The purpose of the present invention is to provide a food processing system that allows processed food that is sterilized and has a good texture to be identically provided on a large production scale. The food processing system is provided with: a heating unit equipped with a heating mechanism for indirectly heating food; a cooling unit equipped with a cooling mechanism for cooling the food heated by the heating unit; and a transfer unit for transferring the food through the heating unit and the cooling unit. The integrated food processing system according to the present invention allows a large amount of sterilized food having a good texture, good taste and long shelf life to be provided.

In one aspect, a spiral cooking device includes a first cooking zone with air configured to move horizontally therethrough in a first direction, a second cooking zone with air configured to move horizontally therethrough in a second direction different than the first direction, and a spiral conveyor belt at least partially positioned in the first and second cooking zones and configured to transport food product thereon through the first and second cooking zones. In one aspect, a spiral cooking device includes a spiral conveyor belt providing a central opening inside the belt and a conveyor belt drive member positioned externally of the central opening. In one aspect, a conveyor belt cleaning device is provided. In one aspect, a cooking device includes a frame including a plurality of coupled pipes for providing structural support to the device and at least one of the pipes is configured to have liquid pass therethrough.

The invention relates to a method and a device for continuously processing foodstuffs with pulsed electric fields, comprising a conveyor belt that is guided in a housing. The conveyor belt guide encompasses the longitudinal edges of the conveyor belt respectively in a recess that is arranged e.g. within the side walls of the housing and is preferably formed by the housing floor and the lateral insulator panels mounted at a distance from the housing floor on the inner side of the side walls or are formed as a groove within the lateral insulator panels. The upper strand of the conveyor belt is guided through the guides above the housing floor within the housing.

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 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.

An in-shell egg pasteurization process includes, in a temperature-raising stage (12), raising the temperature of yolk of a plurality of in-shell eggs (40), simultaneously and at least predominantly by means of microwave radiation, to a pasteurization temperature, the temperature-raising stage (12) including a plurality of elongate or longitudinally extending microwave cavities that are isolated from one another so that microwaves fed into an elongate or longitudinally extending microwave cavity do not leak into any other elongate or longitudinally extending microwave cavity. The in-shell eggs (40) are displaced along the lengths of the elongate or longitudinally extending microwave cavities whilst being irradiated with microwaves. In a pasteurization stage (14), the raised temperatures of the in-shell eggs (40) are maintained for a pasteurization time sufficient to pasteurize the in-shell eggs (40).

An apparatus for reducing the temperature of a liquid product in a processing line includes a polymer member having a passageway formed therein for receiving a liquid product in the passageway; an inlet and an outlet each in fluid communication with a corresponding opposed end of the passageway; a plurality of delivery channels formed in the polymer member, each one of the plurality of delivery channels having an opening in fluid communication with a different location of the passageway and constructed to provide a chilling medium into the passageway; and a support member for the polymer member, the support member constructed to mount the polymer member in the processing line. A related method is also provided.

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.