TW202344198A - Apparatus and method for producing food pearls - Google Patents

Abstract

A piece of apparatus (10) for the production of food pearls known as "popping boba" includes a reservoir (12) and a collecting tank (16) arranged to contain a foodstuff solution (14) and a reagent liquid bath (18), respectively. A vertical tube (20) has a lower end (22) that is open and arranged to be immersed in the reagent liquid bath (18) and a top end (24) that is closed and has at least one drip nozzle (26) communicating with the reservoir (12). A vacuum pump (28) arranged to generate in the top end (24) of the vertical tube a vacuum that draws the foodstuff solution (14) toward the drip nozzle (26) and a column (30) of reagent liquid (18) within the vertical tube (20) having a free surface (32) vertically spaced from the drip nozzle (26).

Description

Device and method for producing edible pearls

The present invention relates to a device and method for producing edible pearls also known as "popping boba".

Exploding boba pearls look like small pearls and are composed of a thin gel-like film that envelops the juice contained within. When crushed, they burst, releasing the juice they contain.

As we all know, "Exploding Boba" pearls can be used as flavoring ingredients in beverages such as tea ("bubble milk tea"), milkshakes, smoothies, or as decorations on cakes.

The equipment used to produce "explosive boobs" is well known in the industry. In particular, there are known automated production lines with a series of equipment for each production step. In fact, the production line includes equipment for preparing and mixing foodstuff, tanks containing reagent solutions, moving head equipment for releasing doses of foodstuff into the tanks for forming edible pearls, rollers for transporting the pearls System and tank for cleaning pearls.

However, current industrial "explosion boba" production lines are expensive and require the use of machinery with complex processing mechanisms that do not always ensure the geometric regularity of the pearls produced or prevent multiple pearls from clumping together.

In the prior art, compact devices for producing "Explosive Waves" based on the "reverse balling" mode and the "direct balling" mode are well known.

Chinese Invention Patent Publication No. CN 108967808 A and Korean Invention Patent Publication No. KR 20180095297 A disclose a device for "reverse spheroidization", including a storage tank for containing food and calcium lactate mixture, A collection tank for the sodium alginate solution, a feed pump connected to the storage tank for pumping the food and calcium lactate mixture from the storage tank to the collection tank, and a drip nozzle connected to the storage tank for dripping the mixture into the collection tank to obtain the pearl product. Chinese Invention Patent Publication No. CN 108967808 A provides extraction of shaped pearls through a conveyor belt.

European Invention Patent Publication No. EP 3560584 A1 discloses a device for "reverse spheroidization", which includes a first tank for accommodating a food and calcium salt mixture, a second tank for accommodating a sodium alginate solution, and a third tank for accommodating a sodium alginate solution. Three collection troughs. The pump and gravity valve are configured to deliver the contents of the first and second tanks respectively to the drip nozzle and then into the third tank to form the pearl product. The formed pearls are extracted through a screw.

French invention patent application No. FR 2645439 A1 discloses a device for "direct spheroidization", which includes a collection tank for containing a salt solution, a storage tank for containing an alginate solution, and a device for extracting algae from the storage tank. The alginate solution is supplied to a pump of a drip nozzle configured to drip the alginate solution into a collection tank, thereby producing pearls. A transport device partially immersed in the collection tank is configured for transporting pearls out of the collection tank.

Korean Invention Patent Publication No. KR 20200025230 A discloses a device for "reverse spheroidization" that includes a closed tank for containing an alginate solution and configured to maintain pressure through a supply pipe and an air suction pipe. The tank also has a feed pipe arranged on the top wall of the tank for the solution containing calcium salts, and a siphon arranged on the bottom of the tank for extracting the pearls produced.

It is a general object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for producing edible pearls more simply, efficiently and economically.

Another object of the invention is to prevent pearls from clumping during production.

The above and other objects and advantages, which will be better understood below, are achieved according to an aspect of the invention and by a device having the characteristics stated in independent claim 1. Preferred embodiments of the invention and methods of making pearls are set forth in the appended claims.

In summary, according to a first aspect, the present invention proposes a device for producing edible pearls, which includes at least one storage tank configured to contain a food solution, a collection tank configured to contain a reagent liquid bath, has a first height, is open and is configured to It consists of a vertical tube with a lower end immersed in a reagent bath and a closed top end with a drip nozzle in fluid communication with the reservoir, and a vacuum pump in communication with the top end of the vertical tube. The vacuum pump is configured to generate a vacuum at the proximal end of the vertical tube to draw the food solution from the reservoir into the drip nozzle, and also to draw a column of reagent liquid into the vertical tube to a second predetermined height and vertically away from the drip nozzle and having a free surface .

A second aspect of the invention provides a method for producing edible pearls using the apparatus defined in the appended claims.

As shown, an apparatus 10 for producing edible pearls known as "exploding boba" includes a storage tank 12 configured to contain a food solution 14 of substantially liquid consistency, a collection tank 16 configured to contain a reagent solution bath 18, a vertical tube 20 and vacuum pump 28.

In the description and patent claims herein, terms and expressions indicating position and orientation, such as "top," "bottom," "high," and "low," shall be construed to refer to the conditions under which the device 10 is normally used to produce pearls.

Vertical tube 20 has an open lower end 22 configured to be immersed in a reagent solution bath 18 contained in collection tank 16 . The vertical tube 20 also has a closed top end 24, for example by means of a cap, which is equipped with a drip nozzle 26 in fluid communication with the reservoir 12.

In an alternative embodiment (not shown), the device 10 may also include a plurality of vertical tubes, each vertical tube having an open lower end 22 configured to be immersed in the reagent solution bath 18 and a closed top end 24 having a A corresponding drip nozzle 26 is in fluid communication with the reservoir 12 .

In one embodiment, when there are several vertical tubes, there may also be a plurality of storage tanks configured to contain one or more food solutions 14 . For example, the storage tank may contain different flavored food solutions for simultaneous production of pearls with different flavors.

Alternatives to the embodiment shown in the figures may provide several drip nozzles 26 for the vertical tubes 20 or for each vertical tube 20, suitably spaced horizontally to avoid collision and agglomeration of the droplets. Each drip nozzle 26 is connected to the reservoir 12 by means of a corresponding supply pipe 34 .

Depending on the particular embodiment, there may be two or more reservoirs 12 configured to contain the same or different food solutions and connected to two or more drip nozzles 26 of the same vertical pipe 20 by means of corresponding supply conduits 34 .

Preferably, the vertical tube 20 may have a circular cross-section and have a height referred to herein as a "first" height h1, which may vary from several centimeters to several meters depending on production requirements.

The diameter or lateral dimensions of the vertical tube 20 may vary from a few millimeters to over 1 meter. It is quite clear to a person skilled in the art that the vertical tube 20 can also have different cross-sectional shapes, ie it can have a polygonal cross-section.

The apparatus 10 further includes a vacuum pump 28 in communication with the top end 24 of the vertical tube 20; when operating, the vacuum pump 28 creates a vacuum at the top end 24 of the vertical tube 20.

As an indication, the suction capacity of the vacuum pump can range from about -0.1kPa to about -100kPa, with a suitable flow rate to compensate for the drip flow rate, which can vary according to production needs, from 0.01 L/min to 220 L/min. minutes, depending on the diameter of the tube and the number of drip nozzles. For example, for a 34 mm diameter vertical pipe 20, an 8 mm drip nozzle is capable of producing a flow rate of 0.05 liters/minute or 3 liters/hour.

The suction or reduced pressure generated by the vacuum pump 28 allows the food solution 14 to be drawn from the reservoir 12 to the drip nozzle 26 in a metered manner. In addition, the decompression at the top allows the column 30 of the reagent liquid bath 18 to be drawn from the collection tank 16 in the vertical tube 20 to a second predetermined height h2, vertically spaced from the dripping nozzle 26 and forming a gap of the reagent liquid bath 18 Free surface32.

In particular, the first height h1 of the vertical tube 20 is greater than the second predetermined height h2 of the column 30 of the reagent liquid bath 18 that is sucked inside the vertical tube 20 by the vacuum generated by the vacuum pump 28 .

The collection tank 16 can be opened at the top and the storage tank 12 can be opened or closed at the top.

The reservoir 12 configured to contain the food solution 14 may be fluidly connected to one or more drip nozzles of each vertical tube 20 via a corresponding supply conduit 34 . The supply pipe 34 may be a flexible hose, for example.

To allow quantitative extraction of material from the reservoir 12 under the action of the vacuum pump 28, the diameter of the supply line 34 may vary from a minimum of 1 mm to a maximum of 100 mm, depending on the desired droplet diameter.

The sump 12 can be positioned at an adjustable height relative to the dripping nozzle 26 by means of a height adjustment device 13 . Adjustment of the height of the reservoir 12 allows setting the rate at which the food solution 14 flows from the reservoir 12 to the drip nozzle 26 .

The reservoir 12 may be arranged at a lower height than the dripping nozzle 26 . By appropriately adjusting the height difference between the reservoir 12 and the drip nozzle 26 , ie by reducing the height difference, the vacuum that must be applied by the vacuum pump 28 is advantageously limited in order to draw the food solution 14 towards the drip nozzle 26 . By increasing the height difference between the reservoir 12 and the drip nozzle 26, ie by lowering the reservoir 12, the flow of the food solution 14 to the drip nozzle 26 is advantageously reduced or stopped.

In one embodiment, reservoir 12 may be pressurized to assist in delivering food solution 14 to drip nozzle 26 . In such embodiments, vacuum pump 28 may advantageously be configured to apply a lower vacuum to draw food solution 14 from reservoir 12 toward drip nozzle 26 .

An alternative embodiment may provide for placing the sump 12 at substantially the same level as the drip nozzle 26 .

Further embodiments may provide for placing the reservoir 12 at a higher level than the drip nozzle 26, thereby promoting flow of the food solution 14 through the supply conduit 34 by gravity. The supply line 34 is sized such that the food solution 14 flows from the drip nozzle 26 in a single drop, rather than as a continuous trickle.

According to some embodiments, the formation of droplets 36 may occur in a manner known as "direct spheroidization," whereby the food solution 14 also contains a thickening agent and the reagent bath 18 includes calcium salts in the solution.

In one embodiment, the food solution 14 contained in the reservoir 12 may include a liquid, such as a juice or extract, and sodium alginate to thicken the liquid, thereby creating a more viscous, such as gel-like solution. In particular, in such embodiments, sodium alginate may be added to the food solution 14 in a percentage, for example, between 1% and 5% to obtain the desired solution viscosity, and preferably between 20 and 200 centipoise. (centipoise; cP), the density is preferably between 1.13 and 1.18. In such embodiments, when the food solution 14 contained in the reservoir 12 includes sodium alginate, the reagent bath 18 may include a calcium salt selected from the group consisting of calcium lactate, calcium chloride, and calcium gluconate in a percentage of about Between 1% and about 3%.

According to other embodiments, the formation of droplets 36 may occur in a manner called "reverse spheroidization," whereby the food solution 14 also contains calcium salts and the reagent liquid 18 contains a thickening agent, such as sodium alginate. In a specific embodiment, the food solution 14 that may be placed in the storage tank 12 may include a liquid to which an appropriate amount of a calcium salt is added, the calcium salt being selected from the group consisting of calcium lactate, calcium chloride, and calcium gluconate. Specifically, in such embodiments, the calcium salt may be added to the food solution 14 at a percentage of about 1% and about 4%. In embodiments in which food solution 14 includes calcium salts, reagent bath 18 may include a percentage of sodium alginate between about 1% and about 5%.

The device 10 described above can be used to produce edible pearls. Basically, the vacuum pump 28 is driven to generate a vacuum at the top of the vertical tube 20 and suck the food solution 14 contained in the storage tank 12 in a quantitative manner, and also pumps the cylinder 30 of the reagent liquid bath 18 within the vertical tube 20 Suction to the second predetermined height h2.

As mentioned above, the cylinder 30 of the reagent bath 18 within the vertical tube 20 forms a free surface 32. By appropriately adjusting the vacuum created by the vacuum pump 28, the height of the free surface 32 can be adjusted so that it is spaced vertically and downwardly relative to the drip nozzle 26. That is, the free surface 32 of the cylinder 30 is lower than the drip nozzle 26 arranged at the top of the vertical tube 20 .

The vertical distance between the free surface of the cylinder 30 of the reagent bath 18 and the dripping nozzle 26 may be in the range of 3 cm to 30 cm and is in any case sufficient to allow the droplets leaving the dripping nozzle 26 to assume a spherical shape.

The extracted food solution 14 is administered from the drip nozzle 26 in the form of a single drop 36 .

The flow rate of the food solution delivered by the drip nozzle 26 can be determined based on the vacuum applied by the vacuum pump 28, the cross-sectional area of the supply pipe 34, and the viscosity of the food solution. These parameters may be varied and selected such that the flow rate of the food solution 14 to the drip nozzle 26 allows the food solution 14 to be delivered in a discontinuous manner, that is, in the form of single droplets 36 .

Once dispensed from drip nozzle 26, single droplet 36 of food solution 14 falls at a predetermined free fall height h3 such that it assumes a substantially spherical shape as it falls.

The predetermined free fall height h3 corresponds to the vertical offset between the first height h1 of the vertical tube 20 and the second predetermined height h2 of the cylinder 30 of the reagent liquid bath 18 , that is, the dripping nozzle 26 and the reagent liquid bath 18 The vertical offset between the free surfaces 32 of the cylinder 30.

When a single droplet 36 or pearl comes into contact with the reagent liquid bath 18, it settles therein along the vertical tube 20 for a predetermined settling time t, so that the spherical single droplets 36 each form a surface film 38, and then interact with other droplets 36 or Pearl Touch. The gradually thickening and hardening surface film prevents pearls from clumping when they come into contact with each other.

By appropriately adjusting the second predetermined height h2 of the column 30 of the reagent liquid bath 18 , the predetermined settling time t of a single droplet 36 of the food solution 14 in the reagent liquid bath 18 can be determined to form the surface film 38 .

The predetermined settling time t for forming the surface film 38 of the droplets 36 may also be defined based on the concentration of calcium alginate contained in the food solution 14 . For example, for a 1% calcium alginate concentration, one can expect a setting time of about 90 seconds, and for a 2% calcium alginate concentration, one can expect a setting time of about 60 seconds.

The diameter of the droplets 36 (pearls) containing the food solution 14 and confined by a surface film 38 (e.g., a thin and substantially solid or gel-like film) can typically vary between 1 mm and 20 mm, and is preferably Diameter is about 8-9 mm. Droplets 36 (pearls) can accumulate and settle in the collection tank and can then be collected from the collection tank.

While specific embodiments of the invention have been described, it must be understood that this disclosure is provided purely for illustrative purposes and the invention is not limited thereto in any way. Various modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the above examples. The scope of the invention is limited only by the scope of the appended patent applications.

10:Device 12:Storage tank 13: Height adjustment equipment 14:Food solution 16: Collection tank 18:Reagent liquid bath 20:Vertical tube 22:lower end 24:Top 26:Drip nozzle 28: Vacuum pump 30: Cylinder 32: Free surface 34: Supply pipeline 36: Droplet 38:Surface film h1: first height h2: second predetermined height h3: free fall height

The features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of several embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an apparatus for producing edible pearls.

without.

10:Device

12:Storage tank

13: Height adjustment equipment

14:Food solution

16: Collection tank

18:Reagent liquid bath

20:Vertical tube

22:lower end

24:Top

26:Drip nozzle

28: Vacuum pump

30: Cylinder

32: Free surface

34: Supply pipeline

36: Droplet

38:Surface film

h1: first height

h2: second predetermined height

h3: free fall height

Claims (10)

An apparatus (10) for producing edible pearls, comprising: - at least one storage tank (12) configured to contain the food solution (14); - at least one collection tank (16) configured to contain a reagent liquid bath (18); - at least one vertical tube (20) having a first height (h1), an open lower end (22) configured to be immersed in said reagent bath (18) and closed and equipped with said reservoir (12) ) the top end (24) of at least one drip nozzle (26) in fluid communication; - a vacuum pump (28) communicating with the top end (24) of the vertical tube (20); Thereby, the vacuum pump (28) is configured to create a reduced pressure in the top end (24) of the vertical tube (20) to draw the food solution (14) from the storage tank (12) in a quantitative manner. to the drip nozzle (26); and - Extract the cylinder (30) of the reagent bath (18) inside the vertical tube (20) to a second predetermined height (h2), vertically spaced from the dripping nozzle (26) and forming a free surface (32). The device (10) as described in claim 1, which includes: a plurality of vertical tubes (20), each vertical tube (20) having a first height (h1); a lower end (22) open and configured to be immersed in said reagent liquid bath (18); and a top end (24) , which is closed and equipped with a corresponding drip nozzle (26) in fluid communication with the storage tank (12). The device (10) of claim 1 or 2, comprising a plurality of storage tanks (12), each storage tank (12) being configured to contain a food solution (14), wherein each dripping nozzle (26) is connected to the One of the storage tanks (12) is in fluid communication. Apparatus (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein at least one said storage tank (12) is configured to contain a different food material than the food material solution of at least one other said storage tank (12) solution. Apparatus (10) as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein said sump (12) is in fluid communication with said or each dripping nozzle (26) via a corresponding supply conduit (34). Apparatus (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a height adjustment device (13) associated with said reservoir (12) for relative to said dripping nozzle (26) Adjust the height of the tank. Apparatus (10) as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein said reservoir (12) is configured to be pressurized to deliver said food solution (14) to said dripping nozzle (26). The device (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein one of the food solution (14) and the reagent liquid bath (18) includes sodium alginate, and the other includes calcium, Calcium salts of calcium chloride and calcium gluconate. A method for producing edible pearls, comprising the following steps: a) Provide a device (10) as described in any one of claims 1 to 8; b) start the vacuum pump (28) to generate reduced pressure in the top end (24) of the vertical tube (20) and withdraw the food solution (14) from the storage tank (12) in a quantitative manner, and Pump the cylinder (30) of the reagent liquid bath (18) inside the vertical tube (20) to the second predetermined height (h2) and form the free surface (32); c) applying the food solution (14) from the drip nozzle (26) in the form of a single droplet (36); d) causing a single droplet (36) of the food solution (14) to fall from the dripping nozzle (26) by a free fall height (h3), so that the droplet is substantially spherical; e) Precipitate the single droplet (36) in the column (30) of the reagent liquid bath (18) inside the vertical tube (20) for a predetermined settling time (t), so that the single droplet is spherical The droplets (36) each form a surface film (38) before coming into contact with other droplets (36) (pearls); f) Extract the solidified droplets (36) (pearls) from the collection tank (16). The device and method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the edible pearls are "exploding boba" pearls.