United States Patent (19) 11 4,224,354 Szegvari (45) "Sep
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
United States Patent (19) 11 4,224,354 Szegvari (45) "Sep. 23, 1980 54) METHOD FOR MAKING CHOCOLATE AND 56) References Cited CHO.COLATE FLAVORED MATER ALS U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS (75) Inventor: Andrew Szegvari, Akron, Ohio 3,149,789 9/1964 Szegvari................................. 24/27 3,204,880 9/1965 Haller ..............., a 241/29 3,395,020 7/1968 Chozianin et al. ........ ... 426/237 73) Assignee: Union Process International, Inc., 3,506,461 4/1970 Noschinski et al. ................... 99/483 Akron, Ohio 3,628,965 12/1971 Nijkerk .............. ... 426/518 X 3,998,938 12/1976 Szegvari............................ 241A29 X Notice: The portion of the term of this patent Primary Examiner-David M. Naff subsequent to Dec. 21, 1993, has been Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Reed, Smith, Shaw & disclaimed. McClay (21) Appl. No.: 944,740 (57) ABSTRACT A method is provided for making chocolate and choco 22 Filed: Sep. 22, 1978 late flavored materials. A pump means repeatedly circu lates a liquid continuum containing chocolate solids through conducting means to comminuting means Related U.S. Application Data formed of a bed of agitated grinding elements where the (63) Continuation of Ser. No. 751,913, Dec. 17, 1976, aban doned, which is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. solids are comminuted, and through conducting means 468,270, May 10, 1974, Pat. No. 3,998,938, which is a back to the pump means at a rate of at least about 30 and continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 387,354, Aug. 10, 1973, preferably between 50 and 500 volumes of liquid contin abandoned, which is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. uum containing solids in the comminuting means per 360,466, May 15, 1973, abandoned, which is a continua hour. Chocolate and chocolate flavored materials hav tion-in-part of Ser. No. 166,421, Jul. 27, 1971, aban ing substantially greater particle size uniformity and doned. other superior and unique properties are thus produced. Also in processing, the temperature is controlled during (51) Int, C. .......................... A23G 1/00; A23G 1/10 processing to liberate undesirable components, such as (52) U.S. C. .................................... 426/584; 426/593; acetic acid, from the composition while retaining other 426/631; 426/518 desired components. (58 Field of Search ............... 426/631, 593,659, 660, 426/518,519, 237,594, 584; 241/27, 29; 99/483 48 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures U.S. Patent Sep. 23, 1980 Sheet 1 of 3 4,224,354 N N S2 ASR N2S2cauass. SN s ed y Syzzzzzzzz looo II,d 93 NSd d O o P oc Y s S-2 re d d go V W 2 s U.S. Patent Sep. 23, 1980 Sheet 2 of 3 4,224,354 U.S. Patent Sep. 23, 1980 Sheet 3 of 3 4,224,354 as a real 4,224,354 1. 2 large particles appearing in the final product without METHOD FOR MAKNG CHOCOLATE AND having been subjected to a sufficient amount of grind CHO.COLATE FLAVORED MATER ALS Ing. The present invention claimed in the parent applica RELATED APPLICATIONS tion overcomes these difficulties and disadvantages of This application is a continuation of application Ser. the prior art above described. It has been found, con No. 751,913, filed Dec. 17, 1976, now abandoned, which trary to what would be expected, that recycling at rela is a continuation-in-part of copending application Ser. tively high flow rates results in reduced grinding times. No. 468,270, filed May 10, 1974, and matured into U.S. It would be expected that the grinding time in a recy Pat. No. 3,998,938 which is a continuation-in-part of O cling operation would never be as short as the grinding then copending application Ser. No. 387,354, filed Aug. time for the same batch of material ground in a grinding 10, 1973, now abandoned which is a continuation-in means equal in volume to the retaining tank plus the part of then copending application Ser. No. 360,466, comminuting means without recirculation, or to a series filed May 15, 1973, now abandoned which is a continua of grinders equal in total volume to the volume of the tion-in-part of then copending application Ser. No. 15 retaining tank and comminuting means without recircu 166,421, filed July 27, 1971 now abandoned. lation. However, applicant has found that, surprisingly, the grinding time for a given batch reduces with rela FIELD OF THE INVENTON tively high recirculation rates to less than the time to This invention relates to a method for comminuting grind the same batch in a single grinding means, or a particulate solids, and particularly chocolate and choc series of grinders equal in volume to the retaining tank olate flavored compositions in a liquid continuum. plus comminuting means. The processing capacity of a given size grinding apparatus is thereby increased with BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTON out the necessity for relatively large and expensive Various methods and apparatus have been known for grinding apparatus. The present invention claimed in grinding particulate solids in a liquid media. They in 25 this application is directed specifically to the processing clude ball mills, pebble mills, roll mills, sand mills and of chocolate where the invention has special application agitated-media mills. Illustrative art is believed to be and advantages. U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,577,052, 2,764,359, 3,903,191, Chocolate Making: Chocolate is made by comminut 3,008,657, 3,131,875, 3,298,618, 3,149,789, 3,204,880, 3,337,140, 3,432,109, 3,591,349, British Pat. Nos. 30 ing and mixing various compositions of chocolate solids 716,316 and 1,038,153, and German Pat. Nos. 1,214,516 in a liquid continuum. After winnowing, the nib is and 1,233,237. ground to produce cocoa mass or chocolate liquor An agitated-media comminuting apparatus commutes (sometimes called "bitter chocolate'), from which the solids in liquid suspension by subjecting them to cocoa butter can be extracted by pressing. On cocoa generally random contact in a bed of agitated grinding 35 butter production, the press cake is pulverized to pro elements. In an agitated-media comminuting apparatus, duce cocoa powder. The extracted cocoa butter is used the grinding is usually performed in a vertical cylindri in the preparation of chocolate by incorporating it into cal stationary tank or vessel with a rotatable agitator a mixture of sugar and nib and/or chocolate liquor to disposed on a substantially vertical axis. The agitator produce sweet chocolate (sometimes called "plain has one or more solid protuberances such as arms or 40 chocolate'), and into a mixture of sugar, milk powder discs extending out from the axis thereof into a mass of and nib and/or chocolate liquor to produce milk choco grinding media or elements such as pebbles, ceramic late (called "milk chocolate'). balls or metal balls that occupies a substantial portion of Chocolate Liquor: The nib is a cellular mass contain the vessel. The rotation of the protuberances through ing about 55 percent cocoa butter (i.e., cocoa fat) locked the mass of grinding media causes the media to occupy 45 within the cell structure. When the cell walls are rup an increased apparent volume with the result that the tured during comminuting, the fat is released and, as it grinding elements have a substantial free space between is liquified by the frictional heat, it becomes a continu them and impinge on each other in a manner somewhat ous phase in which the disintegrated cell particles (i.e., similar to the classic model of a gas. The particulate chocolate solids) are suspended. As disintegration pro material to be ground and the liquid, which serves as a 50 ceeds, more and more fat is liberated, reducing the carrier and dispersing media for the material, occupy viscosity of the paste until it becomes a fluid which is the spaces between the grinding media. The material is referred to as chocolate liquor (or cocoa mass). ground by the action of the agitated grinding media. A A variety of grinding devices have to be used to built-in pumping action may be used to maintain circu perform the grinding and mixing in the various stages of lation within the comminuting means during comminu 55 chocolate making. For chocolate liquor production, tion. originally circular stone mills consisting of typically It has been recognized that more mass of material three sets of horizontal double stone plates were widely may be comminuted when the size of the comminuting used; in each set, one stone was held stationary while vessel is increased. Agitated-media apparatus of larger the other is rotated in close contact with it, and the size are, however, relatively more expensive to build materials to be ground are fed through the center open and operate. It has also been recognized that the large ing and passed to and collected at the outer periphery. capital outlay for larger size equipment could be The grinding action was improved by cutting grooves avoided by recycling the suspended solids in the liquid in the stones to distribute and regulate the feed. These continuum between a comminuting means and a large machines have been replaced in many plants by steel storage tank, see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 3,204,880. Recy 65 disc mills, with the discs mounted either horizontally or cling has been, however, generally regarded to result in vertically, and with a central steel disc rotating at high increased grinding time to reduce the particles to a speed between two stationary steel faces, all of which predetermined size.