A disinfecting apparatus including a housing to accommodate at least one tray therein, the housing having a first side and a second side, an ultraviolet (UV) light source disposed in the housing and configured to emit UV light towards the tray, and a plurality of doors including a first door and a second door disposed on the first side and the second side of the housing, respectively, in which the first door and the second door are configured to be opened in a direction away from the housing.

Systems and methods for providing high humidity ozone gas. Systems and methods for applying high humidity ozone gas to foodstuffs and/or other products as an antimicrobial treatment. Compressed air and dry ozone gas are combined, thereby providing a dry mix. A portion of the dry mix can be humidified in a humidifying chamber, thereby providing a wet mix. The wet mix can be combined with a portion of the dry mix, thereby providing humid ozonated air. The humid ozonated air can be applied to foodstuffs such as produce, as an antimicrobial treatment, as the foodstuffs are conveyed.

A thawing system is provided. The thawing system includes a cabinet having a substantially open front side, a back side, left side panel, right side panel, a top panel, and a substantially open bottom, an interior space of the cabinet defined by the back side, left and right side panels, and the top panel. The thawing system also includes a trolley sized to be received in the interior space of the cabinet, the trolley including a plurality of horizonal rails positioned on inner left and right sides of the trolley and configured to receive a plurality of trays with food stuffs thereon. The thawing system further includes one or more fans mounted adjacent to openings in the back side of the cabinet and configured to force air through the interior space of the cabinet and through the trolley. The thawing system also includes a control system operatively coupled to actuate the fans.

A method and apparatus is disclosed relating to food processing and preparation in commercial kitchens. The inventive extreme vacuum cooling (EVC) technology and apparatus for food rapid cooling and food flavor infusion can work in ultra low pressure conditions with adaptive chamber pressure control to avoid liquid splash inside the food chamber. The disclosed EVC cooling and food flavor infusion apparatus has a one-unit design for handing small payloads, and a dual-module design to handle larger payloads. It can accelerate the food marinating and brining process with substantial time savings. Using the EVC apparatus, large amounts of meats, vegetables, and fruits can be prepared with various flavor infusion recipes. Plant-forward and high-volume food service kitchens can become more time and energy efficient, less labor intensive, and higher throughput food preparation operations.

An apparatus and method for thawing foodstuff that includes a thawing chamber for accommodating the foodstuff, the thawing chamber includes a sensor for sensing a level of frozenness of the foodstuff in the thawing chamber, the sensor includes a microwave transmitter and a microwave receiver that is spaced from the microwave transmitter, the microwave receiver configured to receive a transmission signal transmitted by the microwave transmitter, the microwave transmitter and the microwave receiver are arranged inside the thawing chamber such that the foodstuff is, at least temporarily, situated between the microwave transmitter and the microwave receiver during a thawing process carried out with the apparatus.

Method for operating a tunnel pasteuriser with a plurality of sequentially successive treatment zones, wherein containers with a product packed therein are transported by means of a conveying device through the treatment zones and are heated with treatment media having different actual media temperatures, are pasteurized and preferably then cooled again, wherein the actual media temperatures are detected by a control unit and compared with target media temperatures, and wherein heating and/or cooling devices are controlled based on the comparison, characterised in that during the treatment of the containers, initial values for an optimisation are formed from the actual media temperatures of the treatment zones, and the target media temperatures are determined by means of a prediction model for determining the expected degree of pasteurisation with the optimisation, such that at least a minimum degree of pasteurisation of the containers is achieved.

Systems and methods for treating unwashed fruit with fruit bloom that provide a first ultraviolet (UV) energy with one or more flashes using a first set of one or more flash lamps to a first surface of each of a plurality of blueberries and provide a second UV energy with one or more flashes using a second set of one or more flash lamps to a second surface of each of the plurality of blueberries. The system determines a fruit bloom level associated with the plurality of blueberries after provision of the first and second UV energies and determines an adjustment to a parameter of at least one of the first and second UV energies based on the fruit bloom level. The system provides UV energy with the adjusted parameter to a subsequent set of blueberries to remove microorganisms from the blueberries while retaining fruit bloom.

In at least one illustrative embodiment, an electromagnetic filter may include a transfer pipe and multiple electromagnetic filter elements positioned in an interior volume of the pipe. Each electromagnetic filter element includes a support comb, a solenoid coupled to the support comb, and multiple magnetic members arranged in a planar array positioned within an opening of the support comb. Each magnetic member may rotate about an end that is coupled to the support comb. The magnetic members may be magnetostrictive sensors and may include a biorecognition element to bind with a target microorganism. A method for fluid filtration includes coupling the electromagnetic filter between a fluid source and a fluid destination, energizing the solenoids of each electromagnetic filter elements, and flowing a fluid media through the transfer pipe of the electromagnetic filter. The fluid media may be liquid food such as fruit juice. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

A refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a first storage compartment, a cavity, a heat source, a cold source, a water molecule freezing preventing device, and a controller configured to control an output of at least one of the heat source, the cold source, or the water molecule freezing preventing device, wherein the controller is configured to perform a first operation step to operate based on the first notch temperature for a cooling operation, a second operation step to operate based on a second notch temperature for a heating operation, and a third operation step to operate based on a third notch temperature for the cooling operation, the second notch temperature is higher than 0° C., and the third notch temperature is higher than the first notch temperature. Accordingly, it is possible to efficiently supply the cold or heat until reaching a supercooling maintenance section.

A continuous asphalt mix system for using a microwave heating vessel at the point of production that includes a microwave energy suppression tunnel with one or more mesh flaps for substantially reducing or preventing the leakage of microwave energy from a microwave system, while having a continuous flow of product through the vessel and suppression tunnels. The suppression tunnels are installed on the inlet and/or the outlet side of the system and are sized to suppress leakage.