APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING AERATED CONFECTIONERY MASSES

摘要

For producing an aerated confectionery mass, a raw confectionery mass is fed at a feed rate from a supply (10, 12) to an aeration unit (18) for introducing gas into the confectionery mass and wherein the aerated confectionery mass is fed to a production line (32) for the production of confectionery or tablets. The feed rate of the raw confectionery mass is controlled such that it corresponds to the demand of the production line (32), the amount of introduced gas is controlled in response to the feed rate of the confectionery mass so that the aeration level of the confectionery mass remains substantially constant and the temperature of the aeration mass within the aeration unit (18) is controlled such that it remains substantially constant and independent from the feed rate. The aeration unit (18) may include a rotor for stirring and kneading the confectionery mass containing the introduced gas, the rotational speed of the rotor being controlled such that it is enhanced for higher feed rates and reduced for lower feed rates in order to produce gas bubbles of approximately the same size independent from the feed rate. In order to keep the bubble size small during the depositing step, the depositing is realized via a pressurized manifold containing multiple nozzles.