PULLMAN, Wash. — Extrusion is one of the most versatile technologies in the food industry, widely used to produce popular snack foods, cereals, plant-based protein analogs, pet foods, and more.
Last week, Professor and Extension Food Processing Specialist Dr. Girish Ganjyal and his lab led an Extrusion Processing Short Course, a three-day program designed to give participants a comprehensive introduction to extrusion. The course combined in-depth lectures with hands-on demonstrations, covering topics such as system design, extruder screws and dies, ingredient functionality, and product development, with a special emphasis on the use of pulse ingredients. This year, the workshop was sponsored by the USA Pulses.
Throughout the workshop, industry experts from the USA Dry Pea and Lentil Council, Buhler Inc., AGT Foods, Puris Inc., Wheat Marketing Center, GNT USA, and Elementar Inc. shared insights into both current practices and innovations in extrusion. Additionally, an important part of the workshop was the involvement of students working in Dr. Ganjyal’s lab, who all helped guide participants through lab sessions and live extrusion demonstrations.
“The students are very confident, sociable, and personable. I was really impressed with the way that they led the sessions that they were responsible for,” said Kiana Shirzad, an Application Scientist from Anton Paar. “I would definitely recommend this workshop to anyone who is interested in food extrusion.”
“Since the inception of this workshop in 2015, we have trained over 250 industry professionals across the nation and internationally,” said Dr. Ganjyal. “We are very grateful to all our industry collaborators who have come and supported the workshop. Our students and staff are amazing. It truly takes a Village!”