Like other processes for heat treatment of food, extrusion cooking may have both beneficial and undesirable effects on nutritional value. Beneficial effects include destruction of antinutritional factors and gelatinization of starch. On the other hand Maillard reactions between protein and sugars reduce the nutritional value of the protein. Heat-labile vitamins may be lost to varying extents.
In this paper a review of the literature is presented. The type of extruder is specified and, when relevant and known, the process conditions.