A team from the Asia Subcontinent attended the Northern Crops Institute (NCI) short course, “Soy-based Texturized Protein and Meat Analog,” May 21 to 24 in Fargo, North Dakota. Bob Sinner, president of USSEC member SB&B Foods and chair of USSEC’s human and oil utilization working group, worked with the group during their visit.
Four participants, escorted by USSEC human utilization consultant Suresh Itapu, attended the four-day course at NCI. The course covered a wide range of subjects and a demonstration of meat analogues using twin screw extrusion technology. Speakers from the soy and extrusion industries presented these topics and the NCI team demonstrated the mock meat from texturized vegetable protein (TVP). Topics covered included an overview of soybean production in the Midwest; texturized soy protein (TSP) and meat analogs (an industry overview); nutritional benefits of soy; chemistry of soy processing; raw material selection for the extrusion of TVP; extruders for the food industry; extrusion processing of textured proteins; extrusion applications for textured soy protein; a soy foods overview; and tasty meat alternatives such as TVP. NCI’s in-house team conducted a hands-on TSP extrusion, and spoke about using TSP in food and the evaluation of TSP foods. The team also toured Sinner Brothers & Bresnahan’s (SB&B) soybean cleaning facility.
The group was extremely satisfied with the course and expects to implement the learning into their businesses. Two of the participants are working with U.S. soy protein suppliers in India, and another is in the process of procuring a twin screw extruder.
USSEC will follow up with these attendees and conduct follow up activities to promote this concept in India to increase the consumption of soy protein in general, particularly U.S. soy protein products. This provides an opportunity for soy protein concentrates and isolates, which can be directly sourced from the U.S.