Snack Foods: Types and Composition

© 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Snacks are ready-to-eat foods commonly high in oil and flavored with salty flavorings. From the processing viewpoint, they are manufactured by a broad array of processes. The simplest category, also named first-generation snacks, is produced from popcorn, peanuts, nuts, dehydrated fruits, and related items. Most snacks fall into the second-generation snack category that includes simple formed products obtained after direct extrusion (corn chips, puffed or expanded corn products, balls, and curls) or by cutting/sheeting/forming such as regular-fabricated potato chips, tortilla chips, and pretzels. Third-generation snacks are produced from extruded pellets that are commonly fried and flavored. Regardless of the bad image among dietitians, snacks are increasing in popularity due to their flavor, their convenience, and change of food habits. The new trend is the development of nutritious and health-promoting snacks.