IES80538B2 - Tempered chocolate delivery system - Google Patents

Abstract

A chocolate manufacturing apparatus 60 comprises pipes 11,17 adapted to maintain the tempered chocolate flowing therein at a desired tempered temperature (preferably 29.5 to 30‹C) and pipes 7,9,13,15,19 adapted to maintain the molten chocolate flowing therein at a desired molten temperature (preferably 45‹C). The apparatus further comprises tanks 2,4,6 for melting chocolate and, if desired, storing melted chocolate, tempering machines 18,24 and casting machines 50,52,54,56. Pipes 13,19 are present to return any unused tempered chocolate to tanks 2,4,6 at preferably 45‹C. The pipes may be provided with sleeve jackets (75, Fig.2 and 85, Fig.4) having water circulating therein at the respective desired temperature. Preferably, the water is in counter-flow circulation in the sleeve jacket for pipes containing chocolate at tempered temperature and in co-flow circulation in the sleeve jacket for pipes containing chocolate at molten temperature. The control of the hot water flow may be determined by a recirculation pump and heater (42, Fig.4), thermometers (44) and pressure gauges (46).

Description

Tempered Chocolate Delivery System In the manufacture of chocolate sweets, the raw ingredient generally comes in the form of small % chocolate pellets. These pellets are melted giving rise to a supply of melted chocolate. This melted chocolate is then passed to various processing machines where it is cast into whatever shape and size of sweet is required. In order to render the melted chocolate suitable for casting it must be brought through an appropriate temperature gradient. This process is known as tempering.

The standard procedure for making chocolate sweets is to temper the chocolate on-site at the point in the process where it is needed for casting. In a large production facility where many different shapes and types of sweet are required, this requires a machine to temper the chocolate for each type of sweet.

It is an object of the present invention to have a single system to temper the chocolate and to deliver the tempered chocolate at the correct temperature to each of the processing machines that require it.

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided an apparatus for delivering tempered chocolate from a machine for tempering chocolate to a melting tank, the apparatus being in fluid communication, if desired, with a machine for casting the tempered chocolate, the apparatus comprising a pipe in fluid communication between the chocolate tempering machine and the melting tank and, if desired, the chocolate * casting machine, the pipe being adapted to maintain the tempered chocolate flowing therein at a desired tempered temperature between the chocolate tempering machine and the chocolate casting machine and at a desired molten temperature between the chocolate casting machine and the melting tank.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided an apparatus for delivering molten chocolate from a machine for melting and, if desired, storing melted chocolate to a machine for tempering chocolate, the apparatus comprising a pipe in fluid communication between the melting machine and the chocolate tempering machine, the pipe being adapted to maintain the molten chocolate flowing therein at a desired molten temperature.

Preferably, the pipe is provided with a sleeve jacket having water circulating therein at the respective desired tempered temperature or at the desired molten temperature.

More preferably, the water is in counter-flow circulation in the sleeve jacket for the desired tempered temperature and is in co-flow circulation in the sleeve jacket for the desired molten temperature.

Advantageously, the desired tempered temperature is 5 approximately 29.5-30°C and the desired molten temperature is approximately 45°C.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic block diagram of the layout of a milk chocolate and a dark chocolate circulation system, Figure 2 is a layout drawing of a tempered milk chocolate delivery system and its hot water jacket circuit below the line X-X of Figure 1, Figure 3 is a layout drawing of a tempered dark chocolate delivery system and its hot water jacket circuit below the line X-X of Figure 1, and Figure 4 is a layout drawing of the molten milk and dark chocolate systems and their hot water jacket circuits, above the line X-X of Figure 1.

The general layout of a combined milk and dark chocolate circulation system generally indicated as 60, is shown in Figure 1. The chocolate circulation system 60 comprises a tempered chocolate delivery system generally indicated as 70 and a molten chocolate system generally indicated as 80. Arrows on the various pipes, referred to below, indicate the direction of flow of the chocolate fluid.

Milk chocolate pellets are melted in machines for melting and, if desired, storing melted chocolate in the form of melting tanks 2 and 4. Dark chocolate pellets are melted in melting tank 6. Preferably, both the milk and dark chocolate pellets are melted to a substantially constant 45^0. The melting tanks 2, 4 and 6 each have a hot water jacket (not shown in Figure 1) which is heated by two electric elements and maintained at constant temperature by an electronic controller. A stirrer (not shown), powered by an electric motor, agitates the chocolate, to ensure a substantially uniform temperature.

The milk chocolate fluid is pumped from the tanks 2 and 4 under the action of a pump 14, for example, an Aasted pump, which is a positive displacement pump driven by an electric motor through a reduction gearbox.

Manual valves 3 on the respective outlets and on a connecting pipe 7 between the tanks 2 and 4 can be opened or closed to allow a user to choose between the tanks 2 and 4. Before reaching the pump 14, the milk chocolate fluid is passed through a filter 12 in order to remove any remaining solids.

After passing through the pump 14, the melted milk % chocolate is passed along the pipe 7 to a detempering unit 16, which acts as a heat exchanger. In this unit 16, the melted milk chocolate is drawn over a large surface area (not shown), the surface area being maintained at preferably 45°C by a constant water supply (shown in Figure 4). This ensures that the melted milk chocolate has fully reached the desired pre-tempering temperature of 45°C.

The melted milk chocolate is now passed through a pipe 9 to a tempering machine 18, which brings the melted milk chocolate through a temperature gradient in order to render it suitable for casting. The pipe 9 has a hot water jacket in counter-flow circulation (see Figure 4) to maintain the melted chocolate at the preferred pretempering temperature of 45°C. A suitable tempering machine 18 would be an Aasted AMK 500 tempering machine. In the tempering machine 18, the chocolate is passed through three zones sequentially, the first zone being maintained at preferably 30°C, the second zone being at preferably 20°C and the third zone being at preferably 29.5°C. In each zone, the melted milk chocolate is passed across heat transfer surfaces maintained at the respective temperatures for that zone. The heat transfer zones are not shown. The action of the pump 14 is sufficient to drive this process and no additional pumping is normally needed.

The tempered milk chocolate can now be passed along a % pipe 11 to, as desired, any number of several processing or tempered chocolate casting machines 50, 52, 54, 56, in which the tempered chocolate can be cast appropriately into whatever shape or size of sweet is required. This pipe 11 has a hot water jacket in counter-flow circulation (see Figure 2) maintaining the temperature of the tempered milk chocolate at its desired tempered temperature of 30°C. Any unused tempered milk chocolate is passed back to the melting tanks 2 and 4 via a return pipe 13. This pipe 13 is provided with a hot water jacket in co-flow circulation, with the water temperature maintained at preferably 45°C. The increase in temperature of the return pipe 13 is to ensure that there are no blockages in these pipes.

The dark chocolate fluid is similarly treated. It is pumped from a melting tank 6, through a filter 10, under the action of a positive displacement pump 20, for example, an A. Deprest TM6 pump, which is a positive displacement pump driven by an electric motor through a reduction gearbox. The dark melted chocolate is then passed to a detempering unit 22 which operates in a same manner as the detempering unit 16, again ensuring that the dark chocolate has fully reached the desired pre-tempering temperature of 45°C.

The melted dark chocolate is now passed through a pipe 15 to a tempering machine 24. The pipe 15 has a water jacket in counter-flow circulation (see Figure 4) to maintain the dark chocolate fluid at the preferred pretempering temperature of 45°C. The tempering machine 24 which is, preferably, a Sollich tempering machine, brings the chocolate fluid through a temperature gradient in order to render it suitable for casting.

The operation of the tempering machine 24 differs in some respects from the tempering machine 18 used for the melted milk chocolate. The tempering machine 24 contains a trough for holding the chocolate that flows into it. This trough is maintained at a constant level using a level sensor, the level sensor being in operative connection with the pump 20, switching it on and off to maintain a constant level. The melted dark chocolate is drawn out of this trough and scraped along a chilled cylinder by a driven screw. The chilled cylinder is preferably maintained at a temperature of 29.5°C. The trough, level sensor and chilled cylinder are not shown.

The tempered dark chocolate is now drawn from the tempering machine 24 under the action of a further pump 26, for example, an A. Deprest TM4 pump, and delivered to any one or more of the several processing machines 50, 52, 54, 56 along the pipe 17. This pipe 17 is jacketed by hot water in counter-flow circulation (see Figure 3), maintaining the tempered dark chocolate at its desired tempered temperature of 29.5°C. Any unused dark chocolate is passed back to the melting tank 6 via a return pipe 19. This pipe 19 is jacketed with hot water in co-flow circulation, with the water temperature maintained at preferably 45°C. The increase in temperature of the return pipe 19 is to ensure that there are no blockages in these pipes.

The hot water that jackets the pipes 7, 9, 11, 15 and 17, flows in a direction counter to the direction of flow of the chocolate fluid. It will of course be appreciated that such a counter-flow arrangement, although desired, is not essential.

In a given process run, each of the processing machines 50, 52, 54 and 56 processes only milk chocolate or only dark chocolate. However, the tempered chocolate circulation system 60 is sufficiently flexible to allow each processing machine to process milk or dark chocolate as desired, in successive process runs.

The processing machines 50, 52, 54, 56 may be, for example, a Knobel 1-Shot, an Awema or Hacos 720 or a mixture thereof comprising one or more of the aforementioned processing machines.

The flow of both the melted dark and milk chocolate is regulated by a number of shut-off valves, labelled generally by the numeral 3, and by three-way valves labelled generally by the numeral 5.

% The circuit for the hot water jacketing of the milk and dark chocolate pipes is shown in Figures 2 to 4, with the milk and dark tempered chocolate delivery systems 70 shown in Figures 2 and 3 and with the milk and dark molten chocolate systems 80 shown in Figure 4. Arrows on the various water pipes show the preferred direction of flow of the hot water.

Figure 2 shows a hot water delivery jacket circuit generally indicated as 75 for the pipe 11, which pipe 11 is in fluid communication between the tempering machine 18 and the processing machines 50, 52, 54 and 56. The hot water in these jackets is maintained preferably at 3 0°C. The temperature and flow of the hot water is controlled by a number of water heaters 30 and a number of shut-off valves 32 respectively. A number of auto air bleeds 34 are also fitted to ensure that no air bubbles get trapped in the hot water, thus decreasing the efficiency of the hot water delivery jackets 75. During normal processing, the hot water jacket 75 on the pipe 11 between the tempering machine 18 and the processing machines 50, 52, 54, 56 is maintained at a temperature of about 30°C. During night time shutdown, this temperature is increased to preferably 45°C, to ensure that any chocolate in the chocolate circulation system 60 is fully melted and hence no blockages occur.

% Figure 3 shows the hot water delivery jacket circuit 75 where the dark chocolate is tempered. As in the Figure 2 circuit, the temperature and flow are controlled by a number of water heaters 30, shut-off valves 32 and noreturn valves 36. A pump 38 is used to aid circulation of the water. Again, a number of auto air bleeds 34 are fitted. A source of feed water 40 is also shown. During normal processing, the hot water delivery jacket 75 on the pipe 17 between the tempering machine 24 and the processing machines 50, 52, 54, 56 is maintained at a temperature of about 29.5°C. During night time shutdown, this temperature is increased to preferably 45°C, to ensure any chocolate in the system is fully melted and hence no blockages occur.

Figure 4 shows a hot water return jacket circuit generally indicated as 85, for both the milk and dark chocolate systems 80 in the region outside the region between the respective tempering machines 18, 24, and the processing machines 50, 52, 54, 56. In this region, the hot water return jackets 85 on both the milk and dark chocolate pipes 13, 19 are preferably maintained at 45°C.

The overall control of the hot water flow is determined by a recirculation pump and heater 42. Also a number of thermometers 44 and pressure gauges 46 are fitted to monitor the temperature and flow of the hot water % throughout the hot water delivery and return circuits 75, 85. Again the various valves, air auto bleeds, pumps and sources of feed water are labelled as in Figures 2 and 3.

Claims (6)

1. CLAIMS t

1. An apparatus for delivering tempered chocolate from a machine for tempering chocolate to a melting % tank, the apparatus being in fluid communication, if desired, with a machine for casting the tempered chocolate, the apparatus comprising a pipe in fluid communication between the chocolate tempering machine and the melting tank and, if desired, the chocolate casting machine, the pipe being adapted to maintain the tempered chocolate flowing therein at a desired tempered temperature between the chocolate tempering machine and the chocolate casting machine and at a desired molten temperature between the chocolate casting machine and the melting tank.

2. An apparatus for delivering molten chocolate from a machine for melting and, if desired, storing melted chocolate to a machine for tempering chocolate, the apparatus comprising a pipe in fluid communication between the melting machine and the chocolate tempering machine, the pipe being adapted to maintain the molten chocolate flowing therein at a desired molten temperature.

3. An apparatus according to Claim 1 or 2, in which the pipe is provided with a sleeve jacket having water circulating therein at the respective desired tempered temperature or at the desired molten temperature.

4. An apparatus according to Claim 3, in which the water is in counter-flow circulation in the sleeve jacket for the desired tempered temperature and is in % 5. Co-flow circulation in the sleeve jacket for the desired molten temperature.

5. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the desired tempered temperature is

6. 10 approximately 29.5-30°C and the desired molten temperature is approximately 45°C.