Foods and beverages: apparatus – Means to treat food
Patent
1996-03-29
1997-08-19
Simone, Timothy F.
Foods and beverages: apparatus
Means to treat food
99348, 99472, 366139, 3661551, 3661561, 366196, 366291, 3661584, 366297, 366301, A23G 100, A23G 110, A23G 116, B01F 702
Patent
active
056576870
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a device (conche) for mixing (conching) components for the production of chocolate compound, with a central main shaft having mixing tools disposed thereon and being rotatable about a horizontal axis in an essentially cylindrical container, especially in a main chamber, and with stripping means revolving along an inner wall surface of the housing in the peripheral direction.
Such a device for conching chocolate compound is known from DE 39 18 813. Such a "classic" conche has a conche container which consists of three axis-parallel cylindrical upwardly open chambers. These are a central main chamber with a greater diameter and two lateral subsidiary chambers. The three chambers merge into one another, thereby forming the conche container. Mixing tools are disposed in each chamber on rotatingly driven shafts.
Heretofore, the conching of chocolate compound has been a time-consuming process. For example, the complete conching of one batch with a conche according to DE 39 18 813 requires 12 h.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore the object of the invention to design and further develop a conche for conching chocolate compound in such a way that the period required for conching is reduced considerably, without having to accept an inferior quality of the finished product (chocolate compound).
To attain this object, the device or conche according to the invention is characterized in that--in addition to the usual mixing tools--further mixing means are disposed within the conche container which have an independent drive and take effect in a region outside the area of movement of the mixing tools and the stripping means.
Heretofore, it has been assumed that the classic structure of a conche with vane-like mixing tools on the main shaft and on subsidiary shafts, and with stripping means moving along the wall surface of the container effects an optimal mixing of the components. It is the finding of the invention that additional independently operating mixing tools at least in the main chamber of the conche container effect a clear improvement, especially acceleration, of the mixing effect.
According to a further proposal of the invention, these additional mixing means are several mixing worms which are disposed within the conche container especially in pairs in an intermeshing manner.
An optimal result is attained when in each case two worm units are arranged at both sides of an (imaginary) vertical mid-plane of the main chamber of the conche container in the lower region thereof, in particular at a small distance from a lower cylindrical container wall. In this arrangement, the mixing worms are rotatably mounted unilaterally, i.e. at only one end in an end wall of the conche container.
In the device according to the invention, the stripping means are mounted in a special manner as well, in particular solely in a central transverse plane on the main shaft. The mixing worms which project from both end walls axis-parallel into the interior of the conche container, that is to say the main chamber, end at a (small) distance from the radially directed supporting arms of the stripping means.
According to the invention, specific provisions have also been made in the region of the end walls for the positioning of strippers which are mounted, on the one hand, at the free ends of the stripping means and, on the other hand, on the main shaft at its ends.
The main shaft is exposed to greater strains as a result of the exclusively central support of the stripping means. These are compensated by a cylindrical cross-sectional strengthening. The main shaft is formed almost over the entire length with a cross section which is significantly greater than at the ends. This results in the surprising advantage that a dead space usually formed in this region in conches is filled. This also leads to an improvement of the mixing effect.
A further innovation according to the invention is that the vane-like mixing tools disposed on the main shaft are offset by 90.degree. relative to
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Bruyland Rudy
Callebaut Frans
Callebaut N.V.
Simone Timothy F.
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