Progressive hydration and post-processing system
OwnerChristie Lagally, Julia O'Donnell +2inventors
InventorsChristie Lagally, Julia O'Donnell, Chloe Grubb, Jeffray Behr
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Abstract
Systems and methods describe continuously and progressively hydrating and post-processing material, such as food material for meat analogue products. First, material is provided to be conveyed through a material passage between an exterior tube and a rotating inner shaft, with the rotating inner shaft including one or more particle resizing features extending around the rotating inner shaft. Concurrently, the material is post-processed, via the particle resizing features, to reduce the material into a plurality of smaller material particles. Also concurrently, water is continuously and progressively provided to the material to produce hydrated material particles.
Claims28
A method for continuously and progressively hydrating and processing material, the method comprising:
- providing material to be conveyed through a material passage between an exterior tube and a rotating inner shaft, wherein the rotating inner shaft comprises one or more particle resizing features extending around the rotating inner shaft;
- concurrent to conveying the material through the material passage, processing, via the particle resizing features, the material to reduce the material into a plurality of smaller material particles;
- and
- concurrent to processing the material and conveying the material through the material passage, continuously and progressively providing water to the material to produce a plurality of hydrated material particles, wherein the water is provided via multiple water inlets spaced apart along the length of the material passage in a manner such that the processing of the material occurs at multiple locations between water inlets along the length of the material passage.
An apparatus configured to continuously and progressively hydrate and process material, the apparatus comprising:
- at least one material inlet configured to provide material in buffered doses;
- a material passage for material to be conveyed between a rotating inner shaft and an exterior tube, wherein the rotating inner shaft comprises one or more particle resizing features configured to process the material to reduce the material into a plurality of smaller material particles;
- and
- multiple water inlets configured to provide water to hydrate the material as it is concurrently processed and conveyed through the material passage between the rotating inner shaft and the exterior tube, wherein the multiple water inlets are spaced apart along the length of the material passage in a manner such that the processing to reduce the material into a plurality of smaller material particles occurs at multiple locations between water inlets along the length of the material passage.
An apparatus configured to continuously and progressively hydrate and process material, the apparatus comprising:
- an infeed for providing material into an exterior tube;
- one or more sections of a mixing auger configured to rotate inside the exterior tube, wherein the one or more sections of the mixing auger are further configured to rotate and push the material forward through the exterior tube;
- multiple shear crushing components configured to provide shear to the material;
- and
- multiple hydration ports configured to provide water to hydrate the material as it is concurrently processed and conveyed through the exterior tub;
- wherein the multiple hydration ports are spaced apart along the length of the exterior tube in a manner such that at least a portion of the multiple shear crushing components are at each of multiple locations between hydration ports along the length of the exterior tube.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.