WO1996036242A1 - Ameliorations relatives a des produits textures a base de proteines du gluten de ble - Google Patents

Ameliorations relatives a des produits textures a base de proteines du gluten de ble Download PDF

Info

Publication number
WO1996036242A1
WO1996036242A1 PCT/GB1996/001179 GB9601179W WO9636242A1 WO 1996036242 A1 WO1996036242 A1 WO 1996036242A1 GB 9601179 W GB9601179 W GB 9601179W WO 9636242 A1 WO9636242 A1 WO 9636242A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
dough
water
conveyor
elements
weight
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/GB1996/001179
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Oliver John Barnes
Ashley Peter Stone
Original Assignee
United Biscuits (Uk) Limited
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from GBGB9510178.8A external-priority patent/GB9510178D0/en
Application filed by United Biscuits (Uk) Limited filed Critical United Biscuits (Uk) Limited
Priority to AU57703/96A priority Critical patent/AU5770396A/en
Priority to EP96914294A priority patent/EP0831716A1/fr
Priority to GB9723401A priority patent/GB2314753B/en
Publication of WO1996036242A1 publication Critical patent/WO1996036242A1/fr

Links

Classifications

    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
    • A23J—PROTEIN COMPOSITIONS FOR FOODSTUFFS; WORKING-UP PROTEINS FOR FOODSTUFFS; PHOSPHATIDE COMPOSITIONS FOR FOODSTUFFS
    • A23J3/00—Working-up of proteins for foodstuffs
    • A23J3/22—Working-up of proteins for foodstuffs by texturising
    • A23J3/26—Working-up of proteins for foodstuffs by texturising using extrusion or expansion
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
    • A23J—PROTEIN COMPOSITIONS FOR FOODSTUFFS; WORKING-UP PROTEINS FOR FOODSTUFFS; PHOSPHATIDE COMPOSITIONS FOR FOODSTUFFS
    • A23J3/00—Working-up of proteins for foodstuffs
    • A23J3/14—Vegetable proteins
    • A23J3/18—Vegetable proteins from wheat
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
    • A23J—PROTEIN COMPOSITIONS FOR FOODSTUFFS; WORKING-UP PROTEINS FOR FOODSTUFFS; PHOSPHATIDE COMPOSITIONS FOR FOODSTUFFS
    • A23J3/00—Working-up of proteins for foodstuffs
    • A23J3/22—Working-up of proteins for foodstuffs by texturising
    • A23J3/225—Texturised simulated foods with high protein content
    • A23J3/227—Meat-like textured foods

Definitions

  • the invention relates to edible proteinaceous products. More especially, the invention relates to proteinaceous products suitable for consumption by vegetarians.
  • protein products having a fibrous structure may be made by a process in which a mixture of protein and water is prepared, the mixture is heated and is allowed to expand during the heating, and then the expanded mixture is subjected to a form of treatment that is described as exerting pressure on it in two dimensions while permitting the mixture to move in the third dimension. That treatment causes orientation of the protein molecules and of the macroscopic fibrous struc ⁇ tures that form as a result of the orientation of the protein molecules.
  • the only form of the process that is described is a batch process, in which the dough is introduced into the main, generally spherical, portion of a flask, from which an aperture leads to a long, narrow neck portion.
  • a quantity of dough is introduced into the flask, the quantity being such that the dough can expand by at least 35% before any of the dough is forced into the neck portion of the flask.
  • the flask is then heated, causing the dough to expand and dough to be forced out of the flask through the neck portion. It is the forcing of the dough through the neck portion that effects the orientation.
  • Example 7 the desired " icrofibrils" were not observed in the product, presumably because in none of those Examples were the prescribed heating and expansion step, and the prescribed orienting step, both carried out.
  • Example 7 a homogeneous dough was fed to a Brabender food extruder of which the barrel was heated to a temperature of 160°C and of which the die plate was heated to a temperature of 166"C.
  • the product lacked apparent macroscopic fibres.
  • European patent specification No. 0 262 276A teaches that a fibrous vegetable protein with suitable properties for use as a meat substitute can be made, but that the heating, and consequent expansion, of the dough must take place in a region in which the dough is free to expand (by at least 35% by volume) in all directions.
  • the present invention provides a method of making a textured food product, comprising: introducing vital wheat gluten into a twin-screw conveyor; introducing water into the conveyor, the gluten and the water being introduced at or in the vicinity of the upstream end of the conveyor; mixing the gluten and the water to form a dough whilst at the same time conveying the material towards and through an extrusion outlet; and ensuring that the material reaches a temperature at which it melts and, subsequently, cooling the material before it exits from the extrusion outlet. It has been found that, surprisingly, the method of the invention can be used to obtain reliable texturisation of doughs comprising vital wheat gluten.
  • textured is used herein to refer to structures having an oriented fibrous structure, and the term “texturisation” is to be understood accordingly.
  • each screw assembly will normally comprise a plurality of elements arranged along the length of a shaft and, advantageously, adjacent to the upstream end of each screw assembly, there is provided an element or elements arranged to effect relatively rapid movement of the gluten away from the position at which it is introduced into the conveyor. That arrangement reduces the risk of bridging of the solid material/gluten immediately before it enters the conveyor.
  • elements of each screw assembly make up groups of elements, each of which groups is made up of a first element or elements arranged to impart a high degree of mixing to the dough together with some force tending to cause the dough to continue to move in a downstream direction followed, in a downstream direction, by a second element or elements arranged to impart a high degree of mixing to the dough without exerting any significant force on the dough in an axial direction. That arrangement gives good mixing combined with a force tending to cause the dough to continue moving in a downstream direction.
  • the elements of each screw assembly are so arranged that at least some of the said groups also include a third element or elements, situated downstream of the second element or elements and arranged to impart a high degree of mixing to the dough together with some force tending to cause the dough to move in an upstream direction.
  • the third elements increase the rate of input of mechanical work into the dough and tend to promote stability by increasing the back pressure.
  • the elements of each screw assembly include fourth elements arranged to impart a force to the dough tending to cause it to move in the downstream direction, without imparting to the dough a significant degree of mixing, the fourth elements being so located that they separate adjacent ones of the said groups of elements.
  • the fourth elements serve to increase significantly the force tending to cause the dough to move in a downstream direction and serve to maintain the movement of the dough in that direction.
  • the elements of each screw assembly include a fifth element or elements arranged to impart a force to the dough tending to cause it to move in the downstream direction without imparting to the dough a significant degree of mixing, the fifth element or elements of each screw assembly being situated adjacent to the downstream end of the screw assembly.
  • the fifth element or elements materially assist the overcoming of the retarding effect of stationary parts of the apparatus that are encountered by the dough after it has left the conveyor.
  • shear and agitation are imparted to the material in many directions by the rotating screw assemblies.
  • This multi-directional shear is important at this stage of the process since it promotes efficient and even heating of the material.
  • protein molecules denature and become dissociated.
  • the conveying of the material towards and through the extrusion outlet is effected by the pressure developed in the conveyor and without imparting further mixing to the material. Any such further mixing would inhibit the establishment of laminar flow and, to the extent that laminar flow was established, would disturb it.
  • the aligned molecules associate to form elongate aggregates which become stabilised on cooling, the aggregates being observable in the product (with the assistance of an optical microscope) as a multiplicity of fibres, extending in a substantially common direction.
  • Unidirectional shear will start to predominate as soon as the material leaves the rotating section of the twin- screw conveyor. It is believed that, although fibre formation may start to develop in those regions, it at least predominantly occurs within the cooling die.
  • melts is used herein in relation to the material heated in the conveyor to refer to conversion of the material to a hot, flowable mass. It is not to be taken to imply that all solid matter present in the material is converted to liquid form; solid components of relatively high melting point which, under the process conditions, are not converted into liquid form, may be present in the hot flowable mass provided that the amounts of any such components are small enough for their presence not to prevent the desired texturisation from taking place.
  • the conditions must be such that at least a major proportion of, and preferably substantially all, the gluten protein in the mixture melts.
  • the melting temperature will depend on the pressure generated in the extruder and on the water content of the dough, as well as on the composition of the ingredients other than water. Under the pressures that obtain in the extruder used in the process of the invention, it will usually be found advantageous to ensure that the mixtures used in accordance with the invention reach a temperature of at least 130°C, and preferably at least 135 ⁇ C.
  • the pressure to which the material is subjected during its passage through the conveyor may reach at least 250 psi (17.5 x 10 5 Pa), and the maximum pressure reached is advantageously within the range of from 400 to 1,000 psi (27 x 10 5 to 69 x 10 5 Pa).
  • the heating of materials during extrusion has been used previously to form vegetarian meat analogues from, for example, soy protein.
  • Doughs comprising vital wheat gluten have high viscoelasticity compared with doughs based on other proteins of vegetable or cereal origin, and as a result it has not been possible to obtain reliably a product with the desired textured structure by the heating of such doughs during extrusion.
  • the method of the present invention offers the possibility of obtaining reliably the desired textured product from doughs comprising vital wheat gluten.
  • vital wheat gluten is normally obtained by washing wheat flour with water to separate starch from the proteins.
  • the vital wheat gluten so obtained typically contains some residual starch (for example, about 15 to 25% by weight based on the total weight of the vital wheat gluten) and minor amounts of other insoluble materials in addition to the proteinaceous material.
  • the expression "vital wheat gluten” used herein includes vital wheat glutens containing such residual starch and other materials.
  • the material is cooled before it passes out of the extrusion outlet in order to prevent rapid expansion of the heated material.
  • a rapid expansion which typically occurs on extrusion of a heated, moist food material as a result of the sudden vaporisation of the water contained in the material that occurs as the material leaves the high-pressure environment of the extrusion apparatus
  • Cooling is advantageously effected by causing the material from the conveyor to flow through a cooling die of substantially uniform cross-section, which may be circular, and of which the wall is cooled. In that manner, lateral expansion of the material during cooling is constrained.
  • cooling of the material in addition to preventing the disruption of already-formed fibrous structure, cooling of the material in that way promotes the formation of oriented fibres.
  • the cooling die is believed also to assist in maintaining the alignment until the material has cooled sufficiently for its structure to have stabilised.
  • the material is advantageously cooled to a temperature not greater than 110°C and, preferably, not greater than 100°C. It will be appreciated that the temperature may not be uniform throughout the cross- section of the product when the product leaves the extrusion outlet.
  • the temperatures of 110"C and 100°C refer to the outer regions of the product. The fact that inner regions are at higher temperatures will generally be found not to give rise to significant disruption of the fibrous structure.
  • the downstream end of the cooling die may itself constitute the extrusion outlet.
  • the heated material is advantageously passed through a breaker plate having a plurality of apertures, each aperture having a diameter smaller than the diameter of the extrusion outlet. It is believed that the breaker plate may perform at least two functions.
  • the shear to which the mixture is subjected within the apertures of the breaker plate will be largely unidirectional and it is thought that its magnitude may be great enough for it to make a contribution to the required orientation of the protein molecules.
  • a probably more important function of the breaker plate is to promote stable extrusion.
  • the small apertures in the breaker plate which give rise to a considerable pressure drop across it, reduce the significance of any pressure variation in a lateral direction immediately upstream and/or downstream of the breaker plate. That decreases the magnitude of any fluctuations there may be in the rate of extrusion, which in turn reduces the risk of blockage, and reduces variations in residence time and variations in degree of cooling.
  • stable extrusion is very important and, because of the high elasticity of the dough, especially difficult to obtain.
  • the breaker plate may also promote stable extrusion by increasing the back pressure on the mixture in the conveyor.
  • the amount of added water may be from 35 to 70% by weight, based on the total weight of water and other ingredients, and advantageously does not exceed 55% by weight. If the viscosity of the dough is reduced, for example, by increasing the amount of added water or reducing the amount of solid ingredients, the viscous dissipation of mechanical energy involved in mixing and conveying the dough and hence the rate at which heat is supplied to the dough by mechanical action, is reduced. It will generally then be found necessary to increase the rate at which heat is supplied other than mechanically, preferably, by heating the walls of the conveyor (for example, electrically) .
  • a possible additional consequence of increasing the moisture content of the dough is an impairment of the stability of the process. Those consequences of increasing the moisture tend to become more significant when the moisture content exceeds 55% by weight.
  • the moisture content be from 40 to 50% by weight, based on the total weight of water and other ingredients, doughs with those moisture contents giving products with an excellent fibrous structure.
  • the amount of added water may be from 50 to 335 parts, and is advantageously from 60 to 200 parts, by weight water per 100 parts by weight gluten.
  • the amount of added water is from 65 to 150 parts, and more preferably from 80 to 115 parts by weight water per 100 parts by weight gluten.
  • at least one further edible ingredient is introduced into the conveyor, the at least one further edible ingredient constituting not more than 30%, and preferably not more than 20%, of the total weight of the ingredients, excluding added water.
  • the gluten and any other solid ingredients used may include some moisture.
  • the at least one further ingredient may be, or may include, one or more dry ingredients, for example, an ingredient selected from cereal flours, soya protein and flavouring.
  • the at least one further ingredient comprises wheat flour.
  • further dry ingredients are present as well as gluten, they may expediently be mixed with the gluten and introduced into the conveyor in admixture with.the gluten.
  • cutting means for example, a blade
  • the extrudate may be mounted at or close to the extrusion outlet for cutting the extrudate into pieces, preferably, into lengths. If, when it leaves the extrusion outlet, the extrudate is allowed to drop sufficiently far before it meets a supporting surface (for example, the upper run of an endless belt conveyor arranged to convey it away from the extruder) the extrudate will break up under its own weight.
  • the extrudate will be found to break up under the influence of the material's own weight into pieces of a suitable size for vise in pies, stews or the like, so that the provision of cutting means is then unnecessary.
  • the extrudate can be used, after hydration if that be found necessary or desirable, as a meat substitute, for example, as a chicken meat substitute, in vegetarian ready meals, for example, in pies or casseroles.
  • the extrudate is to be hydrated, that is effected by immersing it in boiling water for a period of from 30 minutes to two hours.
  • the pieces obtained can be reduced in size, for example, by shredding, for use as a substitute for minced meat.
  • the extrudate may instead be used as an extender in meat dishes.
  • meat-derived material for example, meat-derived flavouring
  • the extrudate may be introduced into the conveyor and mixed with the other ingredients, the presence of that material enhancing the meat-like properties of the extrudate.
  • the products substantially retain their textured structure when incorporated in such dishes.
  • the product of the invention has a relatively high moisture content.
  • the known textured vegetable protein products it may be unnecessary to hydrate the product obtained in accordance with the invention before it is consumed, at least when further processing (for example, incorporating the product into a pie) is involved, providing the pos ⁇ sibility of using the product as a chilled meat substitute without the further processing that would otherwise be necessary.
  • Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic, vertical longitudinal section taken through the apparatus on the line I-I of
  • FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic, horizontal axial cross- section taken through the apparatus, on the line II-II of Fig. 1 with the shafts omitted in the interests of clarity
  • Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic transverse cross-section taken through the apparatus on the line III-III of Fig. 1;
  • Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic plan view, on a larger scale than Fig. 1, of a plate forming a part of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1;
  • Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic plan view, on a larger scale than Fig. 1, of a paddle which forms a part of the apparatus;
  • Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic axial cross-section, on a larger scale than Fig. 1, taken through a jacketed tube which forms a part of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1.
  • the apparatus is made up of a twin-screw conveyor, which is indicated generally by the reference numeral 1, a cooling die, which is indicated generally by the reference numeral 2, and a thick plate 3 having within it a tapered aperture 3a, the thick plate being interposed between the conveyor and the cooling die.
  • the hollow interior 4 of the screw conveyor 1, which has a figure-of-eight cross-section (see Fig. 3) can be regarded as being made up of a feed section 4a, a mixing section 4b, a heating section 4c and a metering section 4d.
  • Fig. 1 being diagrammatic and not to scale, the relative lengths of the sections 4a to 4d may differ from those shown.
  • the conveyor 1 has two co-rotating screw assemblies, the axes of which are parallel to one another and lie in the same horizontal plane.
  • the screw assemblies comprise shafts 5a and 5b, respectively, on which are mounted screw sections 6a and 6b, respectively (see Fig. 3) and paddle sections discussed below.
  • the screw sections 6a and 6b mesh with each other.
  • the shafts 5a and 5b are mounted coaxially within the part circular lobes (as seen in transverse cross-section of the hollow interior 4 of the conveyor 1) .
  • the journalling of the shafts 5a and 5b, and the means for driving them, are omitted in the interests of clarity.
  • a first port 8 for the introduction of dry material into the feed section 4a there is provided a second inlet port 9, which is of smaller diameter than the first inlet port 8, is provided downstream of the first inlet port for the introduction of water into the mixing section 4b.
  • a dry ingredient feeder for example, a volumetric screw conveyor (not shown) may be used to introduce dry ingredients through the first inlet port 8.
  • a piston pump also not shown may be provided to introduce water through the second inlet port 9.
  • each shaft 5a and 5b is provided with a spacer having a length of O followed (in the direction of flow of the material) by two screw sections, of which the first is a feeder screw and the second is a single lead screw.
  • the feeder screw has a length of 3D and a relatively large pitch, so that it serves to convey the mixture of dry ingredients relatively rapidly away from the inlet 8.
  • the single lead screw has a length of ID, and is of considerably smaller pitch than the feeder screw.
  • each shaft 5a, 5b is provided with a paddle section made up of six 45° forwarding paddles 10 (see Fig. 5) , each of which has a length of ⁇ , and a single lead screw of length ID.
  • the expression "paddle” is used in the art to refer to a member of which the central plane extends at right angles to the shaft and which is not circular. Thus, a paddle might, for example, be elliptical when viewed along the axis of the shaft on which it is mounted. In the apparatus shown in Fig. 1, however, the paddles 10 each have the external shape shown in Fig. 5. An individual paddle 10 is not of itself “forwarding".
  • the paddle sections made up of the six 45° forwarding paddles 10 can together be regarded as approximating to an interrupted screw having thick flights but, unlike a screw, the paddles do not have surfaces that are inclined at an acute angle to the axis of the shaft on which they are mounted; they have surfaces that are perpendicular to that axis and a cylindrical (but not a circular cylindrical) surface. Because of the thickness of the paddles 10 and the interruption of the notional screw, the paddles each exert a substantial circumferential force on the material, which provides a higher degree of mixing and of shear and hence a higher input of mechanical work than would be provided by a corresponding continuous screw element.
  • each of the two shafts 5a and 5b is provided with paddles 10 and lead screws as set out in Table 1.
  • the elements are listed in the order in which they are arranged in the direction in which the material is conveyed in use.
  • the letters FP stand for "forwarding paddles", the meaning of which is explained above.
  • the letters RP stand for "reversing paddles”.
  • Individual reversing paddles 10 are indistinguishable from forwarding paddles, but they differ collectively in that the 45° change in azimuthal angle from one paddle to the next within a section of reversing paddles is in a sense opposite to that in the case of the paddles in a section of forwarding paddles.
  • the reversing paddles 10 can be regarded as approximating to an interrupted screw that would, in operation, tend to force the material being conveyed back in an upstream direction.
  • the actual reversing paddles 10 serve to inhibit the forward movement of the dough.
  • the letter P stands for "paddle", and denotes one of a section of adjacent paddles 10 in which the change in azimuthal angle from one paddle to the next is 90°.
  • the 90° paddles 10 neither facilitate forward movement of the dough nor significantly impair such forward movement of the dough (save by reason of the reduction in cross-sectional area of the flow passage that results from their presence) .
  • the paddles P do not tend to exert any force on the dough in an axial direction.
  • Each paddle, of whichever type, has a length of ⁇ D.
  • the reversing paddles 10 act both to increase the pressure within the interior 4 of the conveyor 1 in the region upstream of them and to effect a relatively large input of mechanical work, and hence of heat, into the dough. In addition, they serve to impart shear and hence to effect mixing and to impart shear as do the forwarding paddles.
  • the 90° paddles 10 also induce considerable shear in the material and hence effect mixing. Thus, they increase the amount of mechanical work needed to convey unit mass of material, and consequently increase the heat input that derives from the mechanical work done by the conveyor on the material, although to a lesser extent than do the reversing paddles 10.
  • each of the two shafts 5a and 5b is provided with a single lead screw of length 2 ⁇ D.
  • Individual electrical heating means are provided in the wall 7 of the conveyor 1, one such heating means being situated within each of the zones SI to S9 (see Fig. 1) . Each heating means can be controlled separately from the other heating means, and the heating means can be individually switched off.
  • each cooling means (not shown) comprises a passage within the wall 7 and means for causing a cooling liquid (which is conveniently water) to flow through the passage.
  • Each cooling means can be brought into, and taken out of, operation separately from the other cooling means.
  • the degree of cooling effected by any cooling means that is in operation can be controlled separately from the other such cooling means, the control of the cooling means being effected by controlling the temperature of the cooling liquid entering the cooling means or, more usually, by controlling the rate of flow of the cooling liquid through the cooling means.
  • a temperature controller which can be set manually to a desired temperature.
  • Each temperature controller serves to control both the electrical heating means and the cooling means in the zone.
  • the electrical heating means and the cooling means are so operated as to maintain the temperatures of sensors embedded in the wall 7 in the zone at a temperature that is approximately equal to the temperature to which the temperature controller is set.
  • the mechanical work done on the material being conveyed arises because the material is viscous and is subjected to shear.
  • the conveyor 1 subjects the material to a high rate of shear, and an input of mechanical work also arises from the shear to which the material is subjected after it has ceased to be acted on directly by the conveyor.
  • the back pressure is increased by the reversing paddles 10. Because the viscosity of the material changes along the length of the conveyor 1, different screw and paddle elements impart different degrees of shear to the material and the back pressure of the material varies along the length of the conveyor 1, the rate of input of mechanical work (and hence the rate of generation of heat in the material) , per unit length of the conveyor, varies along the length of the conveyor.
  • the overall rate at which heat is generated in the material by the mechanical work done on it is considerably less than that required to bring the material to the required temperature, so that additional heat has to be supplied at a significant rate. Further, even if the overall rate of heat generation in the material by the mechanical work done on it were to be sufficient, it would not in general be possible so to arrange the various screw and paddle elements 6a, 6b and 10, respectively, as to achieve the desired axial temperature profile. In order to bring the material up to the required temperature, the provision of heating means, for example, the electrical heating means described above, will be found to be necessary.
  • thermocouples In order to enable the temperature of the material in a downstream part of the interior 4 of the conveyor 1 to be monitored, three thermocouples are provided.
  • the hot junctions of the three thermocouples are located in recesses in the wall 7 at positions along the length of the conveyor 1 indicated by the references Tl, T2 and T3, respectively.
  • the recesses are located at positions in the wall 7 that are adjacent to the screws 6a and 6b where they are enmeshed.
  • thermocouple In use, it is commonly found that some of the material becomes entrapped by the recesses, and other portions of the material may become attached to the entrapped material in the immediate vicinity of the recesses. In those circumstances, if in the zone in which the respective thermocouple is located the temperature of the wall 7 is higher than that of the main body of the material, the material with which the hot thermocouple junctions are in contact may be at a higher temperature than the main body of the material, for example, at a temperature about 5°C higher, than that of the main body of the material. Temperatures specified herein in relation to the conveyed material are as measured by the thermocouples at Tl, T2 and T3, respectively.
  • a plate 11 which extends transversely across the width of, and fills the whole cross-sectional area of the hollow interior of the conveyor to the wall 7 of which it is securely fixed, and which is formed with a plurality of circular apertures.
  • a plate is known in the art as a "breaker plate” and is referred to as such throughout the specification.
  • the form of the breaker plate 11 is shown in Figure 4, in which some of the apertures are denoted by the reference numeral 12. It will be seen that the breaker plate 11 is rectangular, and that the apertures 12 are symmetrically disposed with respect to a central, vertical axis through the plate. Further, the apertures 12, which are forty-three in number, are arranged in vertical and horizontal rows. The diameter of each of the apertures 12 is the same. The separations between adjacent rows of apertures 12 are the same, for both vertical and horizontal rows, the spacing being taken as the separation between lines through the centres of the apertures in each of the rows concerned. The function of a breaker plate, such as the breaker plate 11, is explained above.
  • the thick plate 3 Affixed to the downstream end of the wall 7 of the conveyor 1 is the thick plate 3 formed with the central aperture 3a. At the upstream face of the thick plate 3, the aperture is in register with the downstream end of the hollow interior of the conveyor 1.
  • a pressure transducer Located within the aperture 3a is a pressure transducer, which serves to provide a measure of the pressure within the material when it is about to enter the cooling die 2.
  • the cooling die 2 is made up of a plurality of jacketed tubes joined end-to-end.
  • each jacketed tube 13 comprises an inner tube 14, which is of circular cross-section and which is surrounded by a cooling jacket 15 which is of annular cross-section and through which a cooling fluid, for example, water (or a mixture of water and glycol) that has been chilled, may be circulated as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 6.
  • a cooling fluid for example, water (or a mixture of water and glycol) that has been chilled
  • Each individual jacketed tube 13 is joined to the or each adjacent jacketed tube, for example, by screw- threaded and flanged connector means (not shown) .
  • the parts of the shaft 5a and 5b on which the screw sections 6a and 6b, the paddle sections and any spacer or spacers are mounted may have a length of 1,265 mm. Then, if the shafts 5a and 5b each have a diameter of 50mm, the length-to- diameter ratios of those parts of the shafts will be 25:1.
  • a Baker-Perkins MPF50 co-rotating twin-screw extruder provides such a conveyor having the dimensions stated above to be suitable.
  • the screw and paddle elements can be selected from a range of such elements and can be mounted on the shafts of the extruder in the desired order, including in the order set out in detail above.
  • the breaker plate 11 may have a thickness of 10mm, the diameter of the apertures 12 in the breaker plate may be 3.1mm, and the spacing between the rows of apertures may be 10mm.
  • Each of the inner tubes 14 of the jacketed tubes 13 that make up the cooling die 2 may have an internal diameter of 10mm. The number and length of the inner tubes 14 may be such that together they define a continuous passage with a total length of 900mm.
  • the shafts 5a and 5b are driven at a constant rate and in the same sense (so that they are co- rotating) , and the dry ingredients are first thoroughly mixed and then continuously introduced into the hollow interior 4 of the conveyor 1 through the first inlet port 8 at a constant rate.
  • water is introduced through the second inlet port 9 at a constant rate that bears a predetermined relation to the rate of introduction of the dry ingredient or mixture of dry ingredients, which in turn bears a predetermined relation to the rate at which the shafts 5a and 5b are driven.
  • the dry ingredient or mixture of dry ingredients is transported relatively rapidly away from the first inlet port 8 by the two feeder screws, mounted on, and close to the upstream ends of the two shafts, 5a and 5b, thus preventing the first inlet port 8 from becoming blocked.
  • the initial mixture of dry ingredient(s) and the water are conveyed along the conveyor 1 by the action of the various screw elements 6a and 6b, the configuration and function of which are explained above, they are further mixed to form a dough.
  • the mixing occurs both within each lobe of the hollow interior 4 of the conveyor 1 and between the two lobes.
  • the temperature of the dough rises and, when it reaches a temperature of about 100°C, it tends to expand and, were it allowed to expand freely, it would typically increase considerably in volume.
  • the product so obtained exhibits a fibrous character on both a microscopic scale and a macroscopic scale; thus, on examination under an optical microscope the product may be seen to consist of substantially parallel aligned fibres, which for the most part are present in bundles, and on examination with the naked eye individual macroscopic "fibres" (each of which is believed to correspond to a bundle of microscopic fibres) may be discerned.
  • the product is allowed to fall through a distance sufficient to cause it to break into lengths under its own weight.
  • the lengths into which the product breaks are such as to render it suitable for incorporation into a food product without the need for it to be cut into shorter lengths.
  • a cutter may be provided at or near the exit from the cooling die 2 to cut the product into pieces of the required size.
  • the construction of the apparatus may be varied in a number of ways.
  • a heating fluid for example, a hot oil
  • passages through which a heating fluid, for example, a hot oil, may be passed may be provided in the wall.
  • a heating fluid for example, a hot oil
  • the inner tubes 14 of the jacketed tubes 13, which constitute the wall of the cooling die 2 may be of other than circular cross-section.
  • the cooling die 2 is separated from the conveyor 1 only by the thick plate 3, which is described above only in general terms.
  • the thick plate 3 may take the form of a conventional die head, to which the cooling die 2 may be connected, if appropriate by means of a coupling. Where the diameter of the die in the said die head is smaller than the internal diameter of the cooling die 2, the coupling may expediently be tapered.
  • Example illustrates the invention: Example.
  • references to percentages are to be understood as being references to percentages by weight.
  • the extruder used was a Baker-Perkins MPF 50 co- rotating twin screw extruder, which was as described above with reference to Figs. 1 to 5 of the accompanying drawings.
  • the arrangement of the various screw and paddle elements on the shafts of the conveyor was as described above.
  • the two shafts 5a and 5b were each driven at a constant rate of 150 r.p. ..
  • the dry ingredients were composed of 83.8% vital wheat gluten, 11.5% wheat flour and 4,7% flavouring based on the total weight of the dry ingredients. They were pre-blended in 15 kg batches using a Hobart mixer, and the resulting dry mix was introduced into the interior 4 of conveyor 1 through the first inlet port 8 at a constant rate of 13.8 kg/h using a dry ingredient feeder. Within the extruder, the dry ingredients were conveyed to the mixing section 4b where water was introduced into the interior 4 of the conveyor 1 through the second inlet port 9 at a constant rate of 10 kg/h using a piston pump. Thus, the total mass flow rate into the extruder was 23.8 kg/h.
  • the dry ingredients were hydrated to form a homogeneous, visco- elastic dough of which the total water content based on the weight of the dough was approximately 48%. That moisture content was made up of 42% added water and 6% from the initial moisture content of the dry ingredients, each of those two percentages being based on the total weight of the dough.
  • the six forwarding paddles 10 served, in addition to facilitating the forwarding flow of the dough, to impart a high degree of shear to the dough.
  • the shear served both to ensure homogeneity of the dough and to cause heating of the dough by reason of the input of mechanical work needed to overcome the viscous drag exerted by the dough on the paddles.
  • the temperatures to which the temperature controllers for the zones SI to S9 were set are shown in Table 2, as are the temperatures recorded by the thermocouples at Tl, T2 and T3 in zones S7, S8/9 and S9, respectively.
  • the temperature controllers for the two zones SI and S2 in the feed section 4a of the conveyor 1 were each set to temperatures below 100°C, the actual settings being 40°C and 70°C, respectively. Those relatively low temperature settings were used because of the desirability of avoiding the formation of steam before all the added water had been incorporated in the dough.
  • the dough was brought up to a temperature within the range of from approximately 150°C to approximately 160°C.
  • the increase in the temperature of the material in the heating section 4c of the conveyor 1 resulted partly from the input of mechanical work and partly from the heat output of the electrical heating elements in that section.
  • the hot material was conveyed through the breaker plate 11 and into the cooling die 2.
  • Pressure readings obtained from the pressure transducer immediately downstream of the breaker plate 11 (and hence before the material entered the cooling die 2) varied during the duration of the run, but remained within the range of from 700 to 1000 psi (48 x 10 5 to 69 x 10 5 Pa) .
  • the dough was cooled to a temperature below 100°C to prevent disruption of its fibrous structure on exit from the cooling die, where the extrudate was subjected to ambient air pressure only.
  • Chilled water was circulated, counter-current to the flow of the mixture, through the jackets 15 of the jacketed tubes 13 making up the downstream 0.45m of the cooling die 2.
  • the water was chilled to a temperature of 7°C to 8°C.
  • the rate of water circulation through the jackets 15, and hence the degree of cooling, was controlled by a regulating valve.
  • the jackets 15 of the jacketed tubes 13 making up the upstream 0.45m of the cooling die 8 were open to ambient air.
  • the temperature of the product immediately after leaving the cooling die 2 varied within the range of from 85°C to 99°C. After leaving the cooling die 2, the extrudate broke into lengths under the influence of its own weight.
  • the average residence time of the ingredients from the introduction of the dry ingredients into the feed section 4a until the processed dough left the cooling die 2 was found using a dye tracer to be six minutes.
  • the product After the product had left the die 2 and then been allowed to cool to ambient temperature, it was observed to have a substantially uniform textured structure, made up of fibres having diameters within the range of from 1.5 to 10 microns.
  • the fibrous structure could conveniently be observed using an optical microscope with a magnification (the magnification being the product of the primary magnification produced by the objective and the power of the eyepiece) within the range of from 100X to 2OOX.
  • the fibres were typically present both singly and in bundles, the fibres and bundles being of various lengths and generally arranged in an oriented manner substantially parallel to the direction in which the material had flowed through the cooling die 2.
  • the macroscopic appearance of the product was also generally fibrous in nature and resembled a piece of meat or poultry in that the fibres were substantially aligned in a common direction. ' The product was suitable, after hydration, for use as a vegetarian meat analogue.

Landscapes

  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Nutrition Science (AREA)
  • Biochemistry (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Food Science & Technology (AREA)
  • Polymers & Plastics (AREA)
  • Molecular Biology (AREA)
  • Manufacturing And Processing Devices For Dough (AREA)

Abstract

Procédé d'élaboration de produits alimentaires texturés consistant à introduire du gluten et de l'eau dans une boudineuse à double vis (1) les transformant en pâte et les dirigeant vers l'orifice d'extrusion tout en amenant le produit à sa température de fusion, puis en le refroidissant avant sa sortie par ledit orifice. Le produit peut ensuite servir, si nécessaire après hydratation, de substitut de viande pour végétariens, ou d'allongeur de viande.
PCT/GB1996/001179 1995-05-19 1996-05-17 Ameliorations relatives a des produits textures a base de proteines du gluten de ble WO1996036242A1 (fr)

Priority Applications (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
AU57703/96A AU5770396A (en) 1995-05-19 1996-05-17 Improvements in and relating to textured wheat gluten protei n products
EP96914294A EP0831716A1 (fr) 1995-05-19 1996-05-17 Ameliorations relatives a des produits textures a base de proteines du gluten de ble
GB9723401A GB2314753B (en) 1995-05-19 1996-05-17 Improvements in and relating to textured wheat gluten protein products

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GBGB9510178.8A GB9510178D0 (en) 1995-05-19 1995-05-19 Method for making protein products
GB9510178.8 1995-05-19
GBGB9604487.0A GB9604487D0 (en) 1995-05-19 1996-03-01 Improvements in and relating to protein products
GB9604487.0 1996-03-01

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO1996036242A1 true WO1996036242A1 (fr) 1996-11-21

Family

ID=26307055

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/GB1996/001179 WO1996036242A1 (fr) 1995-05-19 1996-05-17 Ameliorations relatives a des produits textures a base de proteines du gluten de ble

Country Status (3)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0831716A1 (fr)
AU (1) AU5770396A (fr)
WO (1) WO1996036242A1 (fr)

Cited By (10)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2000069276A1 (fr) * 1999-05-18 2000-11-23 Effem Foods Pty Ltd. Procede et appareil permettant de preparer de la viande
US6319539B1 (en) 1997-09-17 2001-11-20 Tivall (1993) Ltd. Fibrous food product and method and device for its production
WO2002041701A1 (fr) * 2000-11-27 2002-05-30 Van Melle Nederland B.V. Procede de preparation d'une composition a macher et produit a macher
EP2364601B1 (fr) 2006-05-19 2015-03-25 Solae, LLC Composition de protéine et son utilisation pour la viande recomposée et les produits alimentaires
US9907322B2 (en) 2006-05-19 2018-03-06 Solae Llc Structured protein product
EP2706867B1 (fr) 2011-05-13 2018-04-11 Ojah B.V. Procédé de fabrication de compositions texturées à base de protéines
EP3524059A1 (fr) 2018-02-13 2019-08-14 Bühler AG Outil de refroidissement pour une extrudeuse
EP3939436A1 (fr) * 2020-07-17 2022-01-19 ABB Schweiz AG Commandes de supervision d'intelligence artificielle pour la production de substituts de viande
US11388914B2 (en) 2015-04-28 2022-07-19 Mars, Incorporated Process of preparing a wet pet food, wet pet food produced by the process and uses thereof
EP4316261A1 (fr) * 2022-08-04 2024-02-07 Lin, Ming-Yi Machine de production

Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR2207656A1 (fr) * 1972-11-24 1974-06-21 Gen Foods Corp
FR2287177A1 (fr) * 1974-10-11 1976-05-07 France Minoteries Feves Procede d'obtention de proteines texturees
US4185123A (en) * 1977-07-15 1980-01-22 Wenger Manufacturing High-output method for producing dense, uniformly layered meat analogue product
GB1560864A (en) * 1976-07-09 1980-02-13 Ajinomoto Kk Process for producing fibrous protein food products
JPS6359853A (ja) * 1986-08-29 1988-03-15 Tech Res Assoc Extru Cook Food Ind イカ肉様食品の製造方法とその装置

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR2207656A1 (fr) * 1972-11-24 1974-06-21 Gen Foods Corp
FR2287177A1 (fr) * 1974-10-11 1976-05-07 France Minoteries Feves Procede d'obtention de proteines texturees
GB1560864A (en) * 1976-07-09 1980-02-13 Ajinomoto Kk Process for producing fibrous protein food products
US4185123A (en) * 1977-07-15 1980-01-22 Wenger Manufacturing High-output method for producing dense, uniformly layered meat analogue product
JPS6359853A (ja) * 1986-08-29 1988-03-15 Tech Res Assoc Extru Cook Food Ind イカ肉様食品の製造方法とその装置

Non-Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
CHEFTEL J C ET AL: "NEW PROTEIN TEXTURIZATION PROCESSES BY EXTRUSION COOKING AT HIGH MOISTURE LEVELS", FOOD REVIEWS INTERNATIONAL, vol. 8, no. 2, 1 January 1992 (1992-01-01), pages 235 - 275, XP000372089 *
DATABASE WPI Week 8816, Derwent World Patents Index; AN 88-109991 *
PATENT ABSTRACTS OF JAPAN vol. 012, no. 279 (C - 517) 1 August 1988 (1988-08-01) *

Cited By (16)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US6319539B1 (en) 1997-09-17 2001-11-20 Tivall (1993) Ltd. Fibrous food product and method and device for its production
US6635301B1 (en) 1999-05-18 2003-10-21 Mars, Incorporated Method and apparatus for the manufacture of meat
WO2000069276A1 (fr) * 1999-05-18 2000-11-23 Effem Foods Pty Ltd. Procede et appareil permettant de preparer de la viande
WO2002041701A1 (fr) * 2000-11-27 2002-05-30 Van Melle Nederland B.V. Procede de preparation d'une composition a macher et produit a macher
EP2364601B1 (fr) 2006-05-19 2015-03-25 Solae, LLC Composition de protéine et son utilisation pour la viande recomposée et les produits alimentaires
US9907322B2 (en) 2006-05-19 2018-03-06 Solae Llc Structured protein product
US10716319B2 (en) 2011-05-13 2020-07-21 Ojah B.V. Method of making structured protein compositions
EP2706867B1 (fr) 2011-05-13 2018-04-11 Ojah B.V. Procédé de fabrication de compositions texturées à base de protéines
US11388914B2 (en) 2015-04-28 2022-07-19 Mars, Incorporated Process of preparing a wet pet food, wet pet food produced by the process and uses thereof
WO2019158605A1 (fr) 2018-02-13 2019-08-22 Bühler AG Outil de refroidissement pour une extrudeuse
US11123911B2 (en) 2018-02-13 2021-09-21 Bühler AG Cooling tool for an extruder
EP3524059A1 (fr) 2018-02-13 2019-08-14 Bühler AG Outil de refroidissement pour une extrudeuse
EP3939436A1 (fr) * 2020-07-17 2022-01-19 ABB Schweiz AG Commandes de supervision d'intelligence artificielle pour la production de substituts de viande
WO2022012879A1 (fr) * 2020-07-17 2022-01-20 Abb Schweiz Ag Commandes d'intelligence de machine de supervision pour la production de succédanés de viande
US11812765B2 (en) 2020-07-17 2023-11-14 Abb Schweiz Ag Supervisory machine intelligence controls for production of meat substitutes
EP4316261A1 (fr) * 2022-08-04 2024-02-07 Lin, Ming-Yi Machine de production

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
EP0831716A1 (fr) 1998-04-01
AU5770396A (en) 1996-11-29

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
US4540592A (en) Multiple screw pasta manufacturing process
US10798950B2 (en) System and method for producing an extruded protein product
EP1182937B1 (fr) Procede et appareil permettant de preparer des produits de substitution de viande
US7654812B1 (en) High capacity extrusion die assembly
US7785094B1 (en) High capacity extrusion die assembly
WO1996036242A1 (fr) Ameliorations relatives a des produits textures a base de proteines du gluten de ble
IE904272A1 (en) Extrusion Die Assembly
AU2005273116B2 (en) Extrusion apparatus and method for extruding high protein foodstuffs
US20100260882A1 (en) Extruder assembly with alternating converging and diverging barrel sections
US20240009909A1 (en) Nozzle for extruding a material rich in protein and water, as well as an extrusion machine comprising such a nozzle
KR0170770B1 (ko) 섬유상 어패류 연제품 제조방법 및 그 제조장치
US20110262609A1 (en) Extrusion processing of high meat quantity feeds using preconditioner with hot air input
JPH032492B2 (fr)
AU773170B2 (en) Method and apparatus for the manufacture of meat
MUNTEAN et al. Aspects of thermoplastic extrusion in food processing
CA3210999A1 (fr) Dispositif de distribution pour une extrudeuse
JP2023520321A (ja) 食肉類似品の製造プロセス及び製造装置
JPS62186752A (ja) 組織状植物蛋白の製造方法
BR102012011861B1 (pt) Conjunto de matriz e anti-matriz e usos do conjunto matriz e anti-matriz
BR122019004053B1 (pt) processo para fabricação de produto alimentício por extrusão
BE817284A (nl) Gestructureerde produkten waarvan de vorming van door gassen ontwikkelde cellen in een matrijs heeft plaatsgevonden

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
AK Designated states

Kind code of ref document: A1

Designated state(s): AL AM AT AU AZ BB BG BR BY CA CH CN CZ DE DK EE ES FI GB GE HU IS JP KE KG KP KR KZ LK LR LS LT LU LV MD MG MK MN MW MX NO NZ PL PT RO RU SD SE SG SI SK TJ TM TR TT UA UG US UZ VN AM AZ BY KG KZ MD RU

AL Designated countries for regional patents

Kind code of ref document: A1

Designated state(s): KE LS MW SD SZ UG AT BE CH DE DK ES FI FR GB GR IE IT LU MC NL PT SE BF BJ CF CG CI CM GA GN

DFPE Request for preliminary examination filed prior to expiration of 19th month from priority date (pct application filed before 20040101)
121 Ep: the epo has been informed by wipo that ep was designated in this application
WWE Wipo information: entry into national phase

Ref document number: 1996914294

Country of ref document: EP

REG Reference to national code

Ref country code: DE

Ref legal event code: 8642

WWP Wipo information: published in national office

Ref document number: 1996914294

Country of ref document: EP

NENP Non-entry into the national phase

Ref country code: CA

WWW Wipo information: withdrawn in national office

Ref document number: 1996914294

Country of ref document: EP