PACKAGED POPCORN CONFECTION, AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING SAME

A packaged popcorn confection includes a container, a popcorn layer of a prepared popcorn in the container, a coating that covers a part of a top of popcorn layer and which holds together the popcorn layer, and a foil bag which encloses the container, the popcorn layer, and the coating in an airtight manner. The coating includes a couverture that is flowable when heated and solid when cooled and/or and a solidified glaze.

FIELD

The present invention relates to a packaged popcorn confection and to a method for manufacturing a packaged popcorn confection for sale in supermarkets, shops or on online platforms.

BACKGROUND

Popcorn is usually consumed in freshly prepared form, but it is also common to package freshly prepared popcorn in airtight foil bags so that the popcorn retains its crunchy texture until consumed. To give the popcorn a caramel or chocolate flavor, for example, it is also known to stir the freshly prepared popcorn together with heated caramel or heated chocolate into a container to provide the individual popcorn flakes or balls with a caramel or chocolate coating. The popcorn flakes, coated with caramel or chocolate over their entire surface, are then cooled with further stirring to separate them after the coating has cooled and hardened, and packaged in a predetermined quantity in a foil bag. An example of such a packaged popcorn confection is the popcorn confection marketed under the name Crunchy Popcorn.

One disadvantage of this type of popcorn confection is that the popcorn confection can only be presented inadequately visually to the consumer when removed from the foil bag, whereas visual appearance plays an increasingly important role in purchase decisions.

SUMMARY

An aspect of the present invention is to provide a popcorn confection and a method for manufacturing the popcorn confection where the popcorn confection can be well presented visually when removed from the packaging and where the popcorn confection is in no way inferior to known popcorn confections in terms of taste and feel.

In an embodiment, the present invention provides a packaged popcorn confection which includes a container, at least one popcorn layer of a prepared popcorn in the container, a coating that covers a part of a top of the at least one popcorn layer and which holds together the at least one popcorn layer, and a foil bag which encloses the container, the at least one popcorn layer, and the coating in an airtight manner. The coating comprises at least one of a couverture that is flowable when heated and solid when cooled, and a solidified glaze.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention provides a packaged popcorn confection which comprises a container, a layer of prepared popcorn in the container, and a coating made of a couverture that is flowable when heated and solid when cooled, and/or made of a solidified glaze, that covers part of the top of the popcorn layer and holds together the popcorn layer. The container with the popcorn layer partially coated with couverture and/or glaze is enclosed in a gas-tight foil bag to preserve the crunchy texture of the freshly prepared popcorn.

The popcorn in a container can thereby in particular be “fixed” as the coating (glaze) binds the individual popcorn flakes together. This also prevents popcorn flakes from falling out of the container in an undesirable way when consumed.

In the context of the present patent application, a glaze is a flowable mass made from sugar, in particular icing sugar, and a water-containing liquid, such as water, fruit juice and/or fresh protein, which solidifies on drying.

In the context of the present patent application, a couverture is a mass produced from sugar, in particular icing sugar, and one or more animal and/or vegetable fat-containing products, such as butter, soya oil, chocolate, milk powder, cocoa powder and/or cocoa butter, which becomes flowable or liquid when heated and which solidify when cooled.

The container with contents can be removed from the foil bag for consumption, whereby the contents of the container are presented in a visually appealing way because the couverture and/or glaze largely holds together the popcorn layer during transport and storage and counteracts any relative movement of the individual popcorn flakes within the layer, for example, if the packaged popcorn confection is tilted or if a box filled with foil bags is flipped during transport.

The layer of prepared popcorn in the container can, for example, be single-layered or at most two-layered, as the couverture and/or glaze applied to the top of the popcorn layer essentially holds together the top layer, while in the layers below, cohesion is only provided to the extent that the couverture and/or glaze penetrates therein.

The popcorn in the popcorn layer can be unprocessed popcorn, which advantageously does not need to be crushed before use. Processed popcorn is, however, advantageously used, for example, sweetened popcorn or caramel-coated or chocolate-coated popcorn, wherein the latter may also help to improve the cohesion of the popcorn layer by heating the chocolate-coated or caramel-coated popcorn before, during or after the application of the couverture and/or glaze.

A design of the present invention provides that the coating can, for example, consist of a sweet chocolate couverture or a sweet or salted caramel couverture, as these taste particularly good with the popcorn, but are also sufficiently stable when cooled to keep the popcorn layer together to a large extent even if the packaged popcorn confection is tilted or flipped during transport.

It is also alternatively or additionally possible, however, to use a glaze or icing or the like as a coating that is flowable when applied and solidifies after some time, thus achieving a similar result.

An additional protection of the popcorn confection against damage during handling, e.g., during transport or storage, is achieved by the container which is advantageously in the shape of a flat tray with a base and circumferential with outwardly sloping edges projecting upwards from the base.

As further protection for the contents, to improve the stability of the container, and also to improve the visual appearance before consumption, an outwardly projecting ridge is advantageously provided at the upper edge of the side walls, which can also be advantageous when unstacking the empty containers and placing the filled containers in the foil bag. To provide that the container with the popcorn layer and the chocolate coating can be easily packaged in the foil bag, the container advantageously has a rectangular outline in plan view.

While the container is conveniently folded from a blank of paper, cardboard or paperboard, or alternatively formed from bagasse (sugar cane residue), the foil bag can, for example, consist of a gas-tight or largely gas-tight foil so that the popcorn in the bag remains crunchy even during prolonged storage.

The coating of couverture and/or glaze can, for example, extend over the top of the popcorn layer in the form of linear, striped or patchy patterns so that the coating of couverture and/or glaze partially covers the top of the popcorn layer. The patterns can, for example, be wavy lines, zigzag lines, loops, circles or hearts or irregular patterns.

To further enhance both the aesthetic appearance of the popcorn confection before consumption and the taste experience when consumed, the present invention also provides that particles of at least one edible sprinkling product can, for example, be distributed on the popcorn layer and the coating of couverture and/or glaze, wherein the particles advantageously adhere to the coating and/or lie in recesses of the popcorn layer so that they predominantly retain their position even if the packaged popcorn confection is tilted or if a box filled with film bags is flipped during transport.

The particles can advantageously be chopped nuts, peanuts or almonds, nut or almond flakes, coconut shavings, small colorful sweets such as sugar-coated chocolate sweets, chocolate sprinkles, chocolate rolls, chocolate stars or sugar sprinkles, hard sugar sweets, sugar stars, sugar hearts, sugar unicorns, small gummy bears or jelly beans or the like.

The method for manufacturing a packaged popcorn confection from popcorn and a couverture that is flowable when heated and solid when cooled and/or a solidifying glaze, comprises the following steps:preparing popcorn by popping the popping corn;providing a container;filling the container with a layer of the popcorn;applying the heated couverture and/or the glaze in a flowable state to the top of the popcorn layer so that the couverture and/or the glaze partially covers the popcorn layer;cooling the couverture or solidifying the glaze, thereby forming a solid coating that holds the popcorn layer together in the container; andpackaging the container with the popcorn layer and the coating in a gas-tight foil bag.

If the heated couverture and/or glaze are applied to the top of the popcorn layer in a flowable or liquid state, the couverture and/or glaze will moisten the popcorn flakes and adhere to them as they cool or solidify. Due to the low weight of the popcorn flakes, both the adhesion of the couverture and/or the glaze to the popcorn flakes and the internal cohesion of the cooled couverture and/or the solidified glaze are great enough to prevent the couverture or glaze from peeling off the popcorn flakes and the cooled couverture or solidified glaze from breaking between neighboring popcorn flakes, thus preventing the popcorn flakes from moving relative to each other if, for example, the packaged popcorn confection is tilted or if a box filled with foil bags is flipped during transport.

An advantageous design of the method according to the present invention provides that particles of at least one edible sprinkling product are distributed on the popcorn layer and the coating of the couverture and/or the glaze that has not yet cooled or solidified, so that at least some of the particles adhere to the coating.

The application of the couverture and/or glaze and the particles of the at least one edible sprinkling product to the popcorn layer can, for example, be performed by moving the containers with the popcorn layer on a conveyor under an applicator device and immediately thereafter under a sprinkling device, wherein in the applicator glaze and/or heated couverture is applied in a flowable state to the top of the popcorn layer, and wherein in the sprinkling device the particles are sprinkled from above onto the popcorn layer and onto the not yet cooled couverture and/or not yet solidified glaze.

The present invention is explained in greater detail under reference to exemplary embodiments as shown in the drawings.

The partly packaged popcorn confection10shown inFIGS.5to8essentially consists of a flat container12, a popcorn layer14of prepared popcorn in the container12, a coating16made of a couverture18that is flowable when heated and solid when cooled, and possibly particles20of an edible sprinkling product. The finished popcorn confection10is packaged in a thin gas-tight foil bag38made of an aluminum-coated or vapor-deposited plastic foil64.

As best seen inFIGS.1to3, the container12is made by folding a one-piece blank of cardboard which is in the form of a flat tray having a base22, and four side walls24,26integrally connected to the base22and projecting upwardly and outwardly from the base at an angle of about 75 degrees, the upper edges of the side walls24,26are parallel to one another in pairs. A ridge28projects outwardly from the upper edge of each side wall24,26, aligned parallel to the base22and having rounded ends32at the corners30of the container12. A double-layer pocket34is formed between each two adjacent side walls24,26when the container is folded, and is bonded to the adjacent shorter side wall26against it, as is shown inFIG.3. In order to provide greater rigidity to the container12in the longitudinal direction, the ridges28are double-layered at the upper edges of the longer side walls24, wherein each of their outer edges36are folded downwards, resting from the outside against an upper edge strip of the adjacent side wall24and are bonded thereto, as shown inFIGS.2and3.

The popcorn layer14consists of individual, for example, freshly prepared popcorn flakes40, which lie in a single layer close to one another with as few gaps as possible on the base22of the container12and which cover the base22completely, as is best shown inFIG.4. The popcorn layer14extends upwards, not beyond the ridge28at the upper edge of the side walls24,26, as is shown inFIG.9.

As shown inFIGS.5to8, the coating16of couverture18is in the form of a plurality of stripes or strips42extending over and partially covering the top of the popcorn layer14. In the drawings, the stripes or strips42run generally in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the container12. The coating16can also, however, consist of a plurality of individual, closely spaced apart, irregularly distributed patches or a combination of patches and strips or stripes, which may also extend in other and/or alternating directions across the top of the popcorn layer14, such as in loops, zigzags or irregular patterns. It is in principle even possible to apply strips in the shape of a heart or with another shape to the top of the popcorn layer14. The width of the individual stripes or strips42or patches, and the spacing of adjacent stripes or strips42or patches, is such that the popcorn flakes40of the popcorn layer14are largely held together by the couverture18and individual popcorn flakes40do not become dislodged from the bond of the popcorn layer14when the container12is tilted.

In the first and second embodiments, the stripes or strips42are generally rectilinear and parallel to the longer side walls24, whereas in the third embodiment they are wavy.

The particles20of the edible sprinkling product, which are only shown in the embodiment inFIG.8, are small chocolate hearts44, which are commercially available. The chocolate hearts44partially adhere to the chocolate coating16and partially lie in depressions between adjacent popcorn flakes40. Other small sweets, such as sugar-coated chocolate sweets, chocolate sprinkles, chocolate stars, chocolate rolls or sugar sprinkles, hard sugar sweets, sugar stars, sugar hearts, sugar unicorns, small gummy bears or jelly beans can of course also be sprinkled as a sweet edible sprinkling product on the popcorn layer14coated with the chocolate coating as the couverture18, to name just a few examples. Chopped nuts, chopped peanuts or chopped almonds, nut flakes, almond flakes or coconut shavings can also be used as sprinkles.

To manufacture the popcorn confection10, popcorn is freshly prepared by popping the popping corn and then filled the popcorn into one of the pre-made containers12. As shown inFIGS.10and11, the container12is moved on a conveyor50under a metering device52, which meters a predetermined amount of popcorn into the container12and distributes it there in the form of a single popcorn layer14.

The container12is then moved by the conveyor50in the direction of the arrow P inFIG.10under a gantry54with a couverture applicator56. The applicator56has a plurality of side-by-side, downwardly directed bottom spray nozzles58to which heated flowable couverture is supplied under pressure to be applied in a plurality of stripes or strips42side-by-side to the top of the popcorn layer14so that the couverture stripes or strips42partially cover the popcorn layer14.

The container12can alternatively be moved from the conveyor50under another couverture and/or glaze applicator (not shown) which is movable relative to the conveyor50both in the conveying direction (arrow P) and transversely to the conveying direction P and which also has a plurality of downwardly directed spray nozzles. The conveyor50is then stopped and the applicator56is moved back and forth in the conveying direction P and transversely over the container12while flowable couverture or/and glaze is fed under pressure into the spray nozzles58to be applied to the top of the popcorn layer14. Depending on the movement pattern of the applicator56, the couverture and/or glaze is applied to the popcorn layer14in loops, zigzags or other patterns so that the popcorn layer14is then also partially covered by the coating of couverture and/or glaze.

Immediately downstream of the gantry54containing the applicator56, or immediately downstream of the other couverture and/or glaze applicator, a sprinkling device is arranged from which particles20of the edible sprinkling product are sprinkled from above onto the popcorn layer14, which is partially coated with couverture18and/or glaze. Due to the small distance from the applicator56, at least the particles20coming into contact with the couverture18and/or glaze remain attached to the still warm and thus somewhat sticky couverture18or to the not yet solidified glaze.

After the couverture18has cooled or the glaze has solidified, the popcorn confection10is packaged in an airtight manner by placing the aluminum vaporized or coated gas-tight plastic foil64around the container12and sealing the container12in the plastic foil64in a gas-tight manner. The opposite edges of the plastic foil64are thereby first welded to the underside of the container12along a longitudinal weld66parallel to the longer side walls24, before the foil tube formed in the process is welded between adjacent containers12along two transverse welds (not shown) parallel to the shorter side walls26and cut to form the foil bags38.

As the containers12are further transported, or as the packaged popcorn confection is packaged and stacked in the foil bags38, the particles20not adhering to the couverture18and/or the glaze slide into the recesses between adjacent popcorn flakes40, where they come to rest.

In the event that not all of the popcorn confection10is to be consumed after opening the foil bag38, it can be heated in an oven for a short time. After cooling, and once the couverture18has cooled down, the popcorn in the popcorn confection10will again have its original consistency.

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