduced brain function Malnutrition is a regular occurrence in children and adults in developing countries. It entails so much more than ‘hunger’. The long-term impact is a suppressed immune system, delayed growth and development. To develop a healthy brain, enough of the right food types are needed. The reality is that malnutrition over a long period of time can result in a lowered cognitive level of an entire community. Often developing countries’ staple foods consist of crops that are high in carbohydrates. It fills the tummy, but doesn’t contain enough nutrients, especially proteins, healthy fats and amino acids. The result is lower cognition and educational achievements because of poor brain development, as well as the possibility of the diagnosis of a series of diet-related chronic illnesses. An unhealthy lifestyle is therefore established, in which generation after generation can get caught up and ultimately result in the creation of an unproductive, intellectual-poor nation. However, it is a fact that most of these countries are caught up in poverty and cannot afford to produce or import healthy, nutritional foods for everyone. A carb-dense diet is often the only thing that these countries have to their disposal. |