Method for removing rot from potatoes
AssigneeFMC Corporation
InventorDonald C. Wilson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Decayed portions of potatoes are removed by supporting and advancing the potatoes on a series of rollers relative to a plurality of water spray nozzles with rubber fingers being mounted on some of the rollers. The rubber fingers contact the potatoes with sufficient force to penetrate the decayed portions without damaging the peel or other sound portions of the potatoes while water sprays contact the potatoes with sufficient force to remove the penetrated decayed portions while leaving the remaining portions intact.
Claims12
A method for removing decayed portions from the exterior of an untreated unpeeled potato with apparatus which includes potato supporting means and a plurality of rubber fingers, consisting essentially of the steps of:
- supporting said potato relative to a plurality of water nozzles;
- contacting substantially all surfaces of the potato with rubber fingers with sufficient force to crack the skin encompassing the decayed portions and to penetrate the decayed areas of the potato surface without damaging the peel or flesh of sound portions of the potato;
- and
- directing a plurality of water streams through the nozzles so that the water strikes substantially the entire surface of said potato for urging the potato against said rubber fingers with sufficient force to cause the fingers to penetrate the decayed portions and for disrupting and removing decayed portions from the potato without damaging the peel or flesh of sound portions of the potato, said decayed portions including decayed portions of the skin and decayed interior portions of the potato extending inwardly from the skin, while leaving the remaining portion of the potato surface intact.
A method for removing the decayed peel and decayed flesh portions from the skin and underlying sound portions of a potato with apparatus including potato supporting means and a plurality of rubber fingers consisting essentially of:
- the steps of supporting the potato, contacting substantially all portions of the surface of the potato with the fingers with sufficient force to crack the skin encompassing the decayed portions and to penetrate the decayed portions of the potato surface without damaging the peel or flesh of sound portions of the potato, and directing streams of liquid against substantially all portions of the surface of the potato at a sufficient pressure for washing the potato and for forcing liquid through cracks and underneath the decayed peel for lifting the decayed peel and removing the decayed flesh while removing a minimum of sound peel and sound flesh of the potato.
A method for removing decayed portions from the sound portions of a potato with apparatus including potato supporting means and a plurality of rubber fingers;
- consisting essentially of the steps of supporting the potato, contacting substantially all portions of the surface of the potato with the rubber fingers with sufficient force for causing the rubber fingers to penetrate the decayed portions without damaging the flesh of sound portions of the potato, urging the potato against said rubber fingers with sufficient force to cause the fingers to penetrate the decayed portions, and directing streams of liquid having a diameter of between about 0.05 to 0.2 inches against substantially all portions of the surface of the potato at a pressure within the range of about 25 to 65 psig for washing the potato and removing the remaining decayed flesh while removing a minimum of sound flesh from the potato.
A method for removing decayed portions from the exterior of a potato with the aid of a plurality of rubber appendages, consisting essentially of the steps of:
- supporting said potato relative to a plurality of water nozzles;
- engaging the exterior of the potato with the rubber appendages with sufficient force to disrupt the decayed areas of the potato, the size and flexibility of the appendages being chosen so that the appendages will penetrate the decayed areas of the potato surface which are soft while yielding to the hard areas which are not decayed;
- and
- directing a plurality of water streams through said nozzles so that water strikes substantially the entire surface of said potato, said water streams having sufficient force to disrupt and remove said pentrated decayed portions from the potato, said decayed portions including interior portions of the potato extending inwardly from the surface, while leaving the remaining portions of the potato surface intact.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.