Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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CONFECTIONERY PRODUCT
The present invention relates to a confectionery product and a
method and apparatus for the production thereof.
Confectionery products having two or more- identical finger
portions which are packaged together are known. In some cases,
the finger portions are separate from each other but held
together by a single wrapper, while in other cases the finger
portions are wrapped individually. It is also known for the
finger portions to be physically joined together, for example by
the chocolate coating, so that the consumer has to separate the
fingers by 'snapping' them apart.
It has been desired to make a new confectionery product which
provides a wider variety of tastes and textures than existing
products.
According to the invention there is provided a confectionery
product comprising a wafer shell with at least two integral,
separable portions, each portion having a cavity at least
partially filled with an edible filling, wherein the filling of
one cavity is different to the filling of another cavity.
Preferably, the filling of one cavity is of a different flavour,
and/or appearance and/or texture to the filling of another
cavity. This provides the consumer with a single item of
confectionery which can be separated into individual portions
having different fillings, thereby offering a choice of portions
which may be eaten together or independently, as and when
desired, or may be shared between two people having differing
tastes.
Preferably, the cavities are substantially filled with the
edible fillings.
Preferably, the confectionery product further comprises means
for sealing the cavities.
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The means for sealing the cavities may comprise, for example, a
layer of chocolate covering the cavity opening. The provision
of a chocolate base, rather than a wafer base, provides a
texturally different eating experience to the consumer than is
provided by existing products. The wafer shell on one side of
the product and the chocolate base on the opposing side provide
two contrasting textures which the consumer will experience
simultaneously when biting into the product. The provision of
chocolate on one side of the product only means that the
consumer can avoid melting the chocolate on their fingers by
holding the uncoated wafer shell of the portions whilst eating.
Preferably, the confectionery product further comprises a
barrier layer between the filling and the means for sealing the
cavities and particularly . preferably, the barrier layer
comprises a layer of edible paper such as rice paper. The
barrier layer acts as a physical barrier between the fat based
filling and the sealing layer and prevents or reduces the
migration of fat from the soft filling to the sealing layer,
thereby preserving the physical properties of the sealing.layer.
In the example of a chocolate sealing layer, the prevention of
fat migration prevents the softening of the chocolate and the
formation of bloom, which would otherwise result from the
chocolate being in direct contact with the soft fat based
filling. The thin layer of edible paper within the
confectionery product dissolves very quickly in the mouth and is
therefore virtually undetectable to the consumer.
Preferably, the exterior of the wafer shell is such that the
different fillings may be identified. This may be achieved by
decorating the exterior the wafer shell using edible ink. The
colour of the decoration of a portion can correspond to the
colour or,flavour of the filling in that portion. Not all of
the portions need to be decorated to distinguish- between the
fillings in the portions; portions containing one of the
fillings may be undecorated.
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Preferably the fillings are fat based creams. The fillings may
comprise up to 70% by volume of edible inclusions, such as wafer
and/or biscuit pieces, which will affect the texture of the
confectionery product.
Also according to the invention there is provided a method of
making a confectionery product comprising:
(a) forming wafer shells comprising at least two
integral, separable portions, each portion having a
cavity; and
(b) depositing an edible filling into each cavity wherein
the fillings deposited in cavity is different to the
filling deposited in another cavity.
Also according to the invention there is provided apparatus for
making a confectionery product comprising:
a mould for forining wafer shells comprising two
integral, separable portions each having a cavity; and
a filling station for depositing filling into the
cavities comprising at least two fillers such that the
filling deposited into one cavity is different to the
filling deposited in another cavity.
The invention will now be further described, by way of example,
with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a confectionery product
according to the invention;
Figure lA shows a cross section through the confectionery
product of Figure 1;
Figure 2 shows the empty wafer shell of the confectionery
product of Figure 1;
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Figure 2A shows a cross section through the wafer shell of
Figure 2.
Figure 3 is another perspectiv:e view of the confectionery
product of Figure 1;
Figures 4A to 4G show schematically the apparatus according to
the invention, for the production a confectionery product;
Figure 5 shows the forming station of the apparatus of Figures
4A to 4G.
Figure 6A shows a male horn used in the forming station of
Figure 5;
Figure 6B shows a female mould cavity used in the forming
station of Figure 5; and
Figure 6C shows a cross sectional view of the male horn of
Figure 6A in place inside the female cavity of Figure 6B.
The confectionery product 2 of Figures 1, 1A and 3 comprises a
32mm x 71mm x 10mm hollow wafer shell' 4 with two separable
finger portions 6,8 and a chocolate base 10. The base 10 is
shown at the top in Figures 1 and 1A. As shown in Figure 1A,
the first finger portion 6 contains a chocolate flavoured cream
filling 14 and the second finger portion 8 contains a caramel
flavoured cream filling 16.
An empty wafer shell 4 is shown in Figure 2, prior to filling.
The wafer shell is formed from a single sheet of. wafer and
comprises first 26 and second 28 elongate hollow cavities, both
of which are 8.5mm deep, substantially semi-circular in cross'
section and closed at both ends. The first cavity 26 defines
the first finger portion 6 of the confectionery product and the
second cavity 28 defines the second finger portion. B. The
cavities 26,28 are connected by a central bridge section 24,
which may be perforated so that the wafer shell may be easily
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broken along the bridge section in order to separate the finger
portions 6,8. The walls of the cavities 26,28 and the central
bridge portion 24are of substantially uniform thickness. of
1.5mm. The wafe"r shell 4 is open at one side and the opening is
5 surrounded by a flat, rectangular outer rim 22.
As shown in Figure lA, one cavity 26 is filled with a chocolate
flavoured cream filling 14 and the other cavity 28 is filled
with a caramel flavoured cream filling 16. Both fillings 14,16
contain 70% by volume of small biscuit and wafer pieces 18. The
io fillings are sealed inside their respective cavities by the
chocolate base 10.
The confectionery product of Figures 1, 1A and 3 includes a thin
layer of edible paper 12, as shown in Figure 1A, which lies on
top of the cream fillings 14,16 and beneath the chocolate base
is 10. This layer of edible paper 12 acts as a barrier to separate
the cream fillings 14,16 from the chocolate base 10, in order to
prevent fat migration from the cream to the chocolate, which
would results in softening of the chocolate and/or the formation
of bloom. The edible paper may be perforated centrally along
20 its length and/or width in order to facilitate breaking of the
product into the separate portions.
As shown in Figure 3, the exterior surface of the wafer shell 4
has an embossed reeding pattern and has been decorated using
edible ink so that the filling in each finger may be identified
25 prior to eating. The wafer shell in the first finger portion 6
is printed all over with a brown ink 42, except for a product
logo 44, which is left in the natural, lighter, colour of the
wafer. In contrast, the wafer shell in the second finger
portion 8 is left in the natural colour of the wafer and has a
30 product logo 40 printed in brown ink. The resultant dark and
light colour of the two fingers 6,8 correspond to the dark and
light colour of the respective chocolate and caramel cream
fillings.
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6.
Confectionery products according to the invention, such as those
described above can be made using the appara.tus shown in Figures
4A to 4G and S. . In these figures, the direction of travel of
the wafer is shown by a horizontal arrow. The wafer shell 4 of
the confectionery product is formed from a continuous film of
wafer batter 52 which is baked in a continuous belt oven 54
comprising an endless belt 56 and a batter reservoir 58 which
deposits the continuous thin film of wafer batter 52 onto the
belt 56, a plurality of induction heaters 60 which heat the
wafer batter film from below and a plurality of infra-red
heaters 62 which heat the wafer batter film from above. A
continuous belt oven and the baking of a wafer batter film
therein is described in EP 1 479 692.
A removal device 64 removes the baked sheet of wafer 53 from the
belt 56 and the sheet passes to a continuous forming unit 66,
shown schematically in Figures 4B and 4C and in Figure 5, while
still hot and flexible. The continuous forming unit 66 includes
a moulding belt 70, onto which the hot wafer sheet 53 is
deposited. The moulding belt 70 includes a continuous array of
female mould cavities 72, the inner shape of which corresponds
to the shape of the wafer shell 4 described above. A continuous
chain of discrete metallic male horns 74 is passed around a
series of rollers 76 above the moulding belt 70. The spacing of
the male horns 74 in the chain corresponds to the spacing of the
female mould cavities 72 on the moulding belt 70 and the path of
the male horns 74 includes a horizontal section which coincides
with the path of the moulding belt 70 so that the male.horns 74
engage with and are pressed into the female mould cavities 72.
The male horns 74 remain within the female mould cavities 72
until the end of the horizontal section, at which point the
chain of male horns 74 is moved up and away from the moulding
bel.t 70. The male horns are held in place within the female
mould cavities by their own weight. As the male horns 74 press
into the female mould cavities 72, the wafer sheet 53. is
stretched and deformed into the shape of the cavity. During the
time in. which the male horns 74 are within the female mould
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cavities 72, the wafer shells 4 are cooled by the male horns to
below their glass transition temperature so that the moulded
wafer shape is maintained once the male horns are removed. The
male horns 74 are cooled by a cooling unit 80 upstream.of the
horizontal section.
A rotating cutting roller 84 is located on the moulding belt and
cuts the deformed wafer shells"4 from the continuous wafer sheet
53 before the male horns are removed from the female cavities.
A vacuum extraction system 86 removes wafer dust created by the
lo cutting process.
A single male horn 74 and female mould cavity 72 are shown in
Figures 6a and 6b, and Figure 6c shows a cross sectional view of
the male horn 74 in the female mould cavity 72. The male horn
74 includes a rectangular base 200 with two parallel projections
202 which are substantially semi-circular in cross section. The
female mould cavity 72 has a rectangular opening and comprises
two elongate hollow cavities 204 which are separated by a
central partition 206, the top of which is below the level of
the mould opening. The bottom of each hollow cavity 204 has a
pattern of criss-cross grooves 208, which create a diamond
reeding pattern on the moulded wafer shells 4. As shown in
Figure, ,6c, the cross section of the male horn projections 202
and the hollow cavities 204 are complementary to each other so
that the male horn fits inside the female mould cavity leaving a
uniform space between them of around 1.5mm to accommodate the
wafer sheet. The gap must be such that the wafer sheet 53 is
moulded by- the male horn against. the female mould cavity to
impress the reeding pattern 208 onto the exterior of the wafer
sheet 53, without creating areas of wafer which are too thin and
therefore weak.
The moulding belt 70 of female mould cavities 72 with the
deformed wafer shells 4 still inside passes out of the forming
station 66 to the filling station 90, shown in Figure 4D. The
filling station comprises a f.irst mixer 92 for preparing a
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chocolate flavoured cream and a second mixer 94 for preparing a
caramel flavoured cream. Biscuit and wafer pieces are added to
both of the mixers and mixed to disperse them relatively evenly
through the creams. The creams are transferred from the first
92 and second 94 mixers into first 96 and second 98 hoppers
respectively, from which metered amounts of each cream are
deposited into the cavities of the wafer shell 4. The conveyor
belt 70 stops below the,hoppers 96,98 so that the caramel cream
is deposited into one cavity 28 of the wafer shell while the
io chocolate cream is deposited into the other cavity 26.
The moulding belt 70 with the filled wafer shells 4 still held
within the female mould cavities 72 then passes a barrier
application station 100, shown in Figure 4E. Pieces of edible
paper 102 are cut from a roll 104 to a size corresponding to the
opening of the wafer shell 4 and each piece is transferred to
the surface of a filled wafer shell on the moulding belt. The
pieces of edible paper 102 are then pressed down by a press 106
to adhere them to the surfaces of the creams. The edible paper'
fully covers the surface of the creams to ensure that there is
no leakage of the creams between cavities and that the cream
does not contact the chocolate base, which is applied on top of
the paper.
The filled wafer shells 4 are allowed to cool and are then
removed from their mould cavities 72 by inversion of the mould
cavities and transported to an enrobing station 110; shown in
Figure 4F, where a chocolate layer 10 is applied to the open end
only of the fille.d wafer shells by passing them through a bottom
enrober 112 and then a cooling tunnel (not shown), using
established confectionery technology. If a further chocolate
layer is desired, the enrobing process can be repeated.
The filled wafer shells 4 then pass' to a printing station
120,shown in Figure. 4G, where the desired decoration is applied
to the exterior of the wafer shell by printing with food grade
ink 122 using a high-speed inkjet printer 124, similar to that
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used, for example, in conventional package pririting
technologies.
The production of a confectionery product according to the
invention will now be further described with reference to the
following example:
Example
The ingredients listed in Table 1 were mixed to form a wafer
batter.
Ingredients % by weight
Sucrose 23
Wheat flour 32
GP hard fat 2
Skimmed milk powder 2
Water 40
Lecithin 0.4
Cocoa powder 0.4
Salt 0.2
Total 100.0
Table 1
A thin film of the liquid batter was deposited onto the hot
surface (190 C to 200 C) of a continuous baking oven, as
described above, using a slot depositor, to form a wafer sheet
200mm wide and 1.8mm thick. The wafer sheet was baked for
approximately 2.5 minutes at a belt speed of 2.2m/min and was
removed from the oven at a. temperature of 150 C to 160 C by a
doctor blade mounted on the oven return drium. The hot flexible
wafer sheet was transferred immediately to the forming station,*
described above, ensuring that the wafer sheet was kept above
its glass transition temperature of approximately 120 C,in order
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to maintain its flexibility. A wafer shell was formed in- a
female mould cavity using a male horn, as previously described,
with the male horn being held inside the female cavity for a
minimum period of 2 seconds.
5
The ingredients listed -in Table 2 were mixed to 'form a caramel
cream and the ingredients in Table 3 were mixed to form a
chocolate cream.
Ingredients % by weight
Caramel powder 64.75
Cream fat soft 34.75
Lecithin 0.50
Total 100.00
Table 2
Ingredients o,by weight
Sucrose 26.20
Fat lauric soft 32.41
Cocoa powder 6.66
Skimmed milk powder 28.12
Lactose 6.10
Vanillin 0.04
Lecithin 0.47
Total 100.00
Table 3
1s Pieces of biscuit and wafer, 2mm to 3mm in size, were mixed into
the creams to give resultant fillings comprising 70% by weight
of cream, 18% by weight of biscuit pieces and 12% by weight of
wafer pieces. A portion of around 5.4g of caramel cream was
deposited into one of the cavities of the formed wafer shell and
a similar portion of chocolate cream was deposited into the
other cavity. A layer of edible paper was cut to the size of
the wafer shell opening, placed on top of the filled wafer shell
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and pressed down to cover the fillings. This was done while the
cream filings were still warm so that the edible paper stuck to
the creams. The resultant filled wafer shell was cooled until
the creams were hard and removed from the female mould cavity by
s inverting the mould. A layer of cho'colate was applied on top of
the wafer paper using a. conventional bottom enrdber. A logo was
printed on the exterior of the wafer shell using a standard ink
jet printer and an edible ink.
lo While in the embodiment described the two cavities are
integrally moulded in a single wafer shell, it will be
appreciated that the cavities do not need to be formed together
but may be formed separately and subsequently attached to each
other, for example, by means of a chocolate layer or a separate
15 bridging portion of wafer.
It will also be appreciated that, while in the confectionery
product described, the fillings are caramel and chocolate
flavoured soft fat based creams, other flavours or edible
20 fillings, such as fruit pastes or low water activity caramels
may be used. In the confectionery product described,. the cream
filings differ in both'flavour and colour; however, it will be
appreciated that the fillings could differ just in flavour or
just in colour, or may differ in other ways such as in texture
25 or type of filling.
While in the embodiment described, the confectionery product
comprises two separable portions, it will be appreciated that
there could be more than two separable portions and it will be
30 apparent to the skilled man how the described method of
production could be adapted to make confectionery products with
more than two portions. It will also be appreciated that, while
in the -embodiment described the cavities are' elongate' and
substantially semi-circular in cross section, the cavities may
35 be, a different shape and the cavities in one product may be
different shapes'to each other.
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While in the embodiment described, the filled containers are
sealed by means of a layer of chocolate, it will be appreciated
that the containers could be sealed in a different way, for
s example, by applying a separate layer of biscuit or wafer.
While in the embodiment described, the decoration is applied
using edible ink, it will be appreciated the decoration may be
applied in other ways, such as by branding or embossing the
exterior of the wafer shell. It will also be appreciated that,
while in the embodiment described the wafer shell is decorated
with the product logo, pictures, patterns, or words may be
applied instead in order to identify the filling in.each cavity.
While a particular method and apparatus for the production of
confectionery products according to the invention have been
described, it will be appreciated that a confectionery product
according to the invention could be made using other methods and
apparatuses. For example, the wafer shells could be baked using
a conventional oven, individual moulds could be used, or the
wafer shells could be formed without moulds. Similarly, while
the method described applies the chocolate sealing layer using a
bottom enrober, the chocolate layer could be separately moulded
or a'flood and scrape' method could be used. Similarly,
alternative methods could be envisaged for applying the ink to
the exterior of the wafer shells and a different type of ink,
such as a fat based ink, could be used instead of the water
based ink.
