DE29880162U1 - Food product comprising a waffle containing a food core - Google Patents

Description

WO 99/31996

FOOD PRODUCT COMPRISING A WAFFLE,

WHICH CONTAINS A FOOD CORE
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The invention relates to a food product comprising a wafer which is partially coated and contains a food core, wherein

the waffle is essentially fan-shaped,

- the wafer has a thickness that makes it easy to grasp it in the same way as a fan is grasped,

the wafer has two opposing fan-shaped side walls, each of which has an upper side edge adjacent to the opening of the wafer and lower side edges extending downward from each end of the upper side edge and which are connected at the bottom of the wafer,

the side walls are connected to each other by transverse walls which extend along the lower lateral edges of the side walls to form a waffle which is closed laterally,

the food core is arranged in a fully or partially completed wafer.
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For producing a food product comprising a wafer containing a food core,
an inner coating is applied to the waffle,
the wafer is grasped and positioned so that the opening is directed in a filling direction, preferably upwards,

the food is filled into the waffle and
the manufactured product undergoes a final treatment.
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More specifically, the invention relates to products in which the food core comprises an ice cream mass and in which the food product produced is a wafer containing ice cream. Thus, the food core can be made of other products, such as mousse, cheese, vegetables or other foodstuffs, which are preferably supported by the wafer and can be consumed together with the wafer.

Especially in the ice cream industry, many types of filled food products are known. Thus, wafers can be provided in a number of different shapes, such as cones, cups, hollow sticks, bowls or the like. Most often, these products are manufactured by producing the wafer and then filling the produced wafer with the desired content.

The prior art waffle can be problematic, especially for children. If the waffle is to have a food core of a certain volume, then the cone, cup or hollow rod has a large dimension, which makes it difficult to handle. Thus, it is difficult to bite the ice cream from a large conical ice cream, just as it is difficult to bite the ice cream provided in a cup-shaped waffle. These types of prior art products have existed on the market for several decades.

Shell-shaped products in the form of so-called "taco shells" are also known. Thus, it is known to produce a waffle having the shape of a taco shell which includes an ice cream core. It is known to produce the shell beforehand, and it is also known to form the food core and then form the taco shell around the pre-formed food core.

However, it is a problem that the food content of a taco shell can be lost from the open sides of the cone. This results in a poor quality food product. This is particularly a problem in connection with an ice cream product where some melting occurs before the ice cream is consumed. Such a food product is not suitable to contain a viscous ice cream product, a so-called soft serve.

It is the object of the invention to provide such a food product in which the above disadvantages are eliminated by providing a new food product which is easy to handle and which is suitable for automatic filling or for manual filling, preferably with an ice cream mixture.

According to the invention, this is achieved with a food product which is characterized in that

- that the waffle is a baked product,

that the upper lateral edges of the side walls, viewed from the side of the product, are substantially straight,
that the lower lateral edges of the side walls are substantially continuously curved and substantially elliptical or circular in shape,
that the transverse walls, seen in cross-section, have a curved shape which is substantially elliptical or circular,

- that the opening of the wafer, seen from above, has substantially elliptical end portions and a central portion in which the opposite sides are parallel or curved, and
that the food core extends at least to the upper side edges.

A method is characterized in that an open, fan-shaped waffle is baked, which is designed in such a way that

that the upper lateral edges of the side walls, viewed from the side of the product, are substantially straight,

that the lower lateral edges of the side walls are substantially continuously curved and substantially elliptical or circular in shape,

- that the transverse walls, seen in cross-section, have a curved shape which is substantially elliptical or circular,

that the opening of the wafer, viewed from above, has substantially elliptical end portions and a central portion in which the opposite sides are parallel or curved, and

that the food core extends at least to the upper side edges,
that the wafer is supported during transport at the lower half of the wafer, leaving an edge area along the opening of the wafer, which edge area is provided with an outer coating.

A food product of this type is very easy to grasp, and the fan shape can be made with different thicknesses. This makes it possible to have a larger

or smaller volume based on the size of the fan-shaped wafer. Furthermore, the product can be manufactured in such a narrow shape that it can be easily grasped even by a child's hand. A secure grip is obtained because the fan-shaped product has curved edges, which makes it easy to adapt to the anatomy of the hand even for a child. Since the wafer has a closed fan shape that is only open on the upper side, there is no risk of the food falling out. In case the food is ice cream, where partial melting occurs during consumption, there is no risk of melted ice cream running out of the wafer.

The inner coating provides the wafer with sufficient resistance to softening due to moisture or due to the influence of the contents. The coating, which provides an internal moisture barrier, is typically a fat-containing coating or a chocolate coating. It is also possible to provide the wafer with an outer coating if this is necessary to maintain the crispness of the wafer. The coating can be applied with the opening of the wafer facing upwards or downwards.

It is possible to manufacture the product by machine by filling the food product into a wafer which has been previously finished/coated. Alternatively, the filling of the food itself may involve part of the coating of the wafer if the food has a fatty ingredient which hardens on the inner side of the wafer. It is possible to fill the wafer with a food content in which part of the components bond to the surface of the wafer, thereby forming a coating.

Alternatively, it is also possible to produce an outer coating that completely or partially covers the wafer and the food product filled therein. Such an outer coating is applied to an edge area along the opening of the wafer. This may be the case, for example, with a chocolate coating for an ice cream wafer.

In manufacturing the food product provided with the features explained above, it is possible to transport the wafer by a support which engages the lower half of the wafer. Accordingly, an edge area on the opening is kept free. This is important because the outer coating should not be brought into contact with support means in the form of troughs, trippers, jaws, etc. If such a support means is brought into contact with the coating, there would be a risk of malfunction. Since the bottom part of the wafer is curved in a substantially elliptical or circular shape, it is possible to have a secure support even in troughs, since the center of gravity is located very low in the wafer product with a rounded bottom part. Accordingly, the wafer is provided in a stable position even when it is only supported in the opening in the trough, which opening has edges which are in contact with the lower portion of the wafer.

When filling the wafer, the applied coating hardens by allowing the wafer to stand for a period of time appropriate to the applied coating. This can be done, for example, during cooling, depending on the type of product used.

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The finished wafer with a coating that forms a moisture barrier can be filled with the product.

If the food product is an ice cream mass, it is preferably filled into the cone by a time elapse filling. This time elapse filling can produce a finished product which is then subjected to a final treatment in the form of freezing. The frozen product can then be packaged and marketed in the same way as other ice cream products.

The filling can also be carried out in other ways. For example, it is possible to produce a combination product which optionally has a content of fruit juice, jam, chocolate or caramel as the inner or outer corrugated surface. It is also possible to fill two or more types of ice cream with different colors. As an alternative to time-lapse filling, the filling can also be carried out using extrusion, which is well known for filling wafers, beehers and the like.

A base filling, for example of jam or the like, can be filled in before the ice cream. In addition, the filling can be combined with a subsequent filling by injecting alternative products, for example fruit juice or the like, which are known from the so-called "stick filling" in other ice cream products. In addition, the filling can be finished with special multiple nozzles to obtain a special decoration effect on the top of the product.

The ice cream product may be covered with a chocolate-based or fat-containing coating which covers the ice cream mass and part of the upper edge area

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the wafer. This can be achieved, for example, by dipping the ice cream product in chocolate or the like to produce the outer coating. The coated product can be applied to a dry granulate, for example grated nut or the like, while the coating is still wet, so that the dry granulate is held in the coating when it has hardened/dried. The dry granulate can be applied, for example, using a so-called dry-coater, which is a well-known device in ice cream manufacture. Alternatively, this can also be done using a special rubber bellows which presses the dry granulate onto the product.

After filling, the product may be subjected to a final treatment, either by freezing or, in the case of a mousse product, by cooling. The finished product may then be packaged in retail packaging well known for other ice cream products.

As an alternative to the above industrial automatic filling, the ice cream product can also be prepared by manual filling, which is known for example in connection with soft ice cream in a situation where the products are prepared at the point of sale. In this situation, the ice cream mass, preferably soft ice cream, is filled into the wafer by extrusion. This extrusion results in a finished product which can be given a finishing treatment by dipping in chocolate or by sprinkling with nuts or chocolate or the like.

The product in question is a new and previously unknown food product. It is preferred that in this food product the two opposite lateral

Walls are essentially parallel. This makes conventional stacking, as is known from conical waffles, cups and the like, impossible.

It is possible to manufacture the wafer with two side walls arranged at an angle to each other to allow partial stacking. However, due to the ease of biting into the product, the size of the angle that can be inserted between the two side walls of the food product is limited.

The fan-shaped wafer is manufactured with side walls which are parallel or substantially parallel. This makes it impossible to use stacking and handling known from conventional food products. Accordingly, special requirements exist for the transport, storage and handling of the wafer. Thus, after the wafer has been manufactured in a wafer bakery, the wafer must be handled in special handling steps. The wafer bakery may be in direct connection with a filling step. However, there will often be a need to transport the wafers from the wafer manufacturer to the ice cream factory. During this transport it is necessary that the wafers are packaged in such a way that they are protected against transport damage. In particular, it has been found that a wafer which has substantially flat parallel walls has a tendency to collapse during prolonged storage and transport. It is believed that this occurs due to stresses in the baked product.

The method for producing the food product comprises a handling step in which the wafers, preferably grouped in several rows, are transferred to the filling step.

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During this step, the wafers are arranged on or in a holder which has support means which at least partially penetrate into the cavity of the wafer. This protects the wafer against shocks so that it does not break. At the same time, it is advantageously possible to solve the problem of collapse. Since the support means penetrate completely or partially into the cavity of the wafer, support is provided which prevents the product from collapsing even if stresses occur in the substantially parallel lateral walls. The support means can only be in contact in an edge region of the wafer, or can penetrate substantially into the cavity of the wafer to support a larger part of the lateral walls and possibly also the transverse walls of the waffle.

When the wafer is conveyed to the filling step, the individual wafer may be grasped by the holder and conveyed to conveying means which convey the products through the filling step and the finishing treatment. In connection with conveying to the conveying means, the wafer may, if necessary, be rotated through 180° to direct the opening upwards so that it can be filled from above by a conventional filling device. Alternatively, the wafer may remain in the holder during the filling step and the finishing treatment.

The transport means used to transport the wafers through the filling step are preferably troughs in a trough conveyor belt or plates in a plate conveyor belt, which is then used to transport the product through the final treatment in the form of freezing in a freezing tunnel.

During application of the inner coating, the wafer may be placed in the holder, which is simultaneously used for subsequent transport and possibly also filling. This may be the case if the support means penetrating the cavity of the wafer consist of a projecting edge region arranged along the opening of the wafer and therefore leave the interior of the wafer free so that a nozzle from the underside of the holder can spray coating material through the opening upwards into the interior of the wafer. The wafers may be placed in the holders manually or by an automatic transport device. It is possible to carry out coating at the wafer manufacturer or as a pre-treatment step as part of the filling of the wafer.

Instead of producing the product by directly extruding ice cream mass into the wafer, it is possible to provide a dimensionally stable ice cream product. This makes it possible to produce the ice cream core in freezer bags, which are well known from the production of ice cream stick products. These products can be produced using a mould to fit into the wafers. After the ice cream core is dimensionally stable, it can be pulled out of the freezer bag and passed on to a separate stage where it is placed in the wafers provided with an inner coating.

This process allows the wafer to be filled with the opening facing upwards or downwards. The process makes it possible to produce an ice cream product in which the core extends a significant distance outside the wafer.

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The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the schematic drawing in which

Fig. 1 shows various embodiments of a food product according to the invention,

Fig. 2 shows an embodiment of a holder for supporting wafers during handling and/or possibly filling,
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Fig. 3 shows another embodiment of a holder for waffles,

Fig. 4 shows another embodiment of a holder for use in inserting the waffles into a transport system,

Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a method according to the invention,

Fig. 6 is a diagram illustrating another embodiment of a method according to the invention,

Fig. 7 is a diagram illustrating another embodiment of a method according to the invention,

Fig. 8 is a diagram showing further sub-steps in a method according to the invention,

Fig. 9 is a diagram showing another embodiment of a method according to the invention, and

Fig. 10 is a diagram showing another embodiment of a method according to the invention.

Fig. 1 illustrates various examples of a food product according to the invention in the form of ice cream products. The food product 1 consists of a fan-shaped wafer 2 and a food core 3. The wafer 2 has two opposite, substantially parallel lateral walls 4 and a transverse wall 5 which connects the two lateral walls 4.

The food products A and B are shown with side walls 4 which have a substantially partially circular shape. The central portion 7 of the upper side edge of the wafer 2 is substantially straight and the end portions 7' have a curved shape, for example a circular shape. The product A has a food core 3 which only fills the inner cavity of the wafer 2. The product B has a food core 3 which extends substantially out of the wafer 2. In addition, the product B has an outer coating 6 which covers not only the food core but also an edge region 8' along the opening 8 of the wafer.

In products C, D and E, the wafers 2 are made with substantially triangular side walls 4, since the curvature 9' at the bottom 9 has a small radius of curvature. Furthermore, product D is different in that it has side walls 4 arranged in planes extending at an angle to each other. Thus, the distance between the side walls at the opening 8 is greater than at the bottom 9 of the wafer. Due to the ease of biting off, however, there is a limit to how large the

angle between the two side walls 4. The angle between the two side walls is preferably between 0° and 30°. However, the angle depends on the size of the waffle 2.
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The wafers are provided with an inner coating 10 (which is only illustrated in products C and D illustrated as empty wafers 2). This coating is a moisture barrier and in the case of an ice cream product it will typically be made of chocolate.

The product F is a waffle with essentially semicircular side walls 4 and curved transverse walls 5.

The distance between the side walls 4 of the wafer 2 can be between 10 and 50 mm, and the wafers can be shaped to contain a volume in the order of between 20 cm ³ and 300 cm ³ , preferably between 50 cm ³ and 130 cm ³ .

Fig. 2 illustrates a holder 11 in the form of a plate made of cardboard or plastic or other suitable material and provided with a matrix of openings 12 in which the wafers 2 can be arranged. As shown in Fig. 2 on the left hand side, the wafers 2 are designed to have lateral walls 4 which are arranged at an angle so that a certain amount of stacking is possible. By using the plate-shaped holders 11, a good protection of the individual wafers 2 is achieved during transport and handling. The holder 11 can be used to fix the wafers 2 in a matrix during subsequent filling with an optional inner coating and the food core. Alternatively, the

Waffles are provided with the inner coating before they are arranged in the holders 11.

Fig. 3 illustrates another embodiment of a holder 13. The holder 13 comprises a rail 14 with recesses 15 in which the lower part of the wafer 2 is received. On the opposite side, the holder 13 comprises a projecting support means 16 which partially enters the interior 17 of the wafer, supporting an edge region 18 of the side walls of the wafer. This prevents the wafer from collapsing and also protects it against impacts and breakages during transport and handling. The holder 13 may be provided with support means arranged between holders which are partially arranged one above the other, so that more holders can be stacked on top of one another so that the wafers 2 are contained such that the lower part is supported in the recess 15 and the upper edge is supported by the support means 16 in a holder 13 arranged above it.

Fig. 4 illustrates another embodiment of a holder 19. The holder 19 comprises a tube 20 which supports a stack of wafers 2. The holder 19 is intended for placing the wafers 2 in transport means 21, preferably a trough conveyor belt or a plate conveyor belt, which is used to convey the wafers for subsequent filling. In addition, the holder 19 comprises a conveyor means 22 for individually pulling out wafers 2 from the bottom of the wafer stack.

As mentioned above, the wafers can alternatively be conveyed to the filling steps in the holder 11 or 13. Thus, it is possible to convey the wafers in several parallel rows or in a single row to the filling

step and for final treatment and possibly subsequent packaging.

Figures 5 to 9 show various embodiments of the method according to the invention. The various steps, sub-steps and elements used in the method are identified by identical reference numerals and accordingly will not be described in detail in connection with each figure.

Fig. 5 shows an embodiment in which the wafers 2 are in the holders 11. The holders 11 are arranged on troughs 23 in a trough conveyor belt. The wafers 2 are conveyed in the direction of an arrow 24. First they are conveyed to a coating step 25 where they are provided by means of nozzles 26 with an inner coating 10 of chocolate 27 which is sprayed onto the wafers 2. In a subsequent transport section 28 the wafers can be dried or cooled in order to harden the chocolate coating before the filling step 29. In the filling step 29 ice cream 30 is filled into the wafers 2 through nozzles 31 which are part of a known timed filling system. After filling the wafers are conveyed to a freezing step 32 in the form of a freezing tunnel. After freezing, the troughs are conveyed to a removal step 33 where the wafers 2/holders 22 are removed from the trough conveyor and conveyed to a packaging step (not shown). The trough conveyor, which is an endless conveyor, then has an empty trough ready to be filled with a new holder 11 containing wafers 2.

Fig. 6 illustrates another embodiment in which a conveying means 34 is embodied as a plate conveyor. In the coating step 25, chocolate is poured into the wafers 2.

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which are arranged so that the opening is directed upwards. After spraying, the waffles are turned in a turning step 35. Since the opening of the waffles is now directed downwards, excess chocolate runs off into a chocolate drain 36. By means of a pump 37, chocolate is pumped through a line 38 to the nozzles 2 6.

After the formation of the inner coating 10, the wafers 2 are conveyed to a cooling step 39. After the cooling step, the wafers are conveyed to the filling step 29 and further to the freezing step 33. After the freezing step, an outer chocolate coating covering the ice cream core and the upper portion of the wafer may be applied, or the products may be conveyed directly to a packaging step 40.

Fig. 7 illustrates an alternative embodiment of a sub-step of the method according to the invention. The wafers 2 are arranged so that the opening is directed downwards towards a conveyor 41, which can be a plate conveyor or a conveyor in which the wafers are arranged in holders provided with openings having an upturned edge portion for supporting the wafers by abutting against the inner side of the wafers. Accordingly, the conveyor 41 is provided with an opening below each wafer 2. In the coating step 25, the wafers are coated by means of a nozzle 42 which sprays chocolate into the wafer. Subsequently, excess chocolate can drain into the drain 36. After coating, the wafer is conveyed through a cooling step 39 and can then be filled in any desired manner.

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Fig. 8 illustrates a further embodiment of sub-steps of the method according to the invention. After the freezing step 32, in which the wafers 2 are arranged with the opening facing upwards, the wafers are conveyed to a turning step 43. The openings of the wafers are now directed downwards and the wafers can be arranged in a modified gripping device, which is known in principle from the handling of conical wafers. The wafers 2 are conveyed through a dipping step 44, in which the dimensionally stable frozen product is dipped into a chocolate bath. The product is then conveyed through a turning step 45, so that the opening of the wafer is again directed upwards. The product is then conveyed to a final treatment step 46, in which the wet chocolate is sprinkled with nuts or the like. The product is then conveyed through a drying to a packaging step 40.

Fig. 9 illustrates an embodiment in which an ice cream mass 47 is extruded into freezer pockets 48 in a freezer 49. The frozen product is removed from the freezer pocket 49 in a removal station 50 and is conveyed by a removal device 51 to a station 52 in which the dimensionally stable frozen product is inserted into a wafer 2 which is located on a conveyor 53. The ice cream core 3 is thus made dimensionally stable in a shape adapted to the subsequent introduction into the wafer 2.

This makes it possible to produce a food product in which the ice cream core 3 can extend a substantial distance outside the wafer 2. In addition, it is possible to produce the ice cream core 3 with various embodiments, such as combination products,

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consisting of fruit juice and ice cream. After the ice cream core 3 has been placed in the wafer 2, the product can be conveyed to a final treatment or to a packaging step as explained above.
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Fig. 10 illustrates an embodiment substantially corresponding to that illustrated in Fig. 6. However, according to this embodiment, following the freezing step 32, a dipping step 44 and a final treatment step 46 are carried out before the product is conveyed by drying to a packaging step 40. Furthermore, it is noted that the wafers 2 leave the freezing step 32 with the bottoms facing upwards and thus ready for the dipping step 44 without inversion.

Although the invention has been explained in particular with reference to the manufacture of ice cream products, it is possible to modify the food product and the process steps and to provide the wafer 2 with another food product. It is also possible to replace the freezing step by other forms of treatment, for example heating.

Claims (10)

1. A food product comprising a wafer partially coated with a coating and containing a food core, wherein - the waffle is essentially fan-shaped, - the wafer has a thickness which makes it easy to grasp it in the same way as a fan is grasped, - the wafer has two opposing fan-shaped lateral walls, each of which has an upper lateral edge adjacent to the opening of the wafer and lower lateral edges extending downwards from each end of the upper lateral edge and which are connected at the bottom of the wafer, - the side walls are connected to each other by transverse walls extending along the lower lateral edges of the side walls to form a waffle which is closed laterally, - the food core is arranged in a fully or partially finished wafer, characterized , - that the waffle is a baked product, - that the upper lateral edges of the side walls, viewed from the side of the product, are substantially straight, - that the lower lateral edges of the side walls are substantially continuously curved and substantially elliptical or circular in shape, - that the transverse walls, seen in cross-section, have a curved shape which is substantially elliptical or circular, - that the opening of the wafer, seen from above, has substantially elliptical end portions and a central portion in which the opposite sides are parallel or curved, and - that the food core extends at least to the upper side edges. 2. Food product according to claim 1, characterized in that the food core extends upwards beyond the upper lateral edges. 3. Food product according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the inner side of the wafer is provided with a protective coating. 4. Food product according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the food core is ice cream. 5. Food product according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the two lateral walls of the wafer are arranged substantially parallel and at a distance of 10 to 50 mm from one another. 6. Food product according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the wafer has a volume in the order of 20 cm ³ to 300 cm ³ . 7. Food product according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the lateral walls of the wafer have a curved shape, preferably substantially in the shape of a circular segment, and that the transverse walls have a corresponding curved extension. 8. Food product according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the upper edges of the side walls are straight. 9. Food product according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the upper edge regions of the side walls and the transverse walls on the outer and inner sides are provided with a protective coating. 10. Food product according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the outer side of the wafer is partially or completely covered with a surface coating in the form of vegetable oil, preferably a cocoa product, which is applied after positioning the food core in the wafer.