Often it just takes a healthy imagination and a handy extruder to invent a groundbreaking product. In many ways, the extrusion process is a magic wand for innovation.

In fact, over the years, the boundless creativity by some companies combined with various adaptations of this technology has redefined multiple categories and reinvigorated others.

“The world of snacks is very fluid and vaguely defined,” observed Jenni Harrington, director of sales and technology, Bühler. “What is a snack? You have all types like expanded salty snacks with different seasonings. There are not only unique ingredients going into the base, but also into different flavored toppings. Americans are very adventurous when it comes to exciting new flavors. It’s a huge trend in the market.”

In the pretzel category, for instance, snack makers reinvented the product’s conventional shape by flattening it into a thin, flat chip.

“This turned the snack into something entirely different,” noted Nico Roesler, pretzel and snack equipment sales manager, Reading Bakery Systems (RBS). “The flat pretzel is now the perfect carrier for dips. In filled, extruded pretzels, companies are developing innovative new fillings to create brand-new flavor profiles like cheese, nut butter, chocolate, date paste and more.”  

Extrusion technology allows snack producers to develop limited-time offers (LTOs) and seasonal items for every occasion.

“Clextral’s Emoji Dies offer a variety of options, including smiley faces, sad faces, stars, flowers, animals and, for fall, pumpkin and spooky Halloween emojis with more to come for other holidays,” said John Barber, regional sales manager, Clextral USA.

“We are working with customers to create a variety of custom snack shapes,” he added. “A major benefit here is that they can be produced for seasonal promotions on the same extruder with a color modification of the recipe and simple die change. Another advancement fueling innovative products is our patented twisted-pillow technology. This elevates filled snacks to a new level by adding a sophisticated look and mouthfeel. Twisted pillows can be produced in both salty and sweet varieties.”

Chuck Sena, director of sales, Axis Automation, cited surveys that indicate consumers are searching for affordable indulgences and unique sensory experiences, sparking a flurry of new LTO opportunities.

“Flavors are part of the puzzle,” he said. “From dill pickle to sriracha to dark chocolate and more, consumers are willing to try new flavor combinations, and the sensory experience is also part of the equation.”

He added that the industry appears to be “in the golden age of food mashups.”

“It’s driven by the desire to leverage existing brands and by the desire to have the next viral hit, so bakers and snack makers are willing to take more risks,” Sena explained. “Playing off the big brand mashups, others are countering with their own takes on creating these combinations. Technologies such as co-extrusion help companies produce a blended product cost-effectively. Different types of tooling can produce twisted or swirled products while other toolings can produce items with multiple flavors or textures inside of an outer shell.”

Bakeries and food producers are also using co-extrusion to make handheld items or to incorporate baked goods like pastries into appetizers or handheld meals for foodservice and the frozen food aisle.

“I always tell our customers to think of two foods that when combined would create a delicious snack,” said John Giacoio, vice president of sales, Rheon USA. “What do you think of when I say pretzels and cheese steak? Most people say ‘Philadelphia.’ Why not combine cheese steak filling inside of pretzel dough? How about putting chili inside of bread dough for our friends in Cincinnati?”

He said companies are making products not only with single extrusion, but also with double and triple extrusion. Co-extrusion also allows them to combine two or three different materials, one inside the other, such as fillings to create a meat pie or insert a solid product like a hot dog inside a pretzel dough.

“If you think about it, a Thanksgiving meal can be made in a bite-size nugget,” Giacoio said. “Cranberry sauce can be used in the very center with stuffing around that and an exterior of ground turkey meat.”

Extrusion is used to create products from stiff doughs or with large inclusions as well as others that are increasingly difficult to scale and form, noted John McIsaac, vice president, strategic business development, Reiser.

“We have been working with customers to produce machine setups that give them the accurate scaling they need with the eye-appealing look they want,” he said.

This article is an excerpt from the February 2024 issue of Baking & Snack. To read the entire feature on Extrusion, click here.