Heating medium injectors and injection methods for heating foodstuffs

A method for injecting a heating medium into a foodstuff, the method including:

• (a) directing a heating medium along a heating medium flow path defined within an injector structure from a heating medium inlet opening to a contact location;
• (b) directing a foodstuff along a foodstuff flow path defined in the injector structure from a foodstuff inlet opening to the contact location, the foodstuff flow path being defined in part by a foodstuff flow path boundary wall, and the contact location comprising a location within the injector structure at which the heating medium flow path and foodstuff flow path merge;
• (c) directing a mixture of the heating medium and the foodstuff along a mixture flow path defined within the injector structure, the mixture flow path being defined at least in part by a mixture flow path outer surface comprising a mixture flow path wall;
• and
• (d) while directing the heating medium along the heating medium flow path, directing the foodstuff along the foodstuff flow path, and the mixture of the heating medium and the foodstuff along the mixture flow path, cooling at least some of the foodstuff flow path boundary wall where the foodstuff flow path boundary wall meets the contact location and cooling at least some of the mixture flow path wall where the mixture flow path wall meets the contact location, the respective cooling being performed through a cooling structure isolated from both the foodstuff flow path and the mixture flow path and extending along both the foodstuff flow path boundary wall and the mixture flow path wall so as to traverse a plane extending transverse to the foodstuff flow path at the contact location.

A foodstuff heating system including:

• (a) a foodstuff supply connected to a foodstuff inlet opening of an injector structure;
• (b) a heating medium supply connected to a heating medium inlet opening of the injector structure;
• (c) a heating medium flow path defined within the injector structure, the heating medium flow path extending from the heating medium inlet opening to a contact location of the injector structure;
• (d) a foodstuff flow path defined within the injector structure, the foodstuff flow path extending from the foodstuff inlet opening to the contact location, the foodstuff flow path defined in part by a foodstuff flow path boundary wall, and the contact location comprising a location within the injector structure at which the heating medium flow path and foodstuff flow path merge;
• (e) a mixture flow path defined within the injector structure between the contact location and an injector outlet of the injector structure, the mixture flow path being defined at least in part by a mixture flow path outer surface comprising a mixture flow path wall;
• and
• (f) a cooling structure extending along both the foodstuff flow path boundary wall and the mixture flow path wall so as to traverse a plane extending transverse to the foodstuff flow path at the contact location, the cooling structure being isolated from the foodstuff flow path and mixture flow path.