METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR LIQUEFYING OF FATTY-BASED POWDER-LIKE PRODUCT, IN PARTICULAR, IN PRODUCTION OF CHOCOLATE AND LIKE PRODUCTS Russian patent published in 2008 - IPC A23G1/32 

FIELD: process for reducing viscosity of fatty-based mixture and equipment for performing the same.

SUBSTANCE: method involves preliminarily grinding fatty base containing solid particles and fat into powdered mass in rolling refiner for grinding of chocolate mass; processing powdered mass for forming elongated, longitudinally running flow sufficiently effective for destructing agglomerates and eliminating close engagement between solid particles and fat for producing of pasty mass containing fat-coated solid particles. Longitudinally running flow may be formed by forced passage of fatty-based mixture through a plurality of narrowed parts arranged in the form of rows parallel and/or sequentially arranged relative to flow. Longitudinally running flow may be also formed by forced and continuous passage under pressure of powdered mass through a plurality of openings of at least one plate of die. Apparatus has die unit comprising at least one plate with a plurality of openings, and pressure generating device for creating pressure to be applied to mixture at pressure side of die for forced passage of powdered mass through openings and thereby forming longitudinally running flow sufficiently effective for destructing of agglomerates and eliminating close engagement between solid particles and fat and for producing of pasty mass with fat-coated solid particles. Method allows conche treatment process in standard conching machine to be substituted or at least conching time to be reduced or subsequent charging and amount of fatty-based mass per unit of time to be increased using standard conching machine.

EFFECT: increased efficiency of method and apparatus allowing conching process to be avoided or at least conching time to be reduced or charging of fatty-based mass per unit of time in standard conching machine to be increased.

16 cl, 2 dwg, 7 ex