The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a plurality of three-dimensionally shaped snack food chips. The present invention also relates to a belt assembly for use in the manufacturing method. The present invention further relates to a snack food comprising a plurality of non-identical ly shaped and three-dimensionally shaped snack food chips.

The manufacture of snack food chips well ^' known. A variety of different snack food chips is known having various shapes and configurations, and compositions.

There is a general need in the snack food art to provide consumers with new taste experiences associated with snack foods, and new ways to consume snack foods.

It is known to provide tortilla chips, which are composed of a maize-based composition, which has been formed as a masa dough and then fried. It is also known to market tortilla chips in conjunction with various dips, for example a salsa dip, to enable the consumer to dip the tortilla chip into the dip to provide a portion of the dip on the tortilla chip.

It is known to provide variously shaped snack food chips, for example which have been three- dimensionally shaped for carrying a portion of a dip thereon.

There is a need in the art to provide a method of manufacturing three-dimensionally shaped snack food chips that can provide a product of highly acceptable morphology to the consumer, which can be used for dipping and which can be produced in a cost-effective manner

The present invention aims at least partially to meet those needs.

The present invention accordingly provides a method of manufacturing a plurality of three- dimensionally shaped snack food chips, the method comprising the steps of: i. providing a plurality of dough sheets;

ii. providing a belt assembly having an array of a plurality of three-dimensionally curved shaping elements extending from an upper surface of a belt;

iii. depositing an array of the dough sheets onto the upper surface of the belt assembly so that the array of dough sheets and the array of shaping elements have a non-indexed relationship;

iv. in a shaping step causing the dough sheets to slump at least partially under the action of gravity so that each dough sheet assumes an irregular three- dimensional shape including at least one three-dimensionally curved portion formed by a respective shaping element and at least some of the dough sheets slump to contact a portion of the belt adjacent to one of the shaping elements thereby forming a substantially flat portion of the resultant snack chip, the non- indexed relationship forming a population of differently shaped dough sheets from the plurality of dough sheets; and

v. cooking the shaped dough sheets to form a population of differently shaped rigid snack food chips each having the respective irregular three-dimensional shape, each snack food chip having at least one three-dimensionally curved portion.

The present invention further provides a belt assembly for shaping dough sheets in a method of manufacturing three-dimensionally shaped snack food chips, the belt assembly comprising an array of a plurality of shaping elements extending from an upper surface of a belt, wherein the shaping elements comprise a first array of first shaping elements and a second array of second shaping elements, the first and second shaping elements having at least one of a different size and shape, the first and second arrays at least partially overlapping.

The present invention further provides an oven comprising a belt assembly according to the present invention, the belt assembly being arranged for conveying a plurality of three- dimensionally shaped dough sheets through the oven in the manufacture of snack food chips.

The present invention further provides a snack food comprising a plurality of non-identically shaped and three-dimensionally shaped snack food chips, the snack food chips being substantially rigid, each chip including at least one concavity which is shaped and dimensioned so as to be able to hold in a spoon-like manner a portion of a dip and each snack food chip including at least one substantially flat portion shaped and dimensioned so as to be able to function as a manually-engageable handle portion for the snack food chip.

Preferred features of all of these aspects of the present invention are defined in the dependent claims.

The preferred embodiments of the present invention can provide a novel three-dimensionally shaped snack food chip product in which the chips within a given population of the chips are essentially individually different in shape and configuration, yet each chip is specifically shaped with at least one concavity which may act as a spoon for picking up and holding a portion of a clip, such as a salsa dip, and with a substantially flat portion that can function as a. manually engageable handle portion.

The preferred embodiments of the present invention can ^' further provide a low cost method for manufacturing such three-dimensional ly shaped snack food chips which has low production costs as well as low capital expenditure. The apparatus for shaping the snack food chips, in particular the belt assembly for shaping dough pieces, may be retrofitted to an existing snack food chip production line.

Although the invention has particular application to the manufacture of shaped tortilla chips, the method or the present invention may be used to produce a variety of different snack food chip compositions, as well and shapes. For example, the snack food chip may comprise any- cereal -based composition, and may comprise any of, any mixture of, or all of, maize, wheat, barley, rice or any other grain-derived product, as well as any seasoning, either within the cereal-based composition and/or applied as a topical seasoning.

The present invention is at least partly predicated on the finding by the present inventors that by essentially non- uniformly applying dough pieces onto a specially shaped moulding device in the form of a belt carrying a plurality of shaping elements, so that there is no indexing between the dough pieces and the shaping elements, a substantially randomised population of non-identical three-dimensionally shaped chips is provided, yet with each chip including at least one concavity shaped and dimensioned so as to be able securely to hold, in a spoon-like manner, a given minimum portion of a dip. Furthermore, each chip includes a substantially flat portion shaped and dimensioned so as to be able to function as a handle portion.

The snack food chips may be provided with other product design features to improve eating quality, for example particular flavourings or texturizing components. The snack food chips may be provided in a consumer acceptable retail format, for example a packaging such as a bag or carton, typically hermetically sealed, which is compatible with a retail sales environment.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 schematically illustrates an apparatus for use in a method for manufacturing snack food chips in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 schematically illustrates a plan view of a belt assembly used in the apparatus illustrated in Figure 1 ;

Figure 3 schematically illustrates a side view of a part of the belt assembly of Figure 2;

Figure 4 schematically illustrates a side view of a plurality of dough sheets in the process of being shaped on one embodiment of the belt assembly used in the apparatus illustrated in Figure i ;

Figure 5 schematically illustrates a plan view of a plurality of dough sheets in the process of being shaped on a portion of another embodiment of the belt assembly used in the apparatus illustrated in Figure 1 ; and

Figure 6 schematically illustrates a perspective view of a plurality of snack food chips, forming a population produced by a method for manufacturing snack food chips in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings, there is shown an apparatus for use in a method for manufacturing snack food chips, in particular tortilla chips, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

In the method, a plurality of dough sheets 2 is provided. The dough sheets 2 may have any desired composition, and may include any cereal-based composition suitable for making a snack food dough which may be subsequently cooked, for example by frying, baking, toasting, microwave cooking, or any other suitable cooking process, or any combination of cooking processes, to produce the desired taste and texture, for example a crispy texture, in the resultant chip. The dough may typically comprise a maize-based dough for the manufacture of snack food chips in the form of tortilla chips.

The dough sheets 2 are two-dimensionally pre-shaped, and cut into desired two-dimensional shape and dimensions. Initially the dough sheets 2 are typically substantially planar and flexible.

The dough sheets 2 are fed by a feeder conveyor 4 to a toaster oven 6. The toaster oven 6 includes an upper belt assembly 8 and a series of lower endless conveyor belts 10, 12 14.

The belt assembly 8 has an array of a plurality of three-dimensionally curved shaping elements 16 extending from an upper surface 18 of a belt 20. Since the belt 20 is an endless belt in the illustrated embodiment, the shaping elements 16 extending from the outer surface 22 of the belt 18. Typically, the belt 18 is an endless belt mounted between two laterally separated support rollers 24, 26.

In the illustrated embodiment, at least some, typically ail, of the shaping elements 16 are convex and extend upwardly from the upper surface 18 of the belt 20.

In an alternative embodiment, not illustrated, some or all of the shaping elements are concave recesses which extend downwardly from the upper surface of the belt.

In this embodiment, the array of shaping elements 16 is a regular array. The shaping elements 16 are mutually spaced on the upper surface 18 of the belt 20.

In the illustrated embodiment, as shown in greater detail in Figures 2, 3 and 4, the shaping elements 16 comprise a first array 28 of first shaping elements 30 and a second array 32 of second shaping elements 34. Preferably, the first array 28 and the second array 32 are regular. However, alternatively either or both of the first array 28 and the second array 32 may be irregular.

The first and second arrays 28, 32 at least partially overlap, and typically fully overlap with each first shaping element 30 being adjacent to at least one second shaping element 34. Typically, each first shaping element 30 is adjacent to a plurality of second shaping elements 34.

The first and second shaping elements 30, 34 have at least one of a different size and shape. Typically, the first shaping elements 30 have a larger area and a larger curvature than the area and curvature of the second shaping elements 34.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the first shaping elements 30 may have a substantially circular shape with a central peak 36 whereas the second shaping elements 34 may have substantially elliptical shape with a central peak 38, lower than the central peak 36 of the first shaping elements 30.

The belt 20 comprises a plurality of interlinked metal links 40, for example of stainless steel.

The shaping elements 30, 34 are fitted to the belt 20, and preferably are removably fitted to the belt 20. In some preferred embodiments, at least some of the shaping elements 30, 34 comprise a shaped wire 42. Typically, the shaped wire 42 is in the form of a coil, forming a compressed dome or conical spring. The shaped wire 42 may have a central looped, end 44 which is clipped to at least one of the metal links 40, thereby retaining the coil in compression and removably securing the shaped wire 42 to the belt 20. However, many other shaping element configurations and structures may be employed in accordance with other embodiments of the present invention.

An array of the dough sheets 2 is deposited from the feeder conveyor 4 onto the upper surface

44 of the belt assembly 8 so that the array of dough sheets 2 and the array of shaping elements 16 have a non-indexed relationship. The non-indexed relationship may apply entirely to both the transverse and longitudinal relationship between the dough sheets 2 and the shaping elements 16. Alternatively, the non-indexed relationship may apply partly to either the transverse or the longitudinal relationship between the dough sheets 2 and the shaping elements 16, with there being some degree of indexing in, respectively, either the longitudinal or transverse relationship between the dough sheets 2 and the shaping elements 16 so that the overall relationship is non-indexed.

For example, to provide the non-indexed relationship, the dough sheets 2 are deposited in plural rows, each row extending along the belt assembly 8, and the longitudinal location of the dough sheets 2 along the rows may be non-indexed with the longitudinal position of the shaping elements 16 along the belt assembly 8. Optionally, the rows of dough sheets 2 are indexed with corresponding rows of shaping elements 16 extending along the belt assembly 8. In other words, there may be some indexing across rows of the dough sheets 2 and rows of shaping elements 16 but, as in the embodiment described above, in conjunction therewith there is no indexing in a longitudinal direction, so that the overall relationship between the dough sheets 2 and the shaping elements 16 is non-indexed.

Optionally, to provide the non-indexed relationship, the dough sheets 2 are deposited from the feeder conveyor 4 having a higher longitudinal speed than a longitudinal speed of the belt assembly 8.

Optionally, the dough sheets 2 are deposited onto the belt assembly 8 to provide the population of differently shaped dough sheets 2 over a particular production period cycle or for a particular production cycle to produce a particular number of snack food chips.

Typically, the dough sheets 2 are mutually spaced after deposition onto the upper surface 44 of the belt assembly 8. Typically, the dough sheets 2 each have an area which is greater than the area of an individual shaping element 16. The dough sheets 2 may be regularly shaped, for example being triangular, square, rectangular, elliptical, etc., or be irregularly shaped. Typically, the dough sheets 2 have a surface area of from 1000 to 2500 mm ² and a maximum dimension of from 30 to 100 mm.

Then, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, the dough sheets 2 are caused to slump at least partially under the action of gravity so that each dough sheet 2 assumes an irregular three-dimensional shape including at least one three-dimensionally curved portion 46 formed by a respective shaping element 16. The curved portion 46 typically includes at least one concave portion 48 formed by a respective convex shaping element 16.

Figures 4 and 5 show dough sheets 2 being shaped by the shaping elements 16 on the belt assembly 8 within the toaster oven 6. In Figure 4 in one embodiment the dough sheets 2 are disposed on a particular embodiment of shaping elements 16 whereas in Figure 5 in another embodiment the dough sheets 2 are disposed on a different embodiment of shaping elements 16. In each of Figures 4 and 5 the dough sheets 2 are a conventional triangular shape as used for tortilla chips.

The non-indexed relationship between the array of dough sheets 2 and the array of shaping elements 16 forms a population of differently shaped dough sheets 2 from the plurality of initial substantially flat dough sheets 2.

In an optional modification, a portion 50 of the dough sheet 2 located above an uppermost region 52 of the convex shaping element 16 is pressed by a pressing device 54 downwardly against the convex shaping element 16 so that the dough sheet 2 is additionally urged downwardly against the convex shaping element by an external force. This assists the dough sheet 2 more rapidly assuming the shape and configuration of the underlying shaping element(s) 16. The pressing device 54 may comprise a plurality of endless chains mounted for rotation about a rotatable driver. In another embodiment, the external force is applied by an air blower which applies at least one downward air jet against an upper surface of the dough sheet 2. In an alternative embodiment, the external force is applied by a vacuum suction device which applies a negative suction pressure against a lower surface of the dough sheet 2.

At least some, preferably a majority, typically at least 95%, of the dough sheets 2 slump to contact a portion 56 of the belt 20 adjacent to one of the shaping elements 16, thereby forming a substantially flat portion 58 of the dough sheet 2, which is then substantially present in the resultant snack chip.

Typically, during at least a part of the shaping step when the dough sheets 2 are caused to slump, the dough sheets 2 are subjected to infrared radiation, emitted from infrared lamps 62 located in the toaster oven 6, on at ieast one of the upper or lower surfaces of the dough sheets 2, The incident infrared radiation can act to accelerate rigidifi cation, and moisture reduction, of the dough sheets 2 prior to the subsequent cooking step. Optionally, the dough sheets 2 are also subjected to convective heating during at least a part of the shaping step to accelerate rigidification of the dough sheets prior to the cooking step, for example by a convector heater 64 in the toaster oven 6. After the shaping step the shaped dough sheets 66 are substantially rigid.

The shaped dough sheets 66 are deposited from a downstream end of the belt assembly 8 onto a succession of conveyors 10, 12, 14 within the toaster oven 6. These additional conveyors 10, 12 14 function to control the time period of the shaped dough sheets 66 within the toaster oven 6 so that the shaped dough sheets 66 exit the toaster oven 6 with the desired rigid three- dimensional shape and moisture content.

For the manufacture of tortilla chips, it is known to prove the dough prior to frying. In the embodiment of Figure 1 therefore, the shaped dough sheets 66 are conveyed by a transfer conveyor 68 to a proving chamber 70. In the proving chamber 70, the shaped dough sheets 66 are subjected to controlled temperature and humidity to prove the dough prior to cooking, as is generally known to those skilled in the art of making tortilla chips. The shaped dough sheets 66 are conveyed through the proving chamber 70 by a series of conveyors 60.

Subsequent to the shaping step, and in the illustrated embodiment downstream of the proving chamber 70, the shaped dough sheets 66 are deposited onto a conveyor mechanism 72 which conveys the shaped dough through a cooking apparatus 74, in the illustrated embodiment in the form of a fryer 74, during the cooking step. Alternatively, other cooking techniques apart from frying, such as baking, toasting, microwaving, etc. may be used instead of frying.

In the fryer 74, the shaped dough sheets 66 are cooked to form a population of differently shaped rigid snack food chips 76, each having the respective irregular three-dimensional shape. Each snack food chip 76 has at least one three-dimensional ly curved portion. A typical population of snack food chips 76 produced on a common belt assembly 8 is illustrated in Figure 6.

After the snack food chips 76 have been cooked, they are delivered from the cooking apparatus 74. The final shape of the snack food chips 76 is substantially determined by the preliminary shaping step, which shapes and then rigidities the initial flexible dough to form a substantially final shape and configuration for the final snack chip 76.

The snack food chips 76 made according to the present invention are three-dimensionally shaped snack food chips 76, and in particular are shaped and dimensioned so as to be suitable for use together with, a dip, such as a salsa composition, cream cheese, avocado composition, etc. which are well known in the snack food art.

In preferred embodiments, the array of dough sheets 2 is irregular, the dough sheets 2 being irregularly deposited onto the upper surface of the belt assembly 8, whereas the array of shaping elements 16 is regular. This establishes a substantially non-uniform, even substantially randomised in some embodiments, relationship between the location of the dough sheets 2 and the underlying shaping elements 16. This provides that the initial identical dough sheets 2 are moulded three-dimensionally into substantially randomly shaped snack chips 76, yet with each snack chip 76 including a concave portion of controlled curvature and area, as shown in Figure 6.

Typically, at least 95% of the resultant snack chips 76 have a major surface portion 78 (i.e. more than 50% of the surface area) which is concave and formed by at least one shaping element and a minor surface portion 80 (i.e. less than 50% of the surface area) which is substantially flat and formed by a surface of the belt. Optionally, the major surface portion comprises at least 60% of the surface area of the snack food chip and the minor surface portion comprises at most 40% of the surface area of the snack food chip.

Preferably, at least one substantially flat portion extends to an edge of the respective snack food chip.

Typically, the concave portion 78 has a radius of curvature of from 15 to 40 mm, a depth of from 10 to 30 mm, a width of from 25 to 55 mm, and/or a volume of from 0.5 to 10 ml. Typically, at least 95% of the plurality of snack food chips include at least one concave portion which has a volume of from 0.5 to 10 ml. Typically, the snack food chips have a surface area of from 1000 to 2500 mm ² . The three-dimensionally shaped snack food chips produced in accordance with embodiments of the present invention can have a highly acceptable morphology to the consumer, which can be used for dipping and which can be produced in a cost-effective manner. The novel three- dimensionally shaped snack food chip product comprises that chips within, a given population of the chips are essentially individually different in shape and configuration, yet each chip is specifically shaped with at least one concavity, provided by major surface portion 78, which may act as a spoon for picking up and holding a portion of a dip, such as a salsa dip, and with a substantially flat portion, provided by minor surface portion 80, that extends to an edge of the chip and can function as a manually-engageable handle portion.

Various other modifications to the present invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art.