Droplet breakup and coalescence in a twin-screw extrusion processing of starch based matrix

► Droplet breakup and coalescence in an extruder are separately investigated. ► Increasing screw speed improves breakup but also leads to higher coalescence. ► Increasing feed rate increases blend viscosity, and thereby reduces coalescence. ► Higher oil content results in increased coalescence. ► Screw configuration can be altered to improve breakup and to reduce coalescence. Formation of oil droplets during twin screw extrusion processing of maize starch was investigated by analyzing the droplet breakup and coalescence mechanisms separately. For this purpose, the flow was characterized by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) using material data derived from online rheological measurements. The simulated results on local flow conditions were coupled to experimental data on the dispersed phase morphology, which was analyzed by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). This was used to elucidate the influence of process characteristics relevant for droplet breakup and coalescence. The results showed that increasing screw speed does not necessarily result in smaller droplet sizes. This could be related to the contradictory effects: increasing screw speed improves droplet breakup but also increases the rate of coalescence. Smaller droplet sizes were obtained at higher blend viscosities, which could be achieved either by increasing the feed rate or by using screw configuration that applies less mechanical stress. The results suggest that an increase in blend viscosity reduced the rate of coalescence. Moreover, increasing oil content led to an increased rate of coalescence, and therefore to remarkably bigger droplets. Selection of process parameters (e.g. screw configuration, feed rate, screw speed) based on the findings of this study allowed enhancing the dispersive mixing efficiency of triglyceride droplets during extrusion processing of maize starch.