Patent ID: 7320808

Claim:
A method for producing a shell coating on a mass of thermally sensitive confectionery centers, comprising the steps of: (a) placing the mass of thermally sensitive confectionery centers in a coating vessel; (b) intermixing the mass of thermally sensitive centers; (c) dispensing a coating solution onto the mass of thermally sensitive centers; (d) directly measuring the temperature of a surface of the coated thermally sensitive centers of the mass using a temperature sensor while drying the coated thermally sensitive centers; (e) drying the coated thermally sensitive centers by passing a current of drying gas through the coating vessel, and adjusting the temperature of the drying gas in response to the temperature measurement of step (d) to maintain the temperature of the surface of the coated thermally sensitive centers at a predetermined temperature; and (f) repeating steps (c) through (e) a predetermined number of times to produce a finished product, wherein the temperature of the drying gas is a temperature that is sufficient to maintain the temperature of the surface of the coated thermally sensitive centers at a temperature below the melting point of the centers.