Abstract: A commercially feasible, high-output extrusion apparatus and method is provided for producing vegetable protein based meat analogue products characterized by discrete, untwisted, manually separable meat-like layers and at relatively high production rates. The method involves passing hot, moist, pretreated vegetable protein material through an extruder barrel and causing formation of a first choke of the material intermediate the ends of the barrel, subdivision of the material downstream of the first choke point in the presence of steam for thorough cooking and moisturizing of the material, rechoking of the subdivided material adjacent the extrusion end of the barrel, and extrusion of the material as a dense, layered meat analogue product.

Abstract: A dense, uniformly layered, relatively unexpanded extrusion cooked vegetable protein based meat analogue product is provided, which has meat-like texture, mouth-feel and appearance characteristics permitting use of the product as a full substitute for meats such as pork, beef, fish and poultry. In addition, a method and apparatus for making the products hereof is also provided. The product is preferably made up of a mixture of a vegetable protein such as defatted soy flour and moisture which is extrusion processed to present an analogue having a plurality of juxtaposed, manually separable meat-like layers which are substantially untwisted relative to each other and strongly resemble real meat.