Vol. 7, Issue 11, Part D (2025)

Fryums are cereal-based snacks that are pre-prepared for frying and are much appreciated in numerous Indian households. They consist of dehydrated, sun-dried dumplings that resemble fragile products. They enlarge instantaneously when subjected to deep frying. They are ingested either as a snack or as an accompaniment to a meal. The manufacturing of Fryums was traditionally confined to households, but it has recently transformed into a cottage and small-scale industry. It also provides a product that is hygienic, secure, and devoid of oil. Individuals are gravitating towards RTE foods due to their convenience in today's hectic, metropolitan lifestyle.Puffing in whirling hot air is a viable technique for generating RTE foods, as it alleviates some disadvantages linked to sand puffing, salt puffing, high-pressure puffing, and oil frying. The phenomenon of whirling transpires when an uneven distribution of air elevates the object by pneumatic transport while gravity pulls it downward. This research focusses on the development and assessment of a feeder for the optimisation and quality evaluation of hot air puffing of Fryums, emphasising critical process variables. The trials utilised a Central Composite Rotatable Design (CCRD), establishing optimal puffing settings with a puffing temperature (PT) of 260 °C and a feed rate (FR) of 6500 g/h in a single-pass in a hot air puffing machine. Under these conditions, the resultant puffed product attained a moisture content of 6.077% db, an expansion ratio (ER) of 5.669, a puffing percentage (PP) of 97.12%, a whiteness index of 89.64, a hardness of 2667.579 g, and a crispness of 12.25 positive peaks. The technology offers a healthier alternative to traditional frying and roasting techniques, as it does not use oil.