Miller Magazine Issue: 134 February 2021

26 NEWS MILLER / february 2021 Bühler announces the launch of PolyCool 1000, a high-performance cooling die that, together with an extruder, provides an efficient and flexible solution for food producers creating tasty and sustainable plant-based meat or fish alternatives. Driving the market for plant-based meat with PolyCool 1000 The way in which we produce food today is not sustai- nable. To meet the nutritional needs of the world’s growing population while adopting more sustainable practices, a major shift is required. Proteins derived from plants play a key role in driving nutritional diversity. Increasing the per- centage of plant-based proteins in food products requires processing expertise. “Bühler has for many years suppor- ted food producers in developing innovative products that offer an attractive alternative to animal meat – products that are similar in terms of fiber structure, color, texture, and taste,” says Christoph Vogel, Head of Market Segment Proteins & Ingredients. As the market’s leading extrusion solution provider for food products, Bühler is well-positio- ned to support this growing market. FLEXIBILITY TO ACHIEVE MEAT-LIKE TEXTURES Extrusion is a highly versatile process that can be app- lied to a wide range of plant-based raw materials to create tasty meat or fish alternatives. An integral part of the pro- cess is the cooling die. With PolyCool 1000, Bühler adds a new high-performance cooling die to its range. Cooling dies work with extrusion technology to enable the creation of attractive meat or fish substitutes with structures and textu- res that closely resemble animal-based meat pro- ducts 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 including soy, pulses, oil- seeds, upcycled side stre- ams like brewer spent grains, as well as newer ingredients such as microalgae, at throughputs of up to 1,000 kilograms per hour. The PolyCo- ol 1000 enables production of products of different shapes and structures while meeting the standards required by in- dustrial-scale production. The individual cooling circuits can each be controlled independently to determine the produ- ct’s final texture. The high-capacity cooling die can withs- tand pressures of up to 50 bar as it cools down the melt from some 150 degrees Celsius to below boiling point. With its electropolished surface, the extruder and the PolyCool 1000 are easy to clean and meet all hygienic design standards to maximize food safety. The PolyCool 1000 is also easy to as- semble and disassemble. EXPERTISE ALONG THE ENTIRE VALUE CHAIN The PolyCool 1000 completes the product portfolio of high-moisture cooling dies by Bühler, including the Poly- Cool 500 for mid-scale industrial production, and the Pol- yCool 50 for product development purposes. “With the PolyCool 1000, customers can achieve high-capacity producti- on, bringing down costs and making meat substitutes more af- fordable,” says Christoph Vogel. “As the market shifts to a more plant-based diet, fueled by consumers’ growing inte- rest in health, sustainability and ethical concerns, the PolyCool 1000 supports food producers in grasping this opportunity.” With Bühler’s extensive proces- sing knowledge along the entire protein value chain, food producers can deve- lop attractive products that meet this growing demand and make a positive contri- bution to the sustainability of the food value chain. The PolyCool 1000 cooling die in combination with an extruder can produce wet-textured proteins at throughputs of up to 1,000 kilograms per hour.