Pasteurization of convenience meals in hermetically sealed containers
AssigneeFricke und Mallah Microwave Technology GmbH
InventorMarcel Mallah
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Apparatus and method for pasteurizing food products and ready meals in hermetically sealed packages (22) by means of microwaves, comprising a microwave chamber (14); a lower conveyor belt (20) for the packages (22); an upper conveyor belt (18), extending substantially horizontally and vertically movable, and a microwave source (16) located below the lower conveyor belt (20), the microwave chamber (14) being under atmospheric ambient pressure. The apparatus comprises a cooling plate (10) in close contact with the upper conveyor belt (18) so that during microwave heating the top of the package (22) is cooled to below the condensation point of water vapor and overpressure in the package is avoided.
Claims12
A device for pasteurizing food by microwave in hermetically sealed packets, comprising:
- a conveyor belt and means for moving packets of food through a microwave chamber,
- a microwave source which heats the food with microwaves to pasteurization temperatures by as it passes through the microwave chamber, wherein
- atmospheric ambient pressure prevails in the microwave chamber, and
- at least one solid cooling element is provided in the microwave chamber, which cooling element is arranged thermally conductive on at least one contact surface of the packet, so that the packets are cooled by contact through at least one surface when passing the microwave chamber in such a way that during microwave heating, any excess pressure due to water vapor inside the hermetically sealed pack is reduced by cooling and condensation on the cooled surface.
(canceled)
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.