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Extrusion

Innovative processes for the food of the future

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From pasta production up to and including the production of meat alternatives: the extrusion of starch- and protein-based foods and feeds has the potential to contribute to a sustainable supply. This procedure has been consistently evolved in recent years and is now regarded as one of the most innovative technologies that guarantees a virtually boundless number of products with new textures, flavours and forms thanks to the targeted control of the process parameters in combination with the choice of the raw material.

Single- and twin-screw extruders

Examples of this include the latest innovations in the design of highly-efficient single- and twin-screw extruders that have crucial impacts on the optical and sensory properties of the products. The systems offer maximum flexibility to enable companies to react to changing market demand at short notice. The classic, often starch-based, extrudates, such as breakfast cereals or pasta products have now been joined by new, plant-based products, including textured vegetable protein (TVP) and high moisture meat analogues (HMMA). The latter are produced under adapted process conditions and by means of special cooling nozzles. Besides the different designs and process parameters, one of the focuses of researchers and design engineers is on the choice of raw material and post-processing. In the DLG-Expert report ‘ Extrusion – Traditional structuring and texturizing processes for the food production of the future ’, Dr Christoph Verheyen, Johanna Jorkowski and Dr Anna Martin of the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV present the different processes with a look ahead to methods for producing plant-based product matrices with new textures.

Schematic diagram of an extruder. The setup shown here is suitable for wet extrusion to produce extrudates with a compact, gel-like and/or fibrous network. The extrudates have a muscle-like, long-fibered, bite-resistant texture such as steak.

DLG-Expert report ‘Extrusion – Traditional structuring and texturizing processes for the food production of the future’