PLANT JERKY

Abstract

The invention relates to a method of preparing a mass strand comprising the steps of mixing a plant-based protein source, optionally glycerol and optionally additives, e.g. natural colorants, to produce a protein mixture, feeding the protein mixture into the inlet end of an extruder, feeding water into the extruder, optionally adding plant-based fat, wherein the protein mixture in a section of the extruder is heated to a temperature of 110 to 150° C. and is subjected to a pressure that e.g. prevents the formation of steam bubbles, shaping the protein mass exiting from the extruder by means of a cooling nozzle and depositing a mass strand on a carrier, wherein the cooling nozzle cools the mass strand to a temperature of at maximum 95° C., immediately subsequent rolling of the mass strand deposited on the carrier, drying, optionally cutting the mass strand, packaging, preferably in an inert gas atmosphere and/or in a gas-tight package containing an inert gas atmosphere.

Claims

1. Process for the production of a mass strand comprising the steps of mixing at least one plant-based protein source, optionally glycerol and optionally additives to produce a protein mixture, feeding the protein mixture into the inlet end of an extruder, feeding water and optionally additives into the extruder through a first feed port of the extruder which is located downstream of the inlet end of the extruder, wherein the protein mixture in a section of the extruder is heated to a temperature of 110 to 150° C. and is subjected to a pressure which prevents the formation of steam bubbles, shaping the protein mass exiting from the extruder by means of a cooling nozzle and depositing the protein mass on a carrier, which protein mass exits from the cooling nozzle in the form of a mass strand, wherein the cooling nozzle cools the mass strand to a temperature of at maximum 95° C. and produces a mass strand having a height of at maximum 8 mm, immediately subsequently rolling the mass strand deposited on the carrier to produce rolled mass strands, and dividing the mass strand prior to or after rolling, drying the mass strand, and subsequent packaging.

2. Process according to claim 1, comprising a step of pasteurizing the mass strands which are packed in gas-tight packages.

3. Process according to claim 1, comprising a step of dividing the mass strand immediately after it exiting from the cooling nozzle transversely to the longitudinal extension of the mass strand.

4. Process according to claim 1, wherein after packaging, the gas-tight packages having mass strands packaged therein are pasteurized.

5. Process according to claim 1, wherein the plant-based protein sources are powdery.

6. Process according to claim 1, wherein the carrier in the area of rolling is formed by a barrel, so that the mass strand during rolling is loaded between a barrel and a roller.

7. Process according to claim 1, wherein the rolling is carried out to a reduction in height to 90% to 70% of the height which the mass strand has after being deposited on the carrier.

8. Process according to claim 1, wherein fat or marinade is applied to the mass strand and/or to the carrier prior to or after rolling.

9. Process according to claim 1, wherein the rolling is carried out by a roller whose circumferential speed is higher or lower than the speed of the carrier, and/or by a roller whose axis of rotation is arranged in parallel to the surface of the carrier and at an angle of <90° to the longitudinal extension of the mass strand.

10. Process according to claim 1, wherein the extruder is a twin screw extruder or a planetary roller extruder.

11. Process according to claim 1, wherein fat or marinade is applied to the mass strand immediately after it exiting from the cooling nozzle.

12. Process according to claim 1, wherein the mass strand after applying marinade is dried until the marinade has dried up.

13. Process according to claim 1, wherein plant-based fat, solid or liquid, is added to the protein mixture prior to feeding the protein mixture into the inlet end of the extruder.

14. Process according to claim 1, wherein the protein mixture contains at least 45 wt.-% plant-based protein.

15. Process according to claim 1, wherein a first portion of the water is admixed to the protein mixture prior to feeding into the inlet end of the extruder, and a second portion of the water is fed through the first feed port, wherein the sum of the first portion and the second portion of water accounts for 35 to 55 wt.-% of the mass strand.

16. Process according to claim 1, wherein additives flavoring, salt and/or colorants are fed through the first feed port and/or through a second feed port which is arranged on the extruder downstream of the first feed port.

17. Process according to claim 1, wherein plant-based fat, liquid or solid, optionally additives, are added through a second feed port which is arranged on the extruder downstream of the first feed port.

18. Process according to claim 16, wherein the extruder is cooled in the section located immediately upstream of the second feed port in order to cool the mass to a temperature of at maximum 125° C.

19. Process according to claim 1, wherein the pressure to which the protein mixture is subjected in a section of the extruder when heated to a temperature of 110 to 150° C. is 4 bar to 30 bar.

20. Mass strand, obtainable by a process according to claim 1, wherein the mass strand has a fibrous structure in parallel to its longitudinal extension and has a firm bite.

21. Device for use in a process according to claim 1, comprising an extruder having an inlet end for feeding a protein mixture, having a first extruder section adjacent to the inlet end with a first feed port connected thereto for feeding water and additives, a second extruder section adjacent downstream thereto which is heated, a third extruder section adjacent downstream thereto which is heated, a fourth extruder section adjacent downstream thereto which is cooled, a second feed port connected thereto for adding fat and additives, a nozzle directly connected thereto which is a cooling nozzle for cooling the mass, a carrier for depositing the mass strand exiting from the nozzle, and a cutting device or a breaking device for dividing the mass strand, and rolled by a roller which is arranged downstream or upstream of the cutting device or breaking device and which is set up to cut the strand transversely to its longitudinal axis.

22. Device according to claim 21, wherein the nozzle is arranged to form the mass exiting the extruder into a mass strand of a maximum height of 6 mm.

23. Device according to claim 21, wherein the roller is set up to reduce the height of the mass strand to 2 to 8 mm and/or to at maximum 90% of the height which the mass strand has immediately after exiting from the nozzle.

Description

[0055] The invention is now described in more detail by an example and with reference to the FIGURE, which schematically shows the process and a device suitable for carrying out the process.

[0056] The FIGURE shows an extruder 1 having an inlet end 2 for feeding the protein mixture into the extruder 1, adjacent to the inlet end 2 a first section 3 having a first feed port 4 connected thereto, through which first feed port 4 water and additives are introduced. Downstream of the first section 3 there is connected a second section 5 of the extruder 1, which is heated to a second temperature, and downstream thereto there is connected a third section 6 of the extruder 1, which is heated to a third temperature. Downstream of this third extruder section 6 there is connected a fourth extruder section 7 which is cooled, and within or at the end of the fourth extruder section 7 or after it, a second feed port 8 is connected, through which fat and preferably additives containing aroma can be added. Optionally, a fifth extruder section which can also be cooled is connected downstream of the fourth extruder section. Immediately adjacent to the fifth extruder section 9, a nozzle 10 is connected which is preferably a cooling nozzle for cooling the mass. The nozzle 10 forms the mass exiting from the extruder into a mass strand having a height of preferably at maximum 8 mm, which mass strand is deposited onto a carrier 11. A cutting device or a device for breaking 12, e.g. for breaking along an edge, can be provided for dividing the mass strand. In the embodiment shown here, the mass strand is rolled by a roller 13 which is arranged downstream of the cutting device or the device for breaking, so that the mass strand is first divided transversely to its longitudinal axis and the sections resulting therefrom are rolled.

[0057] As is preferred, the extruder 1 has two screws 14.

EXAMPLE: PRODUCTION OF MASS STRANDS ON THE BASIS OF PLANT-BASED PROTEIN

[0058] A protein mixture was prepared from 27 wt.-% pumpkin flour, 27 wt.-% pea protein isolate, 27 wt.-% sunflower protein, 6 wt.-% glycerol and as additives 4 wt.-% table salt, 3 wt.-% instant caramel (powdery) and 6 wt.-% spice blend (tomato flavor) were mixed together and fed into the inlet end of a single-screw extruder (e.g. Coperion), preferably of a twin-screw extruder or a planetary roller extruder. In an alternative protein mixture, pumpkin flour was replaced by field bean flour. Therein, the entire protein mixture, namely the plant-based proteins, glycerin, tomato, caramel and salt, was fed into the inlet end of the extruder.

[0059] Through a first feed port located downstream shortly after the inlet end, water with admixed smoke flavoring was continuously fed in the same mass portion as the protein mixture, corresponding to 49 wt.-% of the mass strand. Smoke flavoring was present in the water in a proportion of 0.03 to 0.13%.

[0060] Through a second feed port located downstream of the first feed port, sunflower oil in admixture with flavor (meat flavor) was added as fat at 2 wt.-% of the mass strand. The mixing ratio of oil to flavor was 1:1.

[0061] The protein mixture accounted for 49 wt.-% of the mass strand, the remainder being water and fat present as a mixture with flavor (meat flavor).

[0062] The extruder was heated in stages to 140° C. in the downstream adjacent area by means of heatable jacket segments, and cooled in subsequent jacket segments to achieve a mass temperature of at maximum 120° C. A second feed port was connected in a section arranged adjacent to this jacket segment, through which second feed port a mixture of 1:1 wt./wt. sunflower oil with meat flavoring was continuously metered in. The mass exited from the extruder and immediately thereafter passed through a nozzle cooled by means of a cooling jacket, the nozzle having a rectangular outlet cross-section having a height of about 2.5 to 3 mm. The mass exited from the nozzle as a mass strand, had a temperature of about 40 to 80° C. and a height of about 3 to 4 mm, which was achieved by the height of the outlet cross-section of the nozzle depending on the throughput. The thus produced mass strand was first cut into strands about 10 cm long, and by a roller was then rolled transversely to the longitudinal extension of the sections of the mass strand, so that by only one iteration the height was reduced to about 2 to 3 mm in height.

[0063] The rolled mass strand was cut transversely along the longitudinal axis with a knife and preferably subsequently coated with marinade (composed of tomato paste, water, oil, cane sugar, pepper, paprika powder) and dried to <30% residual moisture and/or an aw value <0.85, until the marinade adhered primarily to the pieces of the cut mass strand and did not stick to the fingers upon touch.

[0064] The pieces of mass strand had a force required to cut of approximately 10-50 N in a subsequent texture measurement by a Warner-Bratzler geometry, and a firm bite and fibrous texture similar to dried meat strips when tasted.

REFERENCE LIST

[0065] 1 extruder [0066] 2 inlet end [0067] 3 first extruder section [0068] 4 first feed port [0069] 5 second extruder section [0070] 6 third extruder section [0071] 7 fourth extruder section [0072] 8 second feed port [0073] 9 fifth extruder section [0074] 10 nozzle [0075] 11 carrier [0076] 12 cutting device or device for breaking [0077] 13 roller [0078] 14 screw