APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR MAKING MULTIPLE, PATTERNED EXTRUDATES

摘要

Apparatus (10) and methods are disclosed where plastic extrudable food product is provided such as by a food cooker extruder (12) and is mixed with an additive to form a patterned food product, such as by a pattern forming die (20, 220). The cross-sectional area of the patterned food product is reduced from an inlet end (34) to an outlet end (36) by a factor of at least 50:1 at an average convergence angle of 45~ while maintaining the cross-sectional pattern to form a reduced cross-sectional patterned dough, and then is extruded through a die port (13) having an opening equal to the reduced crosssectional area to form a complexly patterned extrudate. In the preferred form, multiple extrudates are simultaneously formed with the flow rates for each extrudate being adjustable by an adjuster plug (16) including a smooth cylindrical portion (86) extendable into a passageway (14) having a circular cross section of a larger diameter than the cylindrical portion (86). In a preferred form, the additive is injected through ports (248) into an interstitial gap imparted by an annular shoulder (222) between the periphery of the flowing dough and the interior wall surface of the passageway (22) to provide a topical coating to the periphery of the flowing dough to lubricate and reduce friction of the periphery of the flowing dough with the passageway (22) and to produce a surface coloration on the periphery of the flowing dough.