Extrusion is a highly versatile process that can be applied to a wide range of plant-based raw materials to create meat or fish alternatives. An integral part of the process is the cooling die. Cooling dies work with extrusion technology to enable the creation of attractive meat or fish substitutes with structures and textures that closely resemble animal-based meat products, such as chicken, fish or beef. With the PolyCool 1000 cooling die in combination with an extruder (photo), it is possible to produce wet-textured proteins based on a wide range of raw materials including soy, pulses, oilseeds and upcycled side streams like brewer spent grains, as well as newer ingredients, such as microalgae, at throughputs of up to 1,000 kg/h. The individual cooling circuits can each be controlled independently to determine the product’s final texture. The high-capacity cooling die can withstand pressures of up to 50 bars as it cools down the melt from as high as 150°C to below the boiling point. — Bühler AG, Uzwil, Switzerland
High-capacity cooling die for extruding meat substitutes
| By Mary Page Bailey and Gerald Ondrey