Design of Versatile Food Extruder

This proposal addresses the need for food processing equipment for crews on long-term Advanced Life Support Systems (ALSS) missions. It is proposed to design a food extruder that will efficiently process wheat and rice flour into breakfast-cereal-type food. In addition, the design will incorporate an oil extraction system for peanuts, and a milling/grinding system for wheat, rice, soybean and peanuts. The design of this food processing system will rely on the use of a single lightweight motor, with interchangeable attachments to do the extrusion, oil extraction, and milling/grinding. This work will merge the extruder-building expertise of Wayne Machine & Die Co. with the food processing expertise of Rutgers University's Food Science team to produce a unique and versatile food processor design for the planetary surface missions. The deliverable of this project will be a complete engineering design of a food processing system, including AutoCAD drawings from which the hardware could be manufactured in a Phase II contract.