Apparatus for Pasteurizing an Amount of Ice Cream

Abstract

An apparatus for pasteurizing an ice cream composition comprises a receptacle for receiving the ice cream composition, a steam generator, and a steam line. The steam generator is designed to generate water vapor, the steam line is designed to conduct the generated water vapor into the receptacle. The steam line has a heatable heating section designed to increase the temperature of the steam. The heating section is arranged outside the steam generator.

Claims

1. An apparatus for pasteurizing an ice cream composition, comprising: a receptacle to receive the ice cream composition; a steam generator to generate water vapor; and a steam line to conduct the water vapor into the receptacle, the steam line including a heatable heating section to increase the temperature of the steam, wherein the heating section is arranged outside the steam generator.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the heating section of the steam line is directly heatable.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the heating section has a plurality of turns.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an arm that projects into the receptacle, wherein the steam line runs at least partially inside the arm.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the steam line has an outlet end from which the steam issues into the receptacle during operation of the apparatus, wherein the apparatus further comprises attachments mountable on the outlet end.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the attachments comprise a rotatable attachment, the rotatable attachment being set in rotation in response to the water vapor issuing from the outlet end.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to impede the ice cream composition from penetrating into the steam line through the outlet end via steam pulses.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a shelf to support the receptacle, wherein the shelf is capable of being raised and lowered.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an additional hose-like steam line with an outlet nozzle through which the water vapor generated in the steam generator is releasable to the environment.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising an operating mechanism to which the outlet nozzle is attached, the operating mechanism being movable relative to the steam generator and/or to the receptacle.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Other features and advantages of the disclosed apparatus will become apparent from the following description of example embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, which show in:

[0020] FIG. 1 is in schematic form a side view of an apparatus in accordance with one implementation of the disclosed apparatus;

[0021] FIG. 2 is in schematic form a side view of a heating section of a steam line; and

[0022] FIG. 3 is in schematic form a side view of an apparatus in accordance with one implementation of the disclosed apparatus with additional nozzles.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] An apparatus 100 comprises a receptacle (not shown in the figures) that can be placed on a shelf 103 of the apparatus. When the receptacle stands on the shelf 103, an outlet end 102 of a steam line projects into the receptacle. The shelf can be preferably raised and lowered, so that it can be raised until the outlet end 102 projects into the receptacle. The outlet end 102 is disposed on an arm 101 that extends away from a housing of the apparatus 100. A steam generator is arranged inside the housing.

[0024] A steam line runs from the steam generator through the arm 101 to the outlet end 102, so that water vapor, generated in the steam generator, can flow through the steam line to the outlet end 102, where the steam is used to pasteurize an ice cream composition disposed in the receptacle.

[0025] The arm 101 may be designed to be pivotable and/or to be raisable and lowerable. This feature is advantageous in order to position the arm 101 in the receptacle and to remove the receptacle from the shelf 103. The arm 101 can be lowered, for example, when the receptacle is arranged on the shelf 103. When the receptacle is to be removed, the arm 101 can be raised or pivoted, so that it no longer projects or no longer projects so far into the receptacle.

[0026] An attachment is arranged at the outlet end 102, and the attachment in turn has a plurality of openings so that water vapor, issuing from the outlet end, sets the attachment in rotation and exits the attachment through the openings. In this way a particularly uniform distribution of the water vapor in the ice cream composition is achieved.

[0027] Moreover, the apparatus also has an additional steam line with an outlet nozzle 104. The additional steam line is designed to transport water vapor from the steam generator inside the housing to the outlet nozzle 104. The outlet nozzle may be moved with an operating mechanism over surfaces to be cleaned, so that the apparatus is also suitable for cleaning a surface.

[0028] The steam line, which runs from the steam generator to the outlet end 102, comprises a heating section 200, which is shown in FIG. 2. In this heating section the water vapor is heated to several hundred degrees Celsius, so that the relative moisture of the mixture of air and water is reduced, and less moisture is introduced into the ice cream composition.

[0029] The heating section 200 has a plurality of concentric turns of the same diameter so that the water vapor travels a relatively long distance in the heating section, although the installation space required therefor is comparatively small. The heating section 200 can be heated preferably directly, for example, electrically.

[0030] The apparatus, shown in FIG. 3, comprises nozzles 300 that are directed towards components of the apparatus that can come into contact with the ice cream composition during use. These components are, in particular, the arm 101 and the feed lines to the outlet end 102. Water may be drained from the steam generator through the nozzles 300, when it is no longer needed to generate steam. Then the water impinges on the components of the arm 101 and cleans them.