Food product and manufacturing method for food product

Abstract

Described embodiments relate to food products and methods for manufacturing food products, the methods comprising: providing a first layer of dough, depositing a plurality of spaced apart pieces of sheet material on an upper surface of a first layer of dough, and applying a second layer of dough over the first layer of dough so as to sandwich the sheet material between the first layer of dough and the second layer of dough, defining a multi-layered dough sheet. The method further comprises cutting a predefined shape through the multi-layered dough sheet around each piece of sheet material to define a plurality of dough pieces and baking the dough pieces to produce a plurality of snacks. The dough pieces are baked so as to seal together the first layer of dough and the second layer of dough and such that an internal area between the first layer of dough and the second layer of dough in each dough piece expands outwardly to define an enclosed cavity in which the piece of sheet material is located.

Description

Food product and manufacturing method for food productTechnical Field

[0001] Embodiments generally relate to food products, and methods for manufacturing food products. More particularly embodiments relate to methods for manufacturing snack foods and in some embodiments, snack foods which contain a piece of material.Background

[0002] The snack food industry is US$605 billion market, with over US$135 billion of that relating to salty and savoury snacks. Snack foods which include some form of content include fortune cookies, which are a sugary folded cookie that contains a piece of paper inside. The piece of paper inside a fortune cookie typically includes an aphorism, or a vague prophetic statement. Fortune cookies are typically manufactured by using a single layer of dough which is folded to create a pocket in which a piece of paper is disposed. However, the folded shape and resultant pocket of fortune cookies is often inconsistent, and in some cases the pocket is too large, resulting in the piece of paper falling out of the pocket during transportation of the fortune cookies.

[0003] The content on the piece of paper inside fortune cookies are typically standard phrases which are reused for extended periods of time. The content does not typically include engageable content, by which a user may engage with the content specific to the food, for example by scanning a code or going to a website. Further, the content inside a fortune cookie generally does not include any indicator of origin. This type of snack and content creates difficulties in tracking instances of content within snacks across the consumer network, determining engagement rates and statuses of content associated with snacks (including, for example, when to introduce fresh content and when to recycle old content), and introduces complexities in origin attribution.

[0004] Any discussion of documents, acts, materials, devices, articles or the like which has been included in the present specification is not to be taken as an admission that any or all of these matters form part of the prior art base or were common general knowledge in the field relevant to the present disclosure as it existed before the priority date of each claim of this application.Summary

[0005] Some embodiments relate to a method for manufacturing a food product, including: providing a first layer of dough; depositing a plurality of spaced apart pieces of sheet material on an upper surface of a first layer of dough; applying a second layer of dough over the first layer of dough so as to sandwich the sheet material between the first layer of dough and the second layer of dough, defining a multi-layered dough sheet; cutting a predefined shape through the multi-layered dough sheet around each piece of sheet material to define a plurality of dough pieces; baking the dough pieces to produce a plurality of snacks; wherein the dough pieces are baked so as to seal together the first layer of dough and the second layer of dough and such that an internal area between the first layer of dough and the second layer of dough in each dough piece expands outwardly to define an enclosed cavity in which the piece of sheet material is located.

[0006] In some embodiments, the method may include depositing a flavour composition on the outside of the plurality of snacks. Baking may include conveying the dough pieces through a conveyor oven. The dough pieces may be baked at a temperature within the range of 150°C to 220°C. In some embodiments, the dough pieces may be baked for a time in the range of 3 minutes to 10 minutes.

[0007] The second layer of dough may be sheeted at the same time as the first layer of dough is sheeted. The first layer of dough may be disposed on a continually moving conveyor.

[0008] In some embodiments, the plurality of spaced apart pieces of sheet material may be deposited on an upper surface of the first layer of dough using a sheet material inserter. The sheet material inserter may include a vacuum suction mechanism to move the pieces of sheet material from a cartridge to the upper surface of a first layer of dough.

[0009] Excess dough around the plurality of dough pieces may be removed and fed back to a dough supply.l 1. In some embodiments, the dough may be a red lentil dough. The first layer of dough may have a thickness between 3mm and 10mm. The second layer of dough may have the same thickness as the first layer of dough.

[0010] In some embodiments, the pieces of sheet material may include a non-stick silicon release coating.

[0011] Some embodiments relate to a snack, wherein the snack is manufactured by any one of the methods described herein.Brief Description of Drawings

[0012] Various ones of the appended drawings merely illustrate example embodiments of the present disclosure and cannot be considered as limiting its scope.

[0013] Figure 1 is a flow diagram showing a method of manufacturing a snack product, according to some embodiments;

[0014] Figure 2A is an example representation of a front surface of a piece of sheet material, according to some embodiments;

[0015] Figure 2B is an example representation of a back surface of a piece of sheet material, according to some embodiments;

[0016] Figure 3A is a representation of an example predefined shape for a cutter, according to some embodiments;

[0017] Figure 3B is an image showing a plurality of the example predefined shapes of Figure 3 A applied to a commercial cutting device, according to some embodiments;

[0018] Figure 4A is a diagram of a first layer of dough, according to some embodiments;

[0019] Figure 4B is a diagram of the first layer of dough of Figure 4A, having a plurality of pieces of sheet material deposited on its upper surface, according to some embodiments;

[0020] Figure 4C is a diagram of a second layer of dough being applied on top of the first layer of dough of Figure 4B, according to some embodiments;

[0021] Figure 4D is a cutaway diagram of a multi-layered dough sheet, according to some embodiments;

[0022] Figure 4E is a cutaway diagram of a plurality of predefined shapes cut into the multi-layered dough sheet of Figure 4D, according to some embodiments;

[0023] Figure 4F is a diagram showing a plurality of dough pieces cut from the multi-layered dough sheet of Figure 4E, according to some embodiments;

[0024] Figure 5A is a side perspective view diagram of a snack, according to some embodiments;

[0025] Figure 5B is a top view diagram of a snack with an embossing, according to some embodiments; and

[0026] Figure 6 is a diagram of the snack of Figure 5 A shown in a broken configuration.Description of Embodiments

[0027] Some embodiments relate to a method for manufacturing a snack and / or food. In particular, some embodiments relate to a process for manufacturing a snack which contains a piece of sheet material. In some embodiments, a method for manufacturing a snack includes providing a first layer of dough, depositing a plurality of spaced apart pieces of sheet material on an upper surface of a first layer of dough, applying a second layer of dough over the first layer so as to sandwich the pieces of sheet material between the first layer of dough and the second layer of dough, thereby defining a multi-layered dough sheet; cutting a predefined shape through the multi-layered dough sheet around each piece of sheet material to define a plurality of dough pieces, baking each of the plurality of dough pieces to produce a plurality of snacks, wherein the dough pieces are baked so as to seal the first layer of dough to the second layer of dough, and such that an internal area between the first layer of dough and the second layer of dough in each dough piece expands outwardly to define an enclosed cavity in which the piece of sheet material is located.

[0028] In some embodiments, the method results in individual multi-layered pieces of the dough puffing up after baking and, when broken, revealing a piece of sheet material disposed within the internal cavity of a snack. The piece of sheet material may then be removed from the snack before consumption.

[0029] Figure l is a flow diagram showing a method of manufacturing a snack product, according to some embodiments. At 110, the method includes providing a first layer of dough. The dough may include a dry base and a wet base. In some embodiments, the dough may be a lentil dough, for example, a red lentil dough. Prior to depositing the pieces of sheet material, the dough may be rolled out, extruded and / or sheeted in order to form a layer of dough. The sheeting may be performed manually or by a machine, for example, a dough sheeter which is part of a manufacturing assembly The dough is sheeted into a dough layer of a desired thickness. The first layer of dough may have a thickness in the range of 2 mm to 10mm. In some embodiments, the first layer of dough may have a thickness of approximately between 1mm and 3mm.. Thefirst layer of dough may be dusted with a starch product, for example, com starch, to prevent the dough sticking to components of a manufacturing assembly, other dough layers, or pieces of sheet material that may be deposited on the first layer of dough.

[0030] The dough may be at least one of gluten free, dairy free, lactose free, vegan, and high protein. In some embodiments, the dough may be made from a mixture including one or more of the following ingredients: Red lentils, potato flakes, maize starch, sunflower oil, natural flavouring, raising agents (including , for example, sodium bicarbonate and / or mono calcium phosphate), salt, emulsifier (including, for example, sunflower lecithin, and / or food colour (including, for example, paprika extract). In some embodiments, the dough may be made from a mixture including red lentil flour, water, and salt, or in another example, flour, water and a vegetable oil. In some embodiments, the dough may include fragmented materials to enhance or change the flavour. For example, fragmented materials may include, but are not limited to savoury materials such as cracked pepper, chilli flakes or dried herbs, or may include sweet materials such as chocolate chips.

[0031] At 120, a plurality of pieces of sheet material are deposited on an upper surface of a first layer of dough. The pieces of sheet material are spaced apart from each other and, in some embodiments, may be equally spaced apart. The pieces of sheet material lie flat on the upper surface of the first layer of dough. The pieces of sheet material may be manually deposited on the upper surface of the first layer of dough, or they may be automatically deposited, for example, by using a sheet material inserter. A sheet material inserter may include a paper cartridge to hold the plurality of sheet materials for depositing on the first layer of dough. The paper inserter may use a vacuum suction to take a piece of sheet material from the sheet material cartridge and deposit the sheet material onto a unique position on the first layer of dough, the dough being located beneath the sheet material inserter. In some embodiments, the sheet material inserter may wet a portion of the sheet to enable the sheet material to stick temporarily to the first layer such that it does not move from its deposited position during the manufacturing process, but that is configured to enable the sheet material to be separated from the dough after baking.

[0032] In some embodiments, the piece of sheet material comprises a paper material. For example, the paper material may be a food-safe paper material, biodegradable paper material, heat-resistant paper material, greaseproof paper material, or an oil absorbent paper material. In some embodiments, the sheet material may comprise an edible material. The sheet material may be a paper material having a gsm in the range of 20gsm to 200gsm. In some embodiments, the paper material may have a thickness of between 40 to 60gsm.. In some embodiments, the paper material is 40gsm in thickness. The paper material may be thin enough to avoid the paper material being a choking hazard and safe to eat such that it causes no harm if accidentally ingested. The paper material may include a non-stick silicon release coating. The non-stick release coating reduces the risk of the paper material sticking to the dough during manufacture and / or baking, such that it is easily released from the snack. In some embodiments, the silicon release coating may be a silicon emulsion, or may be a solvent-free or solvent-based system. The silicon release coating may have a weight of between 0.2 and Igsm on the surface of the paper material, and in some embodiments may have a weight of approximately 0.5gsm on the surface of the paper material. In some embodiments, the paper material may be an FDA approved (or equivalent) paper, that may be safely consumed if ingested. The paper material may be opaque so as to enable legibility of content on both sides of the piece of sheet material, and such that any duplex printing applied does not result in bleeding or ghosting on the other side. For example, the opacity of the paper material may be between 56% and 58%. In some embodiments, the paper material may have a moisture content between 4% and 7%, and in some embodiments, may have a moisture content of 6.5%. As an example, the paper material used may be a 40gsm SuperPerga® opaque parchment paper.

[0033] In some embodiments, the paper material is configured to withstand temperatures of 90C to 120C, and more particularly withstand temperatures between 100C and 105C. The piece of sheet material may include printed components which are printed on the sheet material using a food safe and / or water-based ink. In some embodiments, the pieces of sheet material are printed using a digital printing machine configured to: use food safe water-based inks, print duplex, print using one or more colours, and randomize a plurality of different pieces of content printed on one side ofthe piece of sheet material, and / or randomize a plurality of QR codes on the other side of the piece of sheet material.

[0034] Each piece of sheet material may be uniform in size and may be substantially rectangular in shape. For example, each piece of sheet material may have a length of 45mm and a width of 25mm. In some embodiments, the piece of sheet material may have rounded comers. For example, the piece of sheet material may have approximately 3mm rounded corners. In some embodiments, a 2.5mm safe zone or bleed zone is provided around the edge of the sheet material, defining an area upon which no content, no text, and / or no ink is printed. In some embodiments, a safe zone or bleed zone may be provided around a particular content element which is printed on the piece of sheet material.

[0035] Each piece of sheet material may have a front surface and a back surface. The front surface may contain a piece of content printed on the front surface. The piece of content may include a joke, quote, saying, proverb, one liner, statement or the like. In some embodiments, the piece of content may also include a source indicator, for example, an author name. The front surface may further include a graphic element such as an image or logo. Figure 2A is an example representation of a front surface of a piece of sheet material, according to some embodiments. Figure 2A shows a piece of content 202 printed on the front surface 200, along with a source indicator 204 in the form of an author name, and a brand logo 206. The safe zone 208 around the edge of the piece of sheet material, and around the edge of the brand logo, is shown for reference only, and does not form part of the content printed on the front surface of the sheet material.

[0036] The back surface includes at least a quick response (QR) code. In some embodiments, the QR code includes a unique identifier and a source identifier. The back surface may further include a graphic, such as an image or a logo, adjacent to the QR code. Additionally, the back surface may include a instructions. Figure 2B is an example representation of a back surface of a piece of sheet material, according to some embodiments. Figure 2B shows a QR code 212 printed on the back surface 210, agraphic 214 in the form of a logo printed on the back surface, and below the QR code 212 and graphic 214, an instructing statement 216, providing instructions and / or guidance for a user. The safe zone 218 around the edge of the piece of sheet material, and around the edge of the graphic 214, is shown for reference only, and does not form part of the content printed on the front surface of the sheet material.

[0037] A quick response (QR) code provides information in two dimensions. The QR code contains information in both vertical and horizontal directions (in contrast to a bar code which contains data in only one direction). Therefore, a QR code can hold a greater volume of information than a bar code, and can be advantageously used to contain multiple pieces of information. For example, a QR code may contain a web address, a message, contact information, and the like. The QR code is configured to be scanned by a computing device or user device. For example, a user may take a picture or video of the QR code with a computing device, such as a smart phone, and a decoder in the computing device can read the information from the QR code, or take an action, such as directing the user to a website. The QR code printed on the back surface of the piece of sheet material may be a static QR code or a dynamic AR code. The QR code may be a multi-URL QR code and / or may include multiple fields. In some embodiments, the QR code may have a numeric, alphanumeric, binary or kanji input mode. In some embodiments, the QR code on the back surface of the piece of sheet material may be another type of quick response code or barcode, including an Aztec code, Maxi code, PDF417, and / or Semacode,

[0038] In some embodiments, the QR code may include a unique identifier and a source identifier. In some embodiments, the QR code is the same for each snack, and each unique instance of scanning the QR code is registered as a unique event which registers the unique identifier and the source identifier. The unique identifier may be linked to the snack product. For example, the unique identifier may represent a particular snack product (such a flavour or type), it may represent a particular batch of snack products, a particular grouping of the snack products (such as those from a particular packet or produced for a particular event, for example, a comedy festival or seasonal holiday), a particular batch of snack products designed for sale in a specificlocation such as a specific country of sale, or place of sale (such as a supermarket brand), or a specific individual snack product. In some embodiments, the QR code may be different for each snack or a particular grouping of snacks. This enables tracking of consumer behaviour related to the snack product across a range of factors such as location, flavours, events and the like. In some embodiments, the QR code may represent an individual snack product, for example, to identify a snack for competition purposes, such as a “golden ticket” type competition. In some embodiments, the unique identifier may represent a particular piece of content printed on the front surface of the piece of sheet material. The source identifier may be linked to a source or origin associated with the piece of content printed on the front surface of the sheet material. For example, the source identifier may represent a content contributor for the piece of content, such as an author of a joke.

[0039] Referring back to Figure 1, at 130, a second layer of dough is applied over the first layer of dough and the pieces of sheet material. The second layer of dough may have the same composition as the first layer of dough, or it may have a different composition. In some embodiments, the second layer of dough may have the same thickness as the first layer of dough, or it may have a different thickness. For example, the second layer of dough may have a thickness in the range of 2 mm to 10 mm. In some embodiments, the second layer of dough may have a thickness of approximately between 1mm and 3mm. The second layer of dough may have its upper surface or lower surface dusted with a starch product, for example, corn starch, to prevent sticking, for example, sticking to components of a manufacturing assembly, sheet material onto which the second layer may be deposited, or other layers of dough.

[0040] As the second layer of dough is applied to the first layer of dough, the sheet material between the two layers does not move. The second layer of dough may be rolled simultaneously as the first layer of dough is rolled. In some embodiments, the second layer of dough may be applied to the first layer manually. In some embodiments, the second layer of dough may be rolled in a rolling device disposed above the first layer of dough. In some embodiments where the dough is being sheeted in a commercial manufacturing facility, a manufacturing device may include a lowerdough sheeter configured to sheet the first layer of dough, and disposed below an upper dough sheeter configured to sheet the second layer of dough. As each of the first and second layers of dough proceed through the sheeter and onto a conveyor, the second layer of dough may be applied to the first layer of dough by depositing the second layer of dough directly onto the first layer from an upper conveyor connected to the upper dough sheeter. In some embodiments, the upper conveyor may be slanted downwards such that the end of the second layer of dough moves from the upper conveyor to a lower conveyor connected to the lower dough sheeter configured to facilitate the depositing of the second layer of dough onto the first layer so as to reduce wrinkling or bubbling between the two layers of dough.

[0041] The second layer of dough is applied to the first layer of dough such that it lays substantially flat on top of the first layer. That is, only the sheet material is disposed between the second layer of dough and the first layer of dough and where there is no sheet material, the upper surface of the first layer of dough is in contact with the lower surface of the second layer of dough. Preferably, there are no air bubbles and / or wrinkled between the layers of dough. The two layers of dough with the sheet material disposed between defines a multi-layered dough sheet.

[0042] At 140, a predefined shape is cut through the first layer and the second layer of dough around each piece of sheet material to define a plurality of dough pieces. In some embodiments, the predefined shape may be a round or polygonal shape. The predefined shape may be defined by a cutting device. The cutting device may include a cutting element, such as a cutter moulded to the predefined shape. In some embodiments, a plurality of cutters moulded to the predefined shape may be disposed on a roller configured to cut a plurality of predefined shapes from the dough as the dough passes through underneath the roller. The plurality of cutters disposed on the roller may be equidistantly spaced to allow the dough pieces to be cut as the roller is passed over the dough. In some embodiments, the plurality of cutters are spaced to reflect the spacing between the pieces of sheet material, such that the dough pieces may be cut around the piece of sheet material as the roller is passed over the dough.

[0043] In some embodiments, the cutting device is connected to a servo motor, the servo motor being connected to the sheet material inserter such that when the pieces of sheet material are deposited on the dough, the cutting device is synchronised to cut out the predefined shape around the piece of sheet material. The servo motor forms a part of a closed-loop system including at least the cutting device and the sheet material inserter, as well as a control circuit, shaft, potentiometer, drive gears, amplifier, encoder, and / or resolver. In some embodiments, the servo motor is coupled with a sensor to determine the position of the pieces of sheet material as they are deposited on the first layer of dough. The control circuit (or controller) then controls the rotational or linear speed and position of the cutting device based on the position of the pieces of sheet material within the dough sheet. This enables precision in the placement of the cutting device to place the cutting elements around the pieces of sheet material which are sandwiched between the first and second layer of dough, and mitigate instances in which the cutting element cuts through a piece of sheet material while cutting a predefined shape through the first and second layer of dough. The servo motor may be controlled with an electric signal, for example, analog or digital. In some embodiments, the servo motor may be an AC servo motor or a DC servo motor.

[0044] The roller may be manually operated, or it may be part of a manufacturing device. For example, the two layers of dough may be moved along a conveyor which passes under a roller with a plurality of cutters, such as a single roller cutting machine. The cutting device passes substantially downwardly through the two layers of dough to separate a dough piece in the predefined shape from the rest of the multi-layered dough sheet.

[0045] The predefined shape may be of a shape that provides a peripheral spacing or buffer around the pieces of sheet material. For example, the predefined shape may be bigger than the dimensions of the piece sheet material, such that when the dough sheet is cut, there is a peripheral area on the edges of the dough piece which includes a contact surface between the first layer of dough and the second layer of dough, around the sheet material, which is sufficient to provide a seal once the dough piece is baked.The sheet material may cover between 30% to 80% of the surface area of the predefined shape which is cut into the dough sheet.

[0046] The predefined shape may be a regular shape such as a circle or rectangle. In some embodiments, the predefined shape may be custom designed, and may be an irregular shape or polygonal shape, or shaped to reflect specific dimensions. In some embodiments, the predefined shape may include graphic elements that may be embossed in the dough piece before baking. In some embodiments, the cutting device may include an embossing element which has a height lower than the height of a cutting element. The embossing element is configured to provide an imprint into the dough piece without cutting through the two layers of the dough sheet, at the same time as the cutting element cuts the dough sheet to define a dough piece. In some embodiments, the embossing element has a height such that the imprint of the embossing element is only applied to the first or top layer of the dough piece. That is, the embossing design does not extend through to the second or bottom layer of the dough piece.

[0047] Once the predefined shape is cut around each piece of sheet material to define a plurality of dough pieces, the excess dough which falls outside of the predefined shape is removed. In some embodiments, the excess dough may be removed by a dough separating device. For example, the dough separating device may include a separator conveyor disposed above the main conveyor of a manufacturing device on which the dough is placed. The separator convey may be angled upwards such that excess dough from the dough sheet surrounding the cut dough pieces moves onto and up the separator conveyor, essentially peeing away from the plurality of dough pieces. The plurality of dough pieces stay substantially flat on the main conveyor due to gravity as the excess is pulled upwards by the separator conveyor. After the excess dough is removed, the plurality of dough pieces are left, being spaced apart from one another. In some embodiments, the excess dough is recycled and / or fed back to a dough supply that creates the first and second layers of dough. For example, the excess dough may be supplied to a dough pre-sheeter of a manufacturing device, or back to an original dough supply from which the first and second layers of dough are sheeted.

[0048] Figure 3A is a representation of an example predefined shape for a cutter, according to some embodiments. The predefined shape 300, a peripheral embossing design 302 that extends around the edge of the outline of the shape, and a logo embossing design for embossing a logo onto the shape 304. The embossing designs provided on the cutter may be reversed such that when the cutter cuts the predefined shape into the layers of dough, the embossing appears as a reflection. Figure 3B is an image showing a plurality of the example predefined shapes of Figure 3 A applied to a commercial cutting device, according to some embodiments. The plurality of predefined shapes define a plurality of cutting devices disposed on a rolling device. Each of the plurality of cutting devices includes a cutting element in the shape of the predefined shape, and an embossing element disposed within the bounds of the cutting element.

[0049] Referring back to Figure 1, at 150, each of the plurality of dough pieces are baked to produce a snack product. Baking of the dough pieces may include applying heat for a predetermined amount of time. In some embodiments, the dough pieces are baked for a time in the range of between 3 minutes to 10 minutes, and in some embodiments between 4 and 6 minutes. In some embodiments, the dough pieces are baked at a temperature between 150°C to 220 °C, and in some embodiments between 180°C and 200°C. In some embodiments, the dough pieces may be baked at a temperature of 190°C for a time of about 5.7 minutes. Baking the dough pieces is performed so as to seal the first layer of dough to the second layer of dough such that an area between the first layer of dough and the second layer of dough expands outwardly to define an enclosed internal cavity in which the piece of sheet material is secured. The baked dough pieces thereby form a snack product. In some embodiments, the moisture content of the dough prior to baking is in the range of 18% to 22%. After baking, the moisture content of the dough is in the range of 1% to 4%. In some embodiments, after baking, the baked snack product has a length of about 64.5mm, a width of about 40mm, and a thickness or height of about 10mm.

[0050] In some embodiments, the dough pieces may be baked in an oven. The oven may be an elongate oven, or may be a conveyor oven. In some embodiments, where thedough pieces are baked in a manufacturing assembly, the manufacturing assembly includes an oven module. The oven module may include an inspection window, a combustion blower, an exhaust hood, and / or a heat exchanger. The oven module may be disposed around a conveyor belt, and may be configured to receive a plurality of dough pieces from the conveyor belt and convey them through the oven module at a constant speed to bake them at a predetermined temperature for a predetermined amount of time. The predetermined amount of time may be defined by the length of the oven module. In some embodiments where the oven module is longer in length, the dough will spend a longer amount of time in the oven module and less heat may be required to bake the dough pieces. In some embodiments where the oven module is shorter in length, the dough will spend less time in the oven module and a higher heat may be required to bake the dough pieces. The oven module may vary in temperature and length applied to bake the dough pieces.

[0051] After the snack product is baked, the snack product may have a puffed shape. For example, the snack may include a radially bulging centre portion, whilst remaining sealed at the sides. In some embodiments, the snack may have a waisted portion. Each individual snack product may have slight variations in shape. The snack product may be of a consistency such that it can be easily broken apart to reveal the internal cavity with the piece of sheet material inside. For example, a consumer may break the snack into pieces using their hands. In some embodiments, a waisted portion on the snack facilitates the breaking of the snack into two or more pieces. The piece of sheet material can then be removed from the internal cavity of the snack.

[0052] After baking, the method of manufacturing a snack may include depositing a flavour composition on the outside of the snack. In some embodiments, a flavour composition may be included in the dough before baking. In some embodiments, the flavour composition may be manually applied, for example, by painting the flavour composition onto the outer surface of the baked snack. In some embodiments, the flavour composition may be commercially applied, for example, by a manufacturing assembly. The flavour composition may be applied through spraying, dipping, covering, rolling and / or sifting the flavour composition onto the outer surface of thesnack. Multiple layers of flavour composition may be applied. In some embodiments, the flavour composition may include an oleaginous composition and a dry seasoning material. The oleaginous composition may include a seasoning material. In some embodiments, the flavour composition may be deposited onto the baked snack product by first applying an oleaginous composition to the outer surface of the snack product, and then applying a dry seasoning material to the outer surface of the snack product.

[0053] The flavour composition may be sweet or savoury. For example, the flavour composition may include, but is not limited to mature cheddar (or any cheese-related flavours), sea salt balsamic (or any variations of salt and vinegar, or salted “original” flavours), and / or sour cream and onion (or any variations of onion-related and / or allium-related flavours).

[0054] Additional variations within the manufacturing process may be employed. For example, two or more pieces of sheet material may be included in the same snack product, and / or various types of dough may be used to change flavour or aesthetic of the snack product. Some embodiments of this method facilitate large scale commercial manufacture and distribution. In some instances, embodiments may provide a baked snack product, which can be distributed in cartons, bags, boxes or the like. Snacks may be distributed in groups, for example, with a plurality of baked snacks in a box, or snacks may be individually packaged. In other instances, the product may be manufactured in an unbaked form and distributed as a unbaked or refrigerated snack product, to be baked at a secondary location.

[0055] The method of manufacturing a snack may include a continuous manufacturing method using a manufacturing assembly. Figures 4A to 4D provide diagrams of the dough at various stages of the manufacturing method, according to some embodiments.

[0056] In some embodiments, the dough may be supplied on a continually moving conveyor. The dough then moves through at least one of a lower dough sheeter and an upper dough sheeter. The lower dough sheeter and the upper dough sheeter may be onestage or two stage dough sheeters. The lower dough sheeter produces the first layer of dough. The lower dough sheeter may comprise a pair of rollers mounted in a predetermined spaced relation. A first layer of dough is sheeted by the lower dough sheeter by moving through the pair of rollers. Figure 4A is a diagram of a first layer of dough 400, according to some embodiments. Before the dough is provided through the lower dough sheeter, a portion of the dough may be separated from the continually moving conveyor belt and onto an upper moving conveyor belt to provide the separated dough portion to an upper dough sheeter to produce a second layer of dough 401. In some embodiments, the manufacturing assembly may include a plurality of dough sheeters along the continually moving conveyor belt. For example, a plurality of dough sheeters may be used to gradually reduce the thickness of a dough layer each time it is fed through a sheeter whilst keeping it continually moving along the manufacturing assembly, eliminating disruptions to the manufacturing process by eliminating the need to pass the dough through the same sheeter multiple times.

[0057] The continually moving conveyor belt moves the first layer of dough 400 through a sheet material inserter, which drops pieces of sheet material 402 onto an upper surface 404 of the first layer of dough 400. Figure 4B is a diagram of the first layer of dough 400 having a plurality of pieces of sheet material 402 deposited on its upper surface 404, according to some embodiments. At the same time as the first layer of dough 400 is moving along the continually moving conveyor belt, the second layer of dough 401 is moving along an upper moving conveyor belt at the same speed. Once the pieces of sheet material 402 are deposited onto the first layer of dough 400, the upper moving conveyor belt slants downwardly, extruding a continuous sheet of the second layer of dough and allowing the second layer of dough to be applied directly onto the first layer of dough, as it moves on the continually moving conveyor, sandwiching the sheet material between the dough layers and defining a multi-layered dough sheet 406. In an alternative embodiment, the method may include folding the first layer of dough over on itself to create two layers which sandwich the pieces of sheet material. Figure 4C is a diagram of the second layer of dough 401 being applied on top of the first layer of dough 400, according to some embodiments. Figure 4D is a cutaway diagram of the multi-layered dough sheet 406, according to someembodiments. The multi-layered dough sheet 406 shown in Figure 4D includes a cutaway section showing the pieces of sheet material 402 sandwiched between the first layer 400 and the second layer 401.

[0058] The two layers of dough then move through a cutting device in the form of a single cutting roller machine, which includes a roller having a plurality of cutting elements, the cutting elements configured to cut predefined shapes from the multilayered dough sheet around the pieces of sheet material, producing a plurality of dough pieces. Figure 4E is a cutaway diagram of a plurality of predefined shapes 408 cut into the multi-layered dough sheet 406, according to some embodiments. Figure 4E shows a cutaway section of a portion of the first layer 401 relating to one of the plurality of predefined shapes 408 to show a piece of sheet material 402 disposed underneath and within the bounds of the predefined shape 408. The excess dough around the cut predefined shapes is removed through a dough separating device, which lifts the excess dough upwards using an inkling conveyor, and allows the dough pieces to remain on the continually moving conveyor belt. Figure 4F is a diagram showing a plurality of dough pieces 410 cut from the multi-layered dough sheet, according to some embodiments.

[0059] The continually moving conveyor then passes through an oven module. The oven module surrounds the continually moving conveyor and is configured to bake the plurality of dough pieces to produce a snack. The plurality of dough pieces are exposed to heat at a predefined temperature as they move through the oven module on the continually moving conveyor. Once baked, the plurality of snacks may then pass through a flavour application device, such as a spraying device or a slurry machine, configured to apply a flavour composition to the baked snacks. In some embodiments, the plurality of snacks may be dipped into a flavouring composition to apply flavour.

[0060] Some embodiments relate to a snack, which may be manufactured by any of the methods and processes described herein. In some embodiments, the snack may be manufactured by an alternative process, but have the same form. In some embodiments, the snack may comprise: a body having an upper layer and a lower layer, the upperlayer and the lower layer defining an enclosed internal cavity; a waisted portion extending around the body; wherein the waisted portion may be defined by an embossed channel on the surface of the upper layer and the lower layer; and a piece of sheet material disposed within the internal cavity. The snack may be in the form of a particular design, for example, the snack may be two overlapping speech bubbles.

[0061] Figure 5 A is a side perspective view diagram of a snack 500 manufactured by any of the methods and processes described herein. The snack includes an upper layer of baked dough 502 and a lower layer of baked dough 503, which have extended radially outward during baking to form an internal enclosed cavity (not shown). The upper layer 502 and / or the lower layer 503 may have a contoured surface. The snack 500 may include a waisted portion 504. The waisted portion 504 may include an embossed channel 506, around the periphery of the waisted portion 504 on the surface of the upper layer 502 and lower layer 503, so as to facilitate breaking the snack at the channel 506. The snack includes a sheet material (not shown) enclosed within the internal cavity 501.

[0062] Figure 5B is a top view diagram of a snack 510 manufactured by any of the methods and processes described herein. A design, pattern and / or logo 514 may be embossed on the surface of the upper layer 512 of snack 510. In Figure 5B, the upper layer 512 is shown having an embossed logo 514 “GIAGO!” on its contoured surface on one side of an embossed channel 516 of the waisted portion 518. The embossing of the logo 514 may be performed when the dough is raw, before the upper layer 512 is baked.

[0063] Figure 6 is a diagram of the snack 500 of Figure 5 A shown in a broken configuration. The snack 500 is broken at the waisted portion 504, creating a first portion 616 and a second portion 618. The breaking of the snack 500, opens the enclosed internal cavity 601. The breaking of the snack may occur at the waisted portion 504. Alternatively, the snack 500 may be opened by any appropriate means such as being broken at another location, smashed, crushed, and the like. Opening the snack does not necessarily have to result in two portions, and in some embodiments thebroken configuration of the snack may include more than two portions. The snack may be broken into two portions cleanly, or it may result in one or more pieces, such as crumbs 622, of the snack 500 being dislodged from the first portion 516 or second portion 518. The sheet material 620 is revealed and made accessible when the snack 500 is broken. The sheet material 620 may then be extracted from the internal cavity 601. In some embodiments, the sheet material 620 may be fully enclosed within the snack 500, or partially enclosed within the snack 500. For example, the snack 500 may be shaped such that at least part of the sheet material 620 is protruding from the snack 500. The sheet material 620 may be the same sheet material as described herein, and may include a piece of content and a QR code.

[0064] It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that numerous variations and / or modifications may be made to the above-described embodiments, without departing from the broad general scope of the present disclosure. The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A method for manufacturing a food product, including: providing a first layer of dough; depositing a plurality of spaced apart pieces of sheet material on an upper surface of a first layer of dough; applying a second layer of dough over the first layer of dough so as to sandwich the sheet material between the first layer of dough and the second layer of dough, defining a multi-layered dough sheet; cutting a predefined shape through the multi-layered dough sheet around each piece of sheet material to define a plurality of dough pieces; baking the dough pieces to produce a plurality of snacks; wherein the dough pieces are baked so as to seal together the first layer of dough and the second layer of dough and such that an internal area between the first layer of dough and the second layer of dough in each dough piece expands outwardly to define an enclosed cavity in which the piece of sheet material is located.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method further includes depositing a flavour composition on the outside of the plurality of snacks.

3. The method according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein baking includes conveying the dough pieces through a conveyor oven.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the dough pieces are baked at a temperature within the range of 150°C to 220°C.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the dough pieces are baked for a time in the range of 3 minutes to 10 minutes.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the second layer of dough is sheeted at the same time as the first layer of dough is sheeted.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the first layer of dough is disposed on a continually moving conveyor.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the plurality of spaced apart pieces of sheet material are deposited on an upper surface of the first layer of dough using a sheet material inserter.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the sheet material inserter includes a vacuum suction mechanism to move the pieces of sheet material from a cartridge to the upper surface of a first layer of dough.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein excess dough around the plurality of dough pieces is removed and fed back to a dough supply.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the dough is a red lentil dough.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the first layer of dough has a thickness between 3mm and 10mm.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the second layer of dough has the same thickness as the first layer of dough.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the pieces of sheet material include a non-stick silicon release coating.

15. A snack, wherein the snack is manufactured by the method of any one of claims 1 to 14.

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