The Production Efficiency and Specific Energy Consumption During Processing of Corn Extrudates with Fresh Vegetables Addition

Abstract

The aim of the work was to determine the influence of screw speed and variable amounts of fresh vegetable additives on selected aspects of extrusion-cooking of corn-vegetable blends. Corn grit as a basic component was supplemented with a fresh pulp of beetroot, carrot, leek and onion in amounts of 2.5-10% in the recipe. The extrusion-cooking was carried out using a single-screw extruder in the temperature range 120-145°C and extrudates were formed into directly expanded snacks. Two indicators were measured: the production efficiency (Q) and the specific mechanical energy (SME) consumption. As a result of the findings it was noted that the rotational speed of the extruder’s screw showed a greater impact on both production efficiency and SME as compared to the variable amounts of applied additives. A tendency to increased efficiency and specific mechanical energy consumption was observed along with the increase of screw speed during processing. The highest production efficiency was observed if fresh leek and onion were used as additives and the highest extrusion speed screw was applied. The largest specific energy consumption was noted during the extrusion-cooking of blends containing fresh carrot and onion addition at high screw speed.

Farm Machinery and Processes Management in Sustainable Agriculture

“…The maximum value (33.32 kgh -1 ) of processing output was observed during the production of corn-based snacks enriched with 1% elderberry fruits. These values were comparable to the results presented by Lisiecka and Wójtowicz (2019) for corn-based snacks enriched with fresh vegetables where the highest values, above 34 kgh -1 , were noted for corn-based snacks with 2.5% leek content and for corn-based snacks with 5.0% of beetroot and onion produced at 120 rpm. Energy consumption is one of the most important aspects of food processing, especially for producers.…”

Possibility to Save Water and Energy by Application of Fresh Vegetables to Produce Supplemented Potato-Based Snack Pellets

“…Drying processes are not indifferent towards inclusion of these nutritionally valuable components, some damage and some severe changes in the physicochemical and organoleptic properties can be observed. It must be remembered that incorporation of fresh vegetable also gives some nutritional benefits [22,43]. Moreover, dried products often have a longer shelf-life.…”

Analysis of the extrusion-cooking process and selected physical properties of snack pellets with the addition of fresh kale

“…However, in most cases, the efficiency of the extrusion-cooking process increases along with the higher screw speeds. During the extrusion of maize snacks, Lisiecka and Wójtowicz (2019) reported an efficiency level of 32-34 kg h -1 . In the case of all mixtures, production at the top rotational speeds of the extruder screw leads to the highest efficiency level of extrusion-cooking.…”