SNAC International, in partnership with the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES), is bringing you the 29th Annual Snack Foods Processing Course held In-Person and Live-Online via Zoom.
This hybrid course will cover establishment of snack food facilities, operating principles of the three major types of extruders, and supporting equipment. Topics include fried corn chips, corn tortilla chips, friction extruder-puffed fried and baked snacks, single, twin-screw extruder snacks, high protein and whole grain snacks, cereal chips, fryers and ovens, packaging, and quality assurance.
Participants completing the course will be awarded a Certificate and are eligible for 30 Continuing Education Units (CEUs).
Schedule
Monday, March 24, 2025 (Morning Session)
8:00am – Extruders in Snack Foods Preparation | Mian N. Riaz
9:15am – The Status and Issues of the Snack Food Industry | David Walsh
10:00am – Coffee Break
10:15am – Tortilla Chips & Corn Chips Manufacturing | Frank Durazo
11:15am – Commercial Equipment for Making Dry Extruded Baked and Fried Snacks | Steve Mires
12.00pm – Lunch Break and Campus Tour
Monday, March 24, 2025 (Afternoon Session)
1:30pm – Thermal Processing Snack Products | Aldo De Tuoni
2.30pm – Snack Innovation with Wholesome Ingredients | Rose Belroy
3.15pm – Coffee Break
3.30pm – Corn Quality for Alkaline Cooking | Fariha Irshad
4.30pm: Class Activity for Participants Present
5.00pm: End of the day
Tuesday, March 25, 2025 (Morning Session)
8:00am – Dry Milling and Corn Products for Snack Foods | Brian Anderson
8.45am – An Overview of Dry Masa and Corn Tortilla Chips Manufacturing | Helbert Almeida
9.45am – Coffee Break
10:00am – Production of Masa using Extrusion Technology | Brian Plattner
11:00am – NIR Analyzer on Ingredients and Snack Food – Steve Watts
12:00pm – Lunch Break and Campus Tour
Tuesday, March 25, 2025 (Afternoon Session)
1:30pm – Extruded Snack with Twin Screw Extruder – Debomitra Dey
2:00pm – Food Safety, Hygiene and Microbiology for Snack Food Industries | Aldo De Tuoni
2:30pm – 5:00pm Leave for Multiple Demonstrations
Corn Quality & Tortilla Chip Processing Demonstrations. Participants will be divided into 2 groups and rotated between the following demonstrations:
Nixtamalization and Preparation of Corn Tortilla Chips
- Fresh Masa
- Dry Masa
- Extruded Masa and sheeting
- Tortilla and tortilla chip processing
- Quality evaluation of masa tortilla and tortilla chips
Corn Quality Evaluation Procedures and Equipment
- Corn Grades and Standards
- Corn Quality testing
- Factors affecting corn meal quality and variation
- Dry masa quality
- Other snack food ingredients: rice, sorghum, etc.
- NIR analyzer on ingredients and snack food
Extruded Snack with Twin Screw Extruder
Wednesday, March 26, 2025 (Morning Session)
8:00am – Raw Material Specifications for Expanded Snacks | Brad Strahm
9:30am – Single and Twin-Screw Extruders for Snack Food Production | Brian Plattner
10:45am – Coffee Break
11:00am – Pulses and Legumes in Snack Food Production | Mehmet Caglar Tulbek
12:00pm Lunch Break and Campus Tour
Wednesday, March 26, 2025 (Afternoon Session)
1:30pm – Principles of Die Design | Brian Plattner
2:30pm – High Protein, Whole Grain, & Specialty Snack Extrusion | Strahm Brad
3:15pm – Coffee Break
3:30pm – Extrusion Processing Technologies | Brian Plattner
4:15pm – Screw Configuration and Die Design Activity for Participants Present
5:00pm – End of the day
Thursday, March 27, 2025 (Morning Session)
8:00am – Coating and Flavoring of Extruded Snacks and Tortilla Chips | Douglas Hanify
9:00am – Extrusion Applications for Food Products | Brian Plattner
10.00am – Coffee Break
10:15am – Popcorn and Its Requirements | John Concannon
11:15am – Uses of Dehydrated Potato for Snack Food Products | Pete Savage
12:00pm – Lunch Break and Campus Tour
Thursday, March 27, 2025 (Afternoon Session)
1:30pm – Starch and Protein Functionality During Processing | Fariha Irshad
2:30pm – Flavors & Seasonings for Snack Foods | Julie Talkington
3:30pm – Coffee Break
3:45pm – Troubleshooting of Expanded Snacks | Brian Plattner
4:30pm – Extended Troubleshooting/Parameter Analysis Activity for Participants Present
5:00pm – End of the day
Friday, March 28, 2025 (Morning Session)
8:00am – Industrial Frying System and Criteria for Selecting Industrial Fryers | Caleb Reyes
9:00am – Conveying, Scaling, and Packaging for High Speed VFFS Snack Foods | Toby Steward
10:15am – Coffee Break
10:30am – Wrap Up | Mian Riaz
SNAC MEMBERS are eligible for an additional 25% discount. Contact David Walsh for the discount code.
