Abstract:
A process for the production and the contemporaneous cooking of macaroni foods uses, fundamentally, a liquid mixture of the basic ingredients required for the product it is wished to make, the mixture being sprayed, through nebulization devices onto one or more surfaces heated to the macaroni cooking temperature. The surfaces can be shaped in such a way as to render possible the cutting or shaping of the finished product contemporaneously with the production thereof.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to a process for the production of cooked macaroni foods and to a plant with which to effect the said process. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART 
     The art presently in use for the production of macaroni foods consists in the preparation of a well amalgamated solid-plastic dough, composed of flour, water, eggs and other ingredients in different combinations and percentages to suit the product it is wished to make. 
     Once the said solid-plastic dough has been kneaded sufficiently, it is subjected to a rolling out operation in one or more successive stages, depending upon the desired thickness of the dough, which is then cut and formed or is extruded to directly supply a formed product, such as spaghetti or noodles etcetera. 
     The finished product thus obtained can be eaten immediately in its fresh condition, after being first cooked in water, or else be put on the market dried out so as to guarantee its being kept for a long time; anyway it can always only be eaten after a more or less long and complex period of cooking, depending upon the macaroni product used and the particular recipe chosen. Normally, however, no cooking, even partial, of the product takes place during the production thereof, except in certain special cases when the dough is cooked in water subsequently to the production rolling out or extrusion stage, prevalently for the preparation of canned or frozen &#34;ready cooked dishes&#34;. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The object of the invention is to produce macaroni foods that are cooked partially or completely, according to the requirements, without water and without resorting to rolling out or extrusion operations to make the product in various forms, and wherein further cooking is not needed to eat it. 
     The said object is attained with the process forming the subject of the present invention, essential features of which are that the following stages are envisaged: 
     (a) the preparation of a liquid mixture containing the basic ingredients needed to make the macaroni product, using water or milk, or both, to dilute the mixture, and using at least one binding ingredient; 
     (b) the constant stirring of the said liquid mixture and, with the aid of one or more devices for nebulizing the said liquid mixture, the continuous or intermittent distribution of it onto at least one surface heated to the macaroni cooking temperature, with the said heated surface and the said nebulization devices moving, one with respect to the other, in such a way as to produce a continuous dough that is cooked, contemporaneously with the production thereof, directly on the said heated surface. 
     According to one possible form of embodiment, the plant with which to effect the said process is envisaged having a first surface heated to the macaroni cooking temperature, connected, without the possibility of displacement or slippage, one with respect to the other, to a first wheel rotatable with a continuous or intermittent unidirectional movement, and having the said nebulization devices positioned on the perimeter of the said wheel, opposite the said heated surface; a second surface heated to the macaroni cooking temperature, connected, without the possibility of displacement or slippage, one with respect to the other, to a wheel rotatable with a continuous or intermittent unidirectional movement, at the same speed, though in the opposite direction, as that of the wheel to which the first heated surface is connected, and connected to the said first wheel through transmission means that do not allow one to slip with respect to the other, the said second wheel being rotatable around an axis parallel to the axis of rotation of the said first wheel, the said second heated surface being so positioned as to face onto the said first heated surface, spaced away therefrom at a distance identical to the thickness of the product it is wished to make. 
     For the production of long products, such as spaghetti, products in strip form, such as noodles, and short products, contemporaneously with the formation and cooking stage it is envisaged that the said first and second heated surfaces be shaped in such a way as to circumferentially have a number of channels or pockets, separated by cutter members which, during the rotation of the said heated surfaces, divided the dough being formed and cooked thereon into pieces of the desired section, shape and length. Alternatively, the dough can be cut after it has been produced. 
     With the process and plant forming the subject of the present invention, it is possible to achieve the grouping together of the product forming, cooking and finishing stages, and in this way to limit what the consumer has to do just to adding a condiment to the product or, when it is not eaten in a fresh condition, placing the product in hot water for a few seconds in order that it may re-acquire its &#34;natural volume&#34;. 
     By using a liquid mixture, the process enables there to be an easier and more rapid amalgamation of the ingredients, while the subsequent nebulization makes it possible to produce a flexible, uniform, food that has better physical characteristics and nutritive properties than products made in accordance with the conventional art. 
     For the preparation of the liquid mixture there is not, in fact, any compulsory limitation in the use of ingredients such as, for example, eggs, in relation to the flour and, indeed, it is possible to use a higher percentage of eggs than is the case with conventional macaroni foods since there is no question of the mixture hardening or becoming sticky which, when adopting the processes known today, would prejudice the rolling out and/or the extrusion of the dough. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The characteristics and advantages of the process forming the subject of the present invention will emerge more clearly from the detailed description that follows of various possible forms of embodiment for the plant with which to effect the said process, illustrated purely as unlimited examples on the accompanying drawings, in which: 
     FIG. 1 shows, diagrammatically in a front view, a first form of embodiment for the plant according to the invention, wherein two heated surfaces are used, on only one of which the dough is sprayed for the formation and the cooking thereof; 
     FIG. 2 shows, diagrammatically in a front view, a second form of embodiment for the plant according to the invention, wherein two heated surfaces are used, on both of which the formation and the cooking of the product takes place, and by means of which two thicknesses are created which are united when leaving the said heated surfaces, either by contact or because of the arrival of more of the nebulized mixture, to form one single thickness; 
     FIG. 3 shows a further form of embodiment for the plant which, in practice, results from combining in series the possibilities outlined in FIGS. 1 and 2; 
     FIG. 4 shows, in a lateral diagrammatic view with some parts in sectional form so that others may be seen better, a possible form of embodiment for the nebulization devices; 
     FIG. 5 shows, in a profile view, a possible way in which the heated surfaces can be shaped suitably to produce a long product, such as spaghetti; 
     FIG. 6 shows, in a profile view, a possible way in which the heated surfaces can be shaped and combined suitably to produce a long product, such as noodles; 
     FIG. 7 shows, diagrammatically, a further possible form of embodiment for the plant according to the invention, wherein the heated surfaces that contribute to the formation and cooking of the products are flat and movable, one with respect to the other; 
     FIG. 8 shows, diagrammatically, a further possible form of embodiment for the plant according to the invention, wherein the heated surfaces that contribute to the formation and cooking of the product are flat and circular, respectively, both being movable synchronously at the same speed and in the same direction. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The first stage for the process forming the subject of the present invention consists in preparing a liquid mixture of the ingredients needed for the production of macaroni foods; for the dilution of which water or milk, or both, can be used. 
     The individual quantities of the various ingredients will depend on the type of macaroni food it is wished to produce. An ingredient having a binding function is, furthermore, necessary in order to guarantee the nebulized mixture having adequate consistency. The said ingredients can, for example, simply be the whole egg, just the white thereof, or any other suitable edible substance. 
     The liquid mixture is stirred continuously in order to prevent it from stratifying and to constantly have available a dough to be nebulized, which is amalgamated as much as possible. The mixture can, if necessary, contain ancillary ingredients that are able to give the product a particular green or pink type of color, or a special protein-vitamin value. Thus, for example, various types of green vegetables can be used, as well as various sorts of flour, with care always being taken to maintain the necessary dilution and homogeneousness of the mixture. 
     The second stage in the process consists in forming the mixture into a finished product, that is to say, into a cooked macaroni food of the desired thickness. 
     To achieve this second stage, and with reference to the example given in FIG. 1, nebulizer devices as at (1) and (2) can be used, these being supplied from the tank in which the liquid mixture is contained (not depicted in the figures) whose task is to distribute the liquid mixture onto a working surface (3), the said nebulizer devices being placed one after the other. The said working surface (3) is shown in FIG. 1 in circular form, connected to a wheel (4) with a rotatory movement, and the former is subjected to the heating action of one or more sources of heat (5) of a suitable type which are placed in various positions in order to obtain a maximum distribution of the heat and uniformity of the temperature applied to the said working surface (3). 
     Distribution of the heat, uniformity of the temperature and the rotation speed are interdependent factors to enable the nebulized liquid mixture to be cooked perfectly and to subsequently be removed from the working surface (3), as well as, naturally, to allow there to be a satisfactory production rate. 
     The optimum temperature range for the cooking of the product is between 75° C. and 150° C. taken on the working surface (3) which obviously has to be made of high thermal conductivity material and be perfectly smooth. The said range of temperatures depends on the intrinsic characteristics of the mixture, on the speed at which the working surface (3) rotates and, therefore, on the optimum cooking temperature and times, as well as on the type of nebulization used. 
     During the second stage in the carrying out of the process in question, when the first layer of the mixture (6) distributed by the nebulizer device (1) comes into contact with the working surface (3), it tends to dry quickly (the water contained in it being vaporized, which contributes in rendering the mixture flexible) and to become the first cooked layer of the mixture, which subsequently facilitates the removal of the cooked dough (7) from the working surface (3). 
     With the example given in FIG. 1, various further layers are added to the first layer of the mixture by the nebulizer devices (2) until the thickness desired for the cooked dough (7) has been attained. The said subsequent layers contribute contemporaneously in preventing the first layer of the mixture (6) from drying out excessively since, if it were to become ultra-friable, the removal of the cooked dough could be rendered difficult. Again, according to the example given in FIG. 1, the wheel (4) that carries the cooked dough (7) is coupled to a second wheel (8) having a peripheral surface (8a), which also operates at the working temperature, in convergent rotation with the wheel (4), and at the same speed as this, the task of which is to give a finishing touch to the cooking of the upper surface of the cooked dough (7) and to facilitate its removal from the wheel (4) through the shrinkage effect of the fibers in the said cooked dough. 
     In order to prevent any slippage between the heated surfaces (3) and (8a), the wheels (4) and (8) can be connected to one another through the use of rigid transmission means of a known type, illustrated by the phantom representation 30. 
     According to the example illustrated in FIG. 2, the macaroni food is produced on two separate working surfaces (9) and (10) belonging to the wheels (20) and (21), respectively, which counter-rotate, one with respect to the other, and cause the two layers (11) and (12) to be stuck together, the union being assisted by the prior distribution of a further quantity of the liquid mixture through a nebulizer device (13), positioned suitably with respect to the said working surfaces. 
     The above described solutions can be adopted in succession, as shown in FIG. 3, in order to achieve the optimum cooking of the dough (14) and the thickness and finish desired for it. All of the wheels 4, 8, 20 and 21 are preferably connected to one another through the use of a transmission of a known type, illustrated by the phantom representation 30a, so that they all travel at the same speed of rotation without slippage. 
     It is necessary, at the time the nebulized liquid mixture is being distributed onto the working surface (3), or onto the working surfaces (9) and (10), that it does not &#34;run&#34; because of the amount being excessive and flow over the outside border, thereby giving rise to the formation of peripheral burr which would hamper the removal of the cooked dough. 
     In this connection, the devices shown by way of an example in FIG. 4 are provided, and with these, which are numbered (15) therein, it is possible to regulate and render uniform the jet of mixture coming from the nozzle (16) of the nebulizer device (1) or (2). The said devices (15) are provided at the bottom thereof, in the region of a mixture jet expulsion aperture (17), with heat insulation members (18) which are able to protect the liquid mixture collected therein, from the heat coming from the neighboring working surface. Furthermore, the said devices (15) have an exit duct (19) for the recovery of the excess liquid mixture accumulated therein. 
     Once the dough has been cooked contemporaneously with the production thereof in accordance with the foregoing description, one is able to proceed with the cutting and packing operation through the use of the normal techniques known today. 
     As regards the production of macaroni foods of the spaghetti, noodle, etcetera, variety, the formation operation normally performed at a stage subsequent to the production of the dough can, with the present invention also be achieved contemporaneously with the cooking by having the working surfaces (3), (4), (9) and (10) onto which the liquid mixture is sprayed, shaped and coupled one to the other (see FIGS. 5 and 6), to suit the desired shape, with the utmost attention being placed on guaranteeing the uniformity of the temperature and the smoothness of the surface. 
     Alternatively to the foregoing and with reference to FIG. 7, the working surfaces (3) and (4) can be replaced with the flat heated surfaces (22) and (23), positioned at different levels and connected to corresponding means of support. 
     A number of the surfaces (22) can be arranged, one after the other, suitably linked up to corresponding sources of heat, and connected to conveyor devices, not illustrated on the drawings, which move them in successive steps towards the surface (23), in the direction of the arrow F, underneath one or more nebulizer devices (1) and (2) placed, when there are several of them, one following on after the other, and actuated in synchronism with the forward movement of the said surfaces. 
     When the surface (22) arrives underneath the surface (23) and during the halting time of the said surfaces (22), the surface (23) is carried into contact with the upper face of the dough formed and being cooked on the surface (22), and this gives the finishing touch to the cooking of the other side of the said dough. 
     In another possible form of embodiment for the said plant, illustrated in FIG. 8, the said flat surface (23) is substituted by a circular surface (24), connected to corresponding means of support, not depicted, which is heated to the product cooking temperature through a source of heat positioned suitably with respect to the said circular surface, which is also not shown on the drawings. On the periphery of the said circular surface (24) one or more nebulizer devices (1) and (2), as in the cases described previously, can be placed, as well as one or more of the nebulizer devices (13) can be placed at the union of the parts (25) and (26) of the finished product (27), it not being wished to rely on the simple contact between the parts. In the latter event, the circular surface (24) contributes to giving the finishing touch to the cooking of the macaroni food under production in its desired shape. The drive of the moving surface 22 can be connected to the circular surface 24 to conform their movement by means of a transmission means of known type, illustrated by the phantom representation 30b.