Method and device for increasing the shelf life of an oxygen sensitive product
OwnerDavid F. Henry, Mark D. Henryinventors
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Abstract
A method and a device is provided for increasing the shelf life of an oxygen sensitive product such as ground meat by injecting an inert gas or blend of inert gases into the ground meat through a stopper as meat is being pushed toward the stuffer outlet and a conveyor to a chub packager. By introducing the inert gas at this early stage in the chub packaging operation, the oxygen content within each chub is reduced to 0.5% and less using the present invention. The inert gas forces substantially all of the ambient air away from the entire surface area of the ground meat as it is being circulated in the lower portion of the stuffer hopper and prior to being forced out through the stuffer outlet.
Claims26
A continuous vacuum stuffer comprising:
- a) a funnel-shaped hopper having an open top and a bottom outlet for directing an oxygen sensitive food product downward;
- b) a rotatable scraper inside the hopper for preventing the product from sticking to the sides of the hopper and for feeding the product in a downward manner towards said bottom outlet;
- c) means attached to said scraper for rotating said scraper;
- d) a drive mechanism adjacent the bottom outlet of said hopper for continuously feeding the product to a chub packaging machine;
- e) vacuum means connected to said drive mechanism for drawing a vacuum within said drive mechanism;
- and
- f) a stopper for at least slowing down the product from continuously rotating in the lower portion of said hopper and for injecting an inert gas into the product, said stopper having:
- i) an attachment means for attaching said stopper to the open top of said hopper;
- and
- ii) a hollow tube extending from said attachment means to adjacent the bottom outlet, said hollow tube having an upper section with an upper end in fluid communication with an inert gas source and a lower section having a plurality of orifices for injecting the inert gas from the inert gas source into the product prior to said drive mechanism feeding the product to the chub packaging machine.
A stopper attachable to a funnel-shaped hopper having an open top and a bottom outlet of a continuous vacuum stuffer used in the packaging of an oxygen sensitive product, said stuffer having a rotatable scraper inside the hopper for at least slowing down the product from sticking to the sides of the hopper and for feeding the product in a downward manner towards said bottom outlet, means attached to said scraper for rotating said scraper, a drive mechanism adjacent the bottom outlet of said hopper for continuously feeding the product to a chub packaging machine, vacuum means connected to said drive mechanism for drawing a vacuum within said drive mechanism, said stopper comprising an attachment means for attaching said stopper to the open top of said hopper, a hollow tube extending from said attachment means to adjacent the bottom outlet, in fluid communication with a source of inert gas, said hollow tube being detachable into an upper and lower sections, said upper section having an upper end connected to the source of inert gas and said lower section having a plurality of orifices for injecting the inert gas from the source of inert gas into the product prior to said drive mechanism feeding the product to the chub packaging machine, and a coupling means for attaching the lower section to the upper section having a threaded section mounted to said lower section, a nut threadably engagable with said threaded section and encircling said upper section, and a collar at the lower end of said upper section to stop said nut.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.