Patent ID: 8263159

Claim:
A method of producing an extruded water-based frozen composition having a high ice content and an overrun of up to 5%, using a screw barrel extruder having a barrel provided with an inlet and an exit die, the method comprising: (a) feeding an unfrozen composition into the barrel of the extruder via the inlet thereof, the unfrozen composition comprising: (i) at least 85% by weight of the water; and (ii) at least 0.5% by weight of a balance consisting of one or more other ingredients. (b) freezing the unfrozen composition inside the barrel to form the frozen composition; and (c) extruding the frozen composition through the exit die of the screw barrel extruder to form said water-based frozen product having an overrun of up to 5% wherein the frozen product so formed is a unitary and continuous extrudate having the consistency of solid ice and having a minimum Fractional Ice Phase Volume, FIPVmin, as given by: FIPVmin=0.8/( Or/ 100+1) wherein Or is the degree of aeration as determined by % overrun; and wherein at least part of the barrel is cooled with a coolant at a first temperature of from −35° C. to −5° C. sufficient to form the frozen composition such that the frozen composition is still frozen but extrudable, wherein the exit die is cooled with a coolant at a temperature higher than the first temperature, said temperature of the coolant at the exit die is from −5° C. to −1° C.; and wherein the screw barrel extruder is a single screw extruder.