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Protein bars making equipment

In NASA’s early years, a research program was established on how to provide food for astronauts while in space. In fact, in the 1960s, nutrition bars were launched with a label called “Space Food Sticks” because they were designed to allow astronauts to eat them easily while wearing their helmets. Protein bar manufacturing equipment is used to mix ingredients, extrude the mixture at a set temperature, cool the product before cutting it to size, coating it, and allowing it to cool to prepare it for packaging.

Which protein bars technology do you need?

Guillotine cutter for confectionery

Guillotine cutter for confectionery

Confectionery products such as marshmallows, licorice candies, and fudges come out of ex…

Display tray cartoner machine

Display tray cartoner machine

Packaging products usually require a great deal of flexibility to comply with demand from marke…

Industrial vacuum cooker

Industrial vacuum cooker

Batch cookers can be highly inflexible and inefficient, relying on maximum fill levels to operate wel…

Medium-speed flexible wrapping machine for chocolates

Medium-speed flexible wrapping machine for chocolates

Larger scale wrapping of individual chocolate products demands gentl…

Entry-level cereal bar making machine

Entry-level cereal bar making machine

Cereal and grain bars are increasingly popular, both as snack foods and as functional …

Entry level cooker for cereal bar production

Entry level cooker for cereal bar production

The creation of high-quality, flavourful crunch bars, brittles and similar pro…

Entry level cereal bar cutting table

Entry level cereal bar cutting table

The small-scale manual production of crunchy cereal bars, brittles, and similar product…

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Small scale nut grinder

Small scale nut grinder

Many confectionery and bakery processes rely on the uniform grinding of raw ingredients such as nuts, …

Automatic stretch wrapping machine for medium speed

Automatic stretch wrapping machine for medium speed

For secure, automated stretch wrapping at medium speeds, the key is ea…

Entry-level automatic cereal bar machine

Entry-level automatic cereal bar machine

Start up your manufacturing of cereal bars or produce smaller batches to test and t…

Longitudinal strand cutting machine

Longitudinal strand cutting machine

Cut continuous slabs of your ingredient mix into spaced strands for further processing i…

High-speed strand cutting machine

High-speed strand cutting machine

Cut continuous strands and slabs of your ingredient mix into bars, strips, and other final…

Strand cutting machine

Strand cutting machine

Cut continuous strands and slabs of your ingredient mix into bars, strips, and other final product shap…

Strand forming machine for creamy mixtures

Strand forming machine for creamy mixtures

Turn your ingredients mixture into strands and slabs for further processing into…

Strand forming machine for 3 masses

Strand forming machine for 3 masses

Form three ingredient mixes into the shapes and layer combinations required for your fin…

Strand forming machine for 2 masses

Strand forming machine for 2 masses

Form two-ingredient mixes into the shapes and layer combinations required for your final…

Strand forming machine

Strand forming machine

Form ingredient mixes into strands and slabs for further processing into bars, and other final product …

Slab forming machine

Slab forming machine

Turn the mixture of your ingredients, into continuous slabs for processing into bars, stands, or other sh…

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What protein sources are used for your protein bar?


The protein content of a protein bar varies depending on the manufacturer’s recipe. But what makes one bar more protein than another? A complete source of protein contains all 9 essential amino acids. For instance, whey and casein, obtained from pasteurized milk processing, have all 9 amino acids. Other protein sources include dehydrated egg whites and plant-based proteins like soy, pea, brown rice, and hemp. However, plant-based proteins lack some essential amino acids; so to make them a complete source of protein, they are mixed with other proteins that contain the missing essential amino acids.


Aside from protein sources, protein powders used in the bars are also available in different types. Protein concentrate is a type of protein powder made up of 60-80% protein with the rest of the ingredients coming from fats and carbohydrates. Protein isolate powders have around 90-95%, so they have a higher protein content than protein concentrate. They come from protein concentrate but with the fats and carbohydrates removed. The last type of protein powder is protein hydrolysates. This type of protein goes through additional processes by heating with acid, or adding enzymes, for easy body absorption when consumed.

 

 

Mix, extrude, and cool your ingredients using protein bar manufacturing equipment


The protein bar manufacturing process starts with protein powders of your choice, such as whey or casein, mixed with other ingredients like dried fruits, nuts, and seeds in an industrial mixer. After thoroughly mixing the ingredients, the mixture has a paste-like texture; this may cause some parts of the product to stick to the surfaces of the mixer and then need to be scraped off. The mixture is then conveyed to an extrusion machine, where it is heated and extruded to a bar shape.


A conveyor belt transports the bars to a guillotine which cuts them into the required size where they will later be with chocolate or other flavors. After enrobing, they are cooled in preparation for packing.


How to increase the protein level in your date bars


To meet the demand for more nutritious and healthy snacks, a study was made about the protein level of date bars using two different sources of protein bars. Dates contain a good amount of carbohydrates and other nutrients but lack protein. During the development of the bars, protein sources such as whey protein concentrate and vetch protein isolate were incorporated.

It was found that the protein content of the date bars was significantly higher using both sources of protein. The level of protein content increased to 7.55%. The test also involves the evaluation of the physicochemical properties and sensory characteristics of the date bars over time. Their taste was not affected.

Insect protein as an alternative source for your protein bars

Another source of protein currently utilized in protein bars is insect protein. Insects, such as crickets are rich in protein. For making protein bars, these edible insects are roasted and ground to make high-protein flour. Then they are mixed with other ingredients to improve the flavor and go through the same extrusion process as with other protein bars.

Having crickets as a source of protein is more sustainable than whey or soy because whey is part of dairy production that contributes high levels of methane gas to the environment and soy that is used for production requires large amounts of pesticides. Crickets, on the other hand, require less food and water to produce making it easier for mass production.

Processing steps involved in protein-bars making

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