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US 2003/0224710 A1Published application
Method and device for increasing the shelf life of an oxygen sensitive product
OwnerDavid F. Henry, Mark D. Henryinventors
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OwnerDavid F. Henry, Mark D. Henryinventors
Estimating the term…
A method and a device is provided for increasing the shelf life of an oxygen sensitive product such as ground meat by injecting an inert gas or blend of inert gases into the ground meat through a stopper as meat is being pushed toward the stuffer outlet and a conveyor to a chub packager. By introducing the inert gas at this early stage in the chub packaging operation, the oxygen content within each chub is reduced from about 7% using the prior art method to 0.5% and less using the present invention. The inert gas forces substantially all ofthe ambient air away from the entire surface area of the ground meat as it is being circulated in the lower portion of the stuffer hopper and prior to being forced out through the stuffer outlet.
In a stuffer comprising a funnel-shaped hopper for directing an oxygen sensitive food product downward having a bottom outlet, a rotatable scraper for preventing the product from sticking to the sides of the hopper, means for rotating said scrapper, and a stopper attached to said hopper and extending adjacent the bottom outlet, the improvement which comprises injection means in said stopper in fluid communication with an inert gas source for injecting a flow of inert gas within said hopper.
The method of increasing the shelf life of an oxygen sensitive product sealed in chubs comprising introducing from about 20 to 100 cubic feet per minute of an inert gas through a stopper into a hopper of a stuffer processing ground meat at a rate of about 100 to 1000 pounds per hour.
A stopper attachable to a hopper of a stuffer used in the packaging of oxygen sensitive products comprising injection means for introducing an inert gas into the lower section of the hopper.
A stopper attachable to a hopper of a stuffer used in the packaging of oxygen sensitive products comprising a hollow tube in fluid communication with a source of inert gas injection means for introducing an inert gas into the lower section of the hopper, said hollow tube being detachable into an upper and lower sections, said upper section having an upper end connected to the source of inert gas and said lower section having a plurality of nozzles, and a coupling means having a threaded section mounted to said lower section, a nut threadably engagable with said threaded section and encircling said upper section, and a collar at the lower end of said upper section to stop said nut.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.