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Engineering Perfect Puffed Snacks
Technology Category
- Analytics & Modeling - Predictive Analytics
- Analytics & Modeling - Digital Twin / Simulation
- Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Data Visualization
Applicable Industries
- Food & Beverage
- Education
Applicable Functions
- Product Research & Development
- Quality Assurance
Use Cases
- Predictive Quality Analytics
- Digital Twin
- Process Control & Optimization
Services
- Software Design & Engineering Services
- System Integration
- Training
The Challenge
Food companies face the challenge of achieving the right moisture and texture in puffed snacks to ensure customer satisfaction. The process of puffing rice involves complex physics, including mass, momentum, and energy transport, rapid water evaporation, material phase transition, pressure buildup, and plastic deformation. Companies need to optimize processing conditions to ensure consistent texture, flavor, moisture content, and food safety. The research team at Cornell University, led by Prof. Ashim Datta, aimed to model the dynamics and material behavior during the puffing of parboiled rice to address these challenges.
About The Customer
Cornell University, a prestigious Ivy League institution located in the United States, is renowned for its research and academic excellence. The university's Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering, led by Prof. Ashim Datta, focuses on innovative research in food engineering and other related fields. The research team, supported by a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) program, aims to provide valuable insights and solutions to the food industry. Their work involves developing mathematical models and simulations to optimize food processing conditions, ensuring high-quality and safe food products for consumers.
The Solution
The research team at Cornell University used a grant from the USDA Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) program to study the transport processes in deformable porous media with phase-dependent properties, focusing on food. They developed a modeling methodology to study the physics of food processes, making it applicable to various scenarios. The team used COMSOL Multiphysics® software to analyze the interconnected mechanical, thermal, material, and fluid behavior within a puffing parboiled rice grain. They built a multiphase porous media model to study mass and momentum changes, energy transport, and large volumetric expansion. The model analyzed different phases of solid rice, liquid and gas water, and moisture transport modes. The team validated the computational model using micro-CT images to determine the expansion ratio and visualize the microstructure development. They also tested how different levels of salt affected volumetric expansion, evaporation, and material properties. The model provided insights into the optimal amount of salt, moisture content, temperature, and heating time to produce the ideal puffed rice grain.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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