Apparatus and method for producing flake-like cereal without the use of a flaking mill

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10750772-B2
Application number	US-201715408511-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 18, 2017
Priority date	Jan 18, 2016
Publication date	Aug 25, 2020
Grant date	Aug 25, 2020

Abstract

An apparatus and method for producing flake-like cereal without the use of a flaking mill.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system including a cooking extruder, a food material, and an extruded food material having a slice thickness, the system comprising:
a food material;
a cooking extruder configured to extrude the food material into an extruded food material having a slice thickness;
a die connected to the cooking extruder comprised of at least one orifice; the at least one orifice comprising:
an inlet including a first flow channel configured to accept the food material, the first flow channel surrounded by a hollow jacket for circulating cooling medium;
a breaker screen connected to the inlet and comprised of one or more holes;
wherein the first flow channel and the hollow jacket for circulating the cooling medium are positioned upstream of the breaker screen;
an expansion chamber connected to the breaker screen, wherein the expansion chamber has an expansion chamber cross-sectional area;
an exit orifice connected to the expansion chamber and configured to output the food material, wherein the exit orifice has an exit orifice cross-sectional area and wherein the food material outputs the exit orifice at a temperature between 250 degrees Fahrenheit and 350 degrees Fahrenheit;
a cutting knife assembly at the exit orifice configured to cut the food material at a rate to create a slice thickness, wherein the cutting knife assembly cuts the food material at a rate such that the slice thickness is less than a size of one or more vapor bubbles within the food material; and
a sliced food material extruded and cut from the cooking extruder wherein the sliced food material has a thickness smaller than a diameter of vapor bubbles within the food material.

2. The extruder system of claim 1 , wherein the exit orifice cross-sectional area is less than the expansion chamber cross-sectional area.

3. The extruder system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more holes include a hole cross-sectional area and the combined hole cross-sectional area of all holes in the breaker screen is less than the expansion chamber cross-sectional area.

4. The extruder system of claim 1 , wherein the cooking extruder heats the food material to a temperature greater than 212 degrees Fahrenheit.

5. The extruder system of claim 1 , wherein the cooking extruder mixes water with the food material and the food material includes a moisture content.

6. The extruder system of claim 5 , wherein the moisture content is less than 20 percent.

7. The extruder system of claim 5 , wherein the moisture content is between 14 and 17 percent.

8. The extruder system of claim 1 , wherein a toaster oven is connected to the cooking extruder and configured to accept the food material cut by the cutting knife assembly.

Assignees

• Kellog Co

Inventors

• Gimmler Norbert
• Laubenthal Kevin J

Classifications

• A23P30/34 Primary

  by extrusion-expansion · CPC title

• A21C11/10

  combined with cutting apparatus {(A21C11/004 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• A23L7/17

  by extrusion · CPC title

• A21C11/16

  Extruding machines · CPC title

• A23L7/117

  Flakes or other shapes of ready-to-eat type; Semi-finished or partly-finished products therefor (cereal granules or flakes to be cooked and eaten hot A23L7/143; cereal germ products A23L7/152) · CPC title