By Sharmila R, Gowthami S, Dr. A. Sudha *
Introduction
Hospitality is related with food, drink, and accommodation. The imbibition of the modern dining trend gives flakers a whole new concept. With the introduction of cornflakes, cereals, and fibers in the diet, modern food hospitality trend uses new combatants to make up for a healthy breakfast. This technology is ideal to meet the market demands and breakfast cereal manufacturing: many raw materials are eligible with coating recipes such as sweet syrups, honey, chocolate and other compositions.
The industry deals with flakers to satisfy consumers who are in need of more nutrition. Cereal flakes produced in the USSR are ready-to eat corn and wheat flakes, requiring no cooking they are either plain (natural), sugar and chocolate-coated, or salted. Corn flake is one of most nutritious foods and is consumed as breakfast food not only in India but-elsewhere in the world. Several other breakfast cereals are also available in the market but flakers are still to gain popularity.
Raw Materials
The grains most commonly used are corn, wheat, oats, rice, and barley. Some hot cereals, such as plain oatmeal, and a few cold cereals, such as plain shredded wheat, contain no other ingredients. These are the ingredients used in breakfast cereals like malt, yeast, sweeteners, flavoring agents, coloring agents, vitamins, minerals, and preservatives. The antioxidants BHA and BHT are the preservatives most often added to breakfast cereals to prevent them from becoming stale and rancid. Cereal flakes cannot go for the heat treatment so minimize the nutritional loss.
In general selection of raw material quality factors are, (i) even moisture contents, (ii) high test weight, (iii) absence of foreign material, (iv)Low percentage of discolored, broken and damaged kernels, (v) low breakability, (vi) better milling quality, (vii) high protein and oil content, (viii) high viability, (ix) absence of afaltoxin (mycotoxin), and (x) absence of insects and molds.
Some parameter consider for grain time, temperature, and speed of rotation. The cooked grain is moved to a conveyor belt and passes through a drying oven. At the end of the extruder, the cooked dough emerges as a ribbon. A rotating knife cuts the ribbon into pellets.
Preparing grain
Grain is received from harvesting field and then going for cleaning process. Whole grain is crushed between large metal rollers to remove the outer layer of bran. Whole grains or partial grains (such as corn grits) are mixed with flavoring agents, vitamins, minerals, sweeteners, salt, and water in a large rotating pressure cooker. Some parameter consider for grain time, temperature, and speed of rotation. The cooked grain is moved to a conveyor belt and passes through a drying oven. At the end of the extruder, the cooked dough emerges as a ribbon. A rotating knife cuts the ribbon into pellets.
The grains are soaked with water for several hours to stabilizing the moisture content. This process is known as tempering. The tempered grains are flattened between large metal rollers under pressure. The flakes are conveyed to ovens and tossed in a blast of very hot air to remove remaining moisture and to toast them to a desirable color and flavor. Flakes may also be made from extruded pellets.
The temperature and moisture content of the cereal is constantly monitored by cooking and shaping process. The content of vitamins and minerals is measured to ensure accurate nutrition information. Boxes are labelled with an accurate shelf life and quality of stored cereal. Freshness is monitoring at particular period of time. Cereals are higher than normal temperatures and humidities in order to speed up the spoiling process.
Quality Control
Quality Management having three principles: Raw Material Control, Process Control, Finished Product Inspection. Every step in the manufacturing of breakfast cereal is carefully monitored for quality. The machines used are made from stainless steel, which can be thoroughly cleaned and sterilized with hot steam. Before cooking and shaping grain is inspected. Freshness is monitoring at particular period of time. The quality is assessed by some extrinsic factors like age, broken grain, immature grain, foreign matter, infected grain and moisture content and some intrinsic factors like color, composition, bulk density, odor, aroma, size and shape.
Packaging
Products are placed directly into cardboard boxes or in cardboard boxes lined with plastic. Most cereals must be packaged in airtight, waterproof plastic bags within cardboard boxes to protect them from spoiling.
Automatic packaging machine used to pack with flaked products per minute 40 boxes are packed. The box is assembled from a flat sheet of cardboard, which has been previously printed with the desired pattern for the outside of the box. The boxes are sealed with strong glue. The bag is formed from moisture-proof plastic and inserted into the box. The flakes filled with bag and tightly sealed by heat. The top of the box is sealed with weak glue which allows the consumer to open it easily.
Marketing Strategies
To be successful, first need to take some time to understand product and learn about market. Based on this knowledge, can begin to create strategies for where will sell the product, how much going to charge, and how will promote it.
Develop a promotional strategy for the product
Professional marketing must get a product out to the public. Promotional options include print campaigns, television spots and internet advertisements; promotional opportunities also include social networking sites, such as Face book and Twitter, and text-based advertising for mobile phones.
Determine the role of location in the marketing strategy
Location should reflect the place where the product is manufactured, the place where it is stored and the place where it is distributed.
Conclusion
The hospitality industry can be challenging and in order to satisfy the consumerism, terms of value for money and high quality food items, it is important to carefully consider the kitchen equipment especially when it comes to ovens, flakers, and other betting equipment.
Cereal products are important segment in Indian scenario. Various alterations can be made using flakers using the extrusion technology, which proves the lancet for modern dining in the hospitality trend.
* Department of Food Technology
Kongu Engineering College
Perundurai, Erode 638 060, India
Email:rsharmila.ibt@gmail.com
