Abstract: Disclosed is a process in which a viscous initial product having both a temperature of between 5° C. and 70° C. and a viscosity greater than 100 mPa·s is provided, —by way of a pump provided upstream of at least one aerator, the viscous initial product is transferred as it is to the at least one aerator in which the viscous initial product is mixed with a gas, injected into the aerator, so as to obtain a liquid foam continuously exiting the aerator, and—the liquid foam continuously exiting the at least one aerator is continuously pushed into the inlet of a treatment device which continuously divides and then dries this liquid foam so as to obtain a powdered porous product which has a solids content greater than 90%.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for producing a powdered porous product from at least one starting powdery and/or viscous product, characterised in that it comprises the continuous following steps without exposing the product to open air: a) preparing the starting product in order to make it viscous; b) in a thermo-mechanical machine (10) for continuously realising transport and/or mixing functions of viscous products or dry-material rich products, lowering the viscosity of the viscous product without changing its dry-material content, by intimate mixing with a gas injected into the processing machine (10) and simultaneously initiating the porosity in the viscous product; c) continuously with the processing machine (10), statically or dynamically intensifying the intimate mixture of the viscous product with a gas in order to obtain an aerated and porous mass; and d), dividing said mass in order to obtain aerated and porous particles.

Abstract: The invention proposes a method for the production of a porous powder product containing a microorganism, from a liquid concentrate comprising at least one liquid microorganism culture and a carrier composition, the carrier composition comprising at least one carbohydrate and at least one protein, the method comprising the steps of: i) preparing the liquid concentrate to have both a temperature of between and 40° C. and a viscosity greater than 150 mPa·s; ii) injecting a food grade gas into the prepared concentrate at a pressure greater than 0.3 MPa to intimately incorporate the gas into the liquid concentrate and form a stable foam with a density of between about 0.6 to about 1.2 kg/l; iii) conveying the foam to an atomizing device wherein the pressure of the foam is reduced from 0.3 MPa to atmospheric pressure to provide a partially dried product; and iv) exposing the partially dried product to a drying media to reduce both the moisture content to less than 5% moisture and the water activity to less than 0.

Abstract: In the disclosed method, in order to control an extruder including two intermeshing screws for driving a material to be extruded, the following steps are performed while a material to be extruded is being processed by the extruder: constantly measuring the viscosity of the material in the flow of the material in the extruder, and adjusting the extruder in accordance with the viscosity measurement. In order to adjust the extruder in an effective and efficient manner, the rate at which the extruder is filled with material along the intermeshing screws is modified by adjusting, downstream from the screws, a flow cross-section for the material in accordance with the viscosity measurement.

Abstract: The invention proposes a method for the production of a porous powder product containing a microorganism, from a liquid concentrate comprising at least one liquid microorganism culture and a carrier composition, the carrier composition comprising at least one carbohydrate and at least one protein, the method comprising the steps of: i) preparing the liquid concentrate to have both a temperature of between and 40° C. and a viscosity greater than 150 mPa·s; ii) injecting a food grade gas into the prepared concentrate at a pressure greater than 0.3 MPa to intimately incorporate the gas into the liquid concentrate and form a stable foam with a density of between about 0.6 to about 1.2 kg/l; iii) conveying the foam to an atomizing device wherein the pressure of the foam is reduced from 0.3 MPa to atmospheric pressure to provide a partially dried product; and iv) exposing the partially dried product to a drying media to reduce both the moisture content to less than 5% moisture and the water activity to less than 0.

Abstract: The invention proposes a method for the production of a porous powder product containing a microorganism, from a liquid concentrate comprising at least one liquid microorganism culture and a carrier composition, the carrier composition comprising at least one carbohydrate and at least one protein, the method comprising the steps of: i) preparing the liquid concentrate to have both a temperature of between and 40° C. and a viscosity greater than 150 mPa·s; ii) injecting a food grade gas into the prepared concentrate at a pressure greater than 0.3 MPa to intimately incorporate the gas into the liquid concentrate and form a stable foam with a density of between about 0.6 to about 1.2 kg/l; iii) conveying the foam to an atomizing device wherein the pressure of the foam is reduced from 0.3 MPa to atmospheric pressure to provide a partially dried product; and iv) exposing the partially dried product to a drying media to reduce both the moisture content to less than 5% moisture and the water activity to less than 0.

Abstract: The continuous treatment device (10) includes a tank (11) of elongated shape and that determines a mixing chamber (15) which includes, at a first end, at least one inlet orifice (12) for the raw material and, at a second end, at least one outlet orifice (13) for the treated material, and also, between these orifices, at least one agitator shaft (16) equipped with blades (17) suitable for continuously mixing and advancing the material in the mixing chamber (15) from the inlet orifice to the outlet orifice. The device also includes a mixing screw (25) in the bottom of the tank, which is positioned in the mixing chamber (15), below and parallel to the at least one shaft (16), and which is suitable for being rotated, about at least one direction of rotation, the opposite way from the advance of the material from the inlet orifice to the outlet orifice.

Abstract: The invention proposes a method for the production of a porous powder product containing a microorganism, from a liquid concentrate comprising at least one liquid microorganism culture and a carrier composition, the carrier composition comprising at least one carbohydrate and at least one protein, the method comprising the steps of: i) preparing the liquid concentrate to have both a temperature of between and 40° C. and a viscosity greater than 150 mPa·s; ii) injecting a food grade gas into the prepared concentrate at a pressure greater than 0.3 MPa to intimately incorporate the gas into the liquid concentrate and form a stable foam with a density of between about 0.6 to about 1.2 kg/l; iii) conveying the foam to an atomizing device wherein the pressure of the foam is reduced from 0.3 MPa to atmospheric pressure to provide a partially dried product; and iv) exposing the partially dried product to a drying media to reduce both the moisture content to less than 5% moisture and the water activity to less than 0.

Abstract: A device for continuous production by extrusion cooking of a co-extruded food product containing whole solid pieces, of the type including an extrusion die (20) provided with a contact face at the end of the outlet of a cylinder (11) of an extrusion machine (10) having at least one screw (13) for processing at least one starting material and driven in rotation within the cylinder. The extrusion die (20) is provided with a bore (23) for forming a continuous tubular string of the food product in a direction forming an angle with the axis of the extrusion machine (10). Directly at the outlet of the die (20) and in the axis of the bore (23) for forming the continuous string, the device includes elements (30) for directly incorporating at regular intervals the whole solid pieces (2) into the continuous string of food product without altering the initial dimensions thereof.

Abstract: The continuous treatment device (10) includes a tank (11) of elongated shape and that determines a mixing chamber (15) which includes, at a first end, at least one inlet orifice (12) for the raw material and, at a second end, at least one outlet orifice (13) for the treated material, and also, between these orifices, at least one agitator shaft (16) equipped with blades (17) suitable for continuously mixing and advancing the material in the mixing chamber (15) from the inlet orifice to the outlet orifice. The device also includes a mixing screw (25) in the bottom of the tank, which is positioned in the mixing chamber (15), below and parallel to the at least one shaft (16), and which is suitable for being rotated, about at least one direction of rotation, the opposite way from the advance of the material from the inlet orifice to the outlet orifice.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for the continuous production of a powdered product from a product in the liquid state in the form of a solution-, suspension- or emulsion-type mixture in an aqueous medium. According to the invention, during the first step (E1) of the method, the product in the liquid state is transformed into a product in the viscous state. The invention is characterised in that it includes at least one overrun step (E2, E4) and at least one product-drying step (E3, E6) comprising at least a first step (E3) involving thermomechanical treatment with at last one thermomechanical treatment machine into which the viscous state product and a determined amount of powered product from the same family as the liquid state product are injected simultaneously. The treatment machine is configured to mix the viscous state product and the powdered product such as to produce solidified particles of the product upon contact with the ambient air.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for the continuous production of an expanded edible food product obtained by cooking-extrusion and containing solid inclusions having a size larger than 0.5 mm.

Abstract: A device for continuous production by extrusion cooking of a co-extruded food product containing whole solid pieces, of the type including an extrusion die (20) provided with a contact face at the end of the outlet of a cylinder (11) of an extrusion machine (10) having at least one screw (13) for processing at least one starting material and driven in rotation within the cylinder. The extrusion die (20) is provided with a bore (23) for forming a continuous tubular string of the food product in a direction forming an angle with the axis of the extrusion machine (10). Directly at the outlet of the die (20) and in the axis of the bore (23) for forming the continuous string, the device includes elements (30) for directly incorporating at regular intervals the whole solid pieces (2) into the continuous string of food product without altering the initial dimensions thereof.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for producing a powdered porous product from at least one starting powdery and/or viscous product, characterised in that it comprises the continuous following steps without exposing the product to open air: a) preparing the starting product in order to make it viscous; b) in a thermo-mechanical machine (10) for continuously realising transport and/or mixing functions of viscous products or dry-material rich products, lowering the viscosity of the viscous product without changing its dry-material content, by intimate mixing with a gas injected into the processing machine (10) and simultaneously initiating the porosity in the viscous product; c) continuously with the processing machine (10), statically or dynamically intensifying the intimate mixture of the viscous product with a gas in order to obtain an aerated and porous mass; and d), dividing said mass in order to obtain aerated and porous particles.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for the continuous production of an expanded edible food product obtained by cooking-extrusion and containing solid inclusions having a size larger than 0.5 mm.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for the continuous production of a powdered product from a product in the liquid state in the form of a solution-, suspension- or emulsion-type mixture in an aqueous medium. According to the invention, during the first step (E1) of the method, the product in the liquid state is transformed into a product in the viscous state. The invention is characterised in that it includes at least one overrun step (E2, E4) and at least one product-drying step (E3, E6) comprising at least a first step (E3) involving thermomechanical treatment with at last one thermomechanical treatment machine into which the viscous state product and a determined amount of powered product from the same family as the liquid state product are injected simultaneously. The treatment machine is configured to mix the viscous state product and the powdered product such as to produce solidified particles of the product upon contact with the ambient air.

Abstract: The invention provides a method of continuously preparing caseinate from milk proteins in non-soluble powder form in an extruder machine having two co-rotating and interpenetrating screws into which water and an alkaline reagent are introduced, and the mixture formed by the milk proteins, the water, and the alkaline reagent is subjected to a plurality of steps of kneading under pressure and of shearing with the temperature rising to obtain at the outlet from the extruder machine a caseinate paste, the caseinate paste is cooled to bring its temperature to below 20° C., a continuous thin sheet of caseinate paste is formed, and the sheet is cut up into a plurality of parallel strips, and these strips are cut up into small-sized pieces of caseinate. The invention also provides an installation for continuously preparing caseinate.

Abstract: An extrusion machine having a barrel containing a bore formed of three lobes, designed to receive a liner whose outer face is also formed of three lobes and which has two secant bores which have parallel axes and are adapted to receive two screws.

Abstract: The barrel (20) comprises at least two intersecting lobes (21a,21b) of cylindrical bores having parallel axes each corresponding to a screw and defining in the region of their intersection at least two longitudinal parallel edges (22). Each lobe comprises at least one shearing zone (23a,23b) adapted to cooperate with a shearing element mounted on the respective screws. The shearing zone (23a,23b) of each lobe is formed by least one groove (24a,24b) extending in the direction of the flow of the material and provided on the inner side of the barrel (20), the groove providing therebetween and each edge (22) a portion of a continuous surface of the cylindrical bore forming the corresponding lobe.

Abstract: In the method for the manufacture of a paper pulp for currency use from a stock comprising textile fibers, the operations of boiling, bleaching, chopping, breaking, cutting and washing of the textile fibers are performed in at least one treatment machine (10, 40) of the type having two co-rotating screws, in a plurality of phases taking place successively and continuously. The operations include a phase of feeding and mixing the stock with water, at least oen compression phase, at least one phase of shearing of the textile fibers, at least one phase of treatment of introduction of boiling and bleaching reagents, at least one phase of washing of the bleached pulp by introduction of washing water, and a phase of transferring and evacuating the bleached and washed pulp.