Abstract: The invention relates to a process for producing loose fill in the form of spherical segments having a convex outer surface and a concave inner surface, and the granules formed. It is provided that starch granules are fed into a drum, and that in the drum, a nucleating agent is drum-coated onto the starch granules, and that the starch granules drum-coated with the nucleating agent are fed to an extruder, in which the starch granules are converted from their solid state into a viscous-liquid state. A starch foam created, by furnishing heat, in the extruder by the decomposition of the nucleating agent emerges from a forming opening of the extruder with a curved surface as a result of the difference in speed prevailing over the cross section of the composition, and that the skein of starch emerging from this forming opening is cut off directly at the forming opening, before any considerable expansion has taken place. The thus-created starch particles are received in a storage container.

Abstract: A packaging filler formed by cutting off and expanding small pieces of continuously extruded plastic to have generally the shape of an H in plan view. The filler has a transverse part and a plurality of substantially elliptically shaped lateral parts extending from either end of the transverse part defining with the transverse part two spaced apart substantially rounded recesses. The length of the packaging filler is at least equal to the height of the lateral parts.