Cleaning of food product moulding inserts

A method for cleaning food product moulding inserts that have been temporarily detached from a movable mould member of a moulding device that is configured for moulding food products from a pumpable foodstuff mass, wherein each food product moulding insert has:

• an outer face;
• one or more recessed mould cavities, each mould cavity defining a shape of the product, which is to be moulded, the mould cavities each having an opening in the outer face for the introduction of foodstuff mass into the mould cavity and for the ejection of the moulded product;
• an inner face;
• a permeable volume between the inner face and the one or more mould cavities, said permeable volume comprising openings opening out at the one or more mould cavities of the insert;
• such that each mould cavity of the insert is delimited at least in part by a permeable volume, to allow for, in operation of the moulding device, passing of pressurized ejection fluid from the inner face through the permeable volume to the mould cavity in order to assist release of the food product formed in the mould cavity from the insert;
• wherein, in the method, use is made of an inserts cleaning device, comprising:
• an inserts carrier configured to temporarily mount thereon multiple inserts at respective insert mounting positions;
• one or more cleaning liquid feed ducts;
• a pump connected to the one or more cleaning liquid feed ducts, the one or more liquid feed ducts leading from the pump to the mounting positions of the inserts carrier;
• a collector device for collecting cleaning liquid;
• a cleaning liquid recirculation assembly extending from the collector device to the pump;
• a filter device arranged in the recirculation assembly;
• wherein the method comprises:
• mounting the inserts at the respective mounting positions on the inserts carrier, so that the inner faces thereof, adjoin the one or more cleaning liquid feed ducts;
• operating the pump so as to feed pressurized cleaning liquid to the one or more mounting locations, so that said cleaning liquid is forced through the permeable body of each insert;
• collecting by means of the collector device the cleaning liquid exiting the inserts;
• recirculating the collected cleaning liquid via the recirculation assembly back to the pump and filtering the liquid by means of the filter device;
• dismounting the cleaned inserts from the inserts carrier of the cleaning device.

An inserts cleaning device configured to clean inserts that have been temporarily detached from a moulding device for moulding food products from a pumpable foodstuff mass, which moulding device comprises a movable mould member having food product moulding inserts that are temporarily detachable for cleaning, wherein each food product moulding insert has:

• an outer face,
• one or more recessed mould cavities, each mould cavity defining a shape of the product which is to be moulded, the mould cavities each having an opening in the outer face for the introduction of foodstuff mass into the mould cavity and for the ejection of the moulded product,
• an inner face,
• a permeable volume between the inner face and the one or more mould cavities, said permeable volume comprising openings opening out at the one or more mould cavities of the insert,
• such that each mould cavity of the insert is delimited at least in part by a permeable volume, to allow for, in operation of the moulding device, passing of pressurized ejection fluid from the inner face through the permeable volume to the mould cavity in order to assist release of the food product formed in the mould cavity from the insert, and
• wherein the inserts cleaning device comprises:
• an inserts carrier configured to temporarily mount thereon multiple food product moulding inserts, that have been temporarily detached from the movable mould member, at respective insert mounting positions,
• one or more cleaning liquid feed ducts,
• a pump connected to the one or more cleaning liquid feed ducts, the one or more liquid feed ducts leading from the pump to the mounting positions of the inserts carrier,
• a collector device for collecting cleaning liquid,
• a cleaning liquid recirculation assembly extending from the collector device to the pump,
• a filter device arranged in the recirculation assembly.

An inserts carrier configured to temporarily mount thereon at respective insert mounting positions one or more food product moulding inserts that have been temporarily detached from the movable mould member of a moulding device configured for moulding food products from a pumpable foodstuff mass, which inserts carrier is embodied to be connected, permanently or exchangeable, to a main structure of an inserts cleaning device, said main structure comprising:

• one or more cleaning liquid feed ducts,
• a pump connected to the one or more cleaning liquid feed ducts, the one or more liquid feed ducts being configured to connect the pump to the mounting positions of the inserts carrier when connected to the main structure,
• a collector device for collecting cleaning liquid,
• a cleaning liquid recirculation assembly extending from the collector device to the pump,
• a filter device arranged in the recirculation assembly.

In combination an inserts cleaning device for cleaning food product moulding inserts that have been temporarily detached from the movable mould member of a moulding device configured for moulding food products from a pumpable foodstuff mass, which insert cleaning device has a main structure comprising:

• one or more cleaning liquid feed ducts,
• a pump connected to the one or more cleaning liquid feed ducts, the one or more liquid feed ducts being configured to connect the pump to the mounting positions of the inserts carrier when connected to the main structure,
• or, a collector device for collecting cleaning liquid,
• or, a cleaning liquid recirculation assembly extending from the collector device to the pump,
• or, a filter device arranged in the recirculation assembly,
• the combination further comprising:
• multiple exchangeable inserts carriers, each of said carriers being configured to temporarily mount thereon multiple food product moulding inserts, that have been temporarily detached from the movable mould member, at respective insert mounting positions,
• wherein each of said exchangeable inserts carriers is exchangeable connectable to the main structure of the inserts cleaning device.