GB2527076A

GB2527076A - Method of making a confectionery product

Info

Publication number: GB2527076A
Application number: GB1410324.6A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Robert Benjamin Foskett; Simon David O'neill
Original assignee: MAGNA SPECIALIST CONFECTIONERS Ltd
Current assignee: MAGNA SPECIALIST CONFECTIONERS Ltd
Priority date: 2014-06-10
Filing date: 2014-06-10
Publication date: 2015-12-16
Also published as: GB201410324D0

Abstract

A method of making a confectionery product comprising a substrate formed from a first confectionery substance and a layer of inclusions made from a second confectionery substance uses an applicator 14 with a porous end portion 16. The pressure of the gas in the end portion of the applicator is reduced so that when the applicator is brought into close proximity to a reservoir of solid granules of the second confectionery substance a layer of the solid granules 18 is drawn onto and retained on the end portion of the applicator. The applicator is then brought to a predetermined distance from the substrate 24 and the pressure of the gas in the end portion of the applicator is increased so that the layer of granules of the second confectionery substance is deposited on the substrate. An apparatus for applying a layer of edible solid granules comprises a mould 20, an applicator having a porous end 14 and a conduit 12a which extends from the porous end wherein the porous end portion is profiled to conform to the profile of the mould.

Description

Title: Method of Making a Confectionery Product

Description of Invention

The present invention relates to a method of and apparatus for making a confectionery product, particularly, but not exclusively a chocolate-based confection.

It is known to make confections to a very precise shape and size by placing a blob of flowable confectionery substance such as molten chocolate into a mould, and then moving a correspondingly shaped ram into the mould so that the ram presses the confectionery substance against the mould and forces it to flow into the space between the ram and the mould. Where the confectionery substance has to be heated to the flowable state, the ram may be cooled (typically to a low as -20C) so as to speed up the cooling and solidification of the confectionery substance. The ram may then be retracted, and the solidified confectionery product removed from the mould.

It is known to use this process to make the shells for chocolate eggs, or other hollow chocolate products, and where a cooled ram is used, this process is generally known as frozen form or frozen cone shell making. During frozen cone shell making, the solidified chocolate formed as a result of the rapid cooling by the cooled ram has a very low melting temperature -so low, in fact, that it would melt when touched by a person's fingers, and maybe even at room temperature. To stabilise the product, it is therefore necessary to subject it to a second cooling regime after removal of the cooled ram, and before removal of the product from the mould. This could be done, for example, by passing the product, still in its mould, through a blast chiller tunnel, in which the product is cooled to a second sub-ambient temperature which is significantly higher than the temperature it was subjected to by the cooled ram.

The present invention relates to a new method of applying a layer of edible dry, granular material to a confectionery substrate which may have been made by this frozen cone shell making process.

According to a first aspect of the invention we provide a method of making a confectionery product comprising a substrate formed from a first confectionery substance and a layer of inclusions made from a second confectionery substance, using an applicator with a porous end portion, wherein the method includes the steps of reducing the pressure of the gas in pores of the end portion of the applicator (the pore pressure) so that the pore pressure is less than the ambient atmospheric pressure, bringing the applicator into close proximity to a reservoir of the second confectionery substance in the form of solid granules so that a layer of the solid granules is drawn onto and retained on the end portion of the applicator, bringing the applicator to a predetermined distance from the substrate, and increasing the pore pressure so that the pore pressure equals or exceeds the ambient atmospheric pressure and the layer of granules of the second confectionery substance is deposited on the substrate.

Advantageously, the pores in the end portion of the applicator are interconnected.

The end portion is preferably substantially rigid. It may be made from a metal or a ceramic, and may, for example, be an open-celled metal or ceramic foam.

The granules may comprise wafer bits, popping candy, sprinkles, hundreds and thousands, chocolate vermicelli, crushed praline or croquant bits, cake, cookie or biscuit fragments, chopped nuts, seeds, or pieces of dried fruit, or a mixture of any of the above.

Advantageously, the average maximum diameter of the pores in the porous end portion of the applicator is significantly less than the average minimum diameter of the granules, to ensure that none or only a relatively small amount of the granules are sucked into the pores of the porous end portion.

The substrate may be made from a confectionery substance such as chocolate.

The substrate could be concave, convex, or substantially flat. The end portion of the applicator is advantageously profiled to correspond to the profile of the substrate. In this case, where the substrate is concave, the end portion is advantageously convex but slightly smaller in size.

The predetermined distance may be approximately equal to the thickness of the layer of granules retained on the applicator. Alternatively, the predetermined separation between the substrate and the end portion of the applicator could be less than the thickness of the layer of granules. Further alternatively, the predetermined separation between the substrate and the end portion of the applicator could be greater than the thickness of the layer of granules.

To assist in retaining the layer of granules on the substrate, the substrate may be pre-treated before the applicator is brought to the predetermined distance from the substrate, by heating the surface of the substrate so that a surface layer of the substrate melts. Alternatively, the substrate may be sprayed with a liquid such as molten chocolate, syrup or sugar solution, which will act as an edible adhesive. As a further alternative, the granules may be heated prior to their deposition on the substrate, so that the granules melt a small portion of the substrate on contact.

The method may further include the steps of first making the substrate by placing a quantity of the first confectionery substance in liquid or semi-solid form into or onto a mould, moving a cooled ram towards the mould to force the first confectionery substance to flow through the space between the ram and the mould, and removing the ram. In this case, method may further include the step of, following deposition of the granules on the substrate, subjecting the resulting confectionery product to a second cooling regime in which the product is cooled to a sub-ambient temperature which is higher than the temperature to which the ram was cooled.

The surface of the end portion of the applicator may have one or more non-porous portions.

Two or more coatings of granular material may be applied sequentially, the first coating material being applied to a first area or set of areas of the substrate, and the second or subsequent coating material or materials being applied to areas of the substrate not previously coated.

The substrate may be presented to the applicator on or in a mould or die by means of which the substrate has been shaped to the desired form.

According to a second aspect of the invention we provide an apparatus for applying a coating of edible, solid, granular material to a substrate made from a confectionery substance, the apparatus comprising a mould or die on or in which the substrate may be formed, and an applicator having a porous end portion and conduit which extends from the porous end portion to a connector suitable for connected to an apparatus for drawing air out of the pores in the porous end portion, wherein the porous end portion is shaped to conform to the shape of the mould/die.

Advantageously, the average maximum diameter of the pores in the porous end portion of the applicator is significantly less than the average minimum diameter of the pieces of granular material, to ensure that none or only a relatively small amount of the granular material is sucked into the pores of the porous end porliori.

The die could be concave, convex, or substantially flat. In this case, where the die is concave, the end portion is advantageously a slightly smaller size.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying drawings of which FIGURE 1 illustrates the first stage of the method according to the invention in which edible solid granules are applied to an applicator mounted on a ram, FIGURE 2 illustrates the second stage of the method according to the invention in which the applicator is lowered into the cavity of a mould containing a substrate made from a confectionery substance, FIGURE 3 illustrates the third stage of the method according to the invention in which the granules are deposited on the substrate, and FIGURE 4 illustrates the final stage of the method according to the invention in which the applicator is retracted from the mould cavity leaving a layer of granules on the substrate.

Referring now to the figures, there is illustrated an apparatus for making a confectionery product comprising a substrate formed from a first confectionery substance and a layer of inclusions made from a second confectionery substance. In Figure 1, there is shown a ram 12 on which is mounted an applicator 14 having an end portion 16. The ram 12 is provided with a passage 12a which extends between the porous end portion 16 of the applicator 14 and an apparatus (not shown), such as a vacuum pump. The porous end portion 16 is provided with a plurality of pores which extend from an exterior surface of the end portion 16 to the passage 12a. The pores may be interconnected. The apparatus is thus operable to draw air through the porous end portion 16 and into the passage 12a, and thereby reduce the air pressure in the passage and porous end portion 16 of the applicator 14.

The porous end portion 16 is preferably substantially rigid, may be made from a metal or a ceramic, and may, for example, be an open-celled metal or ceramic foam.

The ram 12 is arranged such that the applicator 14 extends downwardly from the ram 12, and is movable upwards and downwards in a generally vertical direction. Hydraulic or pneumatic actuators may be provided to move the ram 12 in this way.

The ram 12 is located above an open-topped container containing an edible solid granules 10 made from a second confectionery substance. The granules may comprise wafer bits, popping candy, sprinkles, hundreds and thousands, chocolate vermicelli, crushed praline or croquant bits, cake, cookie or biscuit fragments, chopped nuts, seeds, or pieces of dried fruit, or a mixture of any of the above.

As air is drawn out of the passage 12a via the porous end portion 16 of the applicator 14, the ram 12 is lowered into the container of granules 10. The suction or vacuum thus created at the porous end portion 16 draws some of the granules 10 towards the applicator 14, and a layer of granules 18 forms on the porous end portion 16 of the applicator 14. It will be appreciated, of course, that the maximum diameter of the pores in the porous end portion 16 must be significantly less than the average minimum diameter of the granules 10, to ensure that none or only a relatively small number of the granules 10 are sucked into the pores of the porous end portion 16.

With the vacuum maintained, and the layer of granules 18 retained on the end portion 16 of the application 14, the ram 12 is then lifted up, away from the container of granules 10, and is then lowered towards a substrate 24 made from a first confectionery substance such as chocolate, as illustrated in Figure 2. This substrate may be presented to the applicator 14 on or in a mould or die by means of which the substrate has been shaped to the desired form.

The end portion 16 of the applicator 14 is shaped (or profiled) to correspond to the shape (or profile) of the substrate, but is a slightly smaller size. So, in this example, where the substrate is generally hemispherical, the end portion 16 of the application 14 is also hemispherical, but has a slightly smaller diameter than the internal diameter of the substrate. The reduction in the size of the end portion 16 of the applicator 14 generally corresponds to the thickness of the layer of granules 18 retained on the applicator 14.

The ram 12 is lowered towards the substrate 24 until the end portion 16 is a predetermined distance from the substrate 24, as illustrated in Figure 3. The predetermined distance is approximately equal to the thickness of the layer of the granules 18. The vacuum / suction which is retaining the granules 18 on the applicator 14 is then switched off. The granules 18 may be allowed to fall onto the substrate 24 under gravity. Alternatively, the granules 18 may be blown onto the substrate 24 by the release of a blast of pressurised air or an inert gas into the passage 12a of the ram 12, so that the pressurised gas passes through the pores in the end portion 16 of the applicator 14, thus pushing the granular material 18 away from the applicator 14 and onto the substrate 24.

The ram 12 may then be moved away from the mould 20, as illustrated in Figure 4, with the layer of granules 18 remaining on the substrate 24.

To assist in retaining the layer of granules 18 on the substrate 24, the substrate 24 may be pre-treated before the applicator 14 is moved towards it.

For example, where the substrate is a material such as chocolate with a relatively low melting temperature, the surface of the substrate 24 to be coated may be heated, momentarily, so that a surface layer of the substrate 24 melts.

Alternatively, the substrate 24 may be sprayed with a liquid such as molten chocolate, syrup or sugar solution, which will act as an edible adhesive.

As a further alternative, the granules may be heated relative to the substrate 24 so that they melt the substrate 24 on contact.

Such pretreatment may not be necessary if the substrate 24 is made from chocolate and has been made by the frozen form shell making method described above, and is presented to the applicator 14 in the mould cavity 22 of the die or mould 20 in or on which it was originally formed, prior to the subjecting the product to the second cooling regime. In this case, if the granules are at ambient temperature, they will melt the substrate 24 on contact, and stick to the substrate 24 this way. The product would then be subjected to the second cooling regime required to stabilise the substrate 24 after the deposition of the layer of granular material.

Whilst the invention has been described as used in relation to a chocolate substrate, it should be appreciated that the substrate 24 could equally be made from any other suitable confectionery substance. Sugar paste, toffee, fudge or marzipan could equally be used, for example.

Although the attached figures show the application of a coating of granular material to a concave substrate, this need not be the case. The substrate could be convex, or even substantially flat. The substrate also need not be a regular shaped such as a hemisphere, as the invention may be applied to any shape substrate (half of a chocolate animal for example), providing the end portion 16 of the applicator 14 has generally the same profile.

The predetermined separation between the substrate and the end portion 16 of the applicator 14 could be slightly less than the thickness of the layer of granular material 18, so that the ram 12 pushes the granular material 18 slightly into the substrate 24 before the vacuum / suction is removed to release the granular material 18. In this case, however, it would be necessary to take care to ensure that the end portion 16 of the applicator does not contact the substrate 24, as material from the substrate 24 could clog the pores in the applicator 14.

Alternatively, the predetermined separation between the substrate and the end portion 16 of the applicator 14 could be greater than the thickness of the layer of granular material 18 so that granular material 18 does not contact the substrate 24 until it is released.

The surface of the end portion 16 of the applicator 14 may have one more non-porous portions. For example, where the end portion 16 is made from an open-celled foam, the pores in one or more areas of the surface of the end portion 16 may be blocked. By virtue of this granular material 10 would only be retained on the porous portions, and so there would be gaps in the layer of granular material 10 deposited on the substrate 24. In this way, granular material 10 may be deposited in a predetermined pattern on the substrate 24.

In this case, two or more coatings of granular material may be applied sequentially, the first coating material being applied to a first area or set of areas of the substrate 24, and the second or subsequent coating material or materials being applied to areas of the substrate 24 not previously coated. To achieve this, a succession of different applicators 14 could be used, the first having pores in a first area of the surface of its end portion, and the second having pores in a second, different, area of the surface of its end portion, etc. Alternatively, the same applicator 14 (with pore-free areas on the surface of its end portion) could be used, and the applicator moved (translated or rotated) relative the substrate for each successive deposition.

It should be appreciated that, whilst in the above embodiment of the invention, the ram 12 is described as being moved towards the container of granular material 10 and the substrate 24, the applicator 14 may, in fact be held still whilst the container of granular material 10 and / or substrate 24 are moved towards or away from the applicator 14.

When used in this specification and claims, the terms "comprises" and "comprising" and variations thereof mean that the specified features, steps or integers are included. The terms are not to be interpreted to exclude the presence of other features, steps or components.

The features disclosed in the foregoing description, or the following claims, or the accompanying drawings, expressed in their specific forms or in terms of a means for performing the disclosed function, or a method or process for attaining the disclosed result, as appropriate, may, separately, or in any combination of such features, be utilised for realising the invention in diverse forms thereof.

Claims

Claims 1. A method of making a confectionery product comprising a substrate formed from a first confectionery substance and a layer of inclusions made from a second confectionery substance, using an applicator with a porous end portion, wherein the method includes the steps of reducing the pressure of the gas in pores of the end portion of the applicator (the pore pressure) so that the pore pressure is less than the ambient atmospheric pressure, bringing the applicator into close proximity to a reservoir of the second confectionery substance in the form of solid granules so that a layer of the solid granules is drawn onto and retained on the end portion of the applicator, bringing the applicator to a predetermined distance from the substrate, and increasing the pore pressure so that the pore pressure equals or exceeds the ambient atmospheric pressure and the layer of granules of the second confectionery substance is deposited on the substrate.
2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the pores in the end portion of the applicator are interconnected.
3. A method according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the end portion is substantially rigid.
4. A method according to any preceding claim wherein the end portion is an open-celled metal or ceramic foam.
5. A method according to any preceding claim wherein the granules comprise wafer bits, popping candy, sprinkles, hundreds and thousands, chocolate vermicelli, crushed praline or croquant bits, cake, cookie or biscuit fragments, chopped nuts, seeds, or pieces of dried fruit, or a mixture of any of these.
6. A method according to any preceding claim wherein the average maximum diameter of the pores in the porous end portion of the applicator is significantly less than the average minimum diameter of the granules.
7. A method according to any preceding claim wherein the substrate is made from chocolate.
8. A method according to any preceding claim wherein the substrate is either concave, convex, or substantially flat.
9. A method according to any preceding claim wherein the end portion of the applicator is profiled to correspond to the profile of the substrate.
10. A method according to claim 9 wherein the substrate is concave and the end portion is convex and a slightly smaller size than the substrate.
11. A method according to any preceding claim wherein the predetermined distance is approximately equal to the thickness of the layer of granules retained on the applicator.
12. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 10 wherein the predetermined separation between the substrate and the end portion of the applicator is less than the thickness of the layer of granules.
13. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 10 wherein the predetermined separation between the substrate and the end portion of the applicator is greater than the thickness of the layer of granules.
14. A method according to any preceding claim wherein the substrate is pre-treated before the applicator is brought to the predetermined distance from the substrate, by heating the surface of the substrate so that a surface layer of the substrate melts.
15. A method according to any preceding claim wherein the substrate is pre-treated before the applicator is brought to the predetermined distance from the substrate, by spraying the substrate with a liquid such as molten chocolate, syrup or sugar solution.
16. A method according to any preceding claim wherein the granules are heated prior to their deposition on the substrate.
17. A method according to any preceding claim wherein the method further includes the steps of first making the substrate by placing a quantity of the first confectionery substance in liquid or semi-solid form into a mould cavity, inserting a cooled ram into the cavity to force the first confectionery substance to flow through the space between the ram and the mould, and removing the ram.
18. A method according to claim 17 wherein method further includes the step of, following deposition of the layer of inclusions on the substrate, subjecting the resulting confectionery product to a second cooling regime in which the product is cooled to a sub-ambient temperature which is higher than the temperature to which the ram was cooled.
19. A method according to any preceding claim wherein the surface of the end portion of the applicator has one or more non-porous portions.
20. A method according to any preceding claim wherein two or more coatings of inclusions may be applied sequentially, the first inclusions being applied to a first area or set of areas of the substrate, and the second or subsequent inclusions being applied to areas of the substrate not previously coated.
21. A method according to any preceding claim wherein the substrate is presented to the applicator on or in a mould or die by means of which the substrate has been shaped to the desired form.
22. An apparatus for applying a layer of edible solid granules to a substrate made from a confectionery substance, the apparatus comprising a mould on or in which the substrate may be formed, and an applicator having a porous end portion and conduit which extends from the porous end portion to a connector suitable for connected to an apparatus for drawing air out of the pores in the porous end portion, wherein the porous end portion is profiled to conform to the profile of the mould.
23. An apparatus according to claim 22 wherein the pores in the end portion of the applicator are interconnected.
24. An apparatus to claim 22 or 23 wherein the end portion is substantially rigid.
25. An apparatus according to any one of claims 22 -24 wherein the end portion is an open-celled metal or ceramic foam.
26. An apparatus according to any one of claims 22 -25 wherein the average maximum diameter of the pores in the porous end portion of the applicator is significantly less than the average minimum diameter of the granules.
27. An apparatus according to any one of claims 22 -26 wherein the die is either concave, convex, or substantially flat.
28. An apparatus according to claim 27 wherein the die is concave and the end portion is convex and a slightly smaller size than the mould.
29. An apparatus according to any one of claims 22 -28 wherein the surface of the end portion of the applicator has one or more non-porous portions.
30. A method substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
31. An apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.
32. Any novel feature or novel combination of features described herein and/or in the accompanying drawings.