The present invention relates to a thawing-apparatus, in which a substance is preferably heated. The present invention further relates to a method to thaw a substance with radio-frequency waves.

The present invention relates to a thawing-apparatus, in which a substance is preferably heated. The present invention further relates to a method to thaw a substance with radio-frequency waves.

The disclosed apparatus, systems and methods relate to apparatus, systems and methods for minimizing lipid oxidation in products such as food products including tuna salad.

The disclosed apparatus, systems and methods relate to apparatus, systems and methods for minimizing lipid oxidation in products such as food products including tuna salad.

This invention relates to food processing and, in particular, blanching and dehydration of foods. Conventional blanching and dehydration requires use of steam and forced hot air. This invention is the first to effectively use infrared radiation energy to perform simultaneous blanching and dehydration of fruits and vegetables. Since this technology does not involve the addition of steam or water in the process of blanching, it has been named “infrared dry-blanching” (IDB) technology. IDB is intended to be a replacement for current steam, water and/or microwave blanching methods. It can be used to produce many kinds of value-added dried, refrigerated, frozen and dehydrofrozen foods such as fruit and vegetable products. In general, the advantages of IDB include (1) uniform heating which enhances energy efficiency and limits damage from over-heating, (2) capability of zone heating to address differential density, (3) ability to treat large or small lots with the same piece of equipment, (4) portability, since equipment can be built on wheels, and (5) a safe, non-toxic process with no harmful side-effects to humans or the environment.

This invention relates to food processing and, in particular, blanching and dehydration of foods. Conventional blanching and dehydration requires use of steam and forced hot air. This invention is the first to effectively use infrared radiation energy to perform simultaneous blanching and dehydration of fruits and vegetables. Since this technology does not involve the addition of steam or water in the process of blanching, it has been named “infrared dry-blanching” (IDB) technology. IDB is intended to be a replacement for current steam, water and/or microwave blanching methods. It can be used to produce many kinds of value-added dried, refrigerated, frozen and dehydrofrozen foods such as fruit and vegetable products. In general, the advantages of IDB include (1) uniform heating which enhances energy efficiency and limits damage from over-heating, (2) capability of zone heating to address differential density, (3) ability to treat large or small lots with the same piece of equipment, (4) portability, since equipment can be built on wheels, and (5) a safe, non-toxic process with no harmful side-effects to humans or the environment.

The invention relates to a method for treating and distributing foodstuffs, in particular meat or sausage products, the foodstuffs being enveloped by a packaging material or introduced into a packaging material. According to the invention, the foodstuff contained in and provided with the packaging is subjected to a targeted treatment in order to inactivate micro-organisms for the purposes of microbe reduction and a protective coating is applied to the packaging immediately afterwards or during this treatment.

Thawing plant comprising a drum tumbler (10) hermetically sealable; a vacuum pump (11) connected to said drum tumbler (10) to create a partial vacuum defined below 125 mbars; a water steam injector (12) connected to said drum tumbler (10); a rotating device (13) connected to the drum tumbler (10) to produce its continuous or intermittent rotation; wherein it further comprises a deep diathermy heating applicator (20) including multiple directional emitter antennas (21) configured to apply radiofrequency waves in a medium frequency range configured and focused to produce an uneven heating of the meat product (30) maximizing the heating of an inner volume (33) of the meat product (30) at a predefined depth below an external surface (31) of said meat product (30).

Thawing plant comprising a drum tumbler (10) hermetically sealable; a vacuum pump (11) connected to said drum tumbler (10) to create a partial vacuum defined below 125 mbars; a water steam injector (12) connected to said drum tumbler (10); a rotating device (13) connected to the drum tumbler (10) to produce its continuous or intermittent rotation; wherein it further comprises a deep diathermy heating applicator (20) including multiple directional emitter antennas (21) configured to apply radiofrequency waves in a medium frequency range configured and focused to produce an uneven heating of the meat product (30) maximizing the heating of an inner volume (33) of the meat product (30) at a predefined depth below an external surface (31) of said meat product (30).

Methods of heating compositions comprising at least 20% (w/w) individually distinguishable edible inclusions are provided herein. The method of heating as disclosed herein comprises applying a first ohmic heating treatment to the composition, wherein the composition has at the end of the first ohmic heating treatment a temperature from 60° C. to 95° C.; applying a first holding step to the composition, wherein the temperature of the composition is at most 5° C. lower than the temperature of the composition after the first ohmic heating treatment; applying a second ohmic heating treatment to the composition, wherein the composition has at the end of the second ohmic heating treatment a temperature ranging from 75° C. to 110° C.; and applying a second holding step to the composition, wherein the temperature of the composition is at most 5° C. lower than the temperature of the composition after the second ohmic heating treatment, wherein the steps are performed as a continuous process with an initial back pressure of at least 4 bar.