Method and apparatus for surface crust freezing of food product
AssigneeThe Boc Group Inc. New Providence Nj
InventorsMichael D. Newman, Stephen A. McCormick, D. Scott Boyles, Thomas Edward Kilburn
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Abstract
An apparatus and method for surface crust freezing of a food product utilizes a refrigeration shell enclosing a freezing chamber, the freezing chamber having a cavity shaped to substantially accommodate the shape of the exterior surface of the food product; the cavity communicating with the refrigeration shell; a transport substrate to carry the food product into the freezing chamber; a cryogen supply; and a gas circulation device in the refrigeration shell in communication with the cryogen supply to introduce a cooling flow of gas containing cryogen into the cavity so as to contact the food product along its exterior surface.
Claims16
An apparatus for surface crust freezing of a food product comprising:
- a shell enclosing a freezing chamber, the freezing chamber having a cavity shaped to substantially accommodate a shape of the exterior surface of the food product;
- the cavity in communication with the refrigeration shell;
- a transport substrate to carry the food product within the freezing chamber;
- a cryogen supply;
- a gas circulation device in the shell and in communication with the cryogen supply to introduce a cooling flow of gas containing cryogen into the cavity to contact the food product along its exterior surface.
A method of surface crust freezing of a food product comprising:
- transporting the food product into a freezing chamber having a cavity shaped to substantially accommodate the shape of the exterior surface of the food product;
- and,
- introducing a cooling flow of gas containing cryogen into the cavity so as to contact the food product along its exterior surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.