US 12,285,026 B1 · Confections that rise and fall in a carbonated beverage and methods and equipment for production thereof

Abstract

Edible confections which repeatedly rise and sink in a carbonated beverage due to changing buoyancy resulting from a time-varying population of carbonation bubbles on the surface of the confection, and the associated equipment and processes for production. A low solubility gelatin-based “gummi” confections are preferred because the dimensions of the confections and their surface properties are relatively invariant with time, and the submerged confections have little effect on the appearance and the level of carbonation of the beverage. Aeration by whisking produces internal bubbles which lower the specific gravity. Cold old spherification of the aerated slurry creates surfaces of the formed confections which differ considerably from surfaces produced by other processes for the production of gummi candies. The process is optimized to create, over the entirety of the surface of the confection, surface regions which are rough on length scales which promote bubble nucleation interspersed with smooth regions which promotes bubble retention.

Claims24

Dependent claims

A method for making a confection with a final density and final surface characteristics such that said confection repeatedly rises and sinks when in a carbonated beverage due to a time-varying surface population of carbonation bubbles which forms on a surface of said confection to form a confection/bubbles ensemble having a time varying buoyancy, comprising the steps of:

creating a base slurry,
aerating the said base slurry to create an aerated slurry having a slurry internal population of bubbles,
producing initial gelling of a portion of said aerated slurry by submerging said portion of said aerated slurry into a container of an oil at a gelling temperature to produce a gelled candy having a gelled internal population of bubbles and gelled surface characteristics affected by said slurry internal population of bubbles near the outer surface of said portion of said aerated slurry during said initial gelling, and subsequent processing of said gelled candy to produce said confection having said final surface characteristics and a final internal population of internal bubbles which provides said final density.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Confections that rise and fall in a carbonated beverage and methods and equipment for production thereof

Life of this patent

Confections that rise and fall in a carbonated beverage and methods and equipment for production thereof

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims24