Feed unit for articles

An apparatus for preparing food products, comprising

• a plurality of containers, and
• a feed unit comprising a guide with at least one guide segment and a plurality of articles,
• wherein:
• the guide extends along a guide longitudinal axis to define a linear feed path for said articles,
• the guide is configured to accommodate a plurality of said articles arranged in a row one after the other and to guide the articles as the articles move along said linear feed path, said articles having a characteristic length corresponding to a size of each of said articles measured along said guide longitudinal axis,
• the at least one guide segment is configured to progressively rotate about said longitudinal axis by a total angle greater than 180° and with an angular variation per unit of linear measurement such that, for substantially the entirety of said at least one guide segment, for each portion of said linear feed path equal to said characteristic length, said guide is configured to rotate about said longitudinal axis by an angle greater than 4°, and
• the articles are configured to be coupled to said plurality of containers.