Dispensing device and sphericizing assembly

Abstract

A dispensing device (8) for dispensing, drop by drop, a substance (4) to be sphericized has a drip-in substance receptacle (10), having a filling opening (12) for filling the substance (4) to be sphericized and a dispensing side (18) at which the filled-in substance (4) can be dispensed into a hardening substance (6) via at least one dispensing opening (16), the drip-in substance receptacle (10) having a drop-forming assembly (14) in order to form the substance (4) to be sphericized into drops during the dispensing process. According to the invention, the drop-forming assembly (14) has at least two dispensing openings (16) on the dispensing side (18), closing means (20) for air-tightly closing the filling opening (12), and a compressed air connection (22) for generating an overpressure in the drip-in substance receptacle (10).

Description

[0001] Dispensing device and spherification arrangement

[0002] The invention relates to a dispensing device for the dropwise release of a substance to be spherified according to the preamble of claim 1, and to a spherification arrangement with such a dispensing device. The substance to be spherified is, for example, polysaccharide-containing and can be formed, in particular, by an alginate-containing solution. Alternatively, the substance to be spherified can, for example, also be produced using agar-agar. The dispensing device has a drop-in substance receptacle, which includes a filling opening for the spherifying substance and a dispensing side. At this dispensing side, the filled substance to be spherified can be released into a hardening substance, such as a lactate solution, which can be produced, in particular, using calcium lactate.Alternatively, the hardening substance in the aforementioned agar-agar-containing substance to be spherified can also be formed from oil, such as sunflower oil. In any case, a droplet formation device is provided at the droplet inlet to ensure the spherifying substance forms in droplet form during dispensing.

[0003] Such dispensing devices are used in gastronomy, particularly in molecular gastronomy, to produce edible spherical objects or caviar-like spheres, which can be made in any desired flavor. The dispensing device releases the substance to be spherified, from which the spherical objects ultimately consist, in droplet form into the hardening agent, where it reacts with the agent to harden into a largely spherical shape. The spherizing agent is, for example, a flavoring liquid containing a specific proportion of polysaccharide, alginate, or agar-agar. Depending on the type of dissolved component, a suitable hardening agent is used, such as lactate solution for hardening alginate-containing solutions or oil for hardening agar-agar-containing solutions.A dispensing device called Perlino is available on the market, which allows a liquid to be spherified to be dispensed drop by drop into a hardening substance. For this purpose, the dispensing device has a droplet formation assembly with a peristaltic pump, by means of which the liquid to be spherified is dispensed from a reservoir in consistently equal amounts in droplet form.

[0004] A disadvantage of the known dispensing device is that producing a portion size of the spherical bodies that is common in the catering industry takes a relatively long time.

[0005] The object of the invention is to avoid the aforementioned disadvantages in a dispensing device and to enable faster production of the spherical bodies or to be able to provide larger portions of the spherical bodies in a convenient manner.

[0006] This problem is solved by the dispensing device with the features of claim 1. The droplet formation arrangement has at least two dispensing openings on the dispensing side, closing means for airtight sealing of the filling opening, and a compressed air connection for generating overpressure in the substance receiving chamber. Such a droplet formation arrangement makes it possible to build up overpressure in the substance receiving chamber that is suitable for causing the substance to be spherified to emerge drop by drop through the dispensing openings. By adjusting the level of overpressure to a free dispensing cross-section of the dispensing openings, a recurring interruption of the flow of the substance to be hardened can be achieved, thereby in turn setting a desired droplet size of the emerging substance.In this way, drops can be dispensed simultaneously and at short intervals through at least two dispensing openings, from which the desired spherical bodies are then produced. No moving parts are required to portion the individual drops, as the drop size is determined solely by the repeated interruption of the discharge flow. This allows for a relatively simple and cost-effective design of the dispensing device. In a particularly advantageous embodiment, the compressed air connection includes a check valve to establish a uniform overpressure in the substance intake and to maintain this pressure even after the respective supply is switched off. This ensures a relatively consistent droplet-by-droplet dispensing of the substance to be spherified over a relatively long production period.

[0007] Furthermore, it is advantageous if the compressed air connection can be pressurized using an electric pump. This allows for particularly convenient and precise adjustment of the pressure required for the desired droplet size. In many cases, an existing electric pump can be used, as such pumps for conveying air are already common in many commercial and catering kitchens.

[0008] Advantageously, the overpressure generated in the droplet intake can be adjusted via a handle, which controls either the electric pump or a flow valve. This allows the overpressure generated in the droplet intake to be precisely matched to the free dispensing cross-section of the dispensing openings in order to achieve the desired droplet size.

[0009] Furthermore, it is advantageous if at least two dispensing openings are formed by dosing tips. The use of dosing tips ensures that the exit flow of the substance to be spherified breaks off consistently and repeatedly depending on the applied overpressure, thereby guaranteeing a substantially consistent droplet size of the exiting substance.

[0010] Advantageously, the dispensing openings are formed by several dispensing tips arranged in a grid, allowing the substance to be spherified to emerge simultaneously in droplet form from a multitude of dispensing openings without the individual drops combining as they fall. Furthermore, it is advantageous if the dispensing tips are formed by a common dispensing attachment that can be interchangeably attached to the dispensing side of the substance receptacle. This allows the dispensing device to be adjusted to a desired quantity or size of spherical bodies by attaching different dispensing attachments, which in particular have different sizes and / or numbers of dispensing openings.

[0011] Furthermore, the aforementioned problem is solved by a spherization arrangement with a dispensing device in one of the aforementioned embodiments and a droplet container for receiving the hardening substance, wherein the droplet container is held above the droplet container relative to gravity by means of a frame. This allows a suitable drop height for the dispensing drops to be set, depending on the substance to be spherized. Due to its surface tension, the falling substance assumes a nearly perfectly spherical shape before entering the hardening substance and being hardened by it. In this way, a relatively precise and uniform spherical shape of the produced spherical bodies can be ensured.

[0012] It is advantageous if the frame allows for an adjustable vertical distance between the dispensing openings and the drip container, in order to set a suitable drop height for different substances.

[0013] In a further advantageous embodiment, the drip container is held movable relative to the dispensing openings by a drive mechanism. This achieves a better distribution of the drops entering the drip container, allowing them to harden undisturbed.

[0014] It is particularly advantageous if the drive unit has a self-rotating base for the drip container, allowing for easy repositioning of the container. Furthermore, it is beneficial if the frame, electric pump, and drive unit are designed as a single structural unit, to which the dripping substance receptacle and the drip container are detachably attached, especially for cleaning purposes. This makes the spherification system particularly convenient to handle and allows it to be set up or removed only as needed, for example, in commercial kitchens.

[0015] It should be noted that all the features of the object according to the invention described above are interchangeable or combinable with each other, provided that such an exchange or combination is not excluded for technical reasons.

[0016] The figures illustrate an exemplary embodiment of the invention. They show:

[0017] Figure 1 shows a spherification arrangement according to the invention and

[0018] Figure 2 shows an alternative embodiment of the spherization arrangement as a structural unit.

[0019] Fig. 1 shows a spherification apparatus 2 for the production of spherical bodies, such as caviar-like food spheres in various flavors. The production process involves the use of a substance 4 to be spherified, which is dispensed dropwise into a hardening substance 6. The substance 4 to be spherified is, in particular, a polysaccharide-containing liquid, such as an alginate solution or one containing agar-agar. Depending on the type of substance 4 to be hardened, the hardening substance 6 may be, for example, a lactate solution, such as a calcium lactate solution, or an oil, such as sunflower oil.

[0020] For the temporary intake and droplet-shaped dispensing of the substance 4 to be spherified, the spherification arrangement 2 has a dispensing device 8 with a substance receptacle 10. This receptacle can be filled via a filling opening 12. Furthermore, the dispensing device 8 includes a droplet formation arrangement 14, which, in addition to at least two dispensing openings 16 on a dispensing side 18 of the substance receptacle 10, also has, for example, a lid-shaped closing element 20 for airtight sealing of the filling opening 12, as well as a compressed air connection 22 opening into the substance receptacle 10 to generate overpressure in the substance receptacle 10.

[0021] As can also be seen in Figure 1, an electric pump 24 is connected to the compressed air connection 22, by means of which an overpressure can be generated in the droplet intake 10. In order to maintain a set overpressure for the required production time and also when the pump 24 is switched off, a check valve 26 is also provided at the compressed air connection 22. Furthermore, a handle 30 is provided in a connecting line 28 between the electric pump 24 and the compressed air connection 22, by means of which the level of overpressure in the droplet intake 10 can be adjusted, for example by means of an adjustable flow valve 32.

[0022] The dispensing openings 16 are further formed by a plurality of dispensing tips 34 arranged in a grid pattern, all of which have a uniform free cross-section Q. All dispensing tips 34 are arranged on a common dispensing attachment 36, which is interchangeably held on the dispensing side 18 of the droplet receptacle 10.

[0023] The dispensing device 8 is held on a frame 38 such that the dispensing tips 34 are arranged at a specific vertical distance a from the hardening substance 6. The hardening substance 6 is contained in a dropper container 40, which is held horizontally displaceable by a drive mechanism 42. The drive mechanism 42 is, for example, formed by a self-rotating base on which the dropper container 40 can be placed.

[0024] To produce the spherical bodies, the substance 4 to be spherized is first placed into the drop-in substance receptacle 10 via the filling opening 12 and the latter is sealed airtight by means of the closing device 20 and the non-return valve, so that the absorbed substance 4 does not initially escape via the dosing tips 34 due to lack of ventilation.

[0025] By activating the electric pump 24, the droplet intake 10 is then subjected to the overpressure, which is adjusted to the free cross-sections of the dosing tips 34 by means of the handle 30 in such a way that the substance 4 to be spherified escapes drop by drop with repeated interruption of the outflow flow and falls into the droplet container 40.

[0026] The vertical distance a is set such that the falling drops assume an essentially spherical shape before they enter the hardening substance 6 and are hardened by it. The drive unit 42 continuously rotates the droplet container 40 during this process, allowing the collected drops to distribute more evenly within the container and thus harden largely undisturbed.

[0027] Figure 2 shows a particularly preferred embodiment of the spherification arrangement 2, which is designed as a structural unit 44 in which the electric pump 24, the handle 30, the connecting line 28 and the drive unit 42 are integrated into the frame 38. The droplet receptacle 10 and the droplet container 40, on the other hand, are detachably mounted on the structural unit 44 to allow for easy filling and cleaning as needed.

[0028] It should be noted that all the elements and features described above of the various embodiments of the object according to the invention are interchangeable or combinable with each other, provided that such an exchange or combination is not excluded for technical reasons.

Claims

Dispensing device (8) for dropwise dispensing of a substance to be spherified Substance (4) with a droplet substance receptacle (10) having a filling opening (12) for filling the spherifying substance (4) and a dispensing side (18) at which the filled substance (4) can be dispensed into a hardening substance (6) via at least one dispensing opening (16), wherein the droplet substance receptacle (10) has a droplet formation arrangement (14) for the droplet formation of the substance (4) to be spherified during dispensing, characterized in that the droplet formation arrangement (14) has at least two dispensing openings (16) on the dispensing side (18), closing means (20) for airtight sealing of the filling opening (12) and a compressed air connection (22) for generating an overpressure in the droplet substance receptacle (10).

2. Dispensing device according to claim 1, characterized in that the compressed air connection (22) has a check valve (26).

3. Dispensing device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the compressed air connection (22) can be pressurized by means of an electric pump (24).

4. Dispensing device according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the overpressure generated in the droplet substance intake (10) is adjustable by means of a handle (30).

5. Dispensing device according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the at least two dispensing openings (16) are formed by metering tips (34).

6. Dispensing device according to claim 5, characterized in that the dispensing openings (16) are formed by several dispensing tips (34) arranged in a grid pattern.

7. Dispensing device according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the dosing tips (34) are formed by a common dispensing attachment (36) which can be interchangeably attached to the dispensing side (18) of the droplet substance receptacle (10).

8. Spherization arrangement with a dispensing device according to one of claims 1 to 7 and a drop container (40) for receiving the hardening substance (6), characterized in that the drop substance receiving device (10) is held above the drop container (40) with respect to the direction of gravity by means of a frame (38).

9. Spherization arrangement according to claim 8, characterized in that a vertical distance (a) of the dispensing openings (16) relative to the drip container (40) can be adjusted by means of the frame (38).

10. Spherization arrangement according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that the drip container (40) is held displaceable relative to the dispensing openings (16) by a drive device (42).

11. Spherization arrangement according to claim 10, characterized in that the drive device (42) has a self-rotating base for supporting the drip container (40).

12. Spherization arrangement according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that the frame (38), the electric pump (24) and the drive unit (42) are configured as structural unit (44) are formed on which the droplet substance receptacle (10) and the droplet container (40) are detachably held.

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