Plant-based jerky and methods for its production

Abstract

Method for producing a bulk strand that includes the steps - Mixing at least two plant-based protein sources to produce a protein mixture, - Feeding the protein mixture into the feed end of an extruder, - Supplying water to the extruder through a first feed nozzle of the extruder, which is located downstream of the inlet end of the extruder, - wherein the protein mixture is heated to a temperature of 110 to 150 °C in a section of the extruder and subjected to pressure that prevents the formation of vapor bubbles, - Shaping the protein mass exiting the extruder by means of a cooling nozzle and depositing the protein mass exiting the cooling nozzle in the form of a longitudinal strand onto a carrier, wherein the cooling nozzle cools the strand to a maximum temperature of 95 °C and produces a strand of 3 to 5 mm in height, - Splitting the mass strand transversely to its longitudinal extent to produce mass strands split transversely to the longitudinal extent immediately after exiting the cooling nozzle, - Subsequent rolling, which takes place within 5 minutes after the extrusion of the mass strand from the cooling nozzle, of the mass strand laid on the carrier at an angle of up to 90° to the longitudinal extent of the mass strand to produce rolled mass strands, while the mass strand is cooled to a temperature of not less than 30°C, wherein the rolling is carried out until the height is reduced to 90% to 70% of the height that the mass strand has after being laid on the carrier, and - Drying of the mass strand and subsequent - Packaging is shown.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a manufacturing process for a food product made from plant-based protein-containing raw materials and to the food product produced by the process, which has a firm texture and a fibrous structure preferably similar to that of meat. The process allows for the continuous production of a protein-containing food product from plant-based raw materials that has a stable shape and a firm texture, and can optionally be coated and / or marinated. The food product obtainable by the process can be a purely plant-based alternative to dried and seasoned strips or pieces of meat available as jerky. The process has the advantage of providing a solid food product based on plant protein that can be stored in packaging at room temperature, i.e., without refrigeration.The packaging is preferably airtight, particularly oxygen-tight, and / or contains the food in a protective gas, e.g., CO2 or N2. The food may be produced in the form of irregular, low-profile strips.

[0002] German patent DE 26 03 406 A1 describes the production of meat-like products by extrusion cooking of a mixture containing single-cell protein and plant protein sources, wherein the extrudate is immediately comminuted by a rotary cutting blade after exiting the extruder and, after a washing step, subjected to shearing by rollers rotating at different speeds. Alternatively, the extrudate can be stretched immediately after exiting the extruder, e.g., by rollers rotating at different speeds.

[0003] WO 2019 / 143859 A1 describes food products based on plant proteins, which may contain starch and are produced from an aqueous mixture by extrusion under high temperature and high pressure, followed by cooling using a cooling die to achieve a meat-like firmness and fibrous structure. The food product can then be marinated.

[0004] EP 3 270 716 B1 claims a method for producing a meat substitute product by extrusion of a mixture containing a maximum of 4 wt.% starch or flour, 40 to 70 wt.% water and 15 to 35 wt.% vegetable protein with the addition of 2 to 15 wt.% fat.

[0005] The invention aims to provide an alternative method for producing a food product based on plant-based raw materials that has a firm bite and a fibrous structure, preferably in the form of strips of low height and irregular shape.

[0006] The invention solves the problem with the features of the claims and in particular with a method for producing a bulk strand that includes the steps - Mixing at least two, preferably at least three, vegetable protein sources, optionally glycerin and optionally additives, e.g. natural colorants, optionally a first proportion of water, to produce a protein mixture, which is preferably free-flowing, wherein the protein mixture preferably contains at least 35 to 85 wt.%, preferably at least 45 wt.%, more preferably 60 wt.%, more preferably at least 70 wt.%, e.g. up to 82 wt.% or up to 75 wt.% vegetable protein, optionally mixing vegetable fat, solid or liquid, with the vegetable protein sources to produce a protein mixture. - Feeding the protein mixture into the feed end of an extruder, - Feeding water, which may be all of the water supplied or a second portion of water, and optionally additives, e.g. selected from flavorings, smoke flavoring, salt and colorings, into the extruder through a first feed nozzle of the extruder, which is arranged downstream of the inlet end of the extruder, wherein water is preferably supplied to a proportion of a maximum of 30 wt.% to 60 wt.%, e.g. 35 to 55 wt.%, of the protein mass exiting the extruder, e.g. water to 30 to 60 wt.% of the protein mass exiting the extruder, the remainder protein mixture and fat into the extruder, correspondingly at 50 wt.% water then water and protein mixture are supplied to the extruder in equal parts by weight, - optionally adding vegetable fat, liquid or solid, optionally adding additives, e.g. flavorings, salt and colorings, into the extruder, preferably downstream of the inlet end, more preferably downstream of the water inlet, in particular through a second inlet attached to the extruder downstream of the first inlet nozzle, - wherein the protein mixture is heated in a section of the extruder to a temperature of 110 to 150 °C, preferably 120 to 140 °C, and is subjected to a pressure that, for example, prevents the formation of vapor bubbles, preferably a pressure of at least 4 bar or at least 6 bar, e.g. up to 30 bar, up to 25 bar, up to 28 bar or up to 20 bar, - wherein preferably optionally the extruder is cooled in the section upstream of the second feed nozzle to cool the mass to a maximum temperature of 125 °C, e.g. a temperature of 110 °C or from 115 °C to 122 °C or to 121 °C or to 120 °C, e.g. 118 °C to 121 °C, - Shaping the protein mass exiting the extruder by means of a cooling nozzle and depositing the protein mass exiting the cooling nozzle in the form of a longitudinal strand onto a carrier, wherein the cooling nozzle cools the strand to a maximum temperature of 95 °C and produces a strand of 3 to 5 mm in height, - within 5 minutes of the extrusion of the mass strand from the cooling nozzle, subsequent rolling of the mass strand placed on the carrier at an angle of up to 90°, e.g. 30° to 80°, to lengthen the mass strand for the production of rolled mass strands, - before rolling, immediately after exiting the cooling nozzle, splitting the mass strand transversely to its longitudinal extent, e.g. by cutting or breaking, to produce mass strands split transversely to their longitudinal extent, e.g. cut or broken, - optionally before rolling immediately after exiting the cooling nozzle, before cutting or breaking, optionally applying grease or marinade to the mass strand and / or to the carrier, - Drying, before or after cutting or breaking, e.g. drying until marinade has dried to a maximum water content of 30% by weight or below and / or to a W -value of 0.88 or below, determined for each mass string, - Optional cooling, preferably without additional cooling or cooling only by room air, - Packaging, preferably under a protective gas atmosphere and / or in a gas-tight package which contains, has or consists of a protective gas atmosphere.

[0007] Immediate rolling is defined as rolling that takes place while the compound strand is cooled to a temperature of at least 30 °C, e.g., to a maximum of 70 °C or below, and / or rolling that takes place within 5 or 4 minutes, or within 1, 2, or 3 minutes after the compound strand exits the cooling nozzle. Optionally, the compound strand is free of glycerin.

[0008] Generally, the strips can also be referred to as pieces.

[0009] The process has the advantage that the extruded strand exiting the extruder or the subsequent cooling die is shaped only by subsequent rolling and cutting, preferably by cutting or breaking approximately perpendicular to its longitudinal direction. This eliminates the need for a further pressing step, or optionally a further cutting step, and preferably no further forming step, such as pressing within a mold. Thus, the cooling die has a gap height of 3 mm to 5 mm at the outlet, and the process can optionally be carried out without cutting the extruded strand along its longitudinal direction.

[0010] Optionally, a first portion, e.g., 30 to 70 wt%, of the total added water is mixed into the protein mixture before it is fed into the inlet end of the extruder, preferably with a holding time after adding the water and before feeding into the inlet end of the extruder of, e.g., 2 min to 120 min, preferably 5 to 20 min. Such a holding time causes the protein mixture to swell, while still remaining free-flowing.

[0011] The first portion of water added to the protein mixture before it enters the extruder and passes through the first feed nozzle preferably also contains glycerol. In this embodiment, the first portion of water and the second portion of water constitute the total mass of added water. Alternatively, the protein mixture can be produced without adding any water, and all the water is introduced into the extruder only through the first feed nozzle.

[0012] To heat the protein mixture in the extruder, preferably the stator of the extruder, or optionally alternatively or additionally the screw of the extruder, is heated at least section by section, e.g., by means of a double jacket through which a heat exchanger medium flows, or an electric heater. To heat the protein mixture in a section of the extruder to a temperature of 110 to 150 °C, preferably 120 to 140 °C, sections of the extruder are preferably heated, e.g., in at least two adjacent sections, each with a higher temperature in the downstream direction, thus heating the protein mass to progressively higher temperatures along the flow direction.

[0013] For example, a first section of the extruder adjacent to the inlet end, which preferably has a first feed nozzle, can be unheated or heated to a first temperature, and a second section of the extruder adjacent to it downstream can be heated to a second temperature higher than the first temperature, and optionally a third section of the extruder adjacent to it downstream of the second section can be heated to a third temperature higher than the second. Accordingly, the protein mixture in a first section of the extruder can have a first temperature without heating or with heating.The mixture is heated to a first temperature and mixed with water and optional additives via the first feed port by means of at least one screw. In the downstream second section of the extruder, it is heated to a second temperature, and in the third section of the extruder, it is heated to a third temperature, each time with mixing by means of at least one screw. Downstream of the third section of the extruder, a fourth section of the extruder may be connected, which is cooled by means of a second feed port to cool the mixture upstream of the feed port, e.g., to a temperature of 110°C, or from 115°C to 122°C, or to 121°C, or to 120°C, e.g., 118°C to 121°C. Downstream or within a fourth section of the extruder, vegetable fat, liquid or solid, and optionally additives, are preferably fed to the mixture via the second feed port.Downstream of the fourth section, a fifth section of the extruder can be added, which may optionally be cooled, in which the mass is further mixed by means of at least one screw.

[0014] Sections of the extruder are preferably arranged in a common stator, which may be composed of segments or be a single piece.

[0015] In this case, the longitudinal extent of the material strand is the machine direction or the longitudinal extent along which the material strand exits the extruder, even if, in the case of optional cutting, the cut edge is larger than the longitudinal extent of the material strand along the exit direction or than the machine direction.

[0016] The rolling process can be carried out with a rigid roller or a rubber roller, which can be rotaryally driven or freely rotatable. The circumferential surface of the roller can be cylindrical or have a relief with peaks and depressions.

[0017] Optionally, the carrier in the rolling area can be formed by a roller, so that the mass strand is loaded between a roller and a roller during rolling.

[0018] The rolling process is carried out, for example, to a reduction in height to 90%, preferably to approximately 80%, and even more preferably to approximately 75% to 70% of the height that the strand of material has after being laid on the carrier. Preferably, the rolling is carried out to a height of 2 to 4 mm or to 3 mm. In general, the rolling can be carried out in one rolling step or in at least two rolling steps.

[0019] The rolling process can optionally be carried out such that the peripheral speed of the roller is equal to the speed of the carrier, or that the peripheral speed of the roller is higher or lower than the speed of the carrier.

[0020] Optionally, the roller is arranged with its axis of rotation parallel to the surface of the carrier and perpendicular to, or at an angle of less than 90° (e.g., 30° to 89°, 45° to 89°, or 75° to 89°) to the longitudinal extent of the material strand. When the roller's axis of rotation is arranged at an angle of less than 90° to the longitudinal extent of the material strand, and when the roller's circumferential speed is higher or lower than the carrier's speed, the material strand is sheared, and its structure and surface can be altered. When the roller's axis of rotation is arranged at an angle of less than 90° to the longitudinal extent of the material strand, the material strand is cut transversely to its longitudinal extent before rolling.

[0021] Optionally, the roller can be heated to a temperature, e.g., 70 to 200°C, to superficially heat the extruded material, e.g., for surface forming. Alternatively, the roller can be cooled, e.g., to a temperature of at least 5°C, preferably at least 10°C or at least 15°C, below the temperature of the extruded material immediately before rolling. Such cooling of the roller can reduce adhesion of the extruded material to the roller.

[0022] Preferably, the cooling nozzle produces a mass stream with a maximum height of 4 mm, e.g., 2 to 2.5 mm. To produce a mass stream with a height of 4 to 5 mm, the cooling nozzle can, for example, have a gap height of 2.5 to 4.5 mm at the outlet. The cooling nozzle is preferably cooled to cool the exiting mass stream to 60 to 90 °C, preferably to 70 to 90 °C or up to 80 °C.

[0023] In general, the mass strand on the support can cool down, preferably by room air cooling, e.g. to 20 °C or higher, more preferably to 25 °C or higher, e.g. to 30 to 60 °C, e.g. a maximum of 50 °C.

[0024] Optionally, before rolling, grease or marinade is applied to the surface of the roller and / or the compound strand, e.g., by spraying. The grease or marinade, which can be aqueous, fatty, or an emulsion, can be pressed superficially into the compound strand and also reduce or prevent the compound strand from sticking to the roller.

[0025] Optionally, grease or marinade is applied, e.g. by spraying, to at least one surface, preferably at least the lower surface, preferably the lower and upper surfaces of the mass stream and / or the carrier, in an area immediately after the mass stream exits the cooling nozzle.

[0026] Generally, the cooling nozzle is preferably arranged above the support and configured so that the cooling nozzle deposits the mass strand onto the support, that the mass strand rests on the support with a surface extending in width, and projects above the support with its height.

[0027] The cutting of the material strand transversely to its longitudinal extent is achieved by rotating the strand by up to 90° relative to its longitudinal extent as it exists immediately after exiting the cooling nozzle, particularly on the carrier, and then cutting it transversely to the longitudinal extent as it existed immediately after exiting the cooling nozzle, or 90° to the angle of rotation. Rolling follows the cutting process.

[0028] Breaking the mass strand transversely to its longitudinal extent can be achieved, for example, by moving the mass strand over an edge arranged transversely to its longitudinal extent and parallel to its direction of movement, preferably with loading the mass strand before and / or after moving it over the edge onto the surface of the mass strand opposite the edge. The loading of the mass strand can be accomplished by rollers or pistons, preferably spring-loaded or weight-loaded. Optionally, rollers or pistons can load the mass strand by moving them against it in a timed sequence.

[0029] It has been shown that the strand of material swells only slightly or not at all when liquid marinade is applied, preferably after rolling, and its shape is essentially retained.

[0030] The process has the advantage that the resulting strands of mass, which contain no animal ingredients and whose protein content is essentially or entirely derived from plant-based ingredients, exhibit, at least after drying, a consistency, firm bite, and fiber structure similar to dried meat. Generally, the strands of mass produced according to the invention have a texture, also referred to here as a firm bite, which, when measured with a texture analyzer (e.g., TA-XT2, Stable Microsystems, UK), equipped with a Warner-Bratzler geometry, yields a measured value of 10 to 50 N. During the measurement with the texture analyzer, a V-shaped blade travels through a 2 cm wide sample at a speed of 2 mm / s. The maximum force required to cut the sample is recorded. A measurement result of 10–50 N was found to be characteristic for the strands of mass according to the invention.A total of 10 individual samples are preferably measured, and the average value is calculated. A further advantage of the strands produced by this method is their strength, which allows them to be tumbled with liquid marinade, e.g., in a horizontally rotating drum, without the strands being fragmented or subjected to significant abrasion. The marinade can be aqueous or oily, or an emulsion; alternatively, it can be in powder form, e.g., a dry mixture containing or consisting of spices such as oil, glucose, pepper, paprika, spices, garlic, salt, and optionally sugar.

[0031] Drying can be carried out at 20°C or higher, e.g., at least 20°C, at least 30°C, or at least 40°C, e.g., up to 80°C, preferably 30 to 60°C, optionally at a relative humidity of 50 to 70%, or at room temperature or under cooling, e.g., at 0 to 10°C or up to 5°C. Preferably, drying is carried out down to a certain temperature.W -value of at most or less than 0.88, preferably at most or less than 0.85 or at most or less than 0.8.

[0032] The plant-based protein sources can be, for example, pumpkin seed flour, cereal protein, in particular oat protein, broad bean protein, pea protein, or sunflower protein. Preferably, the plant-based protein sources are flours, protein concentrates, or protein isolates, e.g., flour, protein concentrate, or protein isolate from pumpkin seed flour, broad bean flour, pea protein, sunflower protein, or cereal protein isolate. A preferred protein mixture consists of pumpkin seed flour (protein content approx. 60 g / 100 g), sunflower protein (protein content approx. 48 g / 100 g), and pea protein (protein content approx. 82 g / 100 g) with a total protein content of 45 to 85 wt.%, e.g., 78 to 84 wt.%, preferably 81 wt.% protein, 6 wt.% glycerol, and additives, e.g., 6 wt.% tomato mixture, 3 wt.% caramel, and 4 wt.% salt. Generally, the plant-based protein sources can be liquid or, preferably, powdered.

[0033] Additives include flavorings, salt and colorings, e.g. liquid smoke or smoke flavoring, meat flavoring, caramel coloring, caramel, e.g. liquid or as powdered instant caramel, tomato paste, tomato mixture, vegetable colorings, spices, yeast extract, preferably excluding yeast extract.

[0034] Generally preferably, the bulk strand and optionally preferably the marinade do not contain any thickening agent, in particular no thickening agent from the group comprising or consisting of carbohydrate polymers, e.g. starch, modified starch, gums, e.g. guar gum, guar gum, cellulose, cellulose derivatives, carboxymethylcellulose, xanthan gum, pectin, alginate, locust bean gum, carrageenan and / or carrageenan.

[0035] The total protein content of the dry protein mixture is preferably around 50% by weight. If pumpkin seed flour is a component of the protein mixture, an additive such as instant caramel powder or caramel coloring is preferably included in a quantity sufficient to impart a brown color to the mixture.

[0036] Optionally, the protein mixture can contain plant fibers, e.g. pea fiber, apple fiber, cereal fiber.

[0037] Optionally, the protein mixture may contain added starch; preferably, the protein mixture contains no added starch but only the starch content naturally present in the vegetable proteins, which may be flour, protein concentrate, and / or protein isolate. Optionally, the protein mixture contains soy protein and / or wheat gluten; preferably, the protein mixture is free of soy protein and / or wheat gluten.

[0038] The fat may be selected from rapeseed oil, sunflower oil, olive oil, soybean oil, nut oil, cocoa butter, cottonseed oil, sesame oil, milk fat, butter and / or refined butterfat that is liquid above 20°C. Generally, the fat is preferred if it is liquid above 0°C and solid below 0°C.

[0039] The invention will now be described in more detail with an example and with reference to the figure, which schematically shows a device suitable for carrying out the method and the method itself.

[0040] The figure shows an extruder 1 with an inlet end 2 for feeding the protein mixture into the extruder 1, a first section 3 adjacent to the inlet end 2 with a first feed nozzle 4 connected thereto, through which water and additives are introduced. Downstream of the first section 3 is a second section 5 of the extruder 1, which is heated to a second temperature, and downstream of this is a third section of the extruder 6, which is heated to a third temperature. Downstream of this third extruder section is a fourth extruder section 7, which is cooled, and within or at the end of the fourth extruder section 7, or downstream of it, is a second feed nozzle 8 through which fat and preferably additives containing flavoring can be fed. Optionally, a fifth extruder section, which may also be cooled, is connected downstream of the fourth extruder section.A nozzle 10, preferably a cooling nozzle for cooling the material, is directly connected to the fifth extruder section 9. The nozzle 10 forms the material exiting the extruder into a strand of material with a height preferably of no more than 8 mm, which is placed onto a carrier 11. A cutting device or a breaking device 12, e.g., for breaking along an edge, can be provided to cut the strand of material. In the embodiment shown here, the strand of material is rolled by a roller 13, which is arranged downstream of the cutting device or the breaking device, so that the strand of material is first cut transversely to its longitudinal axis and the resulting sections are then rolled.

[0041] The extruder 1 preferably has two screws 14.

[0042] Example: Production of bulk strands based on plant protein. A protein mixture was blended from 27 wt% pumpkin seed flour, 27 wt% pea protein isolate, 27 wt% sunflower protein, 6 wt% glycerin, and the additives 4 wt% table salt, 3 wt% instant caramel (powdered), and 6 wt% spice mix (tomato flavor). This mixture was fed into the feed end of a single-screw extruder (e.g., Coperion), preferably a twin-screw extruder or a planetary roller extruder. In an alternative protein mixture, pumpkin seed flour was replaced by broad bean flour. In this case, the entire protein mixture, namely the plant proteins, glycerin, tomato, caramel, and salt, was fed into the feed end of the extruder.

[0043] Water containing smoke flavoring, in the same mass fraction as the protein mixture (corresponding to 49% by weight of the bulk strand), was continuously fed through a first feed nozzle located downstream shortly after the inlet end. The smoke flavoring was present in the water at a concentration of 0.03% to 0.13%.

[0044] Sunflower oil mixed with flavoring (meat flavoring) at a weight of 2% by weight was fed into the mass stream via a second feed nozzle located downstream of the first. The mixing ratio of oil to flavoring was 1:1.

[0045] The protein mixture made up 49% by weight of the bulk strand, the remainder being water and fat, which was present as a mixture with flavoring (meat flavoring).

[0046] In the downstream section of the extruder, heating was stepwise to 140 °C via heated jacket segments, followed by cooling in subsequent jacket segments to achieve a maximum melt temperature of 120 °C. A second feed nozzle was connected to a section following this jacket segment, through which a 1:1 wt / wt mixture of sunflower oil and meat flavoring was continuously added. The melt exited the extruder and immediately passed through a nozzle cooled by a cooling jacket. The nozzle had a rectangular outlet cross-section with a height of approximately 2.5 to 3 mm. The melt emerged from the nozzle as a strand, with a temperature of approximately 40 to 80 °C and a height of approximately 3 to 4 mm, which was determined by the height of the nozzle outlet cross-section depending on the throughput. The resulting melt strand was then processed after approximately...Strands 10 cm long were cut off and then rolled with a roller across the longitudinal extent of the sections of the mass strand, so that in just one pass the height was reduced to about 2 to 3 mm.

[0047] The rolled strand of mass was cut perpendicular to its longitudinal axis with a knife and preferably then coated with marinade (composed of tomato paste, water, oil, cane sugar, pepper, paprika powder) and dried to < 30% residual moisture and / or a W -value <0.85, until the marinade adhered primarily to the pieces of the divided strand of mass and did not stick to the fingers when touched.

[0048] Subsequent texture measurements using a Warner-Bratzler geometry revealed that the pieces of the mass strand required approximately 10-50 N to cut, and when tasted, they exhibited a firm bite and a fiber structure similar to dried strips of meat. Reference symbol list: 1 extruder 2 Incoming 3 first extruder section 4 first feed port 5 second extruder section 6 third extruder section 7 fourth extruder section 8 second feed nozzle 9 fifth extruder section 10 nozzles 11 carriers 12 Cutting device or breaking device 13 roller 14 snail

Claims

[1] Method for producing a bulk strand comprising the steps - Mixing at least two plant-based protein sources to produce a protein mixture, - Feeding the protein mixture into the feed end of an extruder, - Supplying water to the extruder through a first feed nozzle of the extruder, which is located downstream of the inlet end of the extruder, - wherein the protein mixture is heated to a temperature of 110 to 150 °C in a section of the extruder and subjected to pressure that prevents the formation of vapor bubbles, - Shaping the protein mass exiting the extruder by means of a cooling nozzle and depositing the protein mass exiting the cooling nozzle in the form of a longitudinal strand onto a carrier, wherein the cooling nozzle cools the strand to a maximum temperature of 95 °C and produces a strand of 3 to 5 mm in height, - Splitting the mass strand transversely to its longitudinal extent to produce mass strands split transversely to the longitudinal extent immediately after exiting the cooling nozzle, - Subsequent rolling, which takes place within 5 minutes after the extrusion of the mass strand from the cooling nozzle, of the mass strand laid on the carrier at an angle of up to 90° to the longitudinal extent of the mass strand to produce rolled mass strands, while the mass strand is cooled to a temperature of not less than 30°C, wherein the rolling is carried out until the height is reduced to 90% to 70% of the height that the mass strand has after being laid on the carrier, and - Drying of the mass strand and subsequent - Packaging is shown. [2] Method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized by that the plant-based protein sources are in powder form. [3] Method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized by, that the carrier in the area of ​​rolling is formed by a roller, so that the mass strand is loaded between a roller and a roller during rolling. [4] Method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized by that fat or marinade is applied to the strand of material and / or to the carrier before or after rolling. [5] Method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the rolling is carried out with a roller whose circumferential speed is higher or lower than the speed of the carrier and / or with a roller whose axis of rotation is parallel to the surface of the carrier and arranged at an angle of <90° to the longitudinal extent of the mass strand. [6] Method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized by that the extruder is a twin-screw extruder or a planetary roller extruder. [7] Method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized by, that grease or marinade is applied to the mass stream immediately after exiting the cooling nozzle. [8] Method according to claim 4 or claim 7, characterized by , that the bulk strand is dried after the application of marinade to a maximum water content of 30 wt.% or less, as determined for the bulk strand. [9] Method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized by , that vegetable fat, solid or liquid, is added to the protein mixture before the protein mixture is fed into the inlet end of the extruder. [10] Method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized by that the protein mixture contains at least 45% by weight of plant protein. [11] Method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized by, that a first portion of water is added to the protein mixture before it is fed into the inlet end of the extruder, and a second portion of water is supplied through the first feed nozzle, the sum of the first portion and the second portion of water yielding 35 to 55 wt% of the mass strand. [12] Method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized by , that additives flavorings, salt and / or colorings are supplied through the first feed nozzle and / or through a second feed nozzle located downstream of the first feed nozzle on the extruder. [13] Method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized by , that vegetable fat, liquid or solid, optionally additives, are fed through a second feed nozzle located downstream of the first feed nozzle on the extruder. [14] Method according to claim 13, characterized by, that the extruder is cooled in the section located immediately upstream of the second feed nozzle in order to cool the mass to a maximum temperature of 125 °C. [15] Method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized by , that 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. [16] Method according to claim 1, characterized by , that water and additives are supplied through the first feed nozzle of the extruder. [17] Mass strand obtainable by a method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the mass strand has a fiber structure and texture running parallel to its longitudinal extent, which in the measurement with a texture measuring device (TA-XT2, Stable Microsystems, UK) equipped with a Warner-Bratzler geometry shows a measured value of 10 to 50 N.

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