Inventors:
Eugene Greenhouse - Latham NY
Richard E. Durst - Austin TX
Assignee:
Perfect Products, Inc. - Rancho Cucamonga CA
International Classification:
A23L 127
A23P 100
Abstract:
A reconstituted banana product, which is formed primarily of banana puree with the addition of ice cream ingredients, is extruded by a horizontal extruder. As the extrudate stream is deposited on a moving product plate of a conveyor, which moves in the same direction as the extrudate stream, the extruder is moved transversely of the direction of movement of the extrudate stream and conveyor. After a product of the desired length is deposited on a product plate, a hot wire cutoff device slices the extrudate stream into separate products which, by virtue of the transverse movement, are arcuate. In order to simulate the appearance of banana seeds, an auxilliary nozzle tube, within and centered in the main nozzle of the extruder, extrudes an extrudate of a darker color. The auxilliary nozzle tube has a closed end and slots extending from the closed end. Baffles at the base of the slots deflect the extrudate from the main extruder as the extrudate of darker color is extruded.