摘要:
An apparatus for pneumatically conveying a plurality of continuous ropes (20) of cooked cereal dough (20), e.g., from the diehead (24) of a cereal ingredients cooker extruder (22) to a cereal piece forming apparatus. The apparatus (10) includes a plurality of conveyance tubes (12, 14, 16, 18) each comprising a telescoping, flared inlet member (30) for adjustably connecting to the diehead (24) to facilitate start-up; a means for supplying conditioned air to cool and/or dry the rope during conveyance (36); a venturi eductor (40) to provide pneumatic conveyance; and an elongated conveyance tube (48). In preferred embodiments, the apparatus further includes a motive air supply system for multiple adjustable venturis but employing a single air compressor.
摘要:
An apparatus (79) for setting the nip gap between first and second rollers (30, 32) includes nip control blocks (83) movably mounted adjacent the front edges (150) of the end plates (151a, 151b) between which one of the rollers (32) is journaled. In the preferred form, each of the control blocks (83) are threadably received on a shaft (138) and include a slide surface (142) which slides on a shoe (134) mounted on the end plates (151a, 151b) and include an opposite, abutment surface (144) at a minor acute angle to the slide surface (142) and the movement direction of the control blocks (83). Contact surfaces (164) are articulately mounted to the end plates (51a, 51b) between which the other of the rollers (30) is journaled. In the preferred form, the contact surfaces (164) are formed on a thrust knuckle (160) having a semi-spherical surface (162) slideably received in a semi-spherical depression (156) of a thrust socket (154) secured in a recess (146) in the front edges (150) of the end plates (51a, 51b). The rollers (30, 32) are pivotally mounted relative to each other by pivotally mounting the end plates (51a, 51b) of the first roller (30) relative to the end plates (151a, 151b) of the other roller (32). The thrust knuckles (160) and sockets (154) allow rotary motion of the contact surfaces (164) relative to the end plates (51a, 51b) to flushly abut with the abutment surfaces (144) of the nip control blocks (83) independent of the movement position of the nip control blocks (83) and of the pivot position of the rollers (30, 32) relative to each other.
摘要:
An apparatus (10) for forming a single extrudable food stream such as a cooked cereal dough into a plurality of differently colored and/or flavored dough streams is disclosed including an extruder (12) having screw augers (15) for advancing a plastic food mass, a head or manifold (118) for dividing the plastic food mass into a plurality of substreams each in turn in fluid communication with a plurality of sub-divided dough passageways, and a die head (30) having a plurality of die ports (40). Each subpassage is separately supplied an additive and has disposed therein a multiplicity of in-line static mixer elements (59) to admix the additive into the substreams of the plastic food mass before passage through the die ports (40). In a preferred form, first and second substreams are intermixed in a non-homogenous manner before reaching the exit ports (40). The extrudates are severed into individual pieces (158) by a rotary cutter (36).
摘要:
A system for processing at least one rope of aerated confectionery foam. The system includes extruding at least one rope of aerated confectionery foam from an extruder. The rope is conveyed from the extruder to a rotary cutter. An anti-sticking agent, such as powdered starch, is applied to the rope as the rope is conveyed from the extruder to the rotary cutter. Finally, the rope is cut into pieces with the rotary cutter. In one preferred embodiment, the rotary cutter is operated to perform at least 5,000 cuts per minute.
摘要:
A complexly patterned extrudate is constituted by a confectionery food piece having a main body which is formed from a compressible material, such as foam. More specifically, the body has a first color and is provided with at least one fine line or plane of a second color or hue. The fine line or plane preferably extends through the body and has a thickness of less than 1 mm.
摘要:
An extrudable food product is provided by a food cooker extruder (12) and is mixed with an additive to form a patterned food product, using a pattern forming die (20, 220). The cross-sectional area of the patterned food product is reduced from an inlet end (34) to an outlet end (36) by a factor of at least 50:1 at an average convergence angle of ≦45° while maintaining the cross-sectional pattern to form a reduced cross-sectional patterned dough, and then is extruded through a die port (13) having an opening equal to the reduced cross-sectional area to form a complexly patterned extrudate. The food product comprising, multiple extrudates are simultaneously formed with the flow rates for each extrudate being adjustable by an adjuster plug (16) including a smooth cylindrical portion (86) extendable into a passageway (14) having a circular cross section of a larger diameter than the cylindrical portion (86). A color additive is injected to provide a topical coating to the periphery of the flowing dough to lubricate and reduce friction of the periphery of the flowing dough with the passageway (22) and to produce a surface coloration on the periphery of the flowing dough.
摘要:
A method for processing at least one rope of aerated confectionery foam. The method includes extruding at least one rope of aerated confectionery foam from an extruder. The rope is conveyed from the extruder to a rotary cutter. An anti-sticking agent, such as powdered starch, is applied to the rope as the rope is conveyed from the extruder to the rotary cutter. Finally, the rope is cut into pieces with the rotary cutter. In one preferred embodiment, the rotary cutter is operated to perform at least 5,000 cuts per minute.
摘要:
A mechanism (10) includes a slide plate (32) having die openings (38) adapted to hold dies (42a, 42b) and slideable relative to a cooker/extruder (12). Rotary cutters (74) are rotatably mounted relative to and moveable with the dies (42a, 42b). A motor (76) can be connected and disconnected to the rotary cutter (74) aligned with the cooker/extruder (12) by a male coupling (96) including an elastomeric band (106) tensioned in a groove (102) formed in an outer peripheral surface (100) and received within the inside surface (116) of a cylindrical body (114) of a female coupling (108). The rotary cutters (74) include a plurality of knives (90) mounted to an annular cutter head (82) rotatably mounted upon a center shaft (80) axially extending from each of the dies (42a, 42b). Thus, it is not necessary to shut down the cooker/extruder (12) to service or change the dies (42a, 42b) and/or the rotary cutters (74).
摘要:
Apparatus and methods are disclosed where plastic extrudable food product is provided such as by a food cooker extruder and is mixed with a food color to form a complexly patterned food product, such as by a pattern forming die.
摘要:
Disclosed are apparatus (10) for making a complexly patterned extrudate. The apparatus (10) includes a food cooker extruder (12) for providing at least one extrudable food product, at least one food color supply (18), a pattern forming die (20) for mixing the food color and extrudate food product to form a complexly patterned food product, a reducing passageway for reducing the cross sectional area of the patterned dough from an inlet end (34) to outlet end (36) of at least 50:1 at an average convergence angle of .ltoreq.45.degree. and an extruder exit port at the discharge end of the reducing passageway. The methods comprise the steps of: providing a plastic extrudable food mass; providing at least one color; mixing the food mass and color to form an organized complexly patterned food dough having an initial cross sectional area; reducing the initial cross sectional area by a factor of at least 50:1 with an average convergence angle of .ltoreq.45.degree. while maintaining the cross sectional pattern to form a reduced cross sectional patterned dough, and extruding the reduced cross sectional dough through a die port having an opening of equal to the reduced cross sectional area to form a complexly patterned extrudate.