Apparatus and method for aeration of a food product

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018295854-A1
Application number	US-201615768094-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 19, 2016
Priority date	Oct 19, 2015
Publication date	Oct 18, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

An apparatus (300) for aerating a food product, (200, 300) comprising a housing (10) with an inlet (100) for the food product and an outlet for the aerated food product, and, within the housing (10), first and second pairs (210, 220, 240) of a rotor and a stator each having complementary toothed rims orientated in opposition in the axial direction, and a gas injector (1) for injecting, at an upstream position relative to the first pair (210, 220) of a rotor and a stator, a gas in the food product to be aerated, wherein a further inlet (310) is provided for injecting, at a position between a pair (210, 220) and an adjacent pair (240) of a rotor and a stator, an additional composition to be mixed with the food product.

First claim

1 . An apparatus for aerating a food product, the apparatus comprising a housing with an inlet for the food product to be aerated and an outlet for the aerated food product, and, within the housing, a plurality of pairs of a rotor and a stator, where each pair of a rotor and a stator has complementary toothed rims orientated in opposition in the axial direction, and a gas injector for injecting, at an upstream position relative to the first pair of a rotor and a stator, a gas in the food product to be aerated, wherein a further inlet is provided for injecting, at a position between an upstream pair of a rotor and a stator and an adjacent downstream pair of a rotor and a stator, an additional composition to be mixed with the food product, wherein a stator ring and a rotor ring are arranged between the upstream pair and the downstream pair of a stator and a rotor to provide an axial space between the two pairs of a stator and a rotor, and the further inlet is arranged to inject the additional composition to be mixed with the food product into the axial space.

2 . An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the rotors and the stators can be removed and exchanged.

3 . An apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the upstream pair of a stator and a rotor is downstream of a first pair of a stator and a rotor.

4 . An apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the rotors of each pair of a rotor and a stator are coupled to a drive shaft, and the stators are coupled to the housing.

5 . An apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the rotor and stator of at least one pair of a rotor and a stator have at least two rows of opposed toothed rims.

6 . An apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the gas outlet of the injector is located proximate an inner toothed rim of the first pair of a rotor and a stator.

7 . An apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the gas injector is inclined relative to the axial direction of the tubular housing.

8 . An apparatus according to claim 1 comprising more than one gas injector.

9 . An apparatus according to claim 1 comprising a jacket surrounding at least a portion of the tubular housing, the jacket having an inlet and an outlet for a heating or cooling fluid.

10 . An apparatus according to claim 1 comprising a back-pressure regulator arranged in the flow path of product downstream of the mixing apparatus.

11 . An apparatus according to claim 1 comprising at least three pairs of a stator and a rotor, and up to eight pairs of a stator and a rotor.

12 . An apparatus according to claim 1 comprising a plurality of further inlets for injecting an additional composition, or several additional compositions, to be mixed with the food product.

13 . A method of preparing an aerated food product comprising passing a stream of food product to be aerated through an apparatus comprising a housing with an inlet for the food product to be aerated and an outlet for the aerated food product, and, within the housing, a plurality of pairs of a rotor and a stator, where each pair of a rotor and a stator has complementary toothed rims orientated in opposition in the axial direction, and a gas injector for injecting, at an upstream position relative to the first pair of a rotor and a stator, a gas in the food product to be aerated, wherein a further inlet is provided for injecting, at a position between an upstream pair of a rotor and a stator and an adjacent downstream pair of a rotor and a stator, an additional composition to be mixed with the food product, wherein a stator ring and a rotor ring are arranged between the upstream pair and the downstream pair of a stator and a rotor to provide an axial space between the two pairs of a stator and a rotor, and the further inlet is arranged to inject the additional composition to be mixed with the food product into the axial space, injecting via the gas injector a gas into the food product stream at an upstream position relative to the first pair of a rotor and a stator, and injecting an additional composition to be mixed with the food product through the further inlet at a position between an upstream pair of a rotor and a stator and an adjacent downstream pair of a rotor and a stator, into an axial space provided between the upstream pair of a rotor and a stator and the adjacent downstream pair of a rotor and a stator the two pairs of a stator and a rotor.

Assignees

• Nestec Sa

Inventors

• Clavier Luis
• Chevalier Jean-Francois
• Marcilla Rafael

Classifications

• A23G3/02

  Apparatus specially adapted for manufacture or treatment of sweetmeats or confectionery; Accessories therefor · CPC title

• A23G1/003

  with introduction or production of gas, or under vacuum; Whipping; Manufacture of cellular mass · CPC title

• A23G9/20

  the products being mixed with gas, e.g. soft-ice · CPC title

• A23P30/40 Primary

  Foaming or whipping · CPC title

• A23G3/0221 Primary

  with introduction or production of gas or under vacuum; Whipping; Manufacture of cellular mass · CPC title