Elisabeth Maria Högg Tobias Horneber Cornelia Rauh ^*

• Technical University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany

High-moisture extrusion (HME) has become a key method in the food industry for texturizing plant-based proteins to create high-moisture meat analogues (HMMAs) with meat-like textures. However, the texturization process within the cooling die of the extruder remains not fully understood. To bridge this knowledge gap, we conducted in-situ measurements - including temperature, pressure, velocity, and flow profiles - long with numerical simulations using the finite volume method over different HME setups and die geometries. By incorporating thermophysical material properties from previous research, we gained insights into the dynamics within the cooling die and its texturization mechanisms. Numerical studies, through inverse modeling using in-situ pressure and temperature measurements, allowed us to estimate otherwise unmeasurable parameters. Flow profiles were visualized both experimentally and numerically by simulating streamlines corresponding to particle paths in steady-state flow. A structuring coefficient derived from kinematic variables in the numerical simulations correlated with textural analysis results, such as slice shear force and tensile strength. The strong agreement between experimental data and simulations validates the numerical model for application in HME studies involving various cooling die geometries.