Dry TVP

Texturising plant proteins to make meat substitutes, fillers and extenders using twin-screw extrusion is advancing rapidly, enabling food manufacturers to capitalise on the surge of interest in plant-based eating.

Dry TVP as a meat substitute or extender

Completely meat-free TVP products are welcomed by consumer groups choosing to reduce or eliminate meat consumption, including those following vegan and vegetarian diets for ethical reasons; growth in this market has been accelerated significantly by consumers eating less meat for environmental or health reasons.

TVP can be used as a meat extender in conjunction with real meat in products aimed at environmentally-concerned or health-conscious consumers. While most products currently being launched are completely meat-free for vegans and vegetarians, there is significant acceleration in the market for extenders among consumers willing to cut down on meat for environmental or health reasons, but unwilling to compromise on taste and texture.

Low Moisture Extrusion Cooking

Dry TVP - produced by Low Moisture Extrusion Cooking (LMEC) - has been used as a meat substitute or extender for many years; it is usually supplied as bulk dry ingredients to manufacturers who rehydrate them before incorporating into meat-free products such as burgers, sausages, meatballs and prepared dishes. Conventional dry TVP has a long shelf life, and can be manufactured, dried and sold in bulk for processing.

For dry TVP a Baker Perkins SBX Master™ twin screw cooker extruder is used to form a melt that is extruded through a die and formed/cut into flakes, pellets or chunks before being dried. Once extruded, the extrudate is transferred to a mill to reduce the particle size.

Normally milling will produce different size particles, and these may need to be sieved and re-mixed to give the final product its required dry packet consistency. The product is typically 12-18% moisture at the bulk density of 100 to 125g/l at the feed to the mill; after milling, the particles are dried on a band drier to a final moisture of <10%.

Dry fibrated TVP

While dry TVP has been used as a meat substitute or extender for many years, historically quality was always a problem: previous generations of the product have failed to offer the firm, fibrous texture of meat. Baker Perkins is currently working to develop dry TVP with a more fibrated structure and an improved texture at a lower production cost than High Moisture Extrusion Cooking (HMEC).