Method of dutching cocoa

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF CONTINUOUS DUTCHING AND DRYING OF COCOA SO AS TO ATTAIN A RICH COLOR AND OTHER FAVORABLE PARAMETERS IN THE END PRODUCT, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: PULVERIZING A PRESS CAKE OR NIBS OF COCOA MATERIAL INTO A FREE-FLOWING POWDER STATE, FORMING AN AQUEOUS ALKALINE SOLUTION HAVING A CONCENTRATION OF ABOUT 3 TO 12 WEIGHT PERCENT WHEREIN THE ALKALINE SOLUTION IS FORMED FROM AMMONIA GAS OR A HYDROXIDE, OXIDE, CARBONATE OR BICARBONATE OF AN ALKALI METAL, AMMONIUM OR AN ALKALINE EARTH METAL OR MIXTURES THEREOF, COMBINING SAID AQUEOUS ALKALINE SOLUTION WITH SAID PULVERIZED MATERIAL AND ADDITIONAL WATER OF DILUTION TO FORM A PRODUCT MIXTURE IN THE FORM OF A DAMP MASS HAVING AN INITIAL MOSITURE CONTENT OF ABOUT 20 TO 35 PERCENT AND A MAXIMUM OF UP TO ABOUT 6 WEIGHT PERCENT ALKALINE EQUIVALENT TO POTASSIUM CARBONATE AND SUBJECTING THE RESULTANT PRODUCT MIXTURE TO THOROUGHT MIXING TO FORM A HOMOGENEOUS PRODUCT MIXTURE, COOKING THE PRODUCT MIXTURE AT A TEMPERATURE OF ABOUT 150*C-230*F. FOR A RESIDENCE PERIOD OF ABBOUT 2 1/2 TO 5 MINUTES WHILE CONTINUING MIXING AND WHILE PROGRESSIVELY INCREASING THE PRESSURE TO A FINAL STAGE OF PRESSURIZATION OF ABOUT 500-1,300 POUNDS PER SQUARE INCH TO FORM A HEATED AND PRESSURIZED MASS, WHEREIN COOKING IS PERFORMED BY FEEDING THE PRODUCT MIXTURE INTO A CHAMBER CONTAINING MEANS TO FORM THE PRODUCT MIXTURE INTO A WORKING MASS CORRESPONDING TO SAID WORKING MASS AS PROGRESSIVELY GREATER PRESSURE ON SAID WORKING MASS AS THE MIXTURE MOVES FROM THE ENTRANCE END OF THE CHAMBER TO THE EXIT END, CONTROLLING THE HEATING IN SAID CHAMBER TO RAISE THE TEMPERATURE OF THE PRODUCT MIXTURE TO COOKING TEMPERATURE, EXTRUDING THE RESULTANT HEATED AND PRESSURIZED MASS THROUGH DIE MEANS TO FORM A PRODUCT ROD, WHEREIN THE STEP OF EXTRUDING THE PRODUCT MASS IS CARRIED OUT AT THE EXIT END OF THE ELONGATED CHAMBER IMMEDIATELY AFTER PRESSURIZED COOKING OF THE PRODUCT MIXTURE BY PASSING THE PRODUCT MASS THROUGH AN EXTRUDING DIE HAVING AT LEAST ONE RESTRICTED OPENING TO FORM THE PRODUCT ROD, DIVIDING THE PRODUCT ROD INTO LENGTHS TO FORM PRODUCT PELLETS, SAID PELLETS AT THIS STAGE CONTAINING ABOUT 85-97 INTEGRALLY FORMED WITH THE BODY AS A PROJECTION THEREFROM AT PERCENT OF THE INITIAL MOISTURE CONTENT, AND DRYING SAID PRODUCT PELLETS ON A FLUIDIZED BED AS THE PELLETS CONTINUOUSLY MOVE ALONG SAID BED BY CONTACT WITH A HEATED INERT GAS AT A TEMPERATURE OF ABOUT 350D-450DF FOR 2.5 TO 3 MINUTES AND THEN RAPIDLY COOLING THE PELLETS WITH FILTERED AIR TO APPROXIMATELY AMBIENT TEMPERATURE, WHEREIN SAID PELLETS HAVE A MOISTURE CONTENT OF ABOUT 4 PERCENT; WHEREBY DUTCHING IS CARRIED OUT IN A CONTROLLED FASHION WITH INTERUPTIONS RIB INTEGRALLY FORMED ON ONE SURFACE OF THE BODY AND EXTENDING LENGTHWISE THEREOF, AND A GUIDE GROOVE FORMED IN THE INNER SURFACE OF THE CASING AND EXTENDING FROM THE FORWARD END THEREOF FOR RECEIVEDLY GUIDING THE RIB, SAID STOP BEING FORMED ON BOTH LATERAL SIDES OF THE RIB, AND PART OF THE GUIDE GROOVE BEING LATERALLY EXTENDED TO PROVIDE SAID RECESS.

Claim 2

THE METHOD OF CONTINUOUS DUTCHING AND DRYING OF COCOA SO AS TO ATTAIN A RICH COLOR AND OTHER FAVORABLE PARAMETERS IN THE END PRODUCT, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: PULVERIZING A PRESS CAKE OR NIBS OF COCOA MATERIAL INTO A FREE-FLOWING POWDER STATE, FORMING AN AQUEOUS ALKALINE SOLUTION HAVING A CONCENTRATION OF ABOUT 3 TO 12 WEIGHT PERCENT WHEREIN THE ALKALINE SOLUTION IS FORMED FROM AMMONIA GAS OR A HYDROXIDE, OXIDE, CARBONATE OR BICARBONATE OF AN ALKALI METAL, AMMONIUM OR AN ALKALINE EARTH METAL OR MIXTURES THEREOF, COMBINING SAID AQUEOUS ALKALINE SOLUTION WITH SAID PULVERIZED MATERIAL AND ADDITIONAL WATER OF DILUTION TO FORM A PRODUCT MIXTURE IN THE FORM OF A DAMP MASS HAVING AN INITIAL MOSITURE CONTENT OF ABOUT 20 TO 35 PERCENT AND A MAXIMUM OF UP TO ABOUT 6 WEIGHT PERCENT ALKALINE EQUIVALENT TO POTASSIUM CARBONATE AND SUBJECTING THE RESULTANT PRODUCT MIXTURE TO THOROUGHT MIXING TO FORM A HOMOGENEOUS PRODUCT MIXTURE, COOKING THE PRODUCT MIXTURE AT A TEMPERATURE OF ABOUT 150*C-230*F. FOR A RESIDENCE PERIOD OF ABBOUT 2 1/2 TO 5 MINUTES WHILE CONTINUING MIXING AND WHILE PROGRESSIVELY INCREASING THE PRESSURE TO A FINAL STAGE OF PRESSURIZATION OF ABOUT 500-1,300 POUNDS PER SQUARE INCH TO FORM A HEATED AND PRESSURIZED MASS, WHEREIN COOKING IS PERFORMED BY FEEDING THE PRODUCT MIXTURE INTO A CHAMBER CONTAINING MEANS TO FORM THE PRODUCT MIXTURE INTO A WORKING MASS CORRESPONDING TO SAID WORKING MASS AS PROGRESSIVELY GREATER PRESSURE ON SAID WORKING MASS AS THE MIXTURE MOVES FROM THE ENTRANCE END OF THE CHAMBER TO THE EXIT END, CONTROLLING THE HEATING IN SAID CHAMBER TO RAISE THE TEMPERATURE OF THE PRODUCT MIXTURE TO COOKING TEMPERATURE, EXTRUDING THE RESULTANT HEATED AND PRESSURIZED MASS THROUGH DIE MEANS TO FORM A PRODUCT ROD, WHEREIN THE STEP OF EXTRUDING THE PRODUCT MASS IS CARRIED OUT AT THE EXIT END OF THE ELONGATED CHAMBER IMMEDIATELY AFTER PRESSURIZED COOKING OF THE PRODUCT MIXTURE BY PASSING THE PRODUCT MASS THROUGH AN EXTRUDING DIE HAVING AT LEAST ONE RESTRICTED OPENING TO FORM THE PRODUCT ROD, DIVIDING THE PRODUCT ROD INTO LENGTHS TO FORM PRODUCT PELLETS, SAID PELLETS AT THIS STAGE CONTAINING ABOUT 85-97 INTEGRALLY FORMED WITH THE BODY AS A PROJECTION THEREFROM AT PERCENT OF THE INITIAL MOISTURE CONTENT, AND DRYING SAID PRODUCT PELLETS ON A FLUIDIZED BED AS THE PELLETS CONTINUOUSLY MOVE ALONG SAID BED BY CONTACT WITH A HEATED INERT GAS AT A TEMPERATURE OF ABOUT 350D-450DF FOR 2.5 TO 3 MINUTES AND THEN RAPIDLY COOLING THE PELLETS WITH FILTERED AIR TO APPROXIMATELY AMBIENT TEMPERATURE, WHEREIN SAID PELLETS HAVE A MOISTURE CONTENT OF ABOUT 4 PERCENT; WHEREBY DUTCHING IS CARRIED OUT IN A CONTROLLED FASHION WITH INTERUPTIONS RIB INTEGRALLY FORMED ON ONE SURFACE OF THE BODY AND EXTENDING LENGTHWISE THEREOF, AND A GUIDE GROOVE FORMED IN THE INNER SURFACE OF THE CASING AND EXTENDING FROM THE FORWARD END THEREOF FOR RECEIVEDLY GUIDING THE RIB, SAID STOP BEING FORMED ON BOTH LATERAL SIDES OF THE RIB, AND PART OF THE GUIDE GROOVE BEING LATERALLY EXTENDED TO PROVIDE SAID RECESS.