Phase mapping & processing of plant proteins
Plant proteins including isolates and concentrates are common starting ingredients of meat and dairy alternatives. Such alternatives of analogues are increasingly popular because of their environmental sustainability and as they fit with a modern lifestyle.
The phase behavior of plant proteins is poorly understood in the concentrated states that are relevant for meat and dairy analogues. Plant proteins, for instance from soy, pea, chickpea and beans, have very unusual properties: they are often tightly folded, highly hydrophobic and need careful control to bring out the desired properties during processing. Commercially important proteins such as soy, pea, lupin and less utilized sources including navy beans, pinto beans, black beans and red beans all have different properties that impact their performance in applications, such as high-moisture meat analogues (HMMAs).
Our research focuses on developing a fundamental understanding of the phase behavior of these plant proteins in concentrated states based on their phase and state transitions, molecular organization, physicochemical analysis and rheology.
We have a unique line up of processing technologies, from microcompounding, enabling the processing of purified protein fractions at the gram scale, to lab-scale twin-screw extrusion (100 g – 5 kg) to pilot-scale extrusion (10 – 100 kg). We furthermore extensively consult industry on large-scale extrusion processing.