Method of defrosting a food item
AssigneeNew England Seafood International Ltd
InventorsNeil MCCORMICK, Terry Walden, Cesar Basalo
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of defrosting a food item, including: monitoring a temperature of a first part of a first food item; and controlling a surrounding temperature of the first food item in dependence on said monitored temperature. The controlling includes: decreasing the surrounding temperature of the first food item, using an unheated fluid having a temperature less than the surrounding temperature of the first food item, when the surrounding temperature is greater than a target surrounding temperature for a given temperature of the first part. Embodiments also relate to a control system, apparatus and a computer program product.
Claims20
A method of defrosting a food item, including:
- monitoring a temperature of a first part of a first food item;
- and
- controlling a surrounding temperature of the first food item in dependence on said monitored temperature, the controlling including:
- i) decreasing the surrounding temperature of the first food item, using an unheated fluid having a temperature less than the surrounding temperature of the first food item, when the surrounding temperature is greater than a target surrounding temperature for a given temperature of the first part.
A control system for defrosting a frozen food item using apparatus comprising:
- a chamber for providing at least one food item therein for defrosting;
- a temperature control system for changing a temperature within the chamber;
- and
- a temperature monitoring system for monitoring a temperature of at least one part of a food item,
- wherein the control system is configured to control the temperature control system to control a surrounding temperature for at least one food item in dependence on a temperature of at least one part of a food item monitored by the temperature monitoring system, the control system being configured to control the temperature control system to:
- i) decrease the surrounding temperature of at least one food item in the chamber, using an unheated fluid having a temperature less than the surrounding temperature of the food item, when the surrounding temperature is greater than a target surrounding temperature for a given temperature of the first part.
A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer readable instructions stored thereon, the computer readable instructions being executable by a computerised device to cause the computerised device to perform a method of defrosting a food item using apparatus comprising:
- a chamber for providing at least one food item therein for defrosting;
- a temperature control system for changing a temperature within the chamber;
- and
- a temperature monitoring system for monitoring a temperature of at least one part of a food item,
- the method including controlling the temperature control system to control a surrounding temperature for at least one food item in dependence on a temperature of at least one part of a food item monitored by the temperature monitoring system, the method including controlling the temperature control system to:
- i) decrease the surrounding temperature of at least one food item in the chamber, using an unheated fluid having a temperature less than the surrounding temperature of the food item, when a surrounding temperature of the food item is greater than a target surrounding temperature for a given temperature of the first part.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.