Back to results
US 4,543,263 AGranted
Heating and cooling foods at high pressure in a continuous sterilization system
AssigneeCampbell Soup Company
InventorStephen L. Goldhahn
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Apparatus and method for continuously heating and cooling particulate food material are disclosed wherein a pressurized steam treatment chamber is directly coupled to a pressurized cooler in which hot particulate food material discharged from the treatment chamber is cooled by direct contact with a coolant fluid.
Claims8
A method for continuously heating and cooling particulate food material comprising:
- (a) heat treating particulate food material in a super-atmospheric steam treatment chamber and discharging hot food material therefrom through a first valveless opening into a substantially pressure-tight, gas-filled chamber;
- (b) conveying said hot food material through said substantially pressure-tight, gas-filled chamber and discharging said food material therefrom through a second valveless opening into a super-atmospheric pressure cooler;
- (c) flowing a super-atmospheric pressure sterile gas coolant into said cooler for direct contact cooling of said hot food material;
- (d) discharging cooled food material from said cooler through a pressure-tight outlet opening to a lower pressure zone;
- and
- (e) controllably venting gas from the substantially pressure-tight, gas-filled chamber so as to prevent steam from flowing into the cooler and coolant gas from flowing into the steam treatment chamber.
3 more elements
A method for transferring heated food particulates from a super-atmospheric pressure steam treatment chamber into a super-atmospheric pressure cooling chamber containing cool gas comprising:
- (a) passing said food particulates in said super-atmospheric pressure steam treatment chamber through a first valveless opening into a substantially pressure-tight, gas-filled connecting chamber near one end thereof;
- (b) conveying said food particulates through the substantially pressure-tight, gas-filled connecting chamber;
- (c) passing said food particulates in said substantially pressure-tight, gas-filled connecting chamber through a second valveless opening near the other end thereof into said super-atmospheric pressure cooling chamber, and controllably venting gas from the substantially pressure-tight, gas-filled connecting chamber intermediate said first and second valveless openings so as to prevent steam from flowing from said super-atmospheric pressure steam treatment chamber into the cooling chamber and cool gas from flowing from said super-atmospheric pressure cooling chamber into the super-atmospheric pressure steam treatment chamber.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.