FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an apparatus and process for providing stick- based food products, in particular stick-based jelly confections.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Stick-based products such as ice lollies are very popular product formats with consumers, In addition, gelled products such as fruit-flavoured jellies are well known and are popular products with consumers. Jelly-based products are increasingly being perceived as a healthy alternative to more traditional snacks and desserts. Their interesting textural properties also makes them particularly appealing to children. A further advantage of these products is that additional constituents such as real fruit pieces may be readily incorporated into the jelly simply by adding them to the product mix before the jelly has set.

Jelly products are typically eaten with spoons, for example from containers. New product formats also provide jelly "shots" in which the jelly is provided in a flexible sachet which consumers tear open and then squeeze the contents directly into their mouth. It would be desirable to provide an alternative format for jelly products that is both a departure from the traditional spoon-based approaches but that is more convenient and acceptable than the sachet-based formats that are emerging.

It is known that consumers are comfortable with stick-based products as exemplified by ice lollies and the like and so a stick-based jelly product would provide a combination of the convenience and acceptability of a stick-based product with the exciting organoleptic properties of jelly products. However, it is not a simple task to provide a stick-based jelly product. Standard stick-based ice lollies are typically straightforward to make and consume because the ingredients of the ice lolly are combined to form an aqueous mix into which a stick is inserted and the mix is then frozen solid. In this form a solid matrix forms around the stick, firmly binding the product to the stick. However, jelly is a much more flexible matrix and does not readily form a strong bond with the stick. Furthermore, jelly products need to be formed in a mold which then forms the packaging for the product. The jelly cannot easily be removed from the mold and in addition, the jelly product requires rigid packaging to protect it during storage and distribution. As a result, it is necessary to make jelly products in a mold that doubles as the final packaging.

When a consumer attempts to remove the product from the packaging, by gripping the end of the stick and pulling, the stick tends to slip out from the jelly. This means that the consumer will have failed to remove the product from its packaging, and will additionally have caused damage to the product. Although it may be attempted to overcome this problem by increasing the solidity of the jelly product, this is not acceptable because the desired organoleptic properties of the jelly is lost as the product becomes more firm and less jelly-like. It is also not ideal to structurally alter the stick itself since consumers may prefer a simple stick as opposed to one with protrusions that are intended to interact and engage with the jelly product. There therefore remains a need to provide stick-based jelly products that do not suffer from these defects, and in particular do not suffer from the stick slipping out when the consumer attempts to remove the product from its packaging.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

We have now found that a particular apparatus and process are capable of addressing this issue. Therefore, in a first aspect, the present invention provides a container for a stick-based confection, the container having an open end for filling the container, inserting the stick and removing the confection characterised in that the container also has an openable aperture located distal to the open end. Preferably the confection is a jelly confection.

Preferably the openeable aperture is located at a distance from the open end of at least 50% of the total length of the container, more preferably at least 75%, more preferably still at least 85% yet more preferably still at least 95%.

Preferably the aperture is covered with a removable film, preferably a self- adhesive film.

In an alternative embodiment the aperture is covered with a screw-off top.

In a further embodiment the aperture is covered with a break-off cover. In a preferred embodiment the aperture is a valve.

Preferably the container further comprises a lid for covering the open end.

In a preferred embodiment the lid is formed from a removable film that also covers the aperture.

In a second aspect, the present invention provides a process for the production of a stick-based confection comprising the steps of:

a) providing a container having an open end;

b) filling the container through the open end with a confection mixture;

c) inserting a stick into the mixture via the open end;

d) and allowing the mixture to form around the stick;

characterised in that the container has an openable aperture located distal to the open end.

Preferably the confection is a jelly confection. Where the confection is a jelly, preferably the jelly is allowed to partially set prior to inserting the stick.

Preferably fruit pieces are added to the unset jelly mixture.

Preferably the product is frozen.

These and other aspects, features and advantages will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art from a reading of the following detailed description and the appended claims. For the avoidance of doubt, any feature of one aspect of the present invention may be utilised in any other aspect of the invention. The word "comprising" is intended to mean "including" but not necessarily "consisting of or "composed of." In other words, the listed steps or options need not be exhaustive. It is noted that the examples given in the description below are intended to clarify the invention and are not intended to limit the invention to those examples per se. Similarly, all percentages are weight/weight percentages unless otherwise indicated. Except in the operating and comparative examples, or where otherwise explicitly indicated, all numbers in this description indicating amounts of material or conditions of reaction, physical properties of materials and/or use are to be understood as modified by the word "about". Numerical ranges expressed in the format "from x to y" are understood to include x and y. When for a specific feature multiple preferred ranges are described in the format "from x to y", it is understood that all ranges combining the different endpoints are also contemplated. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As discussed above, stick-based products suffer from failure when the stick slips from the product. This is especially the case then the products are jelly-based. This is partially caused by the lack of structural resilience in the jelly. We have also discovered that this failure is due to the fact that the packaging for such products also serves as the mold for forming the product. The result of this is that the product is very well seated in the packaging and so the consumer needs to pull hard on the stick in an attempt to remove the product. The increased forces that the consumer is obliged to apply when pulling the stick very often exceeds the ability of the product (e,g, a jelly) to bind to the stick and so the bond between them breaks. We have now found that a particular apparatus and process are able to address this issue. The present invention therefore provides a new container for a stick-based confection. The container has an open end which allows the container to be filled with a confection mix (e.g. an unset jelly mix or an unfrozen frozen confection mix). The opening also provides an ingress through which the stick can be inserted into the mixture. Finally, the opening allows the product to be removed. The container is therefore akin to a mold for the confection. However, the container of the invention is characterised by an openable aperture located distal to the open end. We have found that, when in the open state, this openable aperture is able to greatly reduce the pressures that are required to extract the product from the container. As a result, the forces applied to the stick can be reduced and there is less chance that the bond between stick and product will be broken. The use of this container therefore allows the product to be made using standard mixes without the need to change the composition to make the products more firm which would detract from the preferred organoleptic properties of such products. The openeable aperture is located on the container at a point that is distant from the open end from which the product is removed. In order to ensure the efficacy of the aperture, it is preferred that it is located at least half way along the container. More preferably it is located even further away from the opening, for example it may be separated from the open end by distance of least 75%, more preferably still at least 85% yet more preferably still at least 95% wherein the percentages refer to the overall length of the container.

It is important that the openable aperture is initially provided in a closed state so that when the initial mix is added to the container it does not drain out. Preferably the aperture is covered with a removable film, preferably the film is self-adhesive. In this embodiment the aperture can be opened simply by removing the film. In an alternative embodiment the aperture can be covered with a screw-off top and in a further embodiment the aperture can be closed by a cover that can be broken off when desired. In a particularly preferred embodiment the aperture is sealed with a valve. In this embodiment the valve is in a closed state when the pressure inside the container is greater than the pressure outside. Consequently, the valve will be forced closed when the container is filled with the mix but when the consumer attempts to remove the product the pressure inside the container will be reduced as the product begins to move towards the open end, consequently the pressure outside the openable aperture will become relatively higher than that inside the container and the valve will open, hence transforming the openable aperture from a closed to an open state.

The container can also comprise a lid for covering the open end. This lid serves to seal the open end from external contaminants. It may also serve to support the stick, thus ensuring that the stick remains vertical while the mix forms around it.

The lid may be formed from a removable film and in such a case this removable film can be contiguous with a film that covers the openable aperture. In such an embodiment, when the consumer wishes to consume the product they will be able to both remove the lid and open the aperture in one simple movement. Such an embodiment also reduces the risk that the consumer will forget to open the aperture.

The present invention also provides a method for the production of a stick-based confection in which the container of the present invention is filled with an initial mix (e.g an unset jelly mixture or an unfrozen ice confection mix). As discussed, the mixture need not be altered to make it particularly firm. The jelly mix may be allowed to partially set before inserting the stick (or the unfrozen ice confection mix may be allowed to partially freeze), or the stick can be inserted immediately. In a preferred embodiment of the process, the container is closed with a lid that has a slot through which the stick protrudes. This allows the stick to be supported in the vertical position while the product forms. The mixes may also contain fruit pieces which add to the organoleptic properties of the product and also enhance the healthy aspect of the product. Once set, the products can be stored and distributed prior to consumption. Jelly products can also be frozen to provide an enhanced eating experience. In use, the consumer opens the openable aperture prior to removing the product. By changing the aperture from the closed to the open state the consumer will allow air to enter the container through the aperture as the product is removed from the open end. In this way the pressure differential that would otherwise build up due to the tight seal of the product in the container is equilibrated by the ingress of air. Consequently, much less force is required to remove the product from the container and there is less chance of the stick being pulled from the product due to the product being held in the container by a vacuum that has built up as the consumer attempts to remove it.