Key facts
- MC Mühlenchemie has installed a new pilot pasta extrusion press at its Pasta Lab in Ahrensburg.
- The press, a custom system from Fava S.p.A., uses vertical extrusion to replicate industrial conditions.
- The system is fully digitalized, archiving all process data and integrating AI-assisted analysis functions.
- Enzymes play a crucial role in pasta texture, stickiness, and cooking stability, with their maximum effect occurring between kneading and extrusion.
- MC Mühlenchemie's Pastazym series offers functional enzyme systems to improve pasta texture and cooking properties, even from bread wheat.
- The company also offers MCpasta for gluten-free or composite flours and PastaVit for vitamin and mineral enrichment.
MC Mühlenchemie has enhanced its pasta production services with the installation of a new pilot pasta extrusion press at its Pasta Lab, located in the Stern-Technology Center in Ahrensburg. This custom system, developed by Fava S.p.A., utilizes vertical extrusion to precisely replicate the conditions of industrial pasta production at a pilot scale. This advancement aims to provide pasta manufacturers with more accurate and transferable results from lab testing, thereby shortening development cycles and optimizing processes.
The new press offers advanced control functions, including independent kneader speeds, precise temperature control for the head, cylinder, and dough, and adjustable ventilation during extrusion. It also monitors vacuum levels and water dosing. The digitalization of the system allows for permanent archiving of all test parameters, from raw materials to drying profiles, and integrates artificial intelligence for real-time analysis of data such as dough temperature and motor load to predict rheological parameters.
MC Mühlenchemie's offerings include the Pastazym series, which provides functional enzyme systems to improve the texture and cooking properties of pasta made from durum, hard, and soft wheat. These systems can be combined with natural colorants for a strong yellow hue. The company also provides MCpasta for gluten-free or composite flours and PastaVit for vitamin and mineral enrichment. Jana Russnak, Head of Pasta Applications, stated that MC's enzyme and color systems enable local millers to process local or low-priced imported wheat into pasta flour, reducing dependence on imported raw materials and addressing regional needs and global trends.