JP2020000231A - Method of and press for separating cocoa mass into cocoa butter and cocoa cake - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a method for separating a cocoa mass into a liquid fat and a cake by a press.SOLUTION: Pressing elements 6 comprises: a pot 7 having a cavity 8 for receiving a cocoa mass to be pressed, a squeezer 9 located in the cavity, and at least one filter 11 disposed in front of the squeezer and/or on the side of the cavity opposite the squeezer. In a method including the steps of: filling the cavity or cavities with the cocoa mass; exerting pressure on the pressing element thus pressing a liquid fat through the filter; releasing pressure from the pressing element; and opening the pot to remove one or more cakes from the cavity, prior to releasing the pressure from the pressing element, the liquid fat is purged from at least one or more spaces behind the filter.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3A

Description

  The present invention is a method of separating a fat-containing mass, for example, cocoa mass, into a liquid fat, for example, cocoa butter and cake, by a press comprising one or more pressing elements, wherein the pressing element contains the cocoa mass to be pressed. A pot having a cavity for squeezing, a squeezer positioned at least partially within the cavity, and at least one filter disposed in front of the squeezer and / or opposite the squeezer in the cavity. The method comprises the steps of filling one or more cavities with cocoa mass, applying pressure to the pressing element, thus squeezing liquid grease through a filter, releasing pressure from the pressing element, and one or more cakes from the cavity. Opening a pot to remove the pot. The invention further relates to a press for separating fat-containing masses, such as cocoa mass, into liquid fats and cakes.

  A method and a press of this kind are known, for example, from EP-A-0 287 421.

  Cocoa presses typically include a hydraulic cylinder connected to a retainer by two parallel tie rods. A plunger is present in the cylinder, and a plurality of press elements are arranged between the plunger and the retainer. Each of the press elements has a so-called pot defining a cavity (usually in the form of a circular cylinder), a squeezer known as an opposing pot or a male pot, one on each side (when viewed in the axial direction) of the cavity. , Typically two filters.

  During the cycle, the press elements are filled with cocoa mass via the feed line (inlet) and the cocoa mass is then compressed. As a result, cocoa butter is squeezed out of the filter and released. When a sufficient or preselected amount of butter has been squeezed from the cocoa mass, the pressure is released and the press is returned to its starting position. In this position, the pot is pushed (or pulled) on the press and the cocoa cake falls. Finally, the pot is returned to the starting position and the cycle is completed.

  US Pat. No. 5,077,067 addresses the problem of increasing the productivity of presses for pressing oil-containing materials, especially cocoa mass, without increasing the number or diameter of the press chambers. To this end, the filtering elements installed on the chamber walls have an increased area, for example hemispherical, tapered or "serpentine", non-planar shapes. In the section from page 5 to page 6 of Patent Document 2, a vacuum is provided (indicated by reference numerals 25 and 26 in FIG. 1 of Patent Document 2) to accelerate the movement of liquid through the filters (23, 24). The cycle applied to the outlet is described. When the cocoa mass is pressed at a certain high pressure, for example 900 bar, the vacuum contribution (i.e. the addition of a maximum 1 bar pressure difference across the filter) is relatively small.

  U.S. Pat. No. 6,059,064 discloses a cocoa press with an inlet (8) for cocoa mass and an outlet (11) for cocoa butter. The filling height of the pot (Prebtopf) is preferably about 20 mm and should not exceed 30 mm.

  Patent document 4 is directed to a male pot for cocoa and an oil seed press. The pot comprises two ring / disk elements (4 in FIGS. 1 to 5) which are provided with a plurality of holes (5) connected to the corresponding channels (6), The channel (6) is subsequently connected to a drain channel (7) for "draining liquid material, which may contain cocoa butter or oil material, from itself".

  Patent Document 5 relates to a cocoa press in which cocoa mass is a liquid that remains stationary after pressing.

  Patent document 6 relates to a cocoa press machine provided with a plurality of press elements (Kasten) each provided with a single filter means.

  US Pat. No. 5,077,097 discloses a method for separating gas and / or liquid substances from a bulk article under the influence of pressure changes in a bulk article enclosed in at least one press chamber and compression of the presscake into a solid mass. About the device.

  Various cocoa presses are commercially available from companies such as Duyvis, Nagema / Heidenau, Carle Montanari, and Bauermeister.

EP-A-1042961 International Publication No. 92/12853 pamphlet German Patent Application Publication No. 1109501 European Patent Application No. 0634268 German Patent No. 723 722 German Patent No. 14990 specification EP-A-0318872

  It is an object of the present invention to increase the amount of liquid fat produced during an individual cycle and / or to reduce the cycle duration.

  To this end, the method according to the invention is characterized in that the liquid grease is purged, at least from the space behind the filter, preferably also from the filter, before the pressure is released from the pressing element.

  In this way, it has been found that, for example, depending on where the priority is, more liquid fat is produced per cycle and / or the duration of the cycle is reduced.

  The liquid fat is preferably purged with a flowable medium that is preferably immiscible with the liquid fat. The liquid fat can be purged with a liquid, for example water, but the liquid fat is preferably purged with a gas, for example air or nitrogen.

  Also, during purging, a pressurized medium is supplied to the space behind the filter and / or to overcome the capillary forces or adhesion of the liquid grease to the filter, filter plate, discharge line, etc. Preferably, fat is drawn from the space. The pressure and flow rate of the purge medium is regulated by the degree of capillary force and / or adhesion, for example, if the capillary force and / or adhesion is relatively strong, the pressure and flow rate are increased.

  In one embodiment, the flow of the pressurized medium is preferably generated in the space behind the filter by a pressure difference between the inlet and the outlet of at least 0.2 bar, preferably at least 0.4 bar. The pressure drop creates a pressure gradient in the space behind the filter and thus in the liquid grease in the filter, which in turn transports the liquid grease through the filter in the direction from the purge media inlet to the purge media outlet. Cause that. The pressure drop, and thus the pressure gradient, is increased, for example, by restricting the flow in the space behind the filter.

  The present invention is a press for separating cocoa mass into liquid fat and cake, wherein at least one and preferably all of the press elements are for purging liquid fat from at least the space behind at least one filter. The invention further relates to a press, in which an inlet, for example a vent or a pressure line, is provided for each of the flowable media.

  The outlet for butter is connected to a low pressure source, preferably a vacuum pump, and / or the inlet is connected to a source of purge media to facilitate purging of the liquid fat, the media source comprising a pump And / or at a high pressure.

  In one embodiment, an inlet for a medium for purging liquid fat is provided in the press. In a further embodiment, the inlet and outlet are positioned substantially diametrically, ie diametrically opposite or within 30 ° of the same diameter, preferably both are in the press.

  Preferably, the press comprises means configured to operate the press to perform the method described above, for example a controller such as a computer.

  In general, it is preferred that the cavity is cylindrical and the filter is flat or substantially flat, and / or that the opposite side of the press in the cavity is formed by the rear of an adjacent press.

  The effect of the present invention is more clearly seen when the cake is thinner. Thus, the distance between the filters is smaller than 85 mm, preferably smaller than 75 mm, preferably smaller than 65 mm, preferably in the range between 60 mm and 30 mm, preferably smaller than 60 mm and larger than 30 mm Is preferred.

  The invention will be explained in more detail with reference to the drawings, which show an example of a hydraulic cocoa press according to the invention.

1 is a perspective view of a hydraulic cocoa press according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view of a press element of the press according to FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the press element of the press of FIG. 1 in a filling position. FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a gas / liquid separator and a pump connected to an outlet of a press element of the press in FIG. 1. FIG. 3B is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 3A showing the entrance of the press element. FIG. 3B is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 3A showing the exit of the press element. FIG. 2 is a view of a filter and a filter plate used in the press according to FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a view of a filter and a filter plate used in the press according to FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a view of a filter and a filter plate used in the press according to FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a view of a filter and a filter plate used in the press according to FIG. 1.

  FIG. 1 shows a hydraulic cacao press 1 including a frame 2 and a hydraulic cylinder 3, two tie rods 4 and a retainer 5 attached to the frame 2. A plurality, for example 16, 18, or 20 press elements 6 are located between the cylinder 3 and the retainer 5.

  Each of the pressing elements 6, shown in more detail in FIGS. 2 and 3A, comprises a pot 7 having a cylindrical cavity 8 for containing the cocoa mass to be pressed and a cavity 8 known as a counter or male pot. And a squeezer 9 sealed and positioned therein. The pot 7 and the squeezer 9 are slidably mounted around the tie rod 4 by a circular opening 10, and these circular openings 10 are formed in side portions of the pot 7 and the squeezer 9.

  The cavity 8 is limited on both sides (in the axial direction) by a disc-shaped filter 11 mounted on a filter plate 12, for example a filter cloth or a metal mesh known per se, as shown in FIG. 5A.

  The front side of the filter plate 12, i.e. the side of the pot 7 facing the cavity 8, is provided with at least one groove 13 of spiral shape (FIGS. 5C and 5D) in this example to collect cocoa butter squeezed through the filter 11. It has. The rear face of the filter plate 12 (FIG. 5B) comprises a plurality of concentric channels interconnected by at least one channel 14, in this example a plurality of radial channels, for guiding the cocoa butter to the outlet of the press element 6. At least one channel 14 is connected to the channel 13 at the front of the filter plate 12 by a plurality of holes 15 extending through the plate 12.

  One filter plate is attached to the squeezer, while the other filter plate is attached to the rear of the squeezer which forms part of the adjacent pressing element.

  The pot includes an inlet for cocoa mass (known per se, not shown), while the press 9 expands in FIG. 4B to discharge the cocoa butter squeezed through the filter 11. An outlet 16 is shown. In accordance with the present invention, all of the squeezers 9 are provided in FIG. An entrance 17 shown in an enlarged manner is further provided. The inlet may for example consist of a vent or may be connected to a source of purge media, which may comprise a pump and / or at a high pressure.

  The outlet 16 of the squeezer 9 is connected to a vacuum source, in this example a vacuum pump 20, via a three-way valve 18 and a gas / liquid separator 19 for separating the purge gas from the cocoa butter.

  1 and 3A show the press 1 in the filling position. In this position, the plunger of the hydraulic cylinder 3 assumes its leftmost position (FIG. 1), the spacing between the disc-shaped filters 11 and thus the volume of the cavity 8 in each of the press elements 6 is maximum. In this example, the spacing between the filters 11 present in each of the press elements 6 is 65 mm at the filling position.

  In operation, the cavity of the cocoa press is filled with cocoa mass, and once filled, the press element moves the plunger of the hydraulic cylinder towards the retainer until the pressure reaches a certain threshold, for example 500 bar. Compressed uniformly. Once a sufficient amount of butter has been squeezed out of the cocoa mass, the cocoa butter in one or more channels in front of the filter plate and downstream from the filter is purged. In this example, purging is achieved by a vacuum pump and a vent that allows air to enter the squeezer and drive out the butter. All or most of the butter is purged from the back side of the filter, and thus from the resiliently compressed cocoa cake, selectively from the filter and the filter plate, i.e. from the holes in one or more channels at the rear of the filter plate and the channel. When the butter is hydraulically separated from the pressure, the pressure is released and the press is returned to its starting position. In this position, the pot is pushed (or pulled) on the press and the cocoa cake falls. Finally, the pot is returned to the starting position and the cycle is completed.

  In some experiments, if the butter was purged from the back of the filter before releasing the pressure, the fat contained in the cake would be approximately as compared to the cake obtained in the cycle where the butter was not purged. 5% to 10% less.

  From the foregoing, it is apparent that the present invention provides significant advantages over prior art presses and that the required means is relatively simple. Existing presses provide an inlet to at least one, and preferably all, of the press elements for media for purging cocoa butter from at least the space behind at least one filter, or at least one of the press elements. By replacing one, preferably all, of the press elements with the above-mentioned inlets, they can be suitable for the present invention.

  The invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but can, of course, be varied in various ways within the scope of the appended claims. Thus, the press can also be used for products whose pressing and filtering action corresponds to cacao mass pressing and filtering action.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Press machine, 2 flames, 3,4,5 Means for giving pressure, 6 Press element, 7 Pot, 8 Cavity, 9 Compressor, 11 Filter, 13 Space, Channel, 16 Exit, 17 Inlet

Claims (32)

A method for separating cocoa mass into liquid fat and cake by a press (1) comprising one or more press elements (6),
A pot (7) in which the pressing element (6) has a cavity (8) for containing the cocoa mass to be pressed, and a squeezer (9) positioned at least partially in the cavity (8). At least one filter (11) arranged in front of the squeezing section (9) and / or on the opposite side of the squeezing section (9) in the cavity (8);
The method comprises:
Filling the cavity (8) with the cocoa mass;
Applying pressure to the press element (6) and thus squeezing liquid grease through the filter (11);
Releasing pressure from the press element (6);
Opening the pot (7) to remove one or more of the cakes from the cavity (8);
In a method, comprising:
A method characterized in that, prior to releasing said pressure from said pressing element (6), liquid grease is purged from at least one or more spaces (13) on the back side of said filter (11).   Method according to claim 1, characterized in that a liquid fat is purged from the filter (11) before releasing the pressure from the pressing element (6).   3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the liquid fat is purged with a flowable medium.   4. During the purging, a pressurized medium is supplied to the space (13) behind the filter and / or the flowable medium and the liquid fat are withdrawn from the space (13). The method described in.   Method according to claim 4, characterized in that the flow of the pressurized medium is generated in the space (13) behind the filter (11).   The flow of the pressurized medium is generated in the space (13) behind the filter (11) by a pressure difference between an inlet and an outlet of at least 0.2 bar. The method described in.   The flow of the pressurized medium is generated in the space (13) behind the filter (11) by a pressure difference between the inlet and the outlet of at least 0.4 bar. The method described in.   8. The method according to claim 5, wherein the flow of the pressurized medium is generated by a pressure difference between the inlet and the outlet of at least 0.2 bar.   9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the flow of the pressurized medium is generated by a pressure difference between the inlet and the outlet of at least 0.4 bar. It comprises a frame (2), one or more press elements (6) arranged on said frame (2), and means (3, 4, 5) for applying pressure to said press element (6). Press for separating cocoa mass into liquid fat and cake, (1)
A pot (7) in which the pressing element (6) has a cavity (8) for containing the cocoa mass to be pressed, and a squeezer (9) positioned at least partially in the cavity (8). At least one filter (11) arranged in front of said squeezing section (9) and / or opposite said squeezing section (9) in said cavity (8), and an outlet (16) for liquid grease. A press machine (1) comprising:
At least one of said pressing elements (6) has an inlet (17) for a flowable medium for purging liquid grease from at least one space (13) at least behind the filter (11), respectively. A press (1), which is provided.   All of said pressing elements (6) are each provided with an inlet (17) for a flowable medium for purging liquid grease from at least one or more spaces (13) behind the filter (11). The press (1) according to claim 10, characterized in that:   Press (1) according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that the inlet (17) is connected to a medium source, the medium source comprising a pump and / or at a high pressure.   The press (1) according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein the outlet (16) for liquid fat is connected to a low pressure source.   The press (1) according to claim 13, characterized in that the outlet (16) for liquid fat is connected to a vacuum pump (20).   A press (1) according to any of claims 10 to 14, characterized in that the inlet (17) for a medium for purging liquid fat is provided in the squeezing section (9). 1).   The press (1) according to any one of claims 10 to 15, wherein the inlet (17) and the outlet (16) are positioned diametrically opposite.   At least one of the squeezers (9) is provided with at least one channel (13) for collecting liquid grease squeezed through the respective filter (11). The press (1) according to any one of claims 16 to 18.   At least one of said squeezers (9) is provided with a network of channels, such as concentric rings of interconnected channels, for collecting the liquid grease squeezed through each said filter (11). The press (1) according to claim 17, wherein   19. The device according to claim 17, wherein all of the squeezing sections have at least one channel for collecting liquid fat squeezed through the respective filter. Press (1).   All of said squeezers (9) are characterized by a network of channels, such as concentric rings of interconnected channels, for collecting the liquid grease squeezed through the respective filter (11). A press (1) according to claim 19.   21. A method according to any one of claims 10 to 20, comprising means configured to operate the press to perform the method according to any one of the claims 1 to 6. Press machine (1).   The cavity (8) is cylindrical, the filter (11) is flat or substantially flat, and / or the side of the cavity (8) opposite to the pressed part (9) is an adjacent pressed part (9). Press (1) according to one of the claims 10 to 21, characterized in that it is formed by a rear part.   In at least one of the pressing elements (6), a filter (11) is arranged in front of the pressing part (9) and on the opposite side of the pressing part (9) in the cavity (8), and the press ( Press (1) according to one of the claims 10 to 22, characterized in that when (1) is in the filling position, the distance between the filters (11) is less than 85 mm.   In at least one of the pressing elements (6), a filter (11) is arranged in front of the pressing part (9) and on the opposite side of the pressing part (9) in the cavity (8), and the press ( The press (1) according to claim 23, wherein when (1) is in the filling position, the distance between the filters (11) is less than 75 mm.   In at least one of the pressing elements (6), a filter (11) is arranged in front of the pressing part (9) and on the opposite side of the pressing part (9) in the cavity (8), and the press ( A press (1) according to claim 24, wherein when (1) is in the filling position, the distance between the filters (11) is less than 65 mm.   In at least one of the pressing elements (6), a filter (11) is arranged in front of the pressing part (9) and on the opposite side of the pressing part (9) in the cavity (8), and the press ( The press (1) according to claim 25, wherein when (1) is in the filling position, the distance between the filters (11) is in the range of 60 mm to 30 mm.   In at least one of the pressing elements (6), a filter (11) is arranged in front of the pressing part (9) and on the opposite side of the pressing part (9) in the cavity (8), and the press ( Press (1) according to claim 26, characterized in that when (1) is in the filling position, the distance between the filters (11) is smaller than 60 mm and larger than 30 mm.   In all of the press elements (6), a filter (11) is arranged in front of the press section (9) and on the opposite side of the press section (9) in the cavity (8), and the press (1) 28. The press (1) according to any one of claims 23 to 27, wherein when is in the filling position, the distance between the filters (11) is less than 85 mm.   In all of the press elements (6), a filter (11) is arranged in front of the press section (9) and on the opposite side of the press section (9) in the cavity (8), and the press (1) Press (1) according to claim 28, characterized in that when is in the filling position, the distance between the filters (11) is smaller than 75 mm.   In all of the press elements (6), a filter (11) is arranged in front of the press section (9) and on the opposite side of the press section (9) in the cavity (8), and the press (1) Press (1) according to claim 29, characterized in that when is in the filling position, the distance between the filters (11) is smaller than 65 mm.   In all of the press elements (6), a filter (11) is arranged in front of the press section (9) and on the opposite side of the press section (9) in the cavity (8), and the press (1) Press (1) according to claim 30, characterized in that when is in the filling position, the distance between the filters (11) is in the range of 60 mm to 30 mm.   In all of the press elements (6), a filter (11) is arranged in front of the press section (9) and on the opposite side of the press section (9) in the cavity (8), and the press (1) Press (1) according to claim 31, characterized in that, when in the filling position, the distance between the filters (11) is smaller than 60 mm and larger than 30 mm.

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