A manufacturing system and method for baked plant-based foods, and a vibrating oven.

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system (10) for producing baked plant food (1), particularly baked potato chips, the system (10) comprising: at least one pre-drying section (20) for pre-drying a provided plant food (1), particularly potato slices, and at least one baking section (40) for baking the pre-drying food, wherein the pre-drying section (20) comprises a bottom (21) for receiving the plant food (1), the bottom (21) is configured to be set in a vibrating state, and the pre-drying section (20) comprises an energy supply unit (23) for pre-drying the plant food (1) by supplying energy to the plant food (1). The present invention further relates to a method for producing baked plant food (1) and a vibrating oven (50).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Description The present invention relates to a system and method for manufacturing baked plant-based food, particularly baked potato chips, and a vibrating oven.

Background Art

[0002] Baked plant-based foods are globally popular and are becoming increasingly popular as consumers seek healthier and more sustainable food options. However, the production of plant-based foods is typically accompanied by significant food waste due to non-uniform processing. Generally, this non-uniform processing results from the fact that it is difficult to control the individual plant-based foods contained in the plant-based food throughout the entire process, so some fractions of the plant-based food are exposed to different processing parameters than other fractions. As a result, the proportion of plant-based foods that need to be sorted and discarded increases, leading to inefficiency and increased costs.

[0003] Based on this, an object of the present invention is to provide a system and method for manufacturing baked plant-based foods, and a vibrating oven, which can reduce the amount of food waste due to non-uniform processing, improve the flexibility of processing, and make the manufactured plant-based foods visually, gustatorily, and texturally attractive to customers.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] This problem is solved by a system for manufacturing baked plant-based food having the features of claim 1, a method for manufacturing baked plant-based food having the features of claim 14, and a vibrating oven having the features of claim 19.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] Advantageous embodiments of the present invention are described in the corresponding dependent claims and are explained below.

[0006] A first aspect of the present invention relates to a system for producing baked plant-based food, in particular baked potato chips. The system comprises at least one pre-drying section for pre-drying a provided plant-based food, in particular potato slices, and at least one baking section for baking the pre-drying food. The pre-drying section comprises a bottom for receiving the plant-based food, which is configured to be set in an oscillating state, and the pre-drying section comprises an energy supply unit for pre-drying the plant-based food by supplying energy to the plant-based food.

[0007] In the present invention, the term "plant-based food" particularly includes vegetables, potatoes, legumes, fruits, nuts, rice and / or grains.

[0008] In this invention, the term "potato chips" refers to potatoes that have been processed in a manner familiar to the general public, such as by frying or drying, and more particularly to cut potatoes such as potato slices.

[0009] Pre-drying in the pre-drying section is achieved, on the one hand, by the vibration of the bottom, i.e., mechanically. On the other hand, pre-drying is further enhanced by energy supplied to the plant food by an energy supply unit. This energy may include, for example, electromagnetic radiation, particularly thermal radiation and / or microwaves or other forms of energy, as disclosed below. Thus, the plant food undergoes both mechanical pre-drying by the vibration of the bottom in the pre-drying section and pre-drying by the energy supplied by the energy supply unit. Both vibration and energy supply can be controlled, in particular by adjusting the amplitude and / or frequency of the bottom vibration, and by adjusting the amount of energy supplied to the plant food by the energy supply unit. This measure contributes to enhanced control of the pre-drying of the plant food in the pre-drying section.

[0010] In particular, the bottom vibration is performed in such a way that the plant-based food is lifted from the bottom. Therefore, the bottom vibration may be strong enough to cause the plant-based food to rotate and invert repeatedly and essentially randomly, thereby enabling uniform drying of the plant-based food from all sides. This treatment can reduce the amount of food waste caused by plant-based food being too moist or too dry.

[0011] The firing process in the firing section can be achieved by supplying energy from an energy supply unit to the pre-dried plant-based food received by the firing section. For this purpose, the same energy supply unit used to pre-dry the plant-based food in the pre-drying section, or additional energy supply units, may be used.

[0012] Thus, pre-drying and baking are divided into separate processes performed in separate parts of the system, thereby increasing the system's flexibility: for example, baking processes such as baking temperature and / or baking time in the baking section can be adjusted based on the moisture content of the pre-dried food measured during or at the time of pre-drying in the pre-drying section.

[0013] Advantageously, pre-drying and baking replace oil-cooking of plant-based foods with fats such as oil, thus eliminating the need for oil-cooking. As a result, the fat content of baked plant-based foods is reduced by 50% to 100%, and especially by 50% to 70%, significantly improving food safety. At the same time, the system and method according to the present invention make it possible to produce plant-based foods that have a texture and appearance comparable to oil-cooked plant-based foods while providing customers with an appealing taste.

[0014] According to one embodiment, the pre-drying temperature in the pre-drying section can be set by an energy supply unit, and the calcining section is configured to set the calcining temperature in the calcining section, and in particular, a temperature gradient between the pre-drying temperature and the calcining temperature can be set. Preferably, the calcining temperature is lower than the pre-drying temperature. In addition to the advantage of improved system flexibility, the proposed two-stage drying-calcining process contributes to improved food safety of plant-based foods by reducing the amount of carcinogenic acrylamide, which is generally promoted to form at high temperatures in the presence of reducing sugars such as glucose and fructose and low water content.

[0015] In another embodiment, the bottom of the pre-drying section is provided with an outflow bottom that can supply energy to the plant-based food.

[0016] In one embodiment, the energy supply unit is configured to generate a high-temperature fluid flow, particularly a high-temperature gas flow, and more particularly a high-temperature air flow, so that the plant-based food can be pre-dried by a high-temperature fluid flow. In particular, the plant-based food is pre-dried by supercritical drying or critical point drying. The plant-based food can also be pre-dried by a superheated flow, particularly superheated steam, i.e., a fluid, or a fluid whose temperature is higher than the vaporization point at an absolute pressure in which the temperature is measured.

[0017] In another embodiment, a high-temperature fluid flow is guided through the outlet bottom. This embodiment is advantageous in that it can efficiently pre-dry the plant-based food, which is lifted particularly by the vibration of the bottom, from all sides, because the randomness of the rotating and inverting plant-based food is further enhanced by the high-temperature fluid flow acting on the plant-based food, thereby further reducing the amount of food waste from plant-based food that is too dry or too moist. In particular, the high-temperature fluid flow can help lift the plant-based food from the outlet bottom.

[0018] In one embodiment, the pre-drying section further comprises a plurality of transport sections separated from each other along a transport direction extending through the pre-drying section, thereby enabling the plant-based food to be separated into volumetric sections defined by the transport sections. In particular, this separation prevents plant-based food placed in separate transport sections from moving from one transport section to another through a physical barrier. Thus, the movement of plant-based food from one transport section to another can only occur if the individual plant-based food moves around the physical barrier. For example, the transport section and its volumetric section can be defined by chambers that partition the transport section. Generally, the production of baked plant-based food based on air-frying is carried out with a large amount of waste because the baking time of the individual plant-based food contained in the plant-based food is not adequately controlled. This is because individual plant-based food, such as individual potato slices, move essentially randomly in the airflow due to differences in their shape and the fluid dynamics of the airflow. Therefore, the distribution of baking times for individual plant-based food is essentially a Gaussian distribution. Typically, 50%, and especially 50% to 90%, of individual plant foods are baked within acceptable tolerances around a predetermined baking time, 5% to 25% of slices are too moist, i.e., pass through the system too quickly, and 5% to 25% of slices are too dry, i.e., pass through the system too slowly. Ideally, the percentage of each type of plant food that is too moist or too dry should be low, for example, 5%, and a high percentage of plant foods that are too moist or too dry negatively impacts the usable processing capacity (output) of the system. By separating plant foods into separate conveying units that partition distinct volumetric sections, the baking time of individual plant foods can be better controlled because they are isolated within separate volumetric sections. This strongly narrows the Gaussian distribution of individual plant foods regarding baking time, and significantly reduces the amount of waste due to over-drying or over-moisture plant foods. By separating the contents into separate volume sections simultaneously, efficient drying on a small baking surface becomes possible. The vibration at the bottom separates the plant-based food, ensuring that heat is evenly distributed across the surface of the plant-based food and that moisture is removed from the plant-based food through evaporation.

[0019] According to another embodiment, the pre-drying section further comprises a transport unit having a plurality of carriers for separating the transport sections, thereby allowing the plant-based food separated within the transport sections to be transported through the pre-drying section under the movement of the carriers along the transport direction. Thus, these transport sections can be separated from each other by the carriers, which form a physical barrier between them. For example, the plant-based food can be isolated within separate transport sections by vibrations at the bottom and, in particular, by the high-temperature fluid flow, thereby lifting the plant-based food towards the transport unit having the transport sections.

[0020] In yet another embodiment, the transport unit comprises a circumferential conveyor chain, where the carrier protrudes from the conveyor chain to form a transport section.

[0021] In particular, the conveying speed of the conveyor unit is adjustable. The firing time can be set by adjusting the conveying speed; the slower the conveying speed, the longer the firing time, and vice versa.

[0022] According to one embodiment, the outlet bottom, conveying section and / or conveying unit are components of an oven, particularly a vibrating oven in a system that includes or forms a pre-drying section.

[0023] In one embodiment, the pre-drying section is connected to or connectable to a high-temperature fluid circuit, particularly a high-temperature gas circuit, and more particularly a high-temperature air circuit, through which a high-temperature fluid flow can be discharged from the pre-drying section and filtered through a fluid filter, particularly a gas filter, and more particularly an air filter, and at least partially reintroduced into the pre-drying section.

[0024] In another embodiment, the system comprises a plurality of preliminary drying units, where the energy supply unit is configured to set different preliminary drying temperatures in different preliminary drying units. For example, the system may comprise three preliminary drying units, and each preliminary drying unit may be set to a respective preliminary drying temperature. Each preliminary drying temperature may be substantially constant within each preliminary drying unit. The plurality of preliminary drying units may be configured such that the plant-based food can be dried by passing continuously through the plurality of preliminary drying units. A temperature gradient may be set between different preliminary drying units. In particular, the temperature gradient may be such that the temperature decreases from one preliminary drying unit to another.

[0025] In one example, the system comprises two preliminary drying units, namely a first preliminary drying unit and a second preliminary drying unit adjacent to each other, and these preliminary drying units each have a length of 1 m and a width of 25 cm.

[0026] In the batch process described herein, the heat flow rate of the heat flow passing through the first preliminary drying unit is between 1200 kg / h and 900 kg / h. Taking into account the reduction in the water content of the plant-based food, the temperatures and heat flow rates of both preliminary drying units are decreased during the preliminary drying. In particular, the temperatures of both preliminary drying units are as follows: - 190°C to 220°C at a first heat flow rate during a first period that is from 0 minutes to 6 minutes, - 170°C at a second heat flow rate during a second period that is from 0 minutes to 2 minutes after the first period, and - 170°C at a third heat flow rate during a third period that is from 0 seconds to 30 seconds after the second period Here, the first heat flow rate is greater than the second heat flow rate, and the second heat flow rate is greater than the third heat flow rate.

[0027] In the continuous process described in this specification, the first temperature of the first section can be 190°C to 220°C, the first flow rate of the first section is 900 kg / h to 1300 kg / h, the second temperature of the second section is 170°C to 90°C, and the second flow rate of the second section is 600 kg / h to 900 kg / h. In the continuous process, the conveying speed passing through the first section and the second section can be 2 m in 10 minutes, corresponding to 0.0033 m / s.

[0028] In another embodiment, the system includes a plurality of firing sections, and the energy supply unit or an additional energy supply unit is configured to set different firing temperatures in different firing sections.

[0029] In one embodiment, at least one pre-drying section and at least one firing section are arranged within a common housing. For example, both the pre-drying section and the firing section can be arranged in the same oven. The oven can include a common conveying line for conveying the plant-based food from the pre-drying section to the firing section. In particular, the oven can include the plurality of pre-drying sections and / or the plurality of firing sections.

[0030] According to another embodiment, the pre-dried plant-based food can be fired by the energy supply unit, or the firing section includes an additional energy supply unit for firing the pre-dried plant-based food.

[0031] In one embodiment, the pre-dried plant-based food can be conveyed through the firing section by the conveying unit, or the firing section includes an additional conveying unit for conveying the pre-dried plant-based food through the firing section.

[0032] In another embodiment, the pre-dried plant food can be baked by the high-temperature fluid flow, or a further energy supply unit in the baking section is configured to generate a further high-temperature fluid flow, in particular a further high-temperature gas flow, and more particularly a further high-temperature air flow for baking the pre-dried food. In particular, when the pre-dried plant food is baked in the pre-drying section by a high-temperature fluid flow for pre-drying the plant food, the exhaust flow of the high-temperature fluid flow is directed to the baking section for baking the pre-dried plant food.

[0033] In one embodiment, the system further includes a centrifugal separation unit configured to at least partially dehydrate the plant-based food. In this way, the plant-based food can be at least partially dehydrated mechanically, i.e., without using thermal or radiant energy, thereby significantly improving the energy efficiency of the system. For example, in the case of potato slices, 10 kg of fresh, cut potato slices can be dehydrated to a weight of 9 kg by centrifuging four consecutive times in a receiving container having a lateral diameter of 47 cm extending perpendicular to the rotation axis of the centrifugal separator, with each centrifugal separation lasting 25 seconds and the rotation speed of 800-1000 rpm, while alternating the direction of rotation. This corresponds to a 10% reduction in the mass of the potatoes due to dehydration during centrifugal separation, and significantly reduces the energy required for pre-drying the plant-based food in the pre-drying section and for baking the pre-dried plant-based food. The degree of dehydration, which is the amount of moisture lost from the plant-based food by the centrifugal separation unit, can be adjusted by adjusting the centrifugal separation parameters, i.e., the lateral diameter of the receiving container, the rotation speed and / or time, and the number of centrifugal separations.

[0034] According to another embodiment, the system further comprises an additive unit configured to add additives to a plant-based food. In particular, the additive unit is configured to add additives to the plant-based food during centrifugation. More specifically, the additive unit is configured to add additives to the plant-based food during centrifugation, before transferring the plant-based food to a pre-drying section.

[0035] In yet another embodiment, the system further comprises a mixing unit, particularly a drum, configured to receive and mix the plant-based food. The drum, in particular, is configured to receive and mix the plant-based food and discharge it so that it can be transferred to or transferred to a pre-drying section. Other systems or machines may also be used for the application of additives.

[0036] Preferably, before transferring to the pre-drying section, the plant food is cleaned and peeled, and sorted in particular according to size and / or cut. In particular, the plant food is dehydrated, preferably mechanically by setting it to a vibrating state and / or by centrifugation. Thus, vibrating and / or centrifugation can both remove unwanted elements from the plant food and reduce the moisture content of the plant food by one step. Additives such as oil, spices, defoamers or lecithin may be added to the plant food, especially before transferring to the pre-drying section. Preferably, the additive has a specific heat capacity lower than that of water, and in particular a specific heat capacity in the range of 1 kJ / kgK to 3 kJ / kgK. This treatment contributes to chips of different quality compared to those without additives and improves the appearance, flavor and texture of the baked plant food.

[0037] In particular, if the plant-based food contains or is made of potatoes, it is preferably cut into potato slices with a thickness in the range of 1.3 mm to 1.7 mm, particularly 1.1 mm to 1.7 mm, more particularly 1.2 mm to 1.5 mm, and even more particularly 1.2 mm to 1.4 mm, especially flat potato slices. Alternatively, the potatoes may be cut into shapes such as smooth, grooved, riffle-shaped, or stick-shaped. In particular, the cut potatoes are washed and mechanically dehydrated. Preferably, dehydration is achieved by centrifugal force. The dehydrated potato slices may then be given additives in a mixing unit such as a drum configured to receive, mix, and discharge potato slices, especially those containing additives. The additives may also be given by a spray lance located in the central region of the drum, where the additives are given and mixed under the rotation of the drum around the spray lance before the potato slices are transferred to a pre-drying region.

[0038] A second aspect of the present invention relates to a method for producing baked plant-based food, particularly baked potato chips, wherein the plant-based food is received by the bottom of at least one pre-drying section and pre-dried by energy supplied by an energy supply unit under vibration of the bottom, and the pre-dried plant-based food is baked in at least one baking section.

[0039] In particular, the method according to the second aspect of the present invention is performed using the system according to the first aspect of the present invention.

[0040] In particular, embodiments of the first aspect of the present invention are applicable to the second aspect of the present invention, and vice versa.

[0041] In one embodiment, a pre-drying temperature in the range of 140°C to 250°C, particularly in the range of 170°C to 220°C, is set by the energy supply unit of the pre-drying section.

[0042] According to another embodiment, pre-drying is carried out so that the pre-dried food contains a moisture content of 5% to 25%, particularly 10% to 20%. The moisture content may be measured in situ, for example, using a sensor, or ex situ, for example, by analyzing a sample taken from the pre-dried section for moisture content.

[0043] In particular, pre-drying and / or calcination can be carried out not only in batch processing but also in continuous processing. In continuous processing, the plant-based food is continuously received and discharged from the pre-drying or calcining section for a predetermined operating time. Continuous processing can be achieved, for example, by a conveying unit, particularly the conveyor chain, that continuously transports the plant-based food through the pre-drying or calcining section for pre-drying the plant-based food. In batch processing, a predetermined amount is received by the pre-drying or calcining section in a first step, and then the plant-based food is pre-dried or calcined. In the following third step, the pre-dried or calcined plant-based food is removed from the pre-drying or calcining section. The first step may be performed manually, that is, by manually loading the food product into the pre-drying or baking section, or by, for example, the conveying unit, particularly the conveyor chain, which can be used to transport a predetermined amount of plant-based food to the pre-drying or baking section, after which the conveying unit can be stopped so that the second step can be performed. In the third step, the conveying unit can be used to unload the plant-based food from the pre-drying or baking section.

[0044] In yet another embodiment, a firing temperature in the range of 120°C to 150°C, particularly in the range of 130°C to 140°C, and more particularly in the range of 130°C to 135°C, is set by an energy supply unit in the firing section or an additional energy supply unit.

[0045] According to another embodiment, the baking is carried out such that the baked plant-based food contains no more than 2.5%, and more particularly no more than 2.0% of water.

[0046] According to another embodiment, the baking is carried out so that the baked plant-based food contains a water content of 2% or less.

[0047] In yet another embodiment, the plant-based food is at least partially dehydrated in a centrifugal separation unit before pre-drying in the pre-drying section. Thus, the plant-based food can be dehydrated in a more energy-efficient manner by mechanical dehydration by centrifugal separation, which generally requires far less energy than dehydration by thermal or radiant energy, especially when the water content of the plant-based food is relatively high before being received by the pre-drying section.

[0048] In another embodiment, additives are added to the plant-based food. For example, additives may be added to the plant-based food between centrifugal separation in the centrifugal unit and transfer to the pre-drying section. For example, the additives include or are oils. Oils added to plant-based foods in particular include sunflower oil and / or rapeseed oil and / or other oils. More specifically, oils include previously used oil taken from a conventional frying pan used for cooking plant-based foods. Typically, using this previously used oil results in a richer flavor perceived by the consumer. The quality of the previously used oil can be monitored by the amount of peroxides, free fatty acids, and antioxidants. For example, previously used oil containing the following amounts can be used: Peroxide amount: 0.1%~3%. Free fatty acid content: 0.02%~0.4%. Antioxidants: 10-100 ppm relative to the amount of antioxidants used.

[0049] For example, the amount of oil added to plant-based foods during centrifugal separation corresponds to 0-13%, particularly 7.5-12%, and more specifically 9%, of the mass of baked plant-based foods, including less than 2.5% oil. For example, the composition of plant-based foods after pre-drying and baking is less than 2.5% water, 83-98% plant-based foods, particularly potatoes, and 0-15% oil. Adding oil to plant-based foods not only enhances the flavor perceived by consumers, but also improves the texture and makes the appearance more appealing.

[0050] A third aspect of the present invention relates to a vibratory oven. The vibratory oven comprises: - A bottom configured to accept plant-based food and to be set to a vibrating state, - An energy supply unit for supplying energy to plant-based food for pre-drying and / or baking the plant-based food, and - Multiple transport units separated from each other so that plant-based food can be separated into volume sections defined by the transport units.

[0051] In particular, vibrating ovens are configured to produce pre-dried and / or baked vegetable foods, especially potato chips.

[0052] Pre-drying and / or baking are achieved, on the one hand, by the vibration of the bottom, i.e., mechanically. On the other hand, pre-drying and / or baking are further enhanced by energy supplied to the plant food by an energy supply unit. This energy may include, for example, electromagnetic radiation, in particular thermal radiation and / or microwaves, or other forms of energy such as those disclosed below. Thus, the plant food is mechanically pre-dried and / or baked in the vibrating oven by both the vibration of the bottom and the energy supplied by the energy supply unit. Both the vibration and the energy supply can be controlled, in particular by adjusting the amplitude and / or frequency of the vibration of the bottom, and by adjusting the amount of energy supplied to the plant food by the energy supply unit. This measure contributes to enhanced control of the pre-drying and / or baking of the plant food in the vibrating oven.

[0053] In particular, the bottom vibration is performed in such a way that the plant-based food is lifted from the bottom. Therefore, the bottom vibration may be strong enough to cause the plant-based food to rotate and invert repeatedly and essentially randomly, thereby enabling uniform drying of the plant-based food from all sides. This treatment can reduce the amount of food waste caused by plant-based food being too moist or too dry.

[0054] In one embodiment, the vibrating oven further comprises a conveying unit having a plurality of carriers for forming and / or separating conveying sections, thereby allowing plant-based food separated within the conveying sections to be conveyed through the vibrating oven under the movement of carriers along the conveying direction.

[0055] In another embodiment, the bottom of the vibrating oven is equipped with an outlet bottom that can supply energy to plant-based foods.

[0056] In one embodiment, the energy supply unit is configured to generate a high-temperature fluid flow, particularly a high-temperature gas flow, and more particularly a high-temperature air flow, thereby allowing plant-based foods to be pre-dried and / or baked by the high-temperature fluid flow. In particular, plant-based foods are pre-dried by supercritical drying or critical point drying. Plant-based foods can also be pre-dried by a superheated flow, particularly superheated steam, i.e., a fluid or steam at a temperature higher than the vaporization point at an absolute pressure where the temperature is measured.

[0057] In another embodiment, a high-temperature fluid flow is guided through the outlet bottom. This embodiment is particularly advantageous in that the plant-based food lifted by the vibration of the bottom can be efficiently pre-dried and / or baked from all sides, because the randomness of the rotating and inverting plant-based food is further enhanced by the high-temperature fluid flow acting on the plant-based food, further reducing the amount of food waste due to the plant-based food being too dry or too moist. In particular, the high-temperature fluid flow can contribute to lifting the plant-based food from the outlet bottom.

[0058] In one embodiment, the vibrating oven further comprises a plurality of conveying sections separated from each other along a conveying direction extending through a pre-drying section, thereby enabling the separation of plant-based foods into volumetric sections defined by the conveying sections. In particular, this separation prevents plant-based foods placed in separate conveying sections from moving from one conveying section to another through a physical barrier. For example, the conveying sections and their volumetric sections can be defined by chambers that partition the conveying sections. Generally, the production of pre-dried and / or baked plant-based foods based on air-frying is carried out with a large amount of waste because the pre-drying and / or baked times of the individual plant-based foods contained in the plant-based food are not adequately controlled. This is because individual plant-based foods, such as individual potato slices, move essentially randomly in the airflow due to their differences in shape and the fluid dynamics of the airflow. Therefore, the distribution of baked times for individual plant-based foods is essentially a Gaussian distribution. Typically, 50%, and especially 50%–90%, of individual plant foods are baked within acceptable tolerances around a predetermined baking time, 5%–25% of slices are too moist, i.e., pass through the system too quickly, and 5%–25% of slices are too dry, i.e., pass through the system too slowly. Ideally, the percentage of each type of plant food that is too moist or too dry should be low, for example, 5%, and a higher percentage of plant foods that are too moist or too dry negatively impacts the usable processing capacity (output) of the system. By separating plant foods into separate conveying units that define distinct volumetric sections, the baking time of individual plant foods can be better controlled as they are confined to separate volumetric sections, thereby strongly narrowing the Gaussian distribution of individual plant foods regarding pre-drying and / or baking time, thereby significantly reducing the amount of waste due to over-drying and over-moisture plant foods. At the same time, by separating into different volumetric sections, efficient drying of the small baking surface becomes possible. The vibration at the bottom separates the plant-based food, ensuring that heat is evenly distributed across the surface of the plant-based food and that moisture is removed from the plant-based food by evaporation.

[0059] According to another embodiment, the vibrating oven further comprises a conveying unit having a plurality of carriers for separating conveying sections, so that the plant-based food separated in the conveying section can be conveyed through the vibrating oven under the movement of carriers along the conveying direction. Thus, the conveying sections can be separated from each other by the carriers forming a physical barrier between them. For example, the plant-based food can be isolated in separate conveying sections by vibrations at the bottom and, in particular, by the flow of the hot fluid, thereby lifting the plant-based food towards the conveying unit having the conveying sections.

[0060] In yet another embodiment, the transport unit comprises a circumferential conveyor chain, where the carrier protrudes from the conveyor chain to form a transport section.

[0061] In particular, the conveying speed of the conveyor unit is adjustable. The pre-drying and / or firing time can be set by adjusting the conveying speed, where a slower conveying speed results in a longer firing time, and vice versa.

[0062] In one embodiment, the vibrating oven is connected to or can be connected to a high-temperature fluid circuit, particularly a high-temperature gas circuit, and more particularly a high-temperature air circuit, through which a high-temperature fluid flow can be discharged from the vibrating oven and filtered through a fluid filter, particularly a gas filter, and more particularly an air filter, and at least partially reintroduced into a pre-drying section.

[0063] In another embodiment, the energy supply unit is configured to set separate temperatures in separate parts of the vibrating oven. For example, the system may have three parts, each of which can be set to its own temperature. The system may have more than three parts, for example, four, five, six, seven, or more parts. Each temperature may be substantially constant within its own part. Multiple parts may be configured so that plant-based food can be dried and / or baked by passing through multiple parts in succession. A temperature gradient may be set between the separate parts. In particular, the temperature gradient may be such that the temperature decreases from one part to another.

[0064] A fourth aspect of the present invention relates to a method for producing pre-dried and / or baked vegetable food, particularly potato chips, using a vibrating oven according to a third aspect of the present invention. According to the method of the fourth aspect, the vegetable food is received by the bottom of the vibrating oven. The bottom is set to vibrate, and energy is supplied to the vegetable food to pre-dry and / or bake it, where the vegetable food is separable into a volumetric section defined by a plurality of conveying sections.

[0065] A fifth aspect of the present invention relates to a method for producing pre-dried potato chips, wherein potato slices are received by a bottom and lifted and pre-dried by vibrations of the outlet bottom.

[0066] In particular, to pre-dry the potato slices, they are exposed to a high-temperature fluid flow, especially a high-temperature gas flow, and even more so, a high-temperature air flow.

[0067] The high-temperature fluid flow is guided through the outflow bottom, which forms or is part of the bottom, so that the potato slices are further lifted by the high-temperature fluid flow.

[0068] Exemplary embodiments are described below in conjunction with the drawings. The drawings are attached to the claims and are accompanied by descriptions of the individual features of the embodiments shown and aspects of the invention. The individual features shown in the drawings and / or described in the descriptions of the drawings may be incorporated (even in separate embodiments) into the claims relating to the first, second, third, fourth and / or fifth aspects of the invention. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0069] [Figure 1] Figure 1 shows one embodiment of the system and method according to the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 2 shows one embodiment of the system and method according to the present invention, which includes a centrifugal separation unit for dehydrating plant-based food products before pre-drying in multiple pre-drying sections. [Figure 3] Figure 3 shows an embodiment of the pre-drying unit according to the present invention, which includes a vibrating oven. [Figure 4] Figure 4 shows one embodiment of the firing section according to the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0070] Figure 1 shows an embodiment of a system 10 and method for producing baked plant-based food 1, in particular baked potato chips, according to the present invention. The system 10 comprises a pre-drying section 20 for pre-drying a provided plant-based food 1, in particular potato slices, and a baking section 40 for baking the plant-based food 1 pre-dried by the pre-drying section 20.

[0071] The pre-drying section 20 includes a bottom 21 for receiving plant-based food 1. The plant-based food 1 can be loaded onto the bottom 21 manually or automatically, particularly by a conveying means such as a conveyor line. The bottom 21 is configured to vibrate in order to pre-dry the provided plant-based food 1 placed on the vibrating bottom 21. Pre-drying is further achieved by an energy supply unit 23 configured to supply energy to the plant-based food 1 placed on the bottom 21. For example, the energy supplied by the energy supply unit includes a high-temperature fluid flow or electromagnetic radiation, particularly thermal radiation and / or microwaves. Thus, the plant-based food 1 is mechanically pre-dried in the pre-drying section 20 both by the vibration of the bottom 21 and by the energy supplied by the energy supply unit 23.

[0072] In particular, the vibration of the bottom 21 lifts the plant-based food 1 from the bottom 21, causing the plant-based food 1 to repeatedly rotate and / or invert in an essentially random manner, thereby uniformly exposing the plant-based food 1 to the energy supplied by the energy supply unit 23 from all sides.

[0073] The baking section 40 of system 10 is configured to bake food that has been pre-dried by the pre-drying section 20. For this purpose, the pre-dried food can be transported from the pre-drying section 20 to the baking section 40, in particular by human transport or by a transport line. The drying section 20 may be integrated into the baking section 40, for example, by a common transport line extending through the pre-drying section 20 and the baking section 40.

[0074] For the firing process, energy is supplied to the pre-dried plant-based food 1 placed in the firing section 40. According to this embodiment, the energy supplied to the pre-dried plant-based food 1 in the firing section 40 is supplied by a further energy supply unit 23a, where the energy may include a high-temperature fluid flow or electromagnetic radiation, similar to the energy supply unit 23 used to supply energy to the pre-drying section 20. Alternatively, the energy supplied to the pre-dried plant-based food 1 placed in the firing section 40 may be supplied by the same energy supply unit 23 used to pre-dry the plant-based food 1 in the pre-drying section 20.

[0075] Thus, the system 10 and method according to this embodiment enable or include a two-stage drying-and-baking process by having a baking unit 40 connected in series with the pre-drying unit 20, thereby enabling the achievement of desired product characteristics of the baked plant-based food 1 with greater flexibility. In particular, in the pre-drying unit 20, a pre-drying temperature of 140°C to 250°C, especially 170°C to 220°C, is achieved by the energy supply unit 23, while in the downstream baking unit 40, a baking temperature of 120°C to 150°C, especially 130°C to 140°C, is achieved by a further energy supply unit 23a or the energy supply unit 23. Preferably, in the pre-drying unit 20, the plant-based food 1 is pre-dried so that the moisture content of the plant-based food 1 is reduced to a range of 5% to 25%, especially 10% to 20%. In the baking unit 40, the pre-dried plant-based food 1 is preferably baked so that its moisture content is 2.5% or less. A two-stage drying-and-baking process, in which the temperature of the baking section 40 is lower than that of the pre-drying section 20, is further advantageous in reducing the amount of carcinogenic acrylamide formed at low moisture content, particularly less than 5%, which is generally increased at high temperatures in the presence of reducing sugars such as glucose and fructose and at low moisture content. Moisture content may be measured in-situ by sensors placed in the pre-drying section 20 and / or the baking section 40, or ex-situ by testing a sample of the pre-dried or baked plant food 1. In particular, the two-stage drying-and-baking process allows for adjustment of the baking temperature and / or baking time based on the moisture content of the pre-dried food determined during or at the time of pre-drying of the plant food 1 in the pre-drying section 20, thereby further increasing the flexibility of the system 10 and making it easier to achieve a desired moisture content of the baked food, particularly less than 2%.

[0076] Preferably, before transferring to the pre-drying section 20, stones and soil are removed from the vegetable food 1, the vegetable food 1 is washed, peeled, and sorted in particular according to its size and / or cut. In particular, the vegetable food 1 is mechanically dehydrated, preferably by setting them in an agitated state. Additives such as oil, spices, defoamers, and lecithin may be added to the vegetable food 1, especially before transferring to the pre-drying section 20. Preferably, the additives have a specific heat capacity lower than that of water, and in particular a specific heat capacity in the range of 1 kJ / kgK to 3 kJ / kgK. This treatment contributes to chips of a distinct quality compared to those without additives, which improves the appearance, flavor and texture of the baked vegetable food 1.

[0077] In particular, if the plant-based food 1 contains or is potato, it is preferably cut into potato slices with a thickness in the range of 1.1 mm to 1.7 mm, the slices are washed to remove starch, and then the potato slices are mechanically dehydrated by centrifugal force. Subsequently, the additives may be added to the dehydrated potato slices in a mixing unit such as a drum configured to receive, mix, and discharge the potato slices, particularly those containing additives. In particular, the additives may be added by a spray lance located in the central region of the drum, where the additives are added and mixed under the rotation of the drum around the spray lance before the potato slices are transferred to a pre-drying region.

[0078] Figure 2 shows another embodiment of the system 10 and method according to the present invention. Beyond the embodiment shown in Figure 1, the system 10 according to this embodiment further comprises a centrifugal separator 60 for dehydrating a plant-based food 1 by centrifugal separation. According to this embodiment, a fresh plant-based food 1, such as potatoes, particularly potato slices, can be placed in the centrifugal separator 60 before being transferred to a plurality of series pre-drying sections, particularly comprising a first pre-drying section 20a, a second pre-drying section 20b, a third pre-drying section 20c, a fourth pre-drying section 20d, and a fifth pre-drying section 20e (which will be described in more detail below). By partially dehydrating the fresh plant-based food 1 with the centrifugal separator 60, the relatively high moisture content of the fresh plant-based food 1 can be reduced in an energy-efficient manner compared to a system 10 consisting of only one pre-drying section 20, or a plurality of pre-drying sections 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e, and a baking section 40 (which essentially reduces the moisture content by associated energy supply units 23, 23a). In other words, mechanical dehydration by centrifugal separation requires less energy from the energy supply units 23 and 23a to reach the expected moisture content of the baked plant food 1, particularly a moisture content of 2% or less.

[0079] The plant-based food 1 can be moved through the pre-drying sections 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, and 20e, which makes it possible to produce baked plant-based food 1 in particular in a continuous process. That is, it is not necessary to load the pre-drying sections 20 or 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, and 20e in batches, i.e., a fixed amount. For example, it is not necessary to load 80 kg of plant-based food 1 into the pre-drying sections 20 or 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, and 20e for pre-drying, and then unload this pre-dried amount and move it to the baking section 40 (this is also called "batch processing"). In such processing, for example, six batches, each containing 80 kg of plant-based food 1, can be processed in one hour, resulting in a processing rate of 480 kg of plant-based food per hour. In contrast, in continuous processing, the plant-based food 1 is continuously transported to the pre-drying section 20 or pre-drying sections 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e, moved through it, and discharged from there, and the amount of plant-based food 1 per unit time that is transported to and discharged from the pre-drying section 20 or pre-drying sections 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e is essentially the same. In order to move the plant-based food 1 through the pre-drying section 20 or pre-drying sections 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e, the vibrating base 21 may be slightly inclined, for example, such that the normal vector standing orthogonally on the base 21 forms a finite inclination angle with respect to the direction of gravity, thereby causing the plant-based food 1 to move along the base 21 under the influence of the vibration of the base 21 and gravity. The conveying speed of the plant-based food 1 in the pre-drying section 20 can be changed by changing the inclination angle of the bottom section 21; the greater the inclination angle, the faster the conveying speed, and vice versa.

[0080] In addition to the centrifugal separation unit 60, the system 10 according to the embodiment of Figure 2 further comprises a plurality of heat exchangers, in this embodiment five heat exchangers 61, 62, 63, 64, and 65, which realize a pre-drying temperature gradient along the vibrating bottom 21. The heat exchangers 61, 62, 63, 64, and 65 are supplied with energy by the energy supply unit 23 and are configured so that the pre-drying temperature decreases from one end of the bottom 21 to the other. Thus, each heat exchanger 61, 62, 63, 64, and 65 is associated with a respective pre-drying section 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, and 20e, each of which can realize a respective pre-drying temperature. For example, the first heat exchanger 61 is configured to realize a first pre-drying temperature in the first pre-drying section 20a, and the corresponding pre-drying temperature can be set in the corresponding pre-drying section by the corresponding heat exchanger. In particular, when transferring partially dehydrated plant-based food 1 to, for example, the right end of the vibrating bottom 21 shown in Figure 2, the first heat exchanger 61 can be set to a higher pre-drying temperature than the second heat exchanger 62, and the pre-drying temperature of each heat exchanger can be decreased for each heat exchanger toward the fifth heat exchanger 65. In this way, the pre-drying temperature of each heat exchanger can be set to take into account the decrease in the water content of the plant-based food 1 as it moves along the vibrating bottom 21 through the pre-drying section 20. Furthermore, the heat flow rate, i.e., the volume of high-temperature gas per unit time passing through each pre-drying section 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, and 20e can be set. This allows the water content of the plant-based food 1 to be reduced in an energy-efficient and controlled manner.

[0081] In an exemplary continuous process, partially dehydrated plant food 1 is transferred from the centrifugal separation unit 60 to a first pre-drying zone 20a, where the pre-drying temperatures in five pre-drying sections 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, and 20e are set to 220°C, 210°C, 200°C, 190°C, and 180°C, from the first pre-drying section 20a to the fifth pre-drying section 20e. The heat flow rates in the five pre-drying sections 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, and 20e are set to 1300 kg / min, 1125 kg / min, 950 kg / min, 775 kg / min, and 600 kg / min, from the first pre-drying section 20a to the fifth pre-drying section 20e. The conveying speed can be set to 0.0033 m / s. In particular, oil can be applied to partially dehydrated plant-based food products 1 before they are transferred to the first pre-drying zone 20a.

[0082] As an alternative to continuous processing, the system 10 according to this embodiment can be operated in batch processing. In batch processing, a fixed amount, for example 100 kg of plant-based food 1, is successively loaded onto the vibrating bottom 21, and this amount is then pre-dried in the pre-drying section 20 or pre-drying sections 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e, and then unloaded for transfer to the baking section 40 for baking the pre-dried plant-based food 1. Preferably, in batch processing, the plant-based food 1 is loaded so as to be distributed over most of the vibrating bottom 21, particularly the entire surface. For example, this can be done by maintaining the vibrating bottom 21 at a finite inclination angle during the loading process until the plant-based food 1 is distributed over most of the vibrating bottom 21, particularly the entire surface, and then this inclination angle becomes essentially zero for the pre-drying process. Similarly, the plant-based food 1 can be unloaded in the downstream baking section 40 for baking by adjusting the vibrating bottom 21 back to a finite inclination angle to transfer the pre-dried plant-based food 1 from the pre-drying section 20 or pre-drying sections 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e. Pre-drying in the pre-drying sections 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e for 10 minutes allows for the pre-drying of 500 kg / h of plant-based food 1 by such batch processing.

[0083] Typically, after pre-drying in the pre-drying section 20 or pre-drying sections 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, and 20e, the pre-dried vegetable food 1 contains a moisture content within a 0-30% moisture distribution. In the baking section 40, the pre-dried vegetable food 1 is baked by a further energy supply unit 23a, which can create an essentially uniform temperature within the baking section 40. This contributes favorably to reducing the average moisture content and narrowing the moisture distribution, as, for a given baking temperature, vegetable food 1 with a higher residual moisture content loses more moisture than vegetable food 1 with a lower residual moisture content. As a result, the baked vegetable food 1 can contain a moisture content of 2% or less, and the moisture distribution can be as low as 2%. For this purpose, for example, the baking temperature in the baking section can be maintained at 135°C for 3-10 minutes, depending on the moisture content of the vegetable food 1 after pre-drying in the pre-drying section.

[0084] Figure 3 shows an embodiment of the pre-drying unit 20 according to the present invention, which comprises a vibrating oven 50 partitioned by a housing 34. In this embodiment, the plant food 1 is transferred into the vibrating oven 50 via a feeder 38 at an input port 32, and is then received by the vibrating bottom 21 of the vibrating oven 50 for pre-drying of the plant food 1 by vibration.

[0085] Furthermore, the plant-based food 1 is pre-dried by energy supplied by an energy supply unit 23, which in this embodiment includes an efflux device 37 for generating a fluid flow, particularly a gas flow, and more particularly an air flow. The energy supply unit 23 further includes a heater 36 downstream of the efflux device 37 to heat this fluid flow. The heated fluid flow forms a high-temperature fluid flow 24, particularly a high-temperature gas flow, and more particularly a high-temperature air flow, which is led to the vibrating oven 50. The bottom 21 for receiving the plant-based food 1 is provided with a plurality of holes through which the high-temperature fluid flow 24 flows so that the bottom 21 is formed as an efflux bottom 22. As shown in Figure 3, the high-temperature fluid flow 24 is directed against gravity so that the plant-based food 1 is further lifted from the efflux bottom 22 and the plant-based food 1 is repeatedly rotated, turned over and / or inverted, thereby efficiently achieving homogeneous pre-drying of the plant-based food 1 from all sides. Furthermore, the plant-based food 1 is lifted by the vibration of the efflux bottom 22. At the same time, the vibration of the outlet bottom 22 prevents the plant food 1 from sticking to each other and / or to the outlet bottom 22, thereby allowing their surfaces to be effectively exposed to the high-temperature fluid flow 24, which contributes to the homogeneous pre-drying of the plant food 1.

[0086] The vibrating oven 50 further comprises a conveying unit 26 for transporting plant-based food 1 from the input port 32 to the discharge port 33 of the vibrating oven 50. The conveying unit 26 according to this embodiment comprises a circumferential conveyor chain 28 having a plurality of carriers 27 protruding from a conveyor chain 28 to define and separate a plurality of conveying sections 25 or chambers 29. The plant-based food 1 is lifted by a high-temperature fluid flow 24 so that it can be placed in separate volumetric sections defined by the conveying sections 25. The conveyor chain 28 can be operated so that the carriers 27 move along a conveying direction extending from the input port 32 to the discharge port 33, thereby transporting the plant-based food 1 placed in the conveying sections 25 through the carriers 27 through the vibrating oven 50. Thus, the carriers 27 act as a physical barrier between adjacent conveying sections 25, preventing the plant-based food 1 from moving between separate conveying sections 25 through the carriers 27. The carriers 27 may be equipped with a grid so that the high-temperature fluid flow 24 can flow through the carriers 27. The size of the grid, i.e., the minimum size of the openings in the grid, is preferably smaller than the average size of the plant food 1, so that the plant food 1 cannot move through the grid, but the high-temperature fluid flow 24 can pass through. In this way, the carrier 27 can form a cage-like chamber 29 that partitions adjacent conveying sections 25 at least in the cross-sectional direction, as shown in Figure 1. In this arrangement, the plant food 1 can move between separate conveying sections 25 only by moving around the carrier 27. To reduce the amount that the plant food 1 moves between separate conveying sections 25, the oscillating motion of the outflow bottom 22 may be matched to the conveying speed of the conveyor chain 28 so that even if the plant food 1 falls from the conveying section 25 and lands in the outflow bottom 22, it is pushed back into the same conveying section 25.As a result of the advantageous consequence that the plant-based food 1 is isolated in the conveying section 25, the pre-drying time of individual plant-based food items contained in the plant-based food 1 isolated in the conveying section 25 is controlled much better than in a system that applies the high-temperature fluid flow 24 without such isolation (confinement), in which, as a result, a larger proportion of the plant-based food 1 needs to be sorted out because it is either over-dried or under-dried by the high-temperature fluid flow 1, due to the uncontrolled, essentially random movement of individual plant-based food items and the pre-drying time. The pre-drying time can be set by the conveying speed of the conveyor chain 28 and can be adjusted in particular, where a lower conveying speed corresponds to a longer pre-drying time, and vice versa.

[0087] The vibrating oven 50 can extend along a length of 15m to 25m, particularly 19m to 21m, and more particularly 20m, measured from the inlet 32 ​​to the outlet 33 of the vibrating oven 50. Laterally, the vibrating oven 50 can have a width of 0.5m to 1.5m, particularly 0.9m to 1.1m, and more particularly 1m. The lateral width of the vibrating oven 50 sets the maximum lateral length of the conveying section 25 inside the vibrating oven 50.

[0088] For example, if the length of the vibrating oven 50 is 20m, the conveyor chain 28 can be operated so that the carrier 27 moves at a transport speed of 2.5m / min, resulting in a pre-drying time of 8 minutes.

[0089] Preferably, the vibration of the outlet bottom 22 is isolated from the conveyor chain 28 so as to move relative to the conveyor chain 28 when the outlet bottom 22 vibrates. In particular, the vibration of the outlet bottom 22 is carried out so that the carrier 27 and the outlet bottom 22 are separated from each other and do not come into physical contact during the vibration, thereby preventing the plant food 1 from getting stuck between the carrier 27 and the outlet bottom 22. In particular, the vibration may include vibration components that are directed along the transport direction so that when the plant food 1 falls onto the outlet bottom 22, the plant food 1 is further transported by the outlet bottom 22 toward the discharge port 33.

[0090] As can be seen further in Figure 3, the vibrating oven 50 according to this embodiment is connected to the high-temperature fluid circuit 30 of the system 10, in particular the high-temperature gas circuit, and more particularly the high-temperature air circuit, through which the high-temperature fluid flow 24 can be discharged from the vibrating oven 50 and filtered through a fluid filter 31, in particular the gas filter, and more particularly the air filter. The high-temperature fluid circuit 30 in particular may include a centrifuge 35 for separating particles from the fluid, especially if the fluid contains or is a gas such as air. The fluid may be filtered by another fluid filter 31 before entering the energy supply unit 27 again so that it is returned to the vibrating oven 50. In this way, the high-temperature fluid circuit 30 contributes to improving the energy efficiency of the vibrating oven 50 by recirculating the high-temperature fluid flow 24 at least partially. Fluid that is not recirculated may be replaced with fluid contained in a reservoir, especially in the case of air from the ambient atmosphere.

[0091] Figure 4 shows one embodiment of the baking section 40 according to the present invention. The baking section 40 shown herein is partitioned by a housing 43, particularly the housing of an oven. The vegetable food 1, pre-dried in the pre-drying section 20, is transferred into the housing 43 and placed on a transport unit 44 of the baking section 40 to transport the pre-dried vegetable food 1 through the baking section 40, where it is baked by energy supplied to it. The energy can be supplied, for example, from an energy supply unit 23 equipped with a heater 36 and an efflux device 37, as shown in Figure 3. Correspondingly, the vegetable food can be baked by a high-temperature fluid flow 24 guided through the housing 43. As shown in Figure 4, the high-temperature fluid flow 24 can be guided from various sides toward the vegetable food 1 placed on the transport unit 44 so that the vegetable food 1 is homogeneously exposed to the high-temperature fluid flow 24. In another embodiment, the energy supplied by the energy supply unit 23 includes electromagnetic radiation, particularly thermal radiation and / or microwaves.

[0092] List of symbols plant food 1 System 10 Pre-drying section 20 First pre-drying section 20a Second pre-drying section 20b Third preliminary drying section 20c Fourth preliminary drying section 20d Fifth pre-drying section 20e bottom 21 Outflow bottom 22 Energy supply unit 23 Further energy supply unit 23a hot fluid flow 24 Conveying section 25 Pre-drying section transport unit 26 Career 27 Conveyor chain 28 Chamber 29 High temperature fluid circuit 30 Fluid filter 31 Inlet 32 Outlet 33 Pre-drying section housing 34 Centrifuge 35 Heater 36 Outflow device 37 feeder 38 Firing section 40 Firing section housing 43 Conveyor unit 44 in the firing section Oven with vibrations 50 Centrifugal separation unit 60 First heat exchanger 61 Second heat exchanger 62 Third heat exchanger 63 Fourth heat exchanger 64 Fifth heat exchanger 65

Claims

1. A system (10) for producing baked plant food (1), particularly baked potato chips, the system (10) comprising at least one pre-drying section (20) for pre-drying a provided plant food (1), particularly potato slices, and at least one baking section (40) for baking the pre-dried plant food (1), The system (10) wherein the pre-drying section (20) comprises a bottom (21) for receiving the plant-based food (1), the bottom (21) is configured to be set to a vibrating state, and the pre-drying section (20) comprises an energy supply unit (23) for pre-drying the plant-based food (1) by supplying energy to the plant-based food (1).

2. The system (10) according to claim 1, wherein in the pre-drying section (20), the pre-drying temperature can be set by an energy supply unit (23), and the firing section (40) is configured to set a firing temperature within the firing section (40), and in particular, a temperature gradient between the pre-drying temperature and the firing temperature can be set.

3. The system (10) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the bottom (21) of the pre-drying section (20) is provided with an outflow bottom (22) that can supply energy to the plant-based food (1).

4. The system (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the energy supply unit (23) is configured to generate a high-temperature fluid flow (24), in particular a high-temperature gas flow, and more particularly a high-temperature air flow, thereby enabling the plant-based food (1) to be pre-dried by the high-temperature fluid flow (24).

5. The system (10) according to claim 4, wherein the high-temperature fluid flow (24) is guided through the outlet bottom (22).

6. The system (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the pre-drying section (20) further comprises a plurality of conveying sections (25) separated from each other along a conveying direction extending through the pre-drying section (20), thereby enabling the plant-based food (1) to be separated into volumetric sections defined by the conveying sections (25).

7. The system (10) according to claim 6, wherein the pre-drying section (20) further comprises a transport unit (26) having a plurality of carriers (27) for separating the transport section (25), thereby enabling the plant-based food (1) separated into the transport section (25) to be transported through the pre-drying section (20) under the movement of the carriers (27) along the transport direction.

8. The system (10) according to claim 7, wherein the transport unit (26) comprises a circumferential conveyor chain (28), and the carrier (27) protrudes from the conveyor chain (28) to form a transport section (25).

9. The system (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the pre-dried plant-based food (1) is calcinable by the energy supply unit (23), or the calcination unit (40) comprises a further energy supply unit (23a) for calcining the pre-dried plant-based food (1).

10. The system (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising a centrifugal separation unit (60) configured to at least partially dehydrate a plant-based food (1) by centrifugal separation.

11. The system (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 10, comprising a plurality of pre-drying sections (20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e), and an energy supply unit (23) configured to set separate pre-drying temperatures in separate pre-drying sections (20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e).

12. The system (10) according to claim 11, wherein the energy supply unit (23) is configured to set a temperature gradient between separate pre-drying sections (20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e) such that the pre-drying temperature of each section decreases from one pre-drying section (20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e) to another pre-drying section (20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e).

13. The system (10) according to any one of claims 10 to 12, further comprising an additive unit configured to add an additive such as oil to a plant-based food (1) during centrifugal separation in a centrifugal separation unit.

14. A method for producing baked plant-based food (1), in particular baked potato chips, wherein the plant-based food (1) is received by the bottom (21) of at least one pre-drying section (20) and pre-dried by energy supplied by an energy supply unit (23) under vibration of the bottom (21), and the pre-dried plant-based food (1) is baked in at least one baking section (40).

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein a pre-drying temperature in the range of 140°C to 250°C, particularly in the range of 170°C to 220°C, is set by an energy supply unit (23) in the pre-drying section (20).

16. The method according to claim 14 or 15, wherein pre-drying is performed so that the pre-dried food has a water content of 5% to 25%, particularly 10% to 20%, and / or a baking temperature in the range of 120°C to 150°C, particularly 130°C to 140°C is set in the baking section (40) by an energy supply unit (23) or a further energy supply unit (23a).

17. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 16, wherein the baking is carried out so that the baked plant-based food contains a water content of 2.5% or less.

18. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 17, wherein the plant-based food is at least partially dehydrated by centrifugal separation before pre-drying in the pre-drying section (20).

19. A vibrating oven (50): - A bottom (21) configured to accept plant-based food (1) and to be set to a vibrating state, - Energy supply unit (23) for supplying energy to the plant-based food (1) for pre-drying and / or baking the plant-based food (1), and - Multiple transport units (25) that are separated from each other so that the plant-based food (1) can be separated into a volume defined by the transport unit (25). The vibrating oven (50) is provided with the above.

20. The vibrating oven (50) according to claim 19, further comprising a conveying unit (26) having a plurality of carriers (27) for forming and / or separating chambers (29), thereby enabling the plant-based food (1) separated within the conveying section (29) to be conveyed under the movement of the carriers (27) along the conveying direction through the vibrating oven (50).

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