Sterilizing device and sterilizing method

Abstract

A sterilizing device evenly irradiating an entire surface of a food with electron beam to provide a sterilizing effect based on the electron beam to the entire surface is provided. The sterilizing device includes: an electron-beam irradiator unit 10 configured to irradiate a process-target object (such as a raw egg) 40 with electron beam EB; a placement stage 22 for the process-target object 40; and a slit SL arranged between the process-target object 40 and the electron-beam irradiator unit 10, the slit unit SL includes a plurality of openings, and is arranged to be upper than a high portion of the process-target object 40. In this manner, since the process-target object 40 is irradiated with the electron beam EB through the slit SL, its entire surface can be more evenly irradiated with the electron beam, and a sterilizing effect based on the electron beam can be provided to the entire surface. The influence of the bremsstrahlung X ray caused by the irradiation with the electron beam on the inside contents of the process-target object 40 can be made small, and a dose of the X ray with which the inside contents (that is the portion to be the eatable part) of the process-target object 40 is irradiated can be made small so as to meet a criterion value regulated in a law or others.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.