US 5,401,520 AGranted

Apparatus and method for defrosting frozen proteinaceous food blocks

AssigneeOscar Mayer Foods Corporation

InventorsGary R. Skaar, Jay I. Gust, Larry C. Gundlach, Dave F. O'Brien, Kurt F. Fischer

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Abstract

A forced air defrost tunnel apparatus and method are provided for accomplishing carefully controlled defrosting of large quantities of bulk frozen food, such as pork, beef, lamb, chicken and turkey in whole muscle form, as well as bacon bellies and fish. The principle support for and shape of the defrost tunnel is provided by a stack or train of stacks of frozen proteinaceous food boxes or bundles that alternate with support spacer racks. An air containment device, preferably consisting primarily of a tarp, is closely secured over the stack or train of stacks. A supply of high pressure air at a temperature greater than that of the frozen food is forced through the defrost tunnel and flows through passageways within the support spacer racks.

Claims20

Dependent claims

An apparatus for defrosting frozen proteinaceous food blocks, comprising:

a plurality of frozen proteinaceous food blocks capable of being oriented into a stack containing a plurality of said blocks;
a plurality of support spacer racks, each of said frozen proteinaceous food blocks being supported by at least one of said support spacer racks, each said rack having passageways therethrough for allowing movement of air among the frozen proteinaceous food blocks;
said plurality of support spacer racks and plurality of frozen proteinaceous food blocks being arranged in at least one stack, each said stack having a plurality of said racks and a plurality of said blocks in vertically alternating relationship of rack to block, said stack having a top, a bottom, a generally vertical left face, a generally vertical right face, an upstream face and a downstream face;
a source of high velocity air flow which directs air at a high velocity toward said upstream face of the stack and through said plurality of support spacer racks of said stack;
an air containment device substantially closely surrounding at least said top, said left face and said right face of said stack to thereby define a defrost tunnel;
and
a plenum joining said source of high velocity air flow with said stack such that high velocity air flow therefrom is directed to said upstream face of the stack, longitudinally through said plurality of racks, and out of said defrost tunnel at said downstream face of the stack.

4 more elements

A method for defrosting frozen proteinaceous food blocks, comprising the steps of:

assembling a stack of frozen proteinaceous food blocks by positioning a plurality of frozen proteinaceous food blocks onto a support spacer rack, positioning another support spacer rack over the plurality of frozen proteinaceous food blocks and adding another plurality of frozen proteinaceous food blocks onto the latter support spacer rack, and continuing said assembling step until a stack having a desired number of frozen proteinaceous food blocks is formed;
positioning an air containment device over the stack, said air containment device substantially closely surrounds said stack in order to define a defrost tunnel having an upstream opening and a downstream opening;
directly a high velocity air flow to the upstream opening of the defrost tunnel, through at least the support spacer racks of the stack, and out of the downstream opening of the defrost tunnel;
and
proceeding with said high velocity air flow step until the proteinaceous food of the blocks has been defrosted.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.