Crespel scales dry extrusion plant proteins

Crespel & Deiters has begun industrial-scale production of textured vegetable proteins using a one-step dry extrusion process developed by Finnish food technology company Happy Plant Protein.

The technology is operating at the group’s Helmond facility in the Netherlands, where European-grown peas and fava beans are converted into functional texturates for meat alternatives, hybrid products, ready meals, and savoury snacks.

Conventional plant protein production often separates flour into protein and starch fractions before concentrating, drying, and texturising the protein. Depending on the process, those stages can require substantial water, energy, separation equipment, and repeated movement between production systems.

Happy Plant Protein’s route performs dry fractionation and functionalisation during extrusion, allowing flour to be separated and structured within one processing stage. Chemical solvents and the water-intensive isolation associated with some protein concentrate and isolate processes are avoided.

The process is particularly focused on peas and fava beans sourced within Europe. Finished texturates are intended to provide a neutral flavour profile while reducing the bitter or beany notes that can restrict the inclusion level of pulse ingredients in prepared foods.

Commercial scale will test process consistency

The Helmond site has specialised in food extrusion since 1998 and includes a technical centre equipped for laboratory-scale development. Recipes and operating conditions can therefore be tested on smaller equipment before being transferred to the industrial line.

Extrusion performance depends on the interaction between raw material composition, particle size, moisture, temperature, screw configuration, pressure, and residence time. Protein, starch, fibre, and natural variation between crop lots can all change expansion, alignment, hydration, and the formation of a fibrous structure.

A one-step process reduces manufacturing complexity, although it also places greater pressure on incoming flour consistency. When fractionation and texturisation occur together, variability cannot be corrected as easily through separate purification stages before the material reaches the extruder.

Commercial customers will require repeatable specifications across protein content, colour, flavour, hydration, bulk density, particle size, and textural behaviour. Those properties must remain stable through mixing, forming, cooking, freezing, reheating, and shelf-life testing.

Crespel & Deiters has traditionally specialised in wheat refinement and is using the partnership to broaden its raw-material base. The move into pulse texturates reflects demand for ingredient systems that combine European origin, functional performance, and less resource-intensive processing.

The European effort to strengthen domestic protein processing capacity depends on more than increasing pulse cultivation. Peas and beans need to be converted into consistent, commercially useful ingredients if regional farming is to displace a meaningful share of imported protein.

Plant-based food development has moved beyond the assumption that volume growth alone will solve formulation difficulties. Manufacturers are assessing flavour, texture, cost, nutritional quality, ingredient declarations, and processing intensity more closely, particularly after uneven repeat purchasing across some early meat-alternative ranges.

Hybrid products may provide a broader route into commercial use, combining a proportion of textured pulse protein with meat to reduce raw-material exposure or alter nutritional composition. That model avoids requiring every ingredient system to recreate an entirely plant-based eating experience.

Ready meals and savoury snacks present different opportunities, since texturates can contribute bite, bulk, protein content, and water management within fillings, sauces, coated products, and seasoned pieces. Performance must remain stable through industrial cooking, chilling, freezing, and reheating.

European sourcing can reduce dependence on imported soy protein, although peas and fava beans carry their own agricultural risks. Yield, protein content, crop economics, weather, and competition with animal-feed markets will influence whether regional supply can expand consistently enough to support larger ingredient plants.

A process that avoids water-intensive isolation could improve economics where water supply, effluent treatment, and drying capacity are constrained. The full comparison will also depend on extrusion energy, raw material yield, cleaning, waste, and the quantity of texturate required in the finished formulation.

Scale-up will expose differences that remain hidden during laboratory development, including heat transfer, residence-time distribution, screw wear, start-up waste, and the stability of the product during longer campaigns. Continuous operation must deliver the same functional result at the beginning and end of each run.

Cleaning and allergen management will also influence the usable capacity of the line. Campaign planning, material sequencing, dry-cleaning methods, and validation procedures become increasingly important when several pulse, cereal, or customer-specific recipes share the same extrusion system.

The Helmond installation marks the first industrial deployment of Happy Plant Protein’s process by an established European ingredient manufacturer. Its performance will be measured by the ability to deliver repeatable commercial volumes against agreed customer specifications and cost targets.

Successful operation would create a stronger connection between European pulse farming and higher-value food manufacturing. Dry extrusion offers a route to convert regionally grown crops into functional ingredients without reproducing every stage of the conventional protein-isolate supply chain.