The efficiency of a device for cooling or heating objects on a belt that moves through a path of a helix, in which gaseous cooling or heating medium is circulated within the device, is improved by positioning fans that circulate the cooling or heating medium so that the fans are distanced from the top of the helix.

The invention relates to a continuous process for freezing a flow of aqueous material in liquid form and moving the aqueous material through at least one tube from an inlet of the tube to an outlet of the tube so as to form a breakable or cuttable frozen extrusion without bursting the tube. The process creates an extruded material that comprises liquid aqueous material entrapped between frozen aqueous material to self-lubricate the extrusion as it moves through the tube. An apparatus for carrying out the process of the invention is also provided.

A method of applying thin layers of a molten chocolate onto a frozen food product, in some instances fruit, that is at temperatures below 0° C. in such a way that prevents discoloration and brittleness of the applied chocolate.

The present invention addresses the problem of providing a novel freezing system and a method for producing frozen ingredients, the system and method being such that the amount of free water after defrosting of the frozen ingredients is lower than with conventional freezing. The present invention solves the above problem by providing an ingredient freezing system comprising two or more freezing units for freezing the ingredient, and a transport unit for transporting the ingredient to the two or more freezing units, the two or more freezing units being configured so as to freeze the ingredient in stages so that the ingredient is frozen at progressively lower temperatures as the ingredient is transported on the transport unit.

Disclosed are an in-line direct cryogenic method and system for cooling heated fluid food products, such as sauces. The method includes injecting cryogen directly into the fluid to be cooled while the flow rate of the fluid to be cooled is adjusted in response to downstream temperature measurements and while maintaining the injection rate of the cryogen into the fluid. According to the method the flow of the sauce is adjusted during the flow of the cryogen to achieve process stability, product uniformity and efficient use of the cryogen.

A cryogenic poultry chilling system including a rotatable carousel having a plurality of stations each configured and arranged to receive a poultry carcass suspended from leg hangers, the poultry carcass having an upward facing cavity opening and a downward facing neck opening, a tundish having an outlet port corresponding to each of the stations, and an injector extending downwardly from each of the tundish outlet ports configured and arranged to deliver cryogen into the cavity opening of a carcass in the corresponding station, and a cryogen delivery apparatus configured to deliver substantially liquid cryogen into the tundish.

The invention relates to a method and associated equipment for obtaining a product in the form of deep-frozen, dissolved-gas-rich granules, particles or beads from a liquid, semi-liquid or pasty matrix (2), comprising the following steps: gasification of the matrix (2) by incorporating a gas; dispensing the matrix (2) in the form of drops; and cryogenically freezing the matrix drops by immersion in a cryogenic fluid (70), the step of gasification of the matrix (2) involving dissolving a large amount of the gas generated by the evaporation of the cryogenic fluid in the drops by increasing the number of gas molecules in a high gas density zone, called high molecular density zone, located above the surface of the cryogenic fluid and on the path of the matrix drops before they are immersed in the fluid.

A cooler including a compartment, a conduit including a first end portion configured to be in communication with the compartment and a second end portion, food product at a first product temperature entering the first end portion, a fluid discharge positioned substantially within the conduit between the first end portion and the second end portion, and a pressurized fluid source in communication with and for supplying fluid through the fluid discharge, the fluid being at a first fluid temperature less than the first product temperature, the pressurized fluid source being operable to propel the fluid through the fluid discharge to move the food product from the first end portion of the conduit toward the second end portion and to cool the food product to a temperature below the first product temperature.

An exemplary method for preserving fresh herbs includes obtaining fresh trimmings from a plant, grinding and/or chopping the fresh trimmings to form processed trimmings, packaging the processed trimmings in a container, and freezing the processed trimmings in the container. Freezing the processed trimmings may include subjecting the processed trimmings to a dry ice atmosphere.

The present invention relates to a method and a device for treating and/or transporting food items. The apparatus and method are designed to facilitate treating food items in liquid. The device of the present invention is designed as a spiral pump with a tubing that is wound around a frame structure which rotates around a horizontal axis. The apparatus of the present invention and the use thereof provides a method to treat food items in a spiral pump, where the food items are treated cycle by cycle in the pump.