Ozone treatment system for food

Apparatus for the continuous process treatment of food products with ozone gas, which comprises:

• substantially closed primary housing structure defining an ozone treatment zone;
• a source of supply of a treatment gas comprising ozone that is substantially more dense than oxygen connected to said primary housing structure for substantially completely filling said treatment zone with said treatment gas;
• conveyor means in said treatment zone for continuously conveying said food products through said treatment zone so as to subject said food products to said treatment gas, said conveyor means having input and output end portions;
• input means connected to said primary housing structure through which said food products are introduced into said primary housing structure and onto said input end portion of said conveyor means;
• output means connected to said primary housing structure for transporting treated food products from said output end portion of said conveyor means and out of the apparatus;
• and
• means for continuously removing oxygen that is a by-product of the product treatment from said treatment zone, said removing means comprising secondary housing structure connected to said primary housing structure and defining a gravity separation zone located above and in communication with said treatment zone and into which said by-product oxygen rises by floating above the more dense treatment gas.