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Superior Protein Structuring —
Continuous. Controlled. Flexible.

DST develops and supplies the patented Sheartex technology used by manufacturers to produce next-generation fibrous and advanced protein textures at industrial scale.

Our continuous process delivers clean-label products, high ingredient flexibility, and fibrous structures impossible to create with extrusion — all with equipment built for simplicity and low operating costs.

Sheartex 300

Why DST

Food manufacturers increasingly need clean-label textures, ingredient flexibility, and structures not achievable with extrusion — delivered through equipment that is easy to handle and cost-effective to operate.

Yet extrusion, the industry's legacy technology, brings well-known constraints:

  • Limited fiber length and directionality

  • High thermal load

  • Recipe-dependent mechanical adjustments

  • Narrow structural bandwidth

  • Complex operation

  • Difficulty switching between structure types

Sheartex eliminates these constraints through a continuous and highly controllable protein structuring process.

How Sheartex Works

Sheartex uses unidirectional high shear combined with DST-engineered cooling dies to convert plant-based or hybrid protein formulations into advanced fibrous structures.

Core Principles

  • Fully continuous process with stable, reproducible output

  • Cooling dies determine fiber length, alignment, geometry & moisture profile

  • Low thermal load → clean-label potential

  • Independent control of shear, throughput, temperature & residence time

  • Ingredient flexibility: soy, pea, blends, fungi, concentrates, isolates

  • Modular, sanitary, industrial design

Enables creation of

  • Long meat-like fibers

  • Layered slices

  • Shredded fibers

  • Tuna-like flaky structures

  • Whole cuts

  • Chunk structures

And all this is achieved without modifying the machine — only by adjusting recipe and machine setpoints.

What DST offers

Sheartex Technology

Patented continuous protein structuring technology designed for next-generation fibrous and advanced textures.

Equipment Portfolio

  • Sheartex 30
    Pilot scale (5–30 kg/hr)

  • Sheartex 300
    Industrial scale (up to 500 kg/hr)

  • Cooling Dies & Add-Ons
    Engineered by DST for maximum textural versatility, with in-line dosing and automated CIP to support full continuous processing.

Services

  • Demonstrations

  • Product development support

  • Training (remote & in-person)

  • Technical service & Service Level Agreements (SLA)

Advanced Protein Structuring

Sheartex enables a wide variety of protein structuring applications

Next-gen HME

TVP 

Whole-Cut

Hybrids

Cut/Shaped

Pet-Food

Structure Gallery

See the variety of textures achievable with Sheartex

Ready to explore Sheartex for your production environment?

Schedule a demonstration with our engineering and application specialists.

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