The extruders are used in the production of many direct expanded snack and cereal. In such a cereal line, the dry ingredients are blended in a mixing vessel and metered into the extruder along with the liquid ingredients.
The co-rotating screws form a homogeneous dough. The extruder is subjected to heat and shear to optimise the starch conversion according to the quality profile of the final product. The product shape is determined by a combination of the die aperture, expansion and the die cutter.
The product enters a belt dryer which reduces and stabilizes the moisture content. If a sweetened cereal is desired, the product may enter a coating unit for a liquid confectionery application, followed by a final drying procedure before packaging