Sachet

Abstract

A sachet for a flavoured hot chocolate beverage precursor comprising a chocolate precursor and a second precursor component, wherein the second precursor component is a granulate and comprises a food-

Description

The present invention relates to a sachet of beverage precursor components for use in a milk frother or hot chocolate maker to make flavoured hot chocolate drinks. Preparations of chocolate-based beverages is an expanding market with an increasing demand. Usually, a main ingredient of chocolate powder is used to add to hot chocolate makers or milk frothers to produce a hot chocolate. This chocolate powder is often of lower quality than the chocolate bars offered by the brand and typically have a lower cacao percentage. Some low-quality hot chocolate powders use vegetable oils and milk powder to evoke the creamy texture associated with hot chocolate. A typical powdered chocolate has a higher sugar content which has the effect of raising its melt temperature. This in turn has the effect of making grinding, filling packaging and transportation easier. Single serve sachets have been a popular invention in the modern era as it gives the user the added convenience of providing the correct amount of serving for every drink. Mostly, these sachets have been limited to enclose hot chocolate powder as the powder has a larger surface area and is soluble in warm milk despite lacking the depth of flavour conveyed in whole chocolate. However, the use of whole chocolate improves the texture and taste of the chocolate-based beverage, something hot chocolate powder fails to replicate. This coincides with a lack of need for additives such as milk powder or vegetable oil to replicate the texture naturally created by whole chocolate. Filling single serve sachets with chocolate is a delicate process that requires precision with temperatures. Single serve sachet machines form the sachet from a sheet of material wherein the sheet of material is brought together and heat welded to form a sachet. There are predominantly two types of machines - a vertical form filler or a sachet machine. A vertical form filler gives three seals to the sachet as a vertical sealer forms a longitudinal seal down the centre of the sachet. This type of filling system will cause issues with filling a sachet with chocolate as the vertical sealer pushes directly onto the filling tube, therefore the chocolate will melt as the chocolate passes down the filling tube into the sachet. If the filling tube were to be cooled, it can only be cooled to a certain extent before the ability of the sealer to weld the sachet sheets together would be affected. Likewise, to stop the chocolate melting, the temperature of the filling tube would have to be lowered so far that the temperature would reach the dew point of the air around it, therefore forming condensation. Moisture cannot be introduced into the process when filling a sachet with chocolate as there would be an issue with microbiological activity in the finished product. One method of forming a sachet for filling with chocolate is the 4-sided welded sachet using a sachet maker. However, the residual heat from the lower horizontal seal causes the chocolate to melt during the sachet filling process which can cause the chocolate to clump together. Therefore, when the sachet is opened for use in a milk frother, or hot chocolate maker, the chocolate may be difficult to expel out of the packet. Chocolate that has clumped together may not melt properly in the milk frother or hot chocolate maker as the chocolate particle size will be too large. Running the frother for longer or at a higher temperature is disadvantageous. Large particles can further cause the milk frother or hot chocolate maker’s whisk to be clogged, or displaced, and stop working as well as potentially damaging the motor. GB267623A discloses a method of flaking chocolate, particularly for the use in a chocolate beverage preparation. This addresses the issue of reducing chocolate dust which can contaminate the area where the machines are located. The chocolate flakes are weighed and packaged into single-serve sachets but this document does not disclose any sachet shape or process of filling the sachet. LIS2021198022A1 discloses a single serve chocolate pouch which can enclose solid or liquid chocolate. However, the pouch is filled by molten chocolate and designed to mainly to be heated in the sachet. No filling method is disclosed. The brand Hotel Chocolat ® produce and sell single serve sachets containing their range of grated chocolate. This sachet is made from one sheet of material that comprises three seals: two vertical seals and a top seal. The base portion of the sachet is folded and not sealed. Flavoured chocolate drinks are increasingly popular but suffer from the problem that minimum order quantities for flavoured chocolate are high with some suppliers specifying 12 tonnes minimum which renders small batch flavoured chocolate drinks uneconomic. The present invention seeks to provide an improved method of filling a sachet for a beverage precursor. According to the invention there is provided a sachet according to the features of Claim 1. Preferred embodiments can be found in the sub-claims. In a preferred embodiment a sachet for a beverage precursor comprises a chocolate precursor and a second precursor component, wherein the second precursor component comprises a food-safe carrier. The second precursor component allows a mixture of flavours to be present within the sachet to create the intended balanced flavour of the beverage. In an embodiment the food-safe carrier comprises an organic polymer. Use of an organic polymer as a food-safe carrier ensures stability and controlled release of the second precursor component. In a further embodiment, the organic polymer is carbohydrate or protein-based. Advantageously, the use of an organic polymer that is carbohydrate or protein-based ensures the food carrier is easily digestible. In a further embodiment, the organic polymer comprises an oligosaccharide or polysaccharide. An organic polymer comprising an oligosaccharide or polysaccharide allows for flexibility in the chain length of the polysaccharide and therefore provides flexibility in the choice of carrier. A chain length can be chosen to complement the chosen second precursor component to enhance the release mechanism and stability of the carrier. In another embodiment, the food-safe carrier derives from starch through hydrolysis. A food-safe carrier derived from starch through hydrolysis is a common option in the food industry as it is readily dissolvable and often flavourless thereby not impacting the intended flavour. In a further embodiment, the chocolate precursor comprises chocolate granules or flakes. By incorporating whole chocolate in a sachet, the organoleptic properties of the chocolatebased beverage are improved, something hot chocolate powder fails to replicate. In a further embodiment, the second precursor component is fat-soluble This allows the second precursor component to easily dissolve in liquids such as milk including plant based milks. In a further embodiment, the second precursor component is a spray dried granulate or powder. Using a spray-dried granulate or powder as the second precursor component enhances solubility and dispersion in the beverage. In a further embodiment, the second precursor component is microencapsulated so that the carrier releases a flavouring agent only after being dissolved in water or milk. Microencapsulation ensures the carrier releases the flavouring agent only after being exposed to the liquid used to make the beverage, thereby ensuring the correct flavour balance. In a further embodiment, the second precursor component comprises one or more of a flavouring agent comprising of salted caramel, chilli, or fruit. In a further embodiment, the second precursor component comprises ethanol. In a further embodiment, the sachet comprises at least two precursor components, wherein each precursor component has a different flavouring agent. By each precursor component carrying a different flavouring agent this allows a mixture of flavours to blend in the beverage and expands the range of flavoured sachets that are able to be produced. In a preferred embodiment, the food-safe carrier comprises maltodextrin Maltodextrin is a commonly used carrier as it is easy to produce, highly versatile, and inexpensive. The invention provides a highly flexible beverage precursor product for producing sachets for producing flavoured hot chocolate based beverages, which can be made in small batches using two or more components of granulated precursors. Unlike companies with significant production capabilities, which can efficiently source and process chocolate in bulk, this method focuses on handling smaller quantities of chocolate, ensuring the preservation of their high-quality characteristics while accommodating the constraints of reduced-scale production. Exemplary embodiments of the invention will now be described in greater detail by reference to the drawings, in which: Fig 1. Illustrates a method for the filling of the sachet Fig. 2 shows a perspective view of the machinery that is used to form and fill the sachet; Fig. 3 shows a perspective view of the formed sachet; Fig. 4 shows an exploded view of one of the dosers with the flap in the closed position; Fig. 5 shows an exploded view of one of the dosers with the flap in the open position; Fig. 6 shows an exploded view of the heated vertical roller sets Fig. 7 shows a cross-sectional exploded view of a set of heated vertical rollers in the disengaged position Fig. 8 shows a cross-sectional exploded view of a set of heated vertical rollers in the engaged position Fig. 9 shows an exploded cross-sectional view of the cooling system implemented around the filling tube Fig. 10 shows an alternative embodiment with opposing material reels Figure 1 illustrates the method of forming and filling a sachet 1 with a beverage precursor 2. Sheets of material 3 are fed around a filling tube 4 and joined together by heated vertical rollers 20, which seal the sides 7,8 of the sachet 1. The clamp 29 moves to the engaged position and the horizontal sealing unit 30 seals the base portion 5 of the sachet 1. The dosers 9 release a portion of the beverage precursor 2 through the filling tube 4. The clamp 29 moves to the disengaged position, releasing the beverage precursor 2 and allowing the beverage precursor to settle onto the base portion 5 of the sachet. The sachet 1 drops down the desired length 31, the clamps move to the engaged position and the horizontal sealing unit 30 seals and cuts the top portion 6 of the sachet 1 to release it, and forms the base 5 of the subsequent sachet 1. Figure 2 illustrates the machinery used in the manufacturing process of, of filling a sachet 1 for a beverage precursor 2 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention comprising forming a sachet 1, wherein at least one planar sheet of material 3 is provided. The sheets of material 3 are fed around a filling tube 4 and joined together with heating means by heated vertical rollers pressing the sheets of material together. In an alternative embodiment, heating means encompasses any device or method that ensures the sheets of material reach an appropriate temperature when they are pressed together to enable the sheet of material 3 to join to one another, or the same, sheet of material 3. This creates a sachet 1 which has an internal space for the beverage precursor 2. The sachet 1, as shown in figure 3, comprises opposed generally-planar sheets of material 3 and has a base portion 5, a top portion 6, and first 7 and second 8 sides. Both opposing generally-planar sheets of material 3 will have the same shape to form the sachet 1. There is at least one doser 9 which releases a beverage precursor 2 into the internal space. The dosers 9 are connected to tanks 10 containing the desired beverage precursor 2 which provides a supply. The tanks 10 can be filled manually or automatically with the preferred beverage precursor 2. As shown in figures 4 and 5, the upper portion 11 of the doser is attached to the tank 10 which provides a continuous flow of the beverage precursor 2 into the doser 9. The lower portion 12 of the doser 9 comprises a flap 13. The flap 13 can transition between an open position 14, shown in figure 5, and a closed position 15, shown in figure 4. The beverage precursor 2 is contained in the doser 9 by the flap 13 being retained in the closed position 15. When the flap 13 moves to the open position 14 the beverage precursor 2 is released into the cooled filling tube 4 to which the lower portion 12 of the doser 9 is connected to. The flap 13 is pivotably coupled to the lower portion 12 of the doser through a hinge mechanism 16. The flap 13 is configured to rotate outwardly, away from the doser 9 into the open position 14. The flap 13 moves back to the closed position 15 once the sachet 1 has been filled. The flap 13 transitioning between an open 14 and closed 15 position is controlled by a electronic control unit (ECU), to ensure consistent intervals of opening and closing the flap 13, thereby providing uniform and repeatable dispensing of the beverage precursor 2. The beverage precursor 2 is released in timed intervals of between 1 and 1.3 seconds. More than one doser 9 can be connected to the same filling tube 4 to release different beverage precursors from different tanks thereby ensuring the mixture of beverage precursors are of the correct measurements. Alternatively, the dosers 9 can be connected to separate filling tubes 4 which fill the same sachet 1 thereby preventing cross-contamination. When starting the sachet 1 forming process, the sheets of material 3 are fed around at least one forming shoulder 17. In one embodiment, the sheet of material 3 originating from a material reel 18 can be cut in half, by a cutting device 19, in a longitudinal direction down the centre line to provide two sheets of material 3 originating from the same material reel 18. The width of the two sheets of material 3 is the same. Alternatively, there can be more than one material reel 18 to feed the sheets of material 3 from opposing sides. The sheets of material 3 are fed around at least two opposing forming shoulders 17. The sheets of material 3 are then directed around the filling tube 4 so the faces of the sheets align with each other. As shown in figure 6, the first 7 and second 8 sides of the sachet 1 are sealed by heated vertical rollers 20. The heated vertical rollers 20 provide the heating means to provide a sufficient longitudinal seal between the sheets of material 3 to form the first 7 and second 8 sides. The first 7 and second 8 sides extend from the top portion 6 of the sachet 1 to the base portion 5 of the sachet 1 and define the length of the sachet 1. The heated vertical rollers 20 comprise at least 2 opposing heated vertical rollers 20. When the first heated vertical roller 21 moves from a disengaged position 22, as shown in figure 7, to an engaged position 23, as shown in figure 8, the first opposing heated vertical roller 24 also moves from a disengaged position 22 to an engaged position 23. The rollers 21 and 24 comprise the first set of heated vertical rollers 25. In a disengaged position 22 the heated vertical rollers 20 do not touch each other or the sheets of material 3. When the first set of heated vertical rollers 25 are in the engaged position 23 the rollers 20 press against one another through the opposing generally-planar sheets of material 3. This presses the sheets of material 3 together and the heated vertical rollers 20 provide heating means to sufficiently join the two sheets 3 together to thereby provides a strong seal and form one side 7 of the sachet 1. On the opposing side of the sachet 1 is a second heated vertical roller 26 and a second opposing heated vertical roller 27. The rollers 26 and 27 comprise is the second set of heated vertical rollers 28. The second set of heated vertical rollers 28 move to an engaged position 23 at the same time as the first set of heated vertical rollers 25 and replicate the sealing process. The first 7 and second 8 side are formed simultaneously. The heated vertical rollers 20 are not limited to a first 25 and second 28 set. The sheets of material 3 are then fed through a clamp 29 and finally fed through a horizontal sealing unit 30. The clamp 29 comprises a pair of jaws that move towards each other in the engaged position and away from each other in the disengaged position. The clamp 29 pushes the sheets of material 3 together, in the engaged position to hold the sheets 3 in position for sealing and cutting. The clamp 29 is positioned above the horizontal sealing unit 30 and the beverage precursor 2 rests on top the clamp 29 in the engaged position. The horizontal sealing unit 30 seals the bottom portion 5 of the first sachet 1 through heating means whilst the clamp 29 is in the engaged position, this ensures the beverage precursor 2 does not interfere with the sealing process. The horizontal sealing unit 30 cuts the top portion 6 of the sachet 1 by a horizontal blade moving in a linear path which is parallel to the base portion 5 of the sachet 1 and perpendicular to the first 7 and second 8 sides. The clamp 29 disengages and releases the beverage precursor 2 to rest on the base portion 5 of the sachet 1. The distance between the top 6 and base 5 of the sachet defines the length 31 of the sachet 1 and wherein the distance between the sides 7,8 of the sachet 1 defines the width 32 of the sachet. The width 32 of the sachet 1 is between 40 and 60% of the length 31 of the sachet 1. In an alternate embodiment the width 32 of the sachet 1 is between 40% and 53% of the length 31 of the sachet 1. In a further embodiment the length 31 of the sachet 1 is between 100mm and 230mm and the width 32 of the sachet 1 is between 70mm and 180mm. In an alternative embodiment, the length 31 of the sachet 1 is between 100mm and 185 mm and the width 32 of the sachet 1 is between 70mm to 120mm. In an alternate embodiment, the length 31 of the sachet 1 is between 140mm and 160mm and the width 32 of the sachet 1 is between 75mm and 95mm. It is particularly preferred that the length 31 of the sachet 1 is 150mm and the width 32 of the sachet 1 is 80mm. In the preferred embodiment, there are three sets of heated vertical rollers 20. The rollers 20 are spatially equidistant from one another but can also be different distances to provide sachets 1 of different widths 32. The sets of heated vertical rollers 20 move from the disengaged 22 position to the engaged 23 position simultaneously. The first set of heated vertical rollers 25 seal the left side 7 of the sheets of material 3. The second set of heated vertical rollers 28 seal the centre line 33 of the sheets of material 3. The third set of heated vertical rollers 34 seal the right side 8 of the sheets of material 3. This divides the sheets of material 3 into two lanes and creates the longitudinal side seals 7,8 of two sachets 1. In the preferred embodiment, there is a lane cutting device 35 to separate the lanes of sachets 36 after the vertical seals 7,8,33 have formed. The lane cutting device 35 comprises of a vertical blade and is positioned above the clamp 29. The blade cuts through the centre line 33 longitudinally and separates the lanes of sachets 36. In an alternative embodiment, there is more than one lane cutting device 35 to separate multiple lanes of sachets 36. The process described above can be replicated with more sets of heated vertical rollers 20 and is not limited to three. The horizontal sealing unit 30 seals the base portion 5 of the primary sachet 37 and cuts the top portion 6 of the subsequent sachet 38. The lanes of sachets 36 have the same length 31 and pass through the same horizontal sealing unit 30. The sachet then drops into a collection tray or onto a conveyer belt which moves the sachet to a collection tray. In an embodiment, the heated vertical rollers 20 are positioned adjacent to and on opposing sides of the filling tube 4 such that the heated vertical rollers 20 do not come into contact with the filling tube 4. The defined distance between the heated vertical rollers is the desired width 32 in the ranges given above. The distances between the heated vertical rollers 20 can be equidistant for the lanes 36 to produce sachets 1 of the same width 32. In an embodiment, the sheet of material 3 is recyclable. In a further embodiment the sheet of recyclable material 3 is multi-layered. The different layers within the multi-layered sheet of material can comprise polypropylene and other recyclable materials. In another embodiment, the sheet of material 3 is biodegradable. The biodegradable material can consist of cellulose-based materials, such as paper or cardboard. In a further embodiment, the sheet of biodegradable material 3 is multi-layered. The overall sheet of material 3 used in the machine to form a sachet 1 can vary in thickness from a range of 25 microns to 50 microns. In a preferred embodiment, the sheet of material 3 comprises polypropylene (PP). PP can be printed on with ink or colorant to distinguish the packaging. Sheets of material 3 comprising cellulose-based materials can be printed on or dyed with ink or colorant. The beverage precursor 2 can comprise chocolate flakes but it is to be understood that the chocolate is not limited by particle size or shape and can also be chunks, shards or grated. There is at least one doser 9 which releases the beverage precursor 2 in timed intervals of between 1 and 1.3 seconds. In an embodiment, the internal space is filled by a first 39 and second doser 40, wherein the first doser 39 releases a beverage precursor 2 comprising chocolate and the second doser 40 releases a beverage precursor 2 comprising an additive. The additive comprises a proteinbased or sugar-based substance that is primarily fat-soluble. The combination of beverage precursors 2 once expended from the sachet 1 can be used to form part of a beverage. This beverage can be, but is not limited to, a hot chocolate, a flavoured hot chocolate or a chocolate flavoured coffee. The additive is microencapsulated so that the additive releases its flavouring only after being dissolved in water or milk. In an embodiment the filling tube 4 is chilled. The filling tube 4 can be chilled by air or liquid. As shown in figure 9, the filling tube 4 is liquid chilled, the liquid enters a pipe 41 at the entrance of the pipe 42 of the first side 43 of the filling tube 4, moves down the filling tube 4 on the first side 43 travelling in the first direction 44 away from the entrance towards where the beverage precursor 2 exits the filling tube 4. The liquid then flows back up the pipe 41 on the second side 45 of the filling tube 4, travelling in the second direction 46, towards the exit of the pipe 47 and away from where the beverage precursor exits the filling tube. The pipe 41 is adjacent to the filling tube 4 to enable efficient heat transfer. The liquid chills the filling tube 4 to between 5 and 10 °C. In a preferred embodiment, the filling tube 4 is chilled to 8°C. The liquid can comprise water. In another embodiment, shown in figure 10, the sheets of material 3 are fed from opposing material reels 18. The heating means comprises welding the two sheets together within a temperature range of 110°C — 150°C. The heating means may vary dependent on the sheets of material 3 used. If the sheet of material 3 is cellulose-based, such as paper, then a higher temperature to join the sheets of material 3 together may be used as the cellulose material can act as an insulator. The sachet 1 can comprise a tear strip 48 which allows the sachet 1 to be easily opened. The tear strip 48 is arranged in the top portion 6 of the sachet 1 between the opposing generally planar sheets of material 3, wherein the tear strip 48 extends the width 32 of the sachet 1, parallel to the base 5 of the sachet 1. The sachet 1 generally has a rectangular shaped face but is not limited to this shaped face, the sachet may also be circular, triangular or any other suitable shape, depending on the design or functional requirements, and it is not limited to the specific embodiment herein described. Each sachet 1 contains between 30 and 40 grams of the beverage precursor 2. In a preferred embodiment, a single serve sachet 1 has a width 32 of 80mm and a length 31 of 150mm thereby containing 30 grams of chocolate.

Claims

1. A sachet for a beverage precursor comprising a chocolate precursor and a second precursor component, wherein the second precursor component comprises a foodsafe carrier for a flavouring agent.

2. A sachet for a beverage precursor according to Claim 1, wherein the food-safe carrier comprises an organic polymer.

3. A sachet for a beverage precursor according to Claim 2, wherein the organic polymer is carbohydrate or protein based.

4. A sachet for a beverage precursor according to Claim 2 to 3, wherein the organic polymer comprises an oligosaccharide or polysaccharide.

5. A sachet for a beverage precursor according to Claim 1 to 4, wherein the food-safe carrier derives from starch through hydrolysis.

6. A sachet according to Claims 1 to 5, wherein the chocolate precursor component comprises chocolate granules or flakes or shards.

7. A sachet according to Claims 1 to Claim 6, wherein the second precursor component is fat-soluble8. A sachet according to any one of Claims 1 to 7, wherein the second precursor component is a spray dried or freeze dried granulate or powder.

9. A sachet according to any one of Claims 1 to 8, wherein the second precursor component is microencapsulated so that the carrier releases its a flavouring agent only after being dissolved in water or milk.

10. A sachet according to any one of Claims 1 to 9, wherein the second precursor component comprises one or more of a flavouring agent comprising instant coffee, salted caramel, chilli or fruit.

11. A sachet according to any one of Claims 1 to 10, wherein the second precursor component comprises ethanol.

12. A sachet according to Claim 10 to 11, wherein the sachet comprises a further precursor component, wherein the second precursor component and further precursor each has a different flavouring agent.

13. A sachet according to any of Claims 1 to 12, wherein the food-safe carrier is maltodextrin.s

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