In this post we want to share our experience and tell you the true secret of flavoring snacks, how to achieve maximum cost/quality efficiency in the process of flavoring snacks.
The snacks are flavored according to the customer’s needs, the chosen product and the type of aroma. Technically, it is more correct to add the flavour when the product is fried or baked, while its surface is still slightly moist, this way the aromatized powder adheres better. Now, let’s see the differences in applying the flavour at the beginning or at the end of the convey line.
Flavoring at the beginning of the convey line
If we work in such a way that the aroma is added at the beginning of the process, the entire line will be stained with the type of aroma chosen, which makes impossible to change aroma instantaneously and to work with several aromas at the same time. In addition, during its distribution way to packaging, the product loses its aroma. This means that it is necessary to add more flavor to get a product with the right amount of aroma. For instance, it affects the set amounts of salt limits as there is a loss of precision in the final result.
To avoid such problems, its important to standardize the flavoring process so that the snack meets the necessary characteristics. Internal analysis laboratories control the quality and traceability of the product.
How to achieve maximum cost/quality efficiency in the flavoring process of snacks?
When the snack seasoning process is arranged in such way that the aroma is added at the end of the convey line, we can have several packaging points. This allows us to work with different types of aroma at the same time with no need to clean the whole installation every time. It is only necessary to clean the last piece of equipment, which saves time and water wasted. In this way, you can have several packaging points working with a single product and different aromas, obtaining different types of snacks at the same time.
These are the benefits of adding the aroma at the end of the convey line and just before packaging:
- Production optimization.
- Cost savings (less waste of seasoning)
- Savings in cleaning times.
- Time savings in format and product changes.
- Amount of water spent on cleaning
- Possibility of packaging various types of flavored product at the same time.
- The elevating equipment is not stained with the aromas of the product. Because we know that these equipments are the most complicated to clean due to their characteristics.
Differences by types of Snacks
There are certain types of products (such as extruded snacks) that due to their characteristics require the addition of aroma when the product is hot. In this way, we recommend placing the aromatization equipment at the beginning of the line, just after exiting the oven. On the other hand, with fried snacks, pellets and potato chips it is not necessary to add flavor immediately when it comes out of the fryer.
Our technical team always analyzes each case and the client’s requests, in order to offer the best solution and obtain the desired product with the least possible waste. According to the needs, we recommend the models of machinery that best suit the client. From the machines of the initial processing of product elaboration to the final packaging phase.
Success case – Flavoring of extruded snacks
For extruded snacks that need to add the aroma together with the oil, we have a machine called Slurry that is used to mix the oil with solid aroma.
In this type of process, the solid aroma does not dissolve in the oil, and it is necessary to continuously mix it so that the solid aroma does not settle out. In this way we obtain a homogeneous coverage.
Personalized analysis
To offer the best solution to our clients, we prepare a personalized study based on the production quantities, production process and packaging needs. In this way, we analyze the process and advise on the best solution to obtain a high quality product with the least possible waste. We have a clean room in our facilities, where customers can carry out tests with our equipment and be able to test their products before purchasing the equipment. Based on the study, we can recommend the necessary machinery to optimize the entire production process. Both recommendations for the needs of frying or extrusion to those of optical selection, taking into account the accumulation capacity of the lungs, the distribution and the point of packaging. Do not hesitate to request information without any kind of commitment.
