METHOD AND INSTALLATION FOR THE CONTINUOUS PREPARATION OF PELLETS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF SNACK-TYPE FOOD PRODUCTS

摘要

The invention relates to a method for the continuous preparation of pellets intended for the production of crusty and honeycombed snack-type food products from a natural starchy raw material having a starch content that is equal to or greater than 60% and a protein content below 13%. According to the invention, the raw material is preconditioned; said raw material is fed continuously into an extrusion machine with two co-rotary and co-penetrating screws; a supply and transport step, a cooking step, a degassing step and a cooling step are performed in the extrusion machine; a continuous bead of cooked dough having a moisture content of between 20 and 30% is formed; the dough is oriented in a vertical direction and pushed through a multiple-outlet mould to form several continuous beads; the beads are cut transversely to form pellets. The pellets are subsequently dried to produce pellets having a moisture content of between 10 and 12%. The invention also relates to an installation for the continuous preparation of pellets.