Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Surface coated – fluid encapsulated – laminated solid... – Sugar or carbohydrate containing
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-13
2001-06-05
Bhat, Nina (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Surface coated, fluid encapsulated, laminated solid...
Sugar or carbohydrate containing
C426S297000, C426S306000, C426S517000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06242023
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is broadly concerned with novel composite food products which can be formulated as chunks having a length on the order of ¼″-1″ for use as inclusions in cookies, ice creams, and similar products. More particularly, the invention relates to such composite foods, and methods of fabrication thereof, wherein the products include two or more discrete, substantially homogeneous materials (e.g., orange/chocolate, peppermint/chocolate) extending the full length of the products. The products are prepared by sequentially forming an initial stream of a first material on a moving support followed by applying a separate material thereover, thus eliminating the need for conventional extrusion processing.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many types of composite food products have been prepared by co-extrusion techniques employing confectionary extruders and appropriate extruder dyes. Generally, products of this character are tubular in cross-sectional configuration, and the equipment used is both complex and costly. It has also been known to make Neapolitan-type products via casting, such as ice creams or chocolates having side-by-side layers of different food materials. These processes do not however yield small chunk-type products of variable configuration which are self-sustaining in shape at room temperature.
Flat chips or chunks are a popular ingredient used with frozen desserts, baked items, breakfast cereals and confectionary products. They typically include sugar, fats (e.g., cocoa butter or partially hydrogenated vegetable oil) and other ingredients. Square and rectangularly shapes have been produced in the past with dimensions varying from 0.125″-0.75″ and thicknesses from 0.125″-0.5″. These chips or chunks are manufactured by dragging a liquid or flowable mass such as molten chocolate through a forming device having small openings or slots formed therein. Immediately after the forming operation, the resultant strips are cooled to solidify the mass, and the strips are cut to desired lengths. Many different food flavors and colors can be incorporated into these prior products. However, there has been no way to produce composite products made up of discrete materials using these techniques.
There is accordingly a need in the art for an improved process, and resultant chunk-type product, wherein composite food products made up of two or more discrete materials can be readily and inexpensively form.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention overcomes the problems outlined above and provides a method of preparing composite food products employing very simple equipment which is inexpensive to fabricate and operate. Broadly speaking, the method of the invention involves first forming an elongated, continuous stream of a first food material on a moving support such as a conveyor belt. Thereafter, a second flowable food material is applied over the continuous stream of the first material to form a composite, and the composite is cooled to render it substantially shape-retaining at room temperature. In the final steps of the process, the composite is divided by cutting or the like to form chunks, preferably having a length of from about ¼″-1″.
In preferred forms, the initial forming step involves providing an upright, apertured primary rake adjacent the moving support, depositing a quantity of the first material adjacent the upstream face of the primary rake, and causing the moving support to drag or pull the first material through the primary rake apertures to form the streams. These streams are then cooled to increase the structural integrity thereof, so that application of the second food material over the streams does not unduly distort or distend the streams. The second material is applied in a manner similar to that of the first material, i.e., a secondary rake is positioned adjacent the moving support downstream of the primary rake. The secondary rake likewise is apertured, with the secondary rake apertures having a greater cross-section of area than those of the primary rake, and with the corresponding apertures of the rakes being in center-to-center alignment. The application of the second material is carried out so as to avoid as much as possible any shape alteration of the underlying streams of first material.
The cooling step is advantageous accomplished by passing the composite streams emerging from the secondary rake through a cooling tunnel. Cooling air currents are directed through the tunnel to fully solidify and set the composite streams.
A variety of product shapes can be prepared using the methods of the invention. To give but one example, novel chunk products can be readily prepared having an inner section of square or cross-sectional configuration and an outer, generally U-shaped section disposed about the inner section. Likewise, numerous specific food materials can be used in making the composites hereof, such as fruit-flavored materials (orange, apple, lime, lemon), and confectionary materials (chocolate, caramel, peppermint, peanut butter).
REFERENCES:
patent: 2874649 (1959-02-01), Pelletier
patent: 4410552 (1983-10-01), Gaffney et al.
patent: 4580489 (1986-04-01), Haas, Sr. et al.
patent: 4778685 (1988-10-01), Simelunas et al.
patent: 4847090 (1989-07-01), Della Posta et al.
patent: 4911937 (1990-03-01), Crosello et al.
The Good Cook Candy, pp. 58-59, 77; 1981.
Cross James C.
Talbot Michael L.
Bhat Nina
Hovey Williams Timmons & Collins
Shade Foods, Inc.
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