System and method for the preparation of coffee tablets and the like

A system for producing tablets for extraction of a liquid food product starting from at least one ingredient in granular or powder form, the system being designed for irradiating with microwaves a dosed and moistened amount of the ingredient which is contained in a confined volume, the system comprising at least:

• a forming sub-system, configured to confer the tablets a predefined shape;
• a loading sub-system, configured to supply the at least one ingredient, in a dosed amount, into a respective forming cavity of the forming sub-system;
• a moistening sub-system, configured to moisten at least part of the at least one ingredient;
• a heating sub-system, configured to irradiate with microwaves the at least one ingredient while contained in the respective forming cavity of the forming sub-system;
• a transport sub-system;
• wherein the forming sub-system includes a multi-cavity forming device, the transport sub-system being configured to cause displacements of the multi-cavity forming device,
• wherein the multi-cavity forming device comprises a body in which a plurality of forming cavities is defined,
• wherein the loading sub-system is configured to load a plurality of dosed amounts of the at least one ingredient into respective forming cavities of the body of the multi-cavity forming device;
• wherein the heating sub-system comprises a microwave oven, having a multimode cavity configured to receive therein the body of the multi-cavity forming device;
• wherein the transport sub-system is configured to introduce into, and remove from, the multimode cavity the body of the multi-cavity forming device, such that the plurality of forming cavities defined in said body are simultaneously located within the multimode cavity;
• and wherein the multimode cavity is configured such that microwave irradiation within the multimode cavity causes all dosed amounts of the at least one ingredient contained in the respective forming cavities of the body of the multi-cavity forming device to be heated simultaneously.