Leistritz Extrusion Technology
Food & Life Science Extrusion


Production of Texturized Vegetable Proteins:
Continuous extrusion process with HMMA (High Moisture Meat Analogues)


HMMA (High Moisture Meat Analogues) based on fibers and proteins texturized vegetable proteins (TVPs) are of special importance for a sustainable food production because of their high flexibility in shape and taste design.

Their production process requires an exact control of the temperature profile and gentle mixing for giving the product the wanted texture. Leistritz twin screw extruders are ideally suited for this task due to their special machine design.

Cooking extrusion is a preferred process for producing plant-based proteins. We can change the molecular characteristics of a protein-water blend (in this example pea flour) by heating up and cooling down the blend, combined with a precisely determined energy input. The result is a texturized mixture with laminate structure which is very close to fibrous meat products as regards haptic and sensory qualities. The molecular-optimized blend is cooled down by a cooling nozzle; following processing steps will then yield several layers which form the fibers.

• Vegan meat alternatives
• Meat analogues
• Plant-based proteins
• TVPs Texturized Vegetable Proteins
• Wet extrusion: Extrusion of HMMA (High Moisture Meat Analogues)
• Cooking extrusion