Depositing chocolate based products directly into flow pack film packaging

• Main Authors: Lucian Emil Moise, Richard John Andrews, Emma Jane McLeod
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 29.05.2019
• Subjects: CHEWING GUM; COCOA; COCOA PRODUCTS, e.g. CHOCOLATE; CONFECTIONERY; CONVEYING; FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL; HUMAN NECESSITIES; ICE-CREAM; MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGINGARTICLES OR MATERIALS; PACKING; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PREPARATION THEREOF; SHAPING OR WORKING OF FOODSTUFFS, NOT FULLY COVERED BY ASINGLE OTHER SUBCLASS; STORING; SUBSTITUTES FOR COCOA OR COCOA PRODUCTS; THEIR TREATMENT, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES; TRANSPORTING; UNPACKING

A method of processing a foodstuff comprises the steps of: supplying flowable foodstuff 2100 into an open package wherein the package is formed from at least one sheet of material 2500; sealing the package 2200; and at least partially setting the flowable foodstuff, wherein a predefined internal shape of the package is dictated by one or more structural modifications 2550 in the sheet of material that forms the package, and the foodstuff within the package. The structural modifications may be a crease, fold, scoring or region of relative strength or weakness, and may be formed by embossing or the use of electromagnetic radiation on the sheet. A vertical from fill apparatus may be used. Food products, especially chocolate, is shaped and packaged in a single process. Speed in increased in comparison with individual filling, shaping and/or packaging processes. The apparatus used is also expected to have a smaller physical footprint.