System and Method for Foaming Milk

Abstract

The system for foaming milk comprises a container (2) for milk; an air inlet (3); a pump (4), wherein liquid milk is mixed with the air in order to produce foamed milk; and an outlet (6), wherein foamed milk is supplied, wherein the container is a container for powdered milk, and wherein the system for foaming milk further comprises a tank (8) for water and a premixing chamber (9). In the method for foaming milk, the milk is provided as powdered milk and is premixed with water in order to provide liquid milk which is mixed with the air in order to produce foamed milk. It enables a system and method for foaming milk to be provided which achieves the foaming of the milk with a “gel” effect from dehydrated powdered milk, the durability of which is much greater than liquid milk.

Claims

1. A system for foaming milk, comprising: a container for milk; an air inlet; a pump, wherein liquid milk is mixed with the air in order to produce foamed milk; and an outlet, wherein foamed milk is supplied, wherein the container is a container for powdered milk, and the system for foaming milk further comprises a tank for water and a premixing chamber, wherein the powdered milk is mixed with the water in order to produce the liquid milk which is subsequently mixed by the pump.

2. The system for foaming milk according to claim 1, wherein said premixing chamber comprises at least one blade.

3. The system for foaming milk according to claim 1, wherein the system for foaming milk comprises a throttle arranged at the outlet of said premixing chamber.

4. The system for foaming milk according to claim 1, wherein said air inlet is arranged between the premixing chamber and the pump.

5. The system for foaming milk according to claim 1, which further comprises an additional throttle (5) arranged at the outlet of said pump.

6. The system for foaming milk according to claim 1, which further comprises a heater arranged before said outlet for foamed milk.

7. A method for foaming milk, comprising: feeding milk; feeding air; mixing liquid milk with the air in order to produce foamed milk; and supplying foamed milk, wherein said milk is provided as powdered milk and is premixed with water in order to provide liquid milk which is mixed with the air in order to produce foamed milk.

8. The method for foaming milk according to claim 7, which further comprises limiting the flow of liquid milk before the mixing thereof in order to produce foamed milk.

9. The method for foaming milk according to claim 7, which further comprises regulating the inlet ratio of liquid milk and air before the mixing thereof in order to produce foamed milk.

10. The method for foaming milk according to claim 7, wherein the powdered milk comprises milk proteins between 1% and 6% by weight.

11. The method for foaming milk according to claim 7, wherein the water is fed at room temperature.

12. The method for foaming milk according to claim 7, which further comprises heating the foamed milk.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0042] To better understand what has been set forth, several drawings are attached in which a practical embodiment is schematically depicted merely by way of non-limiting example.

[0043] FIGS. 1 and 2 are block diagrams showing the components of the system for foaming milk according to the present invention, according to two possible embodiments.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0044] FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the system for foaming milk according to the present invention.

[0045] According to this embodiment, the system comprises a circuit 1 which starts in a milk container 2 wherein powdered milk is housed.

[0046] This powdered milk is mixed with water from a tank 8, which is at room temperature, in a premixing chamber 9 in order to produce liquid milk.

[0047] This premixing chamber 9 comprises at least one blade which is actuated by a motor 10, and a throttle 11 is arranged at the outlet of said mixing chamber 9 in order to limit the flow of liquid milk before the mixing thereof with air in order to produce foamed milk and to regulate the inlet ratio of liquid milk and air before the mixing thereof in order to produce foamed milk.

[0048] From this premixing chamber 9, liquid milk is fed to the circuit 1. Furthermore, the system for foaming milk further comprises an air inlet 3, which feeds air to the circuit 1 for the mixing thereof with the liquid milk, a pump 4, wherein the mixing of the milk and the air is produced, an additional throttle 5 located in the outlet of the pump 4, and an outlet 6, wherein the foamed milk is provided, for example, to a cup.

[0049] The operations of the system for foaming milk according to the present embodiment are as follows:

[0050] The powdered milk from the container 2 is premixed with the water from the tank 8 in the premixing chamber 9 in order to produce liquid milk.

[0051] The liquid milk and the air from the air inlet 3 are sucked in by the hydraulic pump 4. Said mixture of milk and air is preferably mixed thanks to internal gears of the hydraulic pump 4.

[0052] Due to the fact that an additional throttle 5 is arranged at the outlet of the pump 4, the pressure at the outlet of the pump 4 increases, for example, higher than 0.3 MPa, in order to overcome the restriction on the flow. This causes the mixture of air and milk to be produced at a high pressure, making the foam production have a gel-like appearance.

[0053] Immediately after the additional throttle 5, the mixture of milk and air expands once again inside the circuit 1, producing a flow of milk foam-gel in the outlet 6.

[0054] The system produces gel-type foamed milk in a stable manner when the mixing is performed at a high pressure inside the pump 4, the additional throttle 5 being located immediately at the outlet of the pump 4.

[0055] From a physico-chemical point of view, milk foam is a colloid formed by air, water and the proteins of the milk (mainly caseins). This implies that the production of foamed milk is performed with any type of milk (skimmed, semi-skimmed, whole, lactose-free, etc.) as long as the amount of protein (caseins) is suitable (between 1% and 6%).

[0056] FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment of the system for foaming milk according to the present invention. For simplicity, the description of elements in common with the previous embodiment will not be repeated.

[0057] As seen in the embodiment described previously, the foaming system does not comprise any heaters, such that the production of the milk foam does not need to heat any of the fluids, for which reason the outlet temperature of the milk foam at the outlet 6 will be the temperature of the milk at the inlet.

[0058] However, if hot fresh milk foam is to be obtained, it is best for it to be heated after being produced in order to maintain the density and texture.

[0059] To do so, a heater 7, such as a heat exchanger, is incorporated between the additional throttle 5 and the outlet 6 to the cup.

[0060] Despite having referred to specific embodiments of the invention, it is evident for a person skilled in the art that the system for foaming milk which has been described is susceptible to a number of variations and modifications, and which all the mentioned details can be replaced with other technically equivalent ones without departing from the scope of protection defined by the attached claims.