General Mills, Inc.

Ronald D Hurd

Stanley G Liedman

Daniel R Green

John G Roufs

Ronald W Hegner

Gary C Veenhuis

Gregory L Godsey

Derek D Dawes

Ronald J Behnke

James R Wetzel

A dry raw cereal material having a starch fraction is fed into the inlet (38) of a twin screw preconditioning unit (10). The dry material is rapidly advanced and mixed in the first two zones (31, 32) and conveyed into a third zone (33). Water is introduced by ducts (42) and is admixed with the dry material to form a well mixed wetted cereal material. The screws (14, 16) include blank segments (14c, 16c) having radially extending pins (40) to create a material plug in the barrel (30) of the preconditioning unit (10). Steam is added to the wetted material in the next zone (34) to form a heated wetted cereal material which is worked in the fourth zone (34) to form a heated precooked non-continuous cereal compacted dough material which is generally maintained below its gelatinization point. The dough material exits the outlet (41) of the preconditioning unit (10) and enters a low shear extended time cereal cooker (46) which finish cooks the dough material to a fully cooked cereal dough which is formed into desirably shaped and sized pellets.

Twin screw preconditioner unit and method

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

Method for preparing cooked cereal dough using twin screw

A mechanism (10) is disclosed including a slide plate (32) having die openings (38) adapted to hold dies (42a, 42b) and slideably mounted between the axial downstream face of a barrel extension (20) and an annular pressure seal (56) and the axially upstream face of an annular pressure plate (48). The annular pressure seal (56) is axially adjustably mounted to a first mechanism frame element (18) and the annular pressure plate (48) is mounted to a second mechanism frame element (46). The framework (68) of a cutter assembly (66) is mounted by a hinge (70) to the second mechanism frame element (46) and is carried thereby. The central openings (52, 54) of the annular pressure plate (48) and the second mechanism frame element (46) are frustoconical in shape having circular cross sections to allow exit of food extrudates from the dies (42a, 42b) without hang-up and providing maximum clearance and visibility of the rotary cutter (74) of the cutter assembly (66). The slide plate (32) is slid by a hydraulic cylinder (44) in a linear path to move one of the dies (42a, 42b) from axial alignment with the pressure seal (56) and pressure plate (48) to the other of the dies (42a, 42b) being in axial alignment with the pressure seal (56) and pressure plate (48) without idling the cooker/extruder (12).

Cooker die removably securing mechanism

Mechanism (10) for removably securing a die (22) to the flange (18) of a discharge (14) of a cooker (12) is disclosed including first and second connector rings (30, 56). The first connector ring (30) is rotatably mounted to the flange (18) of the cooker (12) by its securement to C-shaped carrier members (38) rotatably mounted to C-shaped collar members (32) secured to the flange (18). The first connector ring (30) includes a plurality of circumferentially spaced, wedge-shaped teeth (46) extending radially inwardly. The second connector ring (56) is secured to the flange (24) of the die (22) and includes a plurality of circumferentially spaced, wedge-shaped teeth (66) extending radially outward. The second connector ring (56) is axially movable such that the teeth (66) thereof pass axially between the teeth (46) of the first connector ring (30) in an unlocked position. The first connector ring (30) can be rotated by a hydraulic cylinder (52) to a locked position with the teeth (46, 66) of the connector rings (30, 56) axially abutting and camming the flanges (18, 24) of the cooker (12) and the die (22) together to secure the die (22) to the cooker (12).

An apparatus (10) for evenly distributing coated cereal pieces across the width of a conveyer is disclosed including a steep angled, V-shaped plow (24) supported in varying angular positions by saddles (38) above the conveyer. Specifically, three saddles (38) slideably support a semicircular shaped carrier (12) secured to and between the first and second legs (26, 28) of the plow (24). A connector arm (66) is connected to a leg (28) of the plow (24) for moving the carrier (12) and the plow (24) secured thereto along an arc having a center downstream of the interconnection of the legs (26, 28) of the plow (24) and in the preferred form at the center of the semicircular shape of the carrier (12). The saddles (38) are vertically, adjustably secured to a support arm (46) which in turn can be raised or lowered relative to the conveyer. The plow (24) is positioned to engage the product pile on the conveyer and due to the steep angle of the legs (26, 28) of the plow (24) and the Teflon.RTM. nature thereof, the coated cereal pieces spread quickly and evenly across the width of the conveyer. The angular position of the plow (24) is varied to conform to the variations in the product pile on the conveyer.

Growing community of inventors

Minnetonka, MN, United States of America

Ronald D Hurd