JPH10136900A - Small-capacity ice cake, manufacture therefor and manufacturing method therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ice cake provided with a light texture to melt just as being put into the mouth without the touch of sticking the ice cream in the mouth at the time of eating capable of being preserved at a relatively high temperature by dripping an ice cream raw material in a fluid shape whose total solid is made less than a specified value into liquefied gas little by little. SOLUTION: After aging is ended, the raw material for ice cake in the fluid shape whose total solid is made less than 23wt.% to the whole is filled inside a tank 30, liquid nitrogen 11 is filled inside a device main body 10 and a screw 12 is rotated through a shaft 13. A valve provided in a pipe 20 is opened and the raw material for ice cake is fed into a nozzle and dropped.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a small-sized frozen dessert, a method for producing the same, and an apparatus for producing the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, it has been proposed that frozen desserts, for example, ice cream, are formed into small volumes, for example, small granules and provided to consumers.

[0003] By the way, the usual dessert transportation and storage facilities are designed so that the dessert is kept at about -20 ° C. For ordinary frozen desserts, no problem occurs even if stored at this temperature.

However, in the case of small-volume frozen desserts (small-volume frozen desserts), the heat capacity that can be held per se is extremely small as compared with ordinary frozen desserts. When a small-capacity frozen dessert having such characteristics is stored at about −20 ° C., which is a holding temperature for ordinary frozen desserts, a slight temperature rise in a very short time caused by factors such as opening and closing of a door causes
The surface of the small volume dessert dissolves. The dissolved part is -20
Refreeze by holding at ° C. Through such a process, adjacent small-volume frozen desserts are in an adhered state. Then, the small-volume frozen dessert is in a state of a large lump, so that the object of providing granular frozen dessert cannot be achieved.

In order to solve such a problem, for example,
Means for keeping the small-volume frozen dessert at a low temperature of about −40 ° C. can also be considered. However, those who have eaten the small-volume frozen dessert immediately after being held at this temperature will feel as if the small-volume frozen dessert adheres to the mouth. For this reason, this means has another problem that the texture of the small-volume frozen dessert becomes poor and its commercial value is reduced. Furthermore, in order to keep small-volume frozen desserts at -40 ° C, special equipment must be provided for that purpose. However, there is a problem that it is difficult for existing distributors and retail stores to prepare such facilities.

[0006]

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has a small capacity which can be maintained in a state of being separated even at a temperature at which ordinary frozen dessert is maintained. It is an object of the present invention to provide a frozen dessert, a method for producing the dessert, and a device for producing the dessert.

[0007]

The small-volume frozen dessert according to claim 1 has a total solid content of 23% by weight or less based on the whole. Examples of the shape of the small-volume frozen dessert include a granular shape, a spherical shape, and a stick shape.

[0008] A small-volume frozen dessert according to claim 2 is the small-volume frozen dessert according to claim 1, wherein the total solid content is 5% by weight or more.

The upper limit of the total solid content can be set to 20% or less or 17% or less. The lower limit of the total solid content can be 10% or more or 14% or more.

[0010] A small-volume frozen dessert according to a third aspect of the present invention is the small-volume frozen dessert according to the first or second aspect, wherein the small-sized frozen dessert is formed into a substantially spherical shape and has a diameter of about 8 mm or less.

[0011] The small-capacity frozen dessert according to claim 4 is characterized in that:
3. The small-volume frozen dessert according to any one of the three items,
Non-synthetic sweeteners such as liquid sugar and sugar are 18% by weight or less, and synthetic sweeteners are added by 0.01% by weight or more. Here, the non-synthetic sweetener refers to a sweetener that is not a synthetic sweetener.

A small-volume frozen dessert according to claim 5 is the small-volume frozen dessert according to claim 4, wherein the synthetic sweetener is aspartame.

[0013] The method for producing a small-volume frozen dessert according to claim 6 comprises:
The liquid dessert raw material having a total solid content of 23% by weight or less with respect to the whole is dropped into the liquefied gas little by little to produce a small-volume frozen dessert.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for producing a small-volume frozen dessert.
In the manufacturing method according to the sixth aspect, the liquefied gas is liquid nitrogen.

[0015] The method for producing a small-volume frozen dessert according to claim 8 comprises:
The manufacturing method according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the liquefied gas is caused to flow while the frozen dessert raw material is dropped.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for producing a small-volume frozen dessert.
A device main body for storing the liquefied gas therein, and a nozzle or a pipe arranged at an upper portion of the device main body and intermittently feeding the frozen dessert material into the liquefied gas stored in the device main body. An opening for discharging the frozen dessert material is formed at the bottom of the pipe, and the bottom of the nozzle or the pipe is gradually raised in the horizontal direction from the vicinity of the opening end of the opening toward the side of the nozzle or the pipe. It was formed so as to have an inclined surface.

[0017] The small-capacity frozen dessert according to the tenth aspect is the first aspect.
In the small-volume frozen dessert according to any one of to 5,
It is configured to further include dietary fiber.

An apparatus for producing a small-volume frozen dessert according to claim 11 includes an apparatus main body for storing a liquefied gas therein, and a frozen dessert material disposed in the upper part of the apparatus main body and contained in the liquefied gas contained in the apparatus main body. And a pipe for intermittently feeding the pipe, and the pipe is extended upward from below.
The pipe was bent downward on the way, and the opening of the pipe was directed downward.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for producing a small-volume frozen dessert, which includes an apparatus main body for accommodating a liquefied gas therein and a storage mechanism for accommodating therein a small-volume frozen dessert formed in the liquefied gas. The housing mechanism includes a plurality of housings arranged substantially horizontally and a rotating mechanism for rotating the plurality of housings in a substantially horizontal plane. When one of the bodies is disposed inside the apparatus main body, the other of the plurality of containers is configured to be disposed outside the apparatus main body.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the small-capacity frozen dessert manufacturing apparatus according to the twelfth aspect,
The plurality of containers are configured with four containers, and the device body is
The whole was formed in a substantially L-shape.

According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for producing a small-volume frozen dessert, which includes a device body for storing a liquefied gas therein and a transport mechanism for carrying out the small-volume frozen dessert from the bottom of the device body. .

[0022]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A small-sized frozen dessert according to an embodiment of the present invention, a method for producing the dessert, and a production apparatus will be described.
First, for convenience of description, an embodiment of a small-volume frozen dessert manufacturing apparatus will be described.

The manufacturing apparatus according to the present embodiment has an apparatus main body 10 containing a liquid nitrogen gas 11 as a liquefied gas therein.
And a pipe 20 for supplying a liquid frozen dessert material to an upper portion of the apparatus main body 10.

The apparatus main body 10 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape having an open upper surface. A screw 1 for flowing the liquid nitrogen gas 11 is provided inside the apparatus body 10.
2 are arranged. The screw 12 is provided with a shaft 13 for rotating the screw 12. The shaft 13 is disposed so as to extend in the up-down direction. A rotating mechanism (not shown) for rotating the shaft 13 is connected to the shaft 13.

At the upstream end of the pipe 20, a tank 30 for storing liquid frozen dessert material is provided. The tank 30 supplies the frozen dessert raw material to the pipe 2 by the weight of the frozen dessert raw material.
0 to the downstream end.
In this case, it is desirable that the delivery pressure be kept constant by always storing the same amount of raw material in the tank 30. However, a pump is attached to the tank 30 or the pipe 20, and the pipe 2
A configuration may be adopted in which the frozen dessert raw material is fed to the downstream end of the zero.

As shown in FIG. 1, the downstream side of the pipe 20 is branched into a large number, and each end of the branched portion faces the inner surface of the apparatus main body 10. A nozzle 21 is attached to a tip of a branch portion of the pipe 20. A valve 22 having a function of supplying a fixed amount of liquid flowing through the pipe 20 to the nozzle 21 is attached to the pipe 20 slightly upstream of the nozzle 21. With this configuration, the nozzle 21 can intermittently send the frozen dessert raw material sent by the pipe 20 into the inside of the apparatus main body 10. An opening 21 b for discharging the frozen dessert material supplied from the pipe 20 is formed in the bottom 21 a of the nozzle 21. The bottom 21a of the nozzle 21 is
From the vicinity of the opening end of the opening 21b to the side 21c of the nozzle 21
Is formed so as to have an inclined surface that gradually rises in the horizontal direction in the direction of.

Next, a method for producing a small-volume frozen dessert using the above-described production apparatus will be described.

First, the ingredients constituting the frozen dessert ingredients are mixed and stirred using a mixing tank. Next, the frozen dessert material is homogenized by a homogenizer and sterilized by a sterilizer. Next, the frozen dessert raw material is kept at 2 to 4 ° C. inside the aging tank to make the raw material familiar (this operation is called aging). The above process is the same as the conventional frozen dessert production process, and thus detailed description is omitted. However, in the present embodiment, the aging time is 3
It is desirable to set the time to at least an hour, more preferably about 6 hours.

After aging, the frozen dessert raw material
Fill inside. At the same time or before or after this, the inside of the apparatus main body 10 is filled with liquid nitrogen 11. The ambient temperature around the liquid nitrogen is set at 5 to 15 ° C, more preferably about 10 ° C. By setting the above temperature,
Fluctuation of the liquid surface due to boiling (vaporization) of liquid nitrogen can be reduced, and it becomes easy to make the shape of the granular frozen dessert constant. The screw 12 is rotated via the shaft 13. Thereby, the liquid nitrogen 11 can be made to flow.

Subsequently, a predetermined valve (not shown) provided in the pipe 20 is opened, and the frozen dessert material filled in the tank 30 is sent to each valve 22 and nozzle 21.
Then, the valve 22 feeds a fixed amount of the frozen dessert material to the nozzle 21.
, And as shown in FIG.
Can be dropped intermittently. The dropped frozen dessert material 1 enters the liquid nitrogen 11 and freezes. In the method of the present embodiment, since the frozen dessert material is intermittently dropped, the dropped frozen dessert material becomes substantially spherical and freezes due to its surface tension. Therefore, according to the production method of the present embodiment, small-volume frozen desserts can be obtained by a very simple method.

The frozen small-volume frozen dessert sinks below the liquid nitrogen 11 due to the difference in specific gravity from the liquid nitrogen 11. However, the small-volume frozen dessert having bubbles mixed therein floats on the upper surface of the liquid nitrogen 11. Therefore, by separating and collecting the small-volume frozen dessert that floats from the small-volume frozen dessert sinking to the bottom, it is possible to collect only the delicious small-volume frozen dessert that is free of air bubbles.

Further, in the manufacturing method of the present embodiment, since the liquid nitrogen 10 is caused to flow by the screw 12, the raw material can easily move without staying at the dropping point. Then, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the raw materials are aggregated to form a lump, and it is possible to efficiently produce small-volume granular frozen dessert.

In the manufacturing apparatus of the present embodiment, the bottom 21a of the nozzle 21 is formed so as to have an inclined surface that gradually rises in the horizontal direction. The droplet can be dropped almost without sneaking into the bottom 21a of the nozzle 21. If the frozen dessert material goes around the bottom 21a, the bottom 21a
In this case, the frozen dessert raw materials are gathered, and as a result, the frozen dessert raw material that is considerably larger than the desired size is dripped. Then, there arises a problem that a small-sized frozen dessert having a desired size cannot be obtained. According to the manufacturing apparatus of the present embodiment, the nozzle 21
The frozen dessert raw material sent to the desiccant can be almost certainly dropped, whereby a small-sized frozen dessert of a desired size can be obtained.

Next, the composition of the small-volume frozen dessert according to this embodiment will be described with reference to examples. (Example 1) Table 1 shows the composition of a small-volume frozen dessert according to Example 1. On the other hand, the composition of the conventional frozen dessert was compared with Comparative Example 1
The results are shown in Table 2.

[0035]

[Table 1]

[0036]

[Table 2]

As is clear from Tables 1 and 2, the total solid content of the small-sized frozen dessert according to Example 1 was 15.64% by weight. On the other hand, the total solid content of the conventional frozen dessert is 37.4.
9% by weight. In the composition of Example 1, 0.08% by weight of aspartame as a synthetic sweetener was blended.
In addition,% in each table attached to this specification means weight% with respect to the whole.

A small-volume frozen dessert according to the composition of Example 1 was produced by the production apparatus and the production method according to the above-described embodiment. In Example 1, the aging time was set to 6 hours. In Example 1, the shape of the small-volume frozen dessert was substantially spherical with a diameter of about 5 mm. This small-volume frozen dessert is stored at
For one hour. After storage, the following temperature rise test was performed assuming the actual storage state in a store or the like.
That is, an operation of holding at −5 ° C. for 1 hour and subsequently holding at −25 ° C. for 3 hours was performed. These two operations were defined as one unit, and a total of three units were continuously performed.

The results are shown in Table 3 below.

[0040]

[Table 3]

As is clear from Table 3, the small-volume frozen dessert according to Example 1 was maintained in a granular state, that is, in a state of being not adhered to each other.

For comparison, the frozen dessert according to Comparative Example 1 was formed in the same shape as the small-volume frozen dessert according to Example 1, and the same test was performed.

As shown in Table 3, the small-volume frozen desserts according to Comparative Example 1 were adhered to each other to form a lump, and thus could not be kept in a granular form.

Next, a taste test was performed on the small-volume frozen desserts according to Example 1 and Comparative Example 1. This test is 30
This is a summary of the results of having two testers sample both. The results are shown in Table 3 above.

As shown in Table 3, both were almost equivalent in taste. That is, the small-volume frozen dessert according to Example 1 had the same taste as ordinary frozen dessert.

Example 2 Table 4 shows the composition of a small-volume frozen dessert according to Example 2. In the composition of Example 2, the total solid content was 18.64%.

[0047]

[Table 4]

A small-volume frozen dessert according to the composition of Example 2 was produced by the production apparatus and the production method according to the above-described embodiment. In Example 2, the aging time was set to 6 hours. The shape of the small-volume frozen dessert according to the second embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment. A small-volume frozen dessert according to Example 2 was subjected to a temperature rise test as in Example 1. The results are shown in Table 3 above.
It was shown to. As is clear from Table 3, the small-volume frozen desserts according to Example 2 were maintained in a state of being not adhered to each other and falling apart.

Then, the small-volume frozen dessert according to Example 2 was subjected to a taste test under the same conditions as in Example 1. The results are shown in Table 3 above. As shown in Table 3, the result that the small-volume frozen dessert of Example 2 had a slightly better taste than Example 1 could be obtained.

Example 3 The composition of a small-volume frozen dessert according to Example 3 is shown in Table 5. In the composition of Example 3, the total solid content was 11.67%.

[0051]

[Table 5]

A small-volume frozen dessert having the composition of Example 3 was produced by the production apparatus and the production method according to the above-described embodiment. In Example 3, the aging time was set to 5 hours. The shape of the small-volume frozen dessert according to the third embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment. A temperature rise test was performed on the small-volume frozen dessert according to Example 3 in the same manner as in Example 1. The results are shown in Table 3 above.
It was shown to. As is clear from Table 3, the small-volume frozen desserts according to Example 3 were maintained in a state of being not adhered to each other and falling apart.

Next, the small-volume frozen dessert according to Example 3 was subjected to a taste test under the same conditions as in Example 1. The results are shown in Table 3 above. As shown in Table 3, the small-sized frozen dessert of Example 3 was able to obtain a sufficiently satisfactory taste, though slightly inferior to Example 1 in terms of body.

Example 4 The composition of a small-volume frozen dessert according to Example 4 is shown in Table 6. In the composition of Example 4, stevia was used as a synthetic sweetener instead of aspartame.

[0055]

[Table 6]

A small-volume frozen dessert according to the composition of Example 4 was produced by the production apparatus and the production method according to the above-described embodiment. In Example 4, the aging time and the shape of the small-volume frozen dessert were the same as in Example 1. A temperature rise test was performed on the small-volume frozen dessert according to Example 4 in the same manner as in Example 1. The results are shown in Table 3 above. As is clear from Table 3, the small-volume frozen desserts according to Example 4 were maintained in a state of being not adhered to each other and falling apart.

Then, the small-volume frozen dessert according to Example 4 was subjected to a taste test under the same conditions as in Example 1. The results are shown in Table 3 above. As shown in Table 3, the small-volume frozen dessert of Example 4 was able to obtain substantially the same taste as that of Example 1.

Example 5 The composition of a small-volume frozen dessert according to Example 5 is shown in Table 7. In the composition of Example 5, concentrated juice was added instead of milk or fresh cream.

[0059]

[Table 7]

A small-volume frozen dessert according to the composition of Example 5 was produced by the production apparatus and the production method according to the above-described embodiment. In Example 5, the aging time and the shape of the small-volume frozen dessert were the same as in Example 1. A temperature rise test was performed on the small-volume frozen dessert according to Example 5 in the same manner as in Example 1. The results are shown in Table 3 above. As is clear from Table 3, the small-volume frozen desserts according to Example 5 were maintained in a state of being not adhered to each other and falling apart.

Then, the small-volume frozen dessert according to Example 5 was subjected to a taste test under the same conditions as in Example 1. The results are shown in Table 3 above. As shown in Table 3, the small-volume frozen dessert of Example 5 was able to obtain a good taste almost equal to that of Example 1.

Comparative Example 2 The composition of a small-volume frozen dessert according to Comparative Example 2 is shown in Table 8. In the composition of Comparative Example 2, the total solid content was set to 25.55% by weight.

[0063]

[Table 8]

A small-volume frozen dessert according to the composition of Comparative Example 2 was produced under the same conditions as in Example 1. A small-volume frozen dessert according to Comparative Example 2 was subjected to a temperature rise test in the same manner as in Example 1. The results are shown in Table 3 above. As a result of the temperature rise test, the small-volume frozen desserts according to Comparative Example 2 adhered to each other to form a lump, and thus lost the property of being granular.

A taste test was performed on the small-volume frozen dessert according to Comparative Example 2 under the same conditions as in Example 1. As shown in Table 3, the small-volume frozen dessert of Comparative Example 2 was the same as that of Example 1. Almost the same taste was obtained.

Comparative Example 3 The composition of a small-volume frozen dessert according to Comparative Example 3 is shown in Table 9. In the composition of Comparative Example 3, the total solid content was set to 8.69% by weight.

[0067]

[Table 9]

A small-volume frozen dessert according to the composition of Comparative Example 3 was produced under the same conditions as in Example 1. A small-volume frozen dessert according to Comparative Example 3 was subjected to a temperature rise test in the same manner as in Example 1. The results are shown in Table 3 above. As a result of the temperature rise test, the small-volume frozen desserts according to Comparative Example 3 did not adhere to each other and maintained granular properties.

However, when a small-volume frozen dessert according to Comparative Example 3 was subjected to a taste test under the same conditions as in Example 1, as shown in Table 3, the small-volume frozen dessert of Comparative Example 3
Compared to the small-volume frozen dessert of Example 1, the taste of the frozen dessert was inferior. This is because the body and smoothness of the frozen dessert were slightly insufficient.

(Example 6) Table 10 shows the composition of a small-volume frozen dessert according to Example 6. In Example 6, the dietary fiber was added. In the following examples, as the dietary fiber, specifically, "Abisel RC" (trade name) manufactured by Asahi Kasei Kogyo Co., Ltd. is used. In addition, "Seolas" made by the company can be used as a dietary fiber. Of course, the dietary fiber that can be used in the present invention is not limited to these.

[0071]

[Table 10]

A small-volume frozen dessert according to the composition of Example 6 was produced by the production apparatus and the production method according to the above-described embodiment. In Example 6, the aging time and the shape of the small-volume frozen dessert were the same as in Example 1. A temperature rise test was performed on the small-volume frozen dessert according to Example 6 in the same manner as in Example 1. As a result, the small-volume frozen dessert according to Example 6 was maintained in a separated state, not adhered to each other, as in the case of Example 1.

Next, the small-volume frozen dessert according to Example 6 was subjected to a taste test under the same conditions as in Example 1. As a result, the small-volume frozen dessert of Example 6 was able to obtain a good taste almost equivalent to that of Example 1.

Further, in the small-volume frozen dessert of Example 6, the crunchy feeling was reduced, and a softer and better texture was obtained. The reason is considered to be as follows. That is, by adding the dietary fiber, when the frozen dessert raw material 1 is frozen, a complex crystal structure having a mesh shape is obtained. Then, it is considered that needle-like crystals are prevented, and a soft texture can be obtained due to the complicated crystal structure.

Further, according to the small-volume frozen dessert of the sixth embodiment, there is an advantage that even if the volume is small, it is possible to provide a frozen dessert which is strongly insoluble in heating. The reason is considered to be as follows. That is, since the crystal is formed into a network when frozen, the crystal growth rate of the frozen dessert material 1 is reduced. For this reason, it is considered that the crystal grain boundaries are stable and can be easily melted.

(Example 7) Table 11 shows the composition of a small-volume frozen dessert according to Example 7. Example 7 is different from Example 6 in that an oil (vegetable fat) and an emulsion stabilizer are added.

[0077]

[Table 11]

A small-volume frozen dessert having the composition of Example 7 was produced by the production apparatus and the production method according to the above-described embodiment. In Example 7, the aging time and the shape of the small-volume frozen dessert were the same as in Example 1. The small-volume frozen dessert according to Example 7 was subjected to a temperature rise test and a taste test in the same manner as in Example 1. As a result, the temperature rise test was the same as in Example 6, and the taste test was able to obtain a smoother and better taste than that of Example 6.

Table 12 shows the composition of the small-volume frozen dessert according to Example 8.
It was shown to. Example 8 has a composition similar to that of Example 4 (Table 6), except that sorbitol was not added, and dietary fiber was added.

[0080]

[Table 12]

A small-volume frozen dessert having the composition of Example 8 was produced by the production apparatus and the production method according to the above-described embodiment. In Example 8, the aging time and the shape of the small-volume frozen dessert were the same as in Example 1. A small-volume frozen dessert according to Example 8 was subjected to a temperature rise test and a taste test in the same manner as in Example 1. As a result, in the small-volume frozen dessert of Example 8, the crunchy feeling was reduced compared to that of Example 4, and a softer and better texture was obtained. Furthermore, according to the small-volume frozen dessert of Example 6, it was possible to provide a frozen dessert that is more strongly resistant to heating and less soluble than that of Example 4 even with a small volume. The reason is the same as in the case of the sixth embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted.

In the above-described embodiment, the valve 22 is provided on the upstream side of the nozzle 21 so that the frozen dessert material is intermittently dropped from the nozzle 21.
The configuration is not limited to such a configuration, but the point is that the nozzle 21
Any configuration can be used as long as it is capable of intermittently feeding the frozen dessert raw material.

In the manufacturing apparatus according to the above embodiment,
Although the nozzle 21 is attached to the tip of the branch portion of the pipe 20, the nozzle 21 is not provided, but an opening is provided at the tip of the pipe 20, and the raw material is intermittently supplied from the opening. Good. In this case, the bottom of the pipe
With the same configuration as the bottom of the nozzle 21 of the above embodiment, the same advantages as the present embodiment can be obtained. When the nozzle 21 is not provided, it is preferable that the frozen dessert material has a certain viscosity in order to supply the material intermittently. For example, it is effective to add gelatin or a stabilizer.

Further, in each of the above-described embodiments, the small-volume frozen dessert is formed in a spherical shape. However, the present invention is not limited to this. In order to form the small-volume frozen dessert into an elliptical spherical shape or a rod shape, the frozen dessert raw material discharged from the nozzle 21 or the pipe may be continuously dropped for a longer time than when it is made into a granular shape.

In the manufacturing apparatus according to the above embodiment,
Although the screw 12 is installed, the rotation of the screw 12 may be stopped or not installed if the set quality standard of the small-volume frozen dessert is low or the production amount is small.

Further, in each of the above embodiments, the diameter of the small-sized frozen dessert is about 5 mm.
It is preferably about 3 mm or more. When the diameter is about 3 mm or more, even if a heat shock (instantaneous temperature rise) occurs to the small-volume frozen dessert, the surface of the small-volume frozen dessert is more difficult to melt, and thus the risk of agglomeration due to refreezing is further reduced. Can be reduced.

In the manufacturing apparatus according to the above embodiment,
Although the pipe 20 and the nozzle 21 are used, a pipe 40 shown in FIG. 3 can be used instead. The piping 40 intermittently feeds the frozen dessert material 1 into the liquid nitrogen 11. The pipe 40 extends upward from below, and is then bent downward on the way. That is, it is bent in a U-shape that is convex upward. The opening of the pipe 40 is directed downward. Even when such a pipe is used, a fixed amount of the frozen dessert material 1 can be easily dropped intermittently into the liquid nitrogen 11.

Next, a small-volume frozen dessert manufacturing apparatus according to a modification of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. This manufacturing apparatus is mainly composed of an apparatus body 100 for storing liquid nitrogen (liquefied gas) 101 therein, and a storage mechanism 110 for storing therein a small-volume frozen dessert formed inside liquid nitrogen 101. I have.

The apparatus main body 100 is formed substantially in an L-shape as a whole. With this configuration, a concave portion 102 is formed on the side surface of the apparatus main body 100. This device body 1
00, one end of the apparatus body 100 (the right end in FIG. 4)
A nozzle 40 (see FIG. 3) is arranged in the vicinity.

The accommodation mechanism 110 comprises four cars (containers) 111 arranged side by side in a horizontal direction, and a rotation mechanism 1 for rotating these four cars 111 in a horizontal plane.
12 as a main component. Four baskets 111
Is located in a state where the three cars 111 are housed inside the apparatus main body 100 and the remaining one car 111
Are arranged inside the recess 102, that is, outside the apparatus main body 100. The rotation mechanism 112
Stay 112 for connecting two cars 111
a rotating means (not shown) including a control motor and a control panel for rotating the stay 112a by 90 ° in a counterclockwise direction, and moving means (not shown) for moving the stay 112a up and down as a whole. )).

Next, the operation of the manufacturing apparatus according to the modification configured as described above will be described. First, of the four cars 111, three cars 111 are housed inside the apparatus main body 100. Thereby, the three cars 111 are submerged in the liquid nitrogen 101. At this time, the remaining one car 111 is located outside the apparatus main body 100. Subsequently, the frozen dessert raw material 1 is dripped into the inside of the apparatus main body 100 by a fixed amount from the nozzle 40 arranged in the upper part of the apparatus main body 100. The dripped frozen dessert material 1 is cooled by the liquid nitrogen 101 to form a spherical small-volume frozen dessert. The formed small-volume frozen dessert sinks and is accommodated in one basket 111 located at one end (right end in FIG. 4) of the apparatus main body 100. After a lapse of a certain time (usually, after the thickness of the small-volume frozen dessert stored in the basket 111 becomes 5 to 10 cm), the dripping from the nozzle 40 is interrupted, and the stay 112 is stopped.
Raise a. Next, the car 111 is rotated counterclockwise through 90 degrees through the stay 112a. Next, the stay 112a is lowered, and the remaining three cars 111 are stored inside the apparatus main body 100. Thereby, the empty car 111 arranged outside the apparatus main body 100 can be arranged below the nozzle 40. Then, nozzle 4
By dropping frozen dessert material 1 from 0, empty basket 11
1 can accommodate small-volume frozen desserts. In addition, the basket 111 in which small-sized frozen desserts are already stored is submerged in the liquid nitrogen 101 again. Thereby, the small-volume frozen dessert can be continuously cooled. By continuing this operation sequentially, small-volume frozen desserts can be deposited inside each basket 111. When the basket 111 containing the small-sized frozen dessert is placed outside the apparatus main body 100, the small-sized frozen dessert is taken out of the basket 111. This operation is performed by providing an opening that can be opened and closed at the bottom of the car 111 or by using the car 11
1 can be easily attached to and detached from the stay 112a. The emptied car 111 is moved by the same operation as described above.
Is stored again inside.

Here, if one small basket 111 is used to store small-sized frozen desserts only in this basket 111, the settling distance of the frozen dessert material 1 (from the liquid nitrogen 101) , The distance to the bottom surface of the basket 111 or the top surface of the accumulated small-volume frozen dessert) gradually decreases. According to the knowledge of the present inventor, the settlement distance of the frozen dessert material 1 is set to about 1
When set to 0 cm or more, more preferably 10 cm to about 40 cm, the small-volume frozen dessert becomes the smoothest sphere. Therefore, when small-sized frozen desserts are stored in only one basket 111, it is difficult to maintain a preferable sinking distance gradually because of the accumulation. In addition, if the basket 111 is pulled up early to solve this problem, it is not possible to secure a sufficient cooling time for small-volume frozen desserts. Then, another problem that the manufactured frozen dessert raw material is easily melted occurs.

According to the manufacturing apparatus of this modification, the amount of small-volume frozen desserts per car can be kept to a certain level or less, and the cooling time for small-volume frozen desserts can be secured.
The above problem can be solved, and the small-volume frozen dessert can be easily formed into a smooth spherical shape, and the durability of the small-volume frozen dessert against a temperature rise can be improved.

Next, a manufacturing apparatus according to another modification of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. This manufacturing apparatus mainly includes an apparatus main body 200 that stores liquid nitrogen 201 therein, and a transport mechanism 210 that carries out small-volume frozen dessert from the bottom of the apparatus main body 200. Device body 20
The nozzle 40 (see FIG. 3) is arranged above the zero. The transport mechanism 210 is connected to the bottom of the apparatus main body 200 and extends upward.
11 and a screw conveyor 212 disposed inside. The inside of the cylindrical body 211 and the inside of the apparatus main body 200 are communicated with each other. Cylinder 21
1 has liquid nitrogen 201 inside the apparatus main body 200.
The liquid nitrogen 201 is filled up to the same liquid level as that of FIG.

Next, the operation of the manufacturing apparatus according to this modification will be described. First, the frozen dessert raw material 1 is dropped from the nozzle 40 into the apparatus main body 200 by a predetermined amount. The dripped frozen dessert material is cooled by the liquid nitrogen 201 to form a small-volume frozen dessert. The formed small-volume frozen dessert sinks down inside the apparatus main body 200 and reaches the lower end of the cylindrical body 211. The small-volume frozen dessert at the lower end of the cylindrical body 211 is transported upward by the screw conveyor 212. The conveyed small-volume frozen dessert is carried out from the opening end of the cylindrical body 211 to the outside, and is received by a receiving mechanism such as a predetermined basket.

According to the manufacturing apparatus of this modified example, the small-volume frozen dessert reaching the bottom of the apparatus main body 200 can be successively carried out by the transport mechanism 210, so that the settlement distance of the frozen dessert raw material 1 is kept substantially constant. Can be. Therefore, there is an advantage that it is easy to form small-volume frozen dessert into a smooth sphere. In addition, by controlling the conveying speed of the screw conveyor to a low speed, the liquid nitrogen 2
01 can cool small-sized frozen desserts for a long time. Therefore, the durability of the small-volume frozen dessert against a temperature rise can be improved.

[0097]

The small-volume frozen dessert according to claim 1 has a total solid content of 23% by weight or less with respect to the whole, so that it does not become a lump even at a temperature at which ordinary frozen dessert is maintained. There is an effect that it can be kept in a disjointed state. Therefore, even after producing small-sized frozen desserts, even if many small-sized frozen desserts are packed and sold in containers of various sizes, consumers can eat small and small-sized frozen desserts. Moreover, since this small-volume frozen dessert can be stored at a relatively high temperature, there is almost no feeling that the frozen dessert adheres to the mouth when eaten, and it has a light texture that melts as soon as it is put in the mouth. Consumers can taste.

[0098] The small-volume frozen dessert according to claim 2 has the effect of exhibiting good taste as a frozen dessert since the total solid content is 5% by weight or more in the small-volume frozen dessert according to claim 1. .

When the upper limit of the total solid content is set to 17% or less, the small-volume frozen dessert can be more reliably held in a granular form. The lower limit of the total solid content is 14
%, The taste as frozen dessert can be further improved.

The small-volume frozen dessert according to the third aspect is the same as the small-volume frozen dessert according to the first or second aspect, wherein the small-volume frozen dessert is formed to have a substantially spherical shape and a diameter of about 8 mm or less. The heat capacity that can be held by itself is small. Therefore, it melts more quickly when placed in the mouth. Therefore, a lighter touch can be given to the consumer.

The small-capacity frozen dessert according to claim 4 is characterized in that:
3. The small-volume frozen dessert according to any one of the three items,
18% by weight or less of synthetic sweeteners such as liquid sugar and sugar,
In addition, since the synthetic sweetener is added in an amount of 0.01% by weight or more, the total solid content in the invention described in claim 1 can be achieved without lowering the taste of the frozen dessert.

In the small-volume frozen dessert according to the fifth aspect, since the synthetic sweetener is aspartame in the small-volume frozen dessert according to the fourth aspect, the melting point of the frozen dessert increases and the dessert becomes difficult to dissolve.
Therefore, there is an effect that the storage temperature of the frozen dessert can be further increased.

The method for producing a small-sized frozen dessert according to claim 6 is as follows:
Since small-volume frozen desserts are manufactured by dripping small amounts of frozen desserts having a total solid content of 23% by weight or less with respect to the whole into a liquefied gas, a small-volume frozen dessert with good taste can be easily prepared. It can be reliably manufactured by a simple method.

The method for producing a small-volume frozen dessert according to claim 7 comprises:
Since the liquefied gas is liquid nitrogen in the production method according to claim 6, an appropriate temperature for producing small-volume frozen desserts can be easily obtained, and liquid nitrogen can be handled relatively safely and easily. In addition, the configuration of the device can be simplified.

The method for producing a small-volume frozen dessert according to claim 8 comprises:
In the manufacturing method according to claim 6 or 7, since the liquefied gas is made to flow while the frozen dessert raw material is dropped, the raw material can easily move without staying at the dropped point. Then, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the raw materials are aggregated into a lump, and it is possible to efficiently produce small-volume frozen desserts.

The method for producing a small-sized frozen dessert according to claim 9 is as follows:
A device main body for storing the liquefied gas therein, and a nozzle or a pipe arranged at an upper portion of the device main body and intermittently feeding the frozen dessert material into the liquefied gas stored in the device main body. An opening for discharging the frozen dessert material is formed at the bottom of the pipe, and the bottom of the nozzle or the pipe is gradually raised in the horizontal direction from the vicinity of the opening end of the opening toward the side of the nozzle or the pipe. Since the frozen dessert is formed so as to have an inclined surface, the frozen dessert raw material can be surely dropped little by little, whereby a small-sized frozen dessert of a desired size can be obtained.

The small-sized frozen dessert according to the tenth aspect is the first aspect.
In the small-volume frozen dessert according to any one of to 5,
Since the composition further includes dietary fiber, a soft texture can be obtained, and a small-volume frozen dessert that is strongly insoluble in heating can be provided.

An apparatus for producing a small-volume frozen dessert according to the eleventh aspect includes an apparatus main body for storing a liquefied gas therein, and a frozen dessert material disposed in the upper part of the apparatus main body and contained in the liquefied gas contained in the apparatus main body. And a pipe for intermittently feeding the pipe, and the pipe is extended upward from below.
Since it is configured to be bent downward on the way and the opening of the pipe is directed downward, it becomes easy to drop a fixed amount of the frozen dessert raw material into the liquid nitrogen 11 intermittently.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for producing small-sized frozen desserts, which includes an apparatus main body for accommodating a liquefied gas therein, and an accommodating mechanism for accommodating therein small-volume frozen desserts formed in the liquefied gas. The housing mechanism includes a plurality of housings arranged substantially horizontally and a rotating mechanism for rotating the plurality of housings in a substantially horizontal plane. When one of the bodies is arranged inside the apparatus main body, the other of the plurality of bodies is configured to be arranged outside the apparatus main body, so that the capacity is small. It becomes easy to form the frozen dessert into a smooth sphere. In addition, the durability of the small-volume frozen dessert against a temperature rise can be improved.

According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for producing a small-volume frozen dessert having a device body for storing a liquefied gas therein and a transport mechanism for carrying out the small-volume frozen dessert from the bottom of the device body. Therefore, the same effect as that of the manufacturing apparatus according to the twelfth aspect is obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an outline of an apparatus for producing small-sized frozen desserts according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged view of FIG.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a modified example of a nozzle used in an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an outline of an apparatus for producing small-sized frozen desserts according to a modification of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an outline of an apparatus for producing a small-sized frozen dessert according to another modification of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Frozen confectionery raw material 10.100.200 Main body 11.101.201 Liquid nitrogen (liquefied gas) 12 Screw 20 Pipe 21.40 Nozzle 21a Nozzle bottom 21b Nozzle opening 21c Nozzle side surface 30 Tank 110 Storage mechanism 111 Basket ( (Container) 112 Rotation mechanism 210 Transport mechanism

Claims (14)

[Claims] 1. A small-volume frozen dessert having a total solid content of 23% by weight or less based on the whole. 2. The small-sized frozen dessert according to claim 1, wherein the total solid content is 5% by weight or more. 3. It is formed in a substantially spherical shape and has a diameter of about 8
The small-sized frozen dessert according to claim 1, wherein the small-sized frozen dessert is formed to be not more than mm. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein a non-synthetic sweetener such as liquid sugar or sugar is 18% by weight or less, and a synthetic sweetener is added in an amount of 0.01% by weight or more. The small-volume frozen dessert according to any one of the above. 5. The small-volume frozen dessert according to claim 4, wherein the synthetic sweetener is aspartame. 6. A small-volume frozen dessert characterized by producing a small-volume frozen dessert by dropping a liquid frozen dessert material having a total solid content of not more than 23% by weight into a liquefied gas little by little. Manufacturing method. 7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the liquefied gas is liquid nitrogen. 8. The method for producing a small-volume frozen dessert according to claim 6, wherein the liquefied gas is caused to flow while the frozen dessert material is dropped. 9. An apparatus body for storing a liquefied gas therein,
A nozzle or a pipe disposed intermittently to feed the frozen dessert material into the liquefied gas stored in the apparatus body, and the bottom of the nozzle or the pipe contains the frozen dessert material. An opening for discharging is formed,
The bottom of the nozzle or the pipe is formed so as to have an inclined surface that gradually rises in the horizontal direction from the vicinity of the opening end of the opening toward the side of the nozzle or the pipe. Production equipment for small-sized frozen desserts. 10. The small-volume frozen dessert according to claim 1, further comprising a dietary fiber. 11. An apparatus main body for storing a liquefied gas therein, and a pipe disposed at an upper part of the apparatus main body and intermittently feeding the frozen dessert material into the liquefied gas stored in the apparatus main body. , Wherein the pipe extends upward from below, and then is bent downward on the way, and the opening of the pipe is directed downward. apparatus. 12. A device main body for storing a liquefied gas therein, and a storage mechanism for storing therein a small-volume frozen dessert formed in the liquefied gas, wherein the storage mechanisms are arranged substantially horizontally. A plurality of containers, and a rotating mechanism for rotating the plurality of containers in a substantially horizontal plane, wherein the device main body is configured such that one of the plurality of containers is An apparatus for producing a small-volume frozen dessert, wherein the other container of the plurality of containers is arranged outside the device main body when arranged inside the device main body. . 13. The small capacity according to claim 12, wherein the plurality of containers are constituted by four containers, and the apparatus main body is formed substantially in an L-shape as a whole. Frozen dessert production equipment. 14. An apparatus for producing small-volume frozen desserts, comprising: an apparatus main body for storing a liquefied gas therein; and a transport mechanism for carrying out small-volume frozen desserts from the bottom of the apparatus main body.