Patent Description:
Methods and devices for the production of separate portions of mashed fruit and/or vegetables are well-known in the state of the art.

Thus, <CIT> describes a process for the preparation of portions of a frozen food, comprising the steps: i) partially freezing of a food for obtaining a mouldable consistency in a thread-scraped surface heat exchanger; ii) distributing the food in portions; and iii) freezing portions of the food. According to <CIT>, the food can be a vegetable or a sauce comprising pieces of vegetables/meat/fish/poultry/paste.

<CIT> describes the problem that a thread-scraped surface heat exchanger is very large and consequently takes a lot of place in a space where food is being processed. This can cause problems if only a limited space is available for food processing. Also, the transport of food according to such a thread causes a rather limited mixture of the food, which can lead to varying and suboptimal results when freezing the food and when distributing the food in portions. Moreover, the process according to <CIT> is not suitable for the processing of fruit in itself, since fruit contains a lot of water and sugar and consequently needs a large amount of cold for freezing.

<CIT> describes a process for freezing liquid or semiliquid food products in the form of essentially uniform pellets.

<CIT> describes a pelletiser for making pellets from a liquid or semiliquid food product has two moulding rolls between which the food product is formed into pellets.

<CIT> describes an apparatus for freezing boiled rice has an internally bladed drum rotated at low speed and housing a bladed shaft rotated at a higher speed, the drum having covers at its inlet and outlet ends.

The present invention aims to find at least a solution for some of the above-mentioned problems.

In a first aspect, the present invention relates to a method for the production of separate portions of mashed fruit and/or vegetables, optionally provided with pieces of fruit and/or vegetables, according to claim <NUM>.

The measure for cooling the mash by means of a liquid coolant when moving the mash causes the formation of small crystals that are spread in a homogeneous way throughout the mash. Thanks to this approach, the mashed fruit and/or vegetables can be cooled to far below its freezing point into a frozen mash with a mouldable consistency. A mouldable consistency at temperatures far below the freezing point of the mash facilitates the portioning of the mash and moreover opposes the thawing of the mash during the portioning thereof or during any further processing steps.

Preferred embodiments of the method are illustrated in claims <NUM> to <NUM>.

In a second aspect, the present invention relates to a device for the production of separate portions of mashed fruit and/or vegetables, optionally provided with pieces of fruit and/or vegetables, according to claim <NUM>.

Preferred embodiments of the device are illustrated in claims <NUM> to <NUM>.

In a third aspect, the invention relates to the use of a device according to the second aspect of the present invention in a method according to the first aspect of the present invention, according to claim <NUM>.

In a fourth aspect, the invention relates to a use of a method according to the first aspect of the present invention for the production of separate portions of mashed fruit and/or vegetables optionally provided with pieces of fruit and/or vegetables and comprising one or more types of fruit selected from the group comprising pineapple, raspberry, strawberry, mango and passion fruit, according to claim <NUM>.

The citation of numeric intervals by means of end points includes all integers, fractions and/or real numbers between the end points, including these end points.

The term "mashed fruit and/or vegetables", as used throughout the text, should be understood as one or more types of fruit or vegetables that are ground, pressed, blended, mixed and/or sieved to the consistency of a soft creamy paste or thick liquid. For the preparation of mashed fruit and/or vegetables, heating can be applied or not. The mashed fruit and/or vegetables can comprise skin fragments or seeds or not. Preferably, mashed fruit and/or vegetables comprise less than <NUM> percent in weight and more preferably less than <NUM> percent in weight of particles with a diameter of <NUM> or more, and still more preferably mashed fruit and/or vegetables comprise less than <NUM> percent in weight and more preferably less than <NUM> percent in weight of particles with a diameter of <NUM> or more. Any known types of fruit or vegetable can be used for preparing mashed fruit and/or vegetables according to the present invention. Nonlimiting examples of suitable types of fruit or vegetables are pineapple, lemon, orange, peach, pear, grape, mango, apple, tomato, banana, plums, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, cherries, carrot vegetables such as carrot, celery, red beet, radish and horseradish, leaf and flower vegetables such as spinach, leaf spinach, cabbage, red cabbage and cauliflower, peas, and garlic, beans, tomato, sweet pepper, cucumber and pumpkin. Optionally, the mashed fruit and/or vegetables are provided with pieces of fruit and/or vegetables that can be the result of partially grounding, pressing, blending and/or mixing one or more types of fruit and/or vegetables, of which pieces of fruit and/or vegetables have been added afterwards. Optionally, the mashed fruit and/or vegetables are provided with further additions as well-known in the food industry, such as, but not limited to, sugar.

The term "pieces of fruit and/or vegetables", as used throughout the text, can be understood as pieces of any type of fruit or vegetables with a largest dimension of at least <NUM> and preferably with a largest dimension of at least <NUM>.

The term "mouldable consistency", as used throughout the text, can be understood as a consistency of the mashed fruit and/or vegetables wherein the mash has a temperature under its freezing point, for being distributed in portions, by means of punches using a mould, by means of extrusion or any other known moulding techniques. By distributing the mash into portions at a temperature below its freezing point, one obtains portions with a consistent shape that do not disintegrate when maintaining sufficiently low temperatures.

Since, at a temperature below its freezing point, the consistency of mashed fruit and/or vegetables relates to the number of crystals or ice crystals that are present, an suitable consistency for mouldability can be measured by means of a cone penetrometer. Cone penetrometers measure the distance that a cone, that is subject to gravity, penetrates within a controlled time period into an object.

As measured with a cone penetrometer, at a temperature below its freezing point, mashed fruit and/or vegetables preferably have a consistency wherein a cone can penetrate it at a distance of <NUM> to <NUM>; the penetration distances that are most preferred within this range, will depend on the mash that is being processed.

A desired consistency for mouldability can also be measured by means of a strucktograph. Strucktograph devices measure the resistance force of an object by pushing the object against a cone with springing supports.

As measured with a strucktograph, at a temperature below its freezing point, mashed fruit and/or vegetables preferably have a resistance force of <NUM> to <NUM> N and more preferably a resistance force of <NUM> to <NUM> N. The resistance forces that are most preferred within this range, will depend on the mash that is being processed.

The term "liquid nitrogen", as used throughout the text, can be understood as a liquid with a nitrogen content of at least <NUM> molar percent and more preferably of at least <NUM> molar percent and preferably with an oxygen concentration of less than <NUM> ppm.

The term "liquid carbon dioxide", as used in this text, can be understood as carbon dioxide in its liquid state. Such liquid carbon dioxide is generally available as a compressed gas.

The term "rpm", as used in this text, is in its usual meaning used as an abbreviation for rotations per minute (rpm).

In a first aspect, the invention relates to a method for producing separate portions of mashed fruit and/or vegetables optionally provided with pieces of fruit and/or vegetables, wherein said mash is cooled to a mouldable consistency and subsequently portioned, which portions are subsequently further cooled to frozen portions, wherein the cooling of the mash is realized by means of a liquid coolant when moving the mash.

The measure for cooling the mash by means of a liquid coolant when moving the mash causes the formation of small crystals that are spread in a homogeneous way throughout the mash. Thanks to this approach, the mashed fruit and/or vegetables can be cooled to far below its freezing point into a frozen mash with a mouldable consistency. A mouldable consistency at temperatures far below the freezing point of the mash facilitates the portioning of the mash and moreover opposes the thawing of the mash during the portioning thereof or during any further processing steps. Such measure is certainly not obvious for a skilled worker in the state of the art, as such skilled worker would rather opt for only improving the technique of the portioning or for further cooling down the mash in the absence of sufficient movement of the mash, which however leads to suboptimal results when portioning a frozen mash.

The above-mentioned measure of cooling the mash is moreover advantageous because of the reason of space saving with respect to the state of the art. As such, cooling mashed vegetables according to long cooled bands is known in the state of the art. Especially for mashed fruit, wherein additional cold energy for cooling is required because of a high water content and presence of sugars lowering the freezing point, a very long configuration of such cooled bands is required. The measure of cooling the mash according to the first aspect of the present invention clearly requires less space.

According to a preferred embodiment, when cooling the mash, a liquid coolant is added directly to the mash. This enhances the cooling of significant amounts of mashed fruit and/or vegetables until below the freezing point of the mash, wherein at the same time, it is avoided that very large cooling devices have to be used, such as for example cooled bands. As said above, this is certainly important for mashed fruit, wherein additional cold energy for cooling is required because of a high water content and the presence of sugars lowering the freezing point.

According to a preferred embodiment, the direct addition of the liquid coolant to the mash is realized gradually. Said gradual addition can be programmed in the form of one or more programs. The gradual addition of the liquid coolant can be desired for optimizing the formation of crystals when cooling. The gradual addition can in particular be realized for avoiding the formation of crystals with a too large crystal size in the mash.

According to a preferred embodiment, the liquid coolant is selected from the group comprising liquid nitrogen and liquid carbon dioxide or a combination thereof. The use of a liquid coolant for cooling, also known as cryogenic freezing, has the advantage of a very fast cooling and a low degree of dehydration. Preferably, liquid nitrogen is selected as a liquid coolant. One of the advantages of liquid nitrogen with respect to liquid carbon dioxide is the characteristic that liquid nitrogen is inert, while liquid carbon dioxide is slightly reactive and slightly toxic.

According to a preferred embodiment, of the total amount of added cold energy for cooling the mash, <NUM> to <NUM>%, more preferably <NUM> to <NUM>% and more preferably <NUM> to <NUM>% is added when cooling the mash to a mouldable consistency and the remaining <NUM> to <NUM>%, more preferably the remaining <NUM> to <NUM>% and still more preferably the remaining <NUM> to <NUM>% is added after the portioning of the mash into portions. This distribution of addition of cold energy in two steps is ideally suitable for first obtaining a frozen mash that is still sufficiently mouldable, after which, after the portioning of this mash, the obtained portions can still be further cooled because of shelf life considerations.

According to a preferred embodiment, after cooling to a mouldable consistency, the mash has a temperature of -<NUM> to -<NUM> and more preferably of -<NUM> to -<NUM>. In combination with the specific way of cooling the mash according to the first aspect of the present invention, a mash with a mouldable consistency can be obtained at these temperatures. These temperatures are clearly lower than the freezing point of mashed fruit and/or vegetables, as a result of which thawing of the mash when portioning is avoided. Moreover, the frozen state of the mash ensures that the formed portions do not disintegrate as long as they are not exposed to temperatures higher than the freezing point of the mashed fruit and/or vegetables.

According to a preferred embodiment, the frozen portions have a temperature of at least -<NUM>. Such temperature is very desired because of shelf life considerations.

According to the invention, when cooling to a mouldable consistency, the mash is moved in a rotating way while it is brought into a barrel that can rotate around its shaft. Preferably, said barrel rotates around its shaft with a rotational speed of <NUM> to <NUM> rpm, more preferably of <NUM> to <NUM> rpm and still more preferably of <NUM> to <NUM> rpm. The rotating movement of the mash, and preferably at such rotational speed according to said rpm, contributes to the maintenance of the mouldability of the mash while it is cooled to far below its freezing point.

According to the invention, when cooling to a mouldable consistency, the mash is moved by moving one or more blades through the mash. Preferably, the one or more blades are positioned transversely to the coat of a rotational shaft and the rotational shaft rotates when moving the blades according to a rotational speed of <NUM> to <NUM> rpm, more preferably of <NUM> to <NUM> rpm, still more preferably of <NUM> to <NUM> rpm and even still more preferably of <NUM> to <NUM> rpm. According to an embodiment, the one or more blades can be positioned transversely around and uninterruptedly along the coat of the rotational shaft. The movement of the one or more blades according to said rotational speeds causes a movement that is fast enough for quickly spreading the formed crystals in the mash, so that these crystals can be distributed in a homogeneous way in the mash and also cannot combine for the formation of larger crystals. This is very important for obtaining a mash with a mouldable consistency with a temperature far below its freezing point.

According to a preferred embodiment, when cooling to a mouldable consistency, the mash is moved while it is brought into a barrel that can rotate around its shaft and is moved simultaneously by moving one or more blades through the mash. This ensures a combination of the technical effects and advantages for each of the movements, which have been described above.

According to a preferred embodiment, in the vicinity of the blades, the liquid coolant is added directly to the mash. The movement of the blades causes a movement of crystals formed by cooling the mash that has been cooled in the vicinity, so that a homogeneous distribution of the crystals in the mash is enhanced and also a combination of formed crystals for the formation of larger crystals is avoided.

According to a preferred embodiment, the cooling of the mash is realized by means of the liquid coolant when moving the mash and also when reducing the particle size of said mash. The additional measure of reducing the particle size can contribute to the formation of crystals that are as small as possible in the mash when cooling. According to a preferred embodiment, the movement and the reduction of the mash is realized simultaneously. As such, as a result of the simultaneous movement, the spreading of small crystals, that have been formed when simultaneously cooling and reducing the mash, through the mash is enhanced.

According to a preferred embodiment, the reduction of the particle size of the mash is realized by one or more blades that have been cooled by means of the liquid coolant. Preferably, the one or more blades have been cooled by means of liquid nitrogen. By using cooled blades, the mash can simultaneously be reduced and cooled, with the aim to immediately crystallize and spread smaller crystals into the mash by means of the one or more blades. Preferably, said blades are hollow and preferably configured in such way that liquid nitrogen can flow through the blades so that the temperature of the blades is at least -<NUM> and still more preferably at least -<NUM>. Such temperatures allow a fast cooling of the mash and moreover offer the advantage that the mash does not adhere to the blades at such low temperatures. This is advantageous for a hygienic reduction of the mash with a minimum of waste.

According to a preferred embodiment, such rotational shaft is made hollow and the liquid coolant is inserted into the rotational shaft. By means of the rotational shaft, with a larger volume than any of the one or more blades attached thereto separately, liquid coolant can simply be provided at the blades. Preferably, said blades are moreover hollow and preferably configured in such way that the liquid coolant can flow through the blades, as said above.

According to a preferred embodiment, the portions are further cooled to frozen portions by moving them through a tunnel cooler. A tunnel cooler is very suitable for being able to cool large amounts of food in a continuous way. Any suitable tunnel cooler as known in the state of the art can be used therefore.

According to a preferred embodiment, the portioning is realized by punching or pressing portions from the mash that has been cooled to a mouldable consistency by means of a mould comprising a plurality of cells. Preferably, said cells are arranged according to a symmetric pattern. By using a mould with a plurality of cells, a plurality of portions can be formed at once, which enhances the continuity of the method according to the first aspect of the present invention. Alternatively, the portioning can be realized by using cryogenic blades as described in <CIT>.

According to a preferred embodiment, the devices that are used for realizing the method, are cleaned in an automatic way, in between and/or after one or more steps of the method. This is advantageous for the hygiene of the produced separate portions of mashmashed fruit and/or vegetables according to the method of the first aspect of the present invention. Said cleaning in an automatic way is preferably supported by a design and mutual arrangement of parts of the used devices minimizing the accumulation of rests and/or simplifying the cleaning of the devices. All suitable ways of automatic cleaning as known in the state of the art can be used such as, but not limited to, cleaning-in-place (CIP) practices.

In a second aspect, the invention relates to a device for producing separate portions of mashed fruit and/or vegetables optionally provided with pieces of fruit and/or vegetables, comprising a first cooling device suitable for cooling said mash to a mouldable consistency, a forming station suitable for forming portions of said mash and a second cooling device suitable for further cooling said portions to frozen portions, wherein the first cooling device is provided with a first transporting device for moving the mash and an addition device for adding liquid coolant.

The measure of a first cooling device that is provided with a transporting device for moving the mash and an addition device for adding liquid coolant, is optimally suitable for cooling the mash by means of a liquid coolant when moving the mash. Such cooling of the mash by means of the device according to the second aspect of the present invention causes the formation of small crystals that are spread in a homogeneous way throughout the mash. Thanks to this approach, the mashed fruit and/or vegetables can be cooled to far below its freezing point into a frozen mash with a mouldable consistency. A mouldable consistency at temperatures far below the freezing point of the mash facilitates the portioning of the mash and moreover opposes the thawing of the mash during the portioning thereof or during any further processing steps. Such measure is certainly not obvious for a skilled worker in the state of the art, as such skilled worker would rather opt for only improving the formation station or for applying improvements to a cooling device that are only directed to cooling the mash and not to moving the mash, which however leads to suboptimal results when portioning a frozen mash.

The device according to the second aspect of the present invention is moreover advantageous because of the reason of space saving with respect to the state of the art. As such, cooling mashed vegetables according to long cooled bands is known in the state of the art. Especially for mashed fruit, wherein additional cold energy for cooling is required because of a high water content and the presence of sugars lowering the freezing point, a very long configuration of such cooled bands is required. A device according to the second aspect of the present invention takes significantly less space.

According to a preferred embodiment, said addition device at least comprises an outlet for coolant, through which at least one outlet, coolant can be added directly to the mash. By adding coolant directly to the mash via the outlet, the cooling of significant amounts of mashed fruit and/or vegetables until below the freezing point of the mash is enhanced, wherein at the same time, it is avoided that very large cooling devices have to be used, such as for example cooled bands. As said above, this is certainly important for mashed fruit, wherein additional cold energy for cooling is required because of a high water content and the presence of sugars lowering the freezing point.

According to the invention, the transporting device comprises a rotating barrel that is suitable for being filled with the mash and for moving the mash in a rotating way. The rotating barrel is preferably rotatable around a shaft that is positioned centrally in the barrel. Said barrel takes relatively little space compared to a long conveyor belt and is moreover suitable for comprising large amounts of a mash.

According to the invention, the first cooling device further comprises a second transporting device, the second transporting device comprising one or more blades that are positioned transversely to the surface of a rotating shaft. This is a very efficient way for making the one or more blades rotate at a high speed, by means of exercising a large rotational speed of the rotating shaft, in order to additionally being able to move the mash. The movement of the one or more blades causes an additional spreading of the crystals formed when cooling the mash, so that a homogeneous distribution of these crystals in the mash is enhanced and also a combination of the crystals for the formation of larger crystals is avoided. This is very important for obtaining a mash with a mouldable consistency with a temperature far below its freezing point.

According to a preferred embodiment, said at least one outlet of the addition device for adding liquid coolant is placed in the vicinity of said one or more blades. As a result of the vicinity, the movement of the blades causes a movement of crystals formed by cooling the mash that has been cooled in the vicinity, so that a homogeneous distribution of the crystals in the mash is enhanced and also a combination of formed crystals for the formation of larger crystals is avoided.

According to a preferred embodiment, the one or more blades are positioned essentially transversely to and in the vicinity of said rotating barrel. Such positioning is in particular advantageous for the movement of the mash.

According to a preferred embodiment, the rotating barrel comprises a groove passing along and within its circumference, which groove is dimensioned and positioned in such way for, when rotating the barrel, closely enclosing at least a part of said plane of blades. The provision of the groove and such arrangement of blades in the groove is ideally suitable for offering mash, by rotating the barrel, in an uninterrupted continuous or continuous way for movement of the blades. Such arrangement of two or more of said blades in a plane onto the coat of the rotational shaft can also be called a knife head. In an embodiment, the first cooling device comprises two or more of said knife heads, which are each at least partially enclosed by the groove of the rotating barrel. The use of several knife heads can be desired for optimizing the movement of the mash depending on the desired specifications. Said groove and arrangement of blades in the groove moreover leaves a minimum of rests after processing a mash and is moreover very suitable for application of automatic preparation methods and applications such as CIP devices or practices.

According to a preferred embodiment, the one or more blades are hollow, wherein the blades can have liquid coolant flow through their hollow inside. By cooling blades from the inside, there is no direct contact between the liquid coolant and the mash.

According to a preferred embodiment, the rotational shaft is hollow and suitable for receiving liquid coolant via its hollow inside. By means of the rotational shaft, with a larger volume than any of the one or more blades attached thereto separately, liquid coolant can simply be provided at the blades. Preferably, said blades are moreover hollow and preferably configured in such way that the liquid coolant can flow through the blades, as said above.

According to a preferred embodiment, the formation station comprises a mould, which mould comprises a plurality of cells, which cells are preferably arranged in a symmetric way inside the mould. By applying said mould with force onto the cooled mash with a mouldable consistency, portions can be punched out of the mash. Such way of portioning ensures that several portions can be formed, which is very advantageous for a continuous or semi-continuous production of separate portions of mashed fruit and/or vegetables according to a device according to the second aspect of the present invention. Alternatively, the formation station comprises an extruder that is suitable for portioning the mash that has been cooled to a mouldable consistency. A simple extruder consists of a housing with a turning screw inside. At the beginning of the screw, the draught of the screw channel is large, so that the mash can be transported without too much friction. At about a third of the screw, the screw channel gradually becomes less deep so that the mash experiences much friction with respect to the housing, the screw and especially with respect to itself. Consequently, pressure is built up. Then, a so-called dosing zone follows, where mixing takes place. Finally, the mash is pushed out of one or several mould openings of a mould according to the extruder.

According to a preferred embodiment, a tunnel cooler is selected as a second cooling device. A tunnel cooler is very suitable for being able to cool large amounts of food in a continuous way. Any suitable tunnel cooler as known in the state of the art can be used therefore.

In a third aspect, the invention relates to the use of a device according to the second aspect of the present invention in a method according to the first aspect of the present invention. Accordingly, all technical realizations and positive characteristics of the device according to the second aspect of the present invention are combined with those of the method according to the first aspect of the present invention.

In a fourth aspect, the invention relates to a use of a method according to the first aspect of the present invention for the production of separate portions of mashed fruit and/or vegetables optionally provided with pieces of fruit and/or vegetables and comprising one or more types of fruit selected from the group comprising pineapple, raspberry, strawberry, mango and passion fruit. Because of its cooling of the mash by means of a liquid coolant when moving the mash, the method according to the first aspect of the present invention is very suitable for producing separate portions of a mash comprising one or several of said types of fruit, which types of mashed fruit are normally difficult to portion after cooling because of a low fibre content and a high water and sugar content of said types of fruit, making the cooling and freezing difficult.

Example <NUM> relates to a method and a device for producing formed frozen mashed fruit, according to embodiments of the present invention.

The device according to Example <NUM> comprises a first cooling device that is suitable for cooling mashed fruit and/or vegetables optionally provided with pieces of fruit and/or vegetables to a mouldable consistency, a formation station that is suitable for forming portions of said mash and a second cooling device that is suitable for further cooling said portions to frozen portions.

The first cooling device according to Example <NUM> is provided with a barrel that can be rotated around a shaft that is positioned centrally in the barrel for moving the mash and one or more blades positioned transversely and supported by a rotational shaft for moving the mash and an for coolant, which outlet is positioned in the vicinity of said one or more blades.

The rotating barrel is filled with the mash, preferably up to half of the barrel. During and after placing the mash, the barrel rotates with a rotational speed of <NUM> to <NUM> rpm while the blades move through rotation of said rotational shaft. At the same time, liquid nitrogen is added directly to the mash via said outlet. This approach is intended for crystallizing and at the same time moving the mash, which movement is optimal thanks to the combination of rotation of the barrel and movement of the blades, in order to form small crystals that are also spread in a homogeneous way in the mass of the mash. Thanks to this approach, the mash is further cooled to far below its freezing point into a frozen mash with a mouldable consistency. A mouldable consistency at temperatures far below the freezing point of the mash facilitates the portioning of the mash and moreover opposes the thawing of the mash during the portioning thereof or during any further processing steps. Preferably, it is cooled in such way that a mash with mouldable consistency is obtained with a temperature between -<NUM> and -<NUM> and preferably with a temperature between -<NUM> and -<NUM>.

For portioning the thus obtained cooled mash with a mouldable consistency, the mash is transferred to a formation station. The formation station comprises a mould with a plurality of cells. For portioning the mash, the mould is positioned with force onto the mash, as a result of which different portions of the mash are punched. After punching, said portions are collected and further transported by means of a conveyor belt. Subsequently, by moving through a tunnel cooler, the portions are further cooled to frozen portions with a temperature of at least -<NUM>. Such low temperature is optimally suitable for being able to guarantee the shelf life of the frozen portions for a sufficiently long period.

In the first cooling device, <NUM> to <NUM>% of the cold energy is added that is necessary for obtaining the finally obtained cooled mash with a mouldable consistency, while the remaining <NUM> to <NUM>% is added in the tunnel cooler. This distribution of addition of cold energy in two steps is ideally suitable for first obtaining a frozen mash with a mouldable consistency, after which, after the portioning of this mash, the obtained portions can still be further cooled because of shelf life considerations.

Examples <NUM>-<NUM> give specifications for the production of separate portions of mashed fruit without the addition or provision of pieces of fruit or sugar, according to embodiments of the method of the present invention. The specifications of Examples <NUM>-<NUM> are shown in Table <NUM>.

Claim 1:
Method for producing separate portions of mashed fruit and/or vegetables, optionally provided with pieces of fruit and/or vegetables, wherein said mash is cooled to a mouldable consistency and subsequently portioned, which portions are subsequently further cooled to frozen portions, wherein cooling of the mash is realized by means of a liquid coolant and when moving the mash, characterized in that when cooling to a mouldable consistency, the mash is moved while it is brought into a barrel that can rotate around its shaft and is moved simultaneously by moving one or more blades through the mash.