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US 5,591,476 AGranted
Conched chocolate
AssigneeMars, Incorporated
InventorRoberto A. Capodieci
Life of this patent
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AssigneeMars, Incorporated
InventorRoberto A. Capodieci
Estimating the term…
A process and a system for combining and physically working chocolate-making ingredients are provided. A variable frequency drive controls the motor of a conching device to increase the efficiency by which energy is imparted to chocolate ingredients during conching. This automatic variable speed approach permits the power to be maintained at a relatively constant and maximum rate, with the speed being determined by the consistency of the ingredients themselves. Feedback associated with the automatic speed variation can be used in order to reduce conching times and vary the quantity of certain ingredients and the timing of and location of their introduction. By the invention, it is possible to standardize the chocolate product during the conching operation and thereby avoid a post-conching standardization procedure with respect to characteristics such as viscosity and fat content.
A flowable conched chocolate having an optimized fat content and a preselected maximum viscosity of the conched chocolate which is low enough for enrobing the chocolate, the conched chocolate comprising chocolate refinings and a fat source which had been mixed together and subjected to conching conditions in order to form and to lower the viscosity of a finished flowable conched chocolate, said flowable conched chocolate having no additional fat source in excess of an amount needed to impart said preselected maximum viscosity to said flowable conched chocolate, said amount of the fat source being about 29 weight percent, based on the weight of the conched chocolate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.