GIFSQ Tools · Module 06 — Bakery, Pasta, Breakfast Cereals & Snacks · Tool 116 of 500
Measure how much a breakfast cereal expands in the extruder or oven: the expanded volume against the raw volume, and the density of the finished piece.
Try sample values — fills the form with the worked example below.
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Expansion ratio (x)
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Volume increase (%)
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Expanded density (g/mL)
Equation: Expansion ratio = expanded product volume ÷ raw material volume. Volume increase (%) = (expanded volume − raw volume) ÷ raw volume × 100. Expanded density (g/mL) = product mass ÷ expanded volume.
Method: Volumetric expansion measurement as used in extrusion-cooking studies of breakfast cereals (Harper, Extrusion of Foods, 1981): measure the bulk volume of a fixed mass before and after expansion, in the same container.
Assumptions: both volumes are bulk volumes measured in the same container with the same tapping; the mass is the same material before and after expansion.
Limitations: bulk volume depends on piece shape and packing, so the ratio describes the batch as poured, not a single piece; moisture loss during expansion is not separated out here.
Rounding: expansion ratio and volume increase to 2 decimal places; density to 4 decimal places; intermediates unrounded.
This is a calculation aid, not a laboratory report — confirm against your accredited method before citing a value.
Method: Volumetric expansion measurement as used in extrusion-cooking studies of breakfast cereals (Harper, Extrusion of Foods, 1981): measure the bulk volume of a fixed mass before and after expansion, in the same container.
Assumptions: both volumes are bulk volumes measured in the same container with the same tapping; the mass is the same material before and after expansion.
Limitations: bulk volume depends on piece shape and packing, so the ratio describes the batch as poured, not a single piece; moisture loss during expansion is not separated out here.
Rounding: expansion ratio and volume increase to 2 decimal places; density to 4 decimal places; intermediates unrounded.
This is a calculation aid, not a laboratory report — confirm against your accredited method before citing a value.
Worked example: 100 mL of raw material expands to 450 mL, mass 50 g. Expansion ratio = 450 ÷ 100 = 4.50×; volume increase = 350.00%; density = 0.1111 g/mL.
Enter values above to see results.
Typical expansion ratio for breakfast cereals: 3–6 times. Below 2 the piece is dense; above 8 it is usually too fragile. Tool 116 of 500 — GIFSQ
