Abstract: A confectionery aeration system comprising a confectionery material re-circulation circuit (7), the circuit comprising an aerator (12) and a confectionery vessel (2), the confectionery material re-circulation circuit being arranged such that a re-circulation outlet (8) of the vessel is connected to an inlet (9) of the vessel, the re-circulation circuit being without any de-aeration means for producing any substantial de-aeration material in the flow path between the re-circulation outlet and the aerator, the aerator being arranged in the re-circulation circuit to further aerate aerated confectionery material flowing from the re-circulation outlet of the vessel to the vessel inlet, the vessel inlet being provided with a back-pressure producing device (10) arranged so as to maintain a super-atmospheric pressure in the confectionery material in that part of the re-circulation circuit between the aerator and the vessel inlet, the circuit being provided with a supply connection (14) for feeding fresh confectionery

Abstract: A process for producing an aerated confectionery coating comprises supplying a liquid confectionery material to a coating head, maintaining the material under substantial super-atmospheric pressure up to the vicinity of the coating head, and forming, by gas injection, gaseous bubbles in the pressurized confectionery material prior to the confectionery material reaching the coating head, the rate of injection of gas into the confectionery material being controlled in response to a measure of the density of confectionery material in the supply to the coating head, excess liquid confectionery material available after coating by the coating head being recirculated into said supply.

Abstract: A cream depositor assembly has a depositor body in the form of a rotatable cylindrical stencil (11) provided with axially-spaced sets of circumferentially-spaced outlet ports (12). A recirculatory cream supply to the depositor body has a cream feed duct (27) fed by a pump (25), and a cream return duct (28). A cream diverting means (14) is housed within the interior of the stencil (11) and is operative to divert part of the cream flow from the feed duct (27) to an outlet passage (28), to supply the stencil. The illustrated diverting means (14) employs a flexible impeller (36), mounted eccentrically within a cylindrical rotor chamber, but a gear pump may be used.