FR2887399A1 - PROCESS AND DEVICE FOR PROCESSING POST MANUFACTURING OF A FRUIT-SPREAD BUTTER - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a process for the continuous conversion of a "normal" butter into "spreadable" butter and a device for carrying out this process.-Process characterized in that the surface of the butter is increased. contact with a "normal" butter (1), which is cooled with a cryogenic fluid (6) while not causing it to deform (2), then that is kneaded this butter (3) .- Device characterized in that it consists of a means for increasing the contact surface of the butter (1) of a cooling means (2) supplied with cryogenic fluid (6) and mixing means (3).

Description

2887399 1

  The present invention relates to a process for the continuous conversion of a low spread butter butter whose spread is improved, and a device for carrying out this process.

  Butter is a food product obtained by maturing cream from milk and by the intensive churning of this cream. Churning aims to break the fat globules that make up the cream, and to separate the aqueous phase or buttermilk fat phase or butter.

  These steps are carried out, either in a cask tumbler during a so-called "artisanal" manufacture, or in a butyrator in the case of industrial manufacture. A butyrator makes it possible to manufacture butter continuously, that is to say that the cream penetrates at one end of the machine and the butter leaves at the other end in the form of a bead which is then packaged into wafers. The butter thus obtained has good taste characteristics but poor spreadability at refrigerator temperature (4 to 6 C.).

  The concept of "Spreadability" is defined as the ability of butter to spread easily. It is measured using a penetrometer that determines the resistance of a body to penetration. But butter is a consumer product that for hygiene reasons must be kept in the refrigerator. As a result, when the consumer leaves the refrigerator, it is too hard to be spread immediately.

  Consumption surveys show that the consumer would like to have an easily spreadable butter right out of the refrigerator, that is to say while still at a temperature between 4 and 6 C, without waiting for the butter is warming up.

  Several products with good spreadability at these temperatures are already known on the market: margarine, lightened butter and a frigotartinable butter known as "soft butter".

  Margarine is made from hydrogenated oil. It has the advantage for the consumer not to harden in the refrigerator and incidentally not to contain saturated fatty acid, but it has a taste very far from that of butter.

  Light butter consists of 25% or 40% of milk fat and for the rest of water, starch and several additives. It is currently little manufactured because it requires a reorganization of the butter manufacturing plants.

  2887399 2 Although presented as a lighter product, it lacks taste. Finally, the "soft butter" has the advantage of preserving the taste of "classic" butter while being unctuous and easily spreadable as soon as it leaves the refrigerator.

  A first technique for manufacturing this butter that is spreadable is to modify the proportion of the various fatty acids present in the starting cream by adding oleic acid, which has the effect of lowering the melting point of the butter obtained. .

  A second technique currently used is a batch process which consists in taking butter, hereinafter referred to as "hard butter", obtained after a common manufacturing process, to package it in cubes of about 25 kg and place these cubes in the freezer at -18 C for seven to eight days. During this stage the butter crystallises. These cubes of butter are then heated to bring them back to an average temperature of between 0 and 10 ° C. in order to be able to introduce them into a kneader where they are kneaded until they exhibit the characteristics of spreadability of an easily spreadable butter. This mechanical action allows the destruction of crystalline bonds and soften the texture of the final butter.

  This discontinuous production process has the disadvantage of being long because it requires a storage of butter for a week and expensive since it causes the immobilization of freezers and a stock of goods for long periods. The cost price of "butter spreadable" thus obtained is high and this type of butter remains a high-end product. In addition, this batch process involves many manipulations of the butter since it left the butyrator until the packaging of the finished product and these manipulations are a potential source of bacterial contamination.

  To overcome these drawbacks, it has already been proposed, in accordance with document FR 0400729 (filed January 27, 2004), a method of continuous post-manufacturing treatment of butter, which undergoes a pressure drop accompanied by a drop in temperature. . However, this process is not the only one capable of obtaining an improvement in spreadability, in fact a process which allows the butter to crystallize in a resting state, gives better results.

  It is already known from GB 515 738 a device for cooling the butter during its manufacture. The device described in the aforementioned document is intended to overcome a problem of packaging and provide a device for cooling the butter by controlling its texture, but it does not declare to make soft butter. A butter made barrel tumbler is very malleable and therefore difficult to condition. To solve this problem must cool the butter before packaging. Unfortunately a butter that is cooled without mixing solidifies too much and can not be easily packaged. The device described in this document kneads the butter during its cooling, it comprises an extruder and mixing means. The extruder contains two worms, driven in rotation and housed inside a chamber. The inside of the screws, as well as the walls of said chamber are cooled by a refrigerated brine. The walls of the kneader are also likely to be cooled by a refrigerated brine. This double action makes it possible to increase the amount of solidified fatty acid without generating crystallization (creation of crystalline bonds). The crystalline bonds can appear only in the absence of mixing. The butter is made stiffer than before the treatment to facilitate its conditioning.

  Such a device is however absolutely not for the purpose, nor as a result of obtaining a butter-spreadable fridge right out of the refrigerator.

  Already known from U.S. 3,017,275 is a process for making a fry-spreadable butter. This document presents a method of treating butter during manufacture to produce a butter whose spread is improved. This process is carried out by cooling the fat, either after the formation of the grain of butter, or after the agglomeration of grains in a mass, in a barrel tumbler. The cooling is carried out by means of a solution of sodium chloride refrigerated at a temperature of between minus 21 ° C. and minus 9 ° C., in order to cool the butter to a temperature of between plus 7 ° C. and minus 4 ° C. The cooling of the butter being difficult , this document tells us that the butter must be stirred to promote heat exchange. We observe that no indication is given that the butter must remain at rest during the crystallisation period. The invention which is developed in the rest of the document and which consists in mixing a chilled brine with the butter, in the churn (page 1 column 1 line 65, page 1 column 2 line 7, page 1 column 2 line 45), shows that the notion of "rest time" is not taken into account.

  Already known from FR 1 461 891 a method and a device for cooling the butter during its manufacture. The manufacture of butter in a butyrator leads to the warming of it throughout the process. To solve this problem, most butyrators are equipped with a double jacket inside which circulates a refrigerant.

  Despite the existence of these cooling means the butter is still hot when it comes out of the butyrator and cooling in a refrigerator is long. The device described in the aforementioned document aims to overcome this disadvantage and provide a device for cooling the butter out of butyrateur to bring it to a temperature that reduces its passage time in the refrigerator. This device comprises a heat exchanger and means for homogenizing the temperature. The heat exchanger consists of a perforated plate through which the butter flows, this plate being cooled by a pipe for the circulation of a refrigerant fluid. A paddle mixer placed at the outlet of the heat exchanger makes it possible to stir the cooled puddings of butter and to homogenize the final temperature of the butter obtained.

  Such a device, however, has absolutely no objective to obtain a butter spread-fry as soon as it leaves the refrigerator.

  Already known from FR 2 690 310 a method and a device for cooling the butter during its manufacture. The method and the device described in the aforementioned document also aims to allow the cooling of the butter before packaging. The process described in the aforementioned document is intended to cool the butter during its formation in the butyrator by means of a cryogenic fluid. This cooling is carried out during its manufacture, either after the formation of the butter grain or during the kneading, at a temperature of between 2 ° C. and more than 5 ° C. The heat exchanger consists of a perforated plate through which flows the butter, this plate is cooled by a circulation pipe of a cryogenic fluid. The kneading performed by the worms and the increase in pressure during the passage through the die, promotes heat exchange and temperature homogenization.

  Cooling is therefore performed while the butter undergoes significant mechanical stress. Indeed, page 7, 1 st and 7 th paragraphs, it is specified that the cooling is advantageously carried out at the time of mixing and that, when using a die plate, it has a dual role of ensuring cooling and the compression of the butter. This method and its device are not intended to make soft butter and cooling takes place during mixing. Finally, the butter is best cooled to 2 C. It is already known from FR 2 755 583 a device for cooling the butter. This patent follows the patent FR 2 690 310. It is a device for cooling butter continuously during or after its manufacture at a temperature of 6 C. The butter is conveyed inside a cylindrical device provided with at least one worm. This device simultaneously performs cooling and mixing. The document indicates that brewing the butter promotes cooling. (page 4 line 34 to 37). This document incidentally evokes the improvement of spreadability (page 2 line 37 to page 3 line 5), but to clarify that the known techniques are expensive. There is never any mention of a possible "rest".

  2887399 5 Making a spreadable butter requires understanding and mastering the crystallization.

  This crystallization occurs at the time of formation of crystalline bonds between triglycerides.

  Triglyceride: CH3-CH2 (n) -COOH Butter is composed of 200 to 300 different triglycerides, depending on the diet (fodder or grass) of cows. Their difference is a function of the length of the carbon chain and the number of double and / or triple bonds of this chain.

  A fat crystal is formed by triglycerides which bind to each other according to their common characteristics: size, melting point, number of double and / or triple bonds. Thus, crystalline bonds are formed at all temperatures. From minus 19 ° C. to 70 ° C. By cooling the butter to a temperature of minus 15 ° C., 90 to 95% of the butter is crystallized. But these crystalline bonds can be formed only if the internal pressure is stable, because the internal movements of the butter move the triglycerides between them and the bonds can not be established.

  To be "accelerated", the crystallization needs two conditions: 1- Fast drop of temperature to minus 15 C. 2-Absence of internal movements which is referred to as "rest".

  In the remainder of the description and claims, the term "normal" butter means butter as obtained after a conventional manufacturing process at the outlet of a butyrator, a barrel roll or a barrel. a temporary storage silo or as it is taken from a production line before it passes through a packaging machine.

  The object of the present invention is to provide a process for improving the spreadability of butter operating continuously and making it possible to obtain "butter spreadable" more quickly and therefore less expensive than by the known methods of the invention. state of the art.

  To this end, the invention relates to a process for the continuous conversion of a butter called "normal" butter whose spread is improved, said "butter spread-free", characterized in that it comprises the following successive stages consisting to: a) Increase the contact surface of the butter, b) subject the butter at a maximum temperature to an accelerated crystallization operation by reducing its temperature, without deformation (rest) of the butter, to bring it to a temperature end of crystallization lower than said maximum temperature, c) decrystallize this crystallized butter by a mechanical action so as to obtain said butter-spreadable butter at a final temperature above the end of crystallization temperature.

  Without special treatment, and after a refrigeration to cool down to a temperature below 8 C, before marketing, mandatory to meet sanitary standards, it has a poor spread when the consumer out of his refrigerator, c that is to say at a temperature between 4 and 6 C.

  When said "normal" butter is instead treated according to the process according to the invention, it has improved spreadability when the consumer leaves the refrigerator and it keeps over time this improved spreadability.

  According to other advantageous and nonlimiting features of the invention taken alone or in combination: the duration of the absence of deformation (rest) is at least equal to the duration of the cooling. 20

  - the maximum temperature of the butter (TI) is between plus 10 C and plus 18 C and the end crystallization temperature (T2) is between minus 8 C and minus 18 C - the cooling can be carried out in one or several intermediate stages during which the so-called intermediate temperature (T4) is constant.

  - the butter is left at rest during the intermediate stage. the cooling is carried out thanks to the direct or indirect contact with a liquid or gaseous cryogenic fluid.

  - The increase of the contact surface is achieved by extrusion and / or mechanical splitting.

  the decristallization step c) is carried out by mechanical mixing of the crystallized butter.

  the total duration of the process is carried out in less than 2 hours.

  The invention also relates to a device for improving the spreadability of butter operating continuously, allowing the implementation of the above method. This device comprises: É means for increasing the contact surface (1) of the butter, É accelerated crystallization means (2,4), É means (3) for decrystallisation of said crystallized butter to obtain butter easily spreadable .

  - The accelerated crystallization means (2) is a vertical cooling chamber traversed by the butter flowing vertically under the action of Earth's gravity.

  the accelerated crystallization means (2) is a horizontal cooling chamber and traversed by a drive means carrying the butter.

  - The drive means is equipped with a drive controlling its speed of movement.

  the decrystallization means is a kneader and / or kneader.

  Other features and advantages of the invention will appear from the description which will now be made, with reference to the accompanying drawings, which show, by way of indication but not limitation, possible embodiments.

  In these drawings: FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the device for improving the spread of butter according to the invention; FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the device for improving the spread of butter, equipped with a speed variator, according to the invention, - Figure 3 is a graph showing the evolution of the temperature of the butter during the process according to the invention.

  - Figure 4 is a graph showing the evolution of the temperature of the butter, with an intermediate bearing, during the process according to the invention.

  As can be seen in Figure 1, the device according to the invention comprises four units (1,2, 3 and 6) extending vertically along a longitudinal axis X. X '.

  The enclosure (1) is fed with normal butter at its upper or upstream end, by external means.

  It comprises successively, from top to bottom, a means (1) for increasing the contact surface of the butter, a means (2) for accelerated crystallization of the butter, a means (3) for decrystallizing it, and a means for supplying cryogenic fluid to the unit (6) at the level of the crystallization unit (2).

  As can be seen in Figure 2, the device according to the invention comprises five units (1, 4, 3, 5 and 6) extending horizontally along a longitudinal axis Y. Y '.

  The device is fed with normal butter at its lateral end by external means. It comprises successively, from left to right, a means (1) for increasing the contact surface of the butter, a means (4) for accelerated crystallization of the butter and a means (3) for decrystallizing it. The cryogenic fluid supply is made by the unit (6) at the crystallization unit (4). A speed variator (5) synchronizes the speed of arrival of the butter and the speed of movement of the support.

  As can be seen in FIG. 3, the graph represents the abscissa, the duration and the ordinate, the temperature. The butter makes a course whose successive points have been referenced from A to D. The point A corresponds to the inlet of the means for increasing the contact surface of the butter. Point B corresponds to the entry into the crystallization means. Point C corresponds to the input of the mixing means. Point D corresponds to the outlet of the mixing means. The butter arrives at A, undergoes a mechanical increase in its contact surface, then from B is cooled to C, it is then decristallized under the effect of mixing and its temperature goes up to D. As can be see Figure 4, the graph shows the abscissa duration and ordinate temperature. The butter makes a course whose successive points have been referenced from A to F. The point A corresponds to the inlet of the means for increasing the contact surface of the butter. Point B corresponds to the entry into the crystallization means. Point C corresponds to the input of the mixing means. The point D corresponds to the output of the mixing means The points of E to F constitute a constant temperature step. The butter arrives at A, undergoes a mechanical increase in its contact surface to B. It is then cooled to E. It passes through an intermediate stage without cooling down to F. It is cooled again until C then it is decristallized under the effect of mixing and its temperature goes up to D. As a non-limiting example: The butter is sent by a pump on the extrusion die, then it is deposited on the carpet of conveying the cryogenic tunnel. The butter is in the form of a strip whose width is at most that of the width of the conveyor belt, and the thickness is 6 millimeters. The conveyor belt drives the butter inside the tunnel.

  The butter is cooled by a nitrogen spray boom upstream of the tunnel exit. The sprayed nitrogen vaporizes and is directed to the tunnel entrance. Nitrogen advances countercurrent butter which promotes heat exchange. This butter is cooled to a temperature of minus 15 C in less than one minute. The butter leaving the cryogenic tunnel is split into chips that fall into the mixer.

  The mixer is equipped with 2 worms which convey the butter to a mixing device. It consists of an alternation of non-blunt fixed obstacles and compression propellers. Their number is not limiting and based on the peculiarities of the butter of each creamery. (winter butter or summer butter, melting butter, ...).

  At the end of the mixer, the butter is sent to the packaging.

Claims (14)

  1. Process for the continuous conversion of a butter called "normal" butter butter whose spread is improved, said "butter-spreadable", characterized in that it comprises at least one series of successive successive steps consisting of: a) increasing the contact surface of the butter, b) subjecting the butter at a maximum temperature (Tl) to an accelerated crystallization operation by reducing its temperature, without deformation of the butter (rest), to bring it to a end of crystallization temperature (T3) lower than said maximum temperature (T1), c) decrystallize this butter by a mechanical action so as to obtain said butter-spreadable butter at a final temperature (T3) greater than the end of crystallization temperature (T2).   2. Method according to claim 1 characterized in that the duration of the absence of deformation (rest) is at least equal to the duration of the cooling.   3. Method according to claim 1 and 2 characterized in that the maximum temperature of the butter (TI) is between +10 C and +18 C and the end of crystallization temperature (T2) is between -8 C and 18 C 4. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cooling can be performed in one or more intermediate stages during which the so-called intermediate temperature (T4) is constant.   5. Method according to claim 4 characterized in that the butter is left at rest (without deformation) during the intermediate stage.   6. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cooling is achieved through direct or indirect contact with a liquid or gaseous cryogenic fluid.   7. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the increase in the contact area is achieved by extrusion and / or mechanical splitting.   8. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that step c) of decristallization is carried out by mechanical mixing of the crystallized butter.   9. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the total duration of the course of the process is carried out in less than 2 hours.   2887399 11 10. Device for improving the spread of butter operating continuously, allowing the implementation of the method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises: a. means for increasing the contact surface (1) of the butter, b. accelerated crystallization means (2,4), c. means (3) for decrystallizing said crystallized butter to obtain butter that is easily spreadable.   11. Device according to claim 10 characterized in that the accelerated crystallization means (2) is a vertical cooling chamber traversed by the butter flowing vertically under the action of Earth's gravity.   12. Device according to claim 10 characterized in that the accelerated crystallization means (2) is a horizontal cooling chamber and traversed by a drive means supporting the butter.   13. Device according to claim 12 characterized in that the drive means is equipped with a drive controlling its speed of movement.   14. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the decrystallization means is a kneader and / or kneader.