GB2505160A

GB2505160A - Dispersion apparatus with membrane

Info

Publication number: GB2505160A
Application number: GB1212097.8A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Richard Holdich; Sergey Zhdanov; Hans Luder
Original assignee: MICROPORE TECHNOLOGIES Ltd
Current assignee: MICROPORE TECHNOLOGIES LTD.
Priority date: 2012-07-06
Filing date: 2012-07-06
Publication date: 2014-02-26
Also published as: WO2014006384A2; WO2014006384A3; GB201212097D0

Abstract

Apparatus for dispersing a first liquid phase 28 in a second liquid phase 34 comprises a membrane 40 defining a plurality of apertures 48 connecting a first volume 38 on a first side of the membrane to a second volume on a second side of the membrane such that an emulsion is generated by the egression of the first phase into the second phase via the apertures, and a refiner 44 defining at least one aperture 50 which receives and converges the emulsion flow to break up droplets of the first phase in the emulsion. Ideally, the device further comprises a flow control rod 42 with a screw thread portion 52 which extends within the membrane. In use, the flow control rod maybe moved towards or away from the aperture of the refiner to control droplet size and flow of the emulsion. The apparatus is preferably used in the preparation of a chocolate product with the first phase comprising sweetener syrup and the second phrase comprising a coco. Claims directed towards computer programs for controlling a chocolate preparation method are also included.

Description

TITLE

Apparatus for dispersing a first phase in a second phase

TECHNOLOGICAL FIELD

Embodiments of the present invention relate to apparatus for dispersing a first phase in a second phase.

BACKGROUND

Apparatus for generating dispersions of oil in water, or water in oil, and dispersions of small sized capsules containing solids, or fluids, are of considerable economic importance and are used, by way of example, for generating creams and lotions, delayed release pharmaceutical products, pesticides, paints and varnishes, spreads and foods.

Such apparatus usually generate emulsions having a relatively large range of droplet sizes. For pharmaceutical products, this may result in an inconsistent microcapsule size which would result in an unpredictable release of the encapsulated product. In particular, a wide droplet size distribution would result in rapid release of the product from the fine capsules, which have a high surface area to volume ratio, and a slow release from the larger capsules which have a lower surface area to volume ratio.

It would therefore be desirable to provide an alternative apparatus.

BRIEF SUMMARY

According to various, but not necessarily all, embodiments of the invention there is provided apparatus for dispersing a first phase in a second phase, comprising: a membrane defining a plurality of apertures connecting a first volume on a first side of the membrane to a second volume on a second different side of the membrane, the apparatus being arranged to receive a first phase containing a liquid in the first volume and to receive a second phase in the second volume to generate an emulsion through egression of the first phase into the second phase via the plurality of apertures; and a refiner arranged to receive the emulsion from the membrane and defining at least one aperture to converge the flow of the emulsion to break up droplets of the first phase in the emulsion.

The apparatus may be arranged so that flow of the second phase in the second volume creates a shear field at the area of egression of the first phase, the shear field being in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of egression of the first phase.

The membrane may be tubular in shape and may comprise a first end for receiving the second phase and a second end, the refiner being coupled to the second end of the membrane.

The apparatus may further comprise a flow control member, moveable relative to the at least one aperture of the refiner.

The flow control member may comprise a screw thread portion for enabling the flow control member to be moved relative to the aperture of the refiner.

The apparatus may further comprise a first pump for providing the first phase to the first volume under pressure, and a second pump for providing the second phase to the second volume under pressure.

According to various, but not necessarily all, embodiments of the invention there is provided a method for manufacturing a chocolate product using an apparatus as described in any of the preceding paragraphs, the method comprising: providing a first phase comprising a sweetener syrup to the first volume of the apparatus; and providing a second phase comprising cocoa to the second volume of the apparatus.

The sweetener syrup may include agave syrup and the cocoa may include cocoa butter.

The second phase may further comprise soya lecithin.

The method may further comprise receiving a refined emulsion from the refiner; and moulding the refined emulsion.

The method may further comprise providing no coconut oil or vegetable fats.

The method may not comprise removing water from the refined emulsion.

According to various, but not necessarily all, embodiments of the invention there is provided apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code; the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform the method as described in any of the preceding paragraphs.

According to various, but not necessarily all, embodiments of the invention there is provided a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium encoded with instructions that, when performed by a processor, cause performance of the method as described in any of the preceding paragraphs.

According to various, but not necessarily all, embodiments of the invention there is provided a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes performance of the method as described in any of the preceding paragraphs.

According to various, but not necessarily all, embodiments of the invention there is provided a chocolate product manufactured according to a method as described in any of the preceding paragraphs, wherein the chocolate product comprises agave syrup encapsulated within cocoa butter and having a glysemic index in the range of 12 to 30.

The chocolate product may further comprise water, the water having a weight in the range of 10% to 30% of the chocolate product.

The chocolate product may have a yield value in the range of 30000 to 43000.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

For a better understanding of various examples of embodiments of the present invention reference will now be made by way of example only to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of apparatus according to various embodiments of the invention; Fig. 2 illustrates a cross sectional schematic diagram of apparatus according to various embodiments of the invention; Fig. 3 illustrates an exploded view diagram of the apparatus illustrated in fig. 2; Fig. 4A illustrates an emulsion generated without a refiner; Fig. 4B illustrates an emulsion generated using an apparatus according to various embodiments of the invention; Fig. 5 illustrates an emulsion generated using an apparatus according to various embodiments of the invention; and Fig. 6 illustrates a flow diagram of a method according to various embodiments of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description and figures, the wording connect' and couple' and their derivatives mean operationally connected or coupled. It should be appreciated that any number or combination of intervening components can exist (including no intervening components).

Fig. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of an apparatus 10 according to various embodiments of the invention. The apparatus lOis arranged to generate an emulsion from at least a first phase and a second phase. The apparatus 10 includes a controller 12, apparatus 14 for dispersing a first phase in a second phase, and machinery 16.

The implementation of the controller 12 can be in hardware alone (for example, a circuit, a processor and so on), have certain aspects in software including firmware alone or can be a combination of hardware and software (including firmware).

The controller 12 may be implemented using instructions that enable hardware functionality, for example, by using executable computer program instructions in a general-purpose or special-purpose processor 18 that may be stored on a computer readable storage medium 20 (disk, memory etc) to be executed by such a processor 18.

The processor 18 is configured to read from and write to the memory 20. The processor 18 may also comprise an output interface via which data and/or commands are output by the processor 18 and an input interface via which data and/or commands are input to the processor 18.

The memory 20 stores a computer program 22 comprising computer program instructions that control the operation of the apparatus 10 when loaded into the processor 18. The computer program instructions 22 provide the logic and routines that enables the apparatus 10 to perform the method illustrated in Fig. 6. The processor 18 by reading the memory 20 is able to load and execute the computer program 22.

The computer program 22 may arrive at the apparatus 10 via any suitable delivery mechanism 24. The delivery mechanism 24 may be, for example, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, a computer program product, a memory device, a record medium such as a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or digital versatile disc (DVD), an article of manufacture that tangibly embodies the computer program 22. The delivery mechanism 24 may be a signal configured to reliably transfer the computer program 22. The apparatus 10 may propagate or transmit the computer program 22 as a computer data signal.

Although the memory 20 is illustrated as a single component it may be implemented as one or more separate components some or all of which may be integrated/removable and/or may provide permanent/sem i-permanent/ dynamic/cached storage.

References to computer-readable storage medium', computer program product', tangibly embodied computer program' etc. or a controller', computer', processor' etc. should be understood to encompass not only computers having different architectures such as single Imulti-processor architectures and sequential (Von Neumann)/parallel architectures but also specialized circuits such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), application specific circuits (ASIC), signal processing devices and other processing circuitry. References to computer program, instructions, code etc. should be understood to encompass software for a programmable processor or firmware such as, for example, the programmable content of a hardware device whether instructions for a processor, or configuration settings for a fixed-function device, gate array or programmable logic device etc. As used in this application, the term circuitry' refers to all of the following: (a) hardware-only circuit implementations (such as implementations in only analog and/or digital circuitry) and (b) to combinations of circuits and software (and/or firmware), such as (as applicable): (i) to a combination of processor(s) or (ii) to portions of processor(s)/software (including digital signal processor(s)), software, and memoryes) that work together to cause an apparatus, such as a mobile phone or server, to perform various functions) and (c) to circuits, such as a microprocessor(s) or a portion of a microprocessor(s), that require software or firmware for operation, even if the software or firmware is not physically present.

This definition of circuitry' applies to all uses of this term in this application, including in any claims. As a further example, as used in this application, the term "circuitry" would also cover an implementation of merely a processor (or multiple processors) or portion of a processor and its (or their) accompanying software and/or firmware.

The apparatus 14 is arranged to disperse a first phase in a second phase to generate an emulsion and is described in more detail with reference to figs. 2 and 3. The controller 12 may be arranged to control the provision of the first phase and the second phase to the apparatus 14.

The machinery 16 is arranged to receive the emulsion generated by the apparatus 14 and to further process the emulsion. For example, where the output of the apparatus 14 is a chocolate emulsion, the machinery 16 is arranged to process the chocolate emulsion to form a chocolate product. In this example, the machinery 16 may include a liquid holding tank for containing the chocolate emulsion, heating apparatus for tempering the chocolate emulsion, and a mould to form the chocolate emulsion into a desired shape. The controller 12 is arranged to control the machinery 16 to further process the emulsion.

Fig. 2 illustrates a cross sectional schematic diagram of apparatus 14 according to various embodiments of the invention. The apparatus 14 includes a first container 26 for storing a first phase 28 (e.g. a liquid, a mixture of liquids, or liquids and solids), a first pump 30, a second container 32 for storing a second phase 34 (e.g. a liquid or a mixture of liquids), a second pump 36, a membrane shroud 38 defining a first volume therein, a membrane defining a second volume therein, a flow control member 42 and a refiner 44.

The first pump 30 is arranged to pump the first phase 28 from the first container 26 into an inlet 46 of the membrane shroud 38. The controller 12 illustrated in fig. 1 may be arranged to control the first pump 30 to provide the first phase to the membrane shroud 38.

The second pump 36 is arranged to pump the second phase 34 from the second container into a first end of the membrane 40. The controller 12 illustrated in fig. 1 may be arranged to control the second pump 36 to provide the second phase 34 to the membrane 40.

The membrane 40 may be of any suitable type and have any suitable shape.

In this embodiment, the membrane 40 is tubular in shape and defines a plurality of apertures 48 that connect the first volume on a first side of the membrane 40 to the second volume on a second different side of the membrane 40. The plurality of apertures 48 may be in the form of through holes. The through hole diameter may be in the range 0.1 to 100 micrornetres and may be 10 micrometres in various embodiments. The holes 48 may also be in a form other than circular. For example, the use of slotted through holes may help to prevent the membrane 40 from blocking or plugging, as may be the case with circular pore holes.

In some embodiments, the membrane 40 may be a micro filter membrane such as described in GB patent GB2385008B (patent application number GB0202832.2). In these embodiments, the membrane 40 is a surface micro filter membrane comprising a lamina substrate having through pores with a filtering dimension of no more than 10 microns and the the surface of the pores is formed by metallic plating. The metallic plating may be of nickel or nickel alloy and formed on a metal or plastic substrate. The substrate may be in the form of a net and the pore openings are non-circular (e.g. slotted) in shape. The membrane 40 may be manufactured by reducing the pore size of the substrate by coating it with a metal to form non-tortuous pores in a sieve type micro filter. Electroless plating may be used for applications where a solution is passed though the substrate under a pressure difference. In some embodiments, ultrasonic energy may also be applied to remove gas bubbles from the pores.

The refiner 44 is coupled to the second end of the membrane 40 (i.e. opposite the first end of the membrane 40) and includes one or mare apertures 50 therein having dimensions (e.g. diameter) in the range of 500 to 1000 microns. In some embodiments, the refiner 44 may initially be a separate component to the membrane 40 and may be subsequently joined to the membrane 40 via welding or an adhesive for example. In other embodiments, the refiner 44 may be manufactured as an integral part of the membrane 40 and therefore not require coupling to the second end of the membrane 40.

The refiner 44 is arranged to receive the emulsion from the membrane 40 and converge the flow of the emulsion to break up (i.e. reduce in size) droplets of the first phase 28 in the emulsion. In particular, the one or more apertures 50 of the refiner 44 causes convergence of the flow of the emulsion which results in attrition between the droplets of the first phase 28 within the emulsion causing them to break up.

The flow control member 42 extends within the membrane 40 between the first end and the second end and includes a screw thread portion 52 for enabling the flow control member 42 to be moved relative to (i.e. towards and away from) the one or more apertures 50 of the refiner 44. The positioning of the flow control member 42 varies the flow of the emulsion through the one or more apertures 50 and may consequently be used to control the size to which the droplets of the first phase 28 are reduced to. In some embodiments, the controller 12 may be arranged to control the movement of the flow control member 42 within the membrane 40 and hence selects the position of the flow control member 42 relative to the one or more apertures 50.

In operation, the first and second pumps 30, 36 pump the first and second phases 28, 34 respectively so that the first phase 28 egresses from the first volume into the second phase 34 in the second volume. The flow of the second phase 34 in the second volume creates a shear field at the area of egression of the first phase 28 into the membrane 40. The shear field is in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of egression of the first phase 28 (i.e. the shear field is in a vertical direction in fig. 2, and the direction of egression is in a horizontal direction). The second phase 34 containing the dispersed first phase 28 in the form of an emulsion is then passed through the refiner 44 to form a finer emulsion product 54. The finer emulsion product 54 may then be provided to the machinery 16 for further processing.

The separate sections of the apparatus 14 are shown in expanded detail in Fig. 3. It should be appreciated from fig. 3 that the membrane 40 has end-pieces at each end for connection to the surrounding pumped system. At the discharge end of the membrane 40, the refiner 44 forms one of the end pieces and refines the freshly prepared emulsion. As mentioned in the preceding paragraphs, the distance between the end of the flow control member 42 (which may also be referred to as a membrane insert rod 301) and the one or more apertures 50 is adjustable by the threaded section 52 at the other end of the flow control member 42 where the flow control member 42 is threaded externally to mesh with an internal thread of the inlet end-piece of the membrane 40.

A tubular membrane 40 is advantageous in that the flow control member 42 helps to increase the shear between the first phase 28 and the second phase 34 at the membrane 40 surface uniformly. However, it should be appreciated that the membrane 40 does not have to be of a tubular shape or of uniform cross section in other embodiments of the invention. The membrane 40 may, for example, be formed from rectangular boxes, sheets or discs. The apparatus 14 may also contain a plurality of membranes 40 in, for example, a tubular form contained within a single shell, as may be advantageous in a production environment.

In Figs. 2 and 3, the apparatus 14 has been described in relation to "outside-in" embodiments in which the first phase 28 moves from the outside of the membrane 40 to the inside. It should be appreciated that embodiments of the invention would also work using what may be described as "inside-out" arrangements in which the first phase 28 moves from the inside of the membrane 40 to the exterior and the dispersion is formed at the exterior surface of the membrane 40, followed by the refiner 44.

It should be appreciated that the above described embodiments may be used in the formation of double emulsions, whereby an emulsion is produced firstly by injecting a dispersed phase into a continuous phase and then the resulting emulsion is injected into another continuous phase through pores of a larger diameter membrane. The above described apparatus may be used with a first type of membrane 40 to inject a first dispersed phase into a continuous phase and then can be used with a different membrane to inject the resulting emulsion into another continuous phase. The in-situ refiner 44 could be used in the production of the first emulsion, or the second, or both.

Although in the described embodiments, the first and second phases are liquids, it should be appreciated that the first and/or second phase may also contain finely divided solids, for example.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to Figs. 4A and 4B. Fig. 4A illustrates an emulsion formed by a membrane without a refiner, and fig. 4B illustrates an emulsion formed by an apparatus 14 according to an embodiment of the invention.

A tubular microfilter, with an internal diameter of 19 mm and pore width of 10 micrometres, prepared according to patent application GB 0202832.2, was mounted vertically within a crossflow system. The microfilter possessed pores of slotted geometry: 8 micrometres in width and 400 micrometres in length. The slots were in the form of a regular pattern, with equal distances between each slot and with the slot length aligned in the same direction as the axial flow of the continuous phase. The shear field was generated by the crossflow of the water continuous phase container 2% by mass of the surfactant Tween 20. The fluid for egression was sunflower oil, and the resulting emulsion of oil in water is similar to a mayonnaise product.

Commercially available mayonnaise has droplets of sunflower oil up to 50 micrometres in diameter in suspension, but it is widely accepted that the finer the sunflower oil drops the more stable the product will be. The continuous phase was passed at a rate of 3 litres per minute up the centre of the tube, which contained a rod of 10 mm outside diameter to reduce the total volume within the tubular membrane emulsification system. However, there was no refiner within the discharge end-piece and fig. 4A shows the product formed from a single pass of the continuous phase through the membrane in the absence of the refiner: drops up to 70 micrometres in diameter are apparent.

Fig. 4B shows the result when the test was performed using a refiner 44 with a gap distance of 0.4 mm between the end of the membrane insert rod 42 and a small orifice disc 44 which defines the one or more apertures 50 having a diameter of 2 mm. In the absence of the refiner 44 the pressure drop during the cross flow membrane emulsification recorded on a pressure gauge just after the membrane module was 0.3 Bar, and with the presence of the refiner the pressure was 0.5 Bar. The drops illustrated in fig. 4B have a diameter no greater than 20 micrometres.

In a second example, the experimental conditions were similar, except that a slotted pore membrane with a pore width of 10 micrometres and slot length of 400 micrometres was used. The slotted pores were arranged perpendicular to the direction of the shear field which was generated by the cross flow of the water continuous phase The phase to be injected was a water-in-oil emulsion comprising water homogenised by a conventional high speed homogeniser within sunflower oil and stabilised by the presence of the surfactant PGPR.

This emulsion was then injected into another water phase containing the drop stabiliser: Whey Protein Isolate. The intention was to form a water-in-oil-in-water emulsion, such as is desired for the production of low fat products: where the internal water phase replaces some of the fat phase resulting in a lower overall fat content. A refiner gap distance of 0.6 mm between the end of the membrane insert rod and the small 2 mm orifice disc, which constituted the refiner system, was used. An image of the resulting product, when using the refiner assisted membrane emulsification is shown in Fig 5. The water phase inside the oil drops is visible as fine drops within the coarser oil drops.

All drops are less than 30 micrometres in diameter and the loading of water inside the oil phase is approximately 50%, resulting in a fat reduction of 50% for the final product. The images demonstrate that the refiner assisted membrane emulsification did not disrupt the internal water-in-oil emulsion during the production of the secondary emulsion: water-in-oil-in-water. The pressure drop using the refiner assisted membrane emulsification was 0.4 Bar.

These experiments show that embodiments of the invention are successful at producing appropriately sized emulsions, or dispersions, of a material being injected into another, immiscible liquid, and that the drop size is relevant to food applications.

Fig. 6 illustrates a flow diagram of a method for manufacturing a chocolate product using the apparatus 10.

At block 56, the method includes providing a first phase 28 including a sweetener syrup to the first volume defined between the membrane shroud 38 and the membrane 40. The sweetener syrup may include (for example) agave syrup (which is sometimes also referred to as agave nectar), honey, maple syrup, molasses or liquid stevia. In some embodiments, the sweetener syrup may be diluted with water or another liquid.

At block 58, the method includes providing a second phase comprising cocoa (which may include cocoa mass and/or cocoa butter) and soya lecithin to the second volume defined by the interior of the membrane 40. In embodiments where the chocolate product is dark chocolate, the second phase includes cocoa butter, cocoa mass and soya lecithin. In embodiments where the chocolate product is milk chocolate, the second phase includes cocoa butter, cocoa mass, soya lecithin and milk powder. In embodiments where the chocolate product is white chocolate, the second phase includes cocoa butter, soya lecithin and milk powder.

The pressure provided by the first pump 30 causes the sweetener syrup to egress from the plurality of apertures 48 in the membrane 40 and into the second phase 34 within the membrane 40. Due to the pressure provided by the second pump 36, the second phase 34 creates a shear field at the interior surface of the membrane 40 which removes droplets of the sweetener syrup from the interior surface of the membrane 40 to form a dispersion of the sweetener syrup within the second phase.

Due to the pressure provided by the second pump 36, the emulsion within the membrane 40 flows to the refiner 44. The flow of the emulsion converges at the refiner 44 due to the one or more apertures 50 and the gap defined between the flow control member 42 and the one or more apertures 50. The convergence of the emulsion causes attrition between the droplets of the sweetener syrup that results in the droplets of the sweetener syrup being reduced in size.

At block 60, the method includes receiving the refined emulsion from the refiner 44 at the machinery 16 and then further processing the refined emulsion. For example, the refined emulsion may be tempered and then placed in a mould in order to form a chocolate product having a desired shape.

The method illustrated in fig. 6 is advantageous in that since the sweetener syrup forms a dispersion within the second phase (i.e. the sweetener syrup is encapsulated by the second phase), it is not necessary to remove any water from the refined emulsion. This may advantageously reduce the time required for manufacturing a chocolate product and since the apparatus 10 does not require a water removal device, the apparatus 10 may also be less costly.

Furthermore, since the method illustrated in fig. 6 may comprise providing no coconut oil or vegetable fats, the resulting chocolate product may fall within the current definition of chocolate' of the European Union and national governments (for example, such a chocolate product may fall within the Cocoa and Chocolate Products (England) Regulations 2003).

The method illustrated in fig. 6 may be implemented to manufacture a chocolate product comprising agave syrup encapsulated within cocoa butter and having a glysemic index in the range of 12 to 30. The chocolate product may also comprise water in the range of 10% (where no additional water is added to the agave syrup) to 30% (where additional water is added to the agave syrup) of the chocolate product.

Penetration tests were conducted on a chocolate product manufactured according to the method described above where no additional water was added to the agave syrup. A cone penetrometer was used to obtain yield values of the produced chocolate along with a control using an off the shelf supermarket chocolate. To ensure that there were no variations in results due to surrounding temperature, the samples were placed in an environmental cabinet set to a constant temperature of 22°C. The samples were penetrated in five areas, centre and four corners, on both sides and the mean average was obtained. A snap test was also performed. This was done relatively subjectively by snapping the produced chocolate and comparing that to the snap of the supermarket chocolate. The chocolate was then given the rating of solid, reasonable, soft and no snap.

The yield value, which determines the hardness of a material, can be calculated from the penetration depth, obtained by a penetrometer, using the given formula [Haighton, A.J., 1959, Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society Volume 36, Number 8, pp 345-348]:

KW

Yield value = C = pfl where: C = yield value, g crif2 K = constant factor, cone angle dependent W = weight of cone and all parts, g p = penetration depth in 0.1mm n = 1.6 for margarine, butter and shortenings (and used in this comparative set of tests).

The cone used in the penetration test had a K constant of 9670. The yield values are used in comparison. The control for this test is off the shelf supermarket chocolate which represents the desired hardness value of a commercial chocolate. The results show that the chocolate manufactured according to embodiments of the present invention have a similar hardness value.

The supermarket chocolate had a yield value of 43944 and the snap test resulted in solid'. The chocolate manufactured according to embodiments of the invention had a yield value of 42137 and the snap test resulted in solid'.

A chocolate product manufactured according to embodiments of the present invention may have a yield value in the range of 30000 to 43000 (30000 corresponding to a water content of approximately 30% of the chocolate product which produces a reasonable snap).

A chocolate product manufactured according to embodiments of the present invention provides several advantages. The Glysemic index of the chocolate is relatively low and may therefore be suitable for diabetic individuals or individuals who wish to reduce their sugar intake. By way of comparison, diabetic chocolate made with chemically produced sugar have a Glysemic index of 35 or higher. Furthermore, since agave syrup is a natural ingredient, the chocolate may be healthier to eat than chocolate comprising sugar.

The blocks illustrated in Fig. 6 may represent steps in a method (which may be performed at least partially by a human) and/or sections of code in the computer program 22. The illustration of a particular order to the blocks does not necessarily imply that there is a required or preferred order for the blocks and the order and arrangement of the block may be varied. Furthermore, it may be possible for some blocks to be omitted.

Although embodiments of the present invention have been described in the preceding paragraphs with reference to various examples, it should be appreciated that modifications to the examples given can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as claimed.

Features described in the preceding description may be used in combinations other than the combinations explicitly described.

Although functions have been described with reference to certain features, those functions may be performable by other features whether described or not.

Although features have been described with reference to certain embodiments, those features may also be present in other embodiments whether described or not.

Whilst endeavouring in the foregoing specification to draw attention to those features of the invention believed to be of particular importance it should be understood that the Applicant claims protection in respect of any patentable feature or combination of features hereinbefore referred to and/or shown in the drawings whether or not particular emphasis has been placed thereon.

I/we claim:

Claims

CLAIMS1. Apparatus for dispersing a first phase in a second phase, comprising: a membrane defining a plurality of apertures connecting a first volume on a first side of the membrane to a second volume on a second different side of the membrane, the apparatus being arranged to receive a first phase containing a liquid in the first volume and to receive a second phase in the second volume to generate an emulsion through egression of the first phase into the second phase via the plurality of apertures; and a refiner arranged to receive the emulsion from the membrane and defining at least one aperture to converge the flow of the emulsion to break up droplets of the first phase in the emulsion.
2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the apparatus is arranged so that flow of the second phase in the second volume creates a shear field at the area of egression of the first phase, the shear field being in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of egression of the first phase.
3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the membrane is tubular in shape and comprises a first end for receiving the second phase and a second end, the refiner being coupled to the second end of the membrane.
4. Apparatus as claimed in any of the preceding claims, further comprising a flow control member, moveable relative to the at least one aperture of the refiner.
5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the flow control member comprises a screw thread portion for enabling the flow control member to be moved relative to the aperture of the refiner.
6. Apparatus as claimed in any of the preceding claims, further comprising a first pump for providing the first phase to the first volume under pressure, and a second pump for providing the second phase to the second volume under pressure.
7. Apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and/or as shown in the accompanying figures.
8. A method for manufacturing a chocolate product using an apparatus as claimed in any of claims 1 to 7, the method comprising: providing a first phase comprising a sweetener syrup to the first volume of the apparatus; and providing a second phase comprising cocoa to the second volume of the apparatus.
9. A method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the sweetener syrup includes agave syrup and the cocoa includes cocoa butter.
10. A method as claimed in claim 8 or 9, wherein the second phase further comprises soya lecithin.
11. A method as claimed in claim 8, 9 or 10, further comprising receiving a refined emulsion from the refiner; and moulding the refined emulsion.
12. A method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the method comprises providing no coconut oil or vegetable fats.
13. A method as claimed in any of claims 8 to 11, wherein the method does not comprise removing water from the refined emulsion.
14. A method substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and/or as shown in the accompanying figures.
15. Apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code; the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform the method of any of claims8tol4.
16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium encoded with instructions that, when performed by a processor, cause performance of the method of any of claims 8 to 14.
17. A computer program that, when run on a computer, causes performance of the method of any of claims 8 to 14.
18. A chocolate product manufactured according to a method as claimed in any of claims 8 to 14, wherein the chocolate product comprises agave syrup encapsulated within cocoa butter and having a glysemic index in the range of 12 to 30.
19. A chocolate product as claimed in claim 18, further comprising water, the water having a weight in the range of 10% to 30% of the chocolate product.
20. A chocolate product as claimed in claim 18 or 19, wherein the chocolate product has a yield value in the range of 30000 to 43000.
21. Any novel subject matter or combination including novel subject matter disclosed, whether or not within the scope of or relating to the same invention as the preceding claims.