Textured Vegetable Protein
Textured vegetable protein is a dry, porous protein material made by extruding defatted plant protein flour or concentrate under heat and pressure so that the protein sets into a spongy, meat-like structure. Soybean is the dominant raw material, with pea, wheat and rapeseed proteins used in the same way. The finished product is a pale beige to light tan granule, flake, chunk or strip.
Extrusion denatures the native globular proteins and reorients the unfolded chains into a crosslinked network. When the melt leaves the die the sudden pressure drop flashes off water as steam, expanding the mass into an open cellular matrix. That matrix is what gives the rehydrated product its chew, and it also creates the porosity that lets the dry pieces take up two to three times their weight in water within minutes.
The dry product contains under 10 percent moisture and is shelf stable for a year or more in a sealed bag. Protein content on a dry basis runs from around 50 percent for defatted soy flour based material to 70 percent for concentrate based material. Rehydrated pieces hold water and fat through cooking, freeze without weeping, and survive retort processing, while remaining essentially bland so that flavour and colour are added by the user.
We source bulk Textured Vegetable Protein from top China manufacturers for our partners. The manufacturer is in Shandong. A smaller requirement can ship in a combined container with other ingredients.
Please send the grade you need, the volume and your destination port, and we will come back with a solution and a price.
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- Function
- Protein
Specifications
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Appearance | Pale beige to light tan porous granules, chunks or flakes |
| Odour and Taste | Bland cereal note, free from rancid or scorched character |
| Protein (dry basis, N x 6.25) | ≥ 50.0% |
| Identification | Conforms by protein profile and expanded cellular structure |
| Moisture | ≤ 9.0% |
| Ash | ≤ 7.0% |
| Fat | ≤ 1.5% |
| Crude Fibre | ≤ 4.0% |
| Water Absorption | 2.5 to 3.5 times own weight |
| Bulk Density | 0.20 to 0.35 g/mL |
| pH (1% dispersion) | 6.5 to 7.5 |
| Lead | ≤ 1.0 mg/kg |
| Arsenic | ≤ 0.5 mg/kg |
| Total Plate Count | ≤ 10,000 cfu/g |
| Yeast and Mould | ≤ 100 cfu/g |
| Escherichia coli | Negative in 1 g |
| Salmonella | Negative in 25 g |
Common Markets Grades
Grades are set first by the protein source and level. Defatted soy flour based product sits at 50 to 55 percent protein on a dry basis and is the commodity grade; soy protein concentrate based product runs at 65 to 70 percent and gives a firmer bite and a cleaner flavour; pea protein based product is traded separately for soy free positioning. Wheat containing versions rely on gluten for structure and are not gluten free.
Piece geometry is the second specification. Fine granules of around 2 to 4 millimetres are used for mince extension, larger chunks of 10 to 20 millimetres for stews and canned meals, strips and flakes for shredded applications. Coloured and pre-flavoured grades, caramel dyed to a beef or chicken tone, are traded alongside the natural version, and non genetically modified identity preserved and organic certified lines are specified separately.
Applications
- Mince extension in burgers, meatballs and sausage, where rehydrated granules replace part of the animal protein and hold cook juices
- Vegetarian and vegan mince products sold as the sole protein base
- Canned and retorted stews and ready meals, where chunks keep their integrity through sterilisation
- Chilli, bolognese and pie fillings in food service, using coloured granules for appearance
- Institutional feeding programmes and emergency food aid, where dry shelf stability and low cost per unit protein decide the choice
- Snack and bar inclusions, using flakes as a crunchy protein carrier
- Soup and gravy mixes, where fine granules hydrate in the pot and add body
- Pet food, as a fibrous chunk in gravy or a protein extender in kibble
- Marinated dried strips sold as a jerky style snack
Brands Using Textured Vegetable Protein
Widely-distributed consumer products that list Textured Vegetable Protein on the ingredient label.
Brand names, product names and logos are the property of their owners. They appear here as published evidence that the ingredient is used, taken from the brand's own label or website. Their appearance is not an endorsement, and it does not mean the brand buys from us or from any manufacturer listed on this site.
China Manufacturers of Textured Vegetable Protein
Top Textured Vegetable Protein manufacturers in China.
Company names and logos are the property of the manufacturers themselves. They are listed here because our own directory records them as producing this ingredient. A listing is not an endorsement by them, and we do not represent them or speak on their behalf.
Regulatory Status
In the United States, textured vegetable protein is a food rather than a food additive; the soy flours, concentrates and isolates it is made from are used on the basis of common use in food and GRAS conclusions, and extrusion does not change that. The Food Safety and Inspection Service regulates its use in meat and poultry products, setting limits on the level of vegetable protein that may be added to standardised products and requiring that it be declared in the ingredient statement. Soy and wheat, where present, are major food allergens requiring declaration.
In the European Union, the material is a food ingredient and carries no E number, although any additive used in the formulation, including colours applied to coloured grades, must be permitted under the additives regulation. Soybeans and cereals containing gluten are listed among the allergens that must be emphasised in the ingredient list, and where genetically modified soy is used the traceability and labelling rules for genetically modified food apply. Codex has adopted a general standard for soy protein products defining flour, concentrate and isolate, and its general principles of food hygiene apply to manufacture.
Manufacturing Process
Defatted soy flour, soy protein concentrate or an equivalent plant protein flour is conditioned with steam and water in a preconditioner to raise its moisture to roughly 20 to 30 percent, then fed into a single or twin screw extruder. The screws work the material against a restricted barrel, and mechanical shear combined with barrel heating brings the mass to between 140 and 170 degrees Celsius under pressures of one to several megapascals. Under those conditions the protein melts into a plasticised dough and its native structure is destroyed.
The melt is forced through a shaped die into ambient pressure. The instantaneous pressure drop boils off superheated water, expanding the extrudate into a cellular sponge, and a rotating knife at the die face cuts it to the target piece length. The wet pieces, still at 20 to 25 percent moisture, pass to a belt or fluid bed dryer that takes them below 10 percent, then to a cooler. Dried pieces are screened to remove fines and oversize, optionally tumbled with colour or flavour, and packed in moisture barrier bags.
