Thermal treatment apparatus
OwnerDonald P. Smithinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Apparatus and method for imparting thermal energy to food products, the apparatus comprising a heating section with microwave generating apparatus and impingement heating apparatus for either sequentially or sequentially and simultaneously thermally treating the interior and surface portions of food products and further comprising apparatus for controlling the moisture content of the impingement air jets within the heating section so as to avoid localized overheating and overbrowning of the food products by the microwaves.
Claims14
Apparatus for thermally treating food products, said apparatus comprising:
- a heating section comprising means for supporting a food product;
- at least one microwave heating means;
- at least one impingement heating means, said impingement heating means further comprising a plurality of jet fingers adapted to direct a plurality of columnated jets of a temperature controlled gaseous fluid in substantially perpendicular relation against the surface of the food product;
- and means within the heating section for controlling the equilibrium relative humidity at the surface of the food product so as to avoid localized overheating and overbrowning of the food product;
- and
- means for alternately imparting thermal energy to said food products from said microwave heating means and from said impingement heating means.
Apparatus for thermally treating food products, said apparatus comprising an inlet section, a heating section, an outlet section and means for transporting a food product therethrough, said heating section having at least one microwave heating means and at least one impingement heating means adapted to impart thermal energy to food products transported therethrough, said impingement heating means further comprising a plurality of jet fingers adapted to direct a plurality of columnated jets of a temperature controlled gaseous fluid against the surfaces of said food product;
- said apparatus further comprising means within the heating section for controlling the equilibrium relative humidity at the surface of the food product so as to avoid localized overheating and overbrowning of said food product.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.