Dados do Trabalho

Título

OPTIMIZATION OF THE THERMOPLASTIC EXTRUSION PROCESS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF TEXTURIZED CORN PROTEINS FOR APPLICATION IN PLANT-BASED PRODUCTS

Introdução

Ranked as the third-largest corn producer in the world, Brazil plays a significant role in the manufacturing of corn-based products, particularly starch, which holds substantial commercial importance. During starch processing, a protein byproduct known as corn gluten, containing approximately 60% of protein, is produced and is currently used mainly for animal feed. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of thermoplastic extrusion process variables on the technological characteristics of textured corn proteins for application in plant-based products.

Material e Métodos

Plackett & Burman (PB) matrix with 12 factors was implemented to assess the effects of process variables (feed rate, input moisture, screw speed, screw configuration, temperature, and outlet die) on the texturized products. The products were characterized in terms of outlet moisture content; radial, longitudinal, and volumetric expansion indices; bulk density; and instrumental color.

Resultados e Discussão

The results revealed that the outlet moisture content was directly influenced by the input moisture and feed rate. The radial expansion index exhibited an inversely proportional relationship with moisture content and was directly influenced by screw configuration and temperature. Conversely, the longitudinal and volumetric expansion indices were affected solely by input moisture and temperature. Density values were inversely proportional to the radial expansion index and were also affected by input moisture and feed rate. Additionally, instrumental color was directly affected by input moisture, screw speed, temperature, and screw configuration. The more expanded textured proteins exhibited lower density and lighter colored, whereas the textured proteins with lower expansion had greater bulk density and darker color. The findings indicate that the thermoplastic extrusion process for producing textured corn proteins is highly sensitive to most of the variables studied. The feed rate, input moisture, screw configuration, screw speed, and temperature significantly impacted the technological characteristics of the textured proteins.

Conclusão

Our study demonstrated that the best results were obtained in the trials which involved a higher feed rate, lower input moisture, lower screw speed, and intermediate temperature. Based on these results, it is possible to define the most favorable extrusion conditions for developing textured corn proteins. However, further studies are necessary for their incorporation into plant-based product formulations, such as vegetable burgers.