Tunnel for conditioning of products, especially for sterilization of food in prepackaged containers

A mechanized conditioning system for sterilizing products comprising:

• a product conditioning unit including of a tunnel having one or more sidewalls, an entrance and an exit, said tunnel subdivided into a plurality of consecutively aligned stages including at least a heating stage and a cooling stage;
• a pressurizing means for controlling the pressure of at least said heating stage;
• a heating means for providing heating in said heating stage, said heating means including an inlet and an outlet, and one or more magnetrons for creating a microwave field for heating products;
• a pressure sealing check valve having an inlet and an outlet, said pressure check valve further having a rotating drum having a substantially gaseous tight seal with said check valve inlet and outlet to provide a pressure seal upline or downline of at least said heating stage, said rotary drum having one or more recesses for receiving products from said check valve inlet and for discharging products through said check valve outlet for permitting the substantially continuous and linear introduction and discharge of products into or from said heating stage;
• and
• a conveyor for transporting products from upline to downline through said conditioning unit.