The Crunch Creators – Product Solutions by Erbacher Food Intelligence
How does the crunch get into cereals? And where are organic chocolate stars born?
For decades, Erbacher Food Intelligence has been successfully developing and producing what is known as extrudates and texturates. Ingredients few know by name, but crunch on regulary.
Extrudates: Crunchy Possibilities
Crunchy chocolate-flavored Santas? Gluten-free strawberry hearts? Protein-rich bell pepper teddy bears? Those in search of individual ingredients for muesli, snacks and more, turn to Erbacher Food Intelligence (EFI). The company, based in Kleinheubach in Lower Franconia, has been a haven for food producers around the world for more than three decades!
Here years of expertise meets state-of-the-art technology: Thanks to advanced extrusion technology, EFI makes the wishes of food producers come true.
The company’s skills, experience and its nearly unlimited possibilities of sourcing high-quality raw materials, make almost anything possible at EFI when it comes to so-called extrudates. Extrudates are foods that are mechanically altered in their shape and texture. For this process we mainly use twin screw extruders: Highly developed machines, whose two counter-rotating screw shapes make for its unusual name. Heat is generated through pressure and friction, the raw material is cooked and shaped and at the end of the process, it is pressed through an opening. Shaping food into a crunchy ingredient of many forms, to be used in snacks or cereals for example. Popular extrudates are peanut flips and oat pops.
Innovative Foods for a Demanding Market
At EFI, the selection goes far beyond the classics: Amaranth, spelt, or quinoa are just a few of the possible main components to choose from. In star or bear shape? Absolutely! Kosher? Organic? Gluten-free? That's possible too! It's not uncommon for a rabbi to stop by for kosher certification in production or for the entire factory to be scrubbed from top to bottom in preparation for gluten-free production.
EFI can meet very specific requirements and is therefore the producer of choice for many manufacturers when it comes to innovative foods with a crunch. The market has become demanding and alternative, individual solutions are more sought out than ever.
This also applies to texturates, another focus of Erbacher Food Intelligence. Plant-based protein texturates (TVPs) are all the rage. Thanks to their fibrous structure, they are particularly popular as an authentic and healthy substitute for fish and meat, as well as in vegetarian and vegan dishes, and they have been experiencing a real boom in recent years.
At the ISM, the International Confectionery Fair in Cologne in 2024, Erbacher Food Intelligence will give an insight into its crunchy product portfolio and show food lovers and creators what is possible with extrusion technology.
To the press compartment of Erbacher Food Intelligence
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