Scaling Up Your Alternative Protein Production

Ready or not, your clients are demanding more foods that look, feel and taste like real dairy and meat, without the health and environmental concerns that go with them. If you’re in the alternative food manufacturing industry, this is not new news. Since COVID-19 hit, demand for these products has continued to rise - a growth of almost 10% over 2019. Paul Mueller Company provides equipment solutions for your production that include the right finishes, size, agitation and heat transfer. 

Plant-Based or Cell-Based

Whether you are producing plant-based or cell-based yogurt, cheese, butter, ice cream or meat, we have equipment in our food processing portfolio that can directly impact your production in a positive way. Fermenters, grain and nut storage silos, mix tanks and heat transfer are just some of the products we offer that can assist you in producing a consistently superior product every time. 

Our equipment engineers can help with questions you are having around scale-up, repeatability and efficiencies in your process. Addressing these issues, can help eliminate some key challenges facing plant proteins, such as limited functionality, undesirable flavors, or low protein.  

Water Solutions for Sustainability

When water is a critical ingredient in your production process, we offer custom and standard vertical silos ranging in size from 5,000 to 100,000 gallons for shop built and even larger for field built designs. They are perfect for hot or tempered water storage. Built with higher alloys that resist corrosion, our tanks keep the purity of the water while extending the life of the tank. Additionally, if water extraction is part of your process, we offer products that recover the water and clean it, allowing you to use the recycled water, minimizing waste while maximizing profits. 

Should you require on-site installation or construction resources, those can be provided through our trusted vendor network.

Agitators and Ingredient Storage

We also offer the first patented, fully CIP-equipped horizontal agitator that meets USDA Standards. For all your food processing storage needs, we build silos designed to provide maximum product protection, temperature control, and efficient space usage at your facility. 

Fermenters

Cow’s milk ferments differently than nuts and grains because they lack the same properties. The fermentation process in alternative protein production is key to obtaining the right sensory profile, texture, and microbial safety. Plant materials support the growth of microorganisms. Lactic acid bacteria, bacilli, and yeasts are the most widely used microbes for plant-based fermentation, proving they offer the necessary properties to enhance important nutritional and/or sensory attributes.

For over 50 years, we have been designing fermenters for the beverage, chemical, food/dairy, and pharmaceutical industries. We offer custom engineered-to-order and standard fermenters, many of which are pressure and vacuum rated and designed to Sanitary 3-A standards. 

Contact us to discuss your needs and how our equipment can fit into your production. We can perform virtual or in-person assessments to better understand your needs and the demands of your operation.

  • Fermentation
  • Liquid Food Processing
  • Fats and Oils Processing
  • Equipment Cleaning & Sanitization
  • Bakery Chilling 
  • Custom Heat Transfer 
  • Mixers and Agitators
  • Refrigerant Controls 
  • Water Storage Solutions
  • Custom Tanks & Silos
  • Tank Connection Options
  • Control Panels
  • Service and Repair
  • Parts

Our Food Partners

Their legendary brands have brought us the foods and ingredients that have stocked our pantries and refrigerators for decades. We are proud to collaborate with these food companies.