Patent Application
20210186049
The present invention is directed to a device for preparing cooled or frozen confectionary, which can also be aerated, such as ice cream, whipped yogurt or the like. The device represents a compact and fast system able to provide high quality products departing from raw fluid entering the device at ambient temperature. The present invention further relates to a method for preparing such cooled or frozen products.
Currently, the majority of cooled confectionary or frozen confectionary such as ice cream consumption concerns products already prepared cooled or frozen and maintained in that state for a later consumption. When these products are intended for home consumption, some drawbacks arise, such as the need to transport the products at home rapidly in order to keep them at the cold or frozen state, the need to store them in a freezer and the limited number of flavors available considering standard freezer volume. Additionally, the texture of such product is rather hard and far from the freshly made confectionary.
Whether it is intended for home consumption or for using in a business, store or the like, a solution available today is the use of a cooled confectionary or ice cream machine to produce fresh confectionary products. Thereby, although the obtained texture of the resulting product is more satisfactory, the preparation procedure by means of the known machines has several drawbacks.
In particular, all the ingredients must be mixed previously, the volume of such machines corresponds usually to five or more serving portions of the same flavor and the time necessary is about half an hour (when talking of ice-cream for example). Moreover, the ingredients necessary for the preparation come in contact with a large number of parts of the preparation machine (e.g. a stirrer, tanks, or a dispenser), which all have to be cleaned. Other alternatives imply a preparation at ambient temperature before the cooling or freezing phase in a standard freezer. Hence, they are also time consuming and require cleaning tasks.
Moreover, these known machines are very voluminous and require long preparation times. Besides, more than one serving portion has to be prepared at a time (known as batch preparation). The known machines preparing cooled or frozen confectionary in batches therefore have several limitations, as discussed, such as the volume to be processed which needs to be prepared in advance and also limiting the end product to an homogeneous one where no layering distribution (by flavor, for example) is possible. Therefore, there is a demand for increasing the convenience of the preparation of cool or frozen confectionery, in particular, using machines and systems which are more compact, being able to produce mixtures of a high quality and highly aerated with stabilized foaming, providing single-serve portions and particularly avoiding the need of cleaning afterwards.
The present invention thus aims at providing a device able to address these needs and which overcomes the drawbacks in the state of the art, providing an in-line and on-demand system delivering ice-cream or cooled or foamed products departing from a fluid raw product at ambient temperature.
According to a first aspect, the invention relates to a device for preparing a cooled or frozen and/or foamed product, comprising: a product inlet through which a certain quantity of fluid at ambient temperature, optionally also with air, enters the device, at a certain flow rate, this flow rate depending on the type of product to be prepared by the device; a processing chamber through which the fluid flows and where it is processed, the processing chamber defining a volume for the flow of fluid; at least a processing element rotatable within the processing chamber and configured to mix and/or scrap and/or foam by Couette Flow effect the fluid flowing through it; a cooling element providing a certain cooling power configured to cool at least partially the processing chamber which is at least partially in contact with the fluid.
The device processing element of the device, according to a first embodiment, typically comprises a single rotatable element: this single rotatable element comprises one or a plurality of disturbing means allowing foaming of the fluid in the processing chamber when the element rotates; the element further comprises one or a plurality of scraping means allowing scraping of the product from the walls of the processing chamber when the element rotates.
Preferably, the scraping means are mounted on elastic means allowing them to properly contact the inner walls of the processing chamber. Typically, the rotational speed of the processing element is calculated as a function of the type product to be prepared in the device and/or its foaming level.
According to a second embodiment, the processing element of the device comprises a foaming element and a distinct scraping element, both elements being rotatable in the processing chamber at the same or different speed and/or direction of rotation. The rotational speed and/or the direction of rotation of the foaming element and of the scraping element are calculated depending on the type of product to be prepared in the device and/or on its foaming level.
Typically, in the device of the invention, the flow rate of fluid into the processing chamber is calculated to allow that the cooling power provided by the cooling element cools the fluid to a desired temperature before the fluid leaves the processing chamber. Preferably, the rotational speed of the processing element is comprised in the range of 1 to 10 rpm to prepare a cooled or chilled product. The rotational speed of the processing element is typically comprised in the range of 1000 to 3000 rpm to prepare an ice-cream product or a foamed or aerated product. The processing chamber preferably connects the product inlet and a product outlet, so that the cooled or frozen and/or foamed product is delivered continuously.
The length of the processing chamber traversed by the fluid typically matches the cooling element, defining an inner refrigerating surface in contact with the fluid flow.
According to the invention, the processing element is preferably configured as a cylinder, rotating inside a cylindrical processing chamber, concentrically arranged within it and forming a gap of a thickness between them through which the fluid flows and is processed. The gap configured between the cylinders has a thickness (t) comprised between 0.1 mm and 10 mm.
Typically, according to the invention, the device is connectable to a container configured as a cartridge, as a capsule or the like, where a fluid at ambient temperature is stored to be provided in the device through the product inlet. Preferably, the container comprises identification means, the identification means comprising process parameters allowing the preparation of a cooled or frozen and/or foamed product in the said device. The process parameters are typically one or a combination of: type of product to be produced, temperature of the product delivered, flow rate of fluid in the processing chamber, rotational speed of the processing element, air ratio to incorporate in the processing chamber.
The device is typically configured to be arranged either horizontally or vertically when it is in operation.
According to a second aspect, the invention relates to a method for preparing a cooled or frozen and/or foamed product using a device as the one described, the method comprising:
Preferably, the rotational speed and/or the direction of rotation of the processing element varies depending on the product to be prepared, from a low speed in the range of 1 to 10 rpm to prepare a cooled or chilled product to a high speed in the range of 1000 to 3000 rpm to prepare an ice-cream product or a foamed or aerated product.
In the method of the invention, air is typically introduced into the processing chamber when aerated product is desired.
According to another aspect, the invention refers to the use of a device as the one described for preparing a cooled or frozen and/or foamed product.
Further features, advantages and objects of the present invention will become apparent for a skilled person when reading the following detailed description of non-limiting embodiments of the present invention, when taken in conjunction with the appended drawings, in which:
According to a first aspect, the invention relates to a device 10 for preparing a cooled or frozen product, which can also be aerated. The device 10 of the invention is provided with raw fluid product, typically liquid, at ambient temperature and optionally also with air, through a product inlet 20: from this fluid and also possibly air the final aerated or cooled or frozen product will be produced by means of the device 10. Typical products prepared by the device 10 are ice cream or whipped yogurt, for example. The device 10 works in-line providing whenever needed a portion of aerated or cooled or frozen product as desired, freshly prepared on demand departing from raw fluid at ambient temperature coming from the product inlet 20.
The device 10 comprises a foaming element 100 and a scraping element 200, which can either be configured in one single element (according to a second embodiment of the invention, as represented in
Referring now to
The product to be processed (entering the device 10 through the product inlet 20) flows through a processing chamber 108: this processing chamber is created delimited by the refrigerating surface 104 and by the external surface of the foaming element 100. By the circulation of the product through this processing chamber 108 (further under rotation of the foaming element 100 and of the scraping element 200) the product is refrigerated, processed and possibly also foamed when air is further introduced. The length L and the chamber thickness t of the processing chamber 108 actually determines the path followed by the product flowing in the device (in fact, it determines the flow rate and the residence time), from the time it enters the device at ambient temperature through the product inlet 20, until it exits the device through the product outlet 30, already prepared: the flow rate and the residence time influence on the temperature the product is delivered at the outlet and also on the foaming level of it; particularly, the thickness t of the processing chamber 108 and its length L (volume in the processing chamber 108) relate to the Couette Flow effect followed by the product (in particular to the shear stress to which the product is subjected) and this determines the foaming level of it.
The scraping element 200 is typically configured as represented in
According to this first embodiment of the device of the invention, the foaming element 100 is rotated by a foaming motor 71, while the scraping element 200 is rotated by means of a separate scraping motor 72. The fact of having two different motors allows to independently control the rotational speed of each element, scraping and foaming element, 200 and 100, respectively, and also even to modify the direction of rotation of each of them in order to prepare different product mixtures, as desired, having higher foaming, for example, or the like.
As represented in
The fluid entering the device 10 through the product entry 20 can come from external containing means (not shown) or it can come for example from a capsule or confined container which is externally plugged to the device 10. In this last case (capsule-type container) external expelling means (not shown) typically a piston, will be preferably provided, these means being able to displace inside the volume of the container and expel from it its content.
Preferably, the chamber thickness t of the processing chamber 108 is comprised in the range of 0.1 mm to 10 mm. With these preferred values for the processing chamber thickness t, optimal foam properties can be achieved. For foaming to take place in the processing chamber 108, the device of the invention is based on the foaming energy being provided by high shear energy, which is achieved by passing a mixture of fluid and air coming through the product inlet 20 at least partly by Couette Flow through the processing chamber 108. It is important that the width or gap in the processing chamber 108 remains very small in order to produce high shear stress into the mixture allowing adequate foaming.
Couette flow refers to a laminar flow of a viscous fluid in a space between two parallel plates. The basic principle of Couette flow is shown in
In a simple model, the velocity u of the fluid increases linearly in a direction y measured from the stationary boundary plate. Thereby, a shear stress r is caused in the fluid, which depends on the distance between the two boundary plates, the viscosity of the fluid, and the absolute velocity of the moving boundary plate. The shear stress in the fluid results in a shear energy, which can be used as foaming energy, as used in the device of the present invention.
As discussed previously, the device of the invention is able to provide different types of final products, frozen or cooled, which can further be aerated or not. Typically, the products to be delivered are ice-cream, a cooled or chilled liquid and foamed liquid.
For the different products to be obtained, there are several input parameters to take into consideration:
In the case of preparing a cooled or chilled liquid, no air is introduced together with the fluid through the product inlet 20 and the foaming element 100 rotates at low speed, typically comprised in the range of 1 rpm to 10 rpm, allowing that the fluid is homogeneously mixed and cooled. Thanks to the heat exchange in the processing chamber 108, the refrigerating surface 104 is cooling down the fluid to a final temperature comprised between 5° C. and 0° C. before it is delivered through the product outlet 30. The scraping element 200 helps to take off the product on the inner walls of the refrigerating surface 104 into the whole fluid mixture, so as to homogenously distribute cold within it.
In the case of preparing a foamed product (that can be chilled or not), air is introduced together with the fluid through the product inlet 20 and the foaming element 100 rotates at a high speed, typically comprised between 1000 rpm and 3000 rpm. When cooled or chilled product is desired, the evaporator 60 acts on the temperature of the refrigerating surface 104 to cool the foamed fluid to a temperature typically comprised between 5° C. and 0° C. before it is delivered through the product outlet 30. The high speed of the foaming element 100 is intended to properly mix and foam the fluid mixture, helping to break fluid bubbles and incorporate air in the mixture, aerating it.
When preparing ice-cream with the device of the invention, air is introduced together with the fluid through the product inlet 20 and the foaming element 100 typically rotates at high speed, comprised between 1000 rpm and 3000 rpm. The evaporator 60 acts on the temperature of the refrigerating surface 104 to cool the foamed fluid to a temperature typically of −0° C. (see
Referring now to
The energy balance, i.e. heat energy related to temperature difference for the fluid inside the processing chamber is given by:
Σ(Cpm dT)
The formula above gives heat energy transfer linked to the change of temperature of the product inside the processing chamber from ambient temperature into a lower temperature T1 at the product outlet beverage outlet, typically comprised between 0° C. and 5° C.
Referring now to
Σ(Cpm dT)
Then, the product changes phase from liquid into solid, maintaining its temperature at around 0° C. (in fact, changing from +0° C. to −0° C.): it is estimated, as represented in
The heat energy related to this phase change is give by:
Σ(Lfm)
Finally, the rest of 5% to 10% of the path of the processing chamber travelled by the product makes the product reduce its temperature further, from −0° C. to approximately −5° C., until it is delivered as ice-cream product through the product outlet 30. The energy balance, i.e. heat energy related to temperature difference for the fluid inside this path of the processing chamber is given by:
Σ(Cpm dT)
The formula above gives heat energy transfer linked to the change of temperature of the product inside the processing chamber from −0° C. to −5° C., which is the final delivery temperature of the frozen product. Effective foaming of the mixture of fluid and air (when air is introduced together with the fluid through the product inlet 20) occurs at temperature comprised between 5° C. and +0° C., as shown in the graph of
All what has been described above is also valid for a device 10 according to a second embodiment of the invention, where the foaming element and the scraping element are configured as one single element, in what will be referred to as foaming and scraping element 300 (as represented in
As shown in
Preferably, the disturbing elements or foaming embossing 102 are arranged outside the surface of the foaming and scraping element 300 under a helicoidal shape allowing to direct the flow of fluid towards the exit of the product, i.e. towards the product outlet 30.
With the described configuration, the element 300 is configured to be able to move (rotate) within the processing chamber 108 and foam (by means of the foaming embossing 102) and scrap (by means of the scrapers 201) at the same time.
For this second embodiment of the invention, it is evident that only one motor is needed, a foaming and scraping motor 73, as represented in
One or two (or even more) refrigerant inlets (40, 40′) or refrigerant outlets (50, 50′) are possible in different configurations of the device 10 according to the present invention.
The main principle followed by a device according to the present invention (for any of the two possible embodiments) is that, departing from the quantity of product desired to be prepared, it is therefore known the total heat energy balance needed to change this fluid product at ambient temperature of depart into another product (cooled only or frozen, with the possibility of further being foamed). Further, the power of the evaporator 60 doing the cooling is known and so is the total volume of the path that the fluid will follow: thus, it is in this volume (during a certain residence time) that the product needs to pass through a certain energy transfer in order to achieve the desired cooling and possible phase change. The energy removal is provided by the evaporator 60.
Therefore, for a certain product to be achieved (frozen or chilled liquid), departing from known information (type of product and the power the evaporator 60 can provide) what is adjusted in the device of the invention is the flow rate of the product through the processing chamber 108, i.e. the residence time of the product passing into the processing chamber: departing from a known product at certain conditions, this residence time in the processing chamber 108 must provide the final product desired. Other characteristics of the final product will be given by the rotational speed of the foaming element 100 and of the scraping element 200 (or the rotational speed of the foaming and scraping element 300): higher speed for ice-cream and foamed products and lower speed for cooled or chilled liquids, and also by the air ratio introduced together with the fluid into the processing chamber (through the product inlet 20).
Typically, the device of the invention works inline and provides a certain desired amount of fluid into final product as a frozen, chilled and possibly foamed product delivered through the product outlet 30.
As already described, the fluid entering the device 10 through the product entry 20 can come from external containing means (not shown) or it can come for example from a capsule or confined container which is externally plugged to the device 10. In this last case (capsule-type container), the container will preferably comprise identification means with the information on the parameters to be used to prepare a cooled or frozen and possibly further aerated product, such as type of product to be produced in the device, temperature of the product to be delivered, processing time in the device, rotational speed of the processing element (foaming, scraping element) of the device, amongst others. Typically, the device will be therefore provided with a processor configured to read the information on the identification means and execute the required parameters during the product preparation process.
Even when all the Figures attached represent the device 10 (in both first and second embodiments) in horizontal arrangement, the device can either work in a horizontal or in a vertical position.
According to a second aspect, the invention further relates to a method for preparing a cooled or frozen product, which can also be aerated, in a device as the one described above. The method of the invention comprises:
Although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments thereof, many modifications and alterations may be made by a person having ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope of this invention which is defined by the appended claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16159808.1 | Mar 2016 | EP | regional |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2017/055528 | 3/9/2017 | WO | 00 |
