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 animals or food items in liquid. The device of the present invention is designed as a spiral pump with two or more channels wound around a horizontal axis. The apparatus of the present invention and the use thereof provides a method to treat living or slaughtered animals or food items in a spiral pump.

Methods and devices heat or cool viscous materials, such as meat emulsions useful for producing food and other products. The devices have a heat exchanger including a first plate, a second plate attached to the first plate, and a first spacer and a second spacer arranged between the first plate and the second plate. The first plate, the second plate, the first spacer, and the second spacer define at least one temperature controlled passage for a product to pass through the heat exchanger.

Methods and devices heat or cool viscous materials, such as meat emulsions useful for producing food and other products. The devices have a heat exchanger including a first plate, a second plate attached to the first plate, and a first spacer and a second spacer arranged between the first plate and the second plate. The first plate, the second plate, the first spacer, and the second spacer define at least one temperature controlled passage for a product to pass through the heat exchanger.

One or more methods are disclosed to provide for the preparation of a food product that can be quickly cooked, while exhibiting flavors, textures, and colors of more traditional and time consuming cooking methods. The method produces a food product with the full flavor profile of barbeque, with the ease of a ready-made meal. The preparation prior to packaging facilitates a Maillard reaction and carmelization of the food product. The method can include marinating the food product, searing an outside portion of the food product, smoking the food product, vacuum sealing and then cooking the food product using a sous vide method. The prepared food product can then be easily heated by the end user for consumption.

A method is provided for thermal treating a food product in a thermal treatment unit with the food product having a casing comprising a protein, or hybrid casing. The method involves providing the food product, subjecting the food product to a brine solution, conveying the food product into the unit, and subjecting the food product to a thermal treating step. The thermal treating step includes at least: a) drying the food product, and b) subsequently, further thermal treating the food product. The method further involves: determining the denaturation temperature of the protein, and setting the parameters of the climate in the unit such that the dew point of the air of the unit is equal to or lower than the determined denaturation temperature, wherein step a) ends in case the surface temperature of the casing is equal to the dew point of the air of the unit.

A food processing system is provided with: a heating unit equipped with a heating mechanism for indirectly heating food; a cooling unit equipped with an air blowing cooler for cooling the food heated by the heating unit; and a conveyor for transferring the food through the heating unit and the cooling unit. The integrated food processing system allows a large amount of sterilized food having a good texture, good taste and long shelf life to be provided.

A food processing system is provided with: a heating unit equipped with a heating mechanism for indirectly heating food; a cooling unit equipped with an air blowing cooler for cooling the food heated by the heating unit; and a conveyor for transferring the food through the heating unit and the cooling unit. The integrated food processing system allows a large amount of sterilized food having a good texture, good taste and long shelf life to be provided.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a container-packed composition in which a heat deterioration smell, such as a retort smell based on contained ingredients such as soy sauce, meat, and soybean protein, is reduced; a processed food using the composition and a method of producing the processed food; and a composition in which a smell specific to meat is suppressed, and a flavor of the meat is improved so as to impart umami of meat, regardless of the type of meat. The purpose is achieved by: a container-packed composition containing at least one ingredient selected from the group consisting of a seasoning component, vegetables, meat, and seafood and having a phenethyl acetate content of 1.0 ppb or more and less than 1,000 ppb; and a container-packed composition containing animal meat and having a phenethyl acetate content of 1 ppb or more and less than 1,500 ppb.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a container-packed composition in which a heat deterioration smell, such as a retort smell based on contained ingredients such as soy sauce, meat, and soybean protein, is reduced; a processed food using the composition and a method of producing the processed food; and a composition in which a smell specific to meat is suppressed, and a flavor of the meat is improved so as to impart umami of meat, regardless of the type of meat. The purpose is achieved by: a container-packed composition containing at least one ingredient selected from the group consisting of a seasoning component, vegetables, meat, and seafood and having a phenethyl acetate content of 1.0 ppb or more and less than 1,000 ppb; and a container-packed composition containing animal meat and having a phenethyl acetate content of 1 ppb or more and less than 1,500 ppb.

An improved method for the packaging and long-term preservation of meat products without cold chain, which avoids the loss of liquids during radiation, in order to improve the preservation and maintenance of the organoleptic properties of meat pieces.