Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Processes – Molding – casting – or shaping
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-09
2001-06-05
Yeung, George C. (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Processes
Molding, casting, or shaping
C062S063000, C062S345000, C425S259000, C426S524000, C426S660000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06242028
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a process of, and apparatus for moulding confectionery, particularly but not exclusively to soft confectionery items, that is, confectionery items which are relatively soft at room temperature and therefore difficult to handle mechanically at room temperature. Such items include fondant creams, toffees, gums and jellies based on starch, gelatine, pectin, agar-agar or gum arabic or soft fondant creams, and caramels/fudges, and which can be in the form of an individual sweet/sweet centre or in the form of a larger bar or confectionery on a stick.
Such soft confectionery items were traditionally moulded in starch moulds on moguls and then the starch was removed and recycled to produce further moulds.
There are various problems associated with the starch mogul process. For example, the possibility of an explosion of starch released into the atmosphere, but the process does have the advantage that frequent changes in product type and shape can be accommodated.
In order to avoid the disadvantages of the starch mogul process, we developed a successful process in which air is used in the demoulding of such soft confectionery items, the air being admitted to the individual mould cavities through a series of fine holes provided in the base of the mould cavity. Patent Specification No. GB 1050699 describes such a process. It is, however, relatively expensive to drill a series of fine holes in a large number of moulds, and one attempt to overcome that difficulty is disclosed in Patent Specification No. GB 2078155A.
The present invention is based upon our realisation that it might be possible to solidify at least the exterior of a soft confectionery item, so as to enable the item to be subjected to a mechanical force to demould the item, yet without the item suffering any significant damage during demoulding.
We are aware that it is known, for example from specification EP 0582327A2, in the preparation of frozen confectionery (that is confectionery that is normally consumed whilst in a frozen state, such as ice lollies) to fill a mould with an aqueous liquid mixture and, in order to freeze the liquid, to subject the mould to a low temperature environment of below 50° C.
Our invention, on the other hand, is concerned with a process which is carried out on a soft confectionery material, that is a confectionery material which at room temperatures is soft as compared with a frozen confectionery material which is, of course, in a liquid state when said confectionery material is at room temperature.
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
According to one aspect of the present invention, we provide a process for producing a moulded soft confectionery item, that is, a confectionery item which is relatively soft at room temperature and therefore difficult to handle mechanically at room temperature, said items being of the group comprising fondant creams, toffees, gums and jellies based on starch, gelatine, pectin, agar-agar or gum Arabic or soft fondant creams, and caramels/fudges, comprising the steps of depositing liquid confectionery material into a mould, by the use of gravity, subjecting the mould, together with the confectionery material deposited, to a low temperature environment of between 0° C. and −196° C. so as to solidify at least the exterior of the deposited confectionery material, and then demoulding the resulting solidified item of confectionery.
Demoulding may take place at a temperature of between −40° C. and −50° C.
The low temperature environment preferably exists within an enclosure and demoulding takes place within the enclosure, or after exit from the enclosure.
The low temperature environment may be provided by bringing at least the mould into contact with cryogenic material.
For some confectionery materials a pre-form or deposit of the material may be pressed into the mould to shape the material.
Depending upon the type of the material to be moulded, the material in the mould may need to be cooled and/or allowed to set for a period of time prior to the mould being subjected to the low temperature environment. It may be desirable that the mould is placed in an inverted condition to facilitate subsequent demoulding.
The deposited confectionery material may be ejected from its mould by mechanical ejection means associated with the base of the mould. This could be an ejection member operating through an aperture in the base of the mould, but preferably the mould is resilient, so that the base of the mould is deflectable relative to the side walls of the mould, the base of the mould preferably being resiliently deflectable also, whereby the mould may be distorted in order to achieve demoulding by ‘popping’ and/or shaking and the use of gravity.
It will be appreciated that the material of the mould must be capable of withstanding freezing temperatures yet retain some resilience if ejection is to be effected by deflection of the mould base. Suitable materials are plastics materials such as PET (polytetratrifluoro-ethylene), the mould material being chosen according to the freezing temperatures employed.
It may be desirable to employ a release agent on the inner surface of the mould, such as an anhydrous wax-containing release agent, eg TRENWAX™ML of Boehringer, which has been found to provide good release for PET moulds.
The moulds may be used in a batch process or in a continuous process in which the moulds are carried by a conveyor, or a chain system, other carrying means, or are incorporated into the conveyor band. The conveyor band could also comprise moulds hinged together by integral webs.
In some circumstances it would be possible to form the moulds themselves, for example at a thermo-forming station, upstream of a depositing station at which the mould cavities are supplied with the confectionery.
The moulds containing shaped material may be subjected to a mist of cryogenic material in a gaseous state, such as liquid nitrogen.
The low temperature environment may be provided in an enclosure, such as a tunnel provided with curtain means at the inlet and outlet thereof.
In some cases product or mould re-heating or humidity control may be required after ejection to avoid any surface condensation if this adversely affects product quality or ejection efficiency.
The invention also comprises a moulded confectionery item produced by the inventive process.
The invention further comprises the accelerated manufacture of an item of confectionery containing gelatine wherein the item is subjected to a freezing process.
According to a second aspect of the present invention apparatus adapted to perform the process of the first aspect of the invention comprises a liquid confectionery depositor adapted to deposit, in a liquid state, soft confectionery material of the said group, a conveyor suitable for transporting open-topped moulds beneath the depositor so as to receive liquid confectionery dispensed thereby, characterised by an enclosure for receiving the moulds and their contents as they are transported, means for producing a low temperature environment of at least −60° C. within the enclosure whereby, in use, both the moulds and their contents are subjected to said low temperature environment, and a demoulder adapted, in use, to demould the items of confectionery present in the moulds.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4200658 (1980-04-01), Katzman et al.
patent: 4530214 (1985-07-01), Ellsworth
patent: 4548045 (1985-10-01), Altares et al.
patent: 4548573 (1985-10-01), Waldstrom
patent: 4704873 (1987-11-01), Imaike et al.
patent: 4882176 (1989-11-01), Koyama et al.
patent: 5279842 (1994-01-01), Gallart et al.
patent: 5394707 (1995-03-01), Miller et al.
patent: 0422883 (1991-04-01), None
patent: 582327 (1994-02-01), None
patent: 2530421 (1984-01-01), None
patent: 2604063 (1988-03-01), None
patent: 2078155 (1982-01-01), None
patent: WO 94/07375 (1994-04-01), None
patent: WO 95/32633 (1995-12-01), None
Foley Hoag & Eliot
Liepmann W. Hugo
Oliver Kevin A.
Yeung George C.
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