Apparatus for introducing medium into foodstuff precursor

Abstract

A stator (22) or rotor (24) for an apparatus (4) for introducing a medium into a foodstuff precursor by agitating the foodstuff precursor to form foodstuff material therefrom, the stator or rotor comprising a respective stator rotational axis or rotor rotational axis, a support portion (26) arranged about the stator rotational axis or rotor rotational axis, and stirring members (28) arranged on the support portion and circumferentially disposed about the stator rotation axis of symmetry or the rotor axis of rotation, wherein the stirring members each comprise an extension, the extension extends from the support portion and has a cross-sectional shape selected to have a resistance coefficient less than one or more of: a square cross-section having a front face arranged normal to the flow direction; a rectangular cross-section having a front face arranged normal to the flow direction; a convex quadrilateral having parallel edges arranged normal to the flow direction and having convex edges radially aligned with the stator rotational axis of symmetry or the rotor rotational axis.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates in its entirety to an apparatus for introducing a medium (e.g., a gaseous substance including air) into a food precursor (e.g., an uninflated mousse precursor) by inflating it into a food material (e.g., a mousse). Background Technology

[0002] Apparatus for introducing a medium (typically a gas) into a feed precursor includes a mechanical system for mechanically agitating the feed precursor and injecting the medium into it. In a particular example, a rotor is arranged to rotate axially relative to a stator. The rotor and stator include interlocking teeth that introduce radial flow of the feed precursor and medium. The teeth introduce shear stress into the feed precursor and medium, resulting in a pressure drop, and the medium is dispersed as small bubbles trapped within the matrix of the feed precursor. The bubble size and the homogeneity of the medium determine the physical properties of the feed material. The amount of shear stress applied is related to the angular velocity of the relative rotation between the rotor and stator and the gap between the teeth.

[0003] Examples of such devices are provided in WO 2018 / 197493 A1. Refer to this application. Figure 1 The teeth are implemented as radially spaced rows, each row including a circumferentially arranged extension with a rectangular cross-section. US3998433A discloses a similar arrangement; however, the drawings are illustrative and do not discuss tooth formation, so the tooth formation cannot be determined.

[0004] The disadvantage of such systems is that, for example, the integrity of food materials may be compromised through denaturation caused by the equipment.

[0005] Therefore, despite the efforts already invested in developing the device, further improvements are still needed. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This disclosure provides a stator or rotor for an apparatus for introducing a medium into a food precursor by agitation to form a food material therefrom, the stator or rotor comprising: a respective stator rotational symmetry axis or rotor rotation axis, a support portion (which may extend radially and circumferentially) arranged around the stator rotational symmetry axis or rotor rotation axis, and agitation members arranged on the support portion and circumferentially arranged around the stator rotational symmetry axis or rotor rotation axis, wherein each agitation member includes an extension extending from the support portion (e.g., in the axial direction).

[0007] In an embodiment, the extension has a cross-sectional shape (e.g., a two-dimensional shape that can be observed in a radially defined plane of the extension) selected to have a drag coefficient (e.g., a two-dimensional drag coefficient) smaller than one or more of the following shapes: a square cross-section having a front face arranged normally (perpendicular to) the flow direction; a rectangular cross-section having a front face arranged normally (perpendicular to) the flow direction; a convex quadrilateral having parallel sides arranged normally (perpendicular to) the flow direction and having convex sides radially aligned with the radial direction relative to the stator rotational symmetry axis or the rotor rotation axis.

[0008] By achieving teeth with a drag coefficient smaller than one or more of the shapes described, reduced shear stress can be applied to the feed precursor, which can result in less deformation of the feed material and / or ensure acceptable levels of agitation. Furthermore, the curvature of the lower drag factor shape allows for a more "open" system with improved flow.

[0009] As used herein, the term “cross-sectional shape” for an extension can refer to the two-dimensional shape of the extension, which can be measured in a radial plane and can have the same two-dimensional shape when measured at various points along the axial extension axis (i.e., the depth direction of the tooth).

[0010] As used herein, the term "cross-sectional drag coefficient" can refer to the drag coefficient of the two-dimensional cross-sectional shape of the extension, which can be applied to Reynolds numbers between 10 and 10. 4 and 10 6 The fluid flow between them is measured, and it can have an inlet for the flow. Although the Reynolds number of the flow may be outside the range described above for the various feed precursors disclosed herein, it has been found that the effects of the reduced shear stress and deformation compared to rectangular cross-section teeth remain unchanged for different Reynolds numbers. When determining the drag factor, the flow in the longitudinal direction can be considered equivalent to the flow in the radial direction, as will be discussed.

[0011] In the implementation scheme, the drag coefficient of the cross-sectional shape of the stirring member is less than 2 or 1.9 or 1.8 or 1.7 or 1.6 or 1.5. For any of the above maximum drag coefficients, the minimum drag coefficient may be greater than 0.25 or 0.5 or 1 or 1.2.

[0012] By implementing teeth with a resistance factor within the stated range, reduced shear stress can be applied to the feed precursor, which can result in less denaturation of the feed material and / or ensure an acceptable level of agitation.

[0013] In the embodiments, the cross-sectional shape of the stirring member is one or more of the following: circular; triangular (e.g., having a vertex pointing into the flow and a symmetrical arrangement relative to the flow); polygonal with more than 4 sides, including equiangular and / or equilateral; rectangular (e.g., having a vertex pointing into the flow and a symmetrical arrangement relative to the flow) inclined at an angle to the flow direction.

[0014] In one implementation, the support portion includes a row (e.g., a single row only) of stirring members circumferentially arranged about the stator rotational symmetry axis or the rotor rotation axis. The centroid of each stirring member in the row may occupy the same radial position.

[0015] In one embodiment, the support portion includes multiple rows (e.g., 2, 3, or 4 rows) of stirring members, each row being positioned at different radial locations around the stator rotational symmetry axis or the rotor rotation axis. One or more rows may include the stirring members of the embodiment described above. One or more rows of stirring members may include stirring members of the shape described above (e.g., a rectangle and / or a convex quadrilateral having parallel sides arranged normally to the flow direction and having convex sides radially aligned with the stator rotational symmetry axis or the rotor rotation axis).

[0016] In the implementation, the adjacent stirring members between rows are radially aligned. An "open" configuration can be achieved by implementing the rows as radially aligned stirring members (having the cross-sectional shape described in the above embodiment), which has a higher feed precursor material flow than a "closed" configuration, in which the rows are fully or partially radially offset and are typically rectangular. The open configuration also allows for improved flow of solid material in the feed precursor / medium.

[0017] As used in this article, the term "alignment" regarding the position of the agitator components can refer to the centroids of adjacent agitator components being arranged on intersecting radial lines.

[0018] In the implementation, the adjacent stirring members between rows are partially radially offset. Fully or partially offset configurations provide a "closed" configuration, allowing for control of the flow of feed precursor materials.

[0019] As used herein, the term “offset” regarding the position of agitators can refer to the centroids of adjacent agitators being arranged on different radial lines, which can include agitators in directly adjacent rows that do not overlap or only partially overlap each other in the radial direction.

[0020] In one embodiment, a row of stirring elements of the stator or rotor can be inserted between another of the stator or rotor. Enhanced stirring can be achieved by arranging a row of stirring elements of the rotor between multiple rows of stirring elements of the stator.

[0021] In one embodiment, the stirring member is arranged with the following diameters: 60 mm to 260 mm, or 70 mm to 250 mm, or 80 mm to 250 mm. In another embodiment, the stirring member has the following unit lengths (which may be the maximum dimensions in the radial and / or circumferential directions): 2 mm to 30 mm, or 2 mm to 24 mm, or 4 mm to 24 mm.

[0022] In one embodiment, the axial length of the stirring member (e.g., from the base of the stirring member at the support portion to the top of the stirring member) is 2 mm to 30 mm, or 3 mm to 25 mm, or 3 mm to 20 mm. In another embodiment, all stirring members have the same axial length.

[0023] In the implementation, the stirring member is configured to allow the solid precursor material to pass through it radially, and it may have a diameter of less than 5 mm, 4 mm, or 3 mm.

[0024] [equipment]

[0025] This disclosure provides an apparatus for introducing a medium into a feed precursor. The apparatus may implement the features of any of the foregoing embodiments or another embodiment disclosed herein. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes: a processing chamber; a feed precursor inlet for introducing the feed precursor into the processing chamber; a feed material outlet for discharging the feed material from the processing chamber; an injector for injecting the medium into the processing chamber; and at least one stator and / or rotor according to any of the foregoing embodiments or another embodiment disclosed herein. In one embodiment, the stirring members of the rotor and stator have the same or different cross-sectional shapes.

[0026] In an embodiment, the device is configured to rotate the rotor relative to the stator at 100 RPM to 1000 RPM, or 300 RPM to 1000 RPM, or 300 RPM to 800 RPM.

[0027] In the implementation, the rotor and stator are configured such that the agitator members adjacent to the stator and rotor rows are fully offset, and the minimum dimension d between adjacent agitator members of the rotor and stator is at least 0.1, 0.25, or 0.5 of the unit length of the agitator member. The maximum distance can be 1.5 or 2 unit lengths of the agitator member, which can be combined with any of the aforementioned minimum values.

[0028] As used herein, the term “full offset” can mean that the stirring element of one of the rotors or stators is positioned at the midpoint between the radial lines of the other rotor or stator along its arrangement.

[0029] In the implementation, the rotor and stator are configured such that the agitator members adjacent to the stator and rotor rows are partially aligned, and the minimum dimension d between adjacent agitator members of the rotor and stator is at least 0.1, 0.25, or 0.5 of the unit length of the agitator member. The maximum distance can be 1.5 or 2 unit lengths of the agitator member, which can be combined with any of the aforementioned minimum values.

[0030] As used herein, the term “partially offset” can refer to the rear edge of the stirring element of one of the rotors or stators being arranged to align with the leading edge of the stirring element of the other of the rotors or stators.

[0031] By achieving the aforementioned distance range, a rotor and stator arrangement can be realized in which the flow path remains substantially "open" during use, resulting in a high volumetric flow rate, for example, compared to similar prior art devices.

[0032] [Applications / Product Formation]

[0033] This disclosure provides a food material formed from an apparatus according to any of the foregoing embodiments or another embodiment disclosed herein. In the embodiments, the food material is as defined herein.

[0034] This disclosure provides an apparatus according to any of the foregoing embodiments or another embodiment disclosed herein for use in producing food materials from food precursors. In the embodiments, the food materials are as defined herein.

[0035] [method]

[0036] This disclosure provides a method for forming a food material by agitating a food precursor, the method being able to achieve the features of any of the foregoing embodiments or another embodiment disclosed herein.

[0037] In one embodiment, the method includes: introducing relative rotation between a rotor and a stator; introducing a feed precursor to flow between stirring members of the rotor and stator; and introducing a medium into the feed precursor, wherein at least one of the rotor and the stator has a stirring member disposed on a support portion, wherein the stirring member includes an extension extending from the support portion. The stirring member may be implemented according to any of the foregoing embodiments or another embodiment disclosed herein.

[0038] To provide a general overview of some embodiments, the invention summary is provided above to offer a basic understanding of several aspects of the subject matter described herein. Therefore, the features described above are merely examples and should not be construed as limiting the scope or substance of the subject matter described herein in any way. Furthermore, the above and / or foregoing embodiments can be combined in any suitable manner to provide other embodiments. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter described herein will become apparent from the following detailed description, description of the drawings, and claims. Attached Figure Description

[0039] Various aspects, features, and advantages of the embodiments of this disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description of embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which similar numerals denote similar elements.

[0040] Figure 1 This is a block diagram illustrating an implementation system for introducing a medium into a food precursor.

[0041] Figure 2 It is shown Figure 1 An illustrative side sectional view of the system implementation equipment.

[0042] Figure 3 It is shown Figure 1 The system equipment implementation plan is shown in the side-view elevation perspective of the stator.

[0043] Figure 4 It is shown Figure 1 The side-view elevation perspective of the rotor of the system equipment implementation plan.

[0044] Figure 5 yes Figure 3 An axial view of the stator.

[0045] Figure 6 yes Figure 4 An axial view of the rotor.

[0046] Figure 7 yes Figure 5 and Figure 6 Axial view of the stator and rotor.

[0047] Figure 8 yes Figure 7 An enlarged axial view.

[0048] Figure 9 yes Figure 5 and Figure 6 An axial cross-sectional view of the stirring components of the stator and rotor arranged in aligned positions.

[0049] Figure 10 yes Figure 5 and Figure 6 An axial sectional view of the stirring components of the stator and rotor arranged at the midpoint.

[0050] Figure 11 yes Figure 5 and Figure 6 An axial cross-sectional view of the stirring components of the stator and rotor arranged in partially aligned positions. Detailed Implementation

[0051] Before describing several embodiments of the system, it should be understood that the system is not limited to the details of the construction or process steps mentioned in the following specific embodiments. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the system can be implemented in other ways and practiced or carried out in a variety of manners.

[0052] This disclosure can be better understood from the following explanation:

[0053] As used herein, the term "system" can refer to an arrangement for introducing a medium into a food precursor. The system includes equipment configured to introduce a medium into the food precursor. The system may also include one or more of the following: electrical circuitry for controlling the equipment; other equipment that can be implemented as part of a production line, such as other processing systems for the food precursor, including those associated with its formation, or other processing systems for the food material, including its packaging.

[0054] As used herein, the term "equipment" can refer to a device for introducing a medium into a food precursor by agitation to form a food material therefrom. The introduction of a medium into a food precursor can be achieved by the device as a forming process. The forming process includes the step of agitating the medium and / or the food precursor. The device includes a rotor and a stator arranged to rotate relative to each other to achieve the agitation.

[0055] As used herein, the term "food precursor" can refer to a food substance that can be processed by a device by agitation (e.g., of a flowable substance) and / or the introduction of a medium therein to obtain a food material. Food precursors can include any material operable to flow through a device, including one or more of the following: liquids; viscous materials; solids; gels; pastes; foams. Food precursors can include one or more of the following products: vegetables; fruits; dairy products; meat; fish; chocolate; vegetable oils; eggs; plant-based products; alternative dairy products.

[0056] As used herein, the term "food material" can refer to a combination of food precursors and media. Food materials can include any material operable to flow through a device, including one or more of the following: liquid viscous materials; solids; gels; pastes; foams; emulsions. Examples include one or more of the following: hummus; mousse; dairy products, including whipped cream; meringue; mayonnaise; whipped egg whites.

[0057] As used herein, the term "medium" can refer to a material used to introduce into a food precursor. A medium may include one or more of the following: a liquid, included as a sauce, such as chocolate sauce or other flavoring agents; a gas, including air or nitrogen; or a solid, such as a fibrous nut suspended in one of the above.

[0058] As used herein, the term "rotor" can refer to an arrangement designed to interact with the feed precursor and / or medium through rotation about a rotor axis of rotation. The rotor can rotate relative to the stator and the main body of the equipment.

[0059] As used herein, the term "stator" can refer to an arrangement designed to interact with the feed precursor and / or medium through relative rotation between the rotor and stator. The stator may be rotationally symmetrical about a stator axis of rotational symmetry. The stator may remain stationary relative to the equipment body.

[0060] As used herein, the term "stirring" can refer to introducing shear stress into a food precursor and / or medium, including through mechanical interaction. Stirring can reduce the size of bubbles in the medium of a food precursor (e.g., by reducing pressure) and / or disperse those bubbles.

[0061] As used herein, the term "support portion" can refer to a portion of the stator or rotor that carries the agitator. The support portion is typically radially separated from the stator's axis of rotational symmetry or the rotor's axis of rotation, and is distributed circumferentially around that axis.

[0062] As used herein, the terms "stirring element" or "tooth" can refer to a component specifically implemented on the stator or rotor to interact with feed precursors and / or media by stirring. The stirring element is radially separated from the stator's axis of rotational symmetry or the rotor's axis of rotation and is circumferentially distributed around it. The stirring element may be arranged to extend from the support portion in a direction aligned with the respective stator's axis of rotational symmetry or the rotor's axis of rotation.

[0063] As used herein, the term "processing chamber" can refer to a housing that: accommodates at least one stator and rotor pair; has a feed precursor inlet; a feed material outlet; and a media inlet. The media inlet may be separate from or integrated with the feed precursor inlet and may be arranged as an injector that can inject media into the feed precursor and may be arranged to inject the media near the operation of the stator and rotor.

[0064] As used herein, the term "electrical circuit" can refer to an electrical circuit used to control equipment to perform a forming process. An electrical circuit can, for example, control the equipment fully or partially using some manual control. Electrical circuits can be arranged as part of the equipment or distributed across one or more components of a system.

[0065] As used herein, the term "electrical circuit" or "control electrical circuit" may refer to one or more hardware and / or software components, examples of which may include: application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs); electronic / electrical components (which may include combinations of transistors, resistors, capacitors, inductors, etc.); one or more processors; non-transitory memory (e.g., implemented by one or more memory devices) that may store one or more software or firmware programs; combinational logic circuits; and the aforementioned interconnection devices. Electrical circuitry may be located entirely at one component of the system or distributed among multiple components of the system that communicate with each other via a computer network through communication resources.

[0066] As used herein, the term "processor" or "processing resource" can refer to one or more units for processing, examples of which include ASICs, microcontrollers, FPGAs, microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs), state machines, or other suitable components. A processor may be configured to execute a computer program, for example, in the form of machine-readable instructions stored in non-transitory memory and / or programmable logic. A processor may have various arrangements corresponding to those discussed for the circuit (e.g., onboard or distributed as part of a system). As used herein, any machine-executable instructions or computer-readable medium may be configured to cause the disclosed methods to be executed, for example, by the system or components disclosed herein, and therefore may be used synonymously with the term "method," or synonymously with each other.

[0067] As used herein, the terms "communication resource" or "communication interface" can refer to hardware and / or firmware used for electronic information transfer. A communication resource / interface can be configured for wired communication ("wired communication resource / interface") or wireless communication ("wireless communication resource / interface"). Wireless communication resources may include hardware for transmitting and receiving signals via radio and may include various protocol implementations, such as the 802.11 standard described in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and Bluetooth from the Bluetooth Technology Alliance of Kirkland, Washington. ™ Wired communication resources may include: Universal Serial Bus (USB); High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) or other protocol implementations. The device may include communication resources for wired or wireless communication with external devices and / or server systems.

[0068] As used herein, the term "network" or "computer network" can refer to a system used for the electronic transfer of information between multiple devices / devices. A network can include, for example, one or more networks of any type, including: Public Land Mobile Networks (PLMNs); telephone networks (e.g., Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) and / or wireless networks); Local Area Networks (LANs); Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs); Wide Area Networks (WANs); Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) networks; Private Networks; the Internet; Intranets; Personal Area Networks (PANs), including those utilizing short-range wireless technology standards such as Bluetooth.

[0069] As used herein, the terms "external device," "external electronic device," or "peripheral device" can include electronic components external to a device, such as those located in or away from that location, that communicate with the device via a computer network. External devices can include communication interfaces for communicating with machine and / or server systems. External devices can include devices such as smartphones; PDAs; video game controllers; tablets; laptops; or other similar devices.

[0070] As used herein, the term "server system" can refer to external electronic components of a device, such as those located in or away from the device, that communicate with the device via a computer network. A server system may include communication interfaces for communicating with the device or external devices. Server systems may include: network-based computers (e.g., remote servers); cloud-based computers; and any other server system.

[0071] [General System Description]

[0072] refer to Figure 1System 2 includes: device 4; control electrical circuit 6; food precursor 8; medium 10; and food material 12. System 2 is configured to introduce medium 10 into food precursor 8 by stirring food precursor 8 to form food material 12. Device 4 is controlled by control electrical circuit 6 to perform the forming process in which the introduction of medium 10 is realized.

[0073] refer to Figure 2 The device 4 includes: a processing chamber 14; a feed precursor inlet 16 for introducing feed precursor 8 into the processing chamber 14; a feed material outlet 18 for discharging feed material 12 from the processing chamber 14; and a syringe / medium inlet 20 for injecting medium 10 into the processing chamber 14.

[0074] The device 4 is arranged in a plane defined by the longitudinal direction 100 and the transverse direction 102, which are perpendicular to the depth direction 104.

[0075] Device 4 includes a pair of stators 22 and rotors 24 arranged to rotate about an axis 106 aligned with the axis of rotational symmetry of the stator and the axis of rotation of the rotor, as will be discussed.

[0076] The feed precursor inlet 16 is arranged to supply feed precursor 8 proximal to axis 106, such that it moves radially outward through the stirring elements of the stator 22-rotor 24 pair (as will be discussed). Specifically, the rotation of the stator 22-rotor 24 pair can create a low-pressure region at axis 106, which facilitates suction and fluid flow. The feed precursor 8 can also be pressurized at feed precursor inlet 16 (e.g., by a pump, not illustrated) to facilitate flow through the stator 22 and rotor 24 pair to feed material outlet 18.

[0077] In variant embodiments not illustrated: the device includes other numbers of stator and rotor pairs, including 2, 3, or 4; the device can be arranged in any orientation during use, including, for example, axially along the depth direction; the injector can be arranged as more than one injector unit, for example, included between the stator and rotor pairs, and can inject different components of the medium, including injecting a gaseous medium upstream of the first stator and rotor pair and injecting a solid medium downstream of the first pair; the inlet, outlet, and injector can have other positional arrangements, which can be axial and / or radial, etc.; although the rotor generally rotates relative to the stator and the processing chamber, other specific implementations are contemplated, for example, including counter-rotating configurations in which both the rotor and the stator rotate relative to each other and the processing chamber.

[0078] [Example 1]

[0079] A first example of the arrangement of stator 22 and rotor 24 in Figures 3 to 10 As shown in the diagram, as will be discussed:

[0080] refer to Figure 4 and Figure 6 The rotor 24 includes: a shaft 106, which is the rotor rotation axis; a support portion 26; and a stirring component 28.

[0081] The support portion 26 is implemented as a planar disk, which is rotationally symmetrical about axis 106 and has a depth aligned with the longitudinal direction 100. The support portion 26 has a first outer surface 34 and a second outer surface 36. The first outer surface 34 is arranged in a plane defined by the transverse direction 102 and the depth direction 104. The second outer surface 36 is conical and extends along the axial direction 106, wherein the radius decreases with distance from the stirring member 28. The support portion 26 supports the stirring members 28 and interconnects them about axis 106. A drive system (not illustrated) imparts controllable rotational motion to the rotor 24 about axis 106, which is controlled by electrical circuitry 6.

[0082] The support portion 26 of the rotor 24 is typically solid so that the feed can be radially transported through the stirring member 28.

[0083] In variant embodiments not illustrated, the support portion has shapes other than a disc shape.

[0084] The stirring component of the rotor 24 is arranged on the first surface 34 of the support portion 26 facing the stator 22, as will be discussed.

[0085] The stirring members 28 are radially separated from the axis 106 and are circumferentially arranged at equal intervals around the axis. Each stirring member 28 includes an extension extending axially from the support portion 26.

[0086] The stirring components 28 are arranged in three rows 38A, 38B and 38C, with each row including 60 stirring components 28, and arranged in an equal radial distance increasing from the axis 106.

[0087] In variant embodiments not illustrated: other numbers of stirring members 28 may be arranged in each row, for example, 10 to 100 or 20 to 80; for example, other numbers of rows and row spacing (instead of equal) may be achieved when stirring members of different cross-sections are arranged in the rows.

[0088] refer to Figure 8For each of the three rows 38A, 38B, and 38C, the cross-sectional shape of the stirring member 28 (i.e., in a plane defined by the transverse direction 102 and the depth direction 104, e.g., a radial plane) is a hexagonal polygon, wherein: the peripheral edges at the circumferential ends are approximately radially aligned; the front facing radial flow has two faces inclined at an angle α relative to the radial flow direction; the back face has the same angle as the front face, and the innermost radial vertex and the outermost radial vertex lie on the same radial line, such that the cross-section is symmetrical about the radial line. In this example, the polygon is hexagonal, therefore α is 60°.

[0089] refer to Figure 8 The cross-section of the stirring component 28 has a unit length L, which can be defined as the maximum length between opposite edges, vertices, or lines of symmetry. In the example of a hexagonal cross-section, the unit length is the maximum distance between the cross-sections through the vertices, such as lines of symmetry. The unit length L can be: 2 mm to 30 mm, or 2 mm to 24 mm, or 4 mm to 24 mm.

[0090] In examples of other cross-sectional shapes: for a circular cross-section, the unit length can be defined as the diameter; for a triangular cross-section, the unit length can be defined as the length between the vertices on the same side; for a square cross-section, the unit length can be defined as the diagonal, etc.

[0091] The depth of the stirring member 28 in the longitudinal direction 100 / axial direction (e.g., from the base of the stirring member at the support portion to the top of the stirring member) is: 2 mm to 30 mm, or 3 mm to 25 mm, or 3 mm to 20 mm. Typically, all stirring members 28 have the same axial length.

[0092] When determining the drag coefficient for a two-dimensional shape as discussed herein, radial flow is considered to be normal flow across the front, including flow with the same directional component across its circumferential width / wetting region (therefore, small radial variations at different circumferential positions are not considered). The radial component of the flow at the apex of the front can be considered to represent the flow component across the said circumferential width / wetting region. Furthermore, the additional circumferential component that will inevitably occur in practice as the rotor 24 rotates is not considered.

[0093] In variant embodiments not illustrated: other cross-sectional shapes are achieved, including one or more of the following: a circle; a triangle; a polygon with more than four sides, including equiangular and / or equilateral; a rectangle or square inclined at an angle to the flow direction.

[0094] Generally, the extension of the stirring member 28 has a cross-sectional shape selected to have a resistance coefficient less than one or more of the following: a square cross-section having a front face arranged in the flow direction (similar to the radial flow direction discussed above); a rectangular cross-section having a front face arranged in the flow direction; or a convex quadrilateral having parallel sides arranged in the flow direction and having convex sides radially aligned with the stator rotational symmetry axis / rotor rotation axis.

[0095] By implementing a stirring member with a resistance factor smaller than one or more of the shapes described, reduced shear stress can be applied to the feed precursor 6, which can result in less deformation of the feed material and / or ensure an acceptable level of stirring. Furthermore, the curvature of the lower resistance factor shape allows for a more "open" system with improved flow, as will be discussed.

[0096] In the implementation scheme, the drag coefficient of the cross-sectional shape of the stirring member is less than 2, 1.9, 1.8, 1.7, or 1.6. For any of the above maximum drag coefficients, the minimum drag coefficient may be greater than 0.25, 0.5, 1, or 1.2.

[0097] refer to Figure 3 , Figure 5 and Figure 7 The corresponding stator 22 is shown. The above description of the rotor and its associated variations also apply to stator 22, and will not be repeated for the sake of brevity. Stator 22 has rows 38D-38E.

[0098] Unlike the rotor 24, the support portion 26 is planar on both the first surface 34 and the second surface 36. The support portion 26 of the stator 22 is typically hollow to allow feed precursors and / or feed materials to be axially transmitted through it, for example, to the center of the rotor 24.

[0099] refer to Figure 5 The diagram shows a cross-sectional assembly of the stator 22 and rotor 24, wherein, for illustrative purposes, there is a counterclockwise advance of the rotation of the stator 22 such that the stirring members 28 between the rotor 24 and the stator 22 are not radially aligned. Instead, the stirring members 28 of the stator 22 are positioned at the midpoint in the circumferential direction between the stirring members of the rotor 24.

[0100] The stator 22 and rotor 24 are arranged alternately, such that the rotor row is directly adjacent to the stator row, wherein the innermost row 38A is the rotor 24 row and the outermost row 38E is the stator 22 row.

[0101] In a variant implementation not illustrated: the rotor and stator rows are reversed, such that the innermost row is the stator row and the outermost row is the rotor row; other row configurations are also possible, including having fewer rotor rows than stator rows, or vice versa.

[0102] like Figure 7 As shown in the optimal configuration, the stirring elements 28 of rows 38D-38F of stator 22 and rows 38A-38C of rotor 24 are radially aligned. That is, the radial line R1 drawn on stator 22 and the radial line R2 drawn on rotor 24 extend through the centroid C of the associated stirring element 28. This arrangement can be referred to as an "open" configuration.

[0103] refer to Figures 9 to 11 The different rotor positions of stator 22 and rotor 24 are shown:

[0104] A) Reference Figure 9 The stator 22 and rotor 24 are shown in an aligned position, with radial line R1 extending through the centroid of the stirring member 28 of both the stator 22 and rotor 24.

[0105] B) Reference Figure 10 The stator 22 and rotor 24 are shown in a fully offset position, wherein the radial line R3 extending through the centroid of the stirring member 28 of the rotor 24 is arranged at the circumferential midpoint between adjacent radial lines R1 and R2 extending through the centroid of the stirring member 28.

[0106] C) Reference Figure 11 The stator 22 and rotor 24 are shown in a partially offset position, wherein a radial line R1 extending through the trailing edge of the stirring member 28 of the rotor 24 also extends through the leading edge of the stirring member 28 of the rotor 24.

[0107] refer to Figure 10 For the fully offset position, the minimum dimension d between the adjacent stirring elements 28 of the rotor 24 and the stator 22 is approximately one unit length of the stirring element 28.

[0108] refer to Figure 11 For the partially offset position, the minimum dimension d between the adjacent stirring components 28 of the rotor 24 and the stator 22 is approximately one unit length of the stirring component 28.

[0109] In a variant implementation, other distance ranges are achieved for both the fully offset and partially offset positions, for example, at least 0.25 or 0.5 of the unit length of the stirring member. The maximum distance can be 1.5 or 2 unit lengths of the stirring member.

[0110] In the implementation, the stirring member has the following unit length (which may be the maximum dimension in the radial direction): 2 mm to 20 mm, or 2 mm to 24 mm, or 4 mm to 24 mm.

[0111] The cross-sectional shape of the stirring member 28 is configured to allow solid precursor material to pass through it radially, and it can have a diameter of up to 40 mm or 30 mm.

[0112] refer to Figure 8 The circumferential pitch P between adjacent centroids C of the stirring elements 28 in the same row (for both stator 22 and rotor 24) is approximately two unit lengths L of the stirring element 28. In variant embodiments not illustrated, other pitches including 1.2 to 5 or 1.5 to 3 unit lengths L are implemented. The gap G between adjacent stirring elements 28 is approximately 1.5 unit lengths L. In variant embodiments not illustrated, other gaps including 0.5 to 4 or 0.25 to 3 unit lengths L are implemented. In embodiments, the gap G is: 0.5 mm to 40 mm, or 0.5 mm to 30 mm, or 1 mm to 30 mm.

[0113] By maintaining the aforementioned distance range, when in addition to Figure 9 When the flow is outside the aligned position (e.g., fully offset and partially offset positions), a large amount of flow can continue to travel radially through the stirring member 28, such as... Figure 10 and Figure 11 The flow path F shown in the diagram illustrates this. This configuration, combined with the aforementioned resistance coefficient / shape of the cross-section of the stirring member 28, enables the flow of the feed precursor 8 while maintaining its stability, as well as an "open" system.

[0114] The flow rate of the feed material / precursor through device 4 can be the following maximum values: 15 m / s, or 12 m / s, or 10 m / s, or between 0.1 m / s and 1.5 m / s. The flow rate of the feed material / precursor through device 4 can be: 20 kg / h to 2 tons / h, or 70 kg / h to 1 ton / h.

[0115] In variant embodiments not illustrated, other specific implementations of the agitation components include: different agitation components may be implemented circumferentially along the rows; agitation components between misaligned rows of the stator and / or rotor, such as including a “closed” system; other cross-sectional shapes may be implemented in some of the rows, including any of those disclosed herein, including conventional rectangular shapes or convex quadrilaterals having parallel sides arranged normal to the flow direction and having radially aligned convex sides.

[0116] For stator 22 and rotor 24, stirring members 28 are arranged with diameters of 60 mm to 260 mm, 70 mm to 250 mm, and 80 mm to 250 mm (e.g., from their center of mass).

[0117] The radial clearance between the stirring elements 28 of the stator 24 and the rotor 22 can be appropriately designed to allow for close proximity. The stirring elements 28 of the rotor 22 are arranged near the first outer surface 34 of the stator 24 (e.g., adjacent to the first outer surface), and vice versa.

[0118] The control electrical circuit 6 is configured to control the drive system (not shown) to rotate the rotor 24 relative to the stator 22 at 100 RPM to 1000 RPM, or 300 RPM to 1000 RPM, or 300 RPM to 800 RPM.

[0119] It should be understood that any disclosed method (or corresponding device, program, data carrier, etc.) can be executed by a host or client, depending on the specific implementation (i.e., the disclosed method / device is one or more forms of communication and can therefore be executed from either "observation point" (i.e., in a manner corresponding to each other). Furthermore, it should be understood that the terms "receive" and "transmit" encompass "input" and "output" and are not limited to an RF environment for transmitting and receiving radio waves. Thus, for example, a chip or other device or component used to implement an implementation may generate data for output to another chip, device, or component, or have input data from another chip, device, or component, and such output or input may be referred to as "transmit" and "receive," including the gerund forms, i.e., "transmit" and "receive," as well as such "transmit" and "receive" in an RF environment.

[0120] As used in this specification, any statement for the style "at least one of A, B, or C" and the statement "at least one of A, B, and C" use separate "or" and separate "and" such that these statements include any and all combinations of A, B, and C, as well as several permutations, namely, A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B in any order, A and C in any order, B and C in any order, and A, B, and C in any order. More or fewer than three features may be used in such statements.

[0121] In the claims, any reference marks placed between parentheses should not be construed as limiting the claims. The word “comprising” does not exclude the presence of other elements or steps besides those listed in the claims. Furthermore, as used herein, the terms “a” or “an” are defined as one or more. Additionally, the use of introductory phrases such as “at least one” and “one or more” in the claims should not be construed as implying that any particular claim containing such introduced claim elements is limited to the invention comprising only one such element, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an.” The same applies to the use of definite articles. Unless otherwise specified, terms such as “first” and “second” are used to arbitrarily distinguish the elements described by such terms. Therefore, these terms are not necessarily intended to indicate the time or other priority of such elements. The mere fact that certain measures are stated in mutually different claims does not imply that a combination of these measures cannot be used advantageously.

[0122] Unless otherwise expressly specified as incompatible, or if the physics or other aspects of the embodiments, examples, or claims prevent such combinations, the features of the foregoing embodiments and examples, as well as those of the following claims, can be integrated in any suitable arrangement, especially where doing so has beneficial effects. This is not limited to any particular beneficial effect, but may arise from “post-hoc” beneficial effects. That is, the combination of features is not limited to the forms described, especially not to the forms (e.g., numbering) of one or more examples, one or more embodiments, or one or more dependent claims. Furthermore, this also applies to the phrases “in one embodiment,” “according to one embodiment,” etc., which are merely stylistic forms of wording and should not be construed as limiting the following features to a single embodiment, but rather to all other instances of the same or similar wording. That is, references to “a,” “an,” or “some” embodiments may refer to any one or more and / or all of the disclosed embodiments or combinations thereof. Similarly, references to “the” embodiment may not be limited to the preceding embodiment.

[0123] As used herein, any machine-executable instructions or computationally readable medium may perform the methods disclosed herein, and therefore may be used synonymously with or with the term method.

[0124] The foregoing description of one or more specific embodiments is provided for illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light of the foregoing teachings, or may be obtained from practice of various specific embodiments of this disclosure.

[0125] References

[0126] 2 systems

[0127] 4 devices

[0128] 14 Processing Room

[0129] 16 Food Precursor Ingestion

[0130] 18Food materials export

[0131] 20 syringes

[0132] 22 stator, 24 rotor

[0133] 26 Supporting parts

[0134] 34 First outer surface

[0135] 36 Second outer surface

[0136] 28 Mixing components

[0137] 38 rows

[0138] C centroid

[0139] 6 Electrical Circuits

[0140] 8 Food precursors

[0141] 10 media

[0142] 12 food ingredients

[0143] 100 longitudinal direction

[0144] 102 Horizontal direction

[0145] 104 Depth Direction

[0146] 106 axis (stator rotational symmetry axis or rotor rotation axis)

[0147] R radial direction

Claims

1. An apparatus for introducing a medium into a foodstuff precursor, the apparatus comprising: a process chamber; a foodstuff precursor inlet for introducing a foodstuff precursor into the process chamber; a foodstuff material outlet for discharging foodstuff material from the process chamber; an injector for injecting a medium into the process chamber, and at least one stator and / or rotor comprising: a respective stator or rotor axis of rotational symmetry, a support portion arranged around the stator or rotor axis of rotational symmetry, and agitating members arranged on the support portion and disposed circumferentially around the stator or rotor axis of rotational symmetry, wherein the agitating members each comprise an extension extending from the support portion and having a cross-sectional shape selected to have a drag coefficient smaller than one or more of the following shapes: a square cross-section having a front face arranged normal to the flow direction; a rectangular cross-section having a front face arranged normal to the flow direction; a convex quadrilateral having parallel sides arranged normal to the flow direction and having convex sides aligned radially with respect to a radial direction of the stator or rotor axis of rotational symmetry.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the drag coefficient of the cross-sectional shape of the agitating members is smaller than 2 or 1.9 or 1.8 or 1.7 or 1.

6.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the resistance factor is defined for a two- dimensional cross section of fluid flow with a Reynolds number between 10 4 and 10 6 .

4. The apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the cross-sectional shape of the agitating members is one or more of the following: circular; triangular; polygonal with more than 4 sides; rectangular inclined at an angle to the flow direction.

5. The apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the support portion comprises multiple rows of agitating members, wherein each row is disposed at a different radial position around the stator or rotor axis of rotational symmetry.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein at least one row of the agitating members comprises a cross-sectional shape of the agitating members having a drag coefficient smaller than at least one of the shapes according to claim 1.

7. The apparatus according to any of claims 5 or 6, wherein adjoining agitating members between the rows are radially aligned or partially radially offset.

8. The apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the agitating members are arranged with a diameter of 60 mm to 260 mm.

9. The apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the agitating members have a unit length of 2 mm to 30 mm.

10. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the agitating member is configured to enable the solid precursor material to pass radially therethrough, wherein the solid precursor material has a diameter of less than 5 mm.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the rotor and the stator are configured: wherein the agitating members of adjoining stator and rotor rows are fully offset, the smallest dimension d between adjoining agitating members of the rotor and the stator is at least 0.25 or 0.5 of the unit length of an agitating member, and / or 12. The apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the stator and the rotor are configured: wherein the agitating members of adjoining stator and rotor rows are fully offset, the smallest dimension d between adjoining agitating members of the rotor and the stator is at least 0.25 or 0.5 of the unit length of an agitating member, and / or 13. The apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the stator and the rotor are configured: wherein the agitating members of adjoining stator and rotor rows are fully offset, the smallest dimension d between adjoining agitating members of the rotor and the stator is at least 0.25 or 0.5 of the unit length of an agitating member, and / or 14. The apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the stator and the rotor are configured: wherein the agitating members of adjoining stator and rotor rows are fully offset, the smallest dimension d between adjoining agitating members of the rotor and the stator is at least 0.25 or 0.5 of the unit length of an agitating member, and / or 15. The apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the stator and the rotor are configured: wherein the agitating members of adjoining stator and rotor rows are fully offset, the smallest dimension d between adjoining agitating members of the rotor and the stator is at least 0.25 or 0.5 of the unit length of an agitating member, and / or 16. The apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the stator and the rotor are configured: wherein the agitating members of adjoining stator and rotor rows are fully offset, the smallest dimension d between adjoining agitating members of the rotor and the stator is at least 0.25 or 0.5 of the unit length of an agitating member, and / or 17. The apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the stator and the rotor are configured: wherein the agitating members of adjoining stator and rotor rows are fully offset, the smallest dimension d between adjoining agitating members of the rotor and the stator is at least 0.25 or 0.5 of the unit length of an agitating member, and / or 18. The apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the stator and the rotor are configured: wherein the agitating members of adjoining stator and rotor rows are fully offset, the smallest dimension d between adjoining agitating members of the rotor and the stator is at least 0.25 or 0.5 of the unit length of an agitating member, and / or 19. The apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the stator and the rotor are configured: wherein the agitating members of adjoining stator and rotor rows are fully offset, the smallest dimension d between adjoining agitating members of the rotor and the stator is at least 0.25 or 0.5 of the unit length of an agitating member, and / or 20. The apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the stator and the rotor are configured: wherein the agitating members of adjoining stator and rotor rows are fully offset, the smallest dimension d between adjoining agitating members of the rotor and the stator is at least 0.25 or 0.5 of the unit length of an agitating member, and / or 21. The apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the stator and the rotor are configured: wherein the agitating members of adjoining stator and rotor rows are fully offset, the smallest dimension d between adjoining agitating members of the rotor and the stator is at least 0.25 or 0.5 of the unit length of an agitating member, and / or 22. The apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the stator and the rotor are configured: wherein the agitating members of adjoining stator and rotor rows are fully offset, the smallest dimension d between adjoining agitating members of the rotor and the stator is at least 0.25 or 0.5 of the unit length of an agitating member, and / or 23. The apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the stator and the rotor are configured: wherein the agitating members of adjoining stator and rotor rows are fully offset, the smallest dimension d between adjoining agitating members of the rotor and the stator is at least 0.25 or 0.5 of the unit length of an agitating member, and / or 24. The apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the stator and the rotor are configured: wherein the agitating members of adjoining stator and rotor rows are fully offset, the smallest dimension d between adjoining agitating members of the rotor and the stator is at least 0.25 or 0.5 of the unit length of an agitating member, and / or 25. The apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the stator and the rotor are configured: wherein the agitating members of adjoining stator and rotor rows are fully offset, the smallest dimension d between adjoining agitating members of the rotor and the stator is at least 0.25 or 0.5 of the unit length of an agitating member, and / or 26. The apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the stator and the rotor are configured: wherein the agitating members of adjoining stator and rotor rows are fully offset, the smallest dimension d between adjoining agitating members of the rotor and the stator is at least 0.25 or 0.5 of the unit length of an agitating member, and / or 27. The apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the stator and the rotor are configured: wherein the agitating members of adjoining stator and rotor rows are fully offset, the smallest dimension d between adjoining agitating members of the rotor and the stator is at least 0.25 or 0.5 of the unit length of an agitating member, and / or 28. The apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the stator and the rotor are configured: wherein the agitating members of adjoining stator and rotor rows are fully offset, the smallest dimension d between adjoining agitating members of the rotor and the stator is at least 0.25 or 0.5 of the unit length of an agitating member, and / or 29. The apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the stator and the rotor are configured: wherein the agitating members of adjoining stator and rotor rows are fully offset, the smallest dimension d between adjoining agitating members of the rotor and the stator is at least 0.25 or 0.5 of the unit length of an agitating member, and / or 30. The apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the stator and the rotor are configured: wherein the agitating members of adjoining stator and rotor rows are fully wherein the adjacent stator and rotor rows of stirring members are partially aligned, the smallest dimension d between the adjacent stirring members of the stator and the rotor is at least 0.25 or 0.5 of the unit length of the stirring members.

12. The apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein the injector is configured to inject a gaseous medium into the processing chamber.

13. A foodstuff material formed by the apparatus of any of claims 11 to 12, the foodstuff material comprising one or more of: hummus; mousse; dairy product, including whipped cream; egg white cream; mayonnaise; whipped egg white.

14. Use of the apparatus of any of claims 1 to 12 for producing a foodstuff material from a foodstuff precursor, wherein the foodstuff material comprises one or more of: hummus; mousse; dairy product, including whipped cream; egg white cream; mayonnaise; whipped egg white.

15. A method of forming a foodstuff material by agitating a foodstuff precursor, the method comprising: introducing relative rotation between a rotor and a stator; introducing the foodstuff precursor to flow between the stirring members of the rotor and the stator, and introducing a medium into the foodstuff precursor, wherein at least one of the rotor and the stator has the stirring members arranged on a support portion, wherein the stirring members comprise an extension that extends from the support portion and has a cross-sectional shape selected to have a drag coefficient that is less than one or more of: a square cross-section with a front face arranged normal to the flow direction; a rectangular cross-section with a front face arranged normal to the flow direction; a convex quadrilateral with parallel sides arranged normal to the flow direction and with convex sides that are radially aligned with respect to a radial direction of an axis of rotational symmetry of the stator or an axis of rotor rotation.

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