The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for flavouring food products and is applicable in particular, though not necessarily, to a method and apparatus for flavouring sliced food products.
There exist a wide variety of products which require to be coated with a substance (e.g. slurry, powder, liquid, suspension, etc) during their preparation. For example, processed meats are often prepared as lengths of meat requiring slicing and flavouring. It is generally desirable to be able to achieve a uniform and controllable flavouring throughout a product. It is also desirable to be able to minimise wastage of the flavouring, and to reduce the dispersion of the substance into the environment around the products.
Typically, a method for impregnating processed meats with flavouring involves cooking the meat with the flavouring, thereby imparting the flavour to the meat. It is sometimes necessary to store the product for a period of from six months to one year before it is ready to use. The inability to produce meats having a desired flavouring for immediate supply is an inherent disadvantage of this method.
There has recently been interest in applying flavouring in the form of a coating, whereby a flavouring liquid is applied to a product's exterior, the liquid impregnating the product over a short period of time and thus conveying the flavouring throughout the product.
Consumers may purchase processed meats in pre-packed sliced form. It is often preferable that the sliced meat is flavoured. When applying a flavouring to a sliced food product with a coating method as outlined in the previous paragraph, and in particular to sliced processed meats, it is generally only necessary to apply the flavouring to one surface of the slices, the flavouring being absorbed through the slice after application.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of flavouring slices of a food product, the method comprising spraying flavouring onto an end face of an elongate product during slicing at the end face.
The present invention is applicable in particular to the coating of processed meat products with flavouring in the form of liquid (e.g. an oil-based flavouring) or slurry. However, the invention may also be used to coat other products. The invention may also be used to coat products with other substances including, for example, powders and suspensions.
The flavouring may be sprayed through a misting nozzle.
Preferably, the method further includes the step of applying an electric field in order to charge the flavouring. More preferably, the food product is coupled to a potential, whereby the charged flavouring spray is attracted to the end face.
The flavouring spray may be substantially confined within a fixed region adjacent to the end face of the product. Preferably, the cross-sectional shape of the fixed region corresponds substantially to the cross-sectional shape of the product.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided apparatus for flavouring a product, the apparatus comprising means for slicing the product and means for spraying flavouring onto an end face during slicing at that end face.
The means for spraying preferably comprises a misting nozzle; and means for introducing the flavouring to the misting nozzle. Preferably, the means for introducing the flavouring to the misting nozzle is a peristaltic pump.
Preferably, the means for spraying further comprises an electrode attached to or located adjacent to the misting nozzle; and means for charging the electrode, wherein in use the electrode provides an electric field which may be used to charge the flavouring.
The means for spraying may also comprise confinement means for confining the spray in the region adjacent to the product. Preferably, the cross-sectional shape of the confinement means corresponds substantially to the cross-sectional shape of the product.
a to 6c illustrate in partial plan view apparatus for flavouring a sliced food product according to a further embodiment of the present invention.
There is illustrated in
A container 30 stores the flavouring 16. In this embodiment, the flavouring 16 is liquid, although it may alternatively comprise a slurry. Connected to the container 30 is tubing 36 which conveys the flavouring 16 from the container 30 to a misting nozzle 34 by means of a pump 38. Pump 38 comprises a peristaltic pump, although other types of pump may be used.
An electrode housing 40 is located adjacent to the misting nozzle 34, and is illustrated in more detail in
Having explained the structure of the apparatus with reference to
The spray of droplets becomes charged when subjected to the electric field created by the charged electrode 48. It is noted that smaller droplets accept a charge more easily than larger droplets. The charged flavouring droplets are sprayed onto the end face of the product while it is still joined to the product. The flavouring permeates the slices whilst the packaged products are in transit to the end user.
The securing mechanism 26 is grounded, and therefore the slice 10, before the slicing tool 24 has fully cut the slice from the body of the product 20, will also be grounded. The charged flavouring droplets will therefore be accelerated towards the partly-cut slice, landing on the slice and substantially coating at least the end face of the slice in a generally uniform manner. Due to the electrostatic forces, even the inward-facing surface and edges of the slice will tend to be coated to a certain extent. Providing the misting nozzle 34 close to the point at which the slices are cut improves the efficiency of the flavouring process. The method described above is further illustrated in the flow diagram of
In order to minimise contamination of equipment, thereby improving turnaround time between changing flavourings, and to reduce wastage of the flavouring, a hood 50 may be provided at the misting nozzle 34, as illustrated in
It may be necessary to employ more than one source of flavouring, as illustrated in
It will be appreciated that the apparatus and method described above do not require any small aperture components, e.g. Venturi tubes, slots, or holes, through which the coating substance must pass. There is therefore little likelihood of components becoming blocked, resulting in less downtime and higher productivity.
It will be appreciated by the person of skill in the art that various modifications may be made to the above-described embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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0323710.4 | Oct 2003 | GB | national |