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The invention relates to a device for extracting a food substance contained in a closed refill. The device includes a hollow body with a housing for accommodating the refill, a water inlet channel passing through the body and communicating with the housing, and a plurality of piercing elements arran

The invention relates to a device for extracting a food substance contained in a closed refill. The device includes a hollow body with a housing for accommodating the refill, a water inlet channel passing through the body and communicating with the housing, and a plurality of piercing elements arranged in the housing for piercing the refill in several different places in order to allow the water to pass through the refill. The piercing elements are spaced apart in the housing with respect to the water inlet direction in the housing. Each piercing element includes: (i) a base portion secured to the body and projecting into the housing, designed to engage at least partially inside the refill, and (ii) a cutting surface which intersects the base portion at an acute angle.

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1. A device for extracting a food substance contained in a closed refill, comprising:a hollow body provided with a housing for accommodating the refill; a water inlet channel passing through the body and communicating with the housing; a plurality of piercing elements arranged in the housing for pie

1. A device for extracting a food substance contained in a closed refill, comprising:a hollow body provided with a housing for accommodating the refill; a water inlet channel passing through the body and communicating with the housing; a plurality of piercing elements arranged in the housing for piercing the refill in several different places in order to allow the water to pass through the refill, wherein the piercing elements are spaced apart in the housing with respect to the water inlet direction in the housing, and wherein each piercing element comprises: a base portion secured to the body and projecting into the housing, the base portion being designed to engage at least partially inside the refill so as to form a passage of water inside the capsule, the base portion forming a solid element and having a closed cross section; and a cutting surface which intersects the base portion at an acute angle, with the cutting surface formed of a beveled surface that is configured to cut and release a sliver of material in substantially one piece. 2. The device of claim 1, wherein the cutting surface forms a cutting angle of about 10° to 50° with respect to the longitudinal direction of the engaging surface of the base portion.3. The device of claim 1, wherein the base portion has a circular, ellipsoidal, regular, or irregular polygonal cross section.4. The device of claim 1, wherein the piercing elements are oriented in the housing such that the cutting surface is at an angle of about 90° with respect to the surface of the refill to be cut when the refill is within the housing.5. The device of claim 1, wherein the water inlet channel is located substantially in the center of the housing and the piercing elements are distributed at regular intervals around the inlet channel.6. The device of claim 1, comprising about 3 to 10 piercing elements.7. The device of claim 1, wherein the base portion has a transverse dimension of less than about 3 mm.8. A device for extracting a food substance contained in a closed refill, comprising:a hollow body provided with a housing for accommodating the refill; a water inlet channel passing through the body and communicating with the housing; a plurality of piercing elements arranged in the housing for piercing the refill in several different places in order to allow the water to pass through the refill, wherein the piercing elements are spaced apart in the housing with respect to the water inlet direction in the housing, and wherein each piercing element comprises: a base portion secured to the body and projecting into the housing, the base portion being designed to engage at least partially inside the refill so as to form a passage of water inside the capsule, the base portion forming a solid element and having a closed cross section; and a cutting surface which intersects the base portion at an acute angle, wherein the base portion has a cross section which is tapered in the direction of the cutting surface at an angle smaller than the angle of the cutting surface. 9. A device for extracting a food substance contained in a closed refill, comprising:a hollow body provided with a housing for accommodating the refill; a water inlet channel passing through the body and communicating with the housing; a plurality of piercing elements arranged in the housing for piercing the refill in several different places in order to allow the water to pass through the refill, wherein the piercing elements are spaced apart in the housing with respect to the water inlet direction in the housing, and wherein each piercing element comprises: a base portion secured to the body and protecting into the housing, the base portion being designed to engage at least partially inside the refill so as to form a passage of water inside the capsule, the base portion forming a solid element and having a closed cross section; and a cutting surface which intersects the base portion at an acute angle, and wherein the base portion is in the form of a cone having an angle of about 1° to 10°. 10. A device for extracting a food substance contained in a closed refill, comprising:a hollow body provided with a housing for accommodating the refill; a water inlet channel passing through the body and communicating with the housing; a plurality of piercing elements arranged in the housing for piercing the refill in several different places in order to allow the water to pass through the refill, wherein the piercing elements are spaced apart in the housing with respect to the water inlet direction in the housing, and wherein each piercing clement comprises: a base portion secured to the body and projecting into the housing, the base portion being designed to engage at least partially inside the refill so as to form a passage of water inside the capsule, the base portion forming a solid element and having a closed cross section; and a cutting surface which intersects the base portion at an acute angle, wherein the base portion comprises, on its outer surface, at least one open groove oriented longitudinally in order to facilitate introduction of water into the refill. 11. A method of extracting a food substance from a refill containing same, which comprises: piercing the refill in a plurality of places to create a temporary flow surface; wherein the piercing step is effected by a base portion and a cutting surface which intersects the base portion at an acute angle, and further wherein the cutting surface is formed from a beveled surface that is configured to cut and release a sliver of material in substantially one piece; and flowing a pressurized fluid through the refill to allow the food substance to flow through the temporary flow surface.12. The method of claim 11, wherein the refill is made of a plastic material or aluminum and wherein the refill is pierced at one time by a series of piercing elements to provide holes in the refill that allow the pressurized fluid to pass therethrough.13. The method of claim 12, wherein the fluid is water and the piercing elements are distributed around a central water inlet and project towards the refill in a substantially parallel direction.14. The method of claim 13, wherein each piercing element includes a base portion designed to engage at least partially inside the refill so as to form a passage of water inside the capsule, the base portion forming a solid element and having a closed cross section; and a cutting surface which intersects the base portion at an acute angle.15. The method of claim 14 wherein the base portion has a cross section which gradually decreases in the direction of cutting to ensure easy retraction of the refill capsule after extraction.