WO2025032028A1

WO2025032028A1 - Apparatus for introducing a medium into a foodstuff precursor

Info

Publication number: WO2025032028A1
Application number: PCT/EP2024/072105
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jean-François Chevalier; Alain TREMELO
Original assignee: Société des Produits Nestlé S.A.
Priority date: 2023-08-07
Filing date: 2024-08-05
Publication date: 2025-02-13

Abstract

A stator (22) or rotor (24) for apparatus (4) for introduction of a medium into a foodstuff precursor by agitation of the foodstuff precursor to form a foodstuff material therefrom, the stator or rotor comprising: a respective stator axis of rotational symmetry or rotor axis of rotation, an support portion (26) arranged about said stator axis of rotational symmetry or rotor axis of rotation, and; agitation members (28) arranged on the support portion and circumferentially disposed about said stator axis of rotational symmetry or rotor axis of rotation, wherein the agitation members each comprise an extension that extends from the support portion and has a cross-sectional shape selected to have a drag coefficient of less than one or more of: a square section with a front face arranged normal to a flow direction; a rectangular section with a front face arranged normal to a flow direction; a convex quadrilateral with parallel sides arranged normal to a flow direction and with convex sides radially aligned to said stator axis of rotational symmetry or rotor axis of rotation.

Description

APPARATUS FOR INTRODUCING A MEIDUM INTO A FOODSTUFF PRECURSOR

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to apparatus for the introduction of a medium, e.g., a gaseous substance including air by aeration, into a foodstuff precursor, e.g., an unaerated mousse precursor, which is processed to a foodstuff material, e.g., a mousse.

BACKGROUND

Apparatus for the introduction of a medium, typically a gas, into a foodstuff precursor comprise a mechanical system for mechanical agitation of the foodstuff precursor and injection of said medium into the foodstuff precursor. In a particular example, a rotor is arranged to rotate axially relative a stator. The rotor and stator include interlocking teeth, over which radial flow of the foodstuff precursor and medium is introduced. The teeth introduce shear stresses into the foodstuff precursor and medium, which causes a pressure drop and the medium to be dispersed as small bubbles that are trapped within a matrix of the foodstuff precursor. A bubble size and homogeneity of the medium determine the physical properties of the foodstuff material. The amount of shear stress applied is related to an angular velocity of the relative rotation between the rotor and stator, as well as a gap between the teeth.

An example of such apparatus is provided in WO 2018/197493 A1. In reference to figure 1 of this application, the teeth are implemented as radially spaced rows, with each row comprising circumferentially disposed extensions with a rectangular cross-section. US3998433A discloses a similar arrangement, however the drawings are illustrative and there is no discussion of teeth formation, therefore a formation of the teeth can not be determined.

A drawback of such systems is that an integrity of the foodstuff material may be compromised, e.g., by denaturing caused by the apparatus.

Therefore, in spite of the effort already invested in the development of said apparatus further improvements are desirable.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure provides a stator or rotor for apparatus for introduction of a medium into a foodstuff precursor by agitation of the foodstuff precursor to form a foodstuff material therefrom, the stator or rotor comprising: a respective stator axis of rotational symmetry or rotor axis of rotation, an support portion (which may be radially and circumferentially extending) arranged about said stator axis of rotational symmetry or rotor axis of rotation, and; agitation members arranged on the support portion and circumferentially disposed about said stator axis of rotational symmetry or rotor axis of rotation, wherein the agitation members each comprise an extension that extends (e.g. in a axial direction) from the support portion.

In embodiments, the extension has a cross-sectional shape (e.g. a 2-dimensional shape, which may be observed in radially defined plane of the extension) selected to have a drag coefficient (e.g. a 2-dimensional drag coefficient) of less than one or more of the following shapes: a square section with a front face arranged normal (perpendicular) to a flow direction; a rectangular section with a front face arranged normal (perpendicular) to a flow direction; a convex quadrilateral with parallel sides arranged normal (perpendicular) to a flow direction and with convex sides radially aligned in respect of a radial direction to said stator axis of rotational symmetry or rotor axis of rotation.

By implementing the teeth of have a drag coefficient that is less than one or more of said shapes, reduced shear stress maybe applied to the foodstuff precursor, which may result in less denaturisation of the foodstuff material and/or an acceptable level of agitation may be ensured. Moreover, the curvature of the lower drag factor shapes permits a more “open” system, which has improved throughflow.

As used herein the term “cross-sectional shape” in respect of the extension may refer to a 2- dimensional shape of the extension, which may be measured in a radial plane, and may have the same 2-dimmensional shape when measured at various points along an axially extending axis (that is, a depth direction of the teeth).

As used herein the term “cross-sectional drag coefficient” may refer to a drag coefficient for the 2-dimmensional cross sectional shape of the extension, which may be measured for fluid flows with Reynolds numbers of between 10⁴ and 10⁶, and which may have a frontal face into the flow. Whilst, for the various foodstuff precursors disclosed herein, the Reynolds numbers of flow may be outside of the aforedescribed range, the aforedescribed effect of the reduced shear stress and denaturing compared to rectangular cross-sectioned teeth has been found to hold for different Reynolds numbers. When determining the drag factor, flow in a longitudinal direction may be considered equivalent to the flow in the radial direction, as will be discussed. In embodiments, the drag coefficient of the cross-sectional shape of the agitation members is less than 2 or 1.9 or 1 .8 or 1 .7 or 1 .6 or 1 .5. For any of the aforementioned maximum drag coefficients the minimum drag coefficient may be greater than 0.25 or 0.5 or 1 or 1 .2.

By implementing the teeth of have a drag factor within said ranges, reduced shear stress maybe applied to the foodstuff precursor, which may result in less denaturisation of the foodstuff material and/or an acceptable level of agitation may be ensured.

In embodiments, the cross-sectional shape of the agitation members is one or more of: circular; triangular (e.g., with an apex pointing into the flow, and a symmetrical arrangement with respect to the flow); a polygon with more than 4 sides, including equal angular and/or equal sided; a rectangle angled oblique to a direction of flow (e.g., with an apex pointing into the flow, and a symmetrical arrangement with respect to the flow).

In embodiments, the support portion comprises a row (e.g., including as a single row only) of agitation members, which are circumferentially disposed about said stator axis of rotational symmetry or rotor axis of rotation. A centroid of each of the agitation members of a row may occupy the same radial position.

In embodiments, the support portion includes a plurality of rows (e.g., 2 or 3 or 4 rows) of agitation members, with each row being disposed at different radial positions about the stator axis of rotational symmetry or rotor axis of rotation. One or more of the rows may comprises the embodiment agitation members. One or more agitation member of one or more the rows may comprise agitation members of the aforedescribed embodiment shapes (e.g., which are: rectangular and/or convex quadrilateral with parallel sides arranged normal to a flow direction and with convex sides radially aligned to said stator axis of rotational symmetry or rotor axis of rotation).

In embodiments, adjoining agitation members between the rows are radially aligned. By implementing the rows to have radially aligned agitation members, which have the aforedescribed embodiment cross-sectional shape, an “open” configuration maybe achieved with a higher through flow of foodstuff precursor material than a “closed” configuration, in which the rows are fully or partially radially offset and are generally rectangular. An open configuration may also enable improved through flow of solid material in the foodstuff precursor/medium.

As used therein the term “aligned” in respect of the position of the agitation members may refer to the centroid of the adjoining agitation members being arranged on intersecting radial lines. In embodiments, adjoining agitation members between the rows are partially radially offset. A fully or partially offset configuration provides a “closed” configuration, in which control of foodstuff precursor material through flow may be achieved.

As used therein the term “offset” in respect of the position of the agitation members may refer to the centroid of the adjoining agitation members being arranged on different radial lines, it may include that the agitation members of directly adjoining rows do not overlap each other or only partially overlap each other in the radial direction.

In embodiments, a row of agitation members of the stator or rotor may be interposed between the other of the stator or rotor. By arranging a row of agitation members of the rotor between rows of agitation members of the stator, enhanced agitation may be achieved.

In embodiments, the agitation members are arranged at a diameter of: 60 mm - 260 mm, or; 70 mm - 250 mm, or; 80 mm - 250 mm. In embodiments, the agitation members have a unit length (which may be a maximum dimension in the radial and/or circumferential direction) of: 2 mm - 30 mm, or; 2 mm - 24 mm, or; 4 - 24 mm.

In embodiments, an axial length of the agitation members (e.g., from a base of the agitation member at the support portion to a tip of the agitation member) is: 2 mm - 30 mm, or; 3 mm - 25 mm, or; 3 mm - 20 mm. In embodiments, the agitation members all have the same axial length.

In embodiments, the agitation members are configured to enable solid precursor material to pass radially therethrough, which may have a diameter of less than 5 mm or 4 mm or 3 mm.

[Apparatus]

The present disclosure provides apparatus for introduction of a medium into a foodstuff precursor. The apparatus may implement the features of any preceding embodiment or anther embodiment disclosed herein. In embodiments, the apparatus comprises: a processing chamber; a foodstuff precursor inlet for introduction of foodstuff precursor into the processing chamber; a foodstuff material outlet for outlet of the foodstuff material from the processing chamber; an injector for injection of a medium into the processing chamber, and; at least one stator and/or rotator according to any preceding embodiment or another embodiment disclosed herein. In embodiments, the agitation members of the rotor and stator have the same or a different cross- sectional shape. In embodiments, the apparatus is configured to rotate the rotor relative the stator at 100 - 1000 RPM, or; 300 - 1000 RPM, or; 300 - 800 RPM.

In embodiments, the rotor and statorare configured, with the agitation members of adjoining stator and rotor rows fully offset, a minimum dimension d between adjoin agitation members of the rotor and stator is at least 0.1 or 0.25 or 0.5 of a unit length of an agitation member. A maximum distance may be 1.5 or 2 unit lengths of the agitation member, which may be combined with any of the aforedescribed minimums.

As used herein the term “fully offset” may refer to a radial line along which the agitation members are arranged of one of the rotor or stator being arranged at the mid point between said radial lines of the other of the rotor or stator.

In embodiments, the rotor and statorare configured, with the agitation members of adjoining stator and rotor rows partially aligned, a minimum dimension d between adjoin agitation members of the rotor and stator is at least 0.1 or 0.25 or 0.5 of a unit length of an agitation member. A maximum distance may be 1.5 or 2 unit lengths of the agitation member, which may be combined with any of the aforedescribed minimums.

As used herein the term “partially offset” may refer a trailing edge line of the agitation members of one of the rotor or stator being arranged aligned to a leading edge line of the agitation members of the other of the rotor or stator.

By implementing the aforesaid distance ranges, a rotor and stator arrangement may be implemented in which the flow path remains substantially “open” in use, such that the apparatus has a high volumetric through flow, e.g., compared to like prior art apparatus.

[Use/Product formation]

The present disclosure provides a foodstuff material formed by the device of according to any preceding embodiment or another embodiment disclosed herein. In embodiments the foodstuff material is as defined herein.

The present disclosure provides use of the device according to any preceding embodiment or another embodiment disclosed herein for producing a foodstuff material from a foodstuff precursor. In embodiments the foodstuff material is as defined herein.

[Method] The present disclosure provides a method of forming a foodstuff material by agitation of a foodstuff precursor, the method may implement the features of any preceding embodiment, or another embodiment disclosed herein.

In embodiments, the method comprises: introducing relative rotation between a rotor and a stator; introducing the foodstuff precursor to flow between agitation members of the rotor and the stator, and; introducing a medium to the foodstuff precursor, wherein at least one of the rotor and stator has the agitation members arranged on a support portion, wherein the agitation members comprise an extension that extends from the support portion. The agitation members may be implemented according to any preceding embodiment, or another embodiment disclosed herein.

The preceding summary is provided for purposes of summarizing some embodiments to provide a basic understanding of aspects of the subject matter described herein. Accordingly, the abovedescribed features are merely examples and should not be construed to narrow the scope or spirit of the subject matter described herein in any way. Moreover, the above and/or proceeding embodiments may be combined in any suitable combination to provide further embodiments. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter described herein will become apparent from the following Detailed Description of Embodiments, Brief Description of Figures, and Claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

Aspects, features and advantages of embodiments of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description of embodiments in reference to the appended drawings in which like numerals denote like elements.

Figure 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment system for introduction of a medium into a foodstuff precursor.

Figure 2 is an illustrative side cross-sectional diagram showing an embodiment apparatus of the system of figure 1 .

Figure 3 is a side elevated perspective view showing an embodiment stator of the apparatus of the system of figure 1 .

Figure 4 is a side elevated perspective view showing an embodiment rotor of the apparatus of the system of figure 1 . Figure 5 is an axial view of the stator of figure 3.

Figure 6 is an axial view of the rotor of figure 4.

Figure 7 is an axial view of the stator and rotor of figures 5 and 6.

Figure 8 is an axial view of an enlarged portion of figure 7.

Figure 9 is an axial cross-sectional view of agitation members of the stator and rotor of figures 5 and 6 arranged in an aligned position.

Figure 10 is an axial cross-sectional view of agitation members of the stator and rotor of figures 5 and 6 arranged in a mid-point position.

Figure 11 is an axial cross-sectional view of agitation members of the stator and rotor of figures 5 and 6 arranged in a partially aligned position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Before describing several embodiments of the system, it is to be understood that the system is not limited to the details of construction or process steps set forth in the following description. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the present disclosure that the system is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or being carried out in various ways.

The present disclosure may be better understood in view of the following explanations:

As used herein the term “system” may refer to an arrangement for introduction of a medium into a foodstuff precursor. The system comprises apparatus configured for the introduction of the medium into the foodstuff precursor. The system may also comprise one or more of: electrical circuitry for control of the apparatus; other apparatus that may implemented as part of a manufacturing line, e.g., other processing systems for the foodstuff precursor, including those associated with its formation, or other processing systems for the foodstuff material, including its packaging.

As used herein the term “apparatus” may refer to apparatus for introduction of the medium into the foodstuff precursor by agitation of the foodstuff precursor to form the foodstuff material therefrom. The introduction of the medium into the foodstuff precursor may be implemented by apparatus the as a formation process. The formation process includes a step of agitating the medium and/or foodstuff precursor. The apparatus comprises a rotor and stator arranged for relative rotation to implement said agitation.

As used herein the term “foodstuff precursor” may refer to a foodstuff substance that is capable of being processed by the apparatus by agitation (e.g., a flowable substance) and/or introduction of the medium thereto to achieve the foodstuff material. The foodstuff precursor may comprise any material operable to flow, through the apparatus, including one or more of: a liquid; a viscous material; a solid; a gel; a paste; a foam. The foodstuff precursor may include one or more of the following products: vegetable; fruit; dairy product; meat; fish; chocolate; vegetable oil; eggs; plantbased; alternative dairy product.

As used herein the term “foodstuff material” may refer to the combination of the foodstuff precursor and the medium. The foodstuff material may comprise any material operable to flow through the apparatus, including one or more of: a liquid; a viscous material; a solid; a gel; a paste; a foam; an emulsion. Examples of which include one or more of: hummus; a mousse; dairy products, including whipped cream; meringue; mayonnaise; whipped egg white.

As used herein the term “medium” may refer to a material for introduction into the foodstuff precursor. The medium may comprise one or more of: a liquid including as a sauce, for example a chocolate sauce or other flavourant; a gas, including air or nitrogen; a solid, e.g., suspended in one of the aforesaid, including nuts of fibres.

As used herein the term “rotor” may refer to an arrangement that is designed to interact with the foodstuff precursor and/or medium by means of rotation about a rotor axis of rotation. The rotor may rotate in respect of the stator and an apparatus body.

As used herein the term “stator” may refer to an arraignment that is designed to interact with the foodstuff precursor and/or medium by means of relative rotation between the rotor and stator. The stator may be rotationally symmetric about a stator axis of rotational symmetry. The stator may reman stationary in respect of an apparatus body.

As used herein the term “agitation” may refer to the introduction of shear stresses into the foodstuff precursor and/or the medium including by mechanical interaction. The agitation may reduce the size of (e.g., by a lowered pressure) and/or distribute bubbles of the medium in the foodstuff precursor. As used herein the term “support portion” may refer to a portion of the stator or rotor that carries agitation members. The support portion is typically radially separated from and is circumferentially distributed about the stator axis of rotational symmetry or rotor axis of rotation.

As used herein the term “agitation members” or “teeth” may refer to members implemented on the stator or rotor specifically to interact with, by agitation, the foodstuff precursor and/or medium. The agitation members are radially separated from, and circumferentially distributed about the stator axis of rotational symmetry or rotor axis of rotation. The agitation members may by arranged to extend from the support portion in a direction aligned with the respective stator axis of rotational symmetry or rotor axis of rotation.

As used herein the term “processing chamber” may refer to an enclosure that: contains at least one stator and rotor pair; has a foodstuff precursor inlet; a foodstuff material outlet; a medium inlet. The medium inlet may be separate or integrated with the foodstuff precursor inlet, and may be arranged as an injector, which may inject the medium into the foodstuff precursor and which may be arranged in inject the medium in operative proximity of the stator and rotor.

As used herein the term “electrical circuitry” may refer to electrical circuitry for control of the apparatus to execute the formation process. The electrical circuitry may fully or partially control the apparatus, e.g., with partial manual control. The electrical circuitry can be arranged as part of the apparatus or distributed on one or more components of the system.

As used herein, the term "electrical circuitry" or "control electrical circuitry" may refer to one or more hardware and/or software components, examples of which may include: an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC); electronic/electrical componentry (which may include combinations of transistors, resistors, capacitors, inductors etc); one or more processors; a non- transitory memory (e.g. implemented by one or more memory devices), that may store one or more software or firmware programs; a combinational logic circuit; interconnection of the aforesaid. The electrical circuitry may be located entirely at one component of the system, or distributed between a plurality of components of the system which are in communication with each other over a computer network via communication resources.

As used herein, the term "processor" or "processing resource" may refer to one or more units for processing, examples of which include an ASIC, microcontroller, FPGA, microprocessor, digital signal processor (DSP), state machine or other suitable component. A processor may be configured to execute a computer program, e.g., which may take the form of machine-readable instructions, which may be stored on a non-transitory memory and/or programmable logic. The processor may have various arrangements corresponding to those discussed for the circuitry, e.g., on-board or distributed as part of the system. As used herein, any machine executable instructions, or computer readable media, may be configured to cause a disclosed method to be carried out, e.g. by the system or components thereof as disclosed herein, and may therefore be used synonymously with the term method, or each other.

As used herein, the term "communication resources" or "communication interface" may refer to hardware and/or firmware for electronic information transfer. The communication resources/interface may be configured for wired communication (“wired communication resources/interface”) or wireless communication (“wireless communication resources/interface”). Wireless communication resources may include hardware to transmit and receive signals by radio and may include various protocol implementations e.g., the 802.11 standard described in the Institute of Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and Bluetooth™ from the Bluetooth Special Interest Group of Kirkland Wash. Wired communication resources may include; Universal Serial Bus (USB); High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) or other protocol implementations. The apparatus may include communication resources for wired or wireless communication with an external device and/or server system.

As used herein, the term "network" or "computer network" may refer to a system for electronic information transfer between a plurality of apparatuses/devices. The network may, for example, include one or more networks of any type, which may include: a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN); a telephone network (e.g. a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) and/or a wireless network); a local area network (LAN); a metropolitan area network (MAN); a wide area network (WAN); an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network; a private network; the Internet; an intranet; personal area networks (PANs), including with Bluetooth a short-range wireless technology standard.

As used herein, the term “external device” or "external electronic device" or “peripheral device” may include electronic components external to the apparatus, e.g., arranged at a same location or remote therefrom, which communicate therewith over a computer network. The external device may comprise a communication interface for communication with the machine and/or a server system. The external device may comprise devices including: a smartphone; a PDA; a video game controller; a tablet; a laptop; or other like device. As used herein, the term “server system” may refer to electronic components external to apparatus, e.g., arranged at a same location or remote therefrom, which communicate therewith over a computer network. The server system may comprise a communication interface for communication with the apparatus or the external device. The server system can include: a networked-based computer (e.g., a remote server); a cloud-based computer; any other server system.

[General system description]

Referring to figure 1 a system 2 comprises: apparatus 4; control electrical circuitry 6; a foodstuff precursor s; a medium 10, and; a foodstuff material 12. The system 2 is configured for introduction of the medium 10 into the foodstuff precursor 8 by agitation of the foodstuff precursor 8 to form the foodstuff material 12. The apparatus 4 is controlled by the control electrical circuitry 6 to execute a formation process, in which said introduction of the medium 10 is implemented.

Referring to figure 2, the apparatus 4 comprises: a processing chamber 14; a foodstuff precursor inlet 16 for introduction of the foodstuff precursor 8 into the processing chamber 14; a foodstuff material outlet 18 for outlet of the foodstuff material 12 from the processing chamber 14; an injector/medium inlet 20 for injection of the medium 10 into the processing chamber 14.

The apparatus 4 is arranged in a plane defined by a longitudinal direction 100 and a lateral direction 102, which are perpendicular to a depth direction 104.

The apparatus 4 comprises a stator 22 and rotator 24 pair, which are arranged to rotate about an axis 106, which is aligned to a stator axis of rotational symmetry and a rotor axis of rotation, as will be discussed.

The foodstuff precursor inlet 16 is arranged to supply the foodstuff precursor 8 proximal the axis 106, such that it moves radially outward through the agitation members (as will be discussed) of the stator 22 rotator 24 pair. In particular, the rotation of the stator 22 rotator 24 pair may cause a low-pressure region at the axis 106 that may implement suction and said fluid flow. The foodstuff precursor 8 may also be pressurised (e.g., by means of a pump, which is not illustrated) at the foodstuff precursor inlet 16 to assist with flow through the stator 22 and rotator 24 pair to the foodstuff material outlet 18.

In variant embodiments, which are not illustrated: the apparatus comprises other numbers of stator and rotor pairs, including 2, 3, or 4; the apparatus may be arrange with any orientation in use, e.g., including with the axis arranged in the depth direction; the injector may be arranged as more than one injector unit, e.g., including between stator and rotor pairs, and may inject different components of the medium, including with a gaseous medium injected upstream of a first stator and rotor pair and a solid medium injected downstream of said first pair; the inlet, outlet and injector may have other positional arrangement , which can be axial and/or radial etc; whilst the rotor generally rotates relative the stator and processing chamber, other implementations are to be contemplated, e.g., including a contra-rotating configuration, in which both rotator and stator rotate relative each other and the processing chamber.

[Example 1]

A first example of a stator 22 and rotor 24 arrangement is shown in figures 3 - 10, as will be discussed:

Referring to figures 4 and 6, the rotor 24 comprises: the axis 106, which is a rotor axis of rotation; a support portion 26, and; agitation members 28.

The support portion 26 is implemented as a planar disc, which is rotationally symmetric about the axis 106 and has a depth that is aligned to the longitudinal direction 100. The support portion 26 has a first exterior face 34 and a second exterior face 36. The first exterior face 34 is arranged in a plane defined by the lateral direction 102 and the depth direction 104. The second exterior face 36 is conical and extends in the axial direction 106, with decreasing radii with distance away from the agitation members 28. The support portion 26 supports the agitation members 28 and interconnects them about the axis 106. A drive system (not illustrated) imparts controllable rotary motion to the rotor 24 about the axis 106, which is controlled by the electrical circuitry 6.

The support portion 26 of the rotor 24 is typically solid to enable transmission of foodstuff radially through the agitation members 28.

In variant embodiments, which are not illustrated, the support portion has other shapes than disc shaped.

The agitation members of the rotor 24 are arranged on the first face 34 of the support portion 26, which faces the stator 22, as will be discussed.

The agitation members 28 are radially separated from and equally circumferentially disposed about the axis 106. The agitation members 28 each comprise an extension that extends in the axial direction from the support portion 26. The agitation members 28 are arranged in three rows 38A, 38B and 38C, with each row comprising 60 agitation members 28, and arranged with an increasing equal radial distance from the axis 106.

In variant embodiments, which are not illustrated: other numbers of agitation members 28 may be arranged in each row e.g., 10 - 100, or 20 - 80; other numbers of rows and row spacing (rather than equal) may be implemented, e.g., for when different cross-section agitation members are arranged on the rows.

Referring to figure 8, a cross-sectional shape of the agitation members 28, for each of the three rows 38A, 38B and 38C, (that is in the plane defined by the lateral direction 102 and depth direction 104, e.g. a radial plane) is a six-sided polygon, in which: peripheral edges at the circumferential extremities are generally radially aligned; a front face that faces the radial flow has two faces angled an angle a obliquely to the radial flow direction; the back face has the same angle to the front face, and; an inner most radial apex lies on the same radial line as an outermost radial apex, such that the cross-section is symmetric about said radial line. In the example the polygon is a hexagon, hence a is 60.

Referring to figure 8, the cross-section of the agitation members 28 have a unit length L, which may be defined as a greatest length between opposed edges or apexes or a line of symmetry. In the illustrated example of the hexagon cross-section, the unit length is the greatest distance through the cross-section between apexes, e.g., the line of symmetry. The unit length L may be: 2 mm - 30 mm, or; 2mm - 24mm, or; 4 - 24 mm.

In examples of other cross-sectional shapes: the unit length may be defined for a circular crosssection as the diameter; the unit length may be defined for a triangular cross-section as the length between apexes of the same side; the unit length may be defined for a square cross-section as the diagonal, etc.

A depth of the agitation members 28 in the longitudinal direction 100/axial direction (e.g., from a base of an agitation member at the support portion to a tip of the agitation member) is: 2 mm - 30 mm, or; 3mm - 25 mm, or; 3 mm - 20 mm. Typically, the agitation members 28 all have the same axial length.

When determining the drag coefficient for the 2-dimensional shape as discussed herein, the radial flow is to be considered a normal flow across the front face, including with the same directional component across its circumferential width/wetted area (hence minor radial variations to account for different circumferential position are not to be considered). The radial component of the flow at the apex of the front face can be considered representative for the flow component across said circumferential width/wetted area. Moreover, an additional circumferential component, which will inevitably occur in practice as the rotor 24 is rotated is not to be considered.

In variant embodiments, which are not illustrated: other cross-sectional shapes are implemented, including one or more of: circular; triangular; a polygon with more than 4 sides, including equal angular and/or equal sided; a rectangle or square angled oblique to a direction of flow.

In general, the extension of the agitation members 28 has a cross-sectional shape selected to have a drag coefficient of less than one or more of: a square section with a front face arranged normal to a flow direction (which is analogised to the radial flow direction as discussed above); a rectangular section with a front face arranged normal to a flow direction; a convex quadrilateral with parallel sides arranged normal to a flow direction and with convex sides radially aligned to said stator axis of rotational symmetry/rotor axis of rotation.

By implementing the agitation members of have a drag factor that is less than one or more of said shapes, reduced shear stress maybe applied to the foodstuff precursor 6, which may result in less denaturisation of the foodstuff material and/or an acceptable level of agitation may be ensured. Moreover, the curvature of the lower drag factor shapes permits a more “open” system, which has improved throughflow, as will be discussed.

In embodiments, the drag coefficient of the cross-sectional shape of the agitation members is less than 2 or 1 .9 or 1 .8 or 1 .7 or 1 .6. For any of the aforementioned maximum drag coefficients, the minimum drag coefficient may be greater than 0.25 or 0.5 or 1 or 1 .2.

Referring to figures 3, 5 and 7, a corresponding stator 22 is shown. The above description and associated variants of the rotor also apply to the stator 22, which for brevity are not repeated. The stator 22 has rows 38D - E.

Unlike the rotor 24, the support portion 26 is planar on both the first and second surface 34, 36. The support portion 26 of the stator 22 is typically hollow to enable transmission of foodstuff precursor and/or foodstuff material axially therethough, e.g., to the centre of the rotor 24.

Referring to figure 5, a cross sectional assembly the stator 22 and rotor 24 is shown, in which for illustrative purposes there is an anti-clockwise advance of rotation of the stator 22 such that the agitation members 28 between the rotor 24 and stator 22 are not radially aligned. Rather, the agitation member 28 of the stator 22 are positioned at a midpoint in the circumferential direction between the agitation members of the rotor 24.

The rows of the stator 22 and rotor 24 interpose each other in an alternating manner, so that a rotor row directly adjoins a stator row, with the inner most row 38A being a rotor 24 row, and the outer most row 38E being a stator 22 row.

In variant embodiments, which are not illustrated: the rotor and stator rows are reversed, such that the inner most row is a stator row and the outer most row is a rotor row; other row configurations are also possible, including with less rotor rows than stator rows or the converse.

As best seen in figure 7, the agitation members 28 of the rows 38D - F of the stator 22 and rotor 24 the rows 38A - C are radially aligned. That is, a radial line R1 as drawn on the stator 22, and a radial line R2 as drawn on the rotor 24 extends through a centroid C of the associated agitation member 28. Such and arrangement may be termed and “open” configuration.

Referring to figures 9 - 11 , different rotor positions of the stator 22 and rotor 24 are shown:

A) referring to figure 9 the stator 22 and rotor 24 are shown in an aligned position, in which a radial line R1 extends through the centroids of the agitation members 28 of both the stator 22 and rotor 24,

B) referring to figure 10 the stator 22 and rotor 24 are shown in a fully offset position, in which a radial line R3 that extends through the centroids of the agitation members 28 of the rotor 24 is arranged at a circumferential mid point between the adjoining radial lines R1 and R2 that extend through the centroids of the agitation members 28,

C) referring to figure 11 the stator 22 and rotor 24 are shown in a partially offset position, in which a radial line R1 that extends through a trailing edge of the agitation members 28 of the rotor 24 also extends through a leading edge of agitation members 28 of the rotor 24.

In reference to figure 10, for the fully offset position, a minimum dimension d between adjoin agitation members 28 of the rotor 24 and stator 22 is about one unit length of an agitation member 28.

In reference to figure 11 , for the partially offset position, a minimum dimension d between adjoin agitation members 28 of the rotor 24 and stator 22 is about one unit length of an agitation member 28. In variant embodiments, other distance ranges are implemented for both the fully offset and partially offset positions, e.g., at least 0.25 or 0.5 of a unit length of an agitation member. A maximum distance may be 1 .5 or 2 unit lengths of the agitation member.

In embodiments, the agitation members have a unit length (which may be a maximum dimension in the radial direction) of: 2 mm - 20 mm, or; 2 mm - 24 mm, or; 4 - 24 mm.

The cross-sectional shape of the agitation members 28 are configured to enable solid precursor material to pass radially therethrough, which may have a diameter of up to 40 mm or 30 mm.

Referring to figure 8, a pitch P in the circumferential direction between adjoining centroids C of agitation members 28 of the same row, (for both the stator 22 and rotor 24) is about two-unit lengths L of an agitation member 28. In variant embodiments, which are not illustrated, other pitches are implemented including 1.2 - 5 or 1.5 - 3 unit lengths L. A gap G between adjoining agitation members 28 is about 1.5 unit lengths L. In variant embodiments, which are not illustrated, other gaps are implemented including 0.5 - 4 or0.25 - 3 unit lengths L. In embodiments, the gap G is: 0.5 mm - 40 mm, or; 0.5 - 30 mm, or; 1 - 30 mm.

By maintaining said distance ranges, substantial flow may continue to travel radially through the agitation members 28 when in positions in addition to the aligned position of figure 9 (e.g., the fully offset and partially offset positions), as exemplified by the flow paths F shown in figures 10 and 11 . This configuration in combination with the aforedescribed drag coefficient/shape of the cross-section of the agitation members 28 enables a through flow of the foodstuff precursor 8 without its denaturisation, and an “open” system.

A flow velocity of the foodstuff material/precursor through the apparatus 4 may be a maximum of: 15 metres/second, or; 12 metres/second, or; 10 metres/second, or between 0.1 to 1.5 metres/second. A flow rate of the foodstuff material/precursor through the apparatus 4 may be: 20 kg/hour - 2 Tones/hour, or; 70 kg/hour - 1 Tones/hour.

In variant embodiments, which are not illustrated, other implementations of the agitation members include: different agitation members may be implemented circumferentially along a row; agitation members between the rows of the stator and/or rotor that are not aligned e.g. including a “closed” system; other shapes of cross-sections maybe implemented in some of rows, including any of those disclosed herein, including the conventional rectangular shape or a convex quadrilateral with parallel sides arranged normal to a flow direction and with convex sides radially aligned. For the stator 22 and rotor 24, the agitation members 28 are arranged at a diameter (e.g., from their centroids) of 60 mm - 260 mm, 70 mm - 250 mm, 80 mm - 250 mm.

A radial gap between the agitation members 28 of the stator 24 and rotor 22 can be appropriately dimensioned to be in close proximity. The agitation members 28 of the rotor 22 are arranged proximal (e.g., contiguous) the first exterior face 34 of the stator 24 and the converse.

The control electrical circuitry 6 is configured to control the drive system (not illustrated) to rotate the rotor 24 relative the stator 22 at: 100 - 1000 RPM, or; 300 -1000 RPM, or; 300 - 800 RPM.

It will be appreciated that any of the disclosed methods (or corresponding apparatuses, programs, data carriers, etc.) may be carried out by either a host or client, depending on the specific implementation (i.e. the disclosed methods/apparatuses are a form of communication(s), and as such, may be carried out from either ‘point of view’, i.e. in corresponding to each other fashion). Furthermore, it will be understood that the terms “receiving” and “transmitting” encompass “inputting” and “outputting” and are not limited to an RF context of transmitting and receiving radio waves. Therefore, for example, a chip or other device or component for realizing embodiments could generate data for output to another chip, device or component, or have as an input data from another chip, device or component, and such an output or input could be referred to as “transmit” and “receive” including gerund forms, that is, “transmitting” and “receiving”, as well as such “transmitting” and “receiving” within an RF context.

As used in this specification, any formulation used of the style “at least one of A, B or C”, and the formulation “at least one of A, B and C” use a disjunctive “or” and a disjunctive “and” such that those formulations comprise any and all joint and several permutations of A, B, C, that is, A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B in any order, A and C in any order, B and C in any order and A, B, C in any order. There may be more or less than three features used in such formulations.

In the claims, any reference signs placed between parentheses shall not be construed as limiting the claim. The word ‘comprising’ does not exclude the presence of other elements or steps then those listed in a claim. Furthermore, the terms “a” or “an,” as used herein, are defined as one or more than one. Also, the use of introductory phrases such as “at least one” and “one or more” in the claims should not be construed to imply that the introduction of another claim element by the indefinite articles "a" or "an" limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim element to inventions containing only one such element, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases "one or more" or "at least one" and indefinite articles such as "a" or "an." The same holds true for the use of definite articles. Unless stated otherwise, terms such as “first” and “second” are used to arbitrarily distinguish between the elements such terms describe. Thus, these terms are not necessarily intended to indicate temporal or other prioritization of such elements. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage.

Unless otherwise explicitly stated as incompatible, or the physics or otherwise of the embodiments, example or claims prevent such a combination, the features of the foregoing embodiments and examples, and of the following claims may be integrated together in any suitable arrangement, especially ones where there is a beneficial effect in doing so. This is not limited to only any specified benefit, and instead may arise from an “ex post facto” benefit. This is to say that the combination of features is not limited by the described forms, particularly the form (e.g. numbering) of the example(s), embodiment(s), or dependency of the claim(s). Moreover, this also applies to the phrase “in one embodiment”, “according to an embodiment” and the like, which are merely a stylistic form of wording and are not to be construed as limiting the following features to a separate embodiment to all other instances of the same or similar wording. This is to say, a reference to ‘an’, ‘one’ or ‘some’ embodiment(s) may be a reference to any one or more, and/or all embodiments, or combination(s) thereof, disclosed. Also, similarly, the reference to “the” embodiment may not be limited to the immediately preceding embodiment.

As used herein, any machine executable instructions, or compute readable media, may carry out a disclosed method, and may therefore be used synonymously with the term method, or each other.

The foregoing description of one or more implementations provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of the invention to the precise form disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of various implementations of the present disclosure.

REFERENCES

2 System

4 Apparatus

14 Processing chamber

16 Foodstuff precursor inlet

18 Foodstuff material outlet

20 Injector

22 Stator, 24 Rotor 26 Support portion

34 First exterior face

36 Second exterior face

28 Agitation members 38 Rows

C Centroid

6 Electrical circuitry

8 Foodstuff precursor

10 Medium 12 Foodstuff material

100 Longitudinal direction

102 Lateral direction

104 Depth direction

106 Axis (stator axis of rotational symmetry or rotor axis of rotation) R Radial direction

Claims

1 . Apparatus for introduction of a medium into a foodstuff precursor, the apparatus comprising: a processing chamber; a foodstuff precursor inlet for introduction of foodstuff precursor into the processing chamber; a foodstuff material outlet for outlet of the foodstuff material from the processing chamber; an injector for injection of a medium into the processing chamber, and; at least one stator and/or rotator comprising: a respective stator axis of rotational symmetry or rotor axis of rotation, a support portion arranged about said stator axis of rotational symmetry or rotor axis of rotation, and; agitation members arranged on the support portion and circumferentially disposed about said stator axis of rotational symmetry or rotor axis of rotation, wherein the agitation members each comprise an extension that extends from the support portion and has a cross-sectional shape selected to have a drag coefficient of less than one or more of the following shapes: a square section with a front face arranged normal to a flow direction; a rectangular section with a front face arranged normal to a flow direction; a convex quadrilateral with parallel sides arranged normal to a flow direction and with convex sides radially aligned in respect of a radial direction to said stator axis of rotational symmetry or rotor axis of rotation.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the drag coefficient of the cross-sectional shape of the agitation members is less than 2 or 1 .9 or 1 .8 or 1.7 or 1 .6.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the drag factor is defined for a 2-dimensional cross section for fluid flows with Reynolds numbers of between 10⁴ and 10⁶.

4. The apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein the cross-sectional shape of the agitation members is one or more of: circular; triangular; a polygon with more than 4 sides; a rectangle angled oblique to a direction of flow.

5. The apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein the support portion includes a plurality of rows of agitation members, with each row being disposed at different radial positions about the stator axis of rotational symmetry or rotor axis of rotation.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein at least one row of the agitation members comprises the cross-sectional shape of the agitation members with said drag coefficient of less than at least one of the shapes of claim 1 .

7. The apparatus of either of claims 5 or 6, wherein adjoining agitation members between the rows are either radially aligned or are partially radially offset.

8. The apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein the agitation members are arranged at a diameter of 60 mm - 260 mm.

9. The apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein the agitation members have a unit length of 2 mm - 30 mm.

10. The apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein the agitation members are configured to enable solid precursor material to pass radially therethrough, wherein the solid precursor material has a diameter of less than 5 mm.

11 . The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the rotor and stator are configured: with the agitation members of adjoining stator and rotor rows fully offset, a minimum dimension d between adjoin agitation members of the rotor and stator is at least 0.25 or 0.5 of a unit length of an agitation member, and/or; with the agitation members of adjoining stator and rotor rows partially aligned, a minimum dimension d between adjoin agitation members of the rotor and stator is at least 0.25 or 0.5 of a unit length of an agitation member.

12. The apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein the injector is configured to inject a gaseous medium into the processing chamber.

13. A foodstuff material formed by the apparatus of any of claims 11 - 12, the foodstuff material comprising one or more of: hummus; a mousse; dairy products, including whipped cream; meringue; mayonnaise; whipped egg white.

14. Use of the apparatus of any of claims 1 - 12, for producing a foodstuff material from a foodstuff precursor, where the foodstuff material comprising one or more of: hummus; a mousse; dairy products, including whipped cream; meringue; mayonnaise; whipped egg white.

15. A method of forming a foodstuff material by agitation of a foodstuff precursor, the method comprising: introducing relative rotation between a rotor and a stator; introducing the foodstuff precursor to flow between agitation members of the rotor and the stator, and; introducing a medium to the foodstuff precursor, wherein at least one of the rotor and stator has the agitation members arranged on a support portion, wherein the agitation members comprise an extension that extends from the support portion and has a cross-sectional shape selected to have a drag coefficient of less than one or more of: a square section with a front face arranged normal to a flow direction; a rectangular section with a front face arranged normal to a flow direction; a convex quadrilateral with parallel sides arranged normal to a flow direction and with convex sides radially aligned in respect of a radial direction to said stator axis of rotational symmetry or rotor axis of rotation.