AU2022201828A1

AU2022201828A1 - Mould for food product

Info

Publication number: AU2022201828A1
Application number: AU2022201828A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Michael Skolnik
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2021-03-19
Filing date: 2022-03-16
Publication date: 2022-10-06

Abstract

A mould 10 comprises a mould base 20 and a lid 40. The mould base 20 comprises a body 22 including a bottom wall 24, and a perimeter wall 26 extending upwardly from the bottom wall 24. The perimeter wall 26 includes opposing first sides 26a, opposing second sides 26b and a top edge 27. Internal partition walls 28 extend between the first sides 26a, the partition walls 28 being spaced evenly between and parallel to the second sides 26b. The perimeter wall 26 and the partition walls 28 define a series of separated cavities 30. At the longitudinal ends of each cavity 30, sections of the first sides 26a thereof include an insertion hole 32 formed at a mid-portion of the cavity 30. The sections of the first sides 26a for each cavity 30 further includes a slit 34 extending downwardly from the top edge 27 to the insertion hole 32.

Description

MOULDFORFOODPRODUCT

Field of the Invention

[1] The present invention relates to a mould for a food product.

Background of the Invention

[2] Some formed food products, such as tempeh, are increasing in popularity as a meat alternative. It is desirable to provide these products in a more appealing form.

[3] For clarity, in this specification, "mould' refers to the container being the subject of the invention and "mold" refers to a fungus that grows in the form of multicellular filaments called hyphae which is used for forming the food product.

[4] The present invention seeks to overcome or substantially ameliorate at least some of the deficiencies of the prior art, or to at least provide an alternative.

[5] It is to be understood that, if any prior art information is referred to herein, such reference does not constitute an admission that the information forms part of the common general knowledge in the art, in Australia or any other country.

Summary of the Invention

[6] According to a first aspect, the present invention provides a mould base comprising a body having a bottom wall, a perimeter wall extending upwardly from the bottom wall, and internal partition walls extending between portions of the perimeter wall, the perimeter wall having a top edge,

the bottom wall, the perimeter wall and the partition walls defining a series of separated cavities of the mould base,

wherein for each cavity, a section of the perimeter wall thereof includes an insertion hole for a skewer formed at a mid-portion thereof, and a slit extending downwardly from the top edge to the insertion hole.

[7] Preferably, the perimeter wall is rectangular and includes opposing first sides and opposing second sides, wherein the internal partition walls extend between the first sides, the partition walls being spaced evenly between and parallel to the second sides, such that the cavities extend between the opposing first sides.

[8] Preferably, at the ends of each cavity, sections of the first sides thereof each include an insertion hole formed at a mid-portion thereof and a slit extending downwardly from the top edge to the insertion hole.

[9] Preferably, each insertion hole is dimensioned to be slightly larger in diameter than a skewer, and each slit has a width which is less than the diameter of the skewer.

[10] Preferably, the mould base includes a plurality of pinhole perforations in the body to allow for airflow for the substrate to be held in the cavities.

[11] Preferably, internal corners between the bottom wall, the perimeter wall, and the partition walls are rounded or include an angled surface.

[12] The invention also provides a mould comprising the mould base of any one of the above and a lid corresponding to the shape of the perimeter wall to extend across the top edge for covering the cavities, the lid including a downwardly extending skirt extending from the periphery thereof to secure the lid to the mould base and cover the slits.

[13] Preferably, the lid includes spaced pinhole perforations formed therein.

[14] Preferably, the mould base and the lid are both made from food grade silicone.

[15] The invention also provides a method of forming a food product using the mould of the above, the method comprising:

filling of the cavities with an inoculated substrate up to the top edge,

inserting a respective skewer stick through the insertion holes in each cavity and through the substrate,

placing the lid on top of the mould base to close the cavities.

[16] Other aspects of the invention are also disclosed.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[17] Notwithstanding any other forms which may fall within the scope of the present invention, preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of examples only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[18] Figure 1 is a top perspective view of a mould base according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[19] Figure 2 is a closeup front view of an end portion of the mould base showing the slits and insertion hole for a skewer;

[20] Figure 3 is a top perspective view of a lid for the mould base;

[21] Figure 4 is a closeup front view of the end portion of the mould base with the lid attached;

[22] Figure 5 shows a first step in forming a food product (tempeh) being filling the mould base cavities with an inoculated substrate (soybeans);

[23] Figure 6 shows the step of inserting skewer sticks through the insertion holes and through the substrate;

[24] Figure 7 shows the other end of the mould base corresponding to Figure 6, showing the pointed end of the skewer sticks extending out of the insertion holes;

[25] Figure 8 shows the lid attached to the mould base;

[26] Figure 9 shows removal of the lid from the mould base after formation of the tempeh;

[27] Figure 10 shows removal of the formed tempeh from the mould base.

Description of Embodiments

[28] It should be noted in the following description that like or the same reference numerals in different embodiments denote the same or similar features.

[29] Figure 1 to 4 shows a mould 10 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The mould 10 comprises a mould base 20 and a lid 40.

[30] Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the mould base 20 comprises a body 22 which in the example shown is rectangular. The body 22 includes a bottom wall 24, and a perimeter wall 26 extending upwardly from the bottom wall 24. The perimeter wall 26 includes opposing first sides 26a, opposing second sides 26b and a top edge 27. Internal partition walls 28 extend between the first sides 26a, the partition walls 28 being spaced evenly between and parallel to the second sides 26b.

[31] The perimeter wall 26 and the partition walls 28 define a series of separated cavities of the mould base 20. The cavities 30 thus longitudinally extend between the opposing first sides 26a. At the longitudinal ends of each cavity 30, sections of the first sides 26a thereof include an insertion hole 32 formed at a mid-portion of the cavity 30. The insertion hole 32 is about mid-height of the respective section of the first sides 26a. The sections of the first sides 26a for each cavity 30 further includes a slit 34 extending downwardly from the top edge 27 to the insertion hole 32.

[32] The insertion hole 32 is dimensioned to receive a skewer stick therethrough and is thus only slightly larger in diameter than a skewer stick. The slit 34 has a width which is less than the diameter of the skewer. The mould base 20 includes a plurality of pinhole perforations in the body 22 to allow for airflow for the substrate to be held in the cavities 30.

[33] Referring to Figures 3 and 4, the lid 40 corresponds to the shape of the perimeter wall 26, the lid 40 including a rectangular top wall 42 and a downwardly extending skirt 44 extending from the periphery thereof. The top wall 42 in use extends over the top edge 27 of the perimeterwall 26 to cover the cavities 30, with the skirt 44 extending downwardly to secure the lid 40 to the mould base 20 and also cover the slits 32 but not the insertion holes 32. The lid 40 also includes spaced pinhole perforations formed therein.

[34] The mould base 20 and the lid 40 in the example are both made from food grade silicone which is flexible and resilient.

[35] Referring to Figure 5, a first step in forming the food product (tempeh in the example) is filling of the cavities 30 with an inoculated substrate 50 (soybeans in the example) up to the top edge 27. Referring to Figure 6 and 7, a respective skewer stick 60 is then inserted through one insertion hole 32 in each cavity 30, through the substrate 50 and out of the other insertion hole 32. Referring to Figure 8. the lid 40 is placed on top of the mould base 20 to close the cavities 30.

[36] As described above, pinhole perforations are incorporated in the mould base 20 and the lid 40 to provide airflow to the substrate 50. This is required for adequate fermentation. During the fermentation period, the mold (traditionally Rhizopus oligosporus) will colonise the substrate 50 and essentially take the form of the mould cavities 30. The bacteria grows and forms a cake around the skewer stick 60 and grips onto the skewer stick 60. The formed product is known as Tempeh.

[37] Referring to Figures 9 and 10, the end product 90 results in a solid cake form of tempeh that has formed firmly and completely around the skewer stick 60. The product 90 can be pushed out of the flexible mould base 20 with the skewer sicks coming out via the slits 34.

[38] The end product 90 is thus formed similar to a kebab on a skewer stick. This form is a benefit for many reasons. Firstly, it allows for a solid, meat-like single piece of tempeh to form around the skewer stick 60. This is more appealing as it bites and pulls similarly to meat and resembles more closely to meat as it looks similar to a kebab kibbeh. Furthermore and importantly, it cuts out the labour intensive way of producing a tempeh skewer, which would normally include slicing a large tempeh slab into cube like pieces and then skewering them on one by one either by hand or potentially a device to a skewer stick. This results in a different end product of a tempeh skewer that consists of numerous cube pieces.

[39] Although a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described, it will be apparent to skilled persons that modifications can be made to the embodiment shown.

[40] In the example shown, the size of the cavities are 14.5cm x 2.3cm x 2.5cm. The cavities can be modified to create larger or smaller sizes (eg: party packs or kids packs). The mould 10 in the example is made out of food grade silicone which is flexible and resilient to allow for ease when taking out the ready tempeh. This also allows the sections adjacent the slits 34 to flex to allow the skewer sticks to be removed. The mould 10 can however also be made in various other food grade materials such as food grade plastics, metals etc. The skewers 60 are wood but could also be food grade metal. The lid has been fabricated using a transparent/translucent food grade silicone to allow clear view of the fermentation process. This is handy as it will allow the user to view the product in the cavities 30 during the incubation stage should the substrate be compromised in any way, without opening and disturbing the process. The lid however could also be made from a solid colour. The mould can be configured to form any number of cavities 30 and in any desired shape or dimensions.

[41] For example, the cavities can be shaped into a round sausage like shape, with the lid being shaped to complement the cavity shape. This is for creating a similar product without the skewer stick, in a sausage like form to create ready-made tempeh sausages. Other possible shapes include: schnitzel shapes, nuggets, burgers, meatballs.

[42] Preferably, the internal corners 39 (See Figure 1) between the bottom wall 24, the perimeter wall 26, and the partition walls 28 are rounded or include an angled surface therebetween to provide easier separation of the substrate from the mould base and easier cleaning of the mould base. This removes sharp internal corners of the mould base.

[43] The food product can also be formed in the shape of cake pops, being lollipop shape food on a stick. In this embodiment, each cavity will be spherical shaped and will only require one insertion hole 32 with the slit 34.

Claims

Claims The claims defining the invention are as follows:

1. A mould base comprising a body having a bottom wall, a perimeter wall extending upwardly from the bottom wall, and internal partition walls extending between portions of the perimeter wall, the perimeter wall having a top edge,

2. The mould base of claim 1 wherein the perimeter wall is rectangular and includes opposing first sides and opposing second sides, wherein the internal partition walls extend between the first sides, the partition walls being spaced evenly between and parallel to the second sides, such that the cavities extend between the opposing first sides.

3. The mould base of claim 2 wherein at the ends of each cavity, sections of the first sides thereof each include an insertion hole formed at a mid-portion thereof and a slit extending downwardly from the top edge to the insertion hole.

4. The mould base of claim 1 wherein each insertion hole is dimensioned to be slightly larger in diameter than a skewer, and each slit has a width which is less than the diameter of the skewer.

5. The mould base of claim 1 wherein the mould base includes a plurality of pinhole perforations in the body to allow for airflow for the substrate to be held in the cavities.

6. The mould base of claim 1 wherein internal corners between the bottom wall, the perimeter wall, and the partition walls are rounded or include an angled surface.

7. A mould comprising the mould base of any one of claims 1 to 6 and a lid corresponding to the shape of the perimeter wall to extend across the top edge for covering the cavities, the lid including a downwardly extending skirt extending from the periphery thereof to secure the lid to the mould base and cover the slits.

8. The mould of claim 7 wherein the lid includes spaced pinhole perforations formed therein.

9. The mould of claim 7 wherein the mould base and the lid are both made from food grade silicone.

10. A method of forming a food product using the mould of claim 6, the method comprising:

filling of the cavities with an inoculated substrate up to the top edge, inserting a respective skewer stick through the insertion holes in each cavity and through the substrate, placing the lid on top of the mould base to close the cavities.