Extruded Bran, Wheat & Corn Flakes

Extruded flakes are made from flours and other powdered ingredients that require no preparation or pre-conditioning on site. Instead, they are fed directly to a twin-screw extruder with a barrel extension for cooking.

Ingredients are fed into one end of the enclosed extruder barrel. At the same time, the liquid feed system meters process liquids into the barrel. These ingredients are conveyed along the extruder barrel by the forwarding action of the screw elements: during this process they are subjected to a combination of heating, cooling, mixing and shearing.

There are then two process options. A new technique involving an extended extruder barrel with a super-cooled final section enables pellets to be formed using a single extruder. This provides a compact system suitable for the majority of extruded flakes.

For high output and some multigrain products, two separate cooking and forming extruders will continue to be the preferred option. The cooked mass is discharged through a pipe die to a second extruder for forming and discharged through a plate die where it is cut into pellets.

In both processes, each pellet will eventually become an individual flake.

The pellets are conveyed to a conditioner, where they are held for a short time to allow their moisture content to equalize. The pellets are fed into Baker Perkins' Flake Master™ Flaking Roll Unit at a controlled rate, via a vibratory feeder. The flakes are then toasted and dried in a Thermoglide2™ Toaster, which removes excess moisture and toasts the surface to enhance the flavour and colour. 

If flakes are to be frosted or glazed they are conveyed to a revolving coating drum that keeps them gently turning in a sugar syrup spray. The final process is drying and cooling.