The invention relates to a process and apparatus for treating cooked bread material. The invention also relates to food and other end products produced from cooked bread material.

The production of bread in tins in the baking industry is common place, and likewise the process of slicing the bread after baking and pre-wrapping the sliced loaf for delivery to customers. The commercial tinned sliced loaf has been long established.

A more recent development has been the large scale commercial production of ready to eat sandwiches in factories dedicated to these products. In the commercial sandwich industry, it is usual for the end slices on each tinned sliced loaf, i.e. the "crusts", to be rejected, and designated as scrap or perhaps used as food for animals.

The scrap crusts generated by this industry can be measured in hundreds of thousands per day between relatively few factories. It is an object of the invention to make use of this source of supply of bread crusts and other cooked bread material to provide a food or other end product.

According to the invention there is provided a process for treating cooked bread material for the production of a food or other end product, comprising applying a wetting material to cooked bread material to render the material more pliable, forming the wetted bread material into a wetted mass, cutting and/or shaping the wetted mass to form the desired

product, and drying the product to preserve its shape. Preferably the cooked bread material is at least substantially bread crust material.

The bread crust material is preferably comminuted crust material, but may be whole crusts and/or pieces of crust. Also, the source of the bread crust material is preferably scrap crusts and/or crusts cut from whole loaves.

The wetting material is preferably water or oil or fat or any other suitable liquid, or mixture thereof. Other suitable liquids may be milk, beer or fruit juice. Alternatively, the wetting agent may be an organic solvent such as hexane or acetone.

Preferably the step of wetting the bread material is performed by adding the wetting material during chopping of the bread material and/or during mixing the bread material with the wetting material. Alternatively, the bread material may be sprayed or otherwise applied with the wetting material. In one embodiment of the invention the wetted mass is formed into a sheet of wetted material, and there is provided the step of conveying the sheet to means for cutting and, if required, shaping the sheet to form the desired product. Alternatively, the wetted mass may be supplied by a dosing mechanism to means for shaping the dose to form the desired product. The wetted mass may be shaped by moulding or blocking. For example, the material may be moulded into the form of a food product or an edible base or container for other food material. Alternatively, the material may be moulded into an edible utensil for eating food or into an end product which is not intended to be edible.

The invention also provides an apparatus for treating cooked bread material for the production of a

food or other end product, comprising means for applying a wetting material to cooked bread material, means for forming the wetted material into a wetted mass, means for cutting and/or shaping the wetted mass to form the desired product, and means for drying the product to preserve its shape.

The invention further provides a food or other end product formed by a process or an apparatus as defined above. In particular, the product can be dried sufficiently to provide required textural, functional and organoleptic properties, including a shelf life of several months or more without refrigeration.

In one form of the invention, the product is an edible base or container for other food material. The edible base or container can be eaten cold or hot after being reheated in a conventional or microwave oven, with or without a topping or filling of other foods. The product can be made in the form of a container which is edible and capable of holding without leakage moist, hot or cold foods of thick or flowing consistency.

The invention still further provides an end product which is a utensil for eating food, e.g. cutlery, or a plate, or a cup/mug, and the utensil is itself edible.

If desired, any of the above products may have further material added or mixed therein, e.g. for flavouring the product or for giving the product another predetermined characteristic. The further material may be mixed with the cooked bread material at any stage during the treatment process.

The invention yet further provides a product formed from cooked bread material wherein the bread material includes a constituent giving the product a predetermined characteristic, and wherein the product

is not intended to be edible.

By way of example, specific embodiments in accordance with the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings in which:-

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a conventional tinned sliced loaf indicating the end crusts for use in this invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a specially formed loaf as an alternative or additional source of supply of bread crust material;

Figure 3 is a schematic representation of alternative embodiments of treating bread material for the production of a food or other end product; Figures 4 to 7 illustrate different forms of end products;

Figures 8 and 9 illustrate alternative end products as edible utensils for eating food.

The embodiments illustrated concern the treatment of bread material for the production of food or other end product which may be edible or non-edible, depending for example on the condition of the bread material used and any particular ingredient which may be added during the treatment process. The starting bread material used may be any existing bread, or bread material which is first cooked, i.e. pre-cooked. In each case, the bread material may be cooked by baking or any other conventional method. The invention is thus not concerned with the cooking of bread dough, but the treatment process to be described may be applied to the treatment of bread material which is just cooked, whether it is still hot or has cooled, as well as existing bread material. The cooking process need not thus be described.

A convenient source of supply of the starting material are the end crusts 10 of a conventional tinned sliced loaf 11 used by the sandwich making industry, which are normally designated as scrap and discarded. It will be appreciated that similar scrap consisting of side, top and bottom crusts, whether whole or in pieces, may also be used or mixed with the end crusts. Additionally or alternatively, Figure 2 shows a specially prepared loaf 21 which is baked thin enough to use whole or, in this embodiment, sliced generally longitudinally along dash line 23 to provide two halves 22, both of which constitute conventional crusts. However, other bread pieces or ordinary bread slices may be used in addition to or instead of crusts, depending on the supply available or the required characteristics of the desired end product.

In the case of conventional tinned loaves (Figure 1) or specially prepared loaves (Figure 2) , any of the available range of commercial varieties may be employed, such as white, brown, wholemeal or whole grain. The loaves may also be fresh or frozen.

Further comestible or incomestible material may be mixed with the starting bread material if desired, or added thereto during the treatment process, for example, for giving a desired flavour or other characteristic to the end product. It will thus be appreciated that if the end product is intended to be edible, all the constituents will be comestible and the starting bread material will have the necessary conditions of quality for human consumption or consumption by animals as the case may be.

On the other hand, if it is not desired or required to render the end product edible, the product may be given a certain characteristic, for example, by employing bread material which does not necessarily

meet a condition for consumption and/or by adding an incomestible constituent.

Referring to Figure 3 , there are shown three alternative embodiments of treating bread material for the production of a food or other end product. In each case, the starting bread material 12 is a bulk quantity of cooked bread which may include crusts 10, 22 and/or bread slices or pieces either whole, broken- up or in comminuted form. This starting material is fed into a first receptacle 13, e.g. a hopper, containing chopping means 14 for reducing the initial mixture of bread pieces to a coarse granular material. Also, added at this stage, in this embodiment, is a predetermined quantity of wetting material 15 which generally is water or oil or fat or any other suitable liquid, or mixture thereof. Other suitable liquids are milk, beer or fruit juice. Alternatively, the wetting material employed may be an organic solvent, such as hexane or acetone, which would have the advantage of a faster drying step than if water alone or a water based mixture of constituents is used. In this embodiment, the wetting material is a mixture of water and oil which are applied separately or together from a respective supply in a selected ratio and at a desired rate to the bread material 12 in the receptacle 13. Further comestible or incomestible material 16, as required, is also conveniently added at this stage.

The combination of chopped bread material 12, wetting material constituents 15 and any further comestible or incomestible material 16 is passed to a mixing chamber 17 including conventional mixing means 18 for combining all the constituents together to form a wetted mass 19 of the desired consiε icy. Alternatively, either the wetting material

ingredients 15 or one or more further ingredients 16 may be added direct to the mixing chamber 17 rather than at the chopping stage 13. Furthermore, it may be desired to combine the receptacle 13 and chamber 17 into a unitary chopping/mixture stage for forming the wetted mass 19.

Typically, the bread material 12 absorbs sufficient wetting material 15 to double its weight. However, by controlling the amount of wetting material pick up to give smaller or greater ratios, different resultant characteristics can be obtained. For example, the use of oil and/or fat as a constituent of the wetting material increases the plasticity of the bread material allowing the bread material to be shaped with a more uniform wall thickness. It also results in a more uniform texture giving the end product an acceptable appearance. Another characteristic is that the oil and/or fat increases the taste in the case of an edible end product. A further characteristic is that using oil lightens the texture of the bread material giving it a more flaky, tender texture as it dries.

Correspondingly, the use of water as a constituent of the wetting material gives the bread material a denser consistency and results in a more brittle end product, but improves the ability of the bread material to hold the shape into which it is formed.

The use of oil and water as the wetting material, in this embodiment, is thus balanced for each particular end product, by including sufficient oil to allow the product to be formed into the required shape, and enough water to ensure that the product holds its shape and has the required strength. The wetted bread material comprising mass 19,

which has become more pliable as a result of the wetting step, is passed from the mixing chamber 17 through one of a variety of forming means.

In the top arrangement shown in Figure 3, the wetted mass 19 passes through a dividing or dosing mechanism 20 which splits the mass into batches or individual amounts for subsequent forming into the required end products. In the middle arrangement, the wetted mass 19 is conveyed by conveyor 24 between the nip of rollers 25, 26 to squeeze and roll the mass of wetted bread material into the form of a continuous sheet 27 of the required thickness. The bottom arrangement constitutes means 28 for extruding the wetted mass 19 into the form required. Again, depending on the arrangement employed, the mass 19 is then cut and/or shaped to form the desired product. In the top arrangement of Figure 3, each dose discharged from the dividing mechanism 23 is moulded and/or blocked by means 29. The sheet 27 of the middle arrangement is cut to form the desired end product or is first cut and then moulded by means 42. Likewise, in the bottom arrangement, the extruded form is cut and/or moulded by means 43. However, more generally, there may be employed any apparatus conventionally used in the biscuit or confectionery industry, which may involve stamping, reciprocating block cutting, rotary cutting or moulding, rotary wheel or saw cutting, band saw cutting, water jet cutting, die cutting, or wire cutting and die moulding. Scrap material removed during the cutting and/or shaping step may be collected and returned for re-use in a succeeding cycle.

For each arrangement of Figure 3, the cut and/or shaped pieces 44 are then dried to preserve their shape. For this purpose, there is provided a flat

sheet of continuous or perforated material such as oven belting or a succession of baking sheets. Before drying, the flat or moulded pieces 44 can be placed in or on any mould to give a full three dimensional shape, profiled on upper and lower surfaces, or a two and a half dimensional shape profiled on one surface with a flat base. A restraining second piece of the mould can be applied to the exposed surface to avoid distortion during the drying step. Individual separate moulds can be employed, or the moulds can be an integral part of a continuous belt mechanism. In either case, the mould material must be able to withstand the process of the drying operation.

The drying operation may be achieved by using any of a number of drying systems commonly employed in the food industry. Typically, this is an oven 45 involving either a static heated chamber or, as illustrated in Figure 3, a moving belt 46 for conveying the flat or moulded pieces 44 through a heated tunnel. In either case, air temperature is controlled for a given time to provide a balance whereby the pieces 44 are dried quickly but without excessive heat which could burn the material being dried. Air temperatures within the oven are typically between 50°C and 250°C. Control of the air temperature may be used to toast the pieces 44 to give flavour or colour to the product. Di-electric, infra-red or microwave heating may be used to achieve part, or all, of the drying step.

Alternatively, it has been found that it can be more desirable to control the air temperature and time of drying in a manner which preserves the original bread colour and the taste of bread, subject to any flavouring which may have been added.

As mentioned above, the speed of drying may be increased by using an organic solvent such as hexane or acetone as the wetting material. Use of an organic solvent as the wetting material may also serve to preserve the original colour of the bread. This could be advantageous, particularly if it is desired to produce an end product which is white.

The dried pieces 44 are cooled or allowed to cool. The moisture content of the end product after drying and cooling is less than 10% in this embodiment, and may be between 1% and 6% to give a desired shelf life, without refrigeration, and texture to the product.

It will be appreciated that the drying step causes the desired dehydration of the pieces 44 so that the end products preserve their shape, and serves to minimise discolouration or the products degrading during their intended shelf life. The rate of drying is further controlled to minimise shrinkage and the formation of stresses within the particular product which would adversely affect its strength. Achieving the desired dehydration also enables the product to be reheated if desired, using microwave heating.

The cooled, dried product formed from bread material is then ready for consumption or use, but may be packed in barrier materials for reasons of hygiene to avoid contamination, and to avoid or minimise moisture pick-up during distribution and storage. Figures 4 to 7 illustrate, by way of example, four typical forms of human food end product. In

Figure 4, the product 30 is generally rectangular and similar to a biscuit. The product can either be eaten alone, or with a covering, e.g. cheese, or form one part of a sandwich. Figure 5 shows a larger circular product 31 which could be used in a manner similar to

a pizza base. In Figure 6, the product 32 has a surrounding wall 33 and comprises a container which is edible and capable of holding without leakage moist, hot or cold foods of thick or flowing consistency. Figure 7 shows a product 40 similar to the product of Figure 6, but having a generally oval shape. The product 40 of Figure 7 is also bowl shaped, being deeper and having a thinner wall 41. Each of the products described can be eaten cold or hot after being reheated in a conventional or microwave oven. Each product may also be eaten alone or with a covering or as part of a sandwich (Figure 4) , or with a more extensive topping (Figure 5) , or with a filling (Figures 6 and 7) , of other food or foods. Products, for example, of the kinds shown in

Figures 6 and 7 or similar products, may be formed, if desired, by cutting and/or shaping the wetted mass 19 into a required form and subsequently or simultaneously joining two or more shaped parts together. The combined parts are then dried to preserve the shape of the product. In one embodiment, such a product may be open on one edge to enable it to be filled subsequently with other food, whether during production or before the product is eaten. The invention is also applicable for producing other edible end products, in particular an edible utensil for eating food. For example, Figure 8 illustrates a typical knife 34, spoon 35 and fork 36, and Figure 9 illustrates a plate 37 and a cup/mug 38. Each item 34 to 38 may be readily cut and moulded from the wetted mass 19 of bread material described above. Such items also have a beneficial use in a hospital or other environment in which it is required to use sterile articles and/or disposal is a problem. Another suitable end product may be an edible bowl for dog

food .

Furthermore, the invention may be applied to the production of end products which are not necessarily edible because of the initial condition of the starting bread material and/or the inclusion of a non- edible constituent. However, such products would be advantageous since they would be biodegradable and environmentally friendly. Examples of suitable non- edible products are a scoop and golf tee.