How is Potato Cracker Manufactured in Factory?

A potato cracker manufacturing factory is a complicated process that requires special processing equipment and technologies. The technology used in a cracker manufacturing factory ensures that crackers are uniform in size and shape, and that they have the perfect crunch, taste and structure. GEA Bakery provides high-quality and flexible cracker processing lines to meet the needs of various types of manufacturers. Read on to discover how this popular snack is made in a factory.

Processes

There are a variety of steps in the production process. These steps begin with the potatoes being washed, cleaned, and cut. The potatoes are then placed in a crate dumper and inverted, depositing them into the hopper feeder. This step controls the flow of products through the manufacturing line, and the potatoes are sorted for quality and consistency. The potatoes then pass through a series of processes to produce crackers with the desired thickness and shape.

After slicing the potatoes, they move to the next step. Optical sorters remove burnt slices and then move the chips to a packaging máquina. These machines have a scale, and the chips must be evenly sliced to maintain the pre-set weight. Afterward, a metal detector inspects the chips for foreign matter. After the chips have gone through these processes, they are transferred to the next step: frying.

Equipment

GEA Bakery has been the leading manufacturer of bakery equipment for over 35 years and specializes in high-quality cracker processing lines. With advanced technologies that cover every aspect of the process, their cracker lines produce high-quality, crispy crackers with consistency and precision. They can produce up to 5500 kilograms per hour and have multiple configurations for high-volume production. GEA Bakery offers both customized and standard cracker lines to meet your production requirements.

While decreasing the reducing sugar concentration seems like a simple goal, potato chips must also be salted to make them stick to the surface. Commercial equipment applies the seasoning to the surface of the potato chips as they pass, usually as they tumble in a rotating drum. Salt is applied in fine crystals, making up one to two percent of the finished product’s weight. Seasonings are spice blends with other ingredients or additives. There are many flavors available on the market, including barbecue, cheddar cheese, sour cream, onion, and a variety of others.

Crop management for reducing acrylamide formation in potato crackers

It is now possible to reduce acrylamide in potato crackers through various management strategies. Potatoes are an important food source, as they provide carbohydrates, fiber, and vitamins. They are also rich in bioactive phytochemicals. However, acrylamide formation during potato processing may pose a health risk. This article will discuss the causes of this chemical and ways to minimize its content in potato crackers.

The process of acrylamide formation in potatoes is primarily influenced by the nutrient concentrations in potatoes. Free asparagine and reducing sugars are the main contributors to acrylamide formation. Although potato crackers contain little maltose, there is a tipping point for acrylamide formation when these nutrients reach a certain level. Potato crackers made from such potatoes are highly susceptible to acrylamide formation.

Computer vision for determining the type of potato cracker

A study by Przybyl et al. has successfully classified two cultivars of potato tubers by using computer vision to identify the texture and shape. The researchers employed geometric, textural, and color features to produce an image-based classification model. The developed vision system showed high accuracy of 96.1% in detecting irregularity of potato tubers. This technology could have wide applications in the food industry.

Researchers have shown that a single cultivar ‘Irga’ can be discriminated from other varieties by using texture features on the outer surface. The study also showed that a single cultivar can be distinguished with 100% accuracy using slices. Further research may be conducted on developing models based on these texture parameters for potato cracker classification in various processing stages. The robustness of these classifiers can be evaluated using the data from further studies.