Systems and methods describe continuously and progressively hydrating and post-processing material, such as food material for meat analogue products. First, material is provided to be conveyed through a material passage between an exterior tube and a rotating inner shaft, with the rotating inner shaft including one or more particle resizing features extending around the rotating inner shaft. Concurrently, the material is post-processed, via the particle resizing features, to reduce the material into a plurality of smaller material particles. Also concurrently, water is continuously and progressively provided to the material to produce hydrated material particles.

Systems and methods describe continuously and progressively hydrating material, such as food material for meat analogue products. First, material is provided to be conveyed through a material passage between an exterior tube and a rotating inner shaft, with the rotating inner shaft including one or more agitation and/or progression features. The progression features could be, e.g., a series of imbricated protruding filled paddles arranged in a helical pattern, while the agitation features could take the form of, e.g., unfilled hoops, hooks, or paddles. Concurrent to conveying and hydrating the material through the material passage, a number of lumps, clumps, and/or unhydrated pieces of the material are broken up via one or more agitation features configured to produce uniform hydration and consistent dispersal of the material. Also concurrently or subsequently, water is continuously and/or progressively provided to the material to produce hydrated material particles.

This document relates to meat replica food product, and more particularly to hybrid meat substitute food products comprising plant-based protein and animal cells. The meat replica mimics animal meat, including the texture, beefy flavor, and red-to-brown color transition during cooking.

The present disclosure relates generally to fat blends, emulsions of fat blends (such as water-in-oil fat blends), and uses thereof. In certain embodiments, certain water-in-oil emulsions disclosed herein can be suitably used to improve the organoleptic properties, the perceived texture, the perceived juiciness, or the mouthfeel of various foods, pet foods, or feed products, such as meat analogue products. In certain aspects, the disclosure also relates to the use of the water-in-oil emulsion disclosed herein as a partial or full replacement of animal in various foods, pet foods, or feed products. In certain aspects, the disclosure also relates to methods of preparing water-in-oil emulsions and various food products comprising such water-in-oil emulsion.

The present disclosure provides an automatic production line for manufacturing and processing plant protein meat, and belongs to the field of application of food equipment. The automatic production line for manufacturing and processing the plant protein meat comprises: an extrusion-expansion machine, plant protein meat raw material blocks, a bearing plate, a first manipulator, a storage rack, a first conveying device, a second manipulator, a second conveying device, a main console, a third conveying device, a shredding device, a seasoning adding and mixing device, a third manipulator, a recycling rack, a storage cabinet and a secondary console. The shredding device of the present disclosure shreds the plant protein meat raw material blocks by cooperative up-down staggered motion of double rows of clips, the plant protein meat raw material blocks in any shape can be shredded, and breakage of the raw material shreds in the shredding process can be avoided effectively; and by the seasoning adding and mixing device of the present disclosure, the shredded plant protein meat raw material blocks are added with seasonings and mixed with the seasonings. The present disclosure is simple in structure, facilitates manufacturing of the plant protein meat, and can efficiently produce and process the plant protein meat.

The invention provides a method for producing an oleogel, the method comprising a mixing stage, a cross-linking stage and optionally a drying stage; wherein the mixing stage comprises mixing starting materials to provide a starting mixture, wherein the starting materials comprise (i) a hydrocolloid, (ii) a protein, (iii) one or more of a fat and an oil, and (iv) water, wherein the protein is a vegetable based protein and wherein the one or more of the fat the oil is a vegetable based; wherein the cross-linking stage comprises cross-linking the hydrocolloid and the protein in the starting mixture, to provide a cross-linked structure; and wherein the optional drying stage comprises drying the cross-linked structure to provide a further processed cross-linked structure; wherein the oleogel comprises the cross-linked structure or wherein the oleogel comprises the further processed cross-linked structure, wherein the oleogel comprises a total amount of fat and oil relative to a total amount of the oleogel in the range of 20-90 wt. %.

Tofu products and methods of making the same. The tofu products may include one or more layers. A first layer may include added fat, and a second layer may include no added fat. The fat may be introduced into the soymilk prior to curdling. The first and second layers may be layered to form a layered tofu product such as a bacon analog.

Methods for producing insect product are provided that include wet-grinding at least one whole insect into an insect slurry and drying the insect slurry to form a dried insect product comprising solid insect matter particles. Methods for producing a chitin product are also provided that include wet-grinding at least one whole insect into an insect slurry and removing chitin from at least a portion of the insect slurry. Insect products are also provided that include a composition derived from at least one whole insect and has solid insect matter particles, in which the composition has a peroxide value of about 30 meq/kg of fat or less and about 90% of the solid insect matter particles, by volume, has a particle size of about 1000 μm or less.

Product formulations and methods of preparing products having a texture, flavor, and/or nutrition profile similar to meat jerky, with the primary protein source including or being a plant-based protein source.

Described herein are various embodiments of methods for binding together textured substrates using mycelium-producing fungi. The method can generally include providing a textured substrate, such as a textured protein substrate, that may or may not be subjected to various pre-processing steps used to help promote mycelium growth inside, outside or inside and outside of the textured substrate, inoculating the textured substrate with mycelium-producing fungi, and growing mycelium inside, outside, or inside and outside of the textured substrate to bind the textured substrate. The bound textured substrate can be used as a high protein food, such as meat substitutes, meat analogues, or seafood analogues. In some embodiments, the mycelium-producing fungi is used to bind together multiple textured substrates to form larger composite food products.