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US 4,061,483 AGranted
Low temperature hypobaric storage of metabolically active matter
AssigneeGrumman Allied Industries, Inc.
InventorStanley P. Burg
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AssigneeGrumman Allied Industries, Inc.
InventorStanley P. Burg
Estimating the term…
The preservation of metabolically active matter such as fruit, vegetables, meat, fowl, shrimp, fish, other food, cut flowers, cuttings, foliage plants and the like is disclosed, characterized by storage at controlled and correlated conditions of hypobaric pressure, temperature, humidity, air circulation and air exchange. A non-deleterious gas such as air is humidified by contacting it with heated water from a supply, and then the humid air is passed through, and when advisable, recirculated and/or rehumidified within a storage chamber containing the metabolically active matter. The relative humidity is maintained within the range of about 80 to 100 percent and the pressure is maintained continuously or intermittently at a selected value at least slightly higher than the vapor pressure of the water in the stored commodity.
Storage apparatus comprising an enclosed space, with walls constructed to withstand the force of a vacuum and adapted to receive and preserve metabolically active matter stored therein, means for evacuating said space, refrigeration means for maintaining a selected temperature within said space, means for admitting fresh air at a restricted rate into said space when said evacuaing means withdraws air therefrom and maintaining a flow of air through said space, water-humidifying means for humidifying said moving air, and means for maintaining the temperature of the water for said humidifying means not detrimentally less than the temperature of air in said space and maintaining a desired relative humidity in said space.
Hypobaric storage apparatus comprising a sealed space for receiving metabolically active matter to be preserved, means for maintaining sub-atmospheric pressure in said space, means for maintaining an appropriate temperature in said space, means for transmitting a restricted fresh air flow into said space, means for humidifying said air and means for removing air from said space, the apparatus being characterized in that the walls defining said space are constructed to withstand a pressure in said space as low as about 4 mm Hg., that said means for maintaining a sub-atmospheric pressure is adapted to maintain it between about 4 and 200 mm Hg., that said means for maintaining the temperature is added to maintain a temperature between about minus 2.degree. and plus 15.degree. C, that said means for maintaining the humidity is adapted to maintain a relative humidity between about 80% and 100% and that the humidifying means comprises means for maintaining the temperature of water in said humidifying means within a range tending to maintain said relative humidity.
Hypobaric storage apparatus providing an enclosed space adapted to receive metabolically active matter to be stored and preserved, characterized by means for maintaining a hypobaric pressure in said space, means for maintaining a desired temperature in said space, means for evacuating air from space and passing fresh air into said space at a controlled rate, and means including a water supply for maintaining the relative humidity of the air in said space in the range of 80 to 100% comprising means for maintaining the temperature of said water supply not substantially less than the temperature of the air in said space.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.