JP2003210150A - Food molding method and molding apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method and an apparatus for molding food, which can be molded into a lump having many internal voids without breaking sticky food pieces such as chocolate flakes. SOLUTION: A food piece 200 is conveyed on a conveyor 102, and a shaping frame 120 having a plurality of sections 125 which are surrounded by a partition wall 124 and have an open lower surface is swung back and forth, left and right, and the conveyor is rotated. The food pieces 200 inserted into the respective sections 125 of the molding frame 120 are joined together to form a lump by moving the food pieces 200 from above while moving in the transport direction of 102.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for molding a food product by sticking together sticky food pieces into a mass.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Heretofore, there have been known confectioneries in which expanded confectioneries such as corn flakes, nuts such as almonds, dried fruits such as dried oranges, baked confectioneries such as wafers and biscuits are covered with chocolate. In particular, corn flakes coated with chocolate are commercially available under the names such as chocolate flakes, and are very popular.

However, since the chocolate flakes are in the form of flakes, there is a problem that the flakes are easily spilled apart, the hands are easily soiled, and it is difficult to eat.

On the other hand, there is also known a chocolate-coated confectionery in which chocolate is mixed with nuts such as almonds to form an amorphous lump. These lumpy chocolate-coated confectionery are rubbed with confectionery grains such as nuts and chocolate in a mold to be solidified, or mixed with confectionery grains such as nuts and chocolate in a drum and made into a predetermined lump from the hole of the drum. It is made by molding with a machine called a cluster former that extrudes.

[0005]

However, the conventional indefinite lumpy chocolate-coated confectionery cannot be molded into lumps unless the chocolate such as nuts is contained in a considerably large amount. There was a problem that the gap was filled with chocolate and a light crunchy texture could not be obtained.

Further, since the molding is performed by a machine such as a mold or a cluster former, a confectionery having a shape such as flakes is crushed and it is difficult to form a lump having a light texture having voids.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a method and an apparatus for forming a food product which can form an adhesive food piece such as chocolate flakes into a lump having a large number of internal voids without breaking it. is there.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, a method of molding a food according to the present invention is a method of molding a food in which sticky food pieces are stuck together to form a lump. While being moved in the conveying direction of the conveyor while rocking a molding frame having a plurality of compartments surrounded by a partition wall and having a lower surface opened, the space between the food pieces is conveyed. When the food pieces inserted into the respective compartments of the molding frame are joined to each other by advancing from above, the food pieces are molded into a block.

According to the above-described method for molding food, the molding frame covers the food pieces moving on the conveyor from above, the partition wall of the molding frame enters between the food pieces, and each section of the molding frame is covered. A predetermined amount of food pieces are inserted. Then, the forming frame moves back and forth and left and right while moving in the conveying direction of the conveyor, so that the sticky food pieces are pushed by the partition wall to stick to each other and are joined to each other to be formed into a block. Therefore, since the food pieces can be naturally joined without being strongly pressed or pushed, the food pieces can be formed into a lump having many internal voids without breaking the shape of the food pieces.

In the molding method of the present invention, the molding frame is lowered while moving in the conveying direction of the conveyor so as to enter between the food pieces from above to mold the food and then raise it again. Of the molded food, and then moved in a direction opposite to the conveying direction to return to the original position, and in the returning process, insert a scraper in sliding contact with the inner circumference of the partition wall in each section. Then, it is preferable to scrape the food pieces adhering to the inner circumference of the partition wall onto the conveyor.

According to this, even if a sticky food piece adheres to the inner circumference of the partition wall of the molding frame, it is scraped off by the scraper in the process of returning the molding frame, so that the molding work can be stably performed for a long time. In addition, since the scraped food pieces fall on the conveyor and are reused as a molding material as they are, no waste of material occurs.

The forming frame is provided with an arcuate curved surface on at least a part of the inner circumference of the partition wall, and the forming frame is
It is preferable to swing in a circular motion.

According to this, since the molding frame oscillates so as to draw a circle and the inner periphery of the partition wall with which the food pieces come into contact forms an arcuate curved surface, a lump in which the food pieces are joined in a substantially hemispherical shape is formed. Obtainable.

Further, the food piece has adhesiveness on the surface of at least one kind of confectionery selected from puffed confectionery, nuts, dried fruits and baked confectionery, such as chocolate dough and candy dough, at least at the time of molding. It preferably consists of a dough covered.

These chocolate doughs or candy doughs have tackiness when the temperature is high, and the tackiness is rapidly lowered when the temperature drops, so that they can be easily formed into a lump in the high temperature state. After molding, the temperature is lowered to facilitate the subsequent handling.

That is, as the sticky dough, one having stickiness at the time of molding and having no stickiness after molding, such as chocolate dough or candy dough, is preferably adopted.

The above-mentioned food pieces have a good texture because the crispy or crunchy texture of puffed confectionery, nuts, dried fruits, and baked confectionery matches the crispy texture of chocolate and candy. , Flavored confectionery is obtained.

On the other hand, the food forming apparatus according to the present invention is a food forming apparatus in which sticky food pieces are stuck together to be formed into a lump, and a conveyor for conveying the food pieces and a partition wall surrounding the conveyor. Forming frame having a plurality of compartments whose lower surface is opened, and a driving means for moving the forming frame along the conveying path of the conveyor while swinging the forming frame forward, backward, leftward, and rightward and downward with respect to the conveyor. It is characterized by having and.

According to the above-mentioned food product forming apparatus, the adhesive food product is placed on the conveyor for conveyance, the forming frame is swung forward, backward, leftward and rightward, and is moved in the conveyor conveying direction with respect to the conveyor. It can be lowered and the partition wall of the forming frame can be inserted between the food pieces from above. As a result, the food piece is inserted into each section of the molding frame by a predetermined amount and is subjected to the ingot-making action while being pushed by the inner circumference of the partition wall,
As described above, the shapes are bonded to each other without being damaged, and the material is molded into a block having many internal voids. In addition, after the food pieces have been molded, the molding frame can be lifted up to separate from the conveyor and retracted to return to the original position.By repeating the above steps, the food pieces flowing on the conveyor can be continuously fed. It becomes possible to form it.

In the molding apparatus of the present invention, it is preferable to have a scraper that comes into sliding contact with the inner circumference of the partition wall of each of the sections of the molding frame and scrapes off the food adhering to the inner circumference of the partition wall.

According to this, even if a sticky food piece adheres to the inner circumference of the partition wall of the forming frame, it can be scraped off by a scraper in the process of retracting and returning the forming frame, for example. Can be performed stably for a long time. Further, since the scraped food pieces can be reused as the molding material by dropping onto the conveyor, no waste of material occurs.

The driving means includes a swinging means for swinging the forming frame back and forth and left and right, and a horizontal moving means for reciprocating the forming frame in a predetermined length range along the convey path of the conveyor. It is preferable that the molding frame be configured to move up and down with respect to the conveyor.

According to this, the partition wall of the forming frame is moved by the swinging means to swing the forming frame back and forth and to the left and right, and the horizontal moving means to move it in the conveying direction of the conveyor while lowering it by the elevating means. It can be introduced between food pieces to give a lumping action. Then, when the molding is completed, the molding frame is raised and horizontally moved in the direction opposite to the conveying direction, whereby the original position can be restored.

Further, on the inner circumference of the partition wall of the molding frame,
It is preferable that at least a part is provided with an arcuate curved surface, and the swinging means swings the forming frame so as to draw a circle.

According to this, as described above, it is possible to obtain a lump in which the food pieces are joined in a substantially hemispherical shape.

Furthermore, it is preferable that an outer frame is arranged on the outer periphery of the molding frame so as to be swingable in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction, and the outer frame is configured to swing in a direction opposite to that of the molding frame.

According to this, by the outer frame swinging in the direction opposite to the forming frame, the inertial force of the forming frame is canceled by the inertial force of the outer frame, and the vibration of the apparatus accompanying the swinging of the forming frame is reduced. be able to.

[0028]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION In the present invention, the food having tackiness is not particularly limited, but for example, puffed confectionery,
The surface of at least one kind of confectionery selected from nuts, dried fruits and baked confectionery is preferably coated with chocolate or candy dough.

Here, as the puffed confectionery, for example, puff,
Examples of the nuts include roasted seeds such as almonds, peanuts, macadamia nuts, cashew nuts, walnuts, pistachio, hazelnuts, whole grains, crushed products, and dried fruits. Examples thereof include dry oranges and dried grapes, and baked confectioneries include, for example, waffles, wafers, biscuit crumbs,
Cookie crumbs. The shapes of these puffed confectionery, nuts, dried fruits, and baked confectionery are not particularly limited, but flakes, plates, rods, spheres, irregular lumps, and the like are adopted, and flakes are particularly preferable. To be done.

As the raw material of the chocolate dough, those generally used conventionally can be appropriately selected and used. For example, cacao mass, cocoa powder,
Cocoa butter, other vegetable oils and fats, whole milk powder, skim milk powder, whey powder, sugars such as sugar, maltose and palatinose, emulsifiers such as lecithin, and flavors are used. Also, any kind of chocolate such as bitter chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate, etc. may be used, pure chocolate prescribed in the regulations, pure milk chocolate, semi-chocolate may be used, and fats and oils other than the chocolate prescribed in the regulations It may be a sex confectionery.

On the other hand, when using candy dough,
Due to its nature, it must be molded while maintaining a higher temperature than the chocolate dough. And as the candy dough, for example, soft candy such as caramel,
Hard candy, nougat, fudge, toffee, toffee, fondant and marshmallow dough are preferably used.

As a method for coating the chocolate dough or the candy dough with at least one of the above-mentioned puffed confectionery, dried fruits, baked confectionery, or at least one of seeds and nuts roasted further, for example, melted chocolate dough Alternatively, a method of mixing the candy dough and the above confectionery and coating the surface of the confectionery with the chocolate dough or candy dough is adopted. At this time, the mixing ratio of the confectionery and the chocolate or candy dough is 65-35: 35 by mass ratio.
The ratio is preferably 65, and more preferably 60-45: 40-55. When the mixing ratio of the chocolate dough or the candy dough is higher than the above, crispy products derived from materials such as puffed confectionery, nuts, dried fruits, and baked confectionery, the crunchy texture is likely to be impaired, and the chocolate or candy dough If the mixing ratio is less than the above, the bonding force between the food pieces coated with the chocolate dough or the candy dough becomes weak, and they easily collapse.

The thus-prepared food pieces are chocolate doughs or chocolate doughs obtained by collecting a plurality of pieces in a lump form by the molding method of the present invention described below in a state where the chocolate dough or candy dough on the surface is at least partially melted. The candy dough can be joined together by the joining force to form a lump.

1 to 9 show an embodiment of a food product forming apparatus according to the present invention. 1 is an explanatory view showing the overall operation of the molding apparatus, FIG. 2 is a front view of the molding apparatus,
3 is a rear view of the molding apparatus, FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the molding apparatus seen from the back side, FIG. 5 is a plan view of the molding apparatus, FIG. 6 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the molding apparatus, and FIG. FIG. 8 is a partially enlarged plan view of the molding apparatus, FIG. 8 is an explanatory view showing an ingot making operation by the molding apparatus, and FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a food product molded by the molding apparatus.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, this molding apparatus 10
Reference numeral 0 has a base 101 and a conveyor 102 arranged so as to pass on the base 101. The conveyor 102 has a belt 103 that moves in the direction of arrow A in the figure.
Is stretched.

On the front and rear wall surfaces of the base 101,
A pair of guide rails 105 extending vertically are attached, and a lifting base 106 is mounted via the guide rails 105.
Is mounted so that it can be raised and lowered. Furthermore, the lifting base 106
Includes a pair of guide rails 10 extending parallel to the horizontal direction.
7 is attached, and a horizontal movement base 108 is attached via the guide rail 107. Horizontal movement base 1
A side plate 109 is attached to 08 and a pair of side plates 109 is attached.
The spaces are connected by a support plate 110 (see FIG. 5), and these form a frame that supports the molding frame 120.
An outer frame 130 is arranged outside the molding frame 120.

As shown in FIG. 6, the forming frame 120 includes a bracket 111 extending from the side plate 109 and a suspension bar 11 attached to the bracket 111.
It is swingably supported via 2. Hanging rod 112
Are arranged at the four corners of the molding frame 120. Similarly, the outer frame 130 is swingably supported by the bracket 111 via a suspension rod 113.

As shown in FIG. 5, on the support plate 110,
The rotary shaft 141 is supported via a plurality of bearings 140. A motor 142 is installed on the support plate 110, and the motor 142 rotates the rotary shaft 141 via a timing belt 143.

Referring also to FIG. 7, eccentric cams 144 and 145 are attached to both ends of the rotary shaft 141, the eccentric cam 144 and the molding frame 120 are connected by a link 146, and the eccentric cam 145 and the outer frame 130. Toga is link 147
Are linked by.

The eccentric cam 144 and the eccentric cam 145 are configured to push and pull the corresponding links 146 and 147 in opposite directions. That is, link 146
When is pushed out, the link 147 is pulled in,
When the link 146 is pulled in, the link 147 is pushed out.

As a result, when the rotary shaft 141 rotates, the molding frame 120 and the outer frame 13 are mediated by the links 146 and 147.
The value 0 means that the belt 103 swings back and forth with respect to the moving direction of the belt 103 and in the opposite directions.

Further, on the support plate 110, the rotary shaft 141
The rotary shaft 150 is supported in parallel with one end of the rotary shaft 150 via a bearing 151, and the rotary shaft 150 rotates via a timing belt 152 stretched between the rotary shaft 141 and the rotary shaft 150. It is adapted to rotate in conjunction with the shaft 141.

On the other hand, a rotary shaft 154 is supported on the side plate 109 via a bearing 155, and the rotary shaft 150 is supported.
Through the bevel gear unit 153, the rotary shaft 154
Is designed to rotate.

Eccentric cams 156 and 157 are attached to the end of the rotating shaft 154, the eccentric cam 156 is connected to the forming frame 120 via a link 158, and the eccentric cam 157 is connected to a link 159. It is connected to the outer frame 130.

The eccentric cams 156 and 157 are configured to push and pull the corresponding links 158 and 159 in opposite directions. As a result, when the rotary shaft 154 rotates, the molding frame 120 and the outer frame 130 are linked with each other by the links 158, 1.
The belt 103 is oscillated to the left and right with respect to the moving direction of the belt 103 and in the directions opposite to each other.

Back and forth swinging by the links 146 and 147,
Left and right swing by the links 158 and 159 means the forming frame 1
20 and the outer frame 130 are made in synchronism so as to result in a circular movement (not necessarily a precise circle).

The molding frame 120 has a frame body 121, and a molding plate 122 is attached via a bracket 123 hanging from the frame body 121. Forming plate 122
A partition wall 124 formed in a honeycomb shape is provided on the lower surface of the.

Referring also to FIG. 8, this partition wall 12
4 forms a plurality of compartments 125 into which food pieces are inserted, and an arcuate curved surface 126 is provided on a part of the inner periphery of the partition wall 124 surrounding each compartment 125. In the case of this embodiment, the arc-shaped curved surface 126 is formed on the inner periphery rearward of the moving direction A of the conveyor.

In the present invention, the honeycomb means a shape in which a plurality of compartments surrounded by partition walls are formed adjacent to each other, and the compartments may have any shape, such as a honeycomb. The shape is not limited to the shape surrounded by the hexagonal section.

Referring again to FIGS. 4 and 6, support plates 160 are erected on opposite sides of the frame 121, respectively.
An air cylinder 161 is attached to the support plate 160. Guide cylinders 162 are fixed to both sides of the air cylinder 161, and guide rods 163 are inserted into the guide cylinders 162. At the lower end of the guide rod 163, the holding frame 164
Is installed. The operating rod 167 of the air cylinder 161 is connected to the holding frame 164.

The holding frame 164 has a plurality of support plates 165 arranged in parallel, and the support rods 166 are attached to the support plates 165.
Are attached at a predetermined interval so that they hang down. The lower end of the support rod 166 penetrates the molding plate 122,
It is inserted into each compartment 125 surrounded by the partition wall 124. Furthermore, a cap-shaped scraper 170 is attached to the lower end of the support rod 166 so as to be in sliding contact with the inner circumference of the partition wall 124.

Therefore, by actuating the air cylinder 161, the holding frame 164 moves up and down, and the support rod 166 moves up and down accordingly, and the cap-shaped scraper 170 attached to the lower end of the support rod 166 becomes It is configured to move up and down so as to scrape the inner circumference of the partition wall 124 surrounding the section 125.

Referring again to FIGS. 2 and 3, a rotary shaft 180 is provided which penetrates the front and rear wall surfaces of the base 101 and is rotated by a driving means (not shown). A disk-shaped first cam plate 181 is attached to an end portion of the rotating shaft 180 protruding toward the front side. Then, the first cam plate 18
Inside 1, there is a link 1 whose lower end is pivotally supported by a base 101.
82 are arranged. A cam follower (not shown) is attached to an intermediate portion of the link 182, and the cam follower is inserted into a cam groove (not shown) formed inside the first cam plate 181.

One end of a link 183 is pivotally attached to the upper end of the link 182, and the other end of the link 183 is an upper end portion 1 of a first T-type lever 184 whose intermediate portion is pivotally supported by the base 101.
It is pivotally attached to 84a. Further, the first T-shaped lever 184
The upper end 184 a of the second T-shaped lever 185 is connected to the upper end 185 a of the second T-type lever 185, which is similarly pivotally supported by the base 101 and adjacently arranged, via a link 186.

The horizontally extending ends 184b and 185b of the first T-shaped lever 184 and the second T-shaped lever 185 are
It is connected to the elevating base 106 via links 187 and 188. Furthermore, the first T-type lever 184 and the second T-type lever 184
Lower ends 184c and 185c of the mold lever 185 are connected to one ends of the tension coil springs 189 and 190, and the other ends of the tension coil springs 189 and 190 are fixed to the base 101.

Therefore, when the first cam plate 181 rotates, the link 182 fitted in the cam groove (not shown) swings, and the first T-type lever 1 is moved through the links 183 and 186.
84 and the second T-type lever 185 reciprocally rotate within a predetermined angle range, and the lifting base 10 is moved through the links 187 and 188.
6 moves up and down. The tension coil springs 189 and 190 constantly bias the first T-type lever 184 and the second T-type lever 185 in the clockwise direction to reduce the load on the elevating base 106 and to smoothly rotate the first cam plate 181. It has a role to play.

The first T-shaped lever 184 and the second
The support shafts 191 and 192 fixed to the T-shaped lever 185 are
The support shaft 191 penetrates through the rear side of the base 101,
At the rear end of 192, the first L-shaped lever 193, the second
The L-shaped lever 194 is fixed. Then, in the same manner as described above, the first L-shaped lever 193 and the second L-shaped lever 1
One end portions 193a and 194a of 94 are connected to the link 18
7 and 188, the other ends 193b and 194b of the first L-shaped lever 193 and the second L-shaped lever 194 are connected to the elevating base 106, and the tension coil springs 189 and 190 are attached to the rear surface side of the base 101. Are linked to.

The first L-type lever 193 and the second L-type lever 194 are reciprocally rotated in synchronization with the first T-type lever 184 and the second T-type lever 185, and the elevating base 106 is synchronized in the same manner as described above. To move up and down.

A second cam plate 195 is fixed to the end of the rotary shaft 180 protruding to the rear side of the base 101. Inside the second cam plate 195, a link 196 having one end pivotally attached to the base 101 is arranged. The link 196 is formed inside the second cam plate 195 via a cam follower (not shown) and is not shown. It fits in the cam groove. Link 1
The end of 96 is connected to the horizontal movement base 108 via a link 197. A link 198 is provided on the front side of the base 101 so as to be connected to the link 196 so as to swing integrally with the link 196.
It is connected to the horizontal moving base 108 via 9.

Therefore, when the rotary shaft 180 rotates,
The links 196 and 198 swing by the second cam plate 195, and the horizontal moving base 1 is moved through the links 197 and 199.
08 reciprocates in the front-back direction with respect to the conveying direction of the conveyor 102.

The elevating operation of the elevating base 106 and the reciprocating movement of the horizontal moving base 108 are combined with each other, and the molding frame 120 supported on the horizontal moving base 108 in the above-described manner is indicated by an arrow in FIG. It is configured to move as indicated by B. That is, while moving along the moving direction A of the conveyor 102, it gradually descends and approaches the conveyor 102. Then, while swinging back and forth, right and left, it moves in the same direction as the conveyor 102 by a predetermined distance, and thereafter gradually rises and separates from the conveyor 102,
The conveyor 102 moves in the direction opposite to the moving direction A and returns to the original position.

Next, one embodiment of the method of molding food according to the present invention using the molding apparatus 100 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 1, a sticky food piece 200 made of a confectionery material as described above is supplied onto the belt 103 of the conveyor 102, leveled and conveyed in the direction of arrow A.

The rotating shaft 180 rotates, the first cam plate 181 and the second cam plate 195 rotate, and the interlocking mechanism by the links causes the elevating operation of the elevating base 106 and the horizontal moving base. 108 reciprocating movements are made.

Thereby, as described above, the molding frame 1
20 moves first in the moving direction A of the conveyor 102 and gradually descends to approach the conveyor 102, and the honeycomb-shaped partition wall 124 of the forming frame 120 divides into the gap between the food pieces 200. To enter. As a result, the food piece 200 is inserted into each of the compartments 125 surrounded by the partition wall 124 of the molding frame 120 by a predetermined amount.

At this time, the operation of the motor 142 causes
By the mechanism described above, the forming frame 120 swings back and forth and left and right in a circular shape. And the molding frame 120 is
When swinging as described above and moving in the same direction as the conveyor 102 by a predetermined distance, the food pieces 200 inserted into each of the compartments 125 are pushed by the partition wall 124 and come into contact with each other. Joined and formed into a block.

FIG. 8 schematically shows a state where the food pieces 200 are joined in a lump. That is, FIG. 7A shows a state where the food piece 200 is inserted into the compartment 125 surrounded by the partition wall 124, and FIG. 7B shows the arc-shaped curved surface 12 of the partition wall 124.
The state where the food pieces 200 are collected by being pressed by 6, (c)
The state where the food pieces 200 move along the inner circumference of the partition wall 124 due to the circular movement of the forming frame 120, and the state (d) shows the state where the food pieces 200 are joined together and gradually formed into a lump. .

When the food pieces 200 are thus joined together and formed into a lump, the forming frame 120 rises and the conveyor 1
No. 02 belt 103 is gradually separated. As a result, the lump-shaped food 201 remains on the belt 103 and is carried out.

As described above, the molding is not performed by forcibly pressing with a mold or a roller, but the moldings 120 are brought into contact with each other to form a lump. It can be formed into many lumps.

Next, the raised forming frame 120 moves in the direction opposite to the moving direction of the conveyor 102 and returns to the original position. At this time, the holding frame 164 is lowered by the operation of the air cylinder 161 (see FIG. 4), whereby the support rod 166 is pushed downward, and the cap-shaped scraper 17 is pushed down.
0 descends while slidingly contacting the inner circumference of the partition wall 124. As a result, the food pieces adhering to the inner surface of the partition wall 124 are scraped off on the conveyor 102 and become together with the food pieces 200 which have not been formed yet.

In this way, since the scraper 170 scrapes off each molding operation, the molding frame 12
It is possible to prevent food pieces from adhering to the inner periphery of the partition wall 124 of 0 and hinder the molding operation, and the molding operation can be continuously performed for a long time. Further, the scraped food pieces are mixed with the food pieces on the conveyor 102 which have not been molded yet and are used again for molding. Therefore, it is not necessary to collect and return the scraped food pieces, and the food pieces are not necessary. Never waste it.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the outer frame 130 arranged outside the molding frame 120 is swung in the direction opposite to the molding frame 120, the inertial force associated with the swinging of the molding frame 120 is generated. The outer frame 130 can be canceled by the inertial force caused by the swing, and the vibration of the molding apparatus body caused by the swing of the molding frame 120 can be reduced.

FIG. 9 shows an example of a chocolate-coated confectionery obtained by molding chocolate flakes as food pieces by the above method. This chocolate-coated confectionery 201a is made of flaky confectionery, nuts, dried fruits, and baked confectionery. Chocolate-coated food pieces 200a are bonded to each other by chocolate on their surfaces to form an amorphous lump. Is doing. Voids are formed between the chocolate-coated food pieces 200a, and the crispy and crunchy texture of puffed confectionery, nuts, dried fruits, baked confectionery and the like is retained.

In this embodiment, an arcuate curved surface 126 is formed on the inner periphery of the partition wall 124 of the forming frame 120, and the forming frame 120 swings in a circle, so that the food piece 200a is entirely covered. Are joined to form a hemisphere.

However, in the present invention, the shape of the lump-shaped food product is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a hemispherical shape as described above, or another shape such as a cylindrical shape. Further, it may be in the form of an amorphous block.

When a lump food is produced by the molding method of the present invention, the apparent volume of one lump is 1 to 100 c.
m ³ , preferably 2 to 50 cm ³ , the mass is 1 to 10 g, preferably 2 to 7 g, and the average maximum diameter is 10 to 40 mm, preferably 20 to 35 mm.

In the above, the apparent volume means the entire volume including the voids inside the lumpy food. If the volume is less than 1 cm ^3, each lump is small and easily spills out, making it difficult to eat. Volume is 1
If it is larger than 00 cm ³ , the lump is too large to easily enter with a bite, and it may be difficult to eat as it disintegrates while biting.

If the mass is less than 1 g, the volume of one lump is too small to be eaten well, and the pieces tend to spill out. If the mass is more than 10 g, it becomes difficult to eat in one bite, and it may fall apart while biting.

If the average maximum diameter is smaller than 10 mm, the lumps are small and the pieces tend to spill out, and the chocolate tends to adhere to the hands, making it difficult to eat. If the average maximum diameter is larger than 40 mm, the lumps are too large to easily enter with a bite, and they may become disintegrated while biting and become difficult to eat.

[0080]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Without pressing or pushing the food piece strongly,
Since they can be naturally joined without difficulty, the food pieces can be formed into a lump with many internal voids without breaking the shape of the food pieces. As a result, it is possible to provide a lumpy food which has a light texture and is crispy.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an overall operation of a food product molding apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the molding apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a rear view of the molding apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the molding apparatus viewed from the back side.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the molding apparatus.

FIG. 6 is a partially enlarged sectional view of the molding apparatus.

FIG. 7 is a partially enlarged plan view of the molding apparatus.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory view showing an ingot making operation by the molding apparatus.

FIG. 9 is a view showing an example of a food product molded by the molding device.

[Explanation of symbols]

100 molding equipment 101 base 102 conveyor 103 belt 105 Guide rail 106 Lifting base 107 Guide rail 108 Horizontal movement base 109 side plate 110 support plate 111 bracket 112,113 hanging rod 120 forming frame 121 frame 122 Molded plate 123 bracket 124 partition wall 125 divisions 126 curved surface 130 outer frame 140 bearing 141 rotation axis 142 motor 143 Timing belt 144, 145 Eccentric cam 146 and 147 links 150 rotation axis 151 bearing 152 Timing belt 153 Bevel gear unit 154 rotation axis 155 bearing 156, 157 Eccentric cam 158 and 159 links 160 support plate 161 air cylinder 162 guide tube 163 guide rod 164 holding frame 165 Support plate 166 support rod 167 Actuating rod 170 Cap-shaped scraper 180 rotation axis 181 first cam plate 182 and 183 links 184 First T-type lever 184a Upper end of first T-shaped lever 184b Horizontally extending end of first T-shaped lever 184c Lower end of first T-shaped lever 185 Second T-type lever 185a Upper end of second T-shaped lever 185b Horizontally extending end of second T-shaped lever 185c Lower end of second T-shaped lever 186, 187, 188 links 189, 190 tension coil spring 191 and 192 spindles 193 1st L-type lever 193a One end of the first L-shaped lever 194 Second L-shaped lever 194a One end of the second L-shaped lever 195 2nd cam plate 196, 197, 198, 199 Link 200,200a Food pieces 201,201a food

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Yoshikazu Tanaka             2-1-1 Shimosueyoshi, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa             Morinaga & Co., Ltd. Process Development Laboratory (72) Inventor Shunji Kaji             2-1-1 Shimosueyoshi, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa             Morinaga & Co., Ltd. Process Development Laboratory (72) Inventor Kazuo Kuriyama             2-1-1 Shimosueyoshi, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa             Morinaga & Co., Ltd. Process Development Laboratory F term (reference) 4B048 PE03 PS20

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A method of molding a food product, which comprises sticking sticky food pieces together to form a lump, wherein the food pieces are placed on a conveyor and conveyed, and a plurality of them are surrounded by a partition wall and whose lower surface is opened. While swinging the molding frame having the compartment of front and rear, right and left, while moving in the conveying direction of the conveyor, by entering from above between the food pieces,
A method for forming a food product, which comprises joining the food pieces inserted in the respective sections of the forming frame to each other to form a mass. 2. The shaped frame is moved while moving in the conveying direction of the conveyor to be lowered so as to enter between the food pieces from above to mold the food, and then is raised again to form the molded food. , And then moved in the direction opposite to the conveying direction to return to the original position, and in the returning process, insert a scraper in sliding contact with the inner periphery of the partition wall into the partition wall, The method for forming a food product according to claim 1, wherein food pieces attached to the inner circumference of the food product are scraped off on the conveyor. 3. The food according to claim 1, wherein the forming frame is provided with an arcuate curved surface on at least a part of an inner circumference of the partition wall, and the forming frame is rocked in a circle. Molding method. 4. The food piece is formed by coating the surface of at least one kind of confectionery selected from puffed confectionery, nuts, dried fruits, and baked confectionery with chocolate dough or candy dough. The method for forming a food according to any one of 1. 5. A food forming apparatus for adhering sticky food pieces to each other to form a lump, and a conveyor for conveying the food pieces, and a plurality of compartments surrounded by a partition wall and having an open lower surface. And a drive means for moving the molding frame along the conveyance path of the conveyor and for moving the molding frame up and down while swinging the molding frame back and forth and left and right. Molding equipment for food products. 6. The food forming apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a scraper that comes into sliding contact with the inner circumference of the partition wall of each of the sections of the forming frame to scrape off the food adhering to the inner circumference of the partition wall. 7. The driving means includes a swinging means for swinging the forming frame back and forth and left and right, and a horizontal moving means for reciprocating the forming frame in a predetermined length range along a conveying path of the conveyor. 7. The food product forming apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising an elevating means for moving the forming frame up and down with respect to the conveyor. 8. An inner surface of the partition wall of the forming frame is provided with an arcuate curved surface at least partially, and the swinging means swings the forming frame in a circular shape. An apparatus for molding food according to claim 7. 9. An outer frame is arranged on the outer periphery of the molding frame so as to be swingable in the front, rear, left and right directions, and the outer frame is configured to swing in a direction opposite to that of the molding frame. 2. The food forming apparatus according to any one of 1.