In 1939 two employees working in the kitchen of a major cereal manufacturer accidentally combined marshmallows and puffed rice cereal, concocting what has since grown into a snack icon – marshmallow cereal squares. Today, this favorite breakfast confection is enjoyed around the world under many names, including Rice Krispie Treats, Marshmallow Treats, Marshmallow Squares, Rice Krispie Squares, and LCMs.
Today, marshmallow cereal squares are made by binding crisp toasted, puffed rice cereal with principal ingredients of corn syrup, sugar, and vegetable oil. Thayer Scale weigh belts, engineered to accurately measure flow and control the rate of flow of materials with low bulk densities play critical roles throughout marshmallow cereal square production.
Puffed rice has existed for centuries. There are written mentions of it in China as far back as the 12th century—long before puffed rice cereals came to market in the United States in the late 1920s.
Puffed rice cereal is made from medium-grain rice, which is harvested, milled to remove the hull and bran layers, and delivered to a factory. There, the rice is lightly sweetened with a flavoring solution of sugar, salt, and malt extract dissolved in water.
Flavored rice grains are then steamed in a pressure cooker. After cooking, the grains are cooled, separated, and allowed to dry. When ideal moisture levels are reached, the rice is bumped—a process of passing the rice through flaking rolls, which lightly compress and open fissures in the grain structure to vent residual moisture during the toasting process.
A final drying process in a rotary oven readies the rice for toasting. Driving residual moisture out of the rice grains is a critical prerequisite in transforming rice grains into the hollow puffs that give marshmallow squares their crispy texture.
Thayer Scale MWF and Low-Density Model M Weigh Belts, engineered to accurately meter low-density bumped rice play an important role in this critical, final drying process.
Newly toasted and puffed rice is then spray coated with vitamins and other additives that extend shelf life then combined with corn syrup, sugar and vegetable oil. Because the bulk density of puffed rice is even lower than that of bumped rice, more measurement precision is needed to measure the puffed rice into blenders. Here, the accurate measurement of puffed rice by Thayer Scale Model MWF-OS Weigh Belts, Low-Density Model M Weigh Belts, and Model FP Belt Scales ensures that these marshmallow binding agents are applied in precise proportion – an important process step in achieving the desired sensory responses to the finished product’s flavor, texture and gooey-pliability consumers crave.
After blending, the mixture is rolled out in sheets from which individual treats are cut and packaged, ready for consumers to enjoy.
Weighing equipment for cereal processing
Food Processing Conveyor Belt Scales
Designed to seamlessly integrate into existing conveyors
Mass counter-balanced weight sensing system specifically engineered to accurately weigh “low density” materials (bulk densities ranging from 0.5 to 12 pounds per cubic foot (8 to 192 kilograms per cubic meter)
Available with 2 to 5 idler weigh bridge based on material load
Designed for installation in horizontal to inclined (up to 12-degrees) conveyors
Available in “Scale Over” or “Scale Under” configuration based on process layout
Weighing equipment for the manufacture of cheese
Weigh belts
- Highly accurate for reliable, repeatable measurements and batch control
- Available with open or enclosed construction
- Designed to fit new or existing process flow streams
- Cantilevered conveyor assembly simplifies maintenance
Loss-in-weight Feeders
- Auger discharge
- Vibratory pan discharge
- Feed rates from grams/minute to tons/hour
Hopper and silo material flow promotion solutions
- Provide consistent, uninterrupted material flow
