General Mills, Inc.

Gary C Veenhuis

John G Roufs

Ronald D Hurd

Gregory L Godsey

Derek D Dawes

Ronald J Behnke

An improved sugar slurry spray discharge nozzle (10) is shown for co-spraying steam into the sugar slurry spray. The nozzle (10) finds particular suitability for use in the applying of a sugar coating solution or slurry to a Ready-To-Eat breakfast cereal base in an enrober. By virtue of providing a steam assist to the spraying of the sticky sugar coating solution, desirable reductions in downtime for cleaning of the enrober are achieved. The improved nozzle includes a cylindrical steam chamber (14), an axially extending slurry supply tube (22) disposed therein having a discharge port (25) and orifice for discharging steam into the slurry discharge such as opposed pair of arcuate steam discharge slits (66, 68) proximate the slurry tube discharge port (25). The steam discharge atomizes the slurry discharge spray and provides heat energy to the spray with the result that the slurry is applied to the cereal base with reduced sugar build-up on the enrober.

Steam assisted sugar coating discharge nozzle

An enrober (100) for applying a topical coating to an exterior surface of multiple pieces of a food base is disclosed having a marked decrease in the amount of build-up upon the internal surface of the drum (102) allowing for reductions in cleaning service requirements and its concomitant losses in production capacity and for reductions in undesirable product agglomerates. In the preferred form, the drum (102) is formed by a thin wall in a generally cylindrical shape and formed of hydrophobic material in the form of high-density polyethylene having low-stick characteristics with the topically coated food base. Moisture, in addition to any present in the topical coating, is added to the drum (102) to prevent or practically eliminate build-up on the drum (102). The topical coating in the form of a slurry can be co-sprayed with steam in an atomized intermixed spray onto the food base by a nozzle (10, 80). Also, a renewable barrier between the continuous inner surface of the drum (102) and the food base can be formed by spraying water or steam by nozzles (116) as a thin film of water onto the inner surface of the drum (102) above the food base.

Topical coating applying apparatus and methods

A sugar slurry spray discharge nozzle (10) for co-spraying steam into the sugar slurry spray. The nozzle (10) finds particular suitability for use in the applying of a sugar coating solution or slurry to a Ready-To-Eat breakfast cereal base in an enrober. By virtue of providing a steam assist to the spraying of the sticky sugar coating solution, desirable reductions in downtime for cleaning of the enrober are achieved. The improved nozzle includes a cylindrical steam chamber (14), an axially extending slurry supply tube (22) disposed therein having a discharge port (25) and orifice means for discharging steam into the slurry discharge such as opposed pair of arcuate steam discharge slits (66, 68) proximate the slurry tube discharge port (25). The steam discharge atomizes the slurry discharge spray and provides heat energy to the spray with the result that the slurry is applied to the cereal base with reduced sugar build-up on the enrober. In its method aspect, the present invention provides co-spraying methods for sugar coating food products, especially R-T-E cereals.

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Albertville, MN, United States of America

Gary C Veenhuis