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Improve Processing of Plant-Based Proteins in the Manufacture of Meat Substitutes

Continuous-process systems are essential to preparation for plant-based meat substitute processing to maintain precise control over time, temperature, and moisture during hydration, cooking and cooling, de-flavoring, pouch cooling after pasteurization.

The Clean-Flow cooker-cooler addresses quick changeovers, and faster clean-up and turn-around time.
The Clean-Flow cooker-cooler addresses quick changeovers, and faster clean-up and turn-around time.

Inexpensive and widely available dry beans, lentils, and peas are a growing meat substitute choice as they are some of the most nutritionally-complete foods, being high in protein, fiber, and carbohydrates, and low in fat.

Market analysis prepared by The Good Food Institute and the Plant Based Foods Association–the trade association representing more than 160 plant-based food companies–reports that in 2019 the plant-based meat category was worth more than $939 million worldwide annually, with sales up 18.4% compared to the prior year, and more than 208 million units of plant-based meat were sold.

This success comes through achieving the desired taste and texture. Manufacturers prepare pulses through processes such as hydration, cooking, de-flavoring, pasteurization, and cooling. Varying product characteristics are achieved by altering these process conditions.

Continuous Processing

Continuous processing technology in the handling of pulses for cooking and cooling are beyond quality and throughput expectations of batch processes. Processing labor hours have reduced to a fraction of what batch systems require. 

Continuous process systems move pulses through an enclosed perforated drum, submerging the product in water and using an auger or screw to control dwell times. The pulses are hydrated, cooked, and cooled to the same degree throughout their movement in the drum from entry to exit, ensuring uniform first-in/first-out (FI/FO) processing and a consistent end product. Pre-programmed PLCs ensure precisely-controlled process and recipe management.

The conventional method of continuous process uses a rotary drum, where the enclosed auger/drum assembly rotates as one cylinder. A more recent continuous design has the auger rotating while residing within a stationary wedge-wire screen. 

The most advanced continuous-process systems provide a product damage rate of less than 1%. Supporting this is the development of two technologies that ensure more uniform processes and allow cookers and coolers to handle higher throughputs:

  • A gentle mechanical stirring action on the pulses as they progress through the machine
  • The Hydro-Flow system, which applies water injection, suspending the pulses more evenly across the width of the machine, uniformly treating each particle 

Lyco Manufacturing (Lyco), a manufacturer of commercial cooking and cooling systems for food processors, has developed much of these technological improvements, such as Hydro-Flow, and has resulted in more than 50% of the dry bean market adapting to continuous over batch systems. 

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New food packaging & processing solutions, all at PACK EXPO in Chicago
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New food packaging & processing solutions, all at PACK EXPO in Chicago