At the heart of TVP and HMMA production is the ZSK food extruder. While both products use protein powder and water as their primary ingredients, the processing conditions inside the extruder differ significantly.
The temperature profile within the extruder, screw speed, moisture content, and even the die design at the discharge point all play critical roles in both the manufacturing process and the quality of TVP and HMMA products.
Extrusion is a continuous process, meaning the conveying system and feeder automatically supply the raw materials at the required rate. Coperion K-Tron gravity-fed bulk solid feeders ensure a steady supply of protein powder, while liquid feeders precisely add water to the melt. After being mixed and heated in the ZSK food extruder, the molten material is shaped into TVP using the die of the ZGF central pelletizing machine. However, for HMMA products, the melt is passed through a specialized cooling die instead.

Coperion offers a solution with its hybrid version of the ZSK food extruder, enabling the production of both TVP and HMMA on a single system. Previously, manufacturing these two types of meat-like products required separate extrusion lines, necessitating significant capital investment. Now, the hybrid ZSK food extruder provides small businesses, research institutions, and startups with unprecedented flexibility, allowing them to enter the growing field of meat alternative production.

Our experienced systems engineers have extensive expertise in the hygienic design of complete material-handling and extrusion systems for textured plant proteins and high-moisture meat simulation products. We offer integrated systems equipped with the latest PLC-based operation and formulation-control technologies.