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.

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 process for producing a protein product for addition to raw meat wherein the source of the protein product is animal muscle or mechanically deboned meat. The animal muscle tissue is homogenized. Protein in the homogenate is solubilized. Solubilized homogenate is heated to a temperature required for pasteurization and/or sterilization according to known standards. The homogenate is then optionally adjusted to a value at which the protein precipitates. The protein product of the present invention is free of bacteria and toxins and can be used as meat or added to raw meat for delivery to a consumer as uncooked meat.

The invention relates to a method for manufacturing co-extruded food products, comprising the processing steps of: A) co-extruding an elongate dough strand and a casing enclosing the elongate dough strand to form a non-coagulated food product, B) bringing the casing into contact with a salt solution, and C) dividing the encased elongate food strand into individual products, whereafter the co-extruded food products are subjected to an airflow. The invention also relates to a device for manufacturing co-extruded food products.

A process for manufacturing minced meat includes ensuring the continuous shaping of the said minced meat into the form of a flattened strip; placing the flattened strip of meat between two sheets of controlled permeability film; evening out the thickness and spreading the minced meat placed between the two sheets; continuously unrolling the meat strip in a bath of a dehydration-salting solution; continuously unrolling the meat strip in a bath of a pasteurization solution; continuously unrolling the meat strip in a rinsing tank; removing the sheets after removal from the rinsing tank; and transporting the meat strip to an output conveyor.

A raw meat protein product is prepared by a process comprising directing a raw meat protein along a mixture conduit, placing steam in contact with the raw meat protein to raise the temperature of the raw meat protein to a pathogen neutralizing temperature, and maintaining that temperature in the raw meat protein for a treatment period of time. The process then includes applying a vacuum to the heated raw meat protein to vaporize water that has condensed from the steam and then separating the raw meat protein from the vaporized water and any remaining steam.

When a food processing vessel under vacuum is repressurized, the tendency of product in the vessel to be forced into feed lines is relieved or overcome by establishing an effectively high pressure in the feed lines.

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.

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 shaped channel with one or more channels wound together around an axis. The apparatus of the present invention and the use thereof provides a method to heat or cool food items in a spiral shaped channel device.