Plant-based meat analogues that mimic the characteristic structure and texture of meat are becoming increasingly popular. They can be produced by means of high moisture extrusion (HME), in which protein-rich raw materials are subjected to thermomechanical stresses in the extruder at high water content (>40%) and then forced through a cooling die. The cooling die, or generally the die section, is known to have a large influence on the products’ anisotropic structures, which are determined by the morphology of the underlying multi-phase system. However, the morphology development in the process and its relationship with the flow characteristics are not yet well understood and, therefore, investigated in this work. The results show that the underlying multi-phase system is already present in the screw section of the extruder. The morphology development mainly takes place in the tapered transition zone and the non-cooled zone, while the cooled zone only has a minor influence. The cross-sectional contraction and the cooling generate elongational flows and tensile stresses in the die section, whereas the highest tensile stresses are generated in the transition zone and are assumed to be the main factor for structure formation. Cooling also has an influence on the velocity gradients and, therefore, the shear stresses; the highest shear stresses are generated towards the die exit. The results further show that morphology development in the die section is mainly governed by deformation and orientation, while the breakup of phases appears to play a minor role. The size of the dispersed phase, i.e., size of individual particles, is presumably determined in the screw section and then stays the same over the die length. Overall, this study reveals that morphology development and flow characteristics need to be understood and controlled for a successful product design in HME, which, in turn, could be achieved by a targeted design of the extruders die section.

High-moisture extrusion of plant proteins to create meat-like structures is a process that has met with increasing attention in the recent past. In the process, the proteins are thermomechanically stressed in the screw section of the extruder, and the resulting protein gel is structured in the attached cooling die. Various protein sources, notably soy protein isolate (SPI) and wheat gluten, are used to form gels with different networks: SPI creates a physical, non-covalent network, while gluten forms a chemical, covalent one. The food industry frequently adds weak acids to modify taste and shelf life. However, it is known that a change in pH affects the gelation behavior of proteins because the repulsive forces within and between the proteins change. The research reported here was carried out to investigate for the two proteins mentioned the influence of pH modification by the addition of citric acid and acetic acid on gel formation and the meat-like structures produced. For this purpose, materials and parameters were screened using a closed cavity rheometer, followed by extrusion trials at pH 7.36–4.14 for SPI and pH 5.83–3.37 for gluten. The resulting extrudates were analyzed optically and mechanically, and protein solubility was tested in a reducing buffer. For both protein systems, the addition of acid results in less pronounced meat-like structures. At decreasing pH, the complex viscosity of SPI increases (from 11,970 Pa·s to 40,480 Pa·s at 100 °C), the generated gel becomes stronger (strain decreased from 0.62 to 0.48 at 4.5 × 10⁵ Pa), and the cross-linking density grows. For gluten, a decreasing pH results in altered reaction kinetics, a more deformable resulting gel (strain increased from 0.7 to 0.95 at 4.5 × 10⁵ Pa), and a decreased cross-linking density. Solubility tests show that no additional covalent bonds are formed with SPI. With gluten, however, the polymerization reaction is inhibited, and fewer disulfide bonds are formed.

The steady-state shear viscosity η ( γ ̇ ) \eta (\dot{\gamma }) is required in controlling processing parameters for the extrusion processing of polymer melts. A new method, the so-called ramp test, is investigated in this study to obtain the steady-state shear viscosity with a closed cavity rheometer (CCR). To verify the method and the accuracy of the CCR data, three commercial polyolefin polymers, a low-density polyethylene (LDPE), a linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE), and a polybutadiene (PBD), were used as model systems. Measurements of the magnitude of the complex viscosity ∣ η ⁎ ( ω ) ∣ | {\eta }^{\ast }(\omega )| were compared with the steady-state shear viscosity data obtained by capillary rheometer and CCR. Further, time–temperature superposition master curves of the magnitude of the complex viscosity and steady-state shear viscosity obtained by CCR were developed for LLDPE and PBD. The influence of the cavity sealing on the instrument’s accuracy to obtain the steady-state shear viscosity was investigated using the finite element method simulations. Thus, it was shown that the ramp test performed by CCR is a practical method to determine reliable and reproducible data of the steady-state shear viscosity within a wide range of temperatures (T = 50–180°C) for low and high viscous materials ( ∣ η ⁎ ( ω ) ∣ | {\eta }^{\ast }(\omega )| = 1.6–480 kPa s, M _w = 144–375 kg mol⁻¹).

Twin-screw extrusion of plant proteins for meat analogue production has gained significant attention. However, understanding the underlying mechanisms remains challenging due to the complex flow behavior of protein doughs and limited measurement techniques. This study investigates the temperature-dependent flow behavior of a soy protein isolate dough (55 wt% water) under extrusion-relevant conditions. Apparent shear viscosity was measured between 95 and 140°C using a capillary rheometer and, for the first time in protein doughs, by performing a ramp test in a closed cavity rheometer (CCR). The Bagley correction was applied, and the resulting correction factors were analyzed and discussed. Flow curves from both methods were fitted with a power-law model. The ramp test resulted in higher consistency indices ( K = 3,412–32,237 Pa s ⁿ ) and lower flow behavior indices ( n = 0–0.43) at all temperatures than the uncorrected data from the capillary rheometer ( K = 708–13,013 Pa s ⁿ , n = 0.1–0.48). Visual analysis of extruded strands and CCR samples revealed ongoing reactions, stick-slip-like surface patterns, and melt-fracture-like appearances in the extruded strands. In the CCR samples, bulk fracture was evident at 95 and 110°C. At 125°C, deformations of the sample were visible, which could be attributed to partial flow, limited relaxation, or rearrangements within the protein network. Both methods were affected by protein reactions and water evaporation at 140°C, which partially falsified the measurements. Thus, this publication presents two methods for examining viscosity under extrusion-relevant conditions, demonstrating their potential and challenges, and discusses how they contribute to understanding high moisture extrusion for meat analogue production.