Loading patent…
AssigneeNorth Carolina State University
InventorsKenneth E. Anderson, Patricia A. Curtis, Frank T. Jones
Estimating the term…
A method for the rapid cooling of a raw egg in a shell, the shell egg being warm and having an internal temperature typically of about room temperature or higher. The method preferably involves placing the shell egg for about 1 to about 5 minutes in an atmosphere of cryogenic gas at a temperature of about -60.degree. F. (about -51.degree. C.) to about -120.degree. F. (about -84.degree. C.), whereby the internal temperature decreases sufficiently to inhibit residual pathogenic and/or spoilage microorganisms, such as Salmonella and/or Pseudomonas, respectively, present inside the shell egg. Also a cool raw shell egg in a shell that has been rapidly cooled in an atmosphere of cryogenic gas after having been warmed, typically to where the shell egg had an internal temperature typically of about room temperature or higher. The cool shell egg that has been so subjected to rapid cooling has fewer viable residual pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms, i.e., the microorganisms are substantially more inhibited, than a comparable cool shell egg that initially had about the same amount of residual pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms as the rapidly cooled shell egg prior to processing, but had not been rapidly cooled.
A method for rapid cooling of a raw egg in a shell, the shell egg being warm in that the shell egg has an internal egg temperature too high to substantially inhibit residual pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms present inside the shell egg, the method comprising:
A raw rapidly cooled egg in a shell, comprising an unfrozen, cool shell egg with a crack-free shell and with substantially inhibited residual pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms present therein, which cool shell egg, has been during processing, previously warm to where the shell egg had a previous internal egg temperature too high to substantially inhibit residual pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms present inside the shell egg, and then was rapidly cooled for about 1 to about 5 minutes in an atmosphere of cryogenic gas at a gas temperature of about -60.degree. F. (about -51.degree. C.) to about -120.degree. F. (about -84.degree. C.) to where the shell egg had a decreased internal egg temperature of about 45.degree. F. (about 7.degree. C.) to about 52.degree. F. (about 11.degree. C.), and which rapidly cooled shell egg has present therein residual pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms more inhibited, so that they are less likely to proliferate and more easily killed from heat during cooking, than a comparable cool raw shell egg has present therein, that initially had about the same amount of residual pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms as the rapidly cooled shell egg prior to processing, and that had been treated in a similar way in that the comparably cool raw shell egg, during processing, has been previously warm to where the comparable shell egg had a previous internal egg temperature too high to substantially inhibit residual pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms present inside the comparable shell egg and then was cooled to where the comparable shell egg had a decreased internal egg temperature of about 45.degree. F. (about 7.degree. C.) to about 52.degree. F. (about 11.degree. C.) but the similar way having been free of rapid cooling.
In a method for cooling of a raw egg in a shell including the steps of:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.