Methods and apparatuses for thermal treatment of foods and other biomaterials, and products obtained thereby
AssigneesNorth Carolina State University, Industrial Microwave Systems, L.L.C., The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of Agriculture
InventorsJosip Simunovic, Kenneth R. Swartzel, Van-Den Truong, Gary Dean Cartwright, Kandiyan Puthalath Sandeep, David L. Parrott, Pablo Coronel
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Methods and apparatuses for thermally treating flowable materials using electromagnetic radiation, and foods and materials obtained thereby. Also provided are methods of continuous flow thermal treatment of biomaterials, apparatuses for performing the same, and products prepared using the methods and/or apparatuses.
Claims26
A process for thermally treating a flowable material while passing the flowable material as a continuous stream through a thermal treatment apparatus, the process comprising:
- (a) passing a flowable material continuously through a conduit, wherein at least a portion of the conduit is transparent to electromagnetic radiation;
- (b) heating the flowable material by exposing the at least a portion of the conduit that is transparent to electromagnetic radiation to a source of electromagnetic radiation;
- and
- (c) mixing the heated flowable material to provide for thermal equalization in at least a portion of the heated flowable material, wherein the mixing is performed by a mixing device within the conduit, the mixing device comprising a mixing bar capable of at least one of radial and rotational movement within the conduit.
A process for thermally treating a flowable material while passing the flowable material as a continuous stream through a thermal treatment apparatus, the process comprising:
- (a) passing a flowable material continuously through a conduit, wherein at least a portion of the conduit is transparent to electromagnetic radiation, wherein the flowable material is a semi-solid material;
- (b) heating the flowable material by exposing the at least a portion of the conduit that is transparent to electromagnetic radiation to a source of electromagnetic radiation;
- and
- (c) mixing the heated flowable material to provide for thermal equalization in at least a portion of the heated flowable material, wherein the mixing is performed by a mixing device within the conduit, the mixing device comprising a movable ferromagnetic mixer core and at least one microwave-transparent mixing element attached to the ferromagnetic mixer core.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.