What are the raw materials for puffed foods?

Many people prefer to eat puffed foods, especially children who like to eat snacks. Many mothers will choose puffed foods to feed their babies. In fact, puffed foods are harmful to the human body. Children should eat less puffed foods on a normal day, and it is best not to eat puffed foods. Many people still don’t know enough about what the raw materials of puffed foods are made of. What are the raw materials of puffed foods? Let’s take a look at it next.

1. What are the raw materials of puffed food?

Puffed food uses cereals, potatoes, beans and other foods with low moisture content as main raw materials. After being pressurized and heated, the volume of the raw materials themselves expands, and the internal organizational structure also changes. After being processed and formed, they are made. When the grains are placed in the puffer, as the heating and pressurization proceed, the moisture in the grains becomes overheated, and the grains themselves become soft. When a certain high pressure is reached and the puffer cover is opened, the high pressure quickly turns into normal pressure. At this time, the overheated moisture in the grains suddenly vaporizes and explodes violently. The water molecules can expand about 2,000 times. The huge expansion pressure not only destroys the external shape of the grains, but also breaks the internal molecular structure of the grains, cutting the insoluble long-chain starch into water-soluble short-chain starch, dextrin and sugar. As a result, the insoluble substances in the puffed food are reduced and the water-soluble substances are increased.

2. Introduction of puffed food types

Depending on the product, there are three types of puffed food: one is a snack food made from corn and potatoes; the second is tissue protein food (plant meat) made from plant protein; and the third is a staple food made from grains, beans or potatoes after puffing.

1. Staple foods: sesame seed cakes, bread, steamed buns, pancakes, etc.

2. Oil tea: puffed noodle tea.

3. Military food: compressed biscuits.

4. Snacks: rice candy, cold cakes, popcorn, etc.

5. Cold food: filling for ice cream and popsicles.

Among the above-mentioned foods, some varieties such as puffed noodle tea, printed cake, compressed biscuits, etc. are all made of puffed whole grains; some varieties are only mixed with a certain proportion of puffed whole grains.

Although puffing technology belongs to physical processing technology, it has its own characteristics. Puffing can not only change the shape and state of the raw materials, but also change the molecular structure and properties of the raw materials and form some new substances.

Modern nutrition advocates a balanced diet, believing that no food should be neglected, and the amount of any one food is not necessarily too much. As for puffed foods, since they are mostly fried foods, the volume of the food itself is expanded several times after processes such as pressurization and heating. In view of the fact that they are convenient fast food, the content of sugar, salt and MSG in the food is relatively higher than that of other foods, while the content of other beneficial nutrients is very small. Long-term intake will not only affect children's appetite, but excessive seasonings in food will also cause certain harm to the human body.