WO2024188909A1 - Protein-containing texturate and process for production thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a protein-containing texturate made from a base mixture. The base mixture comprises at least one first protein mixture, especially a wheat protein having a proportion between 8% by weight and 72% by weight, based on the base mixture, a second vegetable protein mixture different from the first protein mixture and having a proportion between 0% by weight and 64% by weight, based on the base mixture, and at least one further component comprising at least one of salt, flavourings, spices, colourings. A water content of the texturate is less than 30% by weight, especially less than 15% by weight, based on the texturate. In addition, the texturate has been coated with a powder, an oil or an emulsion-based layer.

Description

PROTEIN-CONTAINING TEXTURATE AND METHOD FOR THE PRODUCTION THEREOF

The present application claims priority from German patent application DE 10 2023 106 031 . 7 of March 10, 2023, the disclosure content of which is hereby incorporated in full by reference.

The present invention relates to a protein-containing texturate, in particular from vegan proteins, and a process for its production.

BACKGROUND

Plant proteins in the form of isolates or concentrates are now used for a variety of meat substitute products. This is due on the one hand to an increased demand for a vegetarian or vegan diet and on the other hand to consumer desire for sustainable and resource-saving agriculture.

One of the advantages of vegan food products made from plant proteins is that they can be produced from domestic or locally produced raw materials. Pulses in particular, but also other plant-based materials, have the advantage over soya or other materials that they can be grown in a more resource-efficient way. In contrast, there is a growing demand for various plant-based food products.

Traditionally, products based on vegetable proteins are manufactured by dry or wet extrusion. Dry extrusion is carried out at high temperatures T > 130 °C and a moisture content < 30 %. A short, narrow die without cooling is used for the extrusion. This enables the production of directly expanded products, so-called TVP (textured vegetable proteins). In dry form, they are rather irregular, porous and glassy and, after being rehydrated, are further processed into the final products. The final product has a sponge-like structure without significant anisotropy with either no or very short fibres. They bear little resemblance to the sensory properties of meat analogues and are often used in blended products (e.g. burger patties, etc.) rather than for whole products.

Moisture extrusion (HME) is the current technology used by the industry to produce fibrous plant protein-based products. The resulting products often provide a satisfactory base, exhibiting an anisotropic, meat-like structure, texture and appearance.

In such a wet extrusion, the mass is pressed after kneading through an elongated cooling slot die or an extended cooling couettes die. In both cases, the protein-based matrix is extruded at relatively high temperatures (T > 130 °C) and high water contents (>50%) in the screw section of the extruder and then forced to flow through a subsequent cooling die in which the material is continuously cooled (typically to below <100 °C at the die outlet) in order to avoid expansion which could destroy the fibrous structures produced in the die section.

Although this method can be applied to a variety of plant-based raw materials to produce fibrous protein-based products that have an acceptable physical and, to some extent, taste resemblance to meat products, they lack either long fiber structures or the desired tenderness, both of which are necessary to successfully replicate the properties of meat.

It has been shown that the resulting products have fiber-like structures of only a short length, whereas real meat consists of longitudinal fibers of up to 12 cm in length. Depending on the implementation, the length of the fibers in the plant proteins can be increased somewhat, but the resulting end product is very compact, hard and has a very strong elasticity, which does not lead to the desired mouthfeel of the meat products. An example of a meat-like product, but which is made from vegetable proteins, are products whose meat equivalent is called beef jerky, crispy jerky, jerky chips or beef chips and is summarized below under beef jerky.

However, consumers do not want to do without the properties that are already known, i.e. products made from plant proteins should not only resemble the familiar meat products in terms of color and shape, but should also be able to be consumed or processed in the same way as far as possible. It has been found that plant proteins from broad beans and in combination with wheat protein are not suitable for producing products such as beef jerky and the like, as they can hardly or only slightly be textured using conventional methods. The fiber length of the finished material is also significantly shorter than that of real meat.

Accordingly, there is a need to meet this demand without sacrificing sustainable and resource-saving agriculture.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This need is taken into account by the subject matter of the independent patent claims. Further developments and embodiments of the proposed principle are specified in the subclaims.

Previous research assumed that fiber formation in the molded part and the exit nozzle results from multiphase gel formation at high temperatures and the subsequent deformation of this multiphase system by shear stresses in the molded part , where the mass is cooled to less than 100 ° C in order not to destroy the fibers .

Although this method has proven successful in producing fibrous protein-based products that typically resemble meat products, controlling the resulting fiber formation remains a challenge. This requires precise control of gel formation, cooling and shear forces in the molded part, which in turn lead to vary greatly, since such highly elastic materials exhibit wall slip and melt fracture phenomena, which significantly affect the deformation history. Wall slip or melt fracture lead to a sudden drop in pressure in the nozzle and thus to an expansion of the mass and, in addition to tearing of the fibers, to unstable behavior.

The process presented here can also be used to process combinations of different protein mixtures into texturates that have the fiber lengths and adjustable texture characteristic of beef jerky. The finished products are either deep-fried, roasted, dried or dry-coated.

Definition protein mixture

For the purposes of this application, the term "protein mixture" means a plant protein mixture. Such a plant protein mixture is usually obtained from a single plant species in the manufacturing process, although contamination from other plants may occur to a small extent.

Unless otherwise stated, a "plant protein" includes a plant protein mixture from the respective plant, otherwise it is referred to as a "single plant protein". In addition to the actual plant proteins, the mixture can also contain other components such as starch, sugar, fiber, minerals, fats and oils. Individual amino acids can also be part of the protein mixture. The respective amounts are defined in more detail below in the terms concentrate and isolate.

Similarly, a "pea protein" or a pea-based vegetable protein is a protein mixture which essentially comprises pea, pea components or proteins of the pea plant and has been processed accordingly.

A protein mixture can be obtained from the plant species as such, but can also be the result of a side stream. There are also various side streams, press cakes and residues that can be used as protein source and thus represent protein mixtures within the meaning of this definition. These include, among others - without an exhaustive list - residues from sugar production, the production of alcoholic beverages such as beer and wine, residues and side streams from oil production such as soy oil, coconut oil and rapeseed oil, or plant-based milk production such as oat milk, pea milk or field bean milk. Other examples of various side streams from which protein mixtures can be produced or which contain them include okara (soy pulp), almond pulp, oat pulp, coconut pulp/meat, sunflower cake, rapeseed cake, linseed flour, hemp cake, cashew residues and peanut cake and corn gluten flour, whey protein, casein micelles, potato fruit water, chickpea pulp, lentil residues, spent brewer's yeast and spent malt (beer driver).

Other plant proteins that can be processed as concentrate, as isolate (see the definitions there) or in other forms as protein mixtures include, but are not limited to, textured soy protein, tempeh, hydrolysed wheat protein, mycoprotein (fungal mycelium, e.g. from Fusarium venenatum), rice protein, potato protein, corn protein (zein protein), hemp protein, algae protein, e.g. from spirulina or chlorella, rapeseed protein, sunflower protein, cottonseed protein, pumpkin seed protein, quinoa protein, amaranth protein, millet protein, spelt protein, oat protein, barley protein, lemna protein, cassava protein, coconut protein, macadamia protein, cashew protein, chia protein, linseed protein, sacha inchi protein, watermelon seed protein, pistachio protein and yeast protein.

The proteins mentioned can in turn be divided into legume proteins and non-legume proteins. Depending on the desired texture, legume protein mixtures can be combined with non-legume protein mixtures and processed using the process presented.

Definition of legume protein A legume protein is a protein mixture that is obtained from legumes. These include peas and broad beans, but also lentils, mung beans, chickpeas, white beans and peanuts. Soy also belongs to these, but - unless explicitly stated - should also be included under the term legume protein, although the cultivation of soybeans consumes significantly more resources than other legumes.

Definition of non-legume protein

A non-legume protein is a protein mixture that includes plant proteins that do not come from a legume. They are therefore obtained from other crops that are not listed as legumes in the above definition and do not constitute such. In addition to wheat, this also includes all other cereals and grains, for example oats, as well as hemp, potatoes, rice, hemp, pumpkin seeds, corn, but also rapeseed and sunflower. Proteins from algae, yeast, fungal mycelium and/or fungal fruiting bodies also fall under the category of non-legume proteins.

In this context, protein mixtures from these plants are also referred to as other protein mixtures and are thus distinguished from protein mixtures from or with legumes.

Definition of concentrate and isolate

The terms plant protein isolate and plant protein concentrate describe plant protein mixtures that differ in the concentration of the protein content. The other components of an isolate or concentrate are, for example, fats, sugars including starch and cellulose, which remain in the mixture when the concentrate or isolate is processed. The individual other components are reduced compared to the original concentration, but residues are still present in the isolate or concentrate in varying concentrations due to the different processing options. There is also a small amount of residual moisture in the isolate or concentrate. A plant protein isolate, for example, is a mixture of a plant protein in which the concentration of the protein in the mixture is in the range of over 85% by weight, for example in the range of 87% to 97% by weight. In a plant protein concentrate, the weight proportion of the plant protein is usually in the range of below 80% by weight or even below 70% by weight, for example in the range of 40% by weight, up to 75% by weight! or even up to approx. 80% by weight. There is also a transition area which, depending on the protein mixture, ranges from 75% by weight to 85% by weight! and in which, depending on the manufacturer, protein variant or other parameters, one speaks of concentrate or isolate.

Depending on the preparation and production process, a plant protein concentrate or plant protein isolate can be obtained from a plant species. The production process therefore not only significantly influences the concentration of the plant protein mixture, but also the composition of the other components and the residual moisture.

Definition of other ingredients

In some aspects, additional functionality in protein composition, taste, textural composition, visual and/or haptic properties can be created by at least one further ingredient. It should be noted here, on the one hand, that the above-mentioned protein mixtures from the various carrier plants are mixed, both in terms of the different crops and also in terms of concentration. An example would be mixtures of pea protein and broad bean protein, but possibly also additions of wheat or rice protein to a protein mixture from soya or pea.

In addition, other ingredients such as salt, spices, additional starch, sugar, syrup, sugary fruit juices, fats or oils may be present. These can be added either as part of the raw mass at the beginning or alternatively or additionally during the processing. It has surprisingly been found that additions in particular Sugar, oils and salts, or ingredients containing salt or oil, e.g. grape juice concentrate or soy sauce, can not only lead to an adjustment in taste and/or a change in texture. These additional ingredients can be present in free form, but can also be bound in corresponding raw materials in a highly concentrated form, e.g. sugar in syrup.

Another possibility is the addition of functional ingredients, such as flavors, and/or additional protein or amino acid sources to adjust certain properties or improve human bioavailability. In general, the additional mixtures and one or more of the above-mentioned substances are referred to as additional ingredients or additional components.

Definition of basic mixture

A base mix is a combination of a protein mixture, be it from one plant species, or mixtures of several plant species, as plant protein isolate, plant protein concentrate or a combination thereof, and water, which is added before and/or during processing. Optionally, further protein mixtures, and/or at least one ingredient and/or at least one other component can be added.

When water is added, the mixture created in this way forms a dough, which is then further processed in an extruder. Alternatively, the individual components can also be fed into the extruder individually or as a mixture during extrusion.

The base mixture is generally given in % by weight, based on the weight of all added ingredients. A base mixture of 50% by weight protein mixture and 50% by weight water is thus produced by mixing equal weight proportions of protein mixture and water. However, the total water content in the base mixture is slightly greater than 50% because the protein mixture itself contains some residual moisture. The same applies to salts, sugars and fats added to the base mixture, as these are also present in the protein mixture in varying quantities. Accordingly, the individual components in the basic mixture are slightly offset in terms of the proportions added. This is particularly true with regard to the water content, which is usually somewhat higher than the water added in the dough due to the residual moisture in the protein mixture, but can be lower in the finished texturate because some of the water has evaporated.

Definition Extrudate

In the following, the dough mass produced in the extruder, particularly by kneading, which is then to be stretch-formed is referred to as extrudate or viscoelastic mass. The texturate then corresponds to the finished stretch-formed and otherwise processed extrudate.

Definition Fiber

Fibers within the meaning of this application are elastic, cohesive layers that are aligned along a main direction, referred to as the fiber direction. Fibers within the meaning of this application have a strong anisotropy, which means that they can be detached or separated from the rest of the product if the fibers are pulled in a direction other than their fiber direction (e.g. from the transverse direction if they are aligned lengthwise, or vice versa). The fibers are thus relatively loose or detachable if they are pulled in a direction orthogonal to the fiber direction, and elastic and cohesive if they are pulled along the fiber direction. Individual fibers can be detached from the product by simply pulling with the hand.

The fiber length is the maximum length of the layer that separates from the product without tearing and retains its strong anisotropy and elasticity in the fiber direction. The average fiber length is usually lower and follows a normal distribution. Unless otherwise stated, the fiber length mainly refers to the average fiber length.

Definition of thermomechanical treatment A process during extrusion in which the dough is subjected to a specific range of temperatures while being mechanically processed. Mechanical processing may include kneading, rolling, rolling, upsetting, and other forms in which a force or torque is applied to the dough.

Definition of axial and transverse strain

The deformation of the material along the longitudinal axis (axial or longitudinal) and/or lateral axis (transversal), which typically occurs in a channel of a nozzle mounted after the screw section of the extruder. The material is thereby stretched along the respective axis. If the stretching takes place after the exit of the extruder, the extrudate is stretched accordingly.

Definition material temperature

The temperature that the protein mixture reaches during the thermomechanical treatment in the extrusion process. The temperatures given refer to the material temperature unless otherwise stated.

The inventor has recognized that tensile stresses occurring during the processing of plant proteins are more efficient in deformation than shear forces. Appropriate control of the occurrence and strength of these forces enables the creation of fibrous structures in protein mixtures that are not sufficiently textured in conventional systems due to insufficient deformation of the matrix.

In particular, it is proposed to exploit transverse and/or longitudinal extensional stresses with respect to the extrusion direction to generate fibrous structures in plant protein-based extrudates at both medium (<50 wt%) and low moisture content (<30 wt%). The proposed process allows to adjust the anisotropy of the texturate, unlike traditional methods, so that it is possible to apply the technique to all types of protein sources and their mixtures. Accordingly, for example, fiber lengths from 1 cm to 30 cm on average or even more can be generated. By adjusting the viscoelasticity, for example by means of a suitable selection of ingredients and/or deformation stresses, it is also possible to texture protein mixtures that are otherwise impossible or difficult to texture. This creates a basis for texturing a wide range of proteins (including concentrates) and the texture can be designed to meet the requirements of the desired end product. This makes it possible to create vegan products that are similar in texture and taste to fish, chicken or an alternative made from beef or pork. The resulting texturate has a long fiber-like structure with fiber lengths of greater than 8 cm and in particular greater than 10 cm and up to 30 cm, which are particularly similar to the fibers of meat, particularly muscle meat.

The proposed method is based on a combination of a base mixture of wheat protein with one or more other protein mixtures as well as secondary components and water, which is extruded at a dry to medium moisture content (10% by weight to approx. 50% by weight) and at quite high material temperatures of more than 110 °C. To produce the texturate, a specially shaped nozzle is used, in particular without cooling, to generate a continuous elongation deformation that leads to the fiber formation according to the invention. By using the elongation-dominated flow or, more precisely, sliding, a transverse or longitudinal velocity component of the hot mass in the nozzle is generated due to a changing shape and/or a decreasing cross-section. Preferably, in this process the temperature is above 100 °C and the pressure over a wider area within the nozzle is more than 5 bar. The resulting structure of the texturate has a meat-like characteristic, inter alia due to a fibrous structure whose length is greater than 8 cm and in particular greater than 10 cm. The water content of this texturate is in the range of less than 50% by weight, in particular less than 30% by weight.

At the exit of the expansion die, a directly expanded texturate is thus formed, which can be used after rehydration or after rolling to collapse the pores and produce compact fibrous final products. products. This includes, among other things, a further pressing or rolling process which produces a tensile stress in a different direction than the direction of the tensile stress which acted on the textured material when the mass was pressed through the stretching die.

The type of tensile stresses, i.e. transverse and/or longitudinal stresses, can be determined by the nozzle geometry. The extent of the transverse and/or longitudinal tensile stresses can be adjusted by varying the wall material (PTFE, ceramic or stainless steel) and by varying the design parameters listed in this application.

The use of different materials as wall material makes it possible to adjust the contribution of shear stresses, which in some cases can be reduced to almost zero by using a PTFE or ceramic wall. This reduces the risk of flow instabilities in the nozzle and enables very well-defined deformation through longitudinal and/or transverse stretching of the material. This means that longitudinal and/or transverse stretching stresses can be generated solely through the nozzle geometry. These include, for example, the shape and size of the inlet cross-section, the shape of the outlet cross-section and/or the transition from the inlet to the outlet cross-section. The term longitudinal stretching stress refers to a stretching stress that is essentially parallel to the direction of advance. Transverse stretching is a stretching that is mainly perpendicular or transverse to the direction of advance of the material. In this way, the type and strength of the stretching stress can be adjusted, allowing protein mixtures that are otherwise difficult to generate to be textured.

Not only can different protein mixtures be texturized in this way, but it has been surprisingly found that protein mixtures can be used that cannot be texturized into long fibers or a long-fiber meat-like structure under conventional conditions. Through further processing, the fibrous structure of the texturate can then be adapted to the desired end product. The inventor now proposes an approach which is based on the dry extrusion presented here, but nevertheless leads to a result in which the texturate produced has a moisture content of less than 40% by weight, in particular in the range of 5% to 30% by weight, or even less than 25% by weight, while still achieving an average fiber length of 8 cm or more. In addition, the combination of the ingredients in the base mixture can be used to create an adjustable mouthfeel, texture and/or crispiness. The crispiness is caused by the higher glass transition temperature of the ingredients used, which is not present in conventional meat products. The glass transition temperature can be adjusted by the distribution of carbohydrates and proteins, so that when deep-fried, for example, crispy pieces are produced, similar to nuggets, where breading is normally needed to achieve this.

The advantage of the proposed process is that a Maillard reaction and/or a positive taste and color formation can be generated, which makes the product very attractive and "innovative" overall. This flexibility means that different types of products can be produced with the proposed principle, the fiber length of which can also be adjusted, for example:

• a soft product (equivalent to conventional vegan jerky);

• a product that is crispy on the outside but soft on the inside;

• a product that is crispy on the outside and inside .

With further measures, the texture and color of typical dried meat products such as beef jerky is achieved.

Thus, in some aspects, a method for producing a texture is proposed, in which a base mixture is provided in a first step.

The basic mixture includes in some aspects a non-legume protein mixture and a legume protein mixture whose ingredients differ from the non-legume protein mixture. det. The non-legume protein mixture, in particular for example wheat protein or oat protein, can for example have a proportion of between 8% by weight and 72% by weight based on the basic mixture. Other possible proportions would be 15% by weight, 20% by weight, 25% by weight, 30% by weight, 35% by weight, 40% by weight, 45% by weight, 50% by weight, 55% by weight, 60% by weight, 65% by weight and 70% by weight and above all the respective ranges between two of these values, e.g. between 45% by weight and 50% by weight.

The legume protein mixture includes, for example, a pea protein mixture, field bean protein mixture or a combination of these, with a proportion of between 5% and 64% by weight based on the basic mixture. Other possible proportions would be 10% by weight, 15% by weight, 20% by weight, 30% by weight, 35% by weight, 40% by weight, 45% by weight, 50% by weight, 55% by weight, 60% by weight, 65% by weight, 70% by weight and 75% by weight and, above all, the respective ranges between two of these values, e.g. between 45% by weight and 50% by weight. Other legume protein mixtures are also conceivable, including soy. The protein content of the base mixture as a whole is in some aspects between 40% and 72% by weight.

The base mixture is mixed with water to form a dough. The amount of water added can be between 20% and 50% by weight, particularly in the range of 28% and 45% by weight. Other possible amounts of water that can be added are 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%, 45% and 50% by weight, and especially the ranges between two of these values. In some aspects, the protein mixture in the base mixture can also already have an increased residual moisture content. This is taken into account when adding water, resulting in a total proportion of water in the dough which is in some aspects less than 55% by weight, but in particular less than 50% by weight and in particular less than 45% by weight, less than 40% by weight or even less than 35% by weight based on the mash mass. In addition, the basic mixture contains at least one further component comprising at least one of starch, sugary substances, salt, flavourings, spices, colourings in a proportion of between 0.5% and 30% by weight based on the basic mixture. In particular, this can be sugar, starch or sugary substances such as juices or syrup in a proportion of up to 25% by weight, salt up to 3% by weight, flavourings up to 2% by weight and colouring ingredients up to 2% by weight. By mixing and choosing the proportions of the protein mixtures and the other components, the fibrousness and/or crispness can be adjusted over a wide range.

The addition of water can be done before kneading, but also during kneading and shaping of the slurry or dough in an extruder. In other words, in some aspects, the base mixture can be filled into an extruder and the water is added separately. In other aspects, the water is partially or completely added to the base mixture and then the resulting dough is added to the extruder for further kneading.

The method further comprises the step of extruding the slurry at a maximum temperature in the range between 110 ° C and 160 ° C, but in particular between 120 ° C and 145 ° C. The term extrusion in this regard means kneading the dough under increased pressure and the temperature mentioned above, whereby the dough is usually kneaded and pushed forward by one or more screw or similar gears. The thermo-mechanical stress leads to polymerization and network or gel formation in the mixture, the properties of which in turn arise from the mixture and its components. The dough mass is thus extruded at a low moisture content of less than 50 % by weight (up to just over 10 % by weight), but at the above high temperatures, so that one can speak of dry extrusion or slightly moist extrusion. Due to the lower water content at a medium to low level, the dough mass has a highly viscous, highly elastic matrix in the screw section of the extruder compared to other production processes. The extrudate produced in this way (also referred to as a highly viscous but at the same time highly elastic matrix) is then strain-deformed at a temperature of greater than 90 °C and in particular more than 100 °C, wherein a strain is exerted on the mass which in some aspects is transverse, i.e. essentially perpendicular to the direction of advance. This can be produced, for example, by a special strain nozzle which does not have to be cooled. The special strain nozzle is, for example, characterized in some aspects in that its input cross-sectional area or its input cross-section is larger than an output cross-sectional area or an output cross-section or else that a width and/or height of the input differs from a width and/or height of the output. In these cases, a transverse strain is caused.

According to the proposed principle, the strain deformation mentioned above occurs either in a longitudinal direction, i.e. along the advance, and/or in a transverse direction, i.e. across the advance. This is also referred to as longitudinal strain or transverse strain, although transverse strain can occur in two directions. A combination of such strains can be set, for example, using the parameters mentioned above, including by choosing the wall material and the nozzle geometry. The strain stresses occur, among other things, through the extrudate sliding along the wall, so that little or no heavy flow occurs. It should also be emphasized here that the moisture content of the highly viscous extrudate should not be too high, otherwise the required strains cannot be generated.

In this way, the continued increased temperature, especially above the evaporation temperature of water and the existing pressure, through continuous stretching deformation and the resulting stretching stresses, create long, connected fibers in the extrudate that resemble a meat structure. The stretch-deformed mass leaves the die as a texturate, with a sudden drop in temperature and pressure in some aspects. If the moisture is not distributed homogeneously, the expansion leads to a localized water-rich phase (also referred to as soft phase), which creates the anisotropy in the product according to the invention. Evaporation makes these water-rich soft phases even "loose".

The stretch-formed dry texture is then further dried until the total water content is less than 15% by weight.

In some aspects, the stretch-formed dry texturate is coated before, during or after drying. For example, it can be sprayed with an oil or an emulsion-based layer. Alternatively, a powder and/or flour can be dusted over the stretch-formed dry texturate, or it can be rolled in one. The coating is used in some aspects to increase the shelf life of the texturate, but also to further adapt the color, texture, taste impression and/or consistency to the known meat products.

The following substances can be used alone or in combination for this type of coating: sugar, salt, natural flavourings, spices including cayenne pepper, coriander seed powder, cumin powder, ginger powder, paprika powder, turmeric powder, cardamom powder, yeast extract, onion powder, tomato powder, honey powder, mustard, smoke flavouring, acid (citric acid), garlic powder, paprika extract, chili powder, acidity regulator (sodium acetate), parsley and oregano. To improve the adhesion of the coating, the textured product can be provided with a thin layer of emulsion beforehand. The above ingredients can also be mixed with syrup, fats or oils to form an emulsion.

In some aspects, the added protein mixture and water are kneaded at an increasing temperature up to the maximum temperature. During further kneading of the dough, the maximum temperature can be maintained. The increase in temperature and pressure is continuous in some aspects, but can also be discontinuous, i.e. with sections of the advance in which no further increase is required. warming. The transition from a porridge (usually with a higher water content) to a dough is fluid, with the latter in particular being a kneaded and mechanically almost inseparable mass made up of the components of the base mixture and water.

The maximum temperature is in some aspects in the range of 110°C to 160°C and in particular between 115°C and 135°C and in particular between 120°C and 145°C. Other temperature ranges for the maximum temperature would be 112°C, 114°C, 116°C, 118°C, 120°C, 122°C, 124°C, 126°C, 128°C, 130°C, 132°C, 134°C, 136°C, 138°C, 140°C, 142°C, 144°C, 146°C, 148°C, 152°C and 154°C. The temperature can be continuously increased to the maximum temperature during kneading and propulsion of the dough and then kept constant. In some aspects, the temperature rise is designed so that the maximum temperature is reached after about half of an extruder section. Likewise, the temperature can be changed several times during the advance during kneading, so that different temperatures are set in sections.

Likewise, during kneading and extrusion, the pressure increases to a maximum value. Accordingly, in some aspects, extrusion is provided at a pressure in the range of 1 bar up to 100 bar or more. Typical ranges are between 20 bar and 80 bar and in particular less than 60 bar at the end of the extruder.

By varying the thermal stress profile during extrusion, the degree of polymerization and network formation is varied, allowing the elasticity and/or viscosity to be adjusted. In particular, the gluten present in wheat plays an important role in network formation. This aspect is not only brought about in the extruder itself (i.e. during kneading of the dough) but also, to a lesser extent, during the stretching deformation.

In some other aspects, a gas is added during kneading, ie in the screw part of the extruder, in order to loosen the dough and also the later extrudate. The gas can be added to the screw part of the extruder at one point, for example in the initial area of the extruder but also at various points. In some aspects, the gas is added at a pressure that is later increased during extrusion, particularly in the screw section. This "dissolves" the gas in the material of the extrudate and remains bound in the material. Only during the later stretching deformation and particularly at the end when the textured material exits does the pressure decrease again, so that the gas contributes to loosening the extrudate. The gas used for this purpose can be carbon dioxide, nitrogen and in some cases air.

In some cases, a gas-generating material may be added to the dough, which decomposes during further processing, particularly during kneading in the extruder, and so contributes to gas formation. A typical material of this type is baking soda (sodium hydrogen carbonate), which decomposes with citrates or other mild acids to form carbon dioxide. In some aspects, both substances are initially added to the base mix as dry materials, and only begin to react when water is added. If the water is added in the screw section of the extruder, premature escape of the gas is also prevented. In some aspects, only baking soda is added, and during kneading, due to the high temperature, it decomposes back into carbon dioxide and sodium carbonate.

In the proposed method, the stretching die is not cooled in some aspects, i.e. the stretch-formed texturate leaves the stretching die at a temperature of more than 100 °C. Likewise, the stretching can be carried out at different temperatures, so that the stretching can be divided into several steps in some aspects, of which individual steps are carried out at different temperatures above 100 °C.

During the strain deformation, the flow velocity is increased. In the case of longitudinal strain, the change in flow velocity occurs along the direction of advance, while in the case of transverse strain, it occurs perpendicularly to it, i.e. the viscous mass is stretched along a direction transverse to the direction of advance. Since there are two transverse directions (orthogonal to the direction of advance), It can be provided that, during the application of a tensile stress, a flow velocity is increased in a first direction transverse to the direction of advance, while it remains the same or decreases in a second direction. In this way, the mass flow can be kept constant.

Accordingly, in some aspects, during the application of a tensile stress, the extrudate is stretched more along a first direction perpendicular to the direction of advance than along the direction of advance. Additionally, in some aspects, during the application of a tensile stress, the extrudate may also be stretched along a second direction perpendicular to the direction of advance. This second stretch may, in some aspects, be greater than the stretch in the first direction and/or the direction of advance.

The elongation can be carried out at temperatures above 100 °C by driving the highly viscous mass, whereby for the elongation in the transverse direction a flow velocity is increased in a direction perpendicular to the direction of advance. Alternatively, for a longitudinal elongation deformation a flow velocity can be increased in a direction along the direction of advance.

It is also possible that a propulsion speed is at least partially lower than a flow speed in a direction perpendicular to the propulsion direction. This means that, for example, in some sections the mass is widened more quickly than it is propelled.

In some aspects, the expansion is influenced by coating the wall, reducing the diameter of the expansion nozzle or the length and/or width. The mass flow remains essentially constant and, due to the high viscosity, also laminar. In order to avoid tearing of the expansion stresses, it is advisable to keep the static friction between the mass and the wall low so that the mass slides along it. By driving the extrudate forward, the mass is stretched at temperatures of more than 100 ° and in particular between 105 ° C and 115 ° C. At the end of this stretching, the temperature of the intermediate product is still above 100 ° C in some aspects, and at for example in the range between 110 ° C and 135 ° C. In special aspects it can also be above 130 ° C.

The longitudinal or transverse strain deformation can be continuous or in sections. In the first case, for example, this is achieved by a continuous reduction in the cross-section. In some aspects, instead of the cross-section, a ratio of width to height at the inlet and the ratio of width to height at the outlet is used, although the ratio can also change. In particular, one of the two sizes between the inlet and the outlet decreases. By changing the geometry, transverse flows and strains can be specifically generated, as well as changes in the longitudinal flow velocity and thus longitudinal strains.

In the cases mentioned, this means that the flow velocity of the mass is increased in sections, followed by further sections in the expansion nozzle in which the flow velocity is essentially constant. The increase in flow velocity can occur along or perpendicular to the direction of advance of the mass. The flow can also be increased continuously, so that expansion deformation occurs over a longer section, possibly even as far as the exit of the expansion nozzle. In some aspects, a transverse flow velocity (i.e. perpendicular to the direction of advance flow) is determined by the ratio of the area or a width/height of the inlet to the area or a width/height of the outlet. In some aspects, the nozzle can also be short, provided that primarily transverse expansion stresses are generated.

In some aspects, the time during which the mass is propelled in sections of the nozzle at constant flow velocity is greater than the time during which the mass is propelled at increasing flow velocity.

Due to the low water content in the dough, its viscosity is increased compared to extrudates with a higher water content. The increased viscosity leads to greater tensile stresses due to the differences between the inlet and outlet cross-section. The length of the nozzle can also play a role. This is helpful in the aspects presented here in order to influence the speed of the mass flow through the shape, length and design of the expansion nozzle. In some aspects, the length of the nozzle through which the viscous mass is propelled is at least a factor of 1 and in particular a factor of 3 to 7 larger than the maximum diameter of the inlet cross-section or the largest extension of the inlet. To generate transverse expansion deformations of the viscous mass, the length in a first direction, perpendicular to the length of the nozzle width, is changed over the length of the nozzle, e.g. increased, while the length in the direction perpendicular to the first direction and perpendicular to the length of the nozzle is reduced over the length of the nozzle. If the outlet cross-section is reduced compared to the inlet cross-section at the same time, longitudinal expansions are caused in addition to transverse expansions.

Accordingly, it can also be provided to change the strain on the mass in at least two consecutive sections during the advance. This can improve fiber formation. A change in the strain can be achieved, for example, by changing the geometry, but also by changing the coating of the expansion nozzle. In some aspects, the static and/or sliding friction acting on the mass during the advance can also be changed, for example by changing the wall materials of the expansion nozzle. In this context, it is possible to design the sections during the advance in such a way that longitudinal strain stresses and transverse strain stresses act on the viscous mass in sections.

In some aspects, after strain deformation, the textured material is cooled to a temperature below 100 ° C. This can be done by direct relaxation, i.e. by releasing the pressure while cooling. Cooling may also start a little later than the pressure release. Due to the sudden release of pressure, particularly close to a temperature of 100 ° C, e.g. at 105 ° C to 110 ° C, water within the strain deformed matrix is suddenly evaporates and in some aspects leads to a loosening of the texture.

The sudden drop in pressure and the decrease in temperature can, in some aspects, lead to smaller pores forming in the textured mass. Accordingly, in some aspects it is proposed that the textured material be rolled again by rolling or similar after the stretching process in order to pull the fibers apart. This can also be done at higher temperatures, e.g. in the range of 40°C to 70°C. In some aspects it is provided that the stretching-deformed textured material is rolled or rolled in a direction that is different to the stretching deformation. In other words, shear forces are exerted on the stretching-deformed textured material, which, for example, point in a different direction to the longitudinal stretching.

Additionally or alternatively, the textured material is cut to produce jerky-like pieces. The dusting or coating with a surface coating mentioned above can be done after rolling or pressing, but also before cutting. If the textured material is then dried further, it is possible to apply the coating during drying.

Drying can be carried out by air drying until the water content in the texturate has reached the desired maximum amount. This results in a milder treatment and leads to more elastic, drier products. Alternatively, or if the moisture content in the texturate is small, it would be possible to deep-fry the texturate pieces after coating. Deep-frying causes a further Maillard reaction, which contributes to the formation of a crust. In addition, additional polymerization of the proteins takes place during deep-frying and, if necessary, further expansion of the residual moisture. Deep-frying allows chip-like, crispy products to be produced if the residual moisture is suitable. The last steps, after the texturate has been rolled or has left the stretching nozzle, can also be combined in a different order. Some other aspects deal with the base mixture. In some aspects, salt is also added to the base mixture to modify water distribution in the texturate. Moisture otherwise tends to localize in the dispersed phase and therefore makes the continuous phase with less water harder. Sugar can also or alternatively be added, i.e. sugar in addition to the amounts already present in the protein mixture. In some aspects, the amount of sugar added is up to 25% by weight, although this amount again depends on the protein mixture used. The sugars mentioned above can be used for this. The sugar added is used to replace the large, branched and reactive protein molecules with very small sugar molecules, thus reducing network formation. Possible sugars for this would be glucose, fructose, maltose, syrup, sugary fruit juices and others.

With the combination of additional sugar, salt and the process parameters such as the temperature during kneading, the gel and bite firmness of the matrix and thus of the texture can be adjusted to a desired range.

Some other aspects deal with a protein-containing texturate from a base mixture. The base mixture comprises a (first) protein mixture from a non-legume, for example wheat, and a legume protein mixture whose ingredients differ from the first protein mixture.

The first non-pulse protein mixture can, for example, have a proportion of between 8% and 72% by weight based on the basic mixture. Other possible proportions would be 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%, 45%, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65% and 70% by weight and, above all, the respective ranges between two of these values, e.g. between 45% and 50% by weight. In addition to wheat, another or further non-pulse protein mixture or a combination of such can also be considered. Examples of such mixtures are listed above. The legume protein mixture includes, for example, a pea protein mixture, field bean protein mixture or a combination of these, with a proportion of between 0% and 65% by weight based on the basic mixture. Other possible proportions would be 10%, 15%, 20%, 30%, 35%, 40%, 45%, 50%, 55%, 60% and 65% by weight, and above all the respective ranges between two of these values, e.g. between 45% and 50% by weight. Other legume protein mixtures are also conceivable, including soy.

The base mixture also includes at least one other component. This can be selected from salt, flavors, spices, colorings and others, with the proportion of the at least one other component being between 0.25% and 5% by weight based on the base mixture. Sugar can also be added, with this in turn being present in a weight proportion of up to 25% by weight based on the base mixture. This sugar can also come from the protein concentrate, but other sources such as glucose, fructose, maltose, lactose and sugar alcohols are also suitable for this. Other possible ingredients are coloring ingredients up to 2% by weight and flavors also up to 2% by weight.

The texturate also has a moisture content of less than 35% by weight, in particular less than 25% by weight and in particular less than 15% by weight, in each case based on the mass of the texturate. In some aspects, the moisture content of the texturate can thus be less than 14% by weight, 16% by weight, 17% by weight, 18% by weight, 19% by weight, 20% by weight, 21% by weight, 22% by weight, 23% by weight, 24% by weight, 25% by weight, 26% by weight, 27% by weight, 28% by weight or less than 29% by weight. The moisture content comes partly from the base mixture (to a smaller extent) but also from a proportion of water added during production. The textured product is then covered with a powder, oil or emulsion layer. The textured product can also be cut into pieces of different sizes. Such a texturate is characterized by the fact that it is very similar to corresponding meat products in terms of consistency, color and appearance. In particular, it comprises longitudinally arranged fibers whose average length can be more than 8 cm and in particular more than 10 cm. Depending on the cut, the maximum length of the fibers of the texturate can also exceed the length of the texturate pieces.

In this context, in some aspects this particularly refers to the distribution of the average fiber length, which has its maximum between 12 cm and 20 cm or even at 25 cm. The distribution of the fiber length can, for example, follow a Gaussian distribution. In some aspects this Gaussian distribution is quite narrow, with a standard deviation in the range of 1 to 2.5 cm. In some aspects, maximum fiber lengths are also greater than 14 cm and, depending on the nozzle, a maximum fiber length in the range between 17 cm and 25 cm or more is possible. This makes the textured product rather uniform in terms of fiber structure, making it particularly suitable for further processing. In other aspects, the standard deviation can be changed during processing by measures such as temperature or amount of water, so that different distribution functions and also the fiber length can be set across a range.

The texturate can be fried in some aspects, but also air-dried, which means that the moisture content stated above is in the low range. It is also possible to design the powder, the oil or the emulsion-based layer accordingly in order to make the haptic or optical properties, or the sensory properties such as taste, similar to existing meat products. In addition to flavors, this also includes salt, as well as the spices, minerals and flavors listed above, which can be part of emulsions. These can be mixed with oils, fats, syrup or other liquid substances to form an emulsion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Further aspects and embodiments according to the proposed principle will become apparent with reference to the various embodiments and examples which are described in detail in connection with the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 shows an embodiment of a process for producing a protein-containing texturate according to the proposed principle;

Figure 2 is a picture showing the fibrous, meat-like structure of a proteinaceous texturate produced by the proposed process;

Figure 3 shows a picture of a fried proteinaceous texturate prepared according to the proposed process;

Figure 4 is another example of a textured article according to the proposed principle;

Figures 5A to 5C show examples of different expansion nozzles that generate a transverse expansion stress;

Figure 6 is an embodiment of a method for producing such a textured product;

Figure 7 shows a picture of a rolled and cut proteinaceous texturate produced by the proposed process from a stretching die generating mainly a transverse stretching stress ;

Figure 8 shows a picture of fried short pieces of textured meat coated with an emulsion.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following embodiments and examples show various aspects and their combinations according to the proposed principle. The embodiments and examples are not always to scale. Likewise, different elements can be shown enlarged or reduced in size in order to emphasize individual aspects. It goes without saying that the individual aspects and features of the embodiments and examples shown in the figures can easily be combined with one another without affecting the inventive principle.

Figure 1 shows part of an extruder arrangement according to the proposed principle. The extruder arrangement is designed with a mixing extruder 1 with a twin worm gear, in which the supplied mass is kneaded by means of two worm gears and driven forwards in the direction of an outlet of the mixing extruder. For this purpose, the mixing extruder 1 comprises a motor with a gear 10 to which the two worm gears are anchored. Connected to this are several sections 11a, 11b, 11c, 11d and 11e of the mixing extruder.

The respective sections are mechanically tightly connected to one another via flanges or in some other way. In this way, the mixing extruder shown can either be lengthened by adding individual sections or shortened by removing them. The screw sections 12a, 12b and 12c are designed in a similar way so that they can also be lengthened or shortened by adding or removing individual screw elements.

In particular, the mixing extruder 1 according to the proposed principle comprises two inlet sections 11a with associated screw elements 12b. The inlet sections 11a each have an opening for supplying the base mixture or water. In detail, in the embodiment shown, the base mixture is introduced into a first section 11a of the mixing extruder 1 via a funnel 14. The water is then added via an inlet 15, so that the two first extruder sections 11a are mainly used for a first mixing to form a slurry from the water and the base mixture supplied. A large number of further sections 11b, 11c and 11d, some of which are filled with different screw elements 12a, are connected to the first sections 11a. As can be seen in the illustration in Figure 1, the screw elements serve on the one hand to advance the dough but also to knead the dough by increasing the pressure and temperature.

For this purpose, the individual sections are equipped with several heating elements (not shown here) which can be controlled separately and independently of one another. This allows different temperature profiles and thus different temperatures of the dough to be set in the individual sections 11a to 11e. Furthermore, the individual screw elements in the respective sections are also designed differently. Some screw elements are used to knead the mass from the base mixture and the added water in order to produce a dough with a continuous phase. At the same time, the kneading and further advancement of the fed base mixture in these areas increases the pressure to between 15 and 20 bar. Other screw elements can also have feeds for gases which are used to feed the dough with a gas to loosen it up during kneading. The fed gas is bound due to the pressure in the screw section of the extruder. The gas is added in a controlled manner at one or more points during kneading to ensure an even distribution of the gas throughout the dough.

If the temperature is increased at the same time or if the temperature is high, for example in the range of 120 °C to 160 °C, and a pressure of several bar, the protein mixture polymerizes with the water and the other components, resulting in a gel-like, highly viscous mass. This is kneaded in different ways by the individual screw elements 12a and is driven forward in small pieces to an exit section Ile of the mixing extruder 1.

The outlet section Ile of the mixing extruder 1 has a slightly conical shape on the outlet side with an ejection zone 13, which is connected either directly or via an intermediate piece to an expansion nozzle according to the proposed principle. However, for reasons of clarity, this is only indicated and explained in a few exemplary embodiments. The dough mass in this starting section is thus pressed under high pressure in the range of several bar, for example up to 25 bar, through the ejection zone into the expansion nozzle and there subjected to expansion deformation by a uniform forward propulsion.

An expansion nozzle 20 is connected to the mixing extruder 1. The expansion nozzle 20 comprises an expansion body 21 with an inlet region 23 and an outlet region 24. The inlet region 23 has a diameter or an area that is significantly larger than the diameter or the area of the outlet region 24. The shape of the inlet region 23 and the outlet region 24 can be of different shapes, for example as shown in Figure 2, either completely circular, but also round-ended or ovoid-elongated.

The inlet region 23 is connected either directly to the discharge zone of the mixing extruder 1 or via a tubular intermediate piece 30 to the discharge zone 13. In the present exemplary embodiment, the expansion nozzle comprises an inner region which is referred to as the expansion section 22 and is characterized by a cross-section which continuously tapers at the same gradient over the length L of the expansion nozzle. In other words, the diameter (or radius) Ri and the respective area in the inlet region 23 are continuously reduced over the length of the expansion nozzle down to the cross-section R ₂ and the respective area of the outlet section 24. In the cross-sectional view of the nozzle 20 shown here, the tapering part thus forms a parallelogram with the two parallel sides corresponding to the inlet section 23 and the outlet section 24. Viewed three-dimensionally, it is a truncated cone, with the respective base and outlet sides being parallel. End faces as shown can be either circular or round-faced with a conical inlet. The length L of the expansion nozzle is at least three to four times as long as the diameter Ri in the inlet area. Due to the tapering cross section here, the flow velocity of the dough is continuously increased during propulsion through the expansion nozzle 20 at a constant mass flow. In the exemplary embodiment, the flow velocity also increases evenly due to the evenly decreasing cross section.

In order to achieve a constant mass flow, this means that the flow velocity is dependent on the radius of the inlet area and the outlet area or on their areas. For example, if the inlet area has an area that is three times as large as the area of the outlet area, the flow velocity in the outlet area must also be increased by a factor of three to ensure the same mass flow.

Due to the increasing flow velocity, the extruded material is stretched parallel to the direction of advance. This results in the formation of elongated fiber structures at the continued high pressure of over 7 bar and the high temperature in the expansion nozzle in the range of over 100 °C. The uniform tapering, which can be controlled in particular by adjusting the length of the expansion nozzle as well as the inlet and outlet cross-sections, prevents wall slippage and shear stress, which leads to tearing of the extruded material.

In another aspect, the coating of the inside of the expansion nozzle can also be provided with a material with particularly low static friction. In addition to stainless steel, which is used in food production, among other things, a plastic such as Teflon can also be considered. This has particularly low friction, so that the extruded product is exposed to a greatly reduced or almost non-existent shear stress at the edge. This creates long fibers in the dough mass along the direction of advance. Depending on the proteins used and the basic mixture for the extrudate, different stretching stresses are required to prevent the extrudate from breaking. It may also be necessary to allow the extrudate to "rest" for a while after stretching so that the fibers can align. Accordingly, the stretching nozzles can also be designed differently with several sections and generally also have other shapes.

At the outlet 24 of the expansion nozzle 20, the texturate leaves the nozzle and enters the open air, causing a sudden drop in pressure and a simultaneous reduction in temperature. The water content in the texturate after the outlet is less than 40% by weight and in particular less than 30% by weight, so that the texturate is referred to as dry or semi-moist.

The drop in pressure and possibly also the falling temperature (the expansion nozzle would be heated or at least at a temperature close to or above 100 °C) can, depending on the mixture fed in, i.e. depending on the pulse protein mixture used, lead to a slight formation of pores due to a so-called "flash expansion" of the evaporating remaining water in the texturate. For this reason, a roller 3 is connected downstream of the expansion nozzle 20, which presses the texturate together again in order to collapse the pores that have formed and to produce a compact fiber-like texturate with a fiber length of more than 8 cm.

In the present embodiment, the roller 3 additionally comprises heating elements (not yet shown) in order to be able to control the temperature of the textured material during the rolling process. The roller can be designed as a single or double roller in the form of a simple smooth roller, but also as a corrugated roller, needle roller or shaped roller. If necessary, a multi-stage rolling process with gradual gap reduction can lead to a desired result.

The rolling or pressing process is designed in such a way that stretching forces are exerted on the textured material in a different, particularly orthogonal direction compared to the stretching stresses in the stretching nozzle. Put simply, the texturate in element 3 is processed in such a way that it is now slightly stretched in a different direction. This can be done, for example, by increasing the shear forces orthogonal to the transport direction. For this purpose, the texturate is cut into larger strips, which are then turned by 90° and passed through the rollers. The forces exerted in this way lead to the texturate forming fibrous, elongated structures due to the existing pore formation, which are easy to bite or chew.

In addition to the rolling process described here, the textured material can also be rolled, tapped or pressed. All of these mechanical measures generate additional shear forces on the textured material, which, if suitably designed, point in a different direction, i.e. in particular in an orthogonal direction compared to the tensile stresses previously exerted in the direction of advance. In contrast to conventional solutions, however, in the solution presented the respective forces are exerted on the textured material at different times, temperatures and/or pressures, so that better control is achieved.

After cutting in a corresponding machine 5, the resulting product 4 essentially comprises strip-shaped pieces of equal length. The cut strips have a length in some aspects which essentially corresponds to the length of the fibers of the texturate. This is followed by further air drying in a corresponding air dryer 6 so that the total proportion of water in the texturate 4 is further reduced. At the end of the process, the total proportion of water in the texturate is less than 25% by weight, but in particular also less than 15% by weight. The now air-dried texturate can now be packaged and further processed.

In an alternative embodiment, the extruder arrangement also includes a deep fryer or an atomizer, in which the air-dried textured material can be fried or dusted. This dusting with a powder, or the coating with an emulsion layer in device number 7, can take place both during air drying and afterwards. It is also possible to dry the textured material pieces in a To roll powder or emulsion in a roller drum and coat it in this way.

In the extruder arrangement of Figure 1, the individual components 3, 5, 6 and 7 can also be combined or swapped with one another in order to produce a certain consistency, appearance and shape for the desired end product 8. It is thus possible to add additional colorants during the drying step in order to bring about a color change in the texturant. In addition, smoke flavors or similar can also be added at this time.

After the outlet 24 of the stretching nozzle 20 or after rolling in the roller 3, the texturate 4 comprises an average fiber length which lies in the range between 15 cm and 25 cm. The maximum fiber length is, however, significantly longer and amounts to up to 30 cm. In addition, the distribution of the individual lengths can be changed and adapted to the desired end products by taking suitable measures; in particular, it is possible to reduce the standard deviation to 1.5 cm to 2.5 cm.

For this purpose, the expansion nozzle 20 can have different inlet and outlet cross sections and a length dependent thereon. Thus, the length of the expansion nozzle 20 in this embodiment is significantly greater than the corresponding inlet cross section 23, for example by a factor of 3, 4, 5 or even 6 or up to 10. The nozzle shapes have already been described above and, in addition to a continuous cross-section reduction, can also have a section-by-section reduction in the cross section of the inner region 22 with rest sections in which the cross section remains essentially the same.

Due to the increased pressure and temperature, the water present is still liquid and can interact with the remaining material during the expansion process. When the finished texture exits the expansion nozzle 20, a strong pressure and temperature drop occurs, so that any liquid water still present gasses and thus leads to a slight formation of pores. However, these pores are not sufficiently large or numerous to form the fibrous structure that is formed by the expansion deformation in the stretching nozzle 20. Instead, you get a slightly lighter and tastier product.

The result of the step of stretch-forming the extrudate, namely the creation of a fibrous structure, can be clearly seen in Figure 2 using an example of a textured product produced using this method. The longitudinal fiber structure of the textured product can be seen, which essentially has an average fiber length of more than 5 cm, and in particular more than 6 cm. The fibers are formed along the textured product, an aspect which is brought about by the stretch-forming of the extrudate at the high temperature in the stretching nozzle. The meat-like structure in the textured product obtained in this way is compressed by the rollers 3 and then converted into the end product by air drying, deep-frying, or similar.

Correspondingly fried end pieces or texture pieces coated with an emulsion are shown in Figures 3 and 4.

Figures 5A to 5C address a further aspect, namely that the entrance cross-section does not decrease uniformly (albeit in sections), but that the entrance reduces in one preferred direction, while in the other direction it actually increases in relation to the exit. Figure 5A shows an embodiment in this regard in which the entrance area A1 is essentially the same in relation to the exit area A2, but their respective shapes are changed. In particular, Figure 5A shows a square entrance area. A constant decrease in height and a simultaneous increase in width results in an elongated, narrow transverse slot in the exit area 24 which is approximately twice as wide as the entrance. Its height has, however, decreased by more than half.

The expansion nozzle therefore leads to a decreasing ratio of H/B over the length of the expansion nozzle. For example, the width can increase by a factor of 3, while the height H decreases by the same factor. However, other factors are also possible in this context, which reduce the cross-sectional area of the exit area 24 compared to the entry area 23. In the present case, In the example of Figure 5A, the height of the nozzle at the outlet decreases significantly more than the width increases. As a result, the overall area of the outlet is smaller than the cross-sectional area at the inlet. Accordingly, in this embodiment, there is not only a transverse flow velocity and thus an expansion of the mass perpendicular to the forward direction, but also a longitudinal expansion.

Figures 5B and 5C show two further designs, this time with round and oval input cross-sections respectively. While in Figure 5B this oval shape in the input area 23 is transformed into a rectangular shape with clear corners in the output 24, in Figure 5C the edges are rounded and thus retain at least roughly the same shape as in the input area 23. In the design in Figure 5B the areas of the input and output are the same, so that here only a transverse stretch occurs, but no or only a very slight longitudinal stretch. Accordingly, the mass is deformed primarily transversely to the direction of advance. In Figure 5C the areas are again different, so that here too in addition to a transverse stretch of the mass a longitudinal stretch is also generated.

In all of these arrangements, there is a decrease or change along a first direction (e.g. width of the nozzle) perpendicular to the direction of advance, which is different from a second direction perpendicular to the direction of advance (e.g. height H). Accordingly, the unequal decrease in the two different spatial directions not only causes longitudinal expansion, i.e. along the length of the expansion nozzle, but also transverse expansion, i.e. along the width B or the height H. The transverse expansions are in turn different due to the different height and width. This configuration makes it possible to cause longitudinal as well as transverse expansion in a highly viscous mass in a targeted manner, the strength of which is controlled by the geometry of the expansion nozzle.

In Figure 7 a cut and rolled piece of textured material is shown which is not fried. The textured material was produced with an expansion nozzle downstream of the mixing extruder, which mainly exerts a transverse expansion. Such expansion nozzles are shown as examples in Figures 5A to 5C. The long-fiber structure is clearly visible and the fibers run essentially over the entire length of the textured pieces, which corresponds to approximately 12 cm.

Fried and rather crispy textured products, which have a very low water content of less than 25% by weight, are shown in Figure 8. These are also produced with a transverse stretching nozzle, whereby the length of the textured product is shorter. After frying, the pieces are seasoned or coated with an emulsion. Here too, the fiber length is greater than the length of the textured product, which is essentially 3 to 4 cm.

Figure 6 shows an example of the steps in a process for producing a texturate according to the proposed principle, as can be produced using the extruder arrangement shown in Figure 1 and the downstream elements. The process takes advantage of the fact that a dough mixture with a lower water content leads to increased interaction between the individual proteins and polymers during kneading of the dough in the extruder arrangement, so that the resulting dough has a significantly increased viscosity. The viscoelasticity can be adjusted by adding sugar and salt, as well as a suitable thermomechanical treatment using the proposed extruder arrangement (e.g. the use of a two-axis screw drive). With the geometries of the stretching nozzle presented, a defined and prolonged/continuous stretch is also applied to a dough with specific viscoelastic behavior - which leads to very efficient stretching of a multi-phase extrudate. Shearing is reduced due to the geometry and the low static friction due to the coating of the nozzle (depending on the geometry), so that breakage of the dough during propulsion or wall slippage is largely avoided.

Through further processing, the finished texture is subjected to another stretching or shearing, especially now in a different direction, and then dried or otherwise extensively processed so that the total water content is less than 25% by weight. Alternatively or additionally, a surface treatment is carried out so that the end product resembles well-known jerky products made from meat and has the same or similar sensory properties.

For some protein mixtures, strong stretching can also be destructive and lead to fragmentation of the formed fibers if they are subjected to overstretching. Since the stretching stress depends mainly on the change in the velocity of the mass flow, the intensity and duration of stretching can be easily adjusted by geometry factors, making this method very flexible for different protein sources.

In step S1 of the process, a protein mixture is provided. In this example, this comprises a protein concentrate from field beans and a protein concentrate from wheat protein. The proportion of proteins in the respective concentrates is around 70% by weight, with a residual moisture content of around 10% by weight, sugar in the range of 10% by weight and other components also at 10% by weight. In this embodiment, vegetable fibers are hardly present in the concentrates. The two concentrates are mixed in approximately equal proportions and make up around 55% by weight of the basic mixture. Also added to the mixture is 10% by weight of vegetable oil, as well as salt in the range of 1% by weight and sugar in the range of 5% by weight, each based on the basic mixture. Flavors and spices are in the range of 2% by weight. The solid and oily components therefore account for 73% by weight, with the residual moisture in this mixture amounting to approximately 5.5% by weight (55% * 0.10%).

Water is added to the mixture in step S2 in the range of 27% by weight based on the base mixture and mixed to form a light dough. This results in approximately 30% by weight of water in the resulting dough.

The dough is then kneaded into a dough in step S3 under pressure and increasing the temperature. The dough is then kneaded and then pushed forward a little. In each section, the temperature is quickly increased from room temperature to over 100 ° C and then kept in a range of 130 ° C for the remaining kneading and pushing steps. The pressure here is over 10 bar. The pushing speed is set so that the mass turns into a highly viscous matrix, with the dispersive phase being as small as possible.

The mass is transferred directly into an expansion nozzle in the discharge zone of the mixing extruder. The expansion nozzle comprises a short inlet section in which the cross-section remains essentially the same, an elongated expansion section and an outlet section. In this embodiment, in step S4 the mass is subjected to longitudinal expansion at a temperature of approx. 125 °C, the stress resulting from a continuous reduction of the inlet cross-section to the outlet cross-section. The area of the inlet cross-section is 8 times larger than the outlet cross-section. The expansion takes place over a distance which is 3 to 4 times larger than the diameter of the inlet cross-section. Therefore, due to the constant mass flow, the flow velocity over this distance also changes by a factor of 8, as a result of which the extrudate is stretched primarily in length. In the middle section of the expansion nozzle the static friction is reduced by a suitable coating so that the extruded extrudate does not get stuck. no major shear forces occur that could lead to wall slippage or breakage of the extrudate.

The temperature does not change significantly during the expansion deformation, i.e. the texturate at the end of the expansion nozzle has a temperature of approximately 125 °C. At the outlet, rapid expansion occurs due to the pressure drop. This creates a porous structure of the texturate without destroying the long-fiber structure created by the expansion stress.

In step S5, the still warm and still moist textured material is rolled using a roller that generates a shear stress orthogonal to the direction of advance or transport of the textured material. The temperature is approximately 45 ° C to 60 ° C. The rolled textured material is then cut into smaller pieces, resulting in textured material pieces 5 cm to 10 cm long, with a fibrous structure extending over the entire length of the piece.

The pieces produced in this way are placed in a herb-salt-spice mixture to be covered with a thin layer of emulsion that resembles smoked and dried meat. This mixture can contain corresponding aromas. It also increases the shelf life and taste. The remaining moisture can be used to make this mixture stick. Alternatively, it is also possible to spray the textured pieces beforehand, for example with an oil-water mixture, a sugar or starch-containing liquid, a marinade or similar, in order to improve adhesion.

The finished pieces are then dried until the total water content in the final product has fallen below 20 % by weight .

In another process example, a legume protein isolate is used, with a proportion of around 20% of the basic mixture (without water), whereby the protein proportion in the isolate is around 90% by weight. The remaining components are a residual moisture of 5% by weight and sugar and fats, each at 2% by weight. This is mixed with a protein concentrate made from wheat protein. The pure protein proportion in the concentrate is in the region of 60% by weight. The remaining 40% by weight in the concentrate is divided into a residual moisture of 15% by weight, vegetable oils and fats at around 10% by weight and starch in the region of 10% by weight. The remaining 5% by weight are fibres and other residual vegetable components, such as salts and minerals.

The mixing ratio of the two proteins is 20% by weight of the isolate and 55% by weight of the concentrate. Then about 20% by weight of water and 5% by weight of spices, salts, some sugar and fats are added. This results in a dough with a total water content of about 29% by weight and starch and sugar 5.7 to 6.2% by weight. The further steps, in particular kneading into a dough and extruding through a nozzle, are carried out at different pressures and temperatures in order to obtain a longitudinal, fibrous structure. After leaving the nozzle, this is first cooled and then cut into smaller pieces. The pieces fall through a funnel onto rollers rotating in opposite directions, so that they are now subjected to different shear and tensile stresses during the rolling process. The pieces are then air-dried and coated with a smoke flavor emulsion.

In a further alternative example not shown in the figures, a protein mixture is produced from a broad bean concentrate and a wheat protein isolate by mixing them in proportions of 70% to 30% by weight. In addition to a protein content of 45% by weight, the broad bean concentrate also contains starch and sugar at 25% by weight, residual moisture of 10% by weight and fibers, oils and other components at 20% by weight. The wheat protein isolate has a protein content of 85%, 3% by weight is residual moisture, 2% by weight is starch and the rest is minerals, fibers, oils and fats.

The mixture given above results in protein contents of around 57% by weight, sugar and starch in the range of 18% by weight, a residual moisture content of 8% by weight, and 17% by weight of other components. This mass can then be mixed with water, for example, to produce the basic mixture, with 20% by weight of water being added to 80% by weight of this mixture. This results in a total content of, for example, 47.5% by weight of proteins and 26.4% by weight of water. The remainder is made up of 14% by weight of starch and sugar as well as the other components. This basic mixture can be further processed using the proposed method.

In another embodiment, a wheat protein isolate with a protein content of 85% by weight based on the isolate is used as the base mixture. This is added to the base mixture at 50% by weight. The other ingredients are oils, fats and flavourings as well as spices at approx. 12.5% by weight based on the base mixture, a dark flour made from cereals at approx. 20% and water at approx. 27.5% by weight. In some aspects of the proposed process it was found that it is also possible to texturize field bean protein with the desired fiber length, which was rather difficult or even impossible with the conventional techniques used to date, especially for field beans.

In one embodiment, the protein content of field beans is present in the basic mixture with a proportion of between 30% and 80% by weight based on the basic mixture. In addition, a second vegetable protein mixture with a proportion of between 20% and 70% by weight based on the basic mixture is added. The second vegetable protein mixture is different to the field bean protein mixture and can be a wheat protein mixture, for example.

In this context, it is also important whether the field bean protein mixture is a field bean concentrate or a field bean isolate. In the present embodiment, the two protein mixtures are each a concentrate, i.e. their proportion of protein within the concentrate is 80% by weight or less based on the respective protein mixture. The remaining components are starch, fiber, oils or fats. Fiber components in particular can play a role in later processing and particularly during the stretching step and support the creation of the fibrous structure. In addition, other minor components such as salts, flavors or other substances are also added to the basic mixture.

The base mixture is mixed with water to form a dough, whereby the amount of water added is selected such that the given free mixture is further processed into a dough and a dry extrudate. Accordingly, the total proportion of water in the dough is in the range between 20% and 50% by weight and in particular between 20% and 45% by weight. The residual moisture of the protein mixtures in the base mixture is also taken into account, so that the actual amount of water added is usually somewhat below the stated amount. The added water is bound in the dough and the subsequent extrudate during further processing. Part of the water is removed again during the subsequent drying process, resulting in a total water content of less than 20% by weight and in particular less than 15% by weight in the dried textured product. This very low water content extends the shelf life of the finished product.

LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS Extruder arrangement Roller, mill, press machine Cutter, shredder Duster, coater Dryer, fryer Worm gear a, 11b Extruder section c, l ld Extruder section a, 12b Screw section c Screw section Inlet mixer Water inlet Discharge zone Expansion nozzle Nozzle body Expansion section Nozzle inlet Nozzle outlet

Claims

PATENT CLAIMS 1. Protein-containing texturate, comprising: a base mixture with o at least one non-legume protein mixture, in particular wheat protein, with a proportion of between 8% by weight and 72% by weight based on the base mixture; o at least one legume protein mixture, in particular a pea protein mixture or a field bean protein mixture with a proportion of between 0% by weight and 64% by weight based on the base mixture; o at least one further component comprising at least one of starch, sugar-containing substances, salt, flavourings, spices, colourings with a proportion of between 0.5% by weight and 30% by weight based on the base mixture; a water content of less than 30% by weight, in particular less than 15% by weight based on the texturate; wherein the texturate is coated with a powder, an oil or an emulsion-based layer. 2. Protein-containing texturate according to claim 1, wherein the non-legume protein mixture comprises at least one of the following: pumpkin protein; rice protein; corn protein; Mushroom protein Soy protein; rapeseed protein; sunflower protein; potato protein; fungal mycelium; and Mushroom fruit bodies. 3. Protein-containing texturate according to one of the preceding claims, in which the base mixture contains sugar in a proportion of between 2.5% and 30% by weight, in particular between 10% and 15% by weight. 4. Protein-containing texturate according to one of the preceding claims, - wherein the texturate comprises fibers with a fiber length of more than 8 cm and in particular more than 10 cm; or wherein fibers of the texturate have a length that essentially corresponds to a length of a piece of texturate; or wherein the fibers are aligned in their main direction along a longitudinal direction of the texturate; or wherein the fibers are aligned essentially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the texturate. 5. Proteinaceous texturate according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the texturate is pressed or pounded or hammered or rolled or rolled; or wherein the texturate is deep-fried or fried or boiled. 6. Protein-containing texturate according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the powder, oil or emulsion-based layer comprises at least one of the following: Sugar, salt, natural flavourings, spices including cayenne pepper, coriander seed powder, cumin powder, ginger powder, paprika powder, turmeric powder, cardamom powder, yeast extract, onion powder, tomato powder, honey powder, mustard, smoke flavouring, acid (citric acid), garlic powder, paprika extract, chili powder, acidity regulator (sodium acetate), parsley and oregano. 7. A method for producing a textured product, comprising the steps of: Providing a base mixture with o a vegetable non-legume protein mixture, in particular a wheat protein mixture with a proportion of between 8% by weight and 72% by weight based on the base mixture; o at least one legume protein mixture, in particular a pea protein mixture or a field bean protein mixture with a proportion of between 5% by weight and 64% by weight based on the base mixture; o at least one further component comprising at least one of starch, sugar-containing substances, salt, flavourings, seasoning, colourings in a proportion between 0.5% and 35% by weight based on the basic mixture; Adding water to produce a dough with a total water content in the range of 15% to 50% by weight, in particular in the range of 20% to 40% by weight, in particular less than 40% by weight, based on the base mixture; Extruding the dough with a maximum temperature in the range between 110 ° C to 160 ° C; Longitudinal and/or transverse expansion deformation of the extrudate at a temperature of greater than 100 ° C by propelling the extrudate through an expansion nozzle Drying the extrudate to a total water content of less than 20% by weight. 8. Method according to claim 7, in which a shape and/or area of an inlet of the expansion nozzle differs from the shape and/or area of an outlet of the expansion nozzle; and/or in which an inlet cross section is larger than an outlet cross section; and/or in which a width of an inlet of the nozzle increases towards the outlet of the nozzle and at the same time a height of an inlet of the nozzle decreases towards the outlet of the nozzle, wherein optionally the reduction in height is greater than the increase in width. 9 . A method according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the step of extruding comprises a step - kneading the dough at an increasing temperature up to the maximum material temperature; and/or - comprising adding gas during kneading of the supplied protein mixture and water; and/or wherein the step of providing the base mixture comprises adding a gas generating agent to the base mixture, in particular in solid form, and in particular comprising sodium hydrogen carbonate. 10. Method according to claim 7 to 9, further comprising: Coating the texturate with a layer selected from one of: o a powder; o an oil; o an emulsion-based layer; wherein the coating of the texturate occurs before the drying step. 11. Method according to one of claims 8 to 10, in which a transverse stretching of the extrudate is produced by widening the nozzle in the direction of the outlet, wherein optionally a maximum width of the nozzle corresponds to 0.25 times to 4 times its length; or in which a longitudinal stretching of the extrudate is produced by reducing the cross section of the nozzle in the direction of the outlet, wherein optionally a length of the nozzle corresponds to 1 time to 12 times a cross section of an inlet of the nozzle. 12. Method according to one of claims 8 to 11, further comprising Cooling the extrudate to a temperature below 100 ° C to form the texturate after the stretch forming step ; optionally cooling is carried out with free volume change . 13. A method according to any one of claims 8 to 12, further comprising after the step of stretch forming: Compressing the deformed textured material, in particular by rolling, tapping, hammering or rolling, whereby shear forces are exerted on the textured material; Optional cutting of the texture to produce jerky-like pieces. 14. Method according to one of claims 8 to 13, in which the step of stretch deformation takes place along a direction of advance of the extrudate, and a subsequent further deformation is brought about by shear forces which run along a direction different from the stretch deformation. 15. A method according to any one of claims 8 to 14, wherein the drying step comprises: frying; or air drying.