A system for preparing a liquid product, for example a beverage. The system comprises a product preparation assembly comprising a concentrate holder for holding product concentrate, a product feedthrough channel, and a concentrate supply channel for feeding a flow of product concentrate from said holder to said product feedthrough channel. The concentrate supply channel is provided with a valve member for regulating the flow of product concentrate, the valve member being movable with respect to the concentrate supply channel between a first position in which the flow of concentrate is blocked and a second position in which the flow of concentrate is enabled. The system comprises a product preparation apparatus configured to cooperate with the product preparation assembly. The apparatus comprises a liquid injector for supplying a flow of liquid into the product feedthrough channel, in particular via the valve member, wherein the liquid injector is configured to engage the valve member for moving the valve member. The apparatus comprises a controller configured for automatically controlling a movement of the valve member along a range of positions via actuation of the liquid injector, said range of positions extending between the first position and the second position.

Various automated and semi-automated beverage preparation systems and methods are disclosed. The beverage preparation system can include a container assembly configured to receive beverage, such as a milk. The container assembly can be configured to receive a flow of steam, air, or additional gasses and vapors to heat and/or aerate the beverage residing therein. The container assembly can include a temperature sensor configured to monitor the rate of heating, and automatically adjust the heating and aeration parameters accordingly.

A device for emulsifying liquid or solid products, in particular food products such as milk or ice cream, including a pump having at least one suction duct adapted for sucking a product to be emulsified and an emulsifying gas, and a delivery duct adapted for dispensing an emulsion obtained starting from the product to be emulsified and from the emulsifying gas, where the pump has a double worm screw arranged between the suction duct and the delivery duct, the double worm screw being adapted for emulsifying the product and the gas to obtain the emulsion and to push the product, the gas and/or the emulsion with a flow substantially parallel to the axis of the screws of the double worm screw from the suction duct to the delivery duct. Moreover, the device comprises cooling means associated with the pump in an area comprised between the suction duct and the delivery duct and adapted for cooling the product, the gas and/or the emulsion present in the area of the pump comprised between the suction duct and the delivery duct.

A device for heating and frothing milk which has a steam generator and a jet pump is provided. The jet pump has a steam inlet through which pressurized steam is injectable into the jet pump, a first suction inlet and a second suction inlet. The first suction inlet is configured to connect to a milk reservoir. An air inlet is connectable or connected to the second suction inlet of the jet pump for drawing air into the jet pump. A bypass valve is connected to the second suction inlet of the jet pump and has a bypass inlet. The bypass valve is switchable between a first position in which the second suction inlet of the jet pump is shut off from the steam generator, and a second position in which the second suction inlet is in fluid communication with the bypass inlet of the bypass valve for suction of steam.

A mixing apparatus includes an inner container and an outer container which define mixing fluid passageways between them. The inner container is received in the outer container with at least two different orientations. Each orientation forms a different set of passageways each including a mixing chamber and a riser passage, where the passageways lead from the inner container to the mixing chamber. The different orientations create different designs of the passageways, to give different mixing functionality.

A milk texturing and dispensing assembly includes a milk pump in fluid communication with a milk inlet arrangement and an outlet for dispensing milk into a container. An aeration assembly is provided to aerate the milk. The aeration assembly is controlled by a controller. A first flow meter senses a first milk volume per unit of time upstream of the aeration assembly and a second flow meter senses a second milk volume per unit of time downstream of the aeration assembly. The controller is configured to operate the aeration assembly taking into account the first milk volume per unit of time and the second milk volume per unit of time and may determine an increase in volume of the milk due to aeration. Consequently, a volume of milk from the outlet can be dispensed corresponding to a volume of the container.

A coffee machine comprises a water tank, steam boiler, a water pump, an external coffee dispenser, an external steam dispenser with a steam flow opening, a milk container having an emulsifying device having a mixing chamber to mix milk/steam/air, a milk aspirating channel with an inlet into the mixing chamber, an air aspirating channel having a valve and an inlet into the mixing chamber, the mixing chamber having a connection with the external steam dispenser and an outlet of the milk emulsion aligned to the steam dispensing opening and connected to an external dispenser of the milk emulsion. The outlet opening is larger than the steam dispensing opening. The milk aspirating channel has a passage area sufficiently large to provide milk aspiration by Venturi effect to the dispensing of a milk emulsion, at a temperature no more than 25° C. higher than the temperature of the milk in the milk container.

A mixing apparatus for creating frothed milk includes a container for containing milk, with a milk passage and a steam inlet channel leading to a mixing chamber for mixing the milk with steam and air. A steam separator is in series along the steam inlet channel reduces the water content of the steam delivered to the mixing chamber.

A milk foaming device for improving the quality of a milk foam (13) which is produced. The milk foaming device (1) has a mixing chamber (3) in which air (6) and milk (7) can be foamed by a steam flow (9) to provide the milk foam (13). For this purpose the respective flow rates of an air stream (15) and of a milk stream (8), each of which flows into the mixing chamber (3), are set by the air (6) and the milk (7) always flowing together into the mixing chamber (3) through an adjustable, variable opening cross-section (10) which acts as a flow rate reducer for the air stream (15) and the milk stream (8).

Process for the preparation of a hot, milk-containing beverage in a coffee machine which comprises a brewing section and a milk section, wherein the milk section comprises a liquid milk concentrate supply and a mixing device in fluid connection with the liquid milk concentrate supply. Coffee machine for executing this process.