Confectionery coatings

Apparatus for supplying a coating head with aerated liquid confectionery material, the apparatus comprising an aerator for aerating liquid in a material supply to the coating head with gaseous bubbles, characterised by coating head flow restrictor for generating in use a substantial super-atmospheric pressure in the supply up to the vicinity of the coating head, and a density measuring device adapted to measure the density of the aerated liquid in the liquid supply, and to control the amount of aeration provided by the aerator in response to the measured density.

Apparatus for producing an aerated confectionery coating, the apparatus comprising a coating head, aeration means to form, by gas injection, gaseous bubbles within liquid confectionery passing through the aeration means, collection means for collecting excess liquid confectionery material delivered by the coating head and for feeding the excess material for re-use, characterised by first and second supply conduits which each extend to a inlet to the coating head, in that the aeration means is arranged in the first supply conduit, and in that excess material from the collection means is fed to at least the second conduit of said conduits.

Apparatus for producing an aerated chocolate coating on a product, the apparatus comprising a coating head, a supply conduit to the coating head from an aeration means, and means for maintaining the supply at a substantial super-atmospheric pressure up to the vicinity of the coating head, a reservoir for collecting excess chocolate delivered by the coating head, a recirculation means for returning excess chocolate directly from the reservoir to the aeration means, at least most of the excess chocolate having passed through a de-aerator, whereby an amplification of the amount of aeration present in the chocolate applied to the product is produced by recirculating excess aerated chocolate through the aeration means, and a fresh chocolate supply for supplementing the excess chocolate with fresh chocolate from a temperer.

A process for producing an aerated chocolate coating on products comprising supplying liquid chocolate to a coating head, maintaining the chocolate under substantial super-atmospheric pressure up to the vicinity of the coating head, forming, by gas injection in an aerator, gaseous bubbles in the pressurised chocolate prior to the chocolate reaching the coating head, excess liquid chocolate delivered by the coating head being collected in a reservoir a d being recirculated into said supply, upstream of the aerator, and without being substantially de-aerated, to provide an amplification of the amount of aeration present in the chocolate when applied to the product, and supplementing the excess liquid chocolate by fresh chocolate by fresh chocolate fed from a temperer.