A machine for making liquid and/or semi-liquid products of the ice cream sector comprises a processing container forming a processing chamber for making an ice cream product, a stirrer mounted inside the processing chamber, a cooling system equipped with at least one heat exchanger associated with the processing container, for exchanging heat with the container and cooling the processing container and a unit for receiving and treating a capsule containing a basic preparation for an ice cream product, configured to allow the capsule to be compressed in such a way so as to deform lateral walls of the capsule and to squeeze the basic preparation out of the capsule and transfer it to the processing container.

A machine for making liquid and/or semi-liquid products of the ice cream sector comprises a processing container forming a processing chamber for making an ice cream product, a stirrer mounted inside the processing chamber, a cooling system equipped with at least one heat exchanger associated with the processing container, for exchanging heat with the container and cooling the processing container and a unit for receiving and treating a capsule containing a basic preparation for an ice cream product, configured to allow the capsule to be compressed in such a way so as to deform lateral walls of the capsule and to squeeze the basic preparation out of the capsule and transfer it to the processing container.

Disclosed herein are methods, systems, and apparatuses for producing frozen comestible products with entrained gas. The systems and apparatuses may function for long periods of time without cleaning. The systems and apparatuses may be used in producing soft-serve products entrained with a gas including soft-serve ice cream, soft-serve frozen yogurt, frozen pureed fruit, sorbet, soft-serve frozen custard, and other foods capable of being made into soft-serve products. An overrun control module, which may include a gas regulator or a pressure switch, may regulate quantities of a freezable comestible mixture and a compressed gas that pass through to an accumulator, where the gas becomes entrained in (e.g., dissolves in or becomes suspended in) the freezable comestible mixture. The freezable comestible mixture entrained with a gas may pass to the freezing chamber, which produces a frozen comestible product entrained with a gas. The system may be maintained at a state of overpressurization to reduce or eliminate environmental air and environmental contaminants from entering the system, which may increase the amount of time between cleanings.

Disclosed herein are methods, systems, and apparatuses for producing frozen comestible products with entrained gas. The systems and apparatuses may function for long periods of time without cleaning. The systems and apparatuses may be used in producing soft-serve products entrained with a gas including soft-serve ice cream, soft-serve frozen yogurt, frozen pureed fruit, sorbet, soft-serve frozen custard, and other foods capable of being made into soft-serve products. An overrun control module, which may include a gas regulator or a pressure switch, may regulate quantities of a freezable comestible mixture and a compressed gas that pass through to an accumulator, where the gas becomes entrained in (e.g., dissolves in or becomes suspended in) the freezable comestible mixture. The freezable comestible mixture entrained with a gas may pass to the freezing chamber, which produces a frozen comestible product entrained with a gas. The system may be maintained at a state of overpressurization to reduce or eliminate environmental air and environmental contaminants from entering the system, which may increase the amount of time between cleanings.

An apparatus (300) for aerating a food product, (200, 300) comprising a housing (10) with an inlet (100) for the food product and an outlet for the aerated food product, and, within the housing (10), first and second pairs (210, 220, 240) of a rotor and a stator each having complementary toothed rims orientated in opposition in the axial direction, and a gas injector (1) for injecting, at an upstream position relative to the first pair (210, 220) of a rotor and a stator, a gas in the food product to be aerated, wherein a further inlet (310) is provided for injecting, at a position between a pair (210, 220) and an adjacent pair (240) of a rotor and a stator, an additional composition to be mixed with the food product.

An apparatus (300) for aerating a food product, (200, 300) comprising a housing (10) with an inlet (100) for the food product and an outlet for the aerated food product, and, within the housing (10), first and second pairs (210, 220, 240) of a rotor and a stator each having complementary toothed rims orientated in opposition in the axial direction, and a gas injector (1) for injecting, at an upstream position relative to the first pair (210, 220) of a rotor and a stator, a gas in the food product to be aerated, wherein a further inlet (310) is provided for injecting, at a position between a pair (210, 220) and an adjacent pair (240) of a rotor and a stator, an additional composition to be mixed with the food product.

Systems and devices are provided for generating gel-ice. For example, a gel-ice generator is provided including a rotor apparatus to assist in moving flowable material through a gel-ice formation chamber. The rotor apparatus may include a rotor shaft positioned in the gel-ice formation chamber which is configured to rotate about a longitudinal axis during operation and to maintain flowable material within an annular column around the rotor shaft as the flowable material moves from an inlet end of the gel-ice formation chamber toward an outlet end of the gel-ice formation chamber. The gel-ice formation chamber may be surrounded by a coolant passage that spirals circumferentially along an exterior of the chamber. The rotor apparatus may further include a plurality of scraper elements supported on the rotor shaft to rotate in unison therewith to assist in the production of gel-ice as the rotor shaft rotates during operation by, among other things, scraping ice particles of a wall of a surrounding enclosure. The resultant gel-ice has a variety of uses, including for food processing and preservation.

A method for filling a barrel of a frozen beverage dispenser to create a beverage. The method includes determining a target brix level for the beverage, determining a starting fill setting for a supply line that fills the barrel, and detecting a current condition within at least one of the supply line and the barrel. The method further includes calculating an adjusted fill setting by adjusting the starting fill setting for the supply line based on the current condition detected, and operating the supply line at the adjusted fill setting to fill the barrel such that the target brix level is achieved within the barrel.

A method for filling a barrel of a frozen beverage dispenser to create a beverage. The method includes determining a target brix level for the beverage, determining a starting fill setting for a supply line that fills the barrel, and detecting a current condition within at least one of the supply line and the barrel. The method further includes calculating an adjusted fill setting by adjusting the starting fill setting for the supply line based on the current condition detected, and operating the supply line at the adjusted fill setting to fill the barrel such that the target brix level is achieved within the barrel.

A container contains a food product to be dispensed, the container volume being closed by a closure and including an identification member; the container being further provided with an engagement member designed to engage with a corresponding driving member to displace the identification member according to a certain pre-defined path in order to allow its reading. A device is operable with such a container, the device has a driving element and a reader, the driving element engaging with the container to displace the identification member according to a certain pre-defined path with respect to the reader. A system prepares cold or frozen dessert products from a fluid contained in a container, the system has a container and a device operating it.