Improved Manufacture of Cocoa, Chocolate, or other Alimentary Substances with Milk, and Apparatus therefor.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Feb., 1899-Accepted, 11th Mar.,
1899
Improved Manufacture of Cocoa, Chocolate, or other Alimentary
Substances with Milk, and Apparatus therefor.
I, ALPHONSE DENAEYER, of 3, Place Liedts, Brussels, Belgium, Chemist, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by. the following
statement:
This invention relates to an improved manufacture of alimentary substances,
more particularly cocoa or chocolate, combined with milk.
The cocoa and chocolate powders of commerce as heretofore prepared are sub-
ject to the inconvenience of requiring to be boiled for some time with water in
order to effect their proper solution. The difficult solubility of these substances
arises from the fact that all the known products of this kind are too dense, that is
to say, the molecules of which they are composed cohere too closely together to
enable the water to gain ready access thereto, whereby the solution thereof is
greatly retarded, even by means of hot water.
The present invention relates to a process of preparing such alimentary sub-
stances whereby I am enabled to obtain for example compounds of cocoa or choco-
late and milk in the form of a light powder or flocculent or spongy mass con-
taining variable proportions of cocoa or chocolate and milk and, if required, sugar,
that will instantly dissolve in hot water, and that are also soluble in cold water.
The solutions obtained present the appearance, odour and flavour of chocolate
and cocoa mixed with milk, prepared in the usual manner.
The great solubility of the products obtained by my new process is mainly due
to the employment in the manufacture of a vacuum or exhaust, and this con-
stitutes an essential characteristic of my invention, this being the only means of
obtaining the high degree of solubility above mentioned.
If a certain quantity of milk be placed in an evaporating pan heated on a water
bath under continual stirring, and if to this milk be added, a suitable proportion
of sugar such for instance as 25 p. c. by weight, and the evaporation be continued,
a syrup-like mass will be obtained which in cooling, will become more and more
consistent.
If this sirupy mass be then introduced into a vacuum evaporating pan, so as to
evaporate the rest of the water under vacuo at a temperature of about 80° C., a
very light milk powder will be obtained in the form of a spongy or flocculent mass
of a white colour, which is instantly soluble in hot water, thereby reconstituting
the natural milk, which may be in a dilute or concentrated form according to the
amount of water added.
According to my invention I employ this same method of operating for the
manufacture of compounds of cocoa or chocolate and milk; for this purpose I
add in the above described treatment of the milk and sugar mixture, at the
required moment before introduction into the vacuum pan, the requisite amount
of cocoa either with or without its fatty constituents, (according to the product,

page_text: desired to be obtained) and I then subject this mixture to the action of a suitable
vacuum evaporating apparatus.
Thus if, for example, there be added to the mixture of sugar and milk while
contained still hot in the water bath evaporator with stirring device, cocoa in the
form of powder from which the fatty matter has been extracted, taking for example,
a quantity equal to 30 p. c. of the milk compound (or more or less according to
requirements). And this compound be then evaporated to dryness under vacuum
or exhaust there will be obtained the above described compound of sweetened
cocoa and milk. If under the same conditions and in analagous proportions
ground cocoa still containing all or part of its fatty constituents, be added to
the milk-sugar compound a sweetened chocolate milk compound will be obtained.
These compounds of sweetened cocoa or chocolate and milk treated as above
described that is to say evaporated to dryness in a vacuum apparatus will yield
under these conditions a spongy or flocculent mass, which after thorough desicca-
tion in a second vacuum apparatus, can be readily reduced to powder by known
means constituting a cocoa or chocolate powder which is instantly soluble in hot
water.
For carrying out the above described manufacture I prefer to apply apparatus
which I will describe with reference to the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1
shews a sectional view of the preliminary evaporating and stirring apparatus,
Fig. 2 the pneumatic vacuum or exhaust evaporating apparatus and Fig. 3 the
desiccating apparatus also operating with vacuum.
The evaporating and stirring apparatus Fig 1, in which the condensed mixture
of milk and sugar is first prepared and afterwards the mixture of milk sugar
and cocoa or chocolate as above described does not present any special novel
features of construction.
It is composed of a pan a fitted in a bath & heated by water steam or other
suitable fluid medium and having for that purpose an inlet and an outlet c and d
and a discharge cock e. In the pan is mounted a shaft g with stirring blades f
and rotated by a transmission pulley h or otherwise.
The vacuum evaporating apparatus shewn at Fig. 2 consists of a casing a of
some height within which is suspended a closed vacuum vessel of column shape b
of smaller diameter and in the space between this and the casing is fitted a pipe
coil through which circulates steam or other hot fluid for maintaining the
vessel at the required temperature. The annular space between a and ₁ is
also filled in with paraffin water or other suitable liquid so as to constitute a
water bath for the vacuum apparatus 61. The closed top d¹ of the vacuum vessel
has firstly glass sight holes e, secondly a vacuum guage f¹ thirdly, an air admis-
sion cock g and fourthly a branch pipe connecting the vessel with the con-
denser. The top d' rest with a flange with the interposition of packing rings upon
a broad flange on the vessel which flange also serves to enclose the annular
space between a and b is a charging funnel for filling the annular space
with liquid and is a discharge cock for emptying the space, is a thermometer
for indicating the temperature of the water bath.
Into the vacuum vessel 61 are introduced one above the other, the pans
containing the mixture of cocoa or chocolate and milk and sugar which has been
partially condensed in the pan a Fig. 1, the pans are provided with upward
projecting handles w¹ w
of such a form as also to constitute supports for the
pan above while leaving the pan below perfectly open. Any required number of
charged pans can thus be placed in one and the same vacuum evaporating vessel,
so as to be simultaneously subjected to the heat and exhaust.
At the side of the vacuum vessel is arranged the closed condenser m which is
charged with cold water through a funnel n having a pipe leading down to the
bottom of the casing, while at top is provided a discharge pipe o¹.
Within the vessel is a pipe coil the upper end of which is connected to the
pipe h of the vacuum evaporating apparatus while at the lower end it is con-
nected by a bend q with the tank for receiving the water of condensation

page_text: produced in the coil which tank is also connected by a pipe s with a suitable
exhaust pump.
As the water collects in the tank it is discharged from time to
time through the cock t¹. Any other suitable known construction of condenser
can be employed in place of that above described.
The desiccating apparatus Fig. 3 in which the compound is treated after
removal from the vacuum vessel consists of a cylinder a closed air tight at top
by a glass cover 62 with packing and connected by a pipe with an air pump.
In the vessel a is a perforated false bottom e² below which is placed a charge of
quick lime formed into blocks for absorbing moisture and giving off the heat
the false
generated thereby to the pans charged with compound placed on
bottom e².
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim
is:-
1. The process for producing compounds of alimentary substances mixed with
milk, and in particular compounds of cocoa and chocolate, which consists in
first partially evaporating the aqueous constituents from a charge of milk and
after mixing therewith the cocoa, chocolate, or other alimentary substance, sub-
jecting the mass to evaporation to dryness by heating it in vacuo or under exhaust
substantially as described.
2. In a manufacture of compounds of cocoa and chocolate with milk produced
by first subjecting a mixture of milk and sugar to partial evaporation, under
continual stirring then mixing the powdered cocoa or chocolate therewith, then
subjecting the mixture to complete evaporation in a heated apparatus, subject
to vacuum or exhaust and finally desiccating the dried mass in a desiccating
apparatus also under vacuum or exhaust, substantially as described.
3. For carrying out the process referred to in the first and second claims, the
combination with a preliminary evaporating pan with stirring device such as is
described with reference to Figure 1, firstly of a vacuum evaporating apparatus
consisting of a column shaped vacuum evaporating vessel such as surrounded
by a jacket such as containing a heating coil such as c and filled with paraffin
or other suitable liquid, the vessel serving to contain a number of superposed
open pans l
containing the compound to be evaporated, and having
handles w01 serving as supports for the pan above, the evaporating column
being closed at top by a removeable cover d which is connected by a pipe ¹
with a condensing apparatus such as p¹ with reservoir »¹ communicating with an
exhaust pump, such as is described with reference to Figure 2, and secondly of
a desiccating apparatus such as described with reference to Figure 3, the said
combined apparatus being arranged and operating as herein described with refer-
ence to the accompanying drawings.
TX
1 1.
1800
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.