A method and apparatus for changing all or part of the skinsheet of a rotary drum blancher/cooler from being clean in place totally removable is disclosed. The drum includes the skinsheet (in sections) with a plurality of clamps and catches. Each catch is comprised of two catchesa clean in place catch and a totally removable catch. Each clamp is attached to a section and has an clamping position and a release position, and includes a bail. When a clamp is in the clamping position and its bail is in either the clean in place catch or the totally removable catch of a corresponding catch on an adjacent second section, the catch and clamp hold the adjacent sections together to form a part of the drum. When the clamp is in the release position and the bail is in the clean in place catch of the adjacent section, the clamp and clean in place catch allow adjacent sections to separate, but do not allow them to be removed.

The sanitizer includes an elongated semi-cylindrical tank that houses heated process water and a close-fitting auger to move food products from the inlet end of the tank to the outlet end. Heated process water at a temperature sufficient to sanitize the food product is introduced into the tank at the outlet end of the tank to flow through the tank counter to the direction of flow of the food product. A recirculation and filter system filters out the particulates in the process water. A hood assembly is positioned over the tank to contain the air borne moisture generated during the sanitizing process and route the steam away from the tank. A control system controls the operation of the sanitizer, including, for example, the speed of the auger, the volume of process water in the tank, and the temperature of the process water in the tank.

A thermal processing apparatus includes a conveyor belt for supporting work products during thermal processing that moves along a spiral path moving in a first direction arranged as a first tiered stack and then moves along a spiral path in a second direction arranged as a second tiered stack. A circulation system induces gaseous thermal processing medium from the tiers of the first and second spiral conveyor belt stacks and forces the thermal processing medium through a heat exchanger and then back to the tiers of the spiral conveyor belt stacks. The first tiered stack is divided into a first processing zone and a second processing zone, and the second tiered stack is divided into a third processing zone and fourth processing zone. A source of thermal processing medium is directed at the first processing zone to thermally treat the work product in the first zone by enhanced heat transfer. Optionally, a source of thermal processing medium is directed at the fourth processing zone to complete the thermally treatment the work product.

A transporting element for accommodating and for transporting spherical, cylindrical or egg-shaped articles, in particular foodstuffs, in particular eggs, along a conveying route, has a plurality of mounts arranged one beside the other along the longitudinal extent. The transporting element is designed in the form of a channel-like body with an accommodating space curved in the form of part of a circle, as seen in cross section, and encloses an angle of at least 180. The mounts are designed in the form of slot-form apertures in that region of the channel-like body that is curved in the form of part of a circle. The apertures extending parallel to one another, and transversely to the longitudinal extent of the channel-like body, as far as longitudinal crosspieces on either side, these forming a respective longitudinal periphery.

Apparatus and methods for bulk processing items on a conveyor belt using an angled axial fan that extends obliquely into a processing chamber that performs a pasteurization or other process on the conveyed items. The angled axial fan enhances air flow around a product being processed on the conveyor belt.

Provided herein are techniques, devices, and systems for determining the safety of an ingestible product with respect to a contaminant as the ingestible product is being processed. A computing system may receive data associated with processing of an ingestible product. Based on the data, and using a model, the computing system may determine a value associated with the ingestible product with respect to a target contaminant. Based on the value, the ingestible product can be classified as a class label indicative of a safety of the ingestible product with respect to the contaminant, such as a classification of safe or unsafe. In some examples, a reduction of a contaminant in an ingestible product is dynamically monitored, in real-time, as the ingestible product is being processed.