Shell Egg Pasteurization Processes
AssigneeNational Pasteurized Eggs, Inc.
InventorsHector Gregorio Lara, Erdogan Ceylan
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The D-value for pasteurizing chicken shell eggs that are not refrigerated prior to pasteurization, or shell eggs that are sufficiently tempered to room temperature prior to pasteurization, is less than the D-value for pasteurizing chicken shell eggs that are refrigerated prior to pasteurization. Statistically verified time and temperature pasteurization protocols that produce pasteurized chicken shell eggs to achieve at least a statistical 5-log reduction of Salmonella Enteritidis are therefore possible at lower pasteurization temperatures or lower pasteurization dwell times.
Claims22
A method of pasteurizing a chicken shell egg comprising the steps of:
- a. determining an empirically verified D-value pasteurization model for the statistical reduction of Salmonella Enteritidis in the yolk of chicken shell eggs, wherein the empirically verified D-value pasteurization model is determined by collecting thermal validation data on kill levels of Salmonella Enteritidis in chicken shell eggs that are inoculated, held at an unrefrigerated temperature prior to pasteurization and subsequently heated to suitable pasteurization temperatures;
- b. heating a pasteurization medium to one or more desired pasteurization temperatures;
- c. tempering the chicken egg to room temperature;
- d. placing the tempered chicken egg in the heated pasteurization medium;
- e. holding the chicken egg in the water bath for a time sufficient to ensure that both the yolk and albumen of the egg are pasteurized to achieve at least a statistical 5-log reduction of Salmonella Enteritidis that may have been present in the yolk in its unpasteurized form according to said D-value pasteurization model;
- and
- f. removing the chicken egg from the pasteurization medium.
A shell egg pasteurization system comprising:
- a pasteurization bath containing liquid water and having a series of continuous, in-line stage locations for batches of stacked chicken shell eggs;
- multiple temperature sensors in the bath for measuring the water temperature in the bath;
- a heating system that operates to increase the temperature of the water in each zone of the bath to a temperature set point value, said heating system including multiple independently controlled heating elements in the bath;
- an air bubble supply system that injects air bubbles into the bath underneath the heating elements in order to agitate water in the vicinity of the heating elements and stacked chicken shell eggs above the heating elements as the bubbles rise to the top surface of the water in the bath;
- a batch carrier arrangement that holds batches of shell eggs in the bath and includes an advance motor that moves the batch carrier arrangement and thereby the respective batches of shell eggs through and between stage locations in the water bath;
- and
- a batch processing control system is programmed with at least one pasteurization protocol based on an empirically verified D-value pasteurization model predicting reduction of Salmonella Enteritidis in the yolk of chicken shell eggs held at an unrefrigerated temperature prior to pasteurization, wherein the empirically verified D-value pasteurization model is determined by collecting thermal validation data on kill levels of Salmonella Enteritidis in chicken shell eggs that are inoculated, held at an unrefrigerated temperature prior to pasteurization and subsequently heated to suitable pasteurization temperatures, said protocol setting the temperature set point value for the water bath and setting a total dwell time in the bath for each batch to a predetermined time sufficient to ensure that the yolk of the egg have been pasteurized to achieve at least a statistical 5-log reduction of Salmonella Enteritidis that may have been present in the yolk in its unpasteurized form according to said D-value pasteurization model.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.