New extruded snack fibre range

Backed by its knowledge of cereals and extrusion, Limagrain Céréales Ingrédients (LCI) has developed two products especially for snack applications.

“Bran has many applications,” notes Patricia Panel-Dusséaux, marketing manager at LCI. “It has the dual benefit of a strong impact on the nutritional profile while also being increasingly used for its functional properties, particularly in extruded products.

“Westhove wheat bran ultrafine is a clean label, heat-treated wheat bran fibre exhibiting fine grain size and a specific distribution pattern favouring the development in extruded products of snacks with an authentic, ‘better for you’ look, while having a neutral impact on taste and texture. Westhove wheat bran ultrafine can also be used in savoury biscuit/cracker applications.”

LCI have also developed Sofabran 184/400 which contains several types of cleaned, heat-treated maize fibre, with different grain sizes according to application. The maize used originates from LCI’s IP-traced industrial stream, is clean label and gluten free.

Sofabran gives direct extrusion results and is easy to use in industrial processes.  It is non-hygroscopic, low dust, stable in mixes, and has excellent disability. Sofabran also provides good results in control of snack shape – a very important point with the new, more complex mould shapes available from manufacturers.

“With Sofabran, it is possible to achieve new, finer and more even textures – in particular, thanks to the impact of the fibres on nucleation. Sofabran also reduces oil absorption when frying,” she adds