ABSTRACT
One of the most important and relished products in the food industry are snack items. The art of producing a snack is a challenging task, as it has to meet the customer expectation and taste preferences, and at the same time should be innovative and unique to capture the market trend from already existing snacks. This invention can also bring about a healthier image in the minds of consumers. One of the important and age-old methods used to meet these targets and criteria are puffing and popping. This is considered one of the most cost-effective, simplest, and traditional forms of dry heat methods, and has been used for preparation of ready-to-eat snacks, weaning foods for infants, etc. This method has been used for hundreds of years, and is still being utilized by employing advanced technologies due to its acceptance and preference by consumers worldwide. Many cereals are now increasing in demand to be popped or puffed due to its characteristics such as lightness when consumed, increases in macronutrients such as proteins and fiber, and increases in micronutrients such as calcium, zinc, iron, phosphorous, and other trace minerals. Certain puffing and popping qualities such as moisture content, starch digestibility, protein digestibility, and other factors have been found to be increased making puffed and popped grains palatable.
