Food Industry Engineering Pty Ltd, in conjunction with Kasetsart University, ran its first “Food and Feed Extrusion Technology” short course in Bangkok in Thailand in December 2004. The course was very popular – registrations filled, with participants from eleven different countries, and feedback following the course being very positive.
As a result, the course is to be held again this year, from November 23-25 – again at Kasetsart University in Bangkok.
The course has been run annually in Australia since 1995, and has established an excellent reputation. Organizer Gordon Young of Food Industry Engineering Pty Ltd commented “I believe this is because our presenters have extensive practical experience in industry across a wide range of extrusion operations. It allows us to provide training in theoretical aspects of extrusion technology, but with a practical perspective, using examples to show the theory is applied.”
Extrusion is used in the food industry for producing products ranging from breakfast cereals, breadings, and expanded snacks to pasta, pet food, and textured vegetable protein. It is also widely used for the production of aquaculture feeds.
The three day program in Thailand will provide a greater depth of knowledge than some of the shorter seminars that have been held. However it is aimed at providing participants with a practical knowledge of current industrial extrusion technology – different to conferences which aim to showcase research and future potential. The course takes participants from the basics of extrusion through to an understanding of rheology and flow in the extruder barrel, and how conditions in the extruder affect the final product characteristics. The role of different ingredients, extruder configurations, and die effects, are also covered. The content of the course covers both single and twin screw extrusion technology.
The two major presenters are Dennis Forte, of Dennis Forte & Associates, and Frank van Doore of Shanaglen Technology Pty Ltd. Dennis provides an engineering perspective, having designed extrusion processes for products as diverse as pet foods, aquaculture feeds, breakfast cereals and confectionary. Frank is a food chemist, and brings a depth of experience and understanding in ingredients and formulation, again across a wide range of products. The course is ideal for those who currently work with extrusion and wish to improve their understanding of this technology, as well as for people considering adopting extrusion technology.
Further information is available from the web at: www.fie.com.au/extrusionasia/ or to be added to the mailing list for information, contact Gordon Young, email: gyoung@fie.com.au
