Provided herein are a microwave retort system and a process for heating food products using a microwave retort system, such as to pasteurization and/or sterilization temperatures. Food product formulated for treatment in microwave retort processes are also provided. In one aspect, the microwave retort system includes a microwave zone having one or more microwave temperature sections in which a liquid medium is maintained at a temperature below sterilization temperatures during the microwaving process. The processes and systems described herein heat the products to pasteurization or sterilization temperatures while preventing the products, including outer surfaces, reaching a temperature greater than 135 F. The microwave retort processes and systems advantageously provide products with the taste and organoleptic properties equivalent to or nearly equivalent to an otherwise identical freshly prepared product and significantly better than otherwise identical food products that have undergone a conventional immersion or saturated steam retort process.

A method for the production of a stabilized packaged food product comprising the steps of: filling a tray with a predetermined quantity of a food starting material; introducing the tray into a pressure vessel and conveying the tray through the pressure vessel while performing the following steps in sequence inside the pressure vessel: (i) treating the food starting material with high-temperature pressurized steam to sterilize the material, and (ii) dosing the sterile food material inside said tray with a predetermined amount of sterile water; and (iii) applying a lid to the tray to seal the food product inside the tray while maintaining the tray in a sterile environment. Suitable food starting materials comprise starchy food products, such as rice, wheat or pasta, and/or meat or vegetable pieces. Also provided are an apparatus for performing the method and packaged stabilized full moisture food products obtainable by the process.

An apparatus for thermally processing food products in sealed packages comprises heating/cooling chambers with an endless conveyor guided through them with product carriers connected thereto. Each product carrier 10 comprises insertion spaces 17 for packages 27 to be placed in. A side wall 11 of the carrier 10 comprises slits 20 which open out towards insertion openings of the respective insertion spaces 17. Operating members are provided which comprise load bearing organs 32 with operable holding means 33 for picking up and carrying packages 27. The load bearing organs 32 are movable in an insertion direction x while projecting through the slits 20 during placing of packages 27 into the insertion spaces 17.

A tunnel pasteurizer having a tunnel, through which the material to be pasteurized is conducted and sprayed or sprinkled with water, and with a trap region for the draining water arranged on the bottom of the tunnel, pasteurizer and a plurality of temperature zones arranged in the transport direction, and the trap region is divided into separate trap zones which correspond to the temperature zones, from which the water is re-supplied to the respective tunnel zones, and comprising a control means for controlling the water temperature in the temperature zones. To improve control of the temperature in the individual temperature zones, the control and the tubing of the trap zones is adapted such that water can selectively be taken from the individual trap zones for temperature control and can selectively be returned to other temperature zones, wherein water is buffered in the individual temperature zones separate from other temperature zones in a respective zone buffer.

The invention relates to a continuous sterilizing system comprising a sterilizing body into which a thermal fluid is introduced for sterilizing products, the products to be sterilized being arranged in containers that circulate inside the sterilizing body, said sterilizing body being divided into different sterilization zones by means of dividing walls, and each of said dividing walls having a through-opening that is substantially the same shape as a container, such that the containers close the through-openings of the dividing walls, rendering the sterilization zones thermally isolated from one another.