Critical bubble radius for expansion in extrusion cooking

Abstract

Strong wheat flour, weak wheat flour and rice flour were expanded by sudden reduction in pressure at the discharge port of an extruder. Their micropore-volume distributions were measured by nitrogen adsorption isotherms. The results were compared with the theoretical critical radius for expansion calculated from the balance of forces acting inside and outside a bubble. The micropore volume near the theoretical critical radius for expansion of an extrudate decreased remarkably after extrusion cooking, indicating that the theoretical critical radius for expansion almost coincided with the experimental one.