Patent ID: 7691427

Claim:
A method of extruding a food material from an elongated extruder barrel presenting a longitudinal axis, comprising the steps of: causing said food material to pass from said extruder barrel and along a progressively diverging, generally frustoconical path of travel, said path of travel being defined between an elongated, tubular section having an internal bore presenting a longitudinal axis, an inlet end and an outlet end, said bore progressively diverging in a direction from said inlet end toward said outlet end, and an elongated, axially rotatable, food material-conveying screw section within the tubular section, said screw section having an axial length, a smaller diameter inlet end proximal to said tubular section inlet end, an outer diameter outlet end proximal to said tubular section outlet end, said screw section including an elongated shaft with outwardly extending helical fighting presenting fighting outer surfaces along the length of the screw section, said fighting outer surfaces progressively diverging in a direction from said screw section inlet end to said screw section outlet end; thereafter dividing the food material from said frustoconical path of travel, and passing the food material into and through a plurality of elongated, separate, structurally distinct tubular extensions defining individual paths of travel, each of said extensions oriented at a diverging angle relative to said barrel longitudinal axis; and forcing said food material traveling through said extensions along said individual paths of travel through a plurality of restricted orifice food extrusion die openings, including the step of creating a pressure drop as said food material is passed through said die openings.