Coperion has developed a new MegaTex S7 cooling die for manufacturing plant-based HMMA (High Moisture Meat Analogue) meat alternatives.
Mounted at the discharge of the ZSK Food Extruder, the texturizing unit gives the plant protein mass a dense, fibrous structure that closely resembles animal flesh.
The new innovation offers a discharge for HMMA production that allows for variable width and strength as well as various textures for meat substitutes. Coperion has equipped the technology with features designed to simplify handling and make both recipe and configuration changes possible with a few quick adjustments.
HMMA is a plant-based intermediate product that is primarily used for ready-to-eat meals such as vegan chicken nuggets or ground meat. It contains 50-70% water and 30-50% plant proteins, with less than 10% fat content.
In the HMMA manufacturing process, protein-rich raw materials are mixed with water and worked into a homogenous mass in a food extruder. This mass can then be pressed through the MegaTex cooling die, where the meat-like texture is formed and a solid strand is discharged for further processing.
Characteristics of HMMA quality are the product’s texture and strength as well as the length and strength of the fibres. Coperion developed this new texturizing unit to fulfill these quality requirements more precisely and to provide more flexibility to smaller companies, research organisations and start-ups.
The MegaTex S7 achieves throughputs of 5 to 50 kg/h and can currently be combined with the ZSK Food Extruder sizes 18, 27 and 34. Additional sizes of the Coperion MegaTex S7 cooling die for significantly higher throughputs will follow.
The cooling die features a modular design, consisting of individual segments which can be combined as needed depending on the raw materials’ requirements and desired product structure.
It comes with interchangeable inlays that give the machine operator the flexibility to vary the strand width between 35-70mm, and the length between 10-15mm.
With a specially designed opening mechanism, the cooling die provides optimal access along its entire length. Moreover, product samples can be extracted at any time in any segment of the cooling die. The MegaTex also features a hygienic design which reduces machine downtime for cleaning to a minimum, increasing the efficiency of the entire production line.
At the end of the die, there is a cutter to facilitate quick sampling of HMMA at the discharge. The cooling die is mounted on rollers, making it mobile and allowing for greater flexibility.
Markus Schmudde, head of R&D, compounding and extrusion at Coperion, said: “The market for plant-based meat substitutes is growing exponentially and it’s very important to us to propel this development forward with innovative technologies”.
He added: “With this new MegaTex cooling die, we’re pursuing our goal of redesigning the HMMA manufacturing process with greater variability. Moreover, maximised accessibility will markedly reduce cleaning time and increase the overall profitability of HMMA production. After comprehensive tests at our Food Test Lab using various raw materials, we can confirm with high certainty that we have fully achieved these goals.”
© FoodBev Media Ltd 2024
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