Malted beverage powder and process comprising heating malted ingredients with less than 9 percent moisture by weight, cooling the extruded molten mass then grinding into a powder

摘要

A process for the production of a malted beverage powder and the beverage powder so produced. Malted beverages are well known and are primarily intended as nutritive drinks. The process provides a method that is capable of producing a malted beverage powder that retains flavour and texture comparable to those produced by conventional vacuum drying processes. The malted beverage ingredients preferably contain from 15% to 50% by weight malt. The malt may be in the form of a liquid malt extract or a malt powder, or both. The malted beverage ingredients further comprise of 15% to 30% by weight of a powdered or granulated sweetener. The process comprises: 1. Introducing malted beverage ingredients into an extruder, the malted beverage ingredients having a total moisture content of less than 9% by weight; 2. Heating the malted beverage ingredients in the extruder to a temperature sufficient to provide a molten mass but less than 150oC; 3. Extruding the molten mass through one or more orifices to provide an expanded extrudate; 4. Cooling the expanded extrudate to stabilise the expanded structure of the expanded extrudate; and 5. Comminuting the expanded extrudate to powder. The process also provides substantial advantage that little or no drying of the product is required, greatly reducing energy consumption.