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Food Control 13 (2002) 61±67
www.elsevier.com/locate/foodcont
Patents 6213174 PORTIONING OF FLOWABLE PRODUCTS Bernard Brian Cook, John McEwan, Lim Peng Keong, Werner Eugen Friedrich NEW ZEALAND assigned to Blue Boy International This invention is directed to methods, procedures and apparatus for controlling the portioning of ¯owable materials, particularly soft serve frozen confections, though also including other ¯owable products. Such other products may include soups, beverages such as milk shakes, soft drinks, and alcoholic beverages such as beers, and so forth. Typically a method for controlling the delivery of a portion of a ¯owable substance includes the steps of: (i) delivering the ¯owable substance in a stream; (ii) noting the time for the delivery of a portion of a targeted amount; (iii) determining the weight of the portion; and (iv) using this information to in¯uence the delivery of further substance to meet a pre-determined target value. A preferred method is characterized by both the weight of the ¯owable substance being delivered and the time for the delivery of same being repeatedly or continuously assessed to achieve delivery of a pre-determined target weight or volume.
6213749 DEVICE FOR REFINING A CONFECTIONARY MATERIAL Giovanni Marco Carle ITALY assigned to Carle and Montanari S.p.A. An arrangement for re®ning a confectionery material includes a series of cylinders for pressing and stretching the confectionery material particles, driving devices for driving the cylinders, and heat removal devices for removing the re®ning heat. Between the freely swinging ®rst cylinder and the second cylinder, a position transducer for measuring the spacing between the ®rst two cylinders is arranged. The ®rst cylinder is pressed against the second cylinder and a spreading-apart force transducer measures the force between the two cylinders. Temperature transducers for measuring the temperature
PII: S 0 9 5 6 - 7 1 3 5 ( 0 1 ) 0 0 0 7 5 - 5
near the confectionery material re®ned by the ®rst two cylinders are moreover provided. The transducers are operatively coupled to a control device which provides a reference signal for the cylinder feedback driving device.
6214400 METHOD FOR PROCESSING FOOD PRODUCT David R. Zittel, Steven W. Hughes, Daniel D. Maupin USA assigned to Lyco Manufacturing A method and rotary blancher for processing food product using a heat transfer medium and directed ¯ows of a ¯uid that can comprise a liquid, a gas, a vapor or a combination thereof. The directed ¯ows can be discharged from ori®ces or banks of ori®ces that are distributed around the food products in the blancher. The ¯ows are discharged at a high ¯ow rate, a high pressure, or a combination of both. Where a liquid is discharged, it preferably is discharged at a ¯ow rate of at least 20 gpm and at least 30 psi. Where a gas is discharged, it is discharged at a ¯ow rate of at least 60 CFM at a pressure of at least 2 psi or at a ¯ow rate of at least 10 CFM at a pressure of at least 80 psi. If desired, discharged ¯uid can be recirculated to save energy. To help increase agitation and help break up clumps of food products in the blancher, direct-contact mechanical agitation devices, such as baes, can be used. Such a blancher and method can be used to process food product by blanching, cooking and pasteurizing, is suited for processing relatively heavy food products having a density of at least 55 lbs/ft3 using discharged liquid and gas, and is suited for processing food products having a lesser density using only discharged gas.
6214403 PREPARATION OF BREADING PRODUCT AND BREADED FOODSTUFFS FOR OVENCOOKING Lars Broberg, Jean-Jacques Dasjardins, Pierre Dupart SWITZERLAND assigned to Nestec S.A.
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Patents / Food Control 13 (2002) 61±67
Breadcrumbs for coating a food are prepared by extrusion-cooking ingredients of a ground cereal, a reducing sugar, a fat, particularly hydrogenated palm oil, and water to obtain an extruded, cooked product which then is ground to obtain a ground particular which is dried to obtain a dried product. The extrusioncooking is carried out a temperature of at least 150 °C and under a pressure of at least 45 bar, and the fat is employed in an amount so that the dried product has a fat content of from 7% to 12% by weight. The breadcrumbs, when coated on a food product, enable obtaining a breadcrumb-coated oven-cooked food product similar to an oven-cooked breadcrumb product without frying of the breadcrumbs or the coated product in oil.
6214404 INCORPORATION OF SUPERSATURATED LACTOSE IN PROCESS CHEESE AND PRODUCT THEREOF Xiao-Qing Han, Joseph E. Spradlin USA assigned to Kraft Foods The present invention discloses a method of preparing a process cheese containing lactose wherein the cheese remains free of lactose crystals. The method includes a step in which a dairy liquid is heated at a temperature, and for a duration in time, that are sucient to inhibit or prevent crystallization of the lactose after formation of the process cheese. The ratio of dairy liquid to cheese is from about 1:1 to about 3:1 by weight. The invention additionally discloses the lactose-containing process cheese stabilized against the formation of lactose crystals, prepared by the process of the invention.
6214406 METHOD OF MAKING AN EXTRUDED INSTANT GRANULAR FOOD PRODUCT Ernst H. Reimerdes SWITZERLAND assigned to Nestec S.A. A process for the production of a free ¯owing and instantly dispersible and/or soluble granular food product, which comprises preparing a mix of an oil or fats and powdery carbohydrates and/or protein rich materials in an extruder, plasticizing the mix in the extruder and forming the mix into granules by extruding the plasticized mix in strands and cutting the strands.
6215112 FOOD AMOUNT DETECTOR OF A MICROWAVE OVEN, A MICROWAVE OVEN EMPLOYING A FOOD AMOUNT DETECTOR AND A CONTROL METHOD THEREOF Chul Kim, Tae-soo Park, Kwang-seok Kang, Won-woo, Lee SOUTH KOREA assigned to Samsung Electronics Company A food amount detector for automatically detecting the amount of a food placed in a cooking chamber of a microwave oven, a microwave oven employing the food amount detector, and control method thereof. Output voltage of a microwave generator is detected while the microwave oven is driven, and the amount of the food placed in the cooking chamber of the microwave oven is determined based on the output voltage such detected. In accordance with the amount of the food such determined, the food is cooked under the appropriate driving conditions of the microwave oven. Accordingly, the user does not need to determine the amount of the food by himself, or set the driving conditions of the microwave oven such as cooking time, level of microwave energy, etc. As a result, the user ®nds it convenient when using this microwave oven, and the food is cooked under the exact driving conditions set by the microwave oven. Further, since the price of the parts are inexpensive, the manufacturing cost is reduced, and manufacturing process is simpli®ed, so that productivity is improved.
6216420 DEVICE FOR HEAT SEALING A TUBE OF PACKAGING SHEET MATERIAL FILLED WITH A POURABLE FOOD PRODUCT Maurizio Mazzetto, Robert Karlsson, Roland Palmqvist SWEDEN assigned to Tetra Laval Holdings and Finance S.A. The device for heat sealing a tube of packaging sheet material ®lled with a pourable food product, has ®rst and second jaws movable towards each other to grip the tube under pressure and heat seal the tube. The ®rst jaw has a heating element having a pair of substantially straight active surfaces, which extend on opposite sides of and parallel to an intermediate plane (). The second jaw has a pair of pressure pads, which are housed in respective seats and cooperate with the active surfaces of the heating element. Each of the pads has a ®rst longitudinal portion supported rigidly in a seat, and a
Patents / Food Control 13 (2002) 61±67
second longitudinal portion supported pliably in the seat and located adjacent to and on the opposite side of the ®rst longitudinal portion with respect to the intermediate plane ().
6217435 PROCESS OF ELIMINATION OF BACTERIA IN SHELLFISH, OF SHUCKING SHELLFISH AND AN APPARATUS THEREFORE
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prepared, and subjected to shear by passing it through a static mixer under ¯ow-rate conditions selected to disperse the aqueous phase in the oil phase, such that a resulting emulsion has a selected droplet size distribution. Thereafter, the temperature of the resulting emulsion is decreased from the ®rst processing temperature, to a second processing temperature which is below the thermogellation temperature of the carrageenan in the suspension. This results in the formation of polymer gel beads having the immobilized viable cells entrapped therein.
Ernest A. Voisin USA
6217917
The invention relates to a process for eliminating pathogenic organisms from raw food products, such as raw shell®sh, whereby the molluscan shell®sh is exposed to hydrostatic pressure of relatively high value, for example between 20,000 and 50,000 psi for 1±15 min. The process is conducted at ambient temperatures, leaving the raw shell®sh substantially unaected, in its desired raw state, such that the pathogenic organisms are destroyed, while sensory characteristics of the raw shell®sh remain high. The same process can be used for shucking oysters without any mechanical force. A high pressure processor for elimination of bacteria in raw food products is disclosed.
6217916 IMMOBILIZED-CELL CARRAGEENAN BEAD PRODUCTION AND A BREWING PROCESS UTILIZING CARRAGEENAN BEAD IMMOBILIZED YEAST CELLS Ronald James Neufeld, Denis J.C.M. Poncelet, Sylvain D.J.M. Norton FRANCE assigned to Labatt Brewing Company A process for immobilizing viable cells in gelled carrageenan beads comprises preparing an aqueous phase that is a mixture of a gellable concentration of un-gelled carrageenan, in an aqueous suspension of viable cells, in which the mixture's potassium concentration is low enough that the thermogellation temperature of the carrageenan in the suspension is below a temperature to which the viable cells are substantially thermosensitive. This is done at a ®rst processing temperature that exceeds the thermogellation temperature of the carrageenan in that aqueous suspension, but which is below the temperature to which the cells are substantially thermosensitive. A mixture of the aqueous phase and a non-reactive food-grade oil phase is then
METHOD OF PREPARING A DAIRY SPREAD Janos Bodor, Jan Kuiper, Adrianus Marinus Ledeboer, Marinus Theodorus Pleijsier, Jan Cornelis De Smit, Yvon Maria Ijsseldijk, Robert Vreeker THE NETHERLANDS assigned to Lipton, a division of Conopco Dairy spreads, especially fresh cheese, are sensitive for heat treatments. The heat treated products are often grainy, mealy and chalky. The invention relates to a method of producing a dairy spread wherein a cheese milk or cream or a combination thereof is acid coagulated in the presence of a suitable culture, wherein the culture comprises an exopolysaccharide producing lactic acid bacterium capable of reducing the graininess of the heat treated dairy spread.
6217923 METHOD OF FRYING FOOD Ryoichi Saito JAPAN There is provided a fryer, which can restrain an acceleration of oxidation of an oil layer, prevent deterioration of the oil layer caused by fry sediment and carbide and generation of oil smoke, and which is used easily and safely by even a person who is not conversant with timing when drainage should be carried out in accordance with an amount of fried food. The fryer according to this invention comprises a fry vessel 10 containing water and oil therein, and having an oil layer formed on a water layer by a dierence there between in speci®c gravity, heating pipes 14, formed in the fry vessel, for heating the oil layer, cooling pipes 16, formed at the lower portion of the heating pipes in the fry vessel, for cooling a portion of the oil layer formed at the lower portion of each heating pipe, water level
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detecting means 40 for detecting the arrival of a boundary surface between the oil layer and the water oil to a predetermined position of the lower portion of each heating pipe, and oil layer heating control means, connected to the water level detecting means, for stopping the heating of the oil layer due to the heating pipes by the detection of the boundary surface.
6217928 PROCESS OF FREEZING SUSHI, BOILED RICE OR PROCESSED FOOD WITH BOILED RICE AS MAIN COMPONENT Tadaoki Naraumiya, Noboru Mikawa JAPAN assigned to Mayekawa Mfg. Company, Am-Pm-Japan Company A process of freezing sushi, boiled rice or processed food with boiled rice as the main component permits substantially the same quality oered before freezing to be obtained after natural thawing or thawing using an electric oven. When freezing nigiri-sushi at a normal temperature of about 20 °C, the freezer temperature is ®rst reduced from a preliminary cooling temperature of ±10 °C to a temperature of ±30 °C in about 20 min with a temperature gradient of about 1±2°C/min. The freezer temperature is then reduced from ±30 to ±40 °C with a temperature gradient of 1 °C/min or below, preferably about 0.5 °C/min, over a time of 15±25 min, and preferably 15±20 min, until a maximum ice generation temperature range 0±10 °C for the rice part of the sushi, speci®cally ±3 to ±6 °C, is passed.
6220952 SPRAY NOZZLE FOR POULTRY PROCESSING Lucian E. Taylor, Sr., Benjamin B. Taylor USA A spray nozzle provides for the ecient washing or rinsing of the eviscerated body cavity of poultry during processing operations. The nozzle is formed monolithically of a single block of material, such as food grade high density polyurethane plastic or other suitable material. The nozzle body has a single axial passage extending from a threaded attachment end to terminate within the body near the opposite distal end. A series of three ori®ces are provided, with each ori®ce having an elongate opening. The result is an ecient and thorough wash pattern, with the central ori®ce producing a liquid stream disposed generally axially relative to the nozzle,
and the two lateral passages producing generally circumferentially and upwardly disposed spray patterns to wash down essentially the entire body cavity of the poultry and to reduce rejection of poultry due to residual foreign matter remaining within the cavity after evisceration and washing.
6222160 FOOD TRANSPORT CONTAINER WITH INTEGRAL HEATER Matthew S. Remke, Jeanne L. Dahlke-Baumann USA assigned to ATD A heated container for transport of prepared hot food has a combination of an electric heating element with an insulation layer comprising metal foil layers and ®ber layers. The combination of metal foil layers, which spread the heat from the heating element, and the ®ber insulation layers provides an ecient food transport container having suciently low power requirements to enable powering the heater element from an automotive 12 V system while maintaining a food temperature inside the container at about 150 °F.
6223651 APPARATUS FOR SEASONING FOOD Curtis Jay Campbell USA An apparatus for transporting seasoning within a food product and particularly within a meat, ®sh or poultry product is disclosed. The apparatus comprises a handle, a head and a plurality of prongs. Seasoning adheres to the prongs and is transported inside of the food product when the prongs are inserted into the food. In a second embodiment of the apparatus, the prongs are tiered to increase the adhesion of the seasoning to the prongs and thereby transport additional quantities of seasoning into the interior of the food product.
6223894 PACKAGE FOR PACKAGING A FOOD PRODUCT Sylvie Lamaire CANADA assigned to Fempro Package for packing a food product which likely exudes liquids, which comprises a tray and an upper
Patents / Food Control 13 (2002) 61±67
sheet made of a stretchable liquid impermeable material. The upper sheet which is secured all around to the rim of the tray has a central portion devised to receive thereon the food product and a perforated intermediate portion whereby the intermediate portion is inclined when a food product is laid down on the central portion. The package further comprises a liquid absorbent mat disposed under the upper sheet to absorb any liquids exuding from the food product and passing through the perforated intermediate portion.
6223898 QUALITY CONTROL PACKAGING CONTAINER Paul Mallbin, Paolo Benedetti ITALY assigned to Tetra Laval Holdings and Finance S.A. A packaging container or blank therefore, suitable for carrying out quality control of the packaging container or packaging container blank, includes a package or blank having one or more poles for interconnection with electric quality control equipment. The packaged product will be directly or indirectly accessible, whereby both the quality of the packed product and the tightness of the surrounding packaging container may be determined in a rational and partly automated manner. This is of particular importance in the production of aseptic packaging containers for, for instance, ready-made, heat-treated soups or similar foods.
6223944 DEVICE FOR DISPENSING FLOWABLE MATERIAL FROM A FLEXIBLE PACKAGE John P. Gehl, Carol J. Nikolaus, Tim Freeman, David A. Borsheim, Arnold A. Jahn USA A device for sanitary dispensing from a ¯exible package a heated ¯owable material, such as cheese sauce, to be maintained at or above a predetermined temperature level after the package is opened. The dispensing device includes a housing de®ning heated compartment, a heating unit for maintaining the compartment at or above the predetermined temperature level, a package support in the compartment arranged to promote gravity ¯ow of the material and a valve for selectively controlling ¯ow of the material from the package and having a dispensing portion disposed substantially entirely in the compartment or the package
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support. The valve is removably connected to a package outlet and a valve member mounted in a valve body is moved from a closed position to an open position by an operator to discharge cheese sauce through a discharge opening in the housing. A second package of cheese sauce preferably is placed on top of the dispensing package to serve as a weight for promoting gravity ¯ow from the dispensing package and to precondition the second package. In one embodiment, the package support is divided into a dispensing compartment and a preheating compartment which is arranged to hold a package in a con®guration which permits the cheese sauce to be heated to an elevated temperature required by ANSI/NSF standards. The package support preferably is a one piece hopper molded from a synthetic thermoplastic or thermosetting material and packages in the dispensing and preheating compartments are heated by electrical heating elements molded into the hopper walls.
6224476 SHOCK-WAVE FOOD PROCESSING WITH ACOUSTIC CONVERGING WAVE GUIDE John B. Long, Richard A. Ayers USA assigned to Hydrondyne Incorporated Water and meat pieces (P) are pumped through a conduit, the walls of which are made of plastic having an acoustic impedance close to that of water. The conduit is immersed in a tank full of water. A shock wave generator (capacitor discharge through electrodes) creates a shock wave in the water. A preferably tubular wave guide directs the shock pulse onto the conduit. The shock wave passes through the conduit without substantial re¯ection because the impedance of the conduit wall matches the impedance of the water. The shock wave tenderizes and sterilizes the meat. Continual plasma discharges are repeated rapidly enough that all of the meat passing through is treated.
6224914 PROCESS FOR INCORPORATING WHEY PROTEINS INTO CHEESE USING TRANSGLUTAMINASE Xiao-Qing Han, Joseph E. Spradlin USA assigned to Kraft Foods The present invention provides a cheese curd containing a substantial proportion of whey protein products and curded proteins originating from a dairy liquid
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Patents / Food Control 13 (2002) 61±67
containing casein, as well as a process for making the cheese curd. The process includes the signi®cant step that a dairy liquid forti®ed with whey protein is contacted with a transglutaminase to provide a modi®ed dairy liquid containing whey protein products. The modi®ed dairy liquid is then blended with a second dairy liquid and renneted to provide the curd, whereby a high proportion of whey protein products is retained in the curd. The curd can be used to prepare cheese products, including soft, semi-soft, and hard cheeses, where the cheese products contain a substantial proportion of whey protein products and curded proteins originating from dairy liquids.
A double-layer container equipped with temperature warning device comprises a double-layer container and a temperature sensor device, wherein the temperature sensor device is disposed in a segregated store space formed at the bottom end of the double-layer container for detecting temperature of food or soup loaded in the container. A detected signal is transmitted from a temperature sensor to a microprocessor for judging to lighten a speci®ed LED and meanwhile drive a speaker to play a corresponding song or rhythm for easy discrimination of the temperature range of the food or the soup and thereby to protect a user against being scalded.
6224923
6228355
METHOD OF COATING LONG-KEEPING SAUSAGES AND HARD CHEESES
SYSTEM FOR THE CONTROL OF ENTEROPATHOGENIC BACTERIA IN THE CROPS OF POULTRY
Heinz Stemmler, Jr., Andreas Stemmler GERMANY The present invention relates to a method for coating long-keeping sausages and hard cheese with a composition comprising shellac and polyamide, and to the coated long-keeping sausages and hard cheese obtainable by such method.
6224956 BREATHABLE ABUSE RESISTANT FILM FOR PACKAGING CHEESE Gautam P. Shah USA assigned to Cryovac A polymeric ®lm is provided which comprises a core layer of polyamide and two outer layers of ethylene propylene copolymer, polypropylene, and blends thereof. Coextruded embodiments include intermediate adhesive layers. A preferred embodiment of the multilayer ®lm exhibits a combination of good abuse resistance and oxygen barrier properties, as well as excellent optical properties and shrink properties. The dierential in CO2 transmission and O2 transmission rates makes these ®lms especially useful in cheese packaging applications.
6225908 DOUBLE-LAYER CONTAINER EQUIPPED WITH TEMPERATURE WARNING DEVICE Shu-Finn Lee, Chih-Lun Chen TAIWAN
James A. Byrd, II, Larry H. Stanker, Donald E. Corrier USA assigned to The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of Agriculture The invention provides a method and compositions for controlling food borne enteric bacterial pathogens in poultry populations. The incidence of the colonization of poultry by enteropathogenic bacteria, and/or the populations of enteropathogenic bacteria within colonized poultry, may by substantially reduced by providing particles of an expanded matrix material to the locus or vicinity of the animals, particularly during the period of feed removal prior to slaughter. The method and compositions are particularly useful for the control of Salmonella species, enteropathogenic Escherichia coli, and Campylobacter species.
6228407 SHELF LIFE IN FOOD PRODUCTS John Kepplinger, Bridget Nicole Casey, Karla Kaye Norstrom USA assigned to W.K. Kellogg Institute A method and additive for enhancing the shelf life of food products is disclosed. The additive comprises a combination of a diluent fat with a plant-derived phytosterol to produce a plasticized blend agent. The plasticized blend agent can be incorporated into the formulation for a wide variety of prepared food products without negatively altering the taste characteristics of the food products or the manufacturability of the food product. Incorporation of the plasticized blend
Patents / Food Control 13 (2002) 61±67
agent into the food products provides an enhanced and more stable shelf life for the food product. The plasticized blend agent of the present disclosure oers a naturally derived product that signi®cantly enhances the shelf life of food products, especially baked goods.
6228411 DOUGH PRE-SHEETING SYSTEM AND METHOD Barry F. Wilson USA A dough pre-sheeting system within a food processing system having a receptacle for receiving dough and an extrusion die with an elongated-slot die opening. Dough is pressure fed from the receptacle through the elongated-slot die opening preferably by multiple augers, and emerges from the extrusion die as a continuous sheet having a generally uniform thickness. The continuous sheet of dough is then received by sheeter rollers for further sheeting and thickness reduction. Additionally, a method of pre-sheeting dough utilizes the dough presheeting system described above for extruding a ®rst continuous sheet of dough which is subsequently received by the sheeter rollers for further sheeting.
6228915 COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS FOR REDUCED FOOD ADHESION Cornelis Johannes Lensvelt, Jan Paul Penning, Robert Puyenbroek
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THE NETHERLANDS assigned to General Electric Company The invention relates to compositions and methods for reducing food deposit adhesion to cookware. More speci®cally this invention relates to a resin composition having a glass transition temperature of at least 180 °C containing an amount of at least one additive selected from fatty acid esters, fatty acid amide, anionic surfactant, or a mixture containing at least one of the foregoing to reduce food deposit adhesion on cookware made from the composition. The invention also relates to a method for providing plastic cookware having reduced food deposit adhesion.
6229130 HEATING APPARATUS FOR COOKING Kazuhiro Furuta, Hidenori Kako, Toshio Kakizawa JAPAN assigned to Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba A detection target judgment section in a heating apparatus for cooking judges a type of each detection area. The type is selected in three types of detection areas: a direct detection area where only a target food is detected; a boundary detection area where both a part of the target food and a background are detected simultaneously; and a background detection area where only the background is detected. The heating process control section preciously calculates a temperature of each part in the target food based on the temperature in each of the above detection areas calculated by a temperature calculation section in order to control a thawing and heating process for the target food.
www.elsevier.com/locate/foodcont
Patents 6213174 PORTIONING OF FLOWABLE PRODUCTS Bernard Brian Cook, John McEwan, Lim Peng Keong, Werner Eugen Friedrich NEW ZEALAND assigned to Blue Boy International This invention is directed to methods, procedures and apparatus for controlling the portioning of ¯owable materials, particularly soft serve frozen confections, though also including other ¯owable products. Such other products may include soups, beverages such as milk shakes, soft drinks, and alcoholic beverages such as beers, and so forth. Typically a method for controlling the delivery of a portion of a ¯owable substance includes the steps of: (i) delivering the ¯owable substance in a stream; (ii) noting the time for the delivery of a portion of a targeted amount; (iii) determining the weight of the portion; and (iv) using this information to in¯uence the delivery of further substance to meet a pre-determined target value. A preferred method is characterized by both the weight of the ¯owable substance being delivered and the time for the delivery of same being repeatedly or continuously assessed to achieve delivery of a pre-determined target weight or volume.
6213749 DEVICE FOR REFINING A CONFECTIONARY MATERIAL Giovanni Marco Carle ITALY assigned to Carle and Montanari S.p.A. An arrangement for re®ning a confectionery material includes a series of cylinders for pressing and stretching the confectionery material particles, driving devices for driving the cylinders, and heat removal devices for removing the re®ning heat. Between the freely swinging ®rst cylinder and the second cylinder, a position transducer for measuring the spacing between the ®rst two cylinders is arranged. The ®rst cylinder is pressed against the second cylinder and a spreading-apart force transducer measures the force between the two cylinders. Temperature transducers for measuring the temperature
PII: S 0 9 5 6 - 7 1 3 5 ( 0 1 ) 0 0 0 7 5 - 5
near the confectionery material re®ned by the ®rst two cylinders are moreover provided. The transducers are operatively coupled to a control device which provides a reference signal for the cylinder feedback driving device.
6214400 METHOD FOR PROCESSING FOOD PRODUCT David R. Zittel, Steven W. Hughes, Daniel D. Maupin USA assigned to Lyco Manufacturing A method and rotary blancher for processing food product using a heat transfer medium and directed ¯ows of a ¯uid that can comprise a liquid, a gas, a vapor or a combination thereof. The directed ¯ows can be discharged from ori®ces or banks of ori®ces that are distributed around the food products in the blancher. The ¯ows are discharged at a high ¯ow rate, a high pressure, or a combination of both. Where a liquid is discharged, it preferably is discharged at a ¯ow rate of at least 20 gpm and at least 30 psi. Where a gas is discharged, it is discharged at a ¯ow rate of at least 60 CFM at a pressure of at least 2 psi or at a ¯ow rate of at least 10 CFM at a pressure of at least 80 psi. If desired, discharged ¯uid can be recirculated to save energy. To help increase agitation and help break up clumps of food products in the blancher, direct-contact mechanical agitation devices, such as baes, can be used. Such a blancher and method can be used to process food product by blanching, cooking and pasteurizing, is suited for processing relatively heavy food products having a density of at least 55 lbs/ft3 using discharged liquid and gas, and is suited for processing food products having a lesser density using only discharged gas.
6214403 PREPARATION OF BREADING PRODUCT AND BREADED FOODSTUFFS FOR OVENCOOKING Lars Broberg, Jean-Jacques Dasjardins, Pierre Dupart SWITZERLAND assigned to Nestec S.A.
62
Patents / Food Control 13 (2002) 61±67
Breadcrumbs for coating a food are prepared by extrusion-cooking ingredients of a ground cereal, a reducing sugar, a fat, particularly hydrogenated palm oil, and water to obtain an extruded, cooked product which then is ground to obtain a ground particular which is dried to obtain a dried product. The extrusioncooking is carried out a temperature of at least 150 °C and under a pressure of at least 45 bar, and the fat is employed in an amount so that the dried product has a fat content of from 7% to 12% by weight. The breadcrumbs, when coated on a food product, enable obtaining a breadcrumb-coated oven-cooked food product similar to an oven-cooked breadcrumb product without frying of the breadcrumbs or the coated product in oil.
6214404 INCORPORATION OF SUPERSATURATED LACTOSE IN PROCESS CHEESE AND PRODUCT THEREOF Xiao-Qing Han, Joseph E. Spradlin USA assigned to Kraft Foods The present invention discloses a method of preparing a process cheese containing lactose wherein the cheese remains free of lactose crystals. The method includes a step in which a dairy liquid is heated at a temperature, and for a duration in time, that are sucient to inhibit or prevent crystallization of the lactose after formation of the process cheese. The ratio of dairy liquid to cheese is from about 1:1 to about 3:1 by weight. The invention additionally discloses the lactose-containing process cheese stabilized against the formation of lactose crystals, prepared by the process of the invention.
6214406 METHOD OF MAKING AN EXTRUDED INSTANT GRANULAR FOOD PRODUCT Ernst H. Reimerdes SWITZERLAND assigned to Nestec S.A. A process for the production of a free ¯owing and instantly dispersible and/or soluble granular food product, which comprises preparing a mix of an oil or fats and powdery carbohydrates and/or protein rich materials in an extruder, plasticizing the mix in the extruder and forming the mix into granules by extruding the plasticized mix in strands and cutting the strands.
6215112 FOOD AMOUNT DETECTOR OF A MICROWAVE OVEN, A MICROWAVE OVEN EMPLOYING A FOOD AMOUNT DETECTOR AND A CONTROL METHOD THEREOF Chul Kim, Tae-soo Park, Kwang-seok Kang, Won-woo, Lee SOUTH KOREA assigned to Samsung Electronics Company A food amount detector for automatically detecting the amount of a food placed in a cooking chamber of a microwave oven, a microwave oven employing the food amount detector, and control method thereof. Output voltage of a microwave generator is detected while the microwave oven is driven, and the amount of the food placed in the cooking chamber of the microwave oven is determined based on the output voltage such detected. In accordance with the amount of the food such determined, the food is cooked under the appropriate driving conditions of the microwave oven. Accordingly, the user does not need to determine the amount of the food by himself, or set the driving conditions of the microwave oven such as cooking time, level of microwave energy, etc. As a result, the user ®nds it convenient when using this microwave oven, and the food is cooked under the exact driving conditions set by the microwave oven. Further, since the price of the parts are inexpensive, the manufacturing cost is reduced, and manufacturing process is simpli®ed, so that productivity is improved.
6216420 DEVICE FOR HEAT SEALING A TUBE OF PACKAGING SHEET MATERIAL FILLED WITH A POURABLE FOOD PRODUCT Maurizio Mazzetto, Robert Karlsson, Roland Palmqvist SWEDEN assigned to Tetra Laval Holdings and Finance S.A. The device for heat sealing a tube of packaging sheet material ®lled with a pourable food product, has ®rst and second jaws movable towards each other to grip the tube under pressure and heat seal the tube. The ®rst jaw has a heating element having a pair of substantially straight active surfaces, which extend on opposite sides of and parallel to an intermediate plane (). The second jaw has a pair of pressure pads, which are housed in respective seats and cooperate with the active surfaces of the heating element. Each of the pads has a ®rst longitudinal portion supported rigidly in a seat, and a
Patents / Food Control 13 (2002) 61±67
second longitudinal portion supported pliably in the seat and located adjacent to and on the opposite side of the ®rst longitudinal portion with respect to the intermediate plane ().
6217435 PROCESS OF ELIMINATION OF BACTERIA IN SHELLFISH, OF SHUCKING SHELLFISH AND AN APPARATUS THEREFORE
63
prepared, and subjected to shear by passing it through a static mixer under ¯ow-rate conditions selected to disperse the aqueous phase in the oil phase, such that a resulting emulsion has a selected droplet size distribution. Thereafter, the temperature of the resulting emulsion is decreased from the ®rst processing temperature, to a second processing temperature which is below the thermogellation temperature of the carrageenan in the suspension. This results in the formation of polymer gel beads having the immobilized viable cells entrapped therein.
Ernest A. Voisin USA
6217917
The invention relates to a process for eliminating pathogenic organisms from raw food products, such as raw shell®sh, whereby the molluscan shell®sh is exposed to hydrostatic pressure of relatively high value, for example between 20,000 and 50,000 psi for 1±15 min. The process is conducted at ambient temperatures, leaving the raw shell®sh substantially unaected, in its desired raw state, such that the pathogenic organisms are destroyed, while sensory characteristics of the raw shell®sh remain high. The same process can be used for shucking oysters without any mechanical force. A high pressure processor for elimination of bacteria in raw food products is disclosed.
6217916 IMMOBILIZED-CELL CARRAGEENAN BEAD PRODUCTION AND A BREWING PROCESS UTILIZING CARRAGEENAN BEAD IMMOBILIZED YEAST CELLS Ronald James Neufeld, Denis J.C.M. Poncelet, Sylvain D.J.M. Norton FRANCE assigned to Labatt Brewing Company A process for immobilizing viable cells in gelled carrageenan beads comprises preparing an aqueous phase that is a mixture of a gellable concentration of un-gelled carrageenan, in an aqueous suspension of viable cells, in which the mixture's potassium concentration is low enough that the thermogellation temperature of the carrageenan in the suspension is below a temperature to which the viable cells are substantially thermosensitive. This is done at a ®rst processing temperature that exceeds the thermogellation temperature of the carrageenan in that aqueous suspension, but which is below the temperature to which the cells are substantially thermosensitive. A mixture of the aqueous phase and a non-reactive food-grade oil phase is then
METHOD OF PREPARING A DAIRY SPREAD Janos Bodor, Jan Kuiper, Adrianus Marinus Ledeboer, Marinus Theodorus Pleijsier, Jan Cornelis De Smit, Yvon Maria Ijsseldijk, Robert Vreeker THE NETHERLANDS assigned to Lipton, a division of Conopco Dairy spreads, especially fresh cheese, are sensitive for heat treatments. The heat treated products are often grainy, mealy and chalky. The invention relates to a method of producing a dairy spread wherein a cheese milk or cream or a combination thereof is acid coagulated in the presence of a suitable culture, wherein the culture comprises an exopolysaccharide producing lactic acid bacterium capable of reducing the graininess of the heat treated dairy spread.
6217923 METHOD OF FRYING FOOD Ryoichi Saito JAPAN There is provided a fryer, which can restrain an acceleration of oxidation of an oil layer, prevent deterioration of the oil layer caused by fry sediment and carbide and generation of oil smoke, and which is used easily and safely by even a person who is not conversant with timing when drainage should be carried out in accordance with an amount of fried food. The fryer according to this invention comprises a fry vessel 10 containing water and oil therein, and having an oil layer formed on a water layer by a dierence there between in speci®c gravity, heating pipes 14, formed in the fry vessel, for heating the oil layer, cooling pipes 16, formed at the lower portion of the heating pipes in the fry vessel, for cooling a portion of the oil layer formed at the lower portion of each heating pipe, water level
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detecting means 40 for detecting the arrival of a boundary surface between the oil layer and the water oil to a predetermined position of the lower portion of each heating pipe, and oil layer heating control means, connected to the water level detecting means, for stopping the heating of the oil layer due to the heating pipes by the detection of the boundary surface.
6217928 PROCESS OF FREEZING SUSHI, BOILED RICE OR PROCESSED FOOD WITH BOILED RICE AS MAIN COMPONENT Tadaoki Naraumiya, Noboru Mikawa JAPAN assigned to Mayekawa Mfg. Company, Am-Pm-Japan Company A process of freezing sushi, boiled rice or processed food with boiled rice as the main component permits substantially the same quality oered before freezing to be obtained after natural thawing or thawing using an electric oven. When freezing nigiri-sushi at a normal temperature of about 20 °C, the freezer temperature is ®rst reduced from a preliminary cooling temperature of ±10 °C to a temperature of ±30 °C in about 20 min with a temperature gradient of about 1±2°C/min. The freezer temperature is then reduced from ±30 to ±40 °C with a temperature gradient of 1 °C/min or below, preferably about 0.5 °C/min, over a time of 15±25 min, and preferably 15±20 min, until a maximum ice generation temperature range 0±10 °C for the rice part of the sushi, speci®cally ±3 to ±6 °C, is passed.
6220952 SPRAY NOZZLE FOR POULTRY PROCESSING Lucian E. Taylor, Sr., Benjamin B. Taylor USA A spray nozzle provides for the ecient washing or rinsing of the eviscerated body cavity of poultry during processing operations. The nozzle is formed monolithically of a single block of material, such as food grade high density polyurethane plastic or other suitable material. The nozzle body has a single axial passage extending from a threaded attachment end to terminate within the body near the opposite distal end. A series of three ori®ces are provided, with each ori®ce having an elongate opening. The result is an ecient and thorough wash pattern, with the central ori®ce producing a liquid stream disposed generally axially relative to the nozzle,
and the two lateral passages producing generally circumferentially and upwardly disposed spray patterns to wash down essentially the entire body cavity of the poultry and to reduce rejection of poultry due to residual foreign matter remaining within the cavity after evisceration and washing.
6222160 FOOD TRANSPORT CONTAINER WITH INTEGRAL HEATER Matthew S. Remke, Jeanne L. Dahlke-Baumann USA assigned to ATD A heated container for transport of prepared hot food has a combination of an electric heating element with an insulation layer comprising metal foil layers and ®ber layers. The combination of metal foil layers, which spread the heat from the heating element, and the ®ber insulation layers provides an ecient food transport container having suciently low power requirements to enable powering the heater element from an automotive 12 V system while maintaining a food temperature inside the container at about 150 °F.
6223651 APPARATUS FOR SEASONING FOOD Curtis Jay Campbell USA An apparatus for transporting seasoning within a food product and particularly within a meat, ®sh or poultry product is disclosed. The apparatus comprises a handle, a head and a plurality of prongs. Seasoning adheres to the prongs and is transported inside of the food product when the prongs are inserted into the food. In a second embodiment of the apparatus, the prongs are tiered to increase the adhesion of the seasoning to the prongs and thereby transport additional quantities of seasoning into the interior of the food product.
6223894 PACKAGE FOR PACKAGING A FOOD PRODUCT Sylvie Lamaire CANADA assigned to Fempro Package for packing a food product which likely exudes liquids, which comprises a tray and an upper
Patents / Food Control 13 (2002) 61±67
sheet made of a stretchable liquid impermeable material. The upper sheet which is secured all around to the rim of the tray has a central portion devised to receive thereon the food product and a perforated intermediate portion whereby the intermediate portion is inclined when a food product is laid down on the central portion. The package further comprises a liquid absorbent mat disposed under the upper sheet to absorb any liquids exuding from the food product and passing through the perforated intermediate portion.
6223898 QUALITY CONTROL PACKAGING CONTAINER Paul Mallbin, Paolo Benedetti ITALY assigned to Tetra Laval Holdings and Finance S.A. A packaging container or blank therefore, suitable for carrying out quality control of the packaging container or packaging container blank, includes a package or blank having one or more poles for interconnection with electric quality control equipment. The packaged product will be directly or indirectly accessible, whereby both the quality of the packed product and the tightness of the surrounding packaging container may be determined in a rational and partly automated manner. This is of particular importance in the production of aseptic packaging containers for, for instance, ready-made, heat-treated soups or similar foods.
6223944 DEVICE FOR DISPENSING FLOWABLE MATERIAL FROM A FLEXIBLE PACKAGE John P. Gehl, Carol J. Nikolaus, Tim Freeman, David A. Borsheim, Arnold A. Jahn USA A device for sanitary dispensing from a ¯exible package a heated ¯owable material, such as cheese sauce, to be maintained at or above a predetermined temperature level after the package is opened. The dispensing device includes a housing de®ning heated compartment, a heating unit for maintaining the compartment at or above the predetermined temperature level, a package support in the compartment arranged to promote gravity ¯ow of the material and a valve for selectively controlling ¯ow of the material from the package and having a dispensing portion disposed substantially entirely in the compartment or the package
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support. The valve is removably connected to a package outlet and a valve member mounted in a valve body is moved from a closed position to an open position by an operator to discharge cheese sauce through a discharge opening in the housing. A second package of cheese sauce preferably is placed on top of the dispensing package to serve as a weight for promoting gravity ¯ow from the dispensing package and to precondition the second package. In one embodiment, the package support is divided into a dispensing compartment and a preheating compartment which is arranged to hold a package in a con®guration which permits the cheese sauce to be heated to an elevated temperature required by ANSI/NSF standards. The package support preferably is a one piece hopper molded from a synthetic thermoplastic or thermosetting material and packages in the dispensing and preheating compartments are heated by electrical heating elements molded into the hopper walls.
6224476 SHOCK-WAVE FOOD PROCESSING WITH ACOUSTIC CONVERGING WAVE GUIDE John B. Long, Richard A. Ayers USA assigned to Hydrondyne Incorporated Water and meat pieces (P) are pumped through a conduit, the walls of which are made of plastic having an acoustic impedance close to that of water. The conduit is immersed in a tank full of water. A shock wave generator (capacitor discharge through electrodes) creates a shock wave in the water. A preferably tubular wave guide directs the shock pulse onto the conduit. The shock wave passes through the conduit without substantial re¯ection because the impedance of the conduit wall matches the impedance of the water. The shock wave tenderizes and sterilizes the meat. Continual plasma discharges are repeated rapidly enough that all of the meat passing through is treated.
6224914 PROCESS FOR INCORPORATING WHEY PROTEINS INTO CHEESE USING TRANSGLUTAMINASE Xiao-Qing Han, Joseph E. Spradlin USA assigned to Kraft Foods The present invention provides a cheese curd containing a substantial proportion of whey protein products and curded proteins originating from a dairy liquid
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containing casein, as well as a process for making the cheese curd. The process includes the signi®cant step that a dairy liquid forti®ed with whey protein is contacted with a transglutaminase to provide a modi®ed dairy liquid containing whey protein products. The modi®ed dairy liquid is then blended with a second dairy liquid and renneted to provide the curd, whereby a high proportion of whey protein products is retained in the curd. The curd can be used to prepare cheese products, including soft, semi-soft, and hard cheeses, where the cheese products contain a substantial proportion of whey protein products and curded proteins originating from dairy liquids.
A double-layer container equipped with temperature warning device comprises a double-layer container and a temperature sensor device, wherein the temperature sensor device is disposed in a segregated store space formed at the bottom end of the double-layer container for detecting temperature of food or soup loaded in the container. A detected signal is transmitted from a temperature sensor to a microprocessor for judging to lighten a speci®ed LED and meanwhile drive a speaker to play a corresponding song or rhythm for easy discrimination of the temperature range of the food or the soup and thereby to protect a user against being scalded.
6224923
6228355
METHOD OF COATING LONG-KEEPING SAUSAGES AND HARD CHEESES
SYSTEM FOR THE CONTROL OF ENTEROPATHOGENIC BACTERIA IN THE CROPS OF POULTRY
Heinz Stemmler, Jr., Andreas Stemmler GERMANY The present invention relates to a method for coating long-keeping sausages and hard cheese with a composition comprising shellac and polyamide, and to the coated long-keeping sausages and hard cheese obtainable by such method.
6224956 BREATHABLE ABUSE RESISTANT FILM FOR PACKAGING CHEESE Gautam P. Shah USA assigned to Cryovac A polymeric ®lm is provided which comprises a core layer of polyamide and two outer layers of ethylene propylene copolymer, polypropylene, and blends thereof. Coextruded embodiments include intermediate adhesive layers. A preferred embodiment of the multilayer ®lm exhibits a combination of good abuse resistance and oxygen barrier properties, as well as excellent optical properties and shrink properties. The dierential in CO2 transmission and O2 transmission rates makes these ®lms especially useful in cheese packaging applications.
6225908 DOUBLE-LAYER CONTAINER EQUIPPED WITH TEMPERATURE WARNING DEVICE Shu-Finn Lee, Chih-Lun Chen TAIWAN
James A. Byrd, II, Larry H. Stanker, Donald E. Corrier USA assigned to The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of Agriculture The invention provides a method and compositions for controlling food borne enteric bacterial pathogens in poultry populations. The incidence of the colonization of poultry by enteropathogenic bacteria, and/or the populations of enteropathogenic bacteria within colonized poultry, may by substantially reduced by providing particles of an expanded matrix material to the locus or vicinity of the animals, particularly during the period of feed removal prior to slaughter. The method and compositions are particularly useful for the control of Salmonella species, enteropathogenic Escherichia coli, and Campylobacter species.
6228407 SHELF LIFE IN FOOD PRODUCTS John Kepplinger, Bridget Nicole Casey, Karla Kaye Norstrom USA assigned to W.K. Kellogg Institute A method and additive for enhancing the shelf life of food products is disclosed. The additive comprises a combination of a diluent fat with a plant-derived phytosterol to produce a plasticized blend agent. The plasticized blend agent can be incorporated into the formulation for a wide variety of prepared food products without negatively altering the taste characteristics of the food products or the manufacturability of the food product. Incorporation of the plasticized blend
Patents / Food Control 13 (2002) 61±67
agent into the food products provides an enhanced and more stable shelf life for the food product. The plasticized blend agent of the present disclosure oers a naturally derived product that signi®cantly enhances the shelf life of food products, especially baked goods.
6228411 DOUGH PRE-SHEETING SYSTEM AND METHOD Barry F. Wilson USA A dough pre-sheeting system within a food processing system having a receptacle for receiving dough and an extrusion die with an elongated-slot die opening. Dough is pressure fed from the receptacle through the elongated-slot die opening preferably by multiple augers, and emerges from the extrusion die as a continuous sheet having a generally uniform thickness. The continuous sheet of dough is then received by sheeter rollers for further sheeting and thickness reduction. Additionally, a method of pre-sheeting dough utilizes the dough presheeting system described above for extruding a ®rst continuous sheet of dough which is subsequently received by the sheeter rollers for further sheeting.
6228915 COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS FOR REDUCED FOOD ADHESION Cornelis Johannes Lensvelt, Jan Paul Penning, Robert Puyenbroek
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THE NETHERLANDS assigned to General Electric Company The invention relates to compositions and methods for reducing food deposit adhesion to cookware. More speci®cally this invention relates to a resin composition having a glass transition temperature of at least 180 °C containing an amount of at least one additive selected from fatty acid esters, fatty acid amide, anionic surfactant, or a mixture containing at least one of the foregoing to reduce food deposit adhesion on cookware made from the composition. The invention also relates to a method for providing plastic cookware having reduced food deposit adhesion.
6229130 HEATING APPARATUS FOR COOKING Kazuhiro Furuta, Hidenori Kako, Toshio Kakizawa JAPAN assigned to Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba A detection target judgment section in a heating apparatus for cooking judges a type of each detection area. The type is selected in three types of detection areas: a direct detection area where only a target food is detected; a boundary detection area where both a part of the target food and a background are detected simultaneously; and a background detection area where only the background is detected. The heating process control section preciously calculates a temperature of each part in the target food based on the temperature in each of the above detection areas calculated by a temperature calculation section in order to control a thawing and heating process for the target food.