US 2021/0068441 A1 · FOOD PROCESSING APPARATUS AND METHOD

Abstract

A disclosed food processing assembly includes a plurality of food processing units. Each unit is configured to convey food product arriving at an ingress point to an egress point. The assembly includes rotary valves configured to transfer food product from the egress point of one unit to the ingress point of a subsequent unit while maintaining environmental isolation between the two units. A programmable electronic controller is configured to monitor environmental parameters within each unit and to generate control signals provided to various resources to maintain environmental parameters within each unit at a distinct set of value. The resources may include air compressors, steam generators, vacuum pumps, and the like. In this manner, the assembly enables a multi-step food process to proceed essentially continuously with little or no delay between sequential process steps despite with each step being associated with a distinct set of time, temperature, pressure, and humidity values.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A food processing assembly, comprising:

a plurality of food processing units, wherein each food processing unit comprises a pressure vessel and includes an ingress point, an egress point, wherein each food processing unit is configured to convey food product arriving at the ingress point to the egress point;
a plurality of food product valves including a first food product valve coupling an egress point of a first food processing unit to an ingress point of a second product unit, wherein the first food product valve is configured to transfer food product from the egress point of the first food processing unit to the ingress point of the second food processing unit provide maintaining environmental isolation between the first and second food processing units;
and
a controller configured to receive information indicative of environmental parameters within the first and second food processing units and further configured to maintain environmental parameters within the first and second food processing units at distinct values.

1 more element

A food processing method, comprising:

introducing food product to an ingress point of a first food processing unit of a food processing assembly comprising a plurality of food processing units, wherein each food processing unit comprises a pressure vessel and includes an ingress point, an egress point, and wherein each food processing unit is configured to convey food product arriving at the ingress point to the egress point and wherein the egress point of the first food processing unit is coupled to an ingress point of a second food processing unit;
transferring food product at the egress point of the first food processing unit to the ingress point of the second food processing unit while maintaining environmental isolation between the first food processing unit and the second food processing unit;
monitoring environmental parameters within the first food processing unit and the second processing unit;
maintaining the environmental parameters with the first processing unit in accordance with a first set of environmental values suitable for a first food processing operation;
and
maintaining the environmental parameters with the second processing unit in accordance with a second set of environmental values suitable for a second food processing operation.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Food processing apparatus and method

Life of this patent

Food processing apparatus and method

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20