EP3920725A1 - Method and apparatus for the recovery and transformation of a primary food product into a secondary food product and related food product - Google Patents

Method and apparatus for the recovery and transformation of a primary food product into a secondary food product and related food product

Info

Publication number
EP3920725A1
EP3920725A1 EP20707813.0A EP20707813A EP3920725A1 EP 3920725 A1 EP3920725 A1 EP 3920725A1 EP 20707813 A EP20707813 A EP 20707813A EP 3920725 A1 EP3920725 A1 EP 3920725A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
food product
food
leftovers
environment
container
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Pending
Application number
EP20707813.0A
Other languages
German (de)
French (fr)
Inventor
Claudia Maria BALZARETTI
Giovanni FERRAZZI
Vera VENTURA
Marta CASTRICA
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Feed From Food Benefit Srl Soc
Original Assignee
Feed From Food Benefit Srl Soc
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Feed From Food Benefit Srl Soc filed Critical Feed From Food Benefit Srl Soc
Publication of EP3920725A1 publication Critical patent/EP3920725A1/en
Pending legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F26—DRYING
    • F26B—DRYING SOLID MATERIALS OR OBJECTS BY REMOVING LIQUID THEREFROM
    • F26B1/00—Preliminary treatment of solid materials or objects to facilitate drying, e.g. mixing or backmixing the materials to be dried with predominantly dry solids
    • F26B1/005—Preliminary treatment of solid materials or objects to facilitate drying, e.g. mixing or backmixing the materials to be dried with predominantly dry solids by means of disintegrating, e.g. crushing, shredding, milling the materials to be dried
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
    • A23K—FODDER
    • A23K10/00—Animal feeding-stuffs
    • A23K10/20—Animal feeding-stuffs from material of animal origin
    • A23K10/26—Animal feeding-stuffs from material of animal origin from waste material, e.g. feathers, bones or skin
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
    • A23N—MACHINES OR APPARATUS FOR TREATING HARVESTED FRUIT, VEGETABLES OR FLOWER BULBS IN BULK, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; PEELING VEGETABLES OR FRUIT IN BULK; APPARATUS FOR PREPARING ANIMAL FEEDING- STUFFS
    • A23N17/00—Apparatus specially adapted for preparing animal feeding-stuffs
    • A23N17/004—Apparatus specially adapted for preparing animal feeding-stuffs for treating by application of heat, e.g. by means of potato cookers
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
    • A23N—MACHINES OR APPARATUS FOR TREATING HARVESTED FRUIT, VEGETABLES OR FLOWER BULBS IN BULK, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; PEELING VEGETABLES OR FRUIT IN BULK; APPARATUS FOR PREPARING ANIMAL FEEDING- STUFFS
    • A23N17/00—Apparatus specially adapted for preparing animal feeding-stuffs
    • A23N17/005—Apparatus specially adapted for preparing animal feeding-stuffs for shaping by moulding, extrusion, pressing, e.g. pellet-mills
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B09—DISPOSAL OF SOLID WASTE; RECLAMATION OF CONTAMINATED SOIL
    • B09B—DISPOSAL OF SOLID WASTE NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B09B3/00—Destroying solid waste or transforming solid waste into something useful or harmless
    • B09B3/40—Destroying solid waste or transforming solid waste into something useful or harmless involving thermal treatment, e.g. evaporation
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B09—DISPOSAL OF SOLID WASTE; RECLAMATION OF CONTAMINATED SOIL
    • B09B—DISPOSAL OF SOLID WASTE NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B09B3/00—Destroying solid waste or transforming solid waste into something useful or harmless
    • B09B3/40—Destroying solid waste or transforming solid waste into something useful or harmless involving thermal treatment, e.g. evaporation
    • B09B3/45—Steam treatment, e.g. supercritical water gasification or oxidation
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F26—DRYING
    • F26B—DRYING SOLID MATERIALS OR OBJECTS BY REMOVING LIQUID THEREFROM
    • F26B17/00—Machines or apparatus for drying materials in loose, plastic, or fluidised form, e.g. granules, staple fibres, with progressive movement
    • F26B17/18—Machines or apparatus for drying materials in loose, plastic, or fluidised form, e.g. granules, staple fibres, with progressive movement with movement performed by rotating helical blades or other rotary conveyors which may be heated moving materials in stationary chambers, e.g. troughs
    • F26B17/20—Machines or apparatus for drying materials in loose, plastic, or fluidised form, e.g. granules, staple fibres, with progressive movement with movement performed by rotating helical blades or other rotary conveyors which may be heated moving materials in stationary chambers, e.g. troughs the axis of rotation being horizontal or slightly inclined
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F26—DRYING
    • F26B—DRYING SOLID MATERIALS OR OBJECTS BY REMOVING LIQUID THEREFROM
    • F26B25/00—Details of general application not covered by group F26B21/00 or F26B23/00
    • F26B25/22—Controlling the drying process in dependence on liquid content of solid materials or objects
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F26—DRYING
    • F26B—DRYING SOLID MATERIALS OR OBJECTS BY REMOVING LIQUID THEREFROM
    • F26B3/00—Drying solid materials or objects by processes involving the application of heat
    • F26B3/02—Drying solid materials or objects by processes involving the application of heat by convection, i.e. heat being conveyed from a heat source to the materials or objects to be dried by a gas or vapour, e.g. air
    • F26B3/06—Drying solid materials or objects by processes involving the application of heat by convection, i.e. heat being conveyed from a heat source to the materials or objects to be dried by a gas or vapour, e.g. air the gas or vapour flowing through the materials or objects to be dried
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F26—DRYING
    • F26B—DRYING SOLID MATERIALS OR OBJECTS BY REMOVING LIQUID THEREFROM
    • F26B5/00—Drying solid materials or objects by processes not involving the application of heat
    • F26B5/14—Drying solid materials or objects by processes not involving the application of heat by applying pressure, e.g. wringing; by brushing; by wiping

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for the recovery and transformation of a primary food product into a secondary food product and related food product made using this method and apparatus, in particular a high protein content secondary food product, which is highly digestible (with digestibility greater than 80%) and palatable.
  • primary food product means food intended for human consumption.
  • a primary food product may generally comprise both unprocessed edible and/or comestible (substances, mixtures, etc.) and partially or totally processed (e.g. by heat treatment) raw materials.
  • production can be carried out by companies, SMEs and other actors involved in procuring and processing agricultural products to turn them into consumer products.
  • SMEs and other actors involved in procuring and processing agricultural products to turn them into consumer products.
  • the following can be distinguished:
  • the food industry or otherwise called the“processing industry”
  • processing industry consisting of companies that produce food, beverages and consumer goods by processing raw materials.
  • food waste can generally be distinguished in:
  • processing scraps which can be defined as the surplus of food resulting from the processing of raw materials generated by the different sectors of the agro food chain such as: agricultural industry, food industry, large-scale distribution, retail trade and catering,
  • -“food product surpluses” means food surpluses resulting from non-sale by the large-scale distribution and/or retail trade
  • -“administered dish residue” means the food administered that has not been consumed (so-called“leftovers”), originating from the catering industry, and
  • unadministered dish i.e. food sent for distribution, which has not been distributed, from the catering industry.
  • Processing scraps and leftovers can be reused in the food chain if and only if they contain only edible and/or comestible material. Recovery must meet certain requirements by ensuring the absence of crockery/cutlery, used paper towels or soiled with food waste, etc., the latter being classified as“municipal solid waste” and therefore destined for landfill or other management processes.
  • a further recovery option is that whereby the primary product is converted for animal feed, e.g., for feed production.
  • the animal feed is conventionally defined as“secondary food product”.
  • unconsumed primary food products are not reusable for either human or animal consumption, they can be reused in other circuits such as, e.g., composting for energy use or for agronomic, industrial or domestic use.
  • KR20150141090 provides for the recovery of food waste for the production of fuel.
  • the non-recoverable primary food product is sent to landfill and/or burned.
  • US 2015/059594 describes a method for producing secondary food products from primary food products.
  • the primary food product is recovered and transported by means of special transport systems, to avoid contamination, to an industrial plant provided with a sealed pre-processing subsystem to grind and press the waste so as to separate any liquid content.
  • the liquid part is transferred into sealed storage containers, while the waste part is sent to a subsystem for drying. Drying is carried out inside a cylindrical housing provided with an auger that presses and heats the waste to further dehydrate it.
  • a motor and a control device set the rotational speed of the auger in order to produce a secondary food product with a desired humidity content.
  • the secondary product thus produced is then sealed and distributed via a delivery subsystem.
  • a flaw in this method relates to the amount of time taken to transform the waste into a secondary product.
  • the waste is transported by truck to the industrial plant and stored for even several days before it is actually processed, with obvious repercussions on storage.
  • processing made in a separate large plant makes it impossible to use it directly for smaller quantities, such as e.g. those produced in households, restaurants and/or canteens.
  • US 2015/0216223 describes a modular industrial dryer transportable between a material input site for the recovery of food waste intended for the production of feed for large animals or for the production of compost.
  • the dryer has an input capacity between 200 gallons (approximately 760 liters) and 9000 gallons (34,000 liters) and therefore has dimensions unsuitable for use in more restricted environments such as e.g. catering.
  • a relatively long dehydration phase between 8 and 12 hours is necessary to ensure that pathogens cannot develop and thereby preserve the life span of the secondary product thus generated.
  • GB2485014 also describes a modular dryer intended to be placed under the worktop of a kitchen for transforming food waste into animal feed and having preferred dimensions of 300 mm x 500 mm.
  • this solution does not ensure effective dehydration for the production of a secondary product with a high protein content.
  • KR 20130013445 describes an industrial process for drying food waste and mixing them with by-products in order to obtain dehydrated products.
  • WO 2016/015013 An example of production of protein material from alternative sources is that described in WO 2016/015013 wherein a food product is expected to be obtained from a biomass, in particular from algae and microbial organisms.
  • the food product obtained is characterized by a high protein content with organoleptic and olfactory properties that are attractive to a human being thanks to the regulation of the pH of the biomass.
  • this solution can be considered unsustainable as it uses alternative sources for the production of food for humans or animals and therefore does not provide for the recovery of food products before they leave a kitchen.
  • a secondary product is the one sold under the Landlord brand and illustrated in the document XP055604155 (taken from the database www.gnpd.com under the identification number 1589367) which describes a dry dog food with ingredients consisting mainly of cereals, vegetables and vegetable products (vegetable-based), meat, meat by-products, comestible fats and comestible oils with a protein content of about 20% per 100 g. Since, however, the ingredients do not appear to come from processing scraps and/or dishes (consumed or not consumed), it is clear that the protein content value is easily achievable by means of a fine dosage of the ingredients.
  • the Applicant has thought of developing a solution that provides for the recovery of primary product consisting exclusively of edible and/or comestible material in order to produce highly digestible secondary food products with a high protein content and palatable within the same process in a perspective of circular economy and sustainability.
  • the present invention therefore relates to, in its first aspect, a method and apparatus for the recovery and transformation of a primary food product into a secondary food product having structural and functional characteristics such as to meet the aforementioned requirements and at the same time to overcome the drawbacks mentioned above with reference to the prior art.
  • the present invention relates to a compact apparatus for the recovery and transformation of a primary food product into a secondary food product in accordance with claim 9.
  • the present invention relates to a secondary food product with a high protein content, highly digestible and palatable according to claim 11.
  • FIG. 1 represents a functional block diagram of the method for the recovery and transformation of a primary food product into a secondary food product according to the present invention
  • FIG. 2 represents a diagram showing the path of food raw materials, dishes, processing waste and leftovers, preferably within catering flows according to the present invention
  • FIG. 3 represents a diagram of the apparatus according to the invention.
  • the method according to the invention provides first of all that inside a first environment A, preferably a kitchen center, a dish 3 intended for human consumption is prepared and the latter is prepared from one or more edible raw materials 2.
  • one or more kitchen waste 4 are produced and intended to be placed in a waste container 9 for subsequent transfer thereof to an apparatus 1, as will be specified in detail later in this description.
  • Each dish 3 prepared in kitchen center A is preferably served in a special compartmentalized platter 5 which may be fitted with a removable sealing film or lid. Of course, alternative embodiments in which the dish 3 is served in plates or other containers cannot be ruled out.
  • the dish 3 prepared in the kitchen center A is transferred to a second environment B, such as a dining room, for human consumption.
  • the first environment A and the second environment B are not part of the same building.
  • the first environment A and the second environment B are part of the same building.
  • the first environment A and the second environment B are contiguous environments. Even more preferably, the distance between the first environment A and the second environment B is less than 50 meters.
  • one of the objectives of the present invention is to simplify logistics by transforming the primary product into a secondary product preferably in close proximity to the place where the dish is served.
  • a first scenario is where the dish 3 has been completely consumed with no leftovers.
  • a second scenario can involve that the dish 3 is at least partially consumed, with the presence of leftovers 6.
  • a third scenario is where the dish 3 is not administered.
  • the leftovers 6 are intended for collection by skilled personnel who visually check for the presence of non-edible material and only pour the edible content, and therefore the leftovers 6, into heat-sealable trays 7 or into another closed and closable container.
  • the trays 7 can be provided with identification marks, such as bar codes, matrix codes, QR codes, etc., for traceability.
  • each container 8 may comprise a plurality of compartments within it to directly receive the trays 5 with the leftovers 6 or the unadministered dishes 3.
  • the container 8 at a time tl, is hermetically sealed in order to maintain a controlled temperature inside and is then transferred to the kitchen center A.
  • the container 8 is opened (at time t2) and emptied of the unadministered dishes 3 and/or of the leftovers 6 intended to be placed inside the apparatus 1 in accordance with the present invention and described below.
  • the leftovers 6 are placed in the apparatus 1 within a period t2 - tl of approximately 120 minutes from the closing of the container 8 in the second environment B to maintain unchanged the hygienic/health profile and organoleptic properties of the primary food product.
  • the processing scraps 4 must also be placed in the apparatus 1 within a predetermined time. In this regard, it is possible to keep the scraps 4 in isothermal scraps containers 9 arranged in the kitchen center A.
  • the period between the closing of the container 9 and the insertion of the processing scraps 4 into the apparatus is less than approximately 120 minutes.
  • the refrigeration phase can be carried out after opening the container 8, 9 and preferably before the period t2 - tl exceeds 120 minutes.
  • the processing scraps 4 and/or the leftovers 6 are no longer recoverable and are sent for disposal as waste or sent to one or more landfill sites C.
  • the processing scraps 4 and the leftovers 6, before being introduced into the apparatus 1, contain a predetermined amount of humidity which must be at least partially removed in order to make a secondary food product with microbiological and organoleptic characteristics suitable for animal consumption.
  • the apparatus 1 for the recovery and transformation of a primary food product into a secondary food product is essentially made up of four main modules, in this case: a feeding/grinding module 100, a forward movement module 200, a drying module 300 and an output module 400.
  • the first module 100 comprises a loading hopper 110 to receive the leftovers 6 of unconsumed primary food product and/or kitchen scraps 4.
  • the leftovers 6 and the kitchen scraps 4 form the input product for the apparatus 1 which, in the rest of the present description, will be identified as food pulp 4,6.
  • the food pulp 4,6 entering the hopper 110 has a humidity content generally greater than 70%.
  • a grinder 120 is located downstream of the hopper 110 in order to fragment the food pulp 4,6 before it reaches the drying module 300.
  • the grinder 120 can comprise a blade/knife or gear cutting system (not shown) to grind the food pulp 4,6 in order to make it as granular and homogeneous as possible.
  • the auger 220 In order to move the humid food pulp 4,6 forward towards the drying module 300, between the latter and the first module 100 is an auger 220 provided with respective spiral 221 rotating inside a cylindrical duct 230 and moved by appropriate motorized means (not shown).
  • the loading hopper 110 is in fluid communication with the drying module 300 via the cylindrical duct 230.
  • the auger 220 can provide for a variable decreasing pitch of the spiral 221 towards the module 300 in order to compress the humid food pulp 4,6, facilitate dehydration and therefore the exit of any liquid food components.
  • the lower part of the cylindrical duct 230 can be provided with holes, thus acting as a filter for the exit of food liquid through one or more pipes 231.
  • the forward movement module 200 can comprise one or more humidity sensors 240 arranged at the end portion of the cylindrical duct 230 towards the module 300 in order to measure the humidity value of the food pulp 4,6 inside the cylindrical duct 230.
  • the duct 230 and the drying module 300 there is a hydraulic valve 250 which can be opened once the predetermined humidity level of the food pulp 4,6 inside the duct 230 has been reached.
  • the desired humidity level of the food pulp 4,6 before reaching the drying module 300 is substantially 70%.
  • the sensor 240 sends a signal to an electronic control unit (not shown) which permits opening the valve 250 and thus the forward movement of the food pulp 4,6 now partially dehydrated towards the drying module 300.
  • the ground food pulp 4,6 is mostly granular in shape. It is conveyed towards the drying module 300 provided with a conditioning unit 310 designed to introduce drying flows (e.g. hot air, hot gas, steam, etc.) towards the food pulp 4,6 in order to dry /dehydrate it.
  • a ventilation unit 320 in fluid communication by means of the duct 321 with the conditioning unit 310 to send the drying flow if necessary heated by a heater 322.
  • the heater 322 is regulated so that the drying flow enters the conditioning unit 310 at a preferred temperature of about 120° C. If the humidity value is too high or in the case of particular types of food pulp to be processed, it is possible to increase the drying flow temperature level even as high as 350°C.
  • the Applicant has measured that the evaporation capacity of the liquids is about 15 kg liquid/hour for the food pulp 4,6 present in the module 300.
  • heating means 311 which may comprise, for example, one or more heating elements installed inside the unit 310.
  • the conditioning unit 310 may also comprise one or more humidity sensors 312 to measure the humidity value of the food pulp 4,6.
  • the sensor 312 sends a signal to the electronic control unit to open the valve 330 and thereby enable the forward movement of the dried food pulp 4,6 towards the output module 400.
  • the dried food pulp 4,6 mainly has a granular/powdered form.
  • the drying module 300 also comprises a filtration unit 340 associated with the conditioning unit 310 and arranged downstream of the ventilation unit 320 to make it possible to filter any additional food liquid following the drying process carried out in the module 300.
  • a filtration unit 340 associated with the conditioning unit 310 and arranged downstream of the ventilation unit 320 to make it possible to filter any additional food liquid following the drying process carried out in the module 300.
  • the conditioning unit 310 comprises one or more openings to allow the humidity removed from the food pulp 4,6 to evaporate towards the outside.
  • the time the food pulp 4,6 remains inside the module 300 is approximately between 10 and 30 seconds.
  • the latter may comprise an auger 410 provided with a respective spiral 411 rotating inside a cylindrical duct 420 and driven by appropriate motorized means (not shown) to make the food pulp 4,6 now in powder/granules and dried, move forward towards an output hopper 430.
  • the grain size of the food pulp 4,6 exiting the apparatus 1 has a value between 2 mm and 50 mm, preferably 25 mm.
  • the feeding/grinding modules 100, the forward movement module 200, the drying module 300 and the output module 400 are housed inside a cabinet/casing (not shown).
  • the cabinet can comprise a frame structure resting on or fixed to the ground, substantially parallelepiped.
  • the frame structure can be accessible from the outside by means of one or more doors hinged to the frame, the latter being openable and closable according to the needs of qualified technical personnel.
  • the cabinet can also have one or more openings for the insertion of the food pulp and for the exit of the secondary product.
  • the cabinet is provided with wheels fixed at the bottom so that it can be easily and conveniently transported.
  • the frame structure has a height between 150 and 250 cm, preferably 200 cm, a length between 150 and 250 cm, preferably 200 cm, and a depth between 50 and 150 cm, preferably 100 cm. This way it is possible to guarantee the compactness of the apparatus which allows simple and quick installations directly inside the kitchen centers A and easy passages between the different rooms and between the doors.
  • the apparatus 1 thanks to the reduced dimensions of the apparatus 1 and the low power consumption (about 9-10 kW), in accordance with the invention, it can be supplied with low voltage, thus making possible immediate connection to the domestic power mains without having to modify the existing systems in common kitchen centers.
  • the dried food pulp coming out of the apparatus 1 is thus transformed into a secondary food product and is preferably suitable for animal feed.
  • the Applicant has carried out various tests and laboratory analyses which have made it possible to determine the chemical-nutritional and microbiological values of the secondary food product made using the method and the apparatus according to the present invention.
  • a high nutritional quality has been ascertained of the secondary transformed product and according to standard from the hygienic- sanitary point of view, which can be used for animal feed, in particular for pets (so-called“pet food”).
  • the first sampling furthermore determined the nutritional chemical values indicated in table 2.
  • the Applicant has further carried out various tests and laboratory analyses to determine the average protein content of the secondary food product manufactured according to the origin of the primary food product to be transformed.
  • the edible and/or comestible raw material usable for transformation can come from any one of the following sectors of the agro-food chain: primary production, processing industry, large-scale distribution, catering.
  • the tests have determined the values indicated in table 5.
  • the secondary food product thus produced comes from the transformation of a primary food product whose main characteristics can be summari ed below:
  • the secondary foodstuff Preferably, several tests have determined an average protein content of the secondary foodstuff between 15 % and 40 %, preferably around 20 % by weight out of total weight in the case of the transformation of primary products coming from large-scale distribution and/or catering.
  • the secondary food product in accordance with the invention is made up mainly of elements in the form of granules. This way, it is possible, through appropriate further processing, to produce a secondary food product of the “snack” type.
  • Snacks may also have particular shapes that are more suitable for consumption by pets (such as dogs or cats), such as oblong shapes in the form of a“bone”.
  • the secondary food product thus obtained is characterized by a high degree of sustainability, due to the fact that production is based on the valorization of a raw material otherwise destined to be sent to landfill, with obvious consequences in terms of creating waste and costs related to its disposal. Furthermore, the raw material is preferably sourced from school canteens, so it is subject to careful planning in terms of nutritional profiles and strict controls to maintain a very high level of hygiene and health protection.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Polymers & Plastics (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Food Science & Technology (AREA)
  • Molecular Biology (AREA)
  • Environmental & Geological Engineering (AREA)
  • Thermal Sciences (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Biomedical Technology (AREA)
  • Biotechnology (AREA)
  • Physiology (AREA)
  • Animal Husbandry (AREA)
  • Zoology (AREA)
  • Microbiology (AREA)
  • Processing Of Solid Wastes (AREA)
  • General Preparation And Processing Of Foods (AREA)

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for the recovery and transformation of a primary food product into a secondary food product, wherein said primary food product only comprises edible and/or comestible raw material (2), potentially coming from different sectors of the agro-food chain. The method preferably comprises the steps of preparing in a first environment (A) a dish (3), sending the dish (3) to a second environment (B) separated from the first environment (A) to be designed for human consumption, inserting any leftovers (6) of the dish (3) in a leftovers container (8), closing the leftovers container (8), sending the leftovers container (8) from the second environment (B) to the first environment (A), opening the leftovers container (8) in the first environment (A), grinding and dehydrating the leftovers (6) in order to produce a secondary dried food product in granules having a humidity content equal to or less than 12% by weight out of the total weight.

Description

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR THE RECOVERY AND TRANSFORMATION OF A PRIMARY FOOD PRODUCT INTO A SECONDARY FOOD PRODUCT AND RELATED FOOD PRODUCT
Technical Field
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for the recovery and transformation of a primary food product into a secondary food product and related food product made using this method and apparatus, in particular a high protein content secondary food product, which is highly digestible (with digestibility greater than 80%) and palatable.
Background Art
In the remainder of this description and subsequent claims, “primary food product” means food intended for human consumption.
A primary food product may generally comprise both unprocessed edible and/or comestible (substances, mixtures, etc.) and partially or totally processed (e.g. by heat treatment) raw materials.
Within the agro-food chain, a distinction should also be made between the actors involved in the production and distribution of primary food products for consumption.
For example, within Italy, production can be carried out by companies, SMEs and other actors involved in procuring and processing agricultural products to turn them into consumer products. In particular, the following can be distinguished:
- the agricultural industry (or otherwise called“primary production”), whose protagonists are those companied dedicated to the capture or breeding of animals, agricultural production, forestry, animal husbandry, fishing and aquaculture;
- the food industry (or otherwise called the“processing industry”), consisting of companies that produce food, beverages and consumer goods by processing raw materials.
By contrast, distribution is carried out by actors involved in the distribution and marketing of ready-to-eat primary food products. In this context and in this phase, the following operate:
- bodies of the Large-Scale Distribution and retailers such as wholesale players, department stores and markets, as well as greengrocers, door-to-door salespersons, butchers and small food shops;
- companies operating in catering and hotel reception: hotels, restaurants, canteens, etc. which further process the raw materials to deliver to consumers ready-to-eat meals on site or at home.
Those just listed are basically the two main phases, production and distribution, of the food chain and the actors that directly influence them. In addition to these operators, however, there may be others who act in a less direct way, and for this reason they can be defined as external or secondary actors. Some examples comprise companies that produce fertilizers, additives, and those that supply water and electricity, or machinery used in the production and processing of food. At different stages of the food chain, different types of food waste can be generated. In the catering industry, food preparation usually takes place in kitchens used to process raw materials to produce dishes to be served on the basis of numerous and different recipes. Once the dish is served, it may be completely consumed or partially consumed. In this context, the dishes not consumed are catalogued, by special regulations issued by the governments of each state, as “food wastes” based also on the final destination of the waste itself.
In this case, food waste can generally be distinguished in:
-“processing scraps”, which can be defined as the surplus of food resulting from the processing of raw materials generated by the different sectors of the agro food chain such as: agricultural industry, food industry, large-scale distribution, retail trade and catering,
-“food product surpluses” means food surpluses resulting from non-sale by the large-scale distribution and/or retail trade,
-“administered dish residue” means the food administered that has not been consumed (so-called“leftovers”), originating from the catering industry, and
- “unadministered dish”, i.e. food sent for distribution, which has not been distributed, from the catering industry.
There are many possibilities for the recovery of a primary food product.
Processing scraps and leftovers can be reused in the food chain if and only if they contain only edible and/or comestible material. Recovery must meet certain requirements by ensuring the absence of crockery/cutlery, used paper towels or soiled with food waste, etc., the latter being classified as“municipal solid waste” and therefore destined for landfill or other management processes.
Otherwise, food product surpluses and unadministered dishes may be re-used for human consumption through, e.g., charity or benevolent organizations which, through special collection processes, allow the recovery of unadministered dishes for humanitarian purposes. Such collection systems must meet certain hygiene requirements and are generally standardized, for example, in accordance with the Hygiene Package regulations (EC), identified in a non-exhaustive manner with numbers 178/2002, 852/2004, 853/2004 and 854/2004. Collection usually takes place within the kitchen center for subsequent distribution of the food to different destinations.
A further recovery option is that whereby the primary product is converted for animal feed, e.g., for feed production. In this case, the animal feed is conventionally defined as“secondary food product”.
On the other hand, where unconsumed primary food products are not reusable for either human or animal consumption, they can be reused in other circuits such as, e.g., composting for energy use or for agronomic, industrial or domestic use.
An example of such recovery is described in the publication SOTIROPOULOS ET AL titled“Dehydration of Domestic Food Waste at Source as an Alternative Approach for Food Waste Management” wherein reference is made to a household dryer designed to remove humidity from food waste in order to prevent the biological decomposition of the food, avoid unwanted odors, facilitate and reduce the frequency of waste collection. Nevertheless, the product produced would be impossible to use as a by-product as the protein value would be extremely low.
A further example is that described in KR20150141090 which provides for the recovery of food waste for the production of fuel.
Finally, if no type of recovery is possible, for example due to exceeding the maximum recovery times and/or due to the presence, as mentioned above, of non- edible and/or comestible material, the non-recoverable primary food product is sent to landfill and/or burned.
Several attempts have been made with the aim of transforming primary food products into secondary food products through sustainable solutions. In the food sector, so-called“sustainable solutions” are characterized by the fact that they make efficient use of available resources both from an environmental and energy and/or economic point of view, e.g. by means of recovering food before it is sent to landfill.
US 2015/059594, for example, describes a method for producing secondary food products from primary food products. In this case, the primary food product is recovered and transported by means of special transport systems, to avoid contamination, to an industrial plant provided with a sealed pre-processing subsystem to grind and press the waste so as to separate any liquid content. The liquid part is transferred into sealed storage containers, while the waste part is sent to a subsystem for drying. Drying is carried out inside a cylindrical housing provided with an auger that presses and heats the waste to further dehydrate it. Finally, a motor and a control device set the rotational speed of the auger in order to produce a secondary food product with a desired humidity content. The secondary product thus produced is then sealed and distributed via a delivery subsystem.
A flaw in this method relates to the amount of time taken to transform the waste into a secondary product. In fact, after being collected, the waste is transported by truck to the industrial plant and stored for even several days before it is actually processed, with obvious repercussions on storage. Finally, it should be noted that processing made in a separate large plant makes it impossible to use it directly for smaller quantities, such as e.g. those produced in households, restaurants and/or canteens.
US 2015/0216223 describes a modular industrial dryer transportable between a material input site for the recovery of food waste intended for the production of feed for large animals or for the production of compost. The dryer has an input capacity between 200 gallons (approximately 760 liters) and 9000 gallons (34,000 liters) and therefore has dimensions unsuitable for use in more restricted environments such as e.g. catering. To bring the product to a desired humidity level of 10%, however, a relatively long dehydration phase (between 8 and 12 hours) is necessary to ensure that pathogens cannot develop and thereby preserve the life span of the secondary product thus generated.
GB2485014 also describes a modular dryer intended to be placed under the worktop of a kitchen for transforming food waste into animal feed and having preferred dimensions of 300 mm x 500 mm. However, this solution does not ensure effective dehydration for the production of a secondary product with a high protein content.
KR 20130013445 describes an industrial process for drying food waste and mixing them with by-products in order to obtain dehydrated products.
Furthermore, the Applicant has observed that the intensification of agriculture to meet animal requirements for the resulting protein production from meat is extremely inefficient from an animal husbandry point of view and as a result, over the years, research into protein production from alternative sources to animal sources is being increasingly developed.
An example of production of protein material from alternative sources is that described in WO 2016/015013 wherein a food product is expected to be obtained from a biomass, in particular from algae and microbial organisms. The food product obtained is characterized by a high protein content with organoleptic and olfactory properties that are attractive to a human being thanks to the regulation of the pH of the biomass. However, this solution can be considered unsustainable as it uses alternative sources for the production of food for humans or animals and therefore does not provide for the recovery of food products before they leave a kitchen.
The Applicant has noted that several solutions also exist for transforming primary food products into secondary products outside the environment where the food product is processed. Generally, however, the transformation takes place through the recovery of municipal solid waste by filtering/screening of any non edible/comestible parts. The secondary product thus produced can have an enormous impact on overall animal health if the filtering/screening process does not meet extremely high quality requirements.
An example of a secondary product is the one sold under the Landlord brand and illustrated in the document XP055604155 (taken from the database www.gnpd.com under the identification number 1589367) which describes a dry dog food with ingredients consisting mainly of cereals, vegetables and vegetable products (vegetable-based), meat, meat by-products, comestible fats and comestible oils with a protein content of about 20% per 100 g. Since, however, the ingredients do not appear to come from processing scraps and/or dishes (consumed or not consumed), it is clear that the protein content value is easily achievable by means of a fine dosage of the ingredients.
Description of the Invention
In view of the problems identified above in the state of the art, the Applicant felt the need to carry out the sustainable transformation of primary food products into secondary ones within the same building where the food product is processed by means of an extremely compact apparatus which allows speeding up the conversion times, making the logistics more efficient and keeping the overall processing costs as low as possible.
In addition, the Applicant has thought of developing a solution that provides for the recovery of primary product consisting exclusively of edible and/or comestible material in order to produce highly digestible secondary food products with a high protein content and palatable within the same process in a perspective of circular economy and sustainability.
The present invention therefore relates to, in its first aspect, a method and apparatus for the recovery and transformation of a primary food product into a secondary food product having structural and functional characteristics such as to meet the aforementioned requirements and at the same time to overcome the drawbacks mentioned above with reference to the prior art.
This object is achieved by a method for the recovery and transformation of a primary food product into a secondary food product in accordance with claim 1. According to a further aspect, the present invention relates to a compact apparatus for the recovery and transformation of a primary food product into a secondary food product in accordance with claim 9.
Yet according to a further aspect, the present invention relates to a secondary food product with a high protein content, highly digestible and palatable according to claim 11.
Brief Description of the Drawings
Further characteristics and advantages of the method, of the apparatus for the recovery and transformation of a primary food product into a secondary food product and of food product made according to the present invention will be more evident from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, such description being given merely by way of example, without being limited thereto, with reference to the attached drawings, wherein:
- Figure 1 represents a functional block diagram of the method for the recovery and transformation of a primary food product into a secondary food product according to the present invention,
- Figure 2 represents a diagram showing the path of food raw materials, dishes, processing waste and leftovers, preferably within catering flows according to the present invention,
- Figure 3 represents a diagram of the apparatus according to the invention. Embodiments of the Invention
With reference to the attached figures, the method according to the invention provides first of all that inside a first environment A, preferably a kitchen center, a dish 3 intended for human consumption is prepared and the latter is prepared from one or more edible raw materials 2.
During the preparation of a dish 3, one or more kitchen waste 4 are produced and intended to be placed in a waste container 9 for subsequent transfer thereof to an apparatus 1, as will be specified in detail later in this description.
Each dish 3 prepared in kitchen center A is preferably served in a special compartmentalized platter 5 which may be fitted with a removable sealing film or lid. Of course, alternative embodiments in which the dish 3 is served in plates or other containers cannot be ruled out. The dish 3 prepared in the kitchen center A is transferred to a second environment B, such as a dining room, for human consumption.
In accordance with a preferred version, the first environment A and the second environment B are not part of the same building.
According to an alternative version, the first environment A and the second environment B are part of the same building. Preferably, the first environment A and the second environment B are contiguous environments. Even more preferably, the distance between the first environment A and the second environment B is less than 50 meters. In essence, one of the objectives of the present invention is to simplify logistics by transforming the primary product into a secondary product preferably in close proximity to the place where the dish is served.
When the dish 3 has reached the dining room B, different scenarios are possible. A first scenario is where the dish 3 has been completely consumed with no leftovers. A second scenario can involve that the dish 3 is at least partially consumed, with the presence of leftovers 6. A third scenario is where the dish 3 is not administered.
The leftovers 6 are intended for collection by skilled personnel who visually check for the presence of non-edible material and only pour the edible content, and therefore the leftovers 6, into heat-sealable trays 7 or into another closed and closable container.
The trays 7 can be provided with identification marks, such as bar codes, matrix codes, QR codes, etc., for traceability.
Preferably, the trays 7 are housed in special isothermal leftovers containers 8 provided with lid or door for hermetic closure. According to one version, each container 8 may comprise a plurality of compartments within it to directly receive the trays 5 with the leftovers 6 or the unadministered dishes 3.
As shown in the example in Figure 1, the container 8, at a time tl, is hermetically sealed in order to maintain a controlled temperature inside and is then transferred to the kitchen center A.
In the kitchen center A, the container 8 is opened (at time t2) and emptied of the unadministered dishes 3 and/or of the leftovers 6 intended to be placed inside the apparatus 1 in accordance with the present invention and described below.
It should also be specified that the leftovers 6 are placed in the apparatus 1 within a period t2 - tl of approximately 120 minutes from the closing of the container 8 in the second environment B to maintain unchanged the hygienic/health profile and organoleptic properties of the primary food product. Similarly, the processing scraps 4 must also be placed in the apparatus 1 within a predetermined time. In this regard, it is possible to keep the scraps 4 in isothermal scraps containers 9 arranged in the kitchen center A. Preferably, the period between the closing of the container 9 and the insertion of the processing scraps 4 into the apparatus is less than approximately 120 minutes.
In accordance with one version, it is possible to envisage a refrigeration phase of the processing scraps 4 and/or of the leftovers 6. The refrigeration phase can be carried out after opening the container 8, 9 and preferably before the period t2 - tl exceeds 120 minutes.
If the period t2 - tl is longer than 120 minutes, the processing scraps 4 and/or the leftovers 6 are no longer recoverable and are sent for disposal as waste or sent to one or more landfill sites C.
It should be noted that, as a general rule, the processing scraps 4 and the leftovers 6, before being introduced into the apparatus 1, contain a predetermined amount of humidity which must be at least partially removed in order to make a secondary food product with microbiological and organoleptic characteristics suitable for animal consumption.
As shown in the example in Figure 3, the apparatus 1 for the recovery and transformation of a primary food product into a secondary food product is essentially made up of four main modules, in this case: a feeding/grinding module 100, a forward movement module 200, a drying module 300 and an output module 400.
The first module 100 comprises a loading hopper 110 to receive the leftovers 6 of unconsumed primary food product and/or kitchen scraps 4. The leftovers 6 and the kitchen scraps 4 form the input product for the apparatus 1 which, in the rest of the present description, will be identified as food pulp 4,6.
The food pulp 4,6 entering the hopper 110 has a humidity content generally greater than 70%.
A grinder 120 is located downstream of the hopper 110 in order to fragment the food pulp 4,6 before it reaches the drying module 300. The grinder 120 can comprise a blade/knife or gear cutting system (not shown) to grind the food pulp 4,6 in order to make it as granular and homogeneous as possible.
In order to move the humid food pulp 4,6 forward towards the drying module 300, between the latter and the first module 100 is an auger 220 provided with respective spiral 221 rotating inside a cylindrical duct 230 and moved by appropriate motorized means (not shown). This way, the loading hopper 110 is in fluid communication with the drying module 300 via the cylindrical duct 230. Advantageously, the auger 220 can provide for a variable decreasing pitch of the spiral 221 towards the module 300 in order to compress the humid food pulp 4,6, facilitate dehydration and therefore the exit of any liquid food components. For this purpose, the lower part of the cylindrical duct 230 can be provided with holes, thus acting as a filter for the exit of food liquid through one or more pipes 231. Preferably, the forward movement module 200 can comprise one or more humidity sensors 240 arranged at the end portion of the cylindrical duct 230 towards the module 300 in order to measure the humidity value of the food pulp 4,6 inside the cylindrical duct 230.
It should be noted that between the duct 230 and the drying module 300 there is a hydraulic valve 250 which can be opened once the predetermined humidity level of the food pulp 4,6 inside the duct 230 has been reached. Preferably, the desired humidity level of the food pulp 4,6 before reaching the drying module 300 is substantially 70%. In practice, when the moist food pulp has reached a humidity value of about 70%, the sensor 240 sends a signal to an electronic control unit (not shown) which permits opening the valve 250 and thus the forward movement of the food pulp 4,6 now partially dehydrated towards the drying module 300.
At the outlet of the grinder 120, the ground food pulp 4,6 is mostly granular in shape. It is conveyed towards the drying module 300 provided with a conditioning unit 310 designed to introduce drying flows (e.g. hot air, hot gas, steam, etc.) towards the food pulp 4,6 in order to dry /dehydrate it. In this context, the system according to the invention envisages the presence of a ventilation unit 320 in fluid communication by means of the duct 321 with the conditioning unit 310 to send the drying flow if necessary heated by a heater 322. Preferably, the heater 322 is regulated so that the drying flow enters the conditioning unit 310 at a preferred temperature of about 120° C. If the humidity value is too high or in the case of particular types of food pulp to be processed, it is possible to increase the drying flow temperature level even as high as 350°C.
Through various tests, the Applicant has measured that the evaporation capacity of the liquids is about 15 kg liquid/hour for the food pulp 4,6 present in the module 300.
Usefully, to speed up the drying level of the food pulp 4,6 in the conditioning unit 310, the presence of heating means 311 is envisaged, which may comprise, for example, one or more heating elements installed inside the unit 310.
Preferably, the conditioning unit 310 may also comprise one or more humidity sensors 312 to measure the humidity value of the food pulp 4,6. In particular, when the food pulp 4,6 has reached a humidity value comprised between about 2% and 15%, preferably about 12%, the sensor 312 sends a signal to the electronic control unit to open the valve 330 and thereby enable the forward movement of the dried food pulp 4,6 towards the output module 400. At the output of the conditioning unit 310, the dried food pulp 4,6 mainly has a granular/powdered form.
Preferably, the drying module 300 also comprises a filtration unit 340 associated with the conditioning unit 310 and arranged downstream of the ventilation unit 320 to make it possible to filter any additional food liquid following the drying process carried out in the module 300.
In one embodiment, the conditioning unit 310 comprises one or more openings to allow the humidity removed from the food pulp 4,6 to evaporate towards the outside. Advantageously, the time the food pulp 4,6 remains inside the module 300 is approximately between 10 and 30 seconds.
Once the food pulp 4,6 is dried according to preferred values, it is transferred to the output module 400. The latter may comprise an auger 410 provided with a respective spiral 411 rotating inside a cylindrical duct 420 and driven by appropriate motorized means (not shown) to make the food pulp 4,6 now in powder/granules and dried, move forward towards an output hopper 430.
Preferably, the grain size of the food pulp 4,6 exiting the apparatus 1 has a value between 2 mm and 50 mm, preferably 25 mm.
Advantageously, the feeding/grinding modules 100, the forward movement module 200, the drying module 300 and the output module 400 are housed inside a cabinet/casing (not shown). The cabinet can comprise a frame structure resting on or fixed to the ground, substantially parallelepiped. The frame structure can be accessible from the outside by means of one or more doors hinged to the frame, the latter being openable and closable according to the needs of qualified technical personnel. The cabinet can also have one or more openings for the insertion of the food pulp and for the exit of the secondary product. In one version, the cabinet is provided with wheels fixed at the bottom so that it can be easily and conveniently transported.
Preferably, the frame structure has a height between 150 and 250 cm, preferably 200 cm, a length between 150 and 250 cm, preferably 200 cm, and a depth between 50 and 150 cm, preferably 100 cm. This way it is possible to guarantee the compactness of the apparatus which allows simple and quick installations directly inside the kitchen centers A and easy passages between the different rooms and between the doors.
Moreover, thanks to the reduced dimensions of the apparatus 1 and the low power consumption (about 9-10 kW), in accordance with the invention, it can be supplied with low voltage, thus making possible immediate connection to the domestic power mains without having to modify the existing systems in common kitchen centers.
The dried food pulp coming out of the apparatus 1 is thus transformed into a secondary food product and is preferably suitable for animal feed. In fact, the Applicant has carried out various tests and laboratory analyses which have made it possible to determine the chemical-nutritional and microbiological values of the secondary food product made using the method and the apparatus according to the present invention. In particular, a high nutritional quality has been ascertained of the secondary transformed product and according to standard from the hygienic- sanitary point of view, which can be used for animal feed, in particular for pets (so-called“pet food”).
In a first sampling the microbiological analyses have determined the values indicated in table 1.
Table 1
The first sampling furthermore determined the nutritional chemical values indicated in table 2.
Table 2
In a second sampling the microbiological and nutritional analyses have determined the values indicated in table 3 and 4 respectively.
Table 3
Table 4
The Applicant has further carried out various tests and laboratory analyses to determine the average protein content of the secondary food product manufactured according to the origin of the primary food product to be transformed. In fact, the edible and/or comestible raw material usable for transformation can come from any one of the following sectors of the agro-food chain: primary production, processing industry, large-scale distribution, catering. The tests have determined the values indicated in table 5.
Table 5
Advantageously, the secondary food product thus produced comes from the transformation of a primary food product whose main characteristics can be summari ed below:
- humidity content less than or equal to 12%, preferably about 6% by weight out of the total weight,
- average protein content between 0.80 and 80 %, depending on the origin of the raw material/primary product (see table 5),
- pH between 4 and 5, preferably about 4.2,
- grain size between 2 mm and 50 mm, preferably 25 mm,
- compliant as regards absence of pathogens,
- compliant as regards at least partial absence of non-pathogenic microorganisms. Preferably, several tests have determined an average protein content of the secondary foodstuff between 15 % and 40 %, preferably around 20 % by weight out of total weight in the case of the transformation of primary products coming from large-scale distribution and/or catering.
Usefully, the secondary food product in accordance with the invention is made up mainly of elements in the form of granules. This way, it is possible, through appropriate further processing, to produce a secondary food product of the “snack” type.
Snacks may also have particular shapes that are more suitable for consumption by pets (such as dogs or cats), such as oblong shapes in the form of a“bone”.
As can be seen from the present description, it has been ascertained how the described invention achieves the intended objects and in particular the fact is underlined that one of the main characterizing elements of this solution is the creation of a new supply chain, which does not exist today and which allows the revalorization of primary food products otherwise destined to become waste.
The secondary food product thus obtained is characterized by a high degree of sustainability, due to the fact that production is based on the valorization of a raw material otherwise destined to be sent to landfill, with obvious consequences in terms of creating waste and costs related to its disposal. Furthermore, the raw material is preferably sourced from school canteens, so it is subject to careful planning in terms of nutritional profiles and strict controls to maintain a very high level of hygiene and health protection.
Finally, thanks to the compactness of the apparatus for transforming the primary food product into a secondary one, as described above, it is possible to install such apparatus in catering and/or large-scale distribution kitchen centers, comprising of reduced size, avoiding expensive movements of food, leftovers and waste with highly optimized transport logics.
The problems which the invention aims to solve are multiple:
- savings in food waste disposal costs borne by the bodies producing the waste,
- low-cost production of animal feed with high palatability and digestibility characteristics,
- reuse of primary food products which, if left untreated, become waste, with consequent energy savings,
- saving of land and other costs for the production of animal feed. The embodiments of the method and apparatus described above are potentially endless and obviously an expert in the sector, in order to meet contingent and specific needs, can make numerous changes and variations, all of which are in any case contained within the scope of protection of the invention, as defined by the following claims.

Claims

1) Method for the recovery and transformation of a primary food product into a secondary food product, comprising the steps of:
preparing in a first environment (A) a dish (3) only made up of edible and/or comestible raw material (2),
sending said dish (3) to a second environment (B) separated from said first environment (A) to be designed for human consumption,
inserting any leftovers (6) of said dish (3) in a leftovers container (8), closing said leftovers container (8),
sending said leftovers container (8) from said second environment (B) to said first environment (A),
opening said leftovers container (8) in said first environment (A),
grinding and dehydrating said leftovers (6) in order to produce a secondary dried food product in granules having a humidity content equal to or less than 12% by weight out of the total weight.
2) Method according to claim 1, wherein the period elapsed between the closure of said container (8) and the opening of said container (8) is less than 120 minutes.
3) Method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said environments (A, B) are part of the same building.
4) Method according to any of the preceding claims, comprising the steps of:
- inserting any kitchen waste (4) generated as a result of the preparation of said dish (3) in a waste container (9),
- dehydrating and grinding said kitchen waste (4) in order to produce a secondary dried food product in granules having a humidity content equal to or less than 12% by weight out of the total weight.
5) Method according to claim 4, wherein the period elapsed between the insertion of said kitchen waste (4) into said container (8) and the beginning of the dehydration step of the kitchen waste (4) is less than 120 minutes.
6) Method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said step of grinding and dehydrating said leftovers (6) and/or said kitchen waste (4) is carried out in said first environment (A). 7) Method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said edible and/or comestible raw material (2) comes from one or more of the following sectors of the agro-food chain: agricultural industry, processing food industry, large-scale distribution and catering.
8) Method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said edible and/or comestible raw material (2) coming from large-scale distribution and/or from catering has an average protein content between 15 % and 40 %, preferably around 20 % by weight out of total weight.
9) Compact apparatus (1) for the recovery and transformation of a primary food product into a secondary food product inside the same building, comprising:
- a feeding/grinding module (100) to receive food pulp in the form of leftovers (6) and/or kitchen waste (4) and configured to dehumidify said food pulp (4, 6) at a value ranging from 100% to 70% by weight out of the total weight and crushing said food pulp (4,6),
- a drying module (300) to receive said ground food pulp (4,6) and configured to dehydrate said ground food pulp (4,6) at a humidity value equal to or less than 12% by weight out of the total weight,
- an output module (400) for the exit of said ground and dried food pulp (4,6) in the form of secondary food product in granules.
10) Apparatus (1) according to claim 9, comprising a frame for housing said modules (100,300,400) and having a height ranging from 150 to 250 cm, a length ranging from 150 to 250 cm and a depth ranging from 50 to 150 cm.
11) A secondary food product obtained from the recovery of primary food product made up only of edible and/or comestible raw material (2) having humidity content lower than or equal to 12% by weight out of the total weight, and obtained by means of the method or apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 9.
12) A secondary food product according to claim 11, having an average protein content ranging from 10 to 30%, preferably about 20% by weight out of the total weight.
13) A secondary food product according to claim 11 or 12, having a pH content ranging from 4 to 5, preferably about 4.2.
14) A secondary food product according to any of claims 11 or 13, having a grain size ranging from 2 mm to 50 mm, preferably 25 mm.
EP20707813.0A 2019-02-04 2020-02-04 Method and apparatus for the recovery and transformation of a primary food product into a secondary food product and related food product Pending EP3920725A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
IT102019000001607A IT201900001607A1 (en) 2019-02-04 2019-02-04 METHOD AND EQUIPMENT FOR THE RECOVERY AND TRANSFORMATION OF A PRIMARY FOOD PRODUCT INTO A SECONDARY FOOD PRODUCT AND RELATED FOOD PRODUCT
PCT/IB2020/050872 WO2020161618A1 (en) 2019-02-04 2020-02-04 Method and apparatus for the recovery and transformation of a primary food product into a secondary food product and related food product

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP3920725A1 true EP3920725A1 (en) 2021-12-15

Family

ID=66641212

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP20707813.0A Pending EP3920725A1 (en) 2019-02-04 2020-02-04 Method and apparatus for the recovery and transformation of a primary food product into a secondary food product and related food product

Country Status (3)

Country Link
EP (1) EP3920725A1 (en)
IT (1) IT201900001607A1 (en)
WO (1) WO2020161618A1 (en)

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2023183970A1 (en) * 2022-03-28 2023-10-05 Boyle Norman Food waste recycling

Family Cites Families (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB201018150D0 (en) * 2010-10-27 2010-12-08 Cathcart Jeremy J A method of and apparatus for treating waste and a waste product
KR20130013445A (en) * 2011-07-28 2013-02-06 김인수 The apparatus and medoth being to feed of using waste food
US8973491B1 (en) 2013-03-15 2015-03-10 Sustainable Alternative Feed Enterprises System for processing primary food product waste into secondary food product
US9615604B2 (en) * 2014-02-06 2017-04-11 David Russick Food waste dehydrator
KR20150141090A (en) * 2014-06-09 2015-12-17 주식회사 비테크 Food waste disposal system
MX2017001180A (en) 2014-07-25 2018-07-06 Synthetic Genomics Inc Protein rich food ingredient from biomass and methods of preparation.

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
WO2020161618A1 (en) 2020-08-13
IT201900001607A1 (en) 2020-08-04

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
Dou et al. Food waste for livestock feeding: Feasibility, safety, and sustainability implications
Khedkar et al. Food industry waste: A panacea or pollution hazard?
US6534105B2 (en) Process for preparation of animal feed from food waste
CN104415966B (en) Restaurant garbage treating system and method
US20150164109A1 (en) Recycled food processing, products therefrom, and devices useful therein
Siddiqui et al. Recycling of food waste to produce chicken feed and liquid fertiliser
Fausto-Castro et al. Selection of food waste with low moisture and high protein content from Mexican restaurants as a supplement to swine feed
US20140260464A1 (en) Methods and systems for stabilizing organic material
EP3920725A1 (en) Method and apparatus for the recovery and transformation of a primary food product into a secondary food product and related food product
JP2004262720A (en) Treatment system to be made into fodder or fertilizer
CN106809570A (en) Remaining meal movement system and remaining meal transfer car(buggy)
Amole et al. A guide to the production of High-Quality Cassava Peel® mash as a feed for livestock
JP3156745U (en) Recycled products that can be used as organic fertilizer, feed and solid fuel
Mosna et al. Life cycle assessment of a new feed production obtained by wasted flour food collected from the distribution and retail phases
CN202427704U (en) Treatment system for food wastes
US20230060109A1 (en) Systems and methods for rendering cannabis waste for composting
Arcand et al. Life cycle assessment of processed food
AU2020299059A1 (en) Improved method and products using organic waste
Cocker Strategic review on African Aquaculture feeds
Tishkov et al. POTENTIAL OF ENERGY PRODUCTION FROM BIOWASTE-SAVING NATURAL AND FINANCIAL RESOURCES.
CA3238327A1 (en) Residential food waste recycling
CN111972542A (en) Formula, preparation process and processing system for producing feed by kitchen waste
US20130011907A1 (en) Waste Management System
CN101601436A (en) Adopt food garbage to make the technology of feed
Glenn Marketing food residuals as animal feed

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
STAA Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent

Free format text: STATUS: UNKNOWN

STAA Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent

Free format text: STATUS: THE INTERNATIONAL PUBLICATION HAS BEEN MADE

PUAI Public reference made under article 153(3) epc to a published international application that has entered the european phase

Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009012

STAA Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent

Free format text: STATUS: REQUEST FOR EXAMINATION WAS MADE

17P Request for examination filed

Effective date: 20210830

AK Designated contracting states

Kind code of ref document: A1

Designated state(s): AL AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR HR HU IE IS IT LI LT LU LV MC MK MT NL NO PL PT RO RS SE SI SK SM TR

DAV Request for validation of the european patent (deleted)
DAX Request for extension of the european patent (deleted)
STAA Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent

Free format text: STATUS: EXAMINATION IS IN PROGRESS

17Q First examination report despatched

Effective date: 20231113