A process for manufacturing minced meat includes ensuring the continuous shaping of the said minced meat into the form of a flattened strip; placing the flattened strip of meat between two sheets of controlled permeability film; evening out the thickness and spreading the minced meat placed between the two sheets; continuously unrolling the meat strip in a bath of a dehydration-salting solution; continuously unrolling the meat strip in a bath of a pasteurization solution; continuously unrolling the meat strip in a rinsing tank; removing the sheets after removal from the rinsing tank; and transporting the meat strip to an output conveyor.

A process for manufacturing minced meat includes ensuring the continuous shaping of the said minced meat into the form of a flattened strip; placing the flattened strip of meat between two sheets of controlled permeability film; evening out the thickness and spreading the minced meat placed between the two sheets; continuously unrolling the meat strip in a bath of a dehydration-salting solution; continuously unrolling the meat strip in a bath of a pasteurization solution; continuously unrolling the meat strip in a rinsing tank; removing the sheets after removal from the rinsing tank; and transporting the meat strip to an output conveyor.

Method and system to prepare and store untreated foods destined for processing and conservation packaging. The system eliminates bacteria from untreated or transformed foods, and includes a degasser, an injector to inject gas or liquid and a cooler. Degassing is carried out after the foods have been gathered together, cut, washed, and optionally treated to neutralize the enzymatic activity, then cooled, before the products are sterilized or pasteurized. The degassing is followed by reinjection of non-condensable neutral gas. During the reinjection of neutral gas which takes place in a liquid form, cooling is imposed on the degassed foods to the vaporization of the neutral gas projected into the enclosure where the foods are confined. All of the operations are directed to the elimination of the non-sporulated microorganisms, which limits the inoculum found in the products when they are stored.

A submersion conveyor system for processing materials that need to be completely submersed in a processing liquid, such as food products, the submersion conveyor system providing a continual looping motion with a conveyor belt and flights providing a semi-enclosed volume for containing the material to be processed, the semi-enclosed volume containing the material to be processed being completely submersed in at least a portion of a processing tank during operation to provide a washing, rinsing, coating, treating, sanitizing and/or chilling or heating of the processing materials.

A submersion conveyor system for processing materials that need to be completely submersed in a processing liquid, such as food products, the submersion conveyor system providing a continual looping motion with a conveyor belt and flights providing a semi-enclosed volume for containing the material to be processed, the semi-enclosed volume containing the material to be processed being completely submersed in at least a portion of a processing tank during operation to provide a washing, rinsing, coating, treating, sanitizing and/or chilling or heating of the processing materials.

A chiller bath includes a tank for holding a volume of chiller water; a dosing system for dosing a first solution and a second solution into the chiller water, arranged to create a plurality of zones within the volume of water, wherein each zone has a higher concentration of either the first or the second solution than surrounding portions of the volume of water; and a meat or poultry immersion arrangement for immersing and moving carcasses in the chiller water. A method for reducing bacterial load on meat or poultry includes generating a plurality of zones within a chiller bath containing water by dosing a source of alkalinity and antimicrobial into the water, wherein the plurality of zones comprises at least one alkaline zone with a pH above 8.5, and at least one antimicrobial zone with pH below 8.5; and submersing meat or poultry in the bath. The zones can also be generated using spray nozzles in a meat or poultry operation.

A chiller bath includes a tank for holding a volume of chiller water; a dosing system for dosing a first solution and a second solution into the chiller water, arranged to create a plurality of zones within the volume of water, wherein each zone has a higher concentration of either the first or the second solution than surrounding portions of the volume of water; and a meat or poultry immersion arrangement for immersing and moving carcasses in the chiller water. A method for reducing bacterial load on meat or poultry includes generating a plurality of zones within a chiller bath containing water by dosing a source of alkalinity and antimicrobial into the water, wherein the plurality of zones comprises at least one alkaline zone with a pH above 8.5, and at least one antimicrobial zone with pH below 8.5; and submersing meat or poultry in the bath. The zones can also be generated using spray nozzles in a meat or poultry operation.

A capture unit for use with an antimicrobial application unit may include an upstream filter and a downstream filter. The upstream filter may be positioned to receive effluent from the application unit and to filter solid components from the effluent. The resultant upstream effluent filtrate may then be passed downstream to the downstream filter. The downstream filter may be used to filter an antimicrobial component from the upstream effluent filtrate and the resultant downstream effluent filtrate may be suitable for disposal as wastewater discharge. The antimicrobial is preferably a quaternary ammonium compound, is more preferably an alkylpyridinium chloride, and is most preferably cetylpyridinium chloride.

A capture unit for use with an antimicrobial application unit may include an upstream filter and a downstream filter. The upstream filter may be positioned to receive effluent from the application unit and to filter solid components from the effluent. The resultant upstream effluent filtrate may then be passed downstream to the downstream filter. The downstream filter may be used to filter an antimicrobial component from the upstream effluent filtrate and the resultant downstream effluent filtrate may be suitable for disposal as wastewater discharge. The antimicrobial is preferably a quaternary ammonium compound, is more preferably an alkylpyridinium chloride, and is most preferably cetylpyridinium chloride.

Methods and related apparatus for improving the efficacy of antimicrobial agents within processing tanks. Processing tanks can include side streams for introducing antimicrobial agents into the processing tanks. The antimicrobial agents will be added and mixed in the side stream to form a processing solution. Additional actions can be conducted on the processing solution within the side stream including any and or all of heating, pumping, sampling, measuring, testing and pH adjustment of the processing solution. The processing solution is divided into at least two processing solution steams, which can be introduced at two different and distinct locations within the processing tank such as a carcass introduction end and a carcass removal end. By simultaneously introducing at least two processing solution streams at different locations of the processing tank, large concentration gradients of the antimicrobial agent are avoided.