Method for conditioning a food

Abstract

A method for conditioning a food in connection with a treatment, a processing, or the production of the food in an air environment in an open conditioning space, whereby a) climatic data influencing the food in the conditioning process are captured during the conditioning process in the surroundings of the food within the conditioning space, wherein, as climatic data, the conditioning variables of temperature, absolute water content and air pressure are captured as measured values and are compared with food-related setpoint values for the temperature change process, and b) if a deviation of the measured value from the setpoint value associated therewith is detected, the surroundings of the food in the conditioning space are influenced in order to adjust the measured value to the setpoint value.

Claims

1. A method for conditioning a food in connection with a treatment, processing, or production of the food in an air environment in a conditioning space, through which the food is conveyed, comprising: a) capturing climatic data within the conditioning space for conditioning variables, which affect the food in a conditioning process, during the conditioning process in surroundings of the food within the conditioning space, wherein the conditioning variables comprise temperature, absolute water content, and air pressure, and further comprise CO.sub.2 content and/or O.sub.2 content, and wherein each of the conditioning variables are captured as measured values, and wherein the conditioning space is an open conditioning space; b) comparing the measured values of the conditioning variables with respective setpoint values for the conditioning variables during the conditioning process, wherein the setpoint values comprise a setpoint temperature, a setpoint absolute water content, and a setpoint pressure, as well as a setpoint CO.sub.2 content and/or a setpoint O.sub.2 content, and wherein the setpoint values are predetermined for the conditioning process of the food; and c) if a deviation of the measured value of one or more of the conditioning variables from the setpoint value associated therewith is detected, regulating the surroundings of the food in the conditioning space in order to adjust the measured value to the setpoint value, whereby an air flow is applied to the food in the conditioning space, and whereby: (i) if the deviation is with respect to the measured temperature, the measured temperature is adjusted to the setpoint temperature by regulating the amount of the air flow supplied as inflow and/or the temperature of the air flow, (ii) if the deviation is with respect to the measured pressure, the measured pressure is adjusted to the setpoint pressure by regulating the amount of the air flow supplied as inflow, (iii) if the deviation is with respect to the measured absolute water content, the measured absolute water content is adjusted to the setpoint absolute water content by regulating a corresponding water-aerosol load of the air flow in which aerosol droplets are carried along as a floating load, and wherein the aerosol droplets are generated without a heat source, and (iv) if the deviation is with respect to the measured CO.sub.2 content and/or the measured O.sub.2 content, the measured CO.sub.2 content is adjusted to the setpoint CO.sub.2 content and/or the measured O.sub.2 content is adjusted to the setpoint O.sub.2 content, respectively, by increasing the amount of the air flow supplied as inflow from outside the conditioning space and/or by establishing a fluid connection between the conditioning space and an outside environment of a building in which the conditioning space is located; wherein air and humidity exiting from the conditioning space are compensated by the inflow of the air flow and climatic control of the surroundings of the food.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least the setpoint absolute water content is determined based on a water activity of the food.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein conditioning of the food is performed in multiple steps, wherein said steps differ with respect to the measured temperature of the food and at least one other measured conditioning variable.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein antimicrobial and/or antifungal substances are added to the food with the water-aerosol load.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein climatic data are captured outside the conditioning space for one or more climatic variables, wherein at least one of the climatic variables: temperature, absolute water content, or pressure is captured as a measured external value, which is compared to the respective setpoint value and to the difference of the setpoint value and the measured value captured inside the conditioning space, and wherein if a deviation between the external measured value captured outside the conditioning space and the setpoint value is detected, the conditioning process is adjusted depending on a reaction inertia that determines if and to what extent a change of the external measured value results in a change of the measured value inside the conditioning space.

6. The method according of claim 1, wherein the climatic data captured outside the conditioning space are climatic data of the outside environment of the building in which the conditioning space is located.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein in adjusting the conditioning process, climatic predictions are considered in addition to the measured external value(s) obtained outside the conditioning space.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is performed in conjunction with cooling down baked products after removal from an oven.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is performed in conjunction with defrosting deep-frozen foods.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The present disclosure will be explained below with reference to illustrated embodiments. Wherein:

(2) FIG. 1: shows a block diagram for explaining a method for cooling down baked products after their removal from an oven, and

(3) FIG. 2: is a schematic view of a defrosting plant for performing a method according to the present disclosure.

(4) Before further explaining the depicted embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of the particular arrangements shown, since the invention is capable of other embodiments. It is intended that the embodiments and figures disclosed herein are to be considered illustrative rather than limiting. Also, the terminology used herein is for the purposes of description and not limitation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

First Depicted Embodiment

(5) The baking pieces are baked in a continuous oven 1 and removed as baked products from the oven 1 upon completion of the baking process. This can be a continuous process or a batch process. The baked products removed from the oven 1 are placed in a refrigeration unit, which in the embodiment of FIG. 1 is implemented as a cooling tower 2. The cooling tower 2 represents a conditioning space in this embodiment. Baked products are conveyed from the top to the bottom in the cooling tower 2, as indicated by the downward block arrows in FIG. 1. The conveying path can either be vertical, as shown schematically in FIG. 1, or in a spiral or another conveying route on which the baked products are conveyed from the top plane to the bottom plane. The baked products are typically conveyed via a conveying spiral in the direction mentioned, at a gradient between 7% and 10%. Setting up a gradient of 8% has proved useful.

(6) The baked products, in the figure schematically shown as breads 3 which were baked at an oven temperature of more than 160° C., emit heat and steam. This alone creates an updraft in the cooling tower 2, as indicated by the upward block arrows. When the breads 3 have been conveyed along a certain path against this flow direction in the cooling tower 2, they enter a temperature zone in which an aerosol treatment starts. An upper aerosol treatment temperature starts at a 90° C.-95° C. core temperature of the baked products in the embodiment shown. The upper aerosol treatment temperature is below 100° C. in any case. From this height in the cooling tower 2, there is an air and aerosol supply 4 with which aerosol borne by air is introduced into the cooling tower 2 at a temperature of about 25° C. to act on the breads 3 to be cooled down. Air and aerosol are supplied peripherally in this cooling path of the cooling tower 2. The air-borne supply of the aerosol generates a certain positive pressure in the area of the air and aerosol supply 4, i.e. the area in which the baked products to be cooled down are located. The positive pressure generated is about 10-20 Pa in the embodiment shown.

(7) Sensors which capture the climatic surroundings of the baked products are located at a suitable spot near the baked products to be cooled down in the cooling tower 2. They capture the temperature, air pressure, and absolute humidity in the embodiment shown. The measured values captured with these sensors are compared to the predetermined setpoint values which should be present in the surroundings of the baked products to be cooled down in a specific area of the cooling tower 2. The setpoint values are values which define the cooling climate needed for setting the desired properties and quality features in the breads 3 to be cooled down. For example, the ambient pressure and relative humidity can be used to influence the moisture content of the cooling breads and thus their water activity. The setpoint pressure is used to prevent the breads 3 from releasing too much moisture while cooling down in the embodiment shown. When a difference between a captured measured value of one of the monitored climatic variables and the specified setpoint value is detected which exceeds a specific allowed tolerance value, the climate in the surroundings of the baked products to be cooled down is influenced accordingly. In such a case, there is a setpoint value shift that requires correction.

(8) The climatic surroundings of the foods to be conditioned are influenced via the two actuators—air flow and aerosol load. Depending on the setpoint value shift and/or climatic variable to be corrected, the air flow is either controlled with respect to its flow rate (pressure change) and/or its temperature. Alternatively or in addition, the aerosol load can be influenced or changed. The aerosol load is primarily used to set the desired absolute water content for changing or maintaining the relative humidity.

(9) The air follows the upward hot air flow which is due to convection and to the positive pressure set and flows upwards. The aerosol supply in this section of the cooling tower 2 is adjusted to the temperature of the breads 3 that is to be reduced in this section. The breads 3 are continuously conveyed through this zone of air and aerosol supply 4. For this purpose, the aerosol supply 4 is implemented in this embodiment shown by three aerosol supply segments, wherein the supplied amount of aerosol decreases from the top aerosol supply segment to the bottom aerosol supply segment in this section of the cooling tower 2. The aerosol supply amount is set up such that the breads 3 do not experience a weight loss while they are conveyed through this section, and instead experience a slight weight gain. In the embodiment shown, the aerosol supply amount is set such that the water saturation in the area of the breads 3 remains about constant, e.g. at about 80% relative humidity. The climate in the surroundings of the bread 3 is controlled by the process of comparing it to previously determined setpoint values as described above. In the embodiment shown, a mean treatment temperature at which the first aerosol treatment phase ends is reached when the breads 3 have cooled down to a surface temperature of the baked products of 65° C. Thus, the aerosol treatment phase ends inside the cooling tower 2 at a height at which the breads 3 only have a surface temperature of 65° C. In this embodiment, the mean product surface treatment temperature is 65° C. to have a safety factor because microbial recontamination of the breads 3 may occur at a temperature under 60° C.

(10) To prevent recontamination of the breads 3, sterile air is supplied in the following second aerosol treatment phase. A second air and aerosol supply 5 is arranged in a second cooling section which follows the first cooling section in the cooling tower 2, and here, too, the air-borne aerosol is introduced peripherally with respect to the cooling section. While the aerosol supply in the aerosol treatment area of the first cooling section is set up during the first phase of an aerosol treatment such that the aerosol can diffuse into the core of the breads 3, the aerosol supply in the residual cooling down area and thus during the second aerosol treatment phase will primarily act on the surface of the breads. The biological additives supplied with the aerosol in this phase are also adapted to avoid or prevent recontamination. In this second aerosol treatment phase, the aerosol is introduced into the cooling section with sterile air. The pressure set by the air and aerosol supply in this second cooling section is about 10 Pa higher than the pressure set in the first cooling section. This measure effectively prevents an inflow of air from the first cooling section into the second cooling section. It also prevents non-sterile ambient air from entering the cooling tower 2 through an outlet through which the cooled down baked products are discharged from the cooling tower 2.

(11) The residual cooling phase ends when the baked products have reached ambient temperature or have sufficiently cooled down to be subjected to further treatment. In the embodiment shown, the breads 3 are supplied in another treatment step after the cooling tower 2 to a cutting machine 6, where they are sliced before they are packaged.

(12) The above description of the cooling device makes it clear that it is a continuous cooling device which is not sealed tightly from its surroundings.

Second Depicted Embodiment

(13) This embodiment describes a defrosting facility 7.

(14) In this facility, the food is subjected to a temperature change process which takes place in the opposite direction. The defrosting facility 7 of this embodiment (see FIG. 2) is designed as a continuous device. It includes a conveyor system 8 for transporting the unpackaged, deep-frozen foods to be defrosted after they were removed from a freezer room 9. The transport direction of the conveyor system 8 is indicated by an arrow in FIG. 1. The conveyor system 8 is sufficiently wide that multiple foods to be defrosted, which are blocks of fish 10 in the embodiment shown, can be placed next to each other. The defrosting facility 7 has a hood 11 under which the defrosting section is located. The hood 11 is used to protect the foods to be defrosted and for thermal or climatic insulation of the defrosting section from the ambient temperature. The space under the hood 11 represents the conditioning space in this embodiment. It will mostly be considerably higher than the temperature at which the deep-frozen foods (here, the blocks of fish 10) are to be defrosted. The hood 11 provides a defrosting chamber A1 which forms the conditioning space in this embodiment. Since the conveyor system 8 conveys the foods to be defrosted 10 through the defrosting chamber A1, the defrosting chamber A1 is designed as a defrosting tunnel.

(15) The conveyor path on which the blocks of fish 10 are transported on the conveyor system 8 has a grid-like perforation for conducting an air flow therethrough. In addition, the perforation may drain any dripping water away from the foods to be defrosted. For this purpose, a drip pan not shown in the figures is provided under this conveyor path.

(16) Multiple air outlet hoses 12, 12.1, 12.2, which in the embodiment shown are textile hoses, are located above the conveyor system 8 and inside the hood 11. The air outlet hoses 12, 12.1, 12.2 are each connected to a respective air supply 13, 13.1, 13.2 via which air is introduced into the air outlet hoses 12, 12.1, 12.2 and out of these into the defrosting chamber A1. The respective air supply 13, 13.1, 13.2 includes operating units such as a pump, filters, a temperature control device, and the like for this purpose, which units are not shown in FIG. 2. The amount of air supplied can also be set. A perforated aerosol outlet pipe 14, 14.1, 14.2 via which aerosol can be dispensed via an aerosol supply 15, 15.1, 15.2 is located next to each air outlet hose 12, 12.1, 12.2. The aerosol is generated, without necessarily increasing temperature, using an ultrasound aerosol generator in such a manner that the aerosol has a droplet size of about 0.001 to 0.005 mm or smaller. The respective aerosol outlet pipe 14, 14.1, 14.2 is arranged with respect to the respective adjacent air outlet hose 12, 12.1, 12.2 such that the air flow exiting the respective air outlet hose 12, 12.1, 12.2 picks up the aerosol droplets exiting the respective aerosol outlet pipe 14, 14.1, 14.2 and carries them along as a floating load. Each unit including an air outlet pipe 12, 12.1, 12.2 and an aerosol outlet pipe 14, 14.1, 14.2, respectively, is used to supply air and aerosol, wherein the respective supply can be controlled independently. These units will hereinafter be called air-aerosol supply units.

(17) An exhaust ventilation 16 not shown in detail is located underneath the conveyor system. The exhaust ventilation 16 includes a collector arranged under the conveyor system 8 (shown in a side view in FIG. 2). The collector is designed to be associated with an extraction opening of each air-aerosol unit and is therefore located thereunder. The exhaust ventilation 16 can be operated actively to suction air and aerosol out of the defrosting chamber A1. This is meant to generate a directed aerosol-loaded air flow inside the defrosting chamber A1 from the air outlet hoses 12, 12.1, 12.2 to the conveyor system 8 with the blocks of fish 10 thereon and towards the exhaust ventilation 16. The conveyor system 8 is perforated to let the aerosol-loaded air flow through, such that the air flow also passes between blocks of fish 10. It is in principle sufficient to generate such an air flow passively, such that the air flow described above only flows via the air outlet hoses 12, 12.1, 12.2 into the defrosting chamber A1. The defrosting chamber then has one or multiple air outlets to achieve the desired air flow.

(18) The air supply and the aerosol supply are used as actuators for setting the defrosting climate in the surroundings of the foods to be defrosted (here, the blocks of fish 10). Respective sensors are arranged in the conditioning space formed by the hood 11 for this purpose to capture the desired climatic data: temperature, air pressure, and absolute water content. A control unit compares these with specified setpoint values which define the climate in the immediate surroundings of the blocks of fish 10 to be defrosted as a function of the progress of the defrosting process and thus as a function of the position of the blocks of fish 10 inside the defrosting tunnel. As described for the first embodiment, one or both actuators are controlled depending on the setpoint value shift to be corrected.

(19) The blocks of fish 10 taken out of the freezer room 3 are unpacked and placed onto the conveyor system 8 for defrosting. The blocks of fish 10 then typically have a temperature of approx. −25° C. to −20° C. The blocks of fish 10 are then defrosted in an air flow borne aerosol environment in the defrosting facility 7 under the hood 11 in the defrosting chamber A1 defined by the same. The air supplied via air outlet hoses 12, 12.1, 12.2 is supplied in the embodiment shown at a temperature of +4° C. This is the desired defrosting temperature which will then prevail in the defrosting chamber A1. The air flow supplies the aerosol it carries to the blocks of fish 10, for which purpose the aerosol outlet pipes 14, 14.1, 14.2 are filled with aerosol. This measure reduces the time needed for defrosting due to the considerably better heat transfer compared to a defrosting environment without an aerosol load. At the same time, the moisture provided by the aerosol provides a defrosting climate which is virtually water-saturated when defrosting the blocks of fish 10 described here as an example, or, in other words: The high equilibrium moisture content prevents the foods to be defrosted from drying out. This also ensures that the thawing blocks of fish 10 do not significantly dry out in view of the product specifics. The aerosol-loaded air supply in interaction with the exhaust ventilation 16 is set such that a specific positive pressure is present in the area of the blocks of fish 10 conveyed on the conveyor system 8. Such a positive pressure is set to correspond about as far as possible to the vapor pressure that builds in the blocks of fish 10 during the defrosting process. The result of this measure is that the vapor pressure that builds in the food—here, a block of fish 10—does not or does not significantly escape, which largely or completely prevents a weight loss which would otherwise have to be accepted when defrosting deep-frozen foods.

(20) The defrosted blocks of fish 10 leave the hood 11 at a core temperature of about ±0° C. to +4° C. The defrosted blocks of fish 10 are removed from the conveyor system 8 and supplied to further processing. The speed of travel of the blocks of fish 10 through the defrosting tunnel typically is between 4 and 8 hours.

(21) In the two embodiments described above, the aerosol is generated using an ultrasound device. This saves energy. In addition, a precisely defined droplet size can be set within a narrow size spectrum. It is particularly advantageous that no higher temperature is needed for aerosol generation, such that the aerosol can also be used as a carrier of antimicrobial and/or antifungal substances.

(22) The two embodiments described above illustrate that a suitable climate can be set up inside a conditioning space in a particularly simple and energy-saving manner for increasing product quality at a temperature change using just two actuators—an air flow and an aerosol supply.

(23) The required sensing and control equipment of the methods described is not shown in the figures for the sake of clarity; also omitted is the fact that these are connected to an electronic control unit which influences the actuators.

(24) The description based on the depicted embodiments makes it clear that a method according to the present disclosure allows setting up the climate in the immediate surroundings of foods in a particularly simple and effective manner as may be required. The air flow provided for conditioning also contributes to a change of air in the conditioning space. Such a method can also be used for humidifying and dehumidifying if the setpoint values are specified accordingly.

(25) The method described can also be used to clean the conditioning space, using the same measures in the conditioning space, for example by adding respective substances to the aerosol, for example to sterilize the conditioning space and its walls, for example during interruptions of food treatment, food processing, and/or food production.

(26) It is a particular advantage, as described in reference to the depicted embodiments, that climatic conditioning can also be used in open conditioning spaces and therefore in a continuous food treatment process, food processing process, and/or food production process. This means that the climate in the conditioning space can be kept constant. This method differs from conventional methods in this respect, where conditioning was performed in closed spaces and in batches. Introducing and removing a food into and from such a conditioning space results in significant climatic changes in the conditioning space. Hygienic problems are the consequence.

(27) This method can also be used in conjunction with storing foods or raw materials for foods.

(28) Although the invention has been described based on some example embodiments, a person skilled in the art can find numerous other ways to implement or use the method within the scope of the applicable claims.

(29) While a number of aspects and embodiments have been discussed above, those of skill in the art will recognize certain modifications, permutations, additions and sub-combinations therefor. It is therefore intended that the following appended claims hereinafter introduced are interpreted to include all such modifications, permutations, additions and sub-combinations, which are within their true spirit and scope. Each embodiment described herein has numerous equivalents.

(30) The terms and expressions which have been employed are used as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention in the use of such terms and expressions of excluding any equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof, but it is recognized that various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed. Thus, it should be understood that although the present invention has been specifically disclosed by preferred embodiments and optional features, modification and variation of the concepts herein disclosed may be resorted to by those skilled in the art, and that such modifications and variations are considered to be within the scope of this invention as defined by the appended claims. Whenever a range is given in the specification, all intermediate ranges and subranges, as well as all individual values included in the ranges given are intended to be included in the disclosure. When a Markush group or other grouping is used herein, all individual members of the group and all combinations and sub-combinations possible of the group are intended to be individually included in the disclosure.

(31) In general, the terms and phrases used herein have their art-recognized meaning, which can be found by reference to standard texts, journal references and contexts known to those skilled in the art. The above definitions are provided to clarify their specific use in the context of the invention.

LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS

(32) 1 Continuous oven 2 Cooling tower 3 Bread 4 Air and aerosol supply 5 Air and aerosol supply 6 Cutting machine 7 Defrosting facility 8 Conveyor system 9 Freezer room 10 Block of fish 11 Hood 12, 12.1, 12.2 Air outlet hose 13, 13.1, 13.2 Air supply 14, 14.1, 14.2 Aerosol outlet pipe 15, 15.1, 15.2 Aerosol supply 16 Exhaust ventilation A.sub.1 Defrosting chamber