Process and apparatus for production of striated, laminated lipid-based confections

A method of manufacturing a multi-layered, striated, laminated, lipid-based sweet confection, having a first lipid-based layer and at least a second lipid-based layer, where each layer has at least a different color than each contiguous layer;

• wherein each lipid-based layer is substantially solid at room temperature, and is formed of a lipid-based formulation having a tempering temperature in the range of 40° C. to 90° C., whereat each respective lipid-based formulation has zero crystallization regions;
• said method comprising the steps of:
• (a) tempering the lipid-based formulation of the first layer, and spreading the tempered formulation at a first position onto a moving conveyor belt arranged to be moved through a cooling tunnel;
• (b) at a second position near said first position where step (a) is carried out, passing said spread lipid-based formulation on said conveyor belt through openings in a first plurality of fingers which contact said conveyor belt, so as to striate said spread lipid-based formulation into a plurality of ribbons;
• where the center-to-center distance between each adjacent pair of fingers is fixed, and where each finger has a first predetermined width;
• (c) tempering the lipid-based formulation of the second layer, and spreading the tempered formulation over the plurality of ribbons of said first layer at a third position that is sufficiently far along said cooling tunnel from said second position that said lipid-based formulation of said first layer will at least have begun to crystallize;
• (d) passing said first and second layers of said lipid-based formulations on said conveyor belt through openings in a second plurality of fingers which contact said conveyor belt, where the center-to-center distance between each adjacent pair of fingers is said fixed distance, and where each finger has a second predetermined width, where said second predetermined width is not greater than said first predetermined width;
• whereby the width of each ribbon of lipid-based sweet confection having two layers is at least as wide as the width of each ribbon following step (b);
• and
• (e) continuing to move said striated and layered ribbons on said moving conveyor belt through said cooling tunnel so as to continue to crystallize said lipid-based formulations to a temperature below 25° C.