LU93325B1

LU93325B1 - Industrial process for manufacturing biscuits

Info

Publication number: LU93325B1
Application number: LU93325A
Authority: LU
Inventors: Arsie Gaetano; Marco Mollo
Original assignee: Soremartec Sa
Priority date: 2016-11-28
Filing date: 2016-11-28
Publication date: 2018-06-05
Also published as: WO2018096420A1

Abstract

Described herein, is an industrial process for manufacturing biscuits (200) provided with an outer surface on which one or more marks are obtained that are designed to constitute a given representation. The process envisages use of a first biscuit dough to form a main biscuit body (201) and use of a second biscuit dough or a plurality of further biscuit doughs for making one or more auxiliary bodies (202A, 202B, 202C) designed to identify said marks. The auxiliary bodies are applied on the main biscuit body according to a mutual arrangement that is such as to reproduce the above representation.

Description

""Industrial process for manufacturing biscuits" •A· ★ -k -k

Field of the invention and prior art

The present invention relates to the field of industrial production of biscuits and, in particular, of biscuits bearing on an outer surface thereof a given representation.

It is in fact known in this field to provide on biscuits already formed, before or after baking, representations of various types using food inks in order to increase the attractiveness of the product to the consumer, above all for products specifically aimed at children.

Figure 5 illustrates by way of example a known process for manufacturing biscuits of the type referred to above. The apparatus for implementation of this process envisages a forming station 12, equipped with a forming machine of a rotary type, which is supplied by a hopper 14 containing the dough of the biscuit. A conveyor belt 16 is pre-arranged for receiving the forms of the biscuit 101 obtained in the station 12 and supplying them up to an oven 18 for baking the biscuits. Between the oven 18 and the forming station 12 the apparatus envisages a decoration station 22 that is provided with a food-ink-delivery head for creating on the top surface of the forms the graphic representations 102 envisaged.

The present applicant has noted that this known solution is afflicted by a series of drawbacks and disadvantages .

In the first place, the present applicant has verified that there is an objective limit as regards the clarity of the images that it is possible to obtain, basically due to the surface structure of the biscuit, which is in fact irregular and porous so that on the one hand the ink tends to be in part absorbed, losing its gloss and on the other hand it is very difficult to create images that will have precise and sharp contours.

In addition to the foregoing, the amount of ink that it is possible to use on each biscuit is in any case limited to specific doses in order to prevent interference with the organoleptic properties of the biscuit and in particular with its taste. Finally, the need for a production of an industrial type, i.e., in large volumes, clearly accentuates these problems.

It is on the other hand known in this field to decorate the top surface of the biscuit by impressing desired forms on the outer surface of the dough, when this is still in the plastic state, using various techniques, for example using a mould shaped in low relief, or else using a rotary system with rotomoulding technology provided with figures in low relief, or else via punching. This technique evidently does not allow formation of decorations of a colour different from that of the biscuit.

In view of the foregoing, known industrial processes for manufacturing biscuits of the type in question have up to now produced far from satisfactory results, and in fact the diffusion of these biscuits on the market is today rather limited.

Object and summary of the invention

The object of the present invention is now to overcome the aforesaid drawbacks using a process for producing biscuits having the characteristics specified in Claim 1. The present invention moreover relates to a biscuit according to Claims 12 and 13.

The claims form an integral part of the technical teaching provided herein in relation to the invention.

Brief description of the drawings and detailed description of the invention

Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will emerge clearly from the ensuing description with reference to the annexed drawings, which are provided purely by way of non-limiting example and in which: - Figure 1 illustrates an example of biscuit obtained with the process described herein; - Figure 2 is a schematic illustration of an embodiment of the process described herein; - Figure 3 represents a detail of the apparatus illustrated in Figure 2; - Figure 4 illustrates a series of examples of biscuits obtained using the process described herein; and - Figure 5 is a schematic illustration of a process for producing biscuits according to the known art.

In the ensuing description, various specific details are illustrated aimed at enabling an in-depth understanding of the embodiments. The embodiments may be obtained without one or more of the specific details, or with other methods, components, or materials, etc. In other cases, known structures, materials, or operations are not shown or described in detail so that various aspects of the embodiment will not be obscured.

The references used herein are only provided for convenience and hence do not define the sphere of protection or the scope of the embodiments.

As mentioned above, the process described herein regards an industrial process for manufacturing biscuits that have a given representation on an outer surface thereof.

In this description, by the term "representation" is meant a graphic representation constituted by one or more marks. The marks in question may be geometrical shapes, numbers, fancy shapes, symbols, patterns, representations of objects, animals, etc. Furthermore, the marks in question may be combined together to represent as a whole a given subject or else may be combined together in an altogether random way. In any case, the set of the marks defined on the surface of the biscuit constitute the "representation" mentioned.

With reference to Figure 1, this illustrates by way of example a biscuit 200 obtained using the process described herein and in particular illustrates the top surface of said biscuit on which a representation 202 is obtained. This is constituted by a series of marks 202A, 202B, and 202C, which together reproduce the face of a cartoon character or the like.

Figure 4 illustrates further examples of representations that may be provided on the surface of the biscuit.

With reference to the process described herein, this is characterized in that it comprises the following steps: - preparing, in a kneading station, a first dough for biscuits; - forming, in a forming station, a biscuit body using said first dough, said biscuit body having a surface that is designed to constitute the outer surface on which the aforesaid representation will be obtained; - preparing, in a kneading station, a second dough for biscuits; - forming, in a forming station, a number of auxiliary bodies, using said second dough, which are designed to identify the different marks that will come to form the representation; - applying, on said outer surface of said biscuit body, said auxiliary bodies, according to a mutual arrangement that is such as to reproduce said representation; and - baking, in a baking station, said biscuit body together with said auxiliary bodies applied thereon.

The process described herein hence envisages creating the desired representation without using ink, as in known processes, but using auxiliary bodies obtained from a further biscuit dough, which are appropriately shaped and applied on the surface of the biscuit to reproduce the desired representation.

It should now be noted that by "dough for biscuits" is meant a generic dough conventionally understood by a person skilled in the sector as being suitable for producing biscuits.

Generally, a dough for biscuits comprises water (5-25 wt%), flour (30-80 wt%), leavening agents (0.1-6 wt%), sugar and/or other sweetening substances (5-35 wt%), for example glucose syrup, and, finally, butter or else vegetable fat (5-40 wt%). To these typical basic ingredients there may then be added further components, such as cocoa, hazelnuts, etc.

In various preferred embodiments, the dough for making the main body of the biscuit and the dough for making the aforementioned auxiliary bodies, are different, in particular as regards their colouring, in order to distinguish as much as possible the different bodies and in particular bring out their simultaneous presence. Preferably, one of the two doughs may comprise one or more additional ingredients, for example powdered cocoa, malt, caramel, etc., to impart a colouring different from the typical biscuit colour.

To start with, it should now be noted that doughs for biscuits may be divided into doughs for dry biscuits and doughs for biscuits of a shortbread type. The former have, as compared to the latter, a lower percentage of fats, which are responsible for onset of mechanisms that tend to inhibit formation of crosslinking of gluten. These doughs are hence characterized by having a more developed structure of the gluten, and for this reason they thus have an elastic, cohesive, consistency and above all they are not friable.

In this regard, in various preferred embodiments of the process described herein, the dough used for making the aforesaid auxiliary bodies is specifically a dough for dry biscuits, i.e., an elastic dough, whereas the dough for making the main biscuit body is a dough for biscuits of the shortbread type.

By way of example, the two types of dough may be distinguished as follows: for 100 kg of flour - the dough for dry biscuits contains from 5 to 12 kg of fats and from 14 to 40 kg of water; whereas - the dough for biscuits of the shortbread type contains from 15 to 25 kg of fats and from 14 to 18 kg of water.

In any case, the choice of the doughs referred to above, even though it constitutes the preferred one for the reasons that will emerge clearly from what follows, is not at all binding for implementation of the process described herein, and in fact it is possible to envisage also other combinations, such as: - a dough for dry biscuits both for the main body and for the auxiliary bodies; - a dough for biscuits of the shortbread type both for the main body and for the auxiliary bodies; or - a dough for dry biscuits for the main body, and a dough for biscuits of the shortbread type for the auxiliary bodies .

With reference now to Figure 2, this represents an embodiment of the process described herein and of the corresponding apparatus for its implementation.

The apparatus in question envisages two different lines of preparation and treatment of dough: a first one that is designed for making the main body of the biscuit, and a second one that is, instead, designed for making the auxiliary bodies.

Starting from the first line, this envisages a station 112 that is equipped with one or more kneading machines for preparation of the dough. As will become evident hereinafter, the dough is a typical one of a shortbread type.

After a possible resting period, the dough is fed to a forming station 114, which is provided with a rotary machine for moulding the biscuits. This machine may clearly be of any conventional type for producing biscuits. For the aspects that are of interest herein, it should only be noted, with reference to the figure, that this machine envisages a rotating roller 116, on the outer surface of which a plurality of cavities are obtained, pre-arranged for constituting respective moulds for the formation of the individual biscuits.

The individual forms obtained constitute the aforesaid main bodies of the biscuits. These, designated by the reference number 201, are fed on a conveyor belt 118.

The second line of the apparatus also envisages a station for preparation of the dough (designated by the reference number 122) provided with one or more kneading machines. The dough used on this second line, which is designed for making the auxiliary bodies of the biscuit, is a typical elastic dough for the production of dry biscuits.

This second line envisages a rolling station 124, which is designed to feed the dough along the line in the form of a thin and continuous sheet, up to a forming station 126 set downstream, where the auxiliary bodies are obtained. Preferably, provided between the rolling station 124 and the forming station 126 is a cooling station 128 designed to lower the temperature of the dough so as to render it staffer. In various preferred embodiments, this station is provided for bringing the temperature of the dough to a value of between 0°C and 15 °C.

With reference now to the forming station 12 6, this carries out the dual function of forming the individual auxiliary bodies that will come to constitute the marks of the representation of the biscuit and moreover that of applying these bodies on the top surface of the bodies 201 that advance along the conveyor belt 118.

In the embodiment illustrated by way of example in Figure 2, this station is in particular equipped with a machine provided with two counter-rotating rollers 132, 136, fed between which is the continuous sheet of dough. The roller 132 has on its outer surface a plurality of shaped reliefs 132', provided with one or more cutting edges, which are pre-arranged for cooperating with shaped seats 136½ having a corresponding shape obtained on the outer surface of the roller 136. Preferably, the seats 136Λ have a configuration of shaped apertures in communication with the inside of roller 136, for the reasons that will become evident in the following.

During synchronised rotation of the rollers 132 and 136, the reliefs 132' act on the sheet of dough, punching therefrom individual portions that are received in the seats 136' of the roller 136 and will come to constitute the auxiliary bodies mentioned previously.

Specifically, and with particular reference to the biscuit illustrated in Figure 1, which is characterized by the series of auxiliary bodies 202A, 202B and 202C, the .roller 132 is equipped, on its outer surface, with a corresponding series of reliefs 132Ά, 132'B, 132'C, and likewise the roller 136 is provided with a corresponding series of cavities 136Ά, 136'B, 136'C (see Figure 3) . This series is repeated at regular intervals all around the outer surfaces of the respective rollers .

The reliefs and cavities in question reproduce exactly the forms of the marks that constitute the desired representation and are set according to a mutual arrangement that reproduces this representation.

In operation, the various series of reliefs 132'A, 132'B, 132'C of the roller 132 cut and separate from the sheet of dough simultaneously all the auxiliary bodies 202A, 202B, 202C envisaged for a single biscuit, which are received in the corresponding cavities 136Ά, 136'B, 136'C of the roller 136.

These bodies are then applied on the individual body 201 via a further rotating roller 138, which is contained within the roller 136 and is in turn provided with shaped reliefs 138'. The latter, as a result of rotation of the roller 138, synchronised with that of the roller 136, engage the seats 136' of the roller 136 from the inner side, and push out from the seats the respective bodies 202A, 202B, 202C, which come to rest on the underlying bodies 201.

As may be seen in Figure 4, when they come out of the forming station 126, the bodies 201 with the auxiliary bodies applied thereon hence reproduce the complete representation 202 on their top surface.

On the other hand, as may be seen in the figure, the sheet of dough that comes out from the forming station 126, which is all perforated as a result of the punching operation described, is sent back to the rolling station 124 passing through a station 148 that is pre-arranged for heating the dough so as to facilitate its recovery.

In the light of the foregoing, it may be noted that the process described hence envisages producing all the auxiliary bodies of the biscuit in one and the same forming operation and directly in the same mutual arrangement as that with which these bodies are to be applied on the biscuit body. This enables, on the one hand, the advantage of simplifying the process of production and, on the other hand, of guaranteeing that these bodies will be correctly positioned on the biscuit. It should once again be noted that, with respect to the embodiment illustrated in the figure, the forming station 126 may also envisage means designed to perform the same functions as the rollers 132, 13 6, and 138 but that, instead of being driven according to a rotary movement, are driven according to a reciprocating movement of translation.

Continuing now with the further steps of the process, after the auxiliary bodies have been applied on the bodies 201, the biscuits thus formed are carried by the conveyor belt 118 to a station 142 that carries out the function of pressing the auxiliary bodies 202A, 202B and 202C against the body 201 so as to reinforce mutual connection thereof. In various embodiments, as in the one illustrated, this station envisages a pressure roller 144, which turns at a rate controlled on the basis of the rate of feed of the biscuits and acts on each biscuit precisely so as to press the auxiliary bodies 202A, 202B and 202C against the body 201. This roller may be of any one known type conventionally used for handling and treating doughs. Preferably, this roller has an outer coating made of soft plastic material, for example rubber, to prevent damage to the biscuits that have just been formed.

Finally, the apparatus envisages a final station 146 constituted by an oven for baking the biscuits.

For proper operation of the apparatus described above, it is clear that this must have appropriate control means that guarantee a perfect synchronisation between the various devices referred to in order for the auxiliary bodies to be properly formed and then be arranged on the bodies 201 in the desired mutual configuration. The apparatus may, for example, envisage electric motors provided with encoders for each of the rollers described above, and a control unit designed to verify the various signals coming from the encoders, to guarantee synchronism between the rollers.

The apparatus may moreover envisage one or more video cameras, located downstream of the station 114, which read the position of the biscuits, and the control unit controls the driving motors of the rollers on the basis of the data detected by the video cameras, in order to synchronise the speed of the rollers with the rate of advance of the conveyor belt carrying the biscuits .

Once again for this purpose, it is also possible to provide further sensors, for example torque sensors. In any case, these aspects may be implemented according to the conventional techniques commonly used in the field of industrial automation, and consequently they will not be illustrated in greater detail.

In the light of the foregoing, it may be now noted that the use of an elastic dough for dry biscuits, for making the auxiliary bodies, is preferable on account of its elastic mechanical characteristics, which render it less subject to deformations and/or breaking, so that the dough is better suited to being handled in the ways referred to above. In this connection, it should be noted that it is in particular the transfer of the auxiliary bodies onto the main biscuit bodies that constitute a critical step of the process, during which it is important to guarantee that the auxiliary bodies remain intact and maintain the same shape with which they have been made.

It should moreover be noted that the process described herein may envisage numerous variants with respect to the solution illustrated above. In this connection, it should be noted, in particular, that the process described herein may envisage applying the auxiliary bodies in a station distinct from the one in which they are formed. In this case, the auxiliary bodies may, for example, be formed and then arranged on a conveyor belt, which supplies them to a further station, where they are finally picked up from the conveyor belt and applied on the biscuit bodies. This station may envisage automatic handling devices, for example robots of a pick-and-place type equipped with pneumatic pick-up members .

It should moreover be noted that alternative embodiments may envisage providing the auxiliary bodies on different lines of the apparatus, that can treat types of dough different as regards composition and/or colour. In various embodiments, the auxiliary bodies may be made in a number of colours. I The auxiliary bodies produced on the various lines can then be combined together in a decoration station set at the intersection of these lines, which is provided with automatic handling means of the type referred to above.

In these cases, it is also possible to vary the combinations of the auxiliary bodies on the individual main bodies practically instantaneously, for example from one lot of biscuits to another, by selecting the auxiliary bodies that are to be picked up.

Finally, the stations for forming the biscuits themselves may vary from the ones illustrated above, taking in any case into account that, in general, for dry doughs forming machines of a punching type are preferable, whereas for shortbread doughs forming machines using moulds are preferable.

In various embodiments, the station for forming the auxiliary bodies may envisage a hollow roller, provided on its outer surface with shaped through openings, and containing inside the dough to be dispensed, which through the aforementioned openings is dispensed on the main biscuit bodies. This roller may be provided inside with a scraper member that is designed to operate on the inner surface of the roller in such way that the portions of dough dispensed will have a thickness equal to the height of the above openings. These portions constitute the auxiliary bodies. In this case, the dough used is preferably a dough for biscuits of the shortbread type.

Of course, without prejudice to the principle of the invention, the details of construction and the embodiments may vary, even significantly, from what has been illustrated herein purely by way of non-limiting example, without thereby departing from the scope of the invention, as this is defined in the annexed claims. With reference to the biscuit body 201, it may be noted that it may be obtained with a multilayered structure in which the various layers are obtained with different biscuit doughs and may also have different colours .

Claims

An industrial process for producing biscuits (200) having an outer surface on which one or more marks are obtained, which are designed to constitute a given representation (202); said method being characterized in that it comprises the following steps: - preparing, in a kneading station (112), a first cookie dough; - Shaping, in a shaping station (114), a cookie body (201) with said first dough, said cookie body having a surface which is adapted to constitute said outer surface; - preparing, in a kneading station (122), a second cookie dough; - Shaping, in a forming station (126), one or more auxiliary bodies (202A, 202B, 202C) with said second pulp, which are designed to identify said marks; - applying, on said surface of said biscuit body, said auxiliary bodies (202A, 202B, 202C) in a mutual arrangement which is intended to reproduce said representation (202); and - baking, in a cooking station, said cookie body (201) together with said auxiliary bodies (202A, 202B, 202C) applied thereto.

The method according to claim 1, wherein said step of forming said auxiliary bodies envisages providing said auxiliary bodies (202A, 202B, 202C) in one and the same shaping operation and directly in the same mutual arrangement as that with which said bodies will be applied to said cookie body (201).

A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said step of forming said biscuit body is carried out in a first forming station (114), while said step of forming said auxiliary bodies is carried out in a second forming station (126).

The method of claim 3, wherein said step of forming said auxiliary bodies and said step of applying said bodies to said cookie body are both carried out in the second forming station (126).

The method of claim 3, wherein: said second dough, when prepared, is subjected to a rolling operation to form a continuous dough layer, wherein: said second forming station (126) is equipped with a machine provided with counter-rotating rollers (132, 136) between which is conveyed said continuous dough layer, wherein: said machine cuts into said dough layer individual portions which constitute said auxiliary bodies (202A, 202B, 202C) and applying said portions to said cookie body (201).

The method of claim 5, wherein said machine comprises: a first roll (132) having on its outer surface a plurality of formed reliefs (132 '), provided with one or more cutting edges; and a second roller (136) having on its outer surface formed recesses (136 ') having shapes corresponding to those of said reliefs, wherein said first and second rollers (132, 136) are prearranged to cooperate such that during a rotation of said rollers (132, 136), the reliefs (132 ') act on said dough layer by cutting therein said dough portions, which are received in said housings (136') of said second roll (136) .

The method of claim 6, wherein said machine comprises an additional rotating roll (138), which is contained within said second roll (136) and is in turn provided with formed reliefs (138 ') for coming into operation. with said housing (136 ') from the inner side of said second roll, and urging said portions outwardly.

The method of any of the preceding claims, wherein said first dough is a cookie dough.

9. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said first dough is a biscuit dough of sandblasted type.

10. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, which envisages: - preparing a plurality of pastes of different colors; forming said auxiliary bodies by means of said plurality of pastes of different colors; and - applying said auxiliary bodies of different colors formed on said surface of said biscuit body.

11. The method of claim 10, which contemplates using kneading stations and forming stations which are different for pastes of different colors.

Biscuit (200) obtained by a process according to any one of the preceding claims.

A biscuit of the type comprising a cookie body (201) having an outer surface on which one or more marks are obtained which are designed to constitute a given representation (202), said biscuit being characterized in that said cookie body (201) ) is obtained from a first cookie dough and that it comprises one or more auxiliary bodies (202A, 202B, 202C) designed to identify said marks, which are obtained from a second cookie dough or from a plurality of additional cookie doughs and are arranged on said outer surface so as to constitute said representation (202).