A A C C   2 0 0 0   A n n u a l   M e e t i n g

Large quantities of fiber were incorporated into extruded products. "Snack bars," extruded products formulated to meet particular nutritional needs, are widely accepted and are great avenues for increasing fiber consumption in the US where consumers get less than 50% of the suggested daily fiber intake from their diets. This research demonstrates that an extruded snack bar containing up to 40 g fiber/100 g can be made easily. High fiber snack bars, containing either 20 or 40% oat bran, were created by twin screw extrusion cooking of wheat or triticale flour, with oat bran, milk whey proteins, sugar, and milk powder. The formulations were extruded at two temperatures, low (120°C) and high (140°C). Water was added at a rate of 12.8 mL/min during extrusion to bring the moisture content to approximately 20%. Water absorption index and holding capacity, as well as the breaking strength, were determined. There was no significant difference in textural properties due to extrusion temperature. Triticale products were harder than wheat products. The higher the fiber content, the harder the product; there was significant (P<0.05) difference in hardness due to the amount of fiber added. These extruded snacks are comparable in texture with most snack bars currently on the market, but, provide significantly higher amounts of fiber.