Extrusion is a highly versatile technology that has revolutionised the food industry and allows a wide range of products to be obtained. These include expanded and/or milled products that can be used as coatings for a variety of foods.
A breaded product is characterised by having a crunchy external coating based on breadcrumbs. Thus, according to Royal Decree 308/2019, of 26 April, which approves the quality standard for bread, breadcrumbs are defined as the ‘product resulting from the industrial grinding of bread’.
The traditional bread process
The traditional method of making bread involves a meticulous process that begins with manufacturing, following different stages that make up the process:
- Mixing of ingredients and kneading: here flour, water, yeast, salt and other ingredients are combined. They are kneaded to develop the gluten and form a homogeneous dough.
- Fermentation: this stage is crucial. The yeast acts on the sugars in the dough, producing carbon dioxide and alcohol, which causes the dough to increase in volume and develop its characteristic taste and texture. This process can take several hours, depending on the type of bread.
- Shaping: the fermented dough is divided and given the desired shape (loaves, loaves, etc.).
- Baking: the bread is baked at high temperatures, allowing it to bake, forming the crust and fixing the internal structure.
Finally, the resulting bread, once cooled and often dehydrated, is industrially ground, dried to ensure its preservation and sieved to obtain the desired particle size, which directly influences the final texture of the breading.
Extruded crisp: an innovative alternative
Expanded products obtained through extrusion offer a modern and efficient approach. In this case, the raw materials undergo a thermo-mechanical process with subsequent drying and milling stages, resulting in a crispy product with differentiating characteristics and a unique sensory profile.
The fact of using this technology, as opposed to the traditional method, is based on a series of advantages at the process and product level:
- Wide variety of raw materials and ingredients: extrusion allows enormous flexibility. We can use different cereals (wheat, corn, rice, oats), pulses (lentils, chickpeas) and even other minor ingredients such as natural colourings. This is relevant for the development of gluten-free products. While traditional gluten-free bread making is more complex and requires additives, with extrusion we can obtain gluten-free products with the ‘clean label’, meeting the growing demand of consumers with specific diets.
- Shorter production time: one of the biggest advantages is time efficiency. The long fermentation times of the traditional method are eliminated with extrusion. A complete manufacturing cycle of extruded crisp can be completed in just 40-60 minutes, significantly optimising production.
- Faster in-process response times: a shorter complete manufacturing cycle allows faster action to correct any errors detected in the final product. This results in reduced scrap and continuous quality improvement.
- Less space required for production. The efficiency of the extrusion process means that less physical space is required for machinery and production development, which can lead to considerable savings in operating costs.
- Greater process flexibility: for all of the above, extrusion allows us to play with a wide variety of products with different texture, flavour and functional characteristics. Adapting to different culinary applications.
- Lower process cost. The combination of shorter manufacturing time, less space and greater efficiency translates into a significant reduction in overall operating costs, making crispy extrusion an economically attractive option.
Molendum Ingredientes is a pioneer in offering innovative solutions thanks to extrusion technology. Meeting the needs of its customers and bringing a high-value product to the toppings offer, which not only guarantees an unrivalled crunch, but also opens up a range of possibilities in terms of ingredients and applications.
