Patent NZ-716457-A (NZ)
Title: System and method for bottom coating food products
Inventor: HEINZEN THOMAS E
IPC: A23G3/20
Filed: 2014-08-07
Abstract: The invention pertains to a system and method of coating bottom portions of food products conveyed upon a solid belt. Known enrobers are quite expensive and complicated. In addition, in the food industry, the conveyors must be cleaned at regular intervals, which can be important for various reasons including allergens. At least in the case of liquid coating enrobers, cleaning the links of the conveyor is extremely difficult and time consuming. For example, between twenty to thirty-five hours of man-time is often required to clean an open mesh conveyor of an enrober system used to apply chocolate to the bottom of chewy grain bar, which represents a significant amount of downtime for a production line. The present invention provides a method of coating bottom and partial side portions of a food product comprising: directing the food product in a longitudinal direction along a first conveyor belt which is longitudinally spaced from a second, solid conveyor belt by a longitudinal gap extending in a longitudinal direction; dispensing a coating material onto and laterally across a portion of the second, solid conveyor belt from a dispenser head positioned within the longitudinal gap, with the dispenser head including an uppermost wall, an upstream side wall, a downstream side wall and at least one dispensing opening provided in the downstream side wall, while being above and exposed to an upper surface of the second, solid conveyor belt for horizontally dispensing of the coating material; transferring the food product from upon the first conveyor belt directly onto the second, solid conveyor belt wherein the food product becomes partially immersed in the coating material to establish a coated food product; and removing the coated food product from the second, solid conveyor belt. Also provided is a system for coating bottom and partial side portions of a food product comprising: a first conveyor belt, said first conveyor belt being configured to deliver a food product in a longitudinal direction; a second, solid conveyor belt longitudinally spaced from the first conveyor belt by a longitudinal gap extending in the longitudinal direction; and a dispenser head positioned within the longitudinal gap and including at least one dispensing opening exposed to an upper surface of the second, solid conveyor belt, wherein coating material is configured to be dispensed from the dispenser head onto and laterally across a portion of the second, solid conveyor belt from within the longitudinal gap such that food product delivered upon the first conveyor belt can be transferred directly onto the second, solid conveyor belt and become partially immersed in the coating material in order to establish a coated food product, wherein the dispenser head includes an uppermost wall, an upstream side wall and a downstream side wall, said uppermost wall being above an upper surface of the second, solid conveyor belt, with the at least one dispensing opening being provided in the downstream side wall for horizontally dispensing of the coating material.