Abstract: The invention provides a puffable extruded protein composition. In addition, food products containing a puffable extruded protein composition are provided. The invention further provides a process for producing a puffable extruded protein composition.

Abstract: Novel cereal products and methods of making those products are provided. The cereal products can be utilized as baby food. The methods of making these products comprise extruding ingredients including water and a pre-gelatinized starch and/or pre-gelatinized flour through an extruder barrel under low shear conditions so as to preserve the integrity of the starch or flour. The extrudate is dried and milled to the desired cereal particle size for packaging and later reconstitution with water.

Abstract: An improved extrusion process for making a reconstitutable instant refried bean product, the process including:introducing a bean grind into a co-rotating twin screw extruder;adding sufficient water to the extruder to elevate the moisture content of the bean grind to be in the range of 25-40% by weight;heating the bean grind to a temperature in the range of 100.degree. C. to 180.degree. C.;extruding the cooked bean grind;the improvement including:advancing and massaging the bean grind towards an extrusion die to gelatinize the bean starch and still maintain starch granule integrity in forming a bean dough;selecting a die restriction such that pressure necessary to force such bean dough through the die is approximately equal to the vapor pressure of steam built up due to the product temperatures generated inside the extruder, and by virtue of die selection minimizing expansion and retrogradation of such bean dough;exploding such bean dough from the die as the steam and product escape.