LU93054B1

LU93054B1 - Process for the production of a shaped food product consolidated through laser irradiation

Info

Publication number: LU93054B1
Application number: LU93054A
Authority: LU
Inventors: Gabriele Ratto
Original assignee: Soremartec Sa
Priority date: 2016-04-29
Filing date: 2016-04-29
Publication date: 2017-11-07

Abstract

Process for the production of a food product through the laser consolidation of a food composition, characterised in that it comprises the operations of consolidating, by means of the application of a laser, a plurality of layers of a food composition initially in the liquid or pasty state which overlap one another, in which the consolidation operation is performed following deposition of each of the layers so that each of the said layers are consolidated individually.

Description

Process for the production of a shaped food product consolidated through laser irradiation

This invention relates to a process for the production of a food product obtained through the consolidation of a food composition initially in the liquid or pasty state by means of a laser.

The cooking of food products through laser radiation has been proposed in the patent and scientific literature, but it has not hitherto reached a stage of industrial or domestic development. JP2002-147762 A2 describes equipment for the cooking of food products including a microwave oven with a laser irradiation unit emitting a laser beam at a specific wavelength via an optical fibre onto a product in a cooking chamber. W02006/102552 A1 describes equipment and a process for the direct cooking of food products using a COo laser. The equipment uses a beam splitter subdividing the laser beam into two and uses mirrors to focus the ray on the two sides of the product it is intended to cook. WO2012/125118 A1 in turn describes a process and equipment for applying laser energy to a food product in order to cause it to cook. The energy is applied via a laser emitter close to the product. Application of energy can be controlled on the basis of a profile designed to generate plasma within the product during the cooking period. The application of energy can be controlled on the basis of feedback associated with the controlled application of energy to the food product.

One object of this invention is to provide a process whereby new food products can be obtained by making use of laser irradiation, that is products which have special structural and/or organoleptic characteristics that have not hitherto been obtained through conventional cooking processes.

In some embodiments the invention also has the scope of making it possible to produce food products of complex shape and structure, for example including undercuts or possibly including portions consolidated from food compositions having different physical and/or organoleptic properties.

In the light of these aims the object of the invention comprises a process for the production of a food product having the characteristics specified in the following claims, which constitute an integral part of this description.

Further characteristics and advantages of the process according to the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description provided with reference to the appended drawing which illustrates a schematic embodiment of the process provided by way of a non-limiting example.

The process according to the invention may be applied to food compositions of different nature initially in a liquid or pasty state suitable to be metered in the form of a thin layer that can be consolidated through cooking or dehydration.

The term “pasty” is used here in relation to compositions having a deformable consistency, that is those capable of being modelled into a desired shape.

Preferably the process applies to food compositions for bakery products; in the context of this description the latter definition is used to indicate food compositions comprising flour or starch of the type normally used in conventional cooking or baking processes.

In turn the term “flour” includes flour from cereals, that is graminaceous plants whose fruits or seeds are rich in starch, such as in particular wheat, oats, rice, barley, spelt, rye and maize.

The aforesaid food compositions for bakery products may comprise the usual ingredients used in the preparation of doughs for bakery products, selected for example from sugars, edible fats, in particular vegetable fats and oils, milk, milk proteins, yeasts and water.

For example they may be compositions for wafer batter comprising as principal ingredients flour (e.g. 40-60% by weight), water (e.g. 30-45% by weight), sugar (e.g. 0.5-2% by weight), edible fats (e.g. 1.5-2.5% by weight) and optional ingredients such as cacao (e.g. 1-2% by weight), powdered milk or skimmed milk.

They may also be compositions typically used for the production of biscuits or bread products or the like, provided that they are capable of being deposited in a thin layer and being consolidated through cooking or baking.

In a first stage of the process (stage A in the figure), a thin layer 1 of food composition is deposited through a dispensing instrument 2 in the desired shape and perimeter on a substrate (not illustrated). The aforesaid layer may preferably have a thickness of between 1 pm and approximately 5 mm, preferably between 100 pm and 1 mm, although layers of greater thickness may be considered according to requirements. The substrate preferably has a surface which reflects laser beams and which will not be heated by those beams. For the production of shaped products the substrate may comprise a mould which delimits the perimeters of the first layer deposited and subsequent layers.

The dispensing device will be selected on the basis of the rheological characteristics of the food composition used from time to time and the shape of the layer which has to be dispensed.

The deposition of adjacent coplanar layers having different rheological and/or organoleptic characteristics may be envisaged. The walls of the mould may be shaped in such a way as to allow successive layers to be deposited (as illustrated below) in a desired shape.

In subsequent stage B deposited layer 1 undergoes consolidation through laser irradiation using a laser device indicated by 3.

The consolidation operation may be continued until the layer is wholly or partly consolidated so as to obtain different shades of browning.

Any laser source capable of bringing about solidification of the food composition used without giving rise to chairing may be used in the process according to the invention.

The laser sources that may be used comprise:

Nd:YAG or Nd:YLF or Nd:YV04 or Nd:glass lasers having an emission wavelength in the near IR of approximately 1 micron and having a mean power of between 5 and 500 W under pulsed or continuous conditions; a CO2 laser having a wavelength of between 9 and 11 microns, with a mean power of between 5 and 1000 W under continuous, pulsed or modulated conditions; a diode laser having a wavelength of between 0.5 and 3 microns with a mean power of between 5 and 1000 W under continuous, pulsed or modulated conditions; a fibre laser of the Ytterbium Fibre Laser type having an emission at approximately 1 micron with a mean power of between 5 and 1000 W under continuous, modulated or pulsed conditions.

Laser marking systems may be used, in particular CO2 laser marking devices with a power rating of 30 W.

Application of the laser irradiation brings about progressive consolidation of the deposited layer, as indicated by 5 in stage B in the figure. The layer is consolidated by drying/cooking as a matrix of points, sequences of points (lines) or individual points.

After consolidation in stage B the process provides for the application of a second thin layer 4 onto the surface of consolidated layer 5 (stage C). After application layer 4 is in turn consolidated generating an overlaid consolidated layer 6 (stage D). The operations of depositing a layer and subsequently consolidating it may be repeated several times to produce a product having the desired shape.

The laser beam thus consolidates one layer of product at a time. Following the consolidation of one layer a subsequent layer is added and consolidated until a three-dimensional shape is obtained. The desired final shape is not obtained by the removal of material from an element but by the addition, aggregation and consolidation of successive layers which may also have organoleptic characteristics which differ from one to another, thus making it possible to obtain food products which have not previously been manufactured or been capable of being manufactured.

The process also makes it possible to produce food products including undercuts or empty spaces within them. When consolidating each layer of the food composition by laser irradiation it is important that the laser beam be modulated to interact only with a desired thickness, without modifying or in any way acting on the more internal layers of the product so as not to have any adverse effect on the optimum characteristics initially obtained. Irradiation parameters will thus preferably be selected for this purpose.

In addition to this the process may be applied to obtain partial or total layers of coating fox food compositions in particular compositions for bakery products on top of a food substrate, such as for example a praline or to produce parts adhering to the surface of a food product, such as in particular a previously prepared confectionery product.

Claims

A method for the production of a food product by laser consolidation of a food composition, characterized in that it comprises the operations of subjecting to consolidation by laser application a plurality of layers at least partially superimposed on each other. another of a food composition initially in the liquid or pasty state, wherein the consolidation operation is performed following the deposition of each of said layers, so as to individually consolidate each of said layers.

2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that said layers have a thickness of the order between 1 pm and 5 mm.

3. Method according to any one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that it comprises the deposition and consolidation of a plurality of layers of food composition having different organoleptic and rheological characteristics.

A method according to any one of claims 1 to 3 for producing shaped products having a configuration with at least one undercut.

5. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 4 for the production of shaped products, by depositing said layers in a mold.

6. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 5 for the production of a consolidated food composition coating on a food substrate.

The method of any of the preceding claims, wherein said food composition is a composition for an oven product comprising flours or starches.

The method of claim 7, wherein said food composition for a baked product comprises one or more ingredients selected from the group consisting of water, sugars, edible fats, milk or milk proteins, starters and mixtures thereof. .

9. Method according to claim 8, characterized in that said food composition for a baked product is a wafer batter.

10. The method of claim 8, characterized in that said food composition for a baked product is a kneading for baking or biscuits.

11. Process according to any one of the preceding claims, carried out with the use of a laser source chosen from: NdrYAG or NdrYLF or Nd: YV04 or Nd: glass laser; CO2 laser in continuous, pulsed or modulated mode; diode laser, continuous, pulsed or modulated; fiber laser of the Ytterbium Fiber Laser type, in continuous, pulsed or modulated mode.