Lea Ventzki

Plant-based meat substitutes are usually produced using the dry extrusion process. This produces semi-finished products known as low moisture texturized vegetable proteins (LMTVPs). Currently, purified plant protein isolates or concentrates are mainly used for the production of meat substitutes. This cost-intensive process produces by-products that cannot always be further processed in the value chain, but which contain nutritionally valuable ingredients such as dietary fiber. In order to use native, protein-rich legume flours for the extrusion process, a mechanistic understanding of the influence of protein, starch, and fiber content on the expansion behavior in the extrusion process is required.

The aim of this work is to investigate the influence of individual factors on protein functionalities by specifically varying formulation and process parameters in the model system. The mechanical and thermal conditions of the extrusion process are predominantly represented using the closed cavity rheometer.