| abstract |
The invention provides food analogs and methods of making the food analogs. In general, the methods comprise comminuting one or more meats to produce a meat slurry, admixing one or more flours to produce a powder blend, admixing the meat slurry and the powder blend to produce a dough, and extruding the dough at a shear mechanical energy ranging from about 50 kJ/kg to about 500 kJ/kg and at a temperature ranging from about 60°C to about 120°C to produce a food analog. Colorant can be added before, during, or after the admixing or extrusion processes to provide a more natural appearance to the food analog. The food analog can be a meat analog having the appearance of a meat or a non-meat food analog such as a fruit or vegetable. |