Twin screw preconditioner unit and method
US6129010A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 17, 1999 |
| Grant date | Oct 10, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 17, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA23P30/20
- WIPO fieldFood chemistry
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
A dry raw cereal material having a starch fraction is fed into the inlet (38) of a twin screw preconditioning unit (10). The dry material is rapidly advanced and mixed in the first two zones (31, 32) and conveyed into a third zone (33). Water is introduced by ducts (42) and is admixed with the dry material to form a well mixed wetted cereal material. The screws (14, 16) include blank segments (14c, 16c) having radially extending pins (40) to create a material plug in the barrel (30) of the preconditioning unit (10). Steam is added to the wetted material in the next zone (34) to form a heated wetted cereal material which is worked in the fourth zone (34) to form a heated precooked non-continuous cereal compacted dough material which is generally maintained below its gelatinization point. The dough material exits the outlet (41) of the preconditioning unit (10) and enters a low shear extended time cereal cooker (46) which finish cooks the dough material to a fully cooked cereal dough which is formed into desirably shaped and sized pellets.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.