The moisture content of the dried pellets controls the rate of
water transport, determines the state of the matrix during expansion,
and the thermodynamic driving force causing the bubble
expansion. Based on the hypothesis that native starch functionality
is a water sink during expansion (Kusunose et al., 1999), it is expected
that some gelatinization occurs. The water transport (evaporation)
must not be too fast, otherwise the native starch will not
gelatinize (Willard, 1988; Kusunose et al., 1999). Moisture loss due
to evaporation is expected to be quite small compared to the total
amount. Guraya and Toledo (1994) have found that during puffing
moisture loss from the half product in minimal, DMC < 0:1%.