A beverage capsule in which a beverage base is enclosed in a thin walled solid envelope made of chocolate or a fat-based confectionery coating.

Aerochocolates in which the gas forms the continous phase and the solid chocolate forms a fine granular conglomerate and a process for manufacturing aerochocolates having the apparent desity of between 0.23 and 0.48, whose chocolate is in the state of a fine granular conglomerate, which process comprises agitating, with cooling, a melted chocolate so as to include gas therein until its temperature becomes 8.degree. to 14.degree. C. lower than the melting point of the fat contained in the chocolate and until its apparent density becomes between 1.1 and 0.7, and expanding it under reduced pressure of 150 Torr or lower, whereby converting the gas and the solid phases.

A method and an apparatus for the preparation of composite food products is provided wherein the apparatus (10) has a conveyor (12), a pair of spaced-apart primary and secondary apertured rakes (18, 20), a cooling tunnel (22), a cutting device (24) and a packaging system (25). In use, a first, relatively high viscosity food material (36) is deposited upstream of the primary rake (18) so as to drag or pull the first material through the rake (18) as continuous streams (40). The streams (40) are partially cooled and relatively low viscosity second material (38) is applied thereover adjacent the secondary rake (20). At the secondary rake (20), the second material (38) is pulled through the rake apertures to form continuous streams or sections (42) of the material (36) disposed around the inner sections formed by the streams (40). The composite streams are then cooled in the tunnel (22) and cut by the device (24).

A chewy confection having an outer casing comprising chewing gum base and a sweetener, and a center filling which is an aerated plastic blend containing about 5% to about 20% moisture, and from about 1% to about 15% fat with m.p. above 22.degree. C. and about 0.1% to about 10% whipping agent dispersed in a water-soluble, sweet-tasting chewy candy matrix which forms about 55% to about 90% of the blend. The center filling has a chewing consistency similar to that of the casing so that at first bite through the confection the center filling is not readily distinguishable. The center filling imparts prolonged release of sweetness and of flavor (when present in the center filling) and an improved size perception as compared with chewing gum items of similar size.

Compositions, suitable for chocolate filling, comprising a water in hard fat emulsion, wherein the particle size of the dispersed water phase is at most 50 .mu.m, are obtained by a process in which a melt of the hard fat is dispersed in an aqueous phase, after which a phase inversion is effected and the water in hard fat emulsion is obtained.