Method of coating articles of food and product obtained thereby

Claim 1

METHOD FOR COATING ARTICLES OF FOOD WHICH COMPRISES THE STEPS OF (1) APPLYING TO THE ARTICLE, WHILE IT IS BEING MAINTAINED AT A RELATIVELY LOWR TEMPRATURE, A THIN ENVELOPING FILM OF A COATING FROM A COMPOSITION IN MOLTEN FORM COMPRISING ESSENTIALLY (A) FROM 20 TO 50 PERCENT BY WEIGHT OF THE COMPOSITION OF AN ETHYL CELLULOSE HAVING AN ETHOXYL CONTENT BETWEEN ABOUT 47.5 AND 50 PERCENT BY WEIGHT AND A VISCOSITY BETWEEN ABOUT 6 AND 200 CENTIPOISES, AS DETERMINED IN A 5 PERCENT BY WEIGHT SOLUTION THEREOF IN AN 80:20 MIXTURE, BY VOLUME, OF TOLUENE AND ETHANOL; (B) BETWEEN ABOUT 15 AND 68 PERCENT OF A REFINED MINERAL OIL HAVING A SAYBOLT VISCOSITY AT 100*F. BETWEEN ABOUT 80 AND 400 UNITS; (C) AN AMOUNT BETWEEN THAT WHICH IS A QUANTITY IN EXCESS OF 5 PERCENT BY WEIGHT AND THE MAXIMUM COMPATIBLE QUANTITY OF UP TO ABOUT 40 PERCENT BY WEIGHT OF A WAX CONSTITUENT MELTING AT ABOUT 100*F.; AND (D) BETWEEN ABOUT 10 AND 25 PERCENT BY WEIGHT, BASED ON THE WEIGHT OF THE COMPOSITION, OF A COLORLESS, ODORLESS, NON-TOXIC PLASTICIZER COMPONENT WHICH IS SOLVENT FOR THE CELLULOSE ETHER; AND (2) COOLING THE APPLIED COATING ON THE ARTICLE TO A HARDENED CONDITION.