Bühler has launched the PolyCool 1000, a high-performance cooling die that, together with an extruder, can create fibrous textures for plant-based meat or fish alternatives. 

The system is positioned as an industrial-scale, efficient and flexible solution for food producers to meet the rapidly growing demand for sustainable proteins.

“With the PolyCool 1000, customers can achieve high-capacity production, bringing down costs and making meat substitutes more affordable,” says Christoph Vogel, head of market segment proteins and ingredients at Bühler. 

“As the market shifts to more plant-based diets, fueled by consumers’ growing interest in health, sustainability and ethical concerns, the PolyCool 1000 supports food producers in grasping this opportunity.” 

The launch closely follows Bühler’s partnership with German food science researchers at the German Institute of Food Technologies (DIL) to support start-ups and customers to produce “next-gen” extruded meat alternatives. 

Achieving meat-like textures
Extrusion is a versatile process that can be applied to a wide range of plant-based raw materials to create products that mimic meat in terms of fiber structure, color, texture and taste. 

An integral part of the process is the cooling die. 

Cooling dies work with extrusion technology to enable the creation of meat or fish substitutes with textures that closely resemble animal-based meat products such as chicken, fish, or beef. 

With the PolyCool 1000 cooling die in combination with an extruder, it is possible to produce wet-textured proteins based on a wide range of raw materials. 

Soy, pulses, oilseeds, upcycled side streams, such as brewers’ spent grains, as well as newer ingredients such as microalgae, can be processed at throughputs of up to 1,000 kg per hour.

Flexibility at scale
The PolyCool 1000 enables the production of products of different shapes and structures while meeting the standards required by industrial-scale production. 

The individual cooling circuits can each be controlled independently to determine the product’s final texture.

The high-capacity cooling die can withstand pressures of up to 50 bar as it cools down the melt from some 150 degrees Celsius to below boiling point. 

Spotlight on plant-based
As spotlighted in Innova Market Insights’ second Top Ten Trend for 2021, “Plant-Forward,” meat alternatives are diversifying and becoming even more sophisticated.

To meet the nutritional needs of the world’s growing population, proteins derived from plants are expected to play a key role in driving nutritional diversity. 

Last month, Beyond Meat entered into a joint venture with PepsiCo called PLANeT Partnership to accelerate plant-based snacks and beverages. 

Moreover, sources of alternative proteins are multiplying, with fava, hybrids and insects also gaining traction.