The present invention relates to long shelf life milk and milk-related products having an improved taste and particularly a reduced cooked taste as well as to a method for reducing cooked taste of such long shelf life products.

A heating medium injector includes an injector structure defining a heating medium flow path and a product flow path. The heating medium flow path extends to a contact location along an axis of the injector, while the product flow path also extends to the contact location along the injector axis. The contact location comprises a location at which the heating medium flow path and product flow path merge within the injector. In a region along the injector axis, the product flow path is defined between a first flow surface and a second flow surface. The first flow surface comprises a surface of a boundary wall separating the heating medium flow path from the product flow path and the second flow surface comprises a surface of an opposing second boundary wall. The second flow surface is in substantial thermal communication with a second flow surface cooling structure.

A system and a corresponding method for producing a UHT milk product by direct UHT heating. The method comprises feeding milk into a heating device, heating the milk by the heating device to increase a temperature of the milk to a first temperature within a range of 135 to 137 C., maintaining the milk inside the heating device at the first temperature for a first time within a range of 30 to 120 sec, feeding the heated milk into a homogenizing device, and homogenizing the heated milk by the homogenizing device, thereby producing the UHT milk product.

A system and a corresponding method for producing a UHT milk product by direct UHT heating. The method comprises feeding milk into a heating device, heating the milk by the heating device to increase a temperature of the milk to a first temperature within a range of 135 to 137 C., maintaining the milk inside the heating device at the first temperature for a first time within a range of 30 to 120 sec, feeding the heated milk into a homogenizing device, and homogenizing the heated milk by the homogenizing device, thereby producing the UHT milk product.

Controlling and/or treating heat-sensitive liquid food products ensures improved control of a filling level in an infuser container. Therefore, a constant dwell time of the product to be heated is reached in the event of product-fouling in the centrifugal pump. The pump is designed such that one part of a volume flow of the product, transported by an impeller wheel, regularly rinses the impeller wheel and the areas of a pump chamber that are directly adjacent to the impeller wheel. A reduction in the volume flow of the centrifugal pump is then counteracted by increasing the initial rotational speed if the reduction is simultaneously associated with a drop in temperature of the product. The increase of the initial rotational speed is carried according to the drop in temperature of the product and/or an increase in the temperature of the steam to constantly maintain at least the temperature of the product.

Controlling and/or treating heat-sensitive liquid food products ensures improved control of a filling level in an infuser container. Therefore, a constant dwell time of the product to be heated is reached in the event of product-fouling in the centrifugal pump. The pump is designed such that one part of a volume flow of the product, transported by an impeller wheel, regularly rinses the impeller wheel and the areas of a pump chamber that are directly adjacent to the impeller wheel. A reduction in the volume flow of the centrifugal pump is then counteracted by increasing the initial rotational speed if the reduction is simultaneously associated with a drop in temperature of the product. The increase of the initial rotational speed is carried according to the drop in temperature of the product and/or an increase in the temperature of the steam to constantly maintain at least the temperature of the product.

A flash boiling apparatus for a liquid food product that includes particles, the apparatus including a vacuum vessel provided with a product inlet and a product outlet for liquid food product, a pressure relief valve arranged upstream the product inlet for providing a pressure drop that results in flash boiling of the liquid food product, and an inlet section arranged between the pressure relief valve and the product inlet, for conveying the liquid food product from the pressure relief valve to the product inlet. The inlet section includes a through-flow area that increases in a direction from the pressure relief valve to the product inlet, such that a flow velocity of the liquid food product decreases when it passes the inlet section.

A system includes a vacuum chamber, a vacuum source, and a mixture flow path adapted to be connected to receive the output of a direct steam injector. The vacuum source is operatively connected to a vacuum port of the vacuum chamber, while a product outlet port from the vacuum chamber is adapted to be connected to an arrangement for removing treated product from the vacuum chamber. The mixture flow path includes a flow path segment outside of the vacuum chamber volume and a flow path segment within the vacuum chamber volume. At least some of a surface defining the flow path segment within the vacuum chamber is in substantial thermal communication with one or more cooling structures.

A system includes a vacuum chamber, a vacuum source, and a mixture flow path adapted to be connected to receive the output of a direct steam injector. The vacuum source is operatively connected to a vacuum port of the vacuum chamber, while a product outlet port from the vacuum chamber is adapted to be connected to an arrangement for removing treated product from the vacuum chamber. The mixture flow path includes a flow path segment outside of the vacuum chamber volume and a flow path segment within the vacuum chamber volume. At least some of a surface defining the flow path segment within the vacuum chamber is in substantial thermal communication with one or more cooling structures.

An article includes a mixture release component defining a mixture release volume and also includes a heated mixture located within the mixture release volume. The heated mixture includes undenatured meat protein and water condensed from steam. A mixture release opening is included at an outlet end of the mixture release volume and this mixture release opening defines a passage from the mixture release volume to a vacuum chamber volume defined by a vacuum chamber. A vacuum is applied to the vacuum chamber volume. The steam from which the water has condensed comprises steam that has been placed in direct contact with a stream of undenatured meat protein in a direct steam injector having a mixture outlet operatively connected to the mixture release component.