Method and apparatus for uniformly adding particulates to a coating on comestibles, and products produced thereby

Abstract

A process for applying particulates to a large number of comestible cores during the production of comestible cores so as to have a generally uniform application of particulates on each coated core involves the steps of placing a batch of comestible cores in a coating apparatus; applying aliquots of coating syrup while the cores are tumbled in the coating apparatus to build up a coating on the cores; dividing a predetermined total amount of the particulates to be applied to the coated cores into at least three portions of approximately equal size; and applying each of the portions of particulates to the coated cores simultaneously from multiple, spaced apart, particulate distributors in the coating apparatus while the coated cores are being tumbled. Preferably the particulate applicator comprises a number of venturi eductors equal to the number of particulate distributors; a pneumatic hose connected between each venturi eductor and each particulate distributor; and a vibratory pan for holding a quantity of particulates and causing the particulates to vibrate and flow at a uniform rate into each venturi eductor. The process is particularly were suited to uniformly apply speckle particulates to produce coated chewing gum or other confectionery cores with a uniform number of speckles on each core.

Description

REFERENCE TO EARLIER FILED APPLICATIONS[0001]The present application claims the benefit of the filing date under 35 U.S.C. §121 of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 536,670, filed May 25, 2005, which is a nationalization of PCT Patent Application Serial No. PCT / US2004 / 028732, filed Sep. 2, 2004, both of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention relates to methods of uniformly applying particulate material onto comestible cores and to coated comestible products with uniformly applied particulates, and more particularly to methods and apparatus for uniformly adding speckle particulates to a sugar or sugarless coating on comestibles, such as chewing gum pellets, and products produced thereby.[0003]Coated chewing gum and other comestible products are well known. Some products are made with a sugar coating, and others are made with a sugarless coating. For example, products that are designed to not promote tooth ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0013]Another aspect of the invention is a process for producing comestible cores with a uniformly colored background coating and speckle particulates of a contrasting color comprising the steps of adding a batch of comestible cores to a coating apparatus; applying aliquots of coating syrup, at least some of which have a light colored pigment therein, to the cores in successive operations to build up a light colored coating on the cores; providing a quantity of speckle particulates that have a contrasting color to the light colored pigment and a generally uniform size distribution; applying the quantity of speckle particulates to the cores in the coating apparatus while the coating syrup is still wet so that the speckle particulates stick to the light colored coating; and drying the wet coating syrup with the speckle particulates thereon rapidly after the speckle particulates are applied to avoid transfer of color from the speckle particulates on one coated core to the background coating on other cores in the batch.

[0022]The ability to make coated products on a large scale, while at the same time achieving a uniform distribution of particulates on the products and within batches of the products, provides a great advantage, in that high quality products can be manufactured on a profitable basis. In preferred embodiments, relatively inexpensive and automated equipment is used to the divide particulates into generally equal portions and feed those portions into spaced particulate distributors within long coating drums. These and other advantages of the invention, as well as the invention itself, will be more easily understood in view of the attached drawings.

Problems solved by technology

If consumers see a wide variation in the number of speckles on one product compared to another product from the same manufacturer, they are likely to consider that some products are defective, especially where the number of speckles on the product is associated in the minds of the consumer with some other characteristic of the product, such as the level of oral care active in the product.

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