US 12,342,836 B2
Methods of manufacturing protein-based meat analogs
Amos Golan, Tel Aviv (IL); Itay Uri, Kfar Sirkin (IL); and Fabio Zon, Tel-Aviv (IL)
Assigned to CHUNK FOODS INC., New York, NY (US)
Filed by CHUNK FOODS INC., New York, NY (US)
Filed on Sep. 19, 2024, as Appl. No. 18/890,175.
Application 18/890,175 is a continuation of application No. PCT/US2023/030177, filed on Aug. 14, 2023.
Prior Publication US 2025/0057184 A1, Feb. 20, 2025
Int. Cl. A23J 3/22 (2006.01); A23J 3/14 (2006.01); A23L 29/00 (2016.01); A23L 31/00 (2016.01)
CPC A23J 3/227 (2013.01) [A23J 3/14 (2013.01); A23L 29/065 (2016.08); A23L 31/00 (2016.08)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of manufacturing a fermented protein-based food item, the method comprising:
a. impregnating, with water, a protein-based substance containing at least 25% protein, by weight, on a dry basis, said protein-based substance including low-moisture extruded vegetable protein;
b. removing water from the protein-based substance;
c. producing protein strands from the protein-based substance, wherein said protein strands have a dimensionless aspect ratio ASP defined by:

OG Complex Work Unit Math
wherein:
L is the average length of the long dimension of said protein strands; and
Ax is the average radial cross-sectional area of the strand dimensions;
wherein ASP is at least 100, and wherein L is at least 30 mm;
and wherein said protein strands have pores;
d. inoculating the protein strands with an inoculum including a fermenting, mycelium forming microorganism;
e. bundling the protein strands inoculated with the inoculum to produce a bundle of protein strands;
f. placing the bundle of protein strands in a fermentation housing;
g. subjecting the bundle of protein strands to fermentation in the fermentation housing to produce a fermented mycelium-containing structure; and
h. treating the fermented structure to produce the fermented protein-based food item;
wherein, within the bundle of protein strands, the long dimension of at least 80% of the protein strands is within 30 degrees of a longitudinal axis of the bundle; wherein said impregnating and removing are performed such that the water content in the protein strands subjected to fermentation is within a range of 50 to 70%, by weight;
wherein said removing of the water is performed such that at least a portion of the total pore volume of the pores within the protein strands is filled with gas;
wherein said pores include visible pores that are visible to the naked human eye,
wherein in a longitudinal cross-section of said protein strands taken along said long dimension of said protein strands, the cross-sectional area of said visible pores is 5 to 30% of the total cross-sectional area of said cross-section;
wherein the specific gravity of the protein strands subjected to fermentation is within a range of 0.45 to 0.75;
and wherein the specific gravity of the fermented protein-based food item is higher by at least 0.15 with respect to said protein strands of step c.