A system for agitating products in a retort includes a clamping assembly configured to selectively impose a first clamping force on a first end of at least one product carrier and a second opposing clamping force on a second end of the at least one product carrier, and a reciprocating assembly configured to apply linear forces on the product carriers for reciprocal movement of the product carriers along the retort. A method of processing products in a retort includes arranging products in at least one product carrier for movement along a retort and reciprocating the at least one product carrier along the retort in a non-sinusoidal pattern of movement.

Systems and methods including modular electromagnetic heating systems enable heating of articles using electromagnetic energy. The systems include a primary processing vessel equipped with electromagnetic energy launchers and fluid delivery systems to enable capable of preheating, heating, and cooling of the articles within the primary processing vessel. The primary processing vessel is further configured to be coupled to one or more upstream or downstream vessels such that portions of the preheating and/or heating functionality may instead be performed by the additional vessels. This flexibility enables scaling of the electromagnetic heating system between a relatively small (e.g., lab) scale system and a relatively large (e.g., production) scale system while minimizing capital expenditures and space requirements.

A disinfectant device provides a solution to disinfect bulk quantities of small items such as food items. The disinfectant device has a housing, an inlet, an outlet, a shaker tray positioned to descend from a first height on the inlet side to a second height on the outlet side, the second height lower than the first height, wherein the shaker tray is configured to shake or vibrate via a motor, and at least one disinfecting light is positioned within the housing and above the shaker tray, the light configured to disinfect items passing on the shaker tray. The disinfectant device may have a hopper having a gate to the shaker tray. The gate may be manually operated or actuated by a motor to control the number of items on the shaker tray at any given time, thereby ensuring adequate exposure to the disinfecting light.

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 measuring system for automatically determining and/or monitoring the quality of a liquid or viscous foodstuff, including a housing with an interior space for a product container for the foodstuff, the product container has a product space for the foodstuff and a lid provided with a probe with a thermometer, a heating and cooling device for the interior space, a sensor device for determining a non-temperature quality-related parameter value of the foodstuff, and a control unit designed to control the measuring system, measure, store, process and/or export the measured parameter values, and to control the heating and/or the cooling system according to a desired time-temperature program. The cooling system includes a cold buffer, a cooler for the cold buffer, and a separate refrigerant circuit. The cold buffer includes a buffer holder with a phase-transition material, wherein the refrigerant circuit includes a cooling circuit with a pump.

A recirculation circuit for a processing vessel is configured to process a load with a process fluid. The recirculation circuit includes a first circuit portion configured to recirculate a first portion of the process fluid through the vessel. The first circuit portion includes a first pump having a first flow rate and a first output pressure and a heat exchanger in fluid communication with the first pump. A second circuit portion is configured to recirculate a second portion of the process fluid through the vessel. The second circuit portion includes a second pump having a second flow rate higher than the first flow rate and a second output pressure lower than the first output pressure.

An apparatus for cooling a food item may include a base and a top, the top and the base defining an interior chamber configured to receive the food item, and a fan coupled to the top and configurable in an operating mode and an off mode, wherein the fan moves air within the interior chamber when in the operating mode. The apparatus may include a temperature sensor to measure a temperature of the food item within the interior chamber and provide a temperature signal representative of that temperature, at least one user input allowing a user to select a cooling parameter, and a control unit adapted to receive the temperature signal and the cooling parameter, wherein the control unit is configured to switch the fan from the operating mode to the off mode when the cooling parameter has been met.

A machine for pasteurizing liquid or semi-liquid food products, including: a first container for the thermal treatment of a liquid or semi-liquid base product; a second container for feeding the liquid or semi-liquid base product, connected to the first, thermal treatment container, for feeding the liquid or semi-liquid base product; a stirrer for mixing the product in the first, processing container and mounted inside the first, thermal treatment container; a thermal system including an exchanger associated with the walls of the first, processing container and configured to release heat at the walls of the first, thermal treatment container, the machine wherein the stirrer is externally helically shaped and extends between a first, inlet end and a second, outlet end, so that as it rotates, the liquid or semi-liquid product is made to advance between the first, inlet end and the second, outlet end.

A micro-vibration wave generating device includes: a power indicator circuit, a first transformer micro-vibration wave generating circuit, and a receptor. An input end of the power indicator circuit is connected to the power source; an input end of the first transformer micro-vibration wave generating circuit is connected with an output end of the power indicator circuit; the receptor is connected with an output end of the first transformer micro-vibration wave generating circuit. Micro-vibration waves generated by the transformer micro-vibration wave generating circuit can resonate with the waterolecules in the food, and thereby the water molecules form soft and non-spiky crystals of water molecules when they are frozen, which greatly reduces the damage to the food cells. Accordingly, the quality of the food is intact without mixing odors. The present invention can also be used in cooking deep fried food with almost no oil smoke produced.

A sterilization module according to the present invention comprises: a sterilization housing that has an inner space capable of accommodating a cart; a sterilization heat treatment machine for heat-treating the cart accommodated in the inner space of the sterilization; a connection part that is provided in the inner space of the sterilization housing and moves the cart forward; and a rotation part that rotates the cart with respect to a cart rotary shaft, which is a predetermined rotary shaft, while gripping the cart.