Device and method for producing structured food products, in particular meat substitute products

Abstract

The invention relates to a device and a method for producing structured food products, in particular meat products and / or meat substitute products, wherein the device has a housing with an inlet for a base mass flow, an outlet for the structured food products and a structuring device for producing a defined structure formed by an additional mass in the base mass, wherein the structuring device comprises: a first portion with at least one opening for the base mass flow for producing at least one base mass strand, a second portion with a plurality of channels which are connected to inlets for respective additional mass flows that are distributed in particular around the circumference of the housing and guide the additional mass flow to a respective specified position of the housing cross-section, and a third portion with a plurality of outlet openings which are connected to respective channels in order to produce a plurality of additional mass strands.

Description

[0001] Device and method for producing structured foodstuffs, in particular meat substitutes

[0002] The invention relates to a device and a method for producing structured food products according to claims 1 and 13.

[0003] In the production of meat substitutes or a combination of animal and non-animal products, for example, plant-based products, pasty, plant-based masses, often containing fibers, are shaped either manually or mechanically, and appropriate structures are added. These products are modeled as realistically as possible on an animal-based counterpart in both their external geometry and their cross-section. In addition to the red muscle meat, these counterparts also feature clearly visible fat structures.

[0004] These fat structures are found both within the muscle fibers (intramuscular fine marbling) and in larger, defined structures between the muscle strands (coarse structuring). These coarse structures significantly shape the appearance of a meat substitute and are essential for faithfully imitating animal-derived analogues.

[0005] The defined fat structures represent specific cuts of an animal, e.g. rump steak, hip, rib, etc. The aim is to recreate the shape, thickness, percentage of fat, and thus the entire meat structure.

[0006] So-called co-extrusion processes are already used in the state of the art, by means of which an inner and an outer mass can be extruded simultaneously, for example to produce sausage products with cheese filling or vegan bacon.

[0007] The disadvantage of conventional coextrusion devices is that they cannot produce precisely defined structures, especially fine ones. Applications of conventional coextrusion nozzles are primarily suitable for the mono-production of very specific products with a defined nature of the media to be extruded. Flexible adaptation of structures is not possible.

[0008] Based on this, the present invention seeks to provide an improved device and an improved method that enable coarse and fine structures to be produced in a food product in a simple, continuous, and flexible manner. According to the invention, this object is achieved by the features of claims 1 and 13.

[0009] According to the present invention, the apparatus for producing structured foodstuffs comprises a housing with an inlet for a base mass flow and an outlet for the structured foodstuff.

[0010] The housing can then be connected, for example, via the inlet to the outlet of a filling machine or another conveying device. The housing has a structuring device for creating a defined structure of an additional mass in the base mass. For this purpose, the structuring device comprises a first section with at least one opening for the base mass flow to generate at least one base mass strand. This means that the base mass flow is either left as a single flow or is divided into several sub-flows, such that several base mass strands are generated, which are spaced apart from one another when viewed in the cross-section of the housing.

[0011] The structuring device further comprises a second section with a plurality of channels connected to inlets for respective additional mass flows. The inlets are arranged, in particular, distributed around the circumference of the housing. Thus, the additional mass flow can be guided via the channels to predetermined positions within the housing cross-section. These positions are located outside the base mass strand(s).

[0012] The structuring device further comprises a third section with a plurality of outlet openings that are connected to respective channels to produce a plurality of additional mass strands. This means that the additional mass exits via the respective outlet openings at the predetermined positions and produces the respective additional mass strands. The outlet openings are preferably located in a plane that extends perpendicular to the flow direction in the structuring device. Thus, the housing contains a plurality of individual strands of base mass and additional mass that can be applied to one another to form the structured meat substitute product. Both the produced base mass strand and the additional mass strands move in the flow direction, i.e., toward the outlet of the housing.By selecting the positions of the channels, the outlet openings, and the position of the opening(s) for the base mass flow, any desired structure can be easily created. A corresponding device is robust, simple, and cost-effective to manufacture. According to a preferred embodiment, a fourth section with several openings is provided, through which the additional mass strands can be recombined, creating a defined overall structure. Depending on the product, the use of a fourth section may also be omitted.

[0013] According to a preferred embodiment, the housing has an extrusion guide after the structuring device, i.e. in particular after the third or fourth section, in which extrusion guide the base and additional mass strands are placed on one another, i.e. the base and additional mass are joined together without any air inclusions. The inner contour of the extrusion guide essentially corresponds to the outer contour of the food. The contour has the shape of a steak, for example. The extrusion guide can be designed either as a straight forming section with a substantially constant cross-sectional area in the interior or as a compressing forming section such that the food is compressed, i.e. slightly tapered, after exiting the structuring device, i.e. in particular the third or fourth section. In this case, the cross-sectional area in the interior of the extrusion guide decreases, for example.A compressing forming section can lead to better adhesion of the different product phases, i.e., the base mass and the additional mass. Depending on the product, a corresponding extrusion guide may be omitted, especially if the food is extruded into a casing, e.g., artificial casing. The individual strands are then compressed within the casing. An expanding forming section is also conceivable to reduce the pressure in the product, if necessary.

[0014] The extruded food can then be transferred to a conveyor belt, a filling device for artificial casings, or a portioning system. Manual portioning and removal is also possible. The food can then also be cut into individual slices, for example.

[0015] According to a preferred embodiment, the sections are designed in the form of several adjacent plates arranged one behind the other in the direction of flow. Each section can be implemented in a separate plate or several sections can be integrated into one plate, e.g. the first and second sections in one plate or the second and third sections in one plate. Alternatively, instead of the individual plates, a single, for example 3D-printed component can be used as the structuring device, with the internal channels and openings for the at least one basic mass flow and for the several additional mass flows. The use of several plates is particularly advantageous, however, since the plate structure allows customer-specific structural requirements to be implemented cost-effectively with simple components. For this purpose, the plates are preferably arranged interchangeably in the housing.This makes it easy to implement customized solutions without major remodeling. New structures can be created simply by replacing a few components. The positions of the additional mass inlets remain the same.

[0016] According to a preferred embodiment, the first section can be designed as a matrix plate having at least one opening for the matrix flow, so that at least one matrix strand can be produced. The second section can be designed as a so-called printed circuit board having at least one opening for the matrix strand produced in the matrix plate, as well as the channels that guide the additional mass flow from the inlets to respective predetermined positions in the plate cross-section. The third section can be designed as an outlet plate having at least one opening for the at least one produced matrix strand, as well as the plurality of outlet openings that are connected to the respective channels at the predetermined positions in order to produce the additional mass strands.

[0017] Optionally, a fourth section can be provided, designed as a mold plate having at least one opening for the at least one base mass strand produced in the previous plates, as well as several openings through which the additional mass strands can be combined. This means, for example, that two or more additional mass strands can be recombined into one additional mass strand to obtain a structure that extends elongatedly in the cross-section of the food.

[0018] According to a preferred embodiment, the channels are openings, e.g., slots in the plate, in particular the printed circuit board, extending to the periphery of the respective plate, which are closed from both sides by adjacent plates, in particular the matrix plate and the outlet plate. This allows for the simple realization of internal channels. This also makes it easy to form very thin channels, with the thickness of the printed circuit board being, for example, in a range of 6 mm - 20 mm, or with a cross-sectional area of ​​the respective channel being in a range of 5 mm. 2 up to 150mm 2 have.

[0019] According to a preferred embodiment, the plates, in particular the matrix plate, the circuit board, and the outlet plate, have a plurality of openings for producing a plurality of base mass strands, wherein one of the plates, in particular the circuit board, has webs between the openings and the channels extend within the webs. Thus, the additional mass structures can be arranged both externally and internally in the finished food product.

[0020] The device has at least one device for supplying the additional mass flows, e.g. a feed pump, in particular a feed pump of a filling machine. The device for supplying the additional mass flows preferably has at least one filling flow divider which divides one additional mass flow into several additional mass flows in corresponding sub-lines, wherein the sub-lines are connected to the inlets in order to feed the multiple internal channels with additional mass without different flow resistances being able to influence the mass outlet from the different outlets. As a result, the additional mass is forcibly guided in the channels with different flow resistances and has a defined volume flow for each channel that remains constant across all channels. This makes the system mass-independent - the structural injection is not influenced by different flow properties and viscosities of the pasty masses used.This eliminates the need for the operator to adjust the system when changing the masses. The use of a fill flow divider can be omitted if the geometry of the individual channels is defined such that the flow resistances are virtually identical across all channels. This can be achieved through a simulation study or by using appropriate throttle valves on or before the respective inlets. In any case, the use of a fill flow divider allows greater freedom in the design of the channels and the resulting structures.

[0021] It is also possible for the device to have multiple devices for feeding different additive masses to different inlets. Different materials can then be added, allowing the resulting structures to become even more complex.

[0022] According to a preferred embodiment, the plates are secured in the housing by a clamping element. The plates are pressed tightly against one another. This seals the plates against each other in such a way that no additional seal is necessary, for example, for the channels.

[0023] The housing preferably has a first housing section in which the plates are arranged, wherein the plates and the extrusion guide are fixed in the first housing section via the clamping element. This means that the extrusion guide advantageously adjoins the housing section. The invention also relates to a filling machine with a device for producing structured food products according to at least one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the filling machine has a hopper, a conveyor, and an outlet connected to the inlet of the device. This means that there can be a filling machine for the base mass and optionally also a filling machine for the additional mass.

[0024] Advantageously, the ratio of the base mass flow to the respective additional mass flows can then be adjusted. It is particularly advantageous if the flow velocities of the base mass strand(s) and the additional mass strand(s) are the same, especially if these strands are then combined in an extrusion guide. This allows for reliably creating predetermined structures without mass buildup. However, it can also be advantageous to use different flow velocities of the two mass phases, for example, to elongate the additional mass strands by using lower flow velocities than the base mass. This allows for the creation of very delicate, defined structures.

[0025] According to the method according to the invention for producing structured foods, a base mass flow is fed into a housing, and at least one base mass strand is generated in the housing in a first section. Via several inlets, which are distributed in particular around the circumference of the housing, several additional mass flows are fed to several channels in a second section. In a third section, the additional mass flows exit the channels via corresponding outlet openings, thereby generating several additional mass flows. The additional mass strands are preferably recombined in a fourth section.

[0026] According to a preferred embodiment, the produced base mass strands and additional mass strands are placed next to one another after the structuring device, in particular after the third or fourth section, so that the food product is produced. For this purpose, an extrusion guide can be provided, in particular, as described above.

[0027] Advantageously, the sections are designed as several adjacent plates arranged one behind the other in the direction of flow. The plates can be exchanged to create a specific structure.

[0028] The present invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the following figures. Figure 1 shows a rough schematic of two filling machines with a device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] Fig. 2 shows schematically a longitudinal section through an embodiment according to the present invention.

[0030] Fig. 3 shows an exploded view of the plate structure of the structuring device according to the embodiment shown in Fig. 2.

[0031] Fig. 4 shows schematically a longitudinal section and a plan view of the different plates according to the embodiment shown in Figures 2 and 3.

[0032] Fig. 5 shows the top view of the device according to the invention at the exit of the base mass strands and additional mass strands before entering the extrusion guide according to the embodiment shown in Figs. 2-4.

[0033] Fig. 6 shows a section of the embodiment shown in Figures 2-5 in perspective view.

[0034] Fig.7 shows the food produced with the previously described embodiment.

[0035] Fig. 1 schematically shows two filling machines 100, 13 with a device 1 for producing structured foodstuffs, in particular meat substitutes. Device 1 makes it possible to produce structured foodstuffs 2, in particular meat substitutes. These products are modeled as realistically as possible on the animal-based reference product in both their external geometry and their cross-section. In addition to the red muscle meat, these reference products also have clearly visible fat structures. Fig. 7 schematically shows the structure of such a meat substitute product with a base mass 5 corresponding to the muscle meat and an additional mass 6 corresponding to a fat structure.

[0036] For this purpose, the device has a housing 3 with an inlet 4 for a base mass flow G, which is generated, for example, by the filling machine 100, as shown in Fig. 1. Furthermore, the housing has an outlet 8 for the structured food 2, i.e. the base mass 5 into which an additional mass 6 has been introduced. Located in the housing 3 is a structuring device 18 for generating the defined structure of the additional mass 6 in the base mass 5. For this purpose, the structuring device 18 has a first section 9 with at least one opening 16 for the base mass flow G, which is shown hatched in Fig. 2. In this exemplary embodiment, the first section 9 is designed as a plate, in particular as a matrix plate 9, as can also be seen from Figs. 3, 4 and 6.The die plate 9 has at least one opening, here several, in particular three openings 16, through which the matrix flow G is forced to produce at least one matrix strand 5, in this embodiment, for example, three matrix strands. Fig. 6 shows the three matrix flows after passing through the structuring device 16. The cross-sectional area of ​​an opening for the matrix flow is, for example, in a range of 3 - 400 cm. 2 .

[0037] Furthermore, the device has a second section 10, here e.g. in the form of a plate, in particular the circuit board 10, which lies tightly against the die plate 9. The second section has a plurality of channels 19 which are connected to inlets 7 for respective additional mass flows Z. The inlets 7 are arranged distributed in particular around the circumference of the circuit board 10 and around the circumference of the housing, as can be seen in particular from Fig. 6 and Fig. 3. The additional mass flow can, for example, as will be explained below, be supplied by a supply device, in particular the filling machine 13. The channels 19 can guide the respective additional mass flow inwards to a respective predetermined point of the housing cross-section, as can be seen in particular from Fig. 2, but also from Figs. 3, 4 and 6.

[0038] The channels 19 are formed as openings or slots in the circuit board 10 and can have a widening section at the outer end for an inlet connection. The cross-sectional area of ​​a channel 19 is, for example, in the range of 5 mm 2 up to 150 mm 2 . Between the openings 16, webs are formed, with the channels 19 extending into the webs, as can be seen particularly in Figs. 3 and 4. Furthermore, the circuit board 10 also has the openings 16, which are preferably congruent with the openings 16 in the die plate 9. The position at which the additional mass is supplied can be between the individual strands of base mass, but also in the outer edge region of the entire extruded food product 2.

[0039] Furthermore, the structuring device 16 comprises a third section 11, in particular in the form of an outlet plate 11 with a plurality of outlet openings 28, as can be seen in particular, for example, in Figs. 3 and 4. These outlet openings 28 are connected to the respective channels 19 at the predetermined mm ten positions. This allows additional mass strands 6 to be created, which also move in the direction of flow. Furthermore, the third section or the outlet plate 11 also has at least one opening 16 for the at least one base mass strand created in the previous plates. The outlet openings of the outlet plate 11 allow the elongated extension of the additional mass to be defined in the cross-section of the food product.

[0040] The outlet plate 11 and the die plate 9 each lie tightly against the circuit board 10 in such a way that the channels are sealed, as can be seen in particular in Fig. 6.

[0041] Optionally, a fourth section, in particular a mold plate 12, is provided, which also has at least one opening 16 for the at least one base mass strand G produced in the previous plates, as well as several openings 27, via which the additional mass strands 6 can be recombined in order to thus produce larger contiguous areas.

[0042] Fig. 5 shows the top view of the extruded base mass strands 5 and additional mass strands 6 after leaving the structuring device 18, i.e. here, for example, a third or fourth section or after leaving the outlet plate 11 or the mold plate 12. As can be seen, for example, in this exemplary embodiment, there are still cavities between the base mass strands 5 and the additional mass strands 6. Depending on the further processing of the extruded foodstuff 2, according to a preferred embodiment, viewed in the direction of flow, the housing 3 can then have an extrusion guide 13 after the structuring device, in particular after the third or fourth section, in which the base mass and additional mass strands can lie against one another without air inclusions, as shown in Figures 2, 3 and 6. The inner contour of the extrusion guide 13 essentially corresponds to the outer contour of the foodstuff 2.The extrusion guide 13 is designed either as a straight forming section with a substantially constant cross-sectional area or as a compressing forming section, such that the food product is compressed and thus solidified upon exiting the structuring device, ie, in this case, the third or fourth section. An expansion of the forming section is also possible.

[0043] Fig. 6 shows the device 1 in the assembled state, wherein it can be clearly seen that the individual plates 9, 10, 11, 12 are laid flat on top of one another and are fixed in the housing 3 with a clamping element 20. The pre-tensioning of the clamping element 20 ensures that the plates are sealed off from one another and from the outside. Here, the extrusion guide 13 is, for example, part of the housing 3. The housing 3 can, for example, have a first housing section 30 in which the plates 9, 10, 11, 12 are arranged, wherein the plates and the extrusion guide 13 are fixed in the first housing section 30 via the clamping element 20. The housing parts, in this case the housing section 30 and the extrusion guide, can also be pressed together by the clamping element 20 in such a way that the housing is sealed off from the outside.

[0044] The plates 9, 10, 11, 12 are arranged interchangeably in the housing 3. In this specific embodiment, by loosening the clamping element 20, the extrusion guide 13 can be removed from the housing section 30 and at least one plate of the plate set can be replaced. This allows the structures in the food 2 to be varied in a simple manner. See also Fig. 2.

[0045] As can be seen in particular from Fig. 1, the device can comprise at least one device for supplying the additional mass flow Z, e.g. a filling machine 13 with a hopper and a conveyor 26, which preferably has at least one filling flow divider 14 which divides an additional mass flow into a plurality of additional mass flows Z in corresponding partial lines 15a to 15n, wherein the partial lines, e.g. in the form of hoses, are connected to the inlets 7a to 7n. Corresponding filling flow dividers are known from the prior art and have respective metering elements 36a to 36n which generate a predetermined volume flow. Advantageously, the metering elements 36a-36n generate a volume flow that is the same in all partial lines 15a to 15n.By using the filling flow divider 14, the additional mass is forced into the channels 19 with different flow resistances and has a defined volume flow for each channel 19 that remains constant across all channels 19. This makes the system mass-independent. This also allows different plates to be used without the volume flow having to be adjusted to account for different flow resistances in the channels. This also means that changing the masses and / or plates does not require any adjustment of the system by the operator. The use of a filling flow divider 14 can be dispensed with if the geometry of the individual channels 19 is defined such that the flow resistances are almost identical across all channels. This can be achieved, for example, through a simulative investigation.Alternatively, throttle valves can be provided for the respective inlets to adjust the volume flow.

[0046] Otherwise, the additional mass would be ejected mainly at the points where the flow resistance is low.

[0047] According to the invention, even very fine strands and structures can be produced. As can be seen from Fig. 1, the device also comprises a filling machine 100 with a hopper 17 and a conveyor 180, which feeds the base mass flow G to the device 1 via a line 35.

[0048] It is also possible for the device, as shown in Fig. 1, for example, to have a plurality of devices for supplying different additional masses to different inlets. In this way, different colors and other structures can also be produced using different additional masses 6. Advantageously, the ratio of the base mass flow G to the respective additional mass flows Z is adjustable, e.g. via the volume flow set on the filling machine 100 or via the volume flow set on the filling machine 13 and the filling flow divider 14. The volume flows of the base mass flow G and the individual additional mass flows Z can preferably be adjusted such that the flow velocities of the base mass strand produced and the additional mass strands in the housing are essentially the same. To produce very thin structures, a reduced flow velocity of the additional mass may be necessary.This causes it to be "stretched out".

[0049] According to the method according to the invention, a base mass flow G is fed into a housing 3, and at least one base mass strand 5 is produced in the housing 3 in a first section 9. Via a plurality of inlets 7, which are distributed in particular in a ring shape around the circumference of the housing 3, a plurality of additional mass flows are fed to a plurality of channels 19 in a second section 10. In a third section 11, the additional mass flows can exit the channels 19 via corresponding outlet openings 28, thereby producing a plurality of additional mass strands. The outlet openings are preferably located in a plane extending perpendicular to the flow direction in the structuring device. Preferably, the mass strands 6 are recombined in a fourth section 12. The produced base mass strands and additional mass strands can subsequently be joined together in an extrusion guide 13 without any air inclusions.As previously described, the sections 9, 10, 11, 12 are formed by several adjacent plates arranged one behind the other in the direction of flow.

[0050] To create a new structure, these plates, or at least one of the plates, is replaced.

[0051] Following the device 1, the food product 2 can be transported away, for example, as shown in Fig. 1, via a conveyor belt 23 and optionally cut into individual sections. However, it is also possible for the food product 2 to be ejected into a sausage casing or intestine. For this purpose, a filling tube can be arranged downstream of the device 1 in the flow direction, onto which tube, for example, a sausage casing is gathered and the food product 2 is ejected into the intestine in a known manner. In this exemplary embodiment, a compressing extrusion guide 13 can then be dispensed with.

[0052] The present invention has been described in detail with the corresponding plates 9, 10, 11, 12. Alternatively, instead of the individual plates, a 3D-printed component with the corresponding first, second, and third (optionally fourth) sections can be used. It is also possible for the plates to be partially combined, i.e., for one plate to have multiple sections.

[0053] The geometry of the plates with the corresponding openings is customer-specific and can be used for both structuring vegan meat alternatives and shaping meat products, etc. Mashed potatoes, yogurt, cheese, etc. can be used as the base mass. Marinade, colored food mass, etc. can be used as the additional mass. However, the use of other pasty masses to produce defined patterns or shapes, such as ice cream products, dough products, or dairy products, is also possible. The plate stack can be expanded in the same way, allowing 2 - n additional masses to be added to the process.

[0054] Fig. 7 shows a roughly schematic cross-section through the food 2 produced with the embodiments described above. The base mass 5 and the additional mass 6 can be clearly seen, which correspond to a realistic replica of a steak.

Claims

Claims 1. A device (1) for producing structured foodstuffs (2), in particular animal products and / or meat substitutes, comprising a housing (3) with an inlet for a base mass flow (G) and an outlet for the structured foodstuff (2), and with a structuring device (18) for generating a defined structure of an additional mass (6) in the base mass (5), wherein the structuring device comprises: a first section (9) with at least one opening (16) for the base mass flow (G) for generating at least one base mass strand (5), a second section (10) with a plurality of channels (19) connected to inlets (7) for respective additional mass flows (Z), which are distributed in particular around the circumference of the housing (3) and guide the additional mass flow (Z) to a respective predetermined position of the housing cross-section, and a third section (11) with a plurality of outlet openings (28),which are connected to the respective channels (19) to generate several additional mass strands (6)., 2. Device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the device also has a fourth section (12) with several openings (27) via which the additional mass strands (6) can be recombined.

3. Device (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that viewed in the direction of flow, the housing (3) has an extrusion guide (13) after the structuring device (18), in which the base and additional mass strands are placed against one another, wherein preferably the inner contour of the extrusion guide (13) essentially corresponds to the outer contour of the food (2) and which is designed either as a straight forming section with an essentially constant cross-sectional area or as a compressing forming section, such that the food (2) is compressed after exiting the structuring device (18) or as an expanding forming section such that the food (2) can expand after exiting the structuring device (18).

4. Device (1) according to at least one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the sections (9, 10, 11, 12) are designed in the form of several adjacent plates arranged one behind the other in the direction of flow, which are preferably arranged interchangeably in the housing (3).

5. Device (1) according to claim 4, characterized in that the first section (9) is designed as a die plate (9) having at least one opening (16) for the base mass flow (G), the second section (10) is designed as a circuit board (10) having at least one opening (16) for the at least one base mass strand (5) produced in the die plate, as well as the channels (19) that guide the additional mass flow (Z) from the inlets (7) to respective predetermined positions in the plate cross-section, and the third section (11) is designed as an outlet plate (11) having at least one opening (16) for the at least one base mass strand (5) produced in the previous plates, as well as the plurality of outlet openings (28) that are connected to the respective channels (19) at the predetermined positions in order to produce the additional mass strands (6), and preferably the fourth section (12) is designed as a mold plate (12),which has at least one opening (16) for the at least one base mass strand (5) produced in the previous plates, as well as several openings (27) through which the additional mass strands can be recombined., 6. Device (1) according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the channels (19) are formed as openings in a plate, in particular the printed circuit board (10), which are closed from both sides by adjacent plates, in particular the matrix plate (9) and the outlet plate (11), wherein the channels (19) preferably have a cross-sectional area in a range of 5 mm 2 up to 150 mm 2 have.

7. Device (1) according to at least one of claims 4 or 5 or 6, characterized in that the plates, in particular the matrix plate (9), the circuit board (10) and the outlet plate (11), have a plurality of openings (16) for producing a plurality of base mass strands (5), wherein one of the plates, in particular the circuit board (10), has webs between the openings (16) and the channels (19) extend in the webs.

8. Device (1) according to at least one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the device (1) comprises at least one device (13) for supplying the additional mass flows (6), which preferably has at least one filling flow divider (14) which divides an additional mass flow into a plurality of additional mass flows (10) in corresponding partial lines (15), wherein the partial lines (15) are connected to the inlets (7).

9. Device (1) according to at least one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the device (1) has several devices for supplying different additional masses to different inlets (7).

10. Device (1) according to at least claim 4, characterized in that the plates are fixed in the housing (3) via a clamping element (20), wherein in particular the pretension of the clamping element (20) ensures the sealing of the plates to one another and wherein preferably the housing (3) has a first housing section (30) in which the plates are arranged, wherein the plates and the extrusion guide (13) are fixed in the first housing section (30) via the clamping element (20).

11. Filling machine (100) with a device for producing structured food products (2) according to at least one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the filling machine (100) has a hopper (17), a conveyor (180) and an outlet connected to the inlet (4) of the device.

12. Filling machine (100) according to claim 11, characterized in that the ratio of the basic mass flow (G) to the respective additional mass flows (Z) is adjustable.

13. A method for producing structured food products (2), in particular with a filling machine (100) according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that a base mass flow is fed into a housing (3) and in the housing (3) in a first section^) at least one base mass strand (G) is produced and via a plurality of inlets (7), which are distributed in particular around the circumference of the housing (3), a plurality of additional mass flows (6) are fed to a plurality of channels (19) in a second section (10), wherein in a third section (11) the additional mass flows (Z) exit from the channels (19) via corresponding outlet openings (28), whereby a plurality of additional mass strands (6) are produced and preferably in a fourth section (12) the additional mass strands (6) are recombined.

14. Method according to claim 13, characterized in that, viewed in the direction of flow, after the structuring device (18), in particular after the third or fourth section, the base and additional mass strands are placed against one another in an extrusion guide (13).

15. Method according to at least one of claims 13 or 14, characterized in that the sections are designed in the form of several adjacent plates arranged one behind the other in the direction of flow, and the plates are exchanged to produce a specific structure.

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