A corn chip machine factory is a great way to process real corn into delicious snacks. The process involves unloading corn from trucks, cooking it in an infrared oven, and then using the water that reaches 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The corn used is real corn, cut from the cob.
The facility also uses natural light. The final product is the best snack you’ll ever have. Here are some things you need to know.
Extruder
The first step in the production of corn chips is choosing the right extruder. The feed material enters the first extruder at room temperature.
After the material is warmed, the feed material is subjected to a temperature range of seventy to one hundred degrees Celsius.
The feed material then moves through several incremental temperature zones to reach the final temperature, which is around 90deg C. Then, it exits the last extruder to continue the processing process.
Once the corn has been soaked in water, it is roasted in the extruder, which helps to preserve the flavor and aroma of the product.
This cooking method also reduces the amount of moisture that is absorbed by the corn during the tempering and cooking processes.
The best results are achieved with uniform corn, which is why the manufacturer should choose a high-quality extruder for corn chip production. To learn more about the extruder, read on!
Infrared oven
The infrared oven in a corn chip machine factory provides accurate temperature measurement. This method minimizes scrap and improves product yield.
Without an infrared device to monitor conveyor belt temperatures, product on the conveyor belts would burn during the process-heating cycle.
But thanks to infrared sensors, a factory can restart the process-heating cycle without losing product. Therefore, the oven’s efficiency is greatly improved.
The design of an infrared oven for a corn chip machine factory uses a pair of resistive heat emitters with a distance of 61 cm from each other.
They are separated by MgO ceramics and supported by a stainless steel frame. The reflector is made from polished stainless steel.
Electrical power for the two heaters is 900 W each. The entire baking system is enclosed in a thermally insulated enclosure.
Flowchart
A general flowchart is the foundation of a corn chip machine factory. A typical chip production line involves the following processes: extruding corn kernels, slicing, drying, and washing.
Then, the chips are rolled and cut into desired shapes. Afterward, the chips are coated with different materials, such as wheat flour or rice powder.
Flowcharts of a corn chip factory can be customized to meet the needs of different customers.
The basic manufacturing process is the same as that of other snack foods. Ground masa is first soaked in water and then extruded between two sizing rolls.
The next step is the deep-fat frying of the masa pieces. The process involves the exchange of water for oil, with each strip of masa being about 1.2 cm in width and 4 cm long.
Then, the masa pieces are passed through the rotary cutoff assembly to obtain uniform shapes and sizes.
Ingredients
The process of producing corn chips starts with pre-treated processed corn kernels that have had the hulls removed and the lime penetrated.
These kernels are then sheeted out into a dough that can be deep-fried and packaged.
The dough is normally made from a finely comminuted dry material and other ingredients such as shortenings and liquids.
Once the dough has been rolled out and shaped, the process of frying and packaging can begin.
A conventional corn chip dough is made by cutting corn kernels between stone grinding surfaces.
Once this dough has been shaped, it is then extruded into a hot oil to cook. Before the dough is fried, the kernels must be perforated so that they will remain in the finished product.
This step is essential to creating corn chips that are both crispy and delicious. This process requires less time and effort than making homemade dough.
Process
A corn chip machine factory makes chips in a variety of ways. Typical production flows are depicted in Figures 6 and 7.
The procedure for each is shown in FIGURES 1 and 2.
First, the kernels are immersed in water. The water is then removed by vacuum tank 112 to cool the corn to about 120 F.
Then, through valve 120 and conduit 121, the corn is transferred to a screen 122.
The water is then removed from the corn and the processed corn is transferred to hopper 44 by conveyor 125.
Once the corn is in the hopper, the machine pulverizes it to produce chips.