There has been a surge in demand for corn-based snacks such as tortilla chips, and Heat and Control is at the ready to help! Given the large variety of corn-based products, there needs to be different processes and equipment for each line of snack foods.

Heat and Control’s specialized complete system equipment lines range from masa production to forming, toasting, conditioning, frying, seasoning, and then inspection and packaging for tortillas, extruded corn snacks, and fried corn kernels. What is the difference between a Tortilla Chip and a Corn Chip? The process for manufacturing corn and tortilla chips is similar, but simmering and soaking times will vary considerably.

Another difference is that tortilla chips are baked in the oven and then fried, while corn chips only go through the frying process. Heat and Control has a wide range of equipment to produce the masa and ensure consistent quality, including masa production systems and corn washers that enable food manufacturers to duplicate the masa recipe. Extruders and sheeters accurately form and transfer masa without altering the texture and flavor of the product. When toasting tortilla chips, a belt moves chips through the oven and exposes both sides of the chip to the over burners.

Conveying corn based snack foods is a delicate process, as the product can break and the all –important seasoning can fall off if lower quality conveyor belts are used. Heat and Control conveyor systems can reduce product breakage by up to 60 per cent using the FastBack® horizontal motion. The gentle slow-forward, fast-back motion prevents product damage and seasoning coating loss. The frying systems can provide precise control of oil flow, temperature, and cook times for corn chips, tortilla chips, and tostadas.