A structural strengthening agent for food products, which agent moderates both cold stimuli and persistence of sweetness and oiliness in the mouth during eating of food products such as cold desserts is provided. The structural strengthening agent for food products includes a water-insoluble long-chain cellulose having a diameter of 3.5 m or less and an aspect ratio of 2.0 or more, and a water-insoluble short-chain cellulose having a diameter of 5.0 m or more and having an aspect ratio of 32.5 or less. The water-insoluble long-chain cellulose and the water-insoluble short-chain cellulose are contained in a mass ratio of 40:60 to 4:96.

A spatula is disclosed that is used to implement a food preparation method having the object of forming a roll of ice-cream, in which a quantity of food product in liquid or creamy state, consisting of a basic preparation for ice-cream, is spread on a controlled cooling plane at a temperature of about 18 C., to form in a few seconds a layer of ice-cream, changed into solid or pasty state, which is subsequently scraped away by the spatula, the latter having an upper side from which a protrusion emerges that, during scraping, meets the scraped-away ice-cream and deflects the ice-cream, promoting the rolling up thereof.

There is described a dispensing apparatus for dispensing a food product from a container. The dispensing apparatus comprises a support for supporting a container of product when the container is loaded into the apparatus, an actuator for effecting movement of the support in a first direction during a product dispensing stroke of the apparatus and in a second direction during a return stroke of the apparatus; and a retainer for retaining a spent container of product so that a spent container is removed from the support during the return stroke.

There is described a dispensing apparatus for dispensing a food product from a container. The dispensing apparatus comprises a support for supporting a container of product when the container is loaded into the apparatus, an actuator for effecting movement of the support in a first direction during a product dispensing stroke of the apparatus and in a second direction during a return stroke of the apparatus; and a retainer for retaining a spent container of product so that a spent container is removed from the support during the return stroke.

In one embodiment, a method of forming frozen ice cream pellets includes supplying an ice cream premix into a loading vessel; loading a loading cylinder with the ice cream premix from the loading vessel, the loading cylinder being connected to the loading vessel; applying a machine-controllable force to expel the ice cream premix from the loading cylinder as ice cream premix pellets; and exposing the ice cream premix pellets to a cryogenic fluid, thereby at least partially freezing the ice cream premix pellets.

The present invention relates to a food comprising soybean powder and an edible fat or oil. More specifically, the present invention relates to a food in which the edible fat or oil contains a triglyceride with a medium-chain fatty acid(s) at a ratio of 50% by mass or higher relative to the mass of the edible fat or oil. In particular, the present invention relates to a food which is reduced in beany flavor, grassy flavor, astringency, oily feeling (oiliness), oily odor, and the like, which has a good flavor, and which is improved in feel-on-the-tongue, mouthfeel, milkiness, melt-in-the-mouth, smoothness, and richness, and to a method for producing the food. Moreover, the present invention relates to a method for improving a flavor originated from soybean powder in a food comprising the soybean powder and an edible fat or oil.

Methods for manufacturing a freeze-dried froyo bite snack product are provided. In some implementations, a method includes forming a blended froyo mix comprising frozen yogurt mix, a flavoring agent, and a quantity of probiotics sufficient to raise the level to a predetermined threshold. A filling machine may to deposit portions of the blended froyo mix into a plurality of silicone molds each comprising a plurality of recesses, which are then freeze-dried for a predetermined time. A demolding machine may be used to extract the individual units, which are further freeze-dried. The demolded frozen yogurt snack units may then be scanned for impurities or imperfections and bagged. In some implementations, the flavoring agent may be fresh fruit puree, concentrated fresh fruit puree, or freeze-dried fruit puree. In some implementations, the frozen yogurt mix may comprise pasteurized and cultured milk, water, sugar, stabilizers, and emulsifiers.

Methods for manufacturing a freeze-dried froyo bite snack product are provided. In some implementations, a method includes forming a blended froyo mix comprising frozen yogurt mix, a flavoring agent, and a quantity of probiotics sufficient to raise the level to a predetermined threshold. A filling machine may to deposit portions of the blended froyo mix into a plurality of silicone molds each comprising a plurality of recesses, which are then freeze-dried for a predetermined time. A demolding machine may be used to extract the individual units, which are further freeze-dried. The demolded frozen yogurt snack units may then be scanned for impurities or imperfections and bagged. In some implementations, the flavoring agent may be fresh fruit puree, concentrated fresh fruit puree, or freeze-dried fruit puree. In some implementations, the frozen yogurt mix may comprise pasteurized and cultured milk, water, sugar, stabilizers, and emulsifiers.

Disclosed is a process for manufacturing a concentrate for making a premix for a frozen confection, wherein the concentrate is in the form of granules. The process comprises the steps of: (a) forming an oil-in-water emulsion wherein the fat droplets in the emulsion have an average particle size (D.sub.3,2) of less than 1 micron, the emulsion comprising fat in an amount of at least 65% by weight of the emulsion; (b) providing powder comprising saccharides, non-saccharide sweetener and/or protein; (c) combining, in a granulation step, the powder and the emulsion to form a mixture with a moisture content of less than 10% by weight of the mixture, wherein the emulsion binds the powder into granules; and (d) recovering the granules from step (c).

Disclosed is a process for manufacturing a concentrate for making a premix for a frozen confection, wherein the concentrate is in the form of granules. The process comprises the steps of: (a) forming an oil-in-water emulsion wherein the fat droplets in the emulsion have an average particle size (D.sub.3,2) of less than 1 micron, the emulsion comprising fat in an amount of at least 65% by weight of the emulsion; (b) providing powder comprising saccharides, non-saccharide sweetener and/or protein; (c) combining, in a granulation step, the powder and the emulsion to form a mixture with a moisture content of less than 10% by weight of the mixture, wherein the emulsion binds the powder into granules; and (d) recovering the granules from step (c).