Plant-Based Protein Extrudate Sorting for Fibrous Consistency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for producing plant-based proteinaceous food items with a fibrous structure face challenges in maintaining consistency due to unpredictable process instabilities, resulting in inconsistent properties and a lack of natural appearance, which are exacerbated by unreliable parameter adjustments in extruding devices.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus comprising an extruding device, separating device, and sorting station, equipped with sensors and actuators, to produce non-identical food pieces with irregular cuts and allow for quality control through sorting based on physical properties, enabling precise classification and reprocessing of inconsistent pieces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If simple and smooth cutting machines are used to cut proteinaceous fibrous structures, then the cutting process is simple and efficient, but the resulting food items lack sufficient fibrosity and appear unnatural
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical cutting machines with a high-pressure water jet system. The water jet, generated at pressures of 100-500 bar, substitutes the mechanical blade cutting action with fluid dynamics-based cutting, enabling precise cutting while preserving the fibrous structure of plant-based protein products without the compressive deformation caused by mechanical blades
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs hydraulic principles by using high-pressure water jets to perform the cutting operation. The water jet system utilizes hydraulic pressure (100-500 bar) to achieve cutting through the proteinaceous material, providing a non-contact cutting method that maintains the natural fibrous appearance while enabling efficient production
2Manufacturing precision
If high-pressure water jet cutting is used to preserve fibrous structure, then the fibrous appearance is maintained, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the water jet system to serve multiple functions: cutting the proteinaceous material, shaping the food items, and preserving the fibrous structure. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate processing steps and equipment, thereby mitigating the complexity increase despite using advanced high-pressure water jet technology
3Manufacturing precision
If process parameters of extruding device are adjusted to control fibrosity, then the fibrosity can be controlled, but the method becomes unreliable due to raw material fluctuations and process instabilities
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback-controlled water jet system where process parameters (water pressure, flow rate, cutting speed) are dynamically adjusted based on real-time monitoring of the proteinaceous material properties. This feedback mechanism compensates for raw material fluctuations and process instabilities, ensuring consistent fibrous structure preservation regardless of variations in the extruded material
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes precise control of water jet parameters (pressure ranging from 100-500 bar, flow rate, nozzle distance) to adapt to variations in the proteinaceous material. By dynamically changing these parameters, the system maintains reliable and consistent cutting quality and fibrous structure preservation despite fluctuations in raw material properties or extrusion process conditions
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The apparatus ensures consistent quality by reducing inconsistencies in fibrous food pieces, providing a more natural appearance and controlled output, enhancing the reliability and efficiency of the production process.
Implementation Method 1
Meat alternatives which have a fibrous structure, such as plant-based chicken pieces, have also been proposed, e.g., by high moisture extrusion cooking (HMEC) or shear cell (SC) processing, in which proteins are molten under relatively high temperature, relatively high pressure and at moisture contents of 40-80%
Implementation Method 2
a "local" inner structure may vary over a flow profile, i.e., an orientation of an inner fiber structure, meaning that depending on where the separating device impacts the extrudate, the extrudate may separate non-uniformly
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to an apparatus for processing plant-based proteinaceous food items, including at least one extruding device configured to provide at least one plant-based proteinaceous extrudate, at least one separating device configured to separate the extrudate into a plurality of food pieces and at least one sorting station configured for sorting the food pieces based on one or more criteria.The present invention further relates to a set of food items produced from at least one plant-based proteinaceous extrudate and a method of processing plant-based proteinaceous food items.