Creating optimized meat substitutes with precision servo motors

Precise microdosing and integrated energy monitoring as the basis of pioneering meat replacement technology

Consumption of plant-based protein products, including meat substitutes, is growing significantly. This is partly due to the well-documented health benefits, such as extra fiber, vitamins and nutrients, but also because a plant-based diet contains fewer calories and fat. From a societal perspective, water consumption is lower and less land is needed, which increases efficiency. And greenhouse gas emissions also tend to be lower, contributing to a more sustainable image.

Yet it is challenging for food producers to accurately mimic the texture and taste of the meat products they want to replace. As a result, traditional meat eaters are often not convinced to make the switch. In this area, Dutch Structuring Technology (DST) is taking the lead as a key player in breaking the existing system.

DST, based in Wageningen, the Netherlands, was founded to bring to market the next generation of plant-based meat and fish substitutes with long fiber structures. It does this using new technologies and production techniques designed to outperform existing processes in terms of taste, flexibility and scalability.

Challenge

Many current methods of processing and modifying plant proteins are based on older, energy-intensive extrusion technologies that were not originally developed for these types of ingredients. As a result, many leading meat substitute manufacturers are looking for the next big breakthrough.
Extrusion has several drawbacks, including quality variations due to machine and parameter changes, high energy consumption, which increases finished product costs, and ingredient degradation due to high pressure and temperatures. In some cases, polysaccharides and antioxidants are added to counteract flavor changes.

To truly compete, new technologies and associated products must not only create textures and flavors that more closely match those of real meat, but also do so at a competitive price. Moreover, processes that seek to deliver consistent and widely accepted products require exceptionally precise control and monitoring to minimize quality variations that may deter consumers from plant-based alternatives.

Solution

DST's new SHEARTEX process is the innovation food producers have been looking for: it delivers products with a texture closer to real meat. Developed jointly with Dutch blending technology company Sobatech and supported by Routeco Netherlands, an authorized distributor of Rockwell Automation, the SHEARTEX technology not only offers broader applications in terms of texture and substitution potential, but also lowers costs to the level of animal proteins - in part because the process uses three times less energy than High-Moisture Extrusion Cooking (HMEC).

"With precision control, SHEARTEX can create products with fibers of specific length and strength to better match the animal products they replace," explains Julian Lekner, co-founder of DST.
"In addition, fats, emulsions and other wet ingredients - as well as dry substances such as flavorings and dyes - can be added as early as during processing. They then form an integral part of the textured protein, making post-processing unnecessary."

"SHEARTEX is a continuous process," adds Clint op den Buijsch, sales engineer at Routeco Netherlands. "While this allows DST to create more realistic meat alternatives in terms of texture and taste, it requires very precise control of mixing and micro-dosing. This is why Sobatech and DST chose a solution powered by Allen-Bradley® Kinetix® servo motors." The servomotors are part of an integrated suite of control and monitoring technologies supplied by Routeco, including:

• PowerMonitor™ 5000 energy monitoring unit;
• Allen-Bradley® GuardLogix® safety controllers;
• Allen-Bradley Power-Flex® 527 variable speed drives;
• Studio 5000® design software.

Results

"Our SHEARTEX process produces high-quality protein products, with textures ranging from salmon to beef jerky and with a capacity of 1,000 kg per hour, while using much less energy than existing processes," Lekner explains. "This means not only that we can put a wider range of plant-based meats on the table, but also that our products are price competitive with animal-based variants."   

"Microdosing in this continuous process is only possible with servo motors," Op den Buijsch adds. "It is crucial to keep the own weight of the dosing funnel as low as possible. The servo-controlled dosing funnels must achieve a dosing accuracy of within 1%, which is essential when processing expensive and strong-tasting micropowders." Another important aspect of the DST process is the amount of mechanical energy applied to achieve the desired texture, says Geneviève Lekner, director of Sobatech. "This energy value is strongly related to the quality of the final product. Rockwell's energy monitoring solutions are ideally suited to capture and analyze this critical data, providing valuable insights to optimize the production process."

On a larger scale, Rockwell's integrated solution also helps reduce Sobatech's time-to-market. With less cabling (due to the Device Level Ring network topology) and the integrated Safe Torque Off functionality of the PowerFlex drives, installation is faster - with time savings of up to 50%.

The development process in a nutshell

Challenge:

DST's new vegetable protein processing solution requires extremely precise microdosing to ensure repeatability, consistency and quality.

Solution:

A solution from Rockwell Automation that includes:

• Allen-Bradley® Kinetix® servomotors;
• PowerMonitor™ 5000 energy monitoring unit;
• GuardLogix® safety controllers;
• Power-Flex® 527 variable speed drives;
• Studio 5000® design software.

Results:

• Dosing accuracy within the 1%;
• Accurate energy monitoring that provides direct feedback to process settings;
• Faster installation and thus faster time to market.