FOOD FLAVOURING PRODUCT AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURE THEREOF

Abstract: A food flavouring product comprises a sheet of edible material impregnated with flavouring substantially uniformly across its area. The sheet is pliable at room temperature and is adapted to be applied to a food item and to disintegrate at elevated cooking temperatures to release the flavouring into the food item. The food flavouring product is manufactured by passing a sheet (32) of edible product around a roll (10) and directing flavouring towards the sheet (32) by means of a vaporiser (26) in a vacuum chamber (12).

Description: FOOD FLAVOURING PRODUCT AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURE THEREOF The present invention relates to a food flavouring product and to a method of manufacture of such a product . Herbs and/or flavourings have been used for many years to enhance the flavour of food, and are traditionally sprinkled over the food during food preparation, usually manually by a cook. The surface of a food item to be flavoured is often uneven, with the result that the added herbs and/or flavourings tend to clump together in patches, or do not adhere to the surface of the food, as a consequence of which the resultant flavour is not consistent throughout the food item. It is also difficult to gauge the quantity of herbs and/or spices and/or flavourings required to achieve the desired flavour enhancement. In addition to the above drawback of the prior art, herbs and/or flavourings are frequently supplied in dried form and are packaged in bottles. This has the disadvantage that once a bottle has been opened, the contents are no longer sealed and are then vulnerable to the absorption of moisture from the atmosphere, which can degrade the quality of herb and/or flavouring. The weight and bulk of the bottle also makes the herb or flavouring expensive to store and/or transport. Preferred embodiments of the present invention seek to overcome the above disadvantages of the prior art. According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a food flavouring product, the product comprising: at least one sheet of edible material impregnated with flavouring, the impregnation of flavouring being substantially uniform across the area of the or each sheet; wherein the or each sheet is pliable at room temperature and is adapted to be applied to a food item and to disintegrate at elevated cooking temperatures to release the flavouring into the food item. By providing a sheet of edible material which is impregnated with flavouring, but disintegrates at elevated cooking temperatures, this has the advantage that the flavouring is ' less prone to degradation by absorption of moisture from the atmosphere, since the edible , material of the sheet protects the flavouring suspended within it from the surrounding atmosphere. In addition, it is not necessary to bottle the flavouring since the flavouring can simply be stored or transported within the sheet of edible material and vacuum packed, such that the storage and transport costs are reduced. Furthermore, because the edible material disintegrates during the cooking process, the material is either absorbed into the food item or drains into a cooking vessel, leaving substantially no traces of the edible product on the surface of the food item, thus improving the appearance and texture of the cooked food item. The amount and type of flavouring can also be selected in order to produce the required flavouring combination and/or strength to match the taste of an end user. In addition, by impregnating the flavouring into the sheet such that it is substantially uniformly distributed over the sheet, this has the advantage of ensuring that when the sheet disintegrates during the cooking process, the flavouring is evenly applied to the surface of the food item. In a preferred embodiment, the edible material is flavourless. This provides the advantage that only the flavour of the impregnated flavourings is added to the food during its preparation . The edible product may contain gelatine. The food flavouring product is preferably formed from water and/or gelatine and/or glycerol and/or salt and/or herbs and/or spices and/or potassium sorbate . Alternatively, the edible product may contain polysaccharide gum. This has the advantage of being suitable for vegetarian consumers . In a preferred embodiment, the food flavouring product is formed from water and/or polysaccharide gum and/or salt and/or sugar and/or herbs and/or spice and/or potassium sorbate and/or glycerol . In a preferred embodiment, the flavouring comprises at least one type of herb and/or spice flavouring. The food flavouring product is preferably vacuum packed in a foil or plastic bag. In a preferred embodiment, the product comprises a plurality of sheets separated by coated card and/or plastic wraps or dividers. According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a food flavouring product as defined above, the method comprising implanting flavouring into at least one sheet of edible material such that the impregnation of flavouring is substantially uniform across the surface of the or each sheet . The flavouring is preferably implanted by vaporising and propelling the flavouring into the or each sheet. In a preferred embodiment, the or each sheet is heated to between substantially 25 and substantially 27 degrees to soften the edible material . The surface of the or each sheet of edible material may be sealed subsequently to impregnation thereof with flavouring. The surface of the or each sheet may be sealed by applying pressure thereto. The surface of the or each sheet may be sealed by drawing a wire across said surface . The surface of the or each sheet may be sealed by applying a 'further sheet of edible material thereto. The surface of the or each sheet may be sealed by applying a sheet of removable plastics film thereto. In a preferred embodiment, the or each sheet impregnated with flavouring is cut into smaller sheets, each of which is packaged in an individual sealed container. A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only and not in any limitative sense, with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of an apparatus for making a food flavouring product embodying the present invention. Referring to the figure, a belt 2 is driven by driving means (not shown) at a speed of between generally 31.8 metres per second and 32.4 metres per second in the direction indicated by arrow 4. The belt 2 is guided by guide rolls 6, 8 such that it bears on roll 10 over approximately 75% of the perimeter of the roll 10. The roll 10 is located in a vacuum chamber 12 such that the belt 2 is guided through the vacuum chamber 12 as it passes around the roll 10. An endless belt 14 comprising a mesh or net is driven at generally the same speed as belt 2, but in the opposite direction thereto, as shown by arrow 16. The belt 14 runs over rolls 10, 18, 20, 22 and is guided by guide rolls 18, 20 such that it bears on the same surface 24 of the roll 10 as the belt 2. A herb vaporiser 26 is provided within the vacuum' chamber 12 and faces the surface 24 of the roll 10. A heating means 28 and a cooling means 30 are also provided in the vacuum chamber 12. The operation of the apparatus shown in Figure 1 will now be described. A sheet 32 of edible material containing gelatine is flexible but solid at room temperature, is fed from a reel (not shown) onto the belt 2. The sheet 32 is then conveyed by the belt 2 around the roll 8 into the vacuum chamber, where it is then heated by the heating means to a temperature of generally 25 degrees C to 27 degrees C. This temperature is sufficient to slightly soften the structure of the sheet 32, which is then conveyed by belt 2 around the roll 10, where the belt 14 now bears on the softened sheet 32. The heat vaporiser 26 vaporises a quantity of herbs or other flavouring and propels that vaporised material towards the sheet 32 passing around roll 10. The herbs or flavouring are then implanted through the mesh/net of belt 14 into the softened structure of the sheet 32, and as the mesh or net of belt 24 travels across the surface of the softened sheet 32, the pressure applied by the belt 14 to the surface causes the points of entry of the herb into the sheet 32 to close and removes any excess traces of herbs from the surface of the sheet . The removed traces of herbs or flavouring can then be returned to the herb vaporiser . Downstream of the roll 10, the sheet 32 is conveyed by the belt 2 via cooling means 30 which cools the sheet 32 to a temperature less than 25 degrees C, which re-hardens the sheet 32. The sheet 32 is then conveyed by belt 2 out of the vacuum chamber 12, about guide roll 6, beyond which roll 6 the sheet 32 is then removed from the belt 2. A layer of greaseproof or waxed paper (not shown) can be applied to one surface of the sheet 32 during removal of the sheet from the belt 32,. and the sheet 32 is then wound on a reel (not shown) such that the greaseproof/waxed paper prevents the layers of the sheet from sticking to each other. The required length of sheet 32 can then be drawn from the reel and the sheet cut to form a wrap of the required size. One surface of the sheet 32 can also be covered by an additional thin layer of gelatine which acts as a protective layer, sealing the herbs/flavouring within the sheet 32 by sealing the damaged surface of the sheet caused by entrance of the herbs into the sheet. A further additional layer of gelatine can be applied to the opposite surface of the sheet 32 as the sheet is removed from the belt 2. Alternatively, instead of greaseproof/ waxed paper, a peelable plastic layer can be applied to the surface of the sheet 32, the plastic layer acting as a protective layer. The herb impregnated sheet 32 may be processed in a further additional step to form individual wraps by cutting the sheet to form wraps of the required size, and vacuum packing the wraps in respective aluminium foil or plastics packages (not shown) . To use the wrap, the wrap is removed from its package and is wrapped around or otherwise applied to the food item to be flavoured. If the wrap has a peelable coated card layer or a peelable plastic layer, this is removed from the wrap before application of the wrap to the surface of the food item. When the food item is cooked, the gelatine of the wrap melts and the herbs are released on to the surface of the food item for absorption by the food item. The particular constituents of the food flavouring product can vary widely, depending upon the particular application. However, a typical composition having the desired pliability and consistency at room temperature will have constituents in the following proportions: 77.2% water, 7.7% gelatin,' 7.7% glycerol, 3.1% salt, 2.3% sugar, 1.9% herbs and/or spices and/or other flavouring, and 0.1% potassium sorbate. If polysaccharide gum is used instead of gelatin, the gelatin ingredient in the above composition can be replaced by 1.5% polysaccharide gum, and the water content can then be increased to 83.4%. It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the above embodiment has been described by way of example only, and not in any limitative sense, and that various alterations and modifications are possible without departure from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. In particular, alternative flavourings can be incorporated into the gelatine sheet, for example spices, tomato, fruit, nut, and the sheet may be made from a different edible material, such as polysaccharide gum, provided that the material retains its own integrity and is pliable at room temperature, and disintegrates during the cooking process .

Claims: CLAIMS 1. A food flavouring product, the product comprising: at least one sheet of edible material impregnated with flavouring, the impregnation of flavouring being substantially uniform across the area of the or each sheet; wherein the or each sheet is pliable at room temperature and is adapted to be applied to a food item and to disintegrate at elevated cooking temperatures to release the flavouring into the food item. 2. A product according to claim 1, wherein the edible material is flavourless. 3. A product according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the edible product contains gelatine. 4. A product according to claim 3 , wherein the food flavouring product is formed from water and/or gelatine and/or glycerol and/or salt and/or herbs and/or spices and/or potassium sorbate. 5. A product according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the edible product contains polysaccharide gum. 6. A product according to claim 5, wherein the food flavouring product is formed from water and/or polysaccharide gum and/or salt and/or sugar and/or herbs and/or spice and/or potassium sorbate and/or glycerol . 7. A product according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the flavouring comprises at least one type of herb and/or spice flavouring. 8. A product according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the food flavouring product is vacuum packed in a foil or plastic bag. 9. A product according to claim 8, wherein the product comprises a plurality of sheets separated by coated card and/or plastic wraps or dividers. 10. A food flavouring product, the product substantially as hereinbefore described. 11. A method of manufacturing a food flavouring product according to any one of the preceding claims, the method comprising implanting flavouring into at least one sheet of edible material such that the impregnation of flavouring is substantially uniform across the surface of the or each sheet. 12. A method according to claim 11, wherein the flavouring is implanted by vaporising and propelling the flavouring into the or each shee . 13. A method according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the or each sheet is heated to between substantially 25 and substantially 27 degrees to soften the edible material. 14. A method according to any one of claims 11 to 13 , wherein the surface of the or each sheet of edible material is sealed subsequently to impregnation thereof with flavouring. 15. A method according to claim 14, wherein the surface of the or each sheet is sealed by applying pressure thereto. 16. A method according to claim 15, wherein the surface of the or each sheet is sealed by drawing a wire across said surface. 17. A method according to claim 14, wherein the surface of the or each sheet is sealed by applying a further sheet of edible material thereto. 18. A method according to claim 14, wherein the surface of the or each sheet is sealed by applying a sheet of removable plastics film thereto. 19. A method according to any one of claims 11 to 18, wherein the or each sheet impregnated with flavouring is cut into smaller sheets, each of which is packaged in an individual sealed container. 20. A method of manufacturing a food flavouring product, the method substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.

Inventors: KARLSSON KARL HEIMIR, KARLSSON, KARL, HEIMIR
Applicants: KARLSSON KARL HEIMIR, KARLSSON, KARL, HEIMIR
Application year: 1997
Main classification: A23L1
IPC codes: A23L1, A23P1