NO344604B1 - Tray for use in cooking - Google Patents

Description

TRAY FOR USE IN FOOD PREPARATION

The present invention relates to a tray for use as a base for food. More specifically, it concerns a preparation or serving tray for food, where the food can be in direct contact with a surface for the preparation or serving tray.

For the sake of simplicity, the following description will be directed to a board for use when preparing food, a so-called cutting board or cutting board. However, it should be understood that the tray according to the present invention should also comprise a serving tray or a tray for use when preparing food without the use of cutting tools. A board that is used, for example, to prepare so-called pounded beef is an example of a preparation board that is not exposed to cutting tools. Another example is a tray where food is prepared using the hands, i.e. without the use of utensils.

Such a tray represents a source of transfer of bacteria from the tray and to the food that is brought into contact with a surface of the tray. A so-called cross-contamination between different food products such as meat, fish and vegetables is particularly challenging when the food products undergo no or little heat treatment after preparation,

To avoid such cross-contamination, dedicated trays are used in some kitchens for different types of food. The trays can be marked with standard color codes used in the industry, such as red for raw meat, blue for raw fish, green for salad and fruit/vegetables etc. Alternatively or in addition to color codes, the tray can be designed with inscriptions, symbols or have a design that indicates the intended use.

Regardless of the aforementioned cross-contamination, the tray must be cleaned regularly to disinfect the tray so that it is avoided that the tray has a bacterial flora that could represent a danger to consumers of the food prepared on the tray. Particularly undesirable bacteria are, for example, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella Enteritidis, Escherichia coli 0157: H7 and Campylobacter, which can cause illness in a consumer

Such disinfection is typically carried out in professional kitchens using heat treatment in a so-called industrial dishwasher. Such a washing machine is also called a "steam machine".

However, it can sometimes be difficult to determine whether the heat treatment has been sufficient with respect to time and temperature, i.e. whether the board has been exposed to a sufficiently high temperature over a given time, or whether the board has been subjected to cleaning.

Where there is therefore a need for a board that will be able to provide information about adequate heat treatment, it has been carried out.

From the publication CN 205602313 U, a pallet for storing and chartering goods is known. Loading platforms are equipped with a weighing device to be able to measure the weight of the goods placed on the pallet, and a temperature sensor to be able to measure the temperature of the goods. The temperature sensor and the weighing device are connected to a microcontroller, a display and an alarm which is triggered if the read weight or temperature exceeds a predetermined value.

From the publication EP 2081013 A1, a method is known for inspecting food by means of NIR irradiation to detect any foreign bodies or to determine the quality of the food.

From the publication CN 203519486 U, a hand-held NIR spectrometer for measuring the quality of oranges is known.

From the publication CN 106333618 A, a two-layer cutting board made of wood is known, where the board has an integrated weight sensor and display to show the read weight.

The purpose of the invention is to remedy or to reduce at least one of the disadvantages of known technology, or at least to provide a useful alternative to known technology.

The purpose is achieved by the features indicated in the description below and in the subsequent patent claims.

The invention is defined by the independent patent claim. The independent claims define advantageous embodiments of the invention.

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a tray for use in the preparation of food, where the tray is provided with at least one temperature sensor which is arranged to communicate with a reading unit to provide information at least whether the tray has undergone a heat treatment process to disinfect the board. The term "preparation" is also understood to mean the serving of food, as certain dishes can be served on the tray on which they are prepared.

A heat treatment process depends on both time and temperature. In one embodiment, the temperature sensor can be arranged to record only temperature and communicate this at given intervals to the reading unit. Such a de-icing unit is designed to be able to log the time for receiving each recorded temperature and thus be able to determine the heat treatment process.

The reading unit can be in communication with a condition indicator, such as an image screen and/or a sound-generating unit, which is arranged in connection with, for example, a washing machine for disinfecting the board. In this way, a user can get information about whether the heat treatment process is sufficient already while the board is in the washing machine. Alternatively, the reading unit can be in communication with a computer, a tablet or a mobile phone equipped with suitable software so that the state of the tray is conveyed from the reading unit to a screen that is independent of the washing machine. In addition or alternatively to said screen in the washing machine or said PC, tablet or mobile phone, the reading unit can be in communication with a condition indicator associated with the tray in the same way as the temperature sensor. The reading unit can be an integrated part of the temperature sensor, meaning that the temperature sensor and the reading unit are a single part.

Regardless of the reading unit's location, it can be arranged to emit a signal as to whether the desired or required heat treatment has been achieved. The signal from the reading unit is preferably transmitted wirelessly to the condition indicator. The status indicator can be one of or a combination of audio indicator and visual indicator. A visual signal can be based on light, symbol or written information presented on the said screen.

The temperature sensor can be releasably attached to the board. This has the effect that one temperature sensor can be used for several trays, simply by attaching the sensor to the desired tray.

In one embodiment, the sensor can also be used to monitor the temperature of a portion of the food after it has been prepared and until serving takes place.

When using such a detachable temperature sensor, it is an advantage if the board is additionally provided with an identification means such as, for example, an RFID (Radio-frequency identification) tag that can be read by a reading unit to log which board the temperature sensor is used in.

There are currently commercially available sensors that are suitable for use in the present invention. The temperature sensor can be provided with a timer so that the temperature sensor is a temperature logger. An example of such a sensor is a temperature logger sold under the trade name Signatrol SL50 by the company Signatrol Ltd in Great Britain.

Alternatively, the reading unit can be provided with a timer.

The temperature sensor can, regardless of whether it is designed to record temperature or to log temperature, i.e. both time and temperature, be integrated into the board, for example in a recess in a part of the board.

It is an advantage if the temperature sensor or temperature logger is designed to be able to communicate wirelessly with the reading unit, so that there is no need for cables. Such wireless communication can be provided, for example, by means of a radio transmission protocol such as Bluetooth.

Disease transferred from a food product to a consumer represents a significant health burden worldwide. If the freshness of food is monitored before the food is served, the aforementioned disease problems can be reduced. There is therefore a need for a simple system that can be used to accurately assess the freshness of the food. Until now, the most common way to assess the food product's quality has been based on visual inspection or smell inspection. However, such a visual and/or olfactory inspection will be subjective and may lack accuracy and precision. For example, an odor inspection will be affected by the user's sense of smell and ambient smells. A visual inspection will only reveal visible parts of the food product.

A person skilled in the art will be aware that a bacterial flora develops most rapidly in temperatures between 4.5° and 60°C. This temperature range is often called the "Danger Zone". In favorable conditions, the number of bacteria doubles every 20 minutes.

In order to produce an objective analysis of the food product, the tray according to the invention can be further provided with a sensor for detecting features of a food product placed on the tray. Features of the food product can, for example, be related to how fresh the food is, bacterial content, and at least some of the food product's components. Said sensor can also be arranged to be able to register a bacterial flora on at least one usable side of the board. There is thus an advantage if the board is additionally provided with a sensor for recording at least one of the bacterial flora on at least one use side of the board. In one embodiment, said sensor is further arranged for recording features of a food product that has been placed on the tray.

Such a sensor to be able to register bacterial flora on the tray and/or features of a food product placed on the tray is based on spectroscopic analysis of characteristic spectra in the NIR region (NIR-Near Infrared) and will subsequently also be referred to as NIR- spectrometer. Measurements made using the NIR spectrometer are analyzed against a database as will be well known to a person skilled in the art. The database may be integrated into the NIR spectrometer, or the database may be remote from the NIR spectrometer. In the case of such an external database, the NIR spectrometer is designed to communicate with the database, for example via Bluetooth or the Internet.

The NiR spectra measured using the NIR spectrometer will be able to be classified with high accuracy according to the food's aging day, as well as by the level of chemical and microbial indicators such as thiobarbituric acid (TBA - a measure of rancidity of meat), volatile basic nitrogen levels and the bacterial population. Thus, NIR spectroscopy can be used to determine the freshness of meat, fish, vegetables and fruit placed on the tray according to the invention.

Said features of a food product may further include traces of antibiotics and other unwanted chemical agents that may have been added to animal food products or pesticides that may have been used in the production of vegetable food products. The moves can also include molds and allergens such as nuts.

A specialist will be aware that an NIR spectrometer will also be able to produce information about the food product's nutritional and energy content.

The NiR spectrometer can be releasably attached to the board, or it can be arranged integrated in a recess in a usable surface of the board. By side of use here is meant the surface on which the food product is placed. An integrated NIR spectrometer is activated by means of an integrated activation device, such as, for example, an activation switch.

A detachable spectrometer suitable for use in the present invention is sold under the trade name NeoSpectra which is manufactured and sold by Si-Ware Systems.

The result from a measurement made using a NIR spectrometer can, for example, be presented visually on a screen of a PC, a tablet or a mobile phone with software. In a prototype of the invention, the result of such an analysis is presented on a screen on a mobile phone with an application programmed for communication with the NIR spectrometer.

In an embodiment where the tray according to the invention is provided with both a temperature sensor or temperature logger and a NIR spectrometer, the tray is thus designed to give the user information about whether the tray has been sufficiently cleaned for further use, and information about the food placed on the tray.

The above-mentioned temperature sensor and sensor for recording at least one of the bacterial flora on at least one use side of the tray, and any feature of a food product placed on the tray, require electrical energy. Such energy can typically be provided from an energy source such as a battery. The inventors have surprisingly found that the energy can be provided by means of temperature differences to which the board is exposed when it is fed into a washing machine. For this, a so-called thermoelectric generator (TEG), also called a Seebeck generator, which is commercially available on the market, can be used. A person skilled in the art will be aware that a TEG is a solid state device that converts heat (temperature differences) directly into electrical energy through a phenomenon known as the Seebeck effect (a form of thermoelectric effect). Thermoelectric generators work like heat power engines, but are less bulky and have no moving parts.

In one embodiment, at least the temperature sensor can be connected to an energy source in the form of a thermoelectric generator. Furthermore, an energy source for the sensor for registering at least one of the bacterial flora on at least one use side of the tray, and features of a food product placed on the tray, can be provided with a rechargeable battery which is charged by means of a thermoelectric generator.

In one embodiment of the tray according to the invention, it can be further provided with an integrated sensor to weigh the food placed on the tray. Thus, the board according to the invention could be a combination of a weight and a cutting blade. The sensor can typically be a load cell. Together with the NIR spectrometer, the load cell can provide information on the weight of the food's various components.

The board according to the present invention can be made of any suitable material such as wood, plastic or a mineral-based material. A board made of wood such as acacia wood, teak, bamboo, beech, oak and other hard woods is preferred by many because of its practical properties. The usage characteristics are related to the wood's inherent "disinfecting" property and good friction against the product being prepared, which is advantageous in terms of safety. When chopping the food product using a cutting or chopping tool, a wooden board exhibits far less "dabbing" of the tool striking the board than a board made of plastic. Such dabbing is not desirable. Compared to a plastic board or a mineral-based board, a board made of wood will be gentler on the cutting tool and thus require less frequent grinding of the cutting tool.

Despite the above beneficial features, the use of cutting boards made of wood has declined over the last 20-30 years, especially in commercial kitchens. The reason for the declining use is primarily that an untreated wooden cutting board that is repeatedly exposed to moisture and high temperature will quickly be destroyed or at least deformed so that it is not suitable as a cutting board.

Cutting boards made of, for example, plastic material, are far more resistant to repeated exposure to moisture and high temperatures. Such cutting boards are also cheap to manufacture and have therefore been almost exclusively used in professional, but also in private kitchens in recent years.

However, such plastic boards have some significant disadvantages compared to wooden cutting boards.

A plastic tray exposed to a sharp tool will cause permanent pitting or scratches in the surface. It is well known that biological material will be able to penetrate such pits, and that such material can be difficult to remove in a washing operation and can thus form a breeding ground for bacterial growth. Biological material could also penetrate scratches or pits in a wooden board, but enzymes in the wood help to reduce bacterial growth.

Although the bacterial growth will be less on the surface of a wooden cutting board compared to a plastic cutting board, a regular and careful cleaning of such a wooden cutting board is required.

Due to the fact that a wooden cutting board or serving board cannot withstand repeated cleaning in a washing machine, such boards must be scrubbed and washed manually to meet hygiene regulations. Such a cleaning process is time- and resource-consuming. To make wood more resistant to water absorption, two fundamentally different treatment methods are known. The first method is to apply an impregnating agent to the wood, such as oil, which is absorbed by the wood. The second method is to apply a surface treatment agent, for example using a wax or varnish. The surface treatment agents known to be used by the applicant for wood are all open to diffusion.

A wood that has been impregnated with, for example, oil, will be able to reduce the absorption of liquid that is applied to the wood during use and during cleaning. However, such an oil will largely be washed out of the wood when it is exposed to liquid at a high temperature and any degreasing detergents. In addition, the wood will be exposed to large temperature fluctuations which will cause the wood to crack. An impregnating agent of the type mentioned above will also be able to add flavor to the products that are manufactured, while at the same time friction will be able to be reduced. An impregnating agent that may have to be used for a cutting board must also be approved for use in contact with food.

A wood that has been treated with a surface agent such as wax or varnish is not suitable as a cutting board. This is partly because the surface agent would quickly be perforated by, for example, a knife that is moved towards the board, so that liquid will be able to penetrate the wood.

In one embodiment, the board according to the present invention is made from wood that has undergone a so-called acetylation process. Acetylated wood has been used in wooden constructions in the building industry since the end of the 1920s. Cutting boards made from acetylated wood are just as suitable for repeated mechanical cleaning as plastic cutting boards, but are not afflicted with the disadvantages that plastic boards represent. Radiata pine is particularly suitable for acetylation.

In the following, examples of preferred embodiments are described which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, where:

Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a board according to the present invention, where the board is provided with an integrated temperature sensor and a reading unit placed in a chamber in the board, as well as an NIR spectrometer; and

Fig. 2 shows a side elevation of the board in fig. 1 shown partially transparent;

In the figures, the reference number 1 indicates a board according to the present invention. The board is provided with a temperature sensor 3 which is in wireless communication with a reading unit 5. In the embodiment shown, the temperature sensor 3 and the reading unit 5 are integrated in a chamber or recess 6 in the board 1.

The temperature sensor 3 can be configured with a timer or timer so that the temperature sensor 3 is a temperature logger. Alternatively, a timer can be arranged in the reading unit 5, possibly in an external condition indicator as in fig. 1 is shown as a mobile phone M.

The recess 6 is provided with a removable cover 6a, for example made of rubber, which is attached to the periphery of the recess 6 by means of a press fit.

In fig. 1, the reading unit 5 is in communication with a status indicator 7 which is integrated in the board 1, here shown in the form of three light sources 7a, 7b, 7c which are designed to be able to emit light of different colours. For example, the light source 7a can emit a red light to indicate that sufficient heat treatment has not been achieved, the light source 7b a yellow light to indicate that sufficient heat treatment is imminent, and the light source 7c a green light to indicate that sufficient heat treatment has been achieved, i.e. that board 1 is ready for use.

In the embodiment shown, the reading unit 5 is also in wireless communication with an external device, here shown as a so-called "smart" mobile phone M. The wireless communication is shown as dashed lines M f- The state or status of the heat treatment of the board 1 is thus shown both in the board itself 1 and on the mobile phone's M screen. In an alternative embodiment (not shown), the reading unit 5 can be in communication with, for example, a computer or a tablet where a status of the heat treatment is presented on a screen which will then be the mentioned condition indicator 7. When using an external screen, the condition can be presented as text , symbols or lights, alternatively as an audio signal using a speaker connected to the screen. In the version shown, the mobile phone's M screen indicates that "Status heat treatment" is "OK".

In yet another alternative embodiment (not shown), the reading unit 5 can communicate the result to a condition indicator arranged in connection with, for example, a washing machine for washing the board. In such an embodiment, the washing machine can be provided with a screen and/or sound-producing unit to provide a user with information about whether the heat treatment process is sufficient, as described above.

In embodiments where the reading unit 5 is in communication with an external condition indicator as explained above, the board 1's integrated condition indicator 7 can possibly be omitted, that is to say that the board 1 can be produced without the condition indicator 7.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 1, the tray 1 is further provided with an identification means 10 in the form of an RFID tag which can be read by the reading unit. The purpose of the RFID tag 10 is to be able to log which tray the temperature sensor 3 is used in.

In the embodiment shown, the tray 1 is further provided with a sensor in the form of an NIR spectrometer 12 for recording at least one of the bacterial flora on a usable surface of the tray 1, and features of a food product (not shown) that may have been placed on folded 1 ,

In the embodiment shown, the NIR spectrometer 12 is releasably attached near the periphery of the tray 1 by means of a fastening device 14. The NIR spectrometer is designed to be able to analyze both a part of the usable surface B of the tray 1 and a food product (not shown) that may have been placed on the board, as indicated by dashed "sight lines" L1, respectively L2 in fig. 2. The NIR spectrometer 12 is provided with a switch 13 to activate the NIR spectrometer 12.

In an alternative embodiment (not shown), the NIR spectrometer 12 can be tiltably attached to the board 1 by means of a tilting attachment. In such an embodiment, the NIR spectrometer 12 could be designed with only one "spectrometer eye" instead of the two shown in fig. 1. In such an embodiment, the NIR spectrometer 12 is tilted so that the eye is directed towards the tray's usable surface B, or towards a desired portion of a food product that is desired to be examined. The tilting attachment can be configured to tilt the spectrometer 12 around a single tilting axis, or it can be arranged to be able to be tilted about several axes, for example by means of a so-called ball attachment.

In one embodiment (not shown), the NIR spectrometer 12 can be partially integrated into the board 1.

In fig. 1, the NIR spectrometer 12 is in wireless communication with the mobile phone M, which is also in communication with the reading unit 5. The wireless communication between the NIR spectrometer 12 and the mobile phone M is shown as dashed lines M2. Data from the NIR spectrometer 12, for example bacterial flora on the tray 1's usable surface B and/or features of a food product on the tray 1, are thus displayed on the mobile phone's M screen. In fig. 1, only the screen for the heat treatment status is shown.

The tray 1 is also provided with an integrated sensor to be able to weigh food placed on the tray. The sensor is shown here as a weighing cell 18 of a known type. The weighing cell 18 is arranged to communicate with the NIR spectrometer 12. The weighing cell 18 is in fig. 2 shown connected to the NIR spectrometer 12 by means of a cable 19, but communication can alternatively be wireless, for example by means of Bluetooth.

as the NIR spectrometer measures the % share of the food's various components, such as for example fat and proteins, the weighing device 18 together with the NIR spectrometer 12 will be able to indicate the weight of the various components in the food placed on the tray 1.

In that the NIR spectrometer 12 is releasably attached to the tray 1 and can be removed before the tray 1 is put into a washing machine, and possibly in a usage situation where there is no need for the NIR spectrometer 12.

A thermoelectric generator 16 (shown best in fig. 1 ) is arranged in the board 1 to generate current for the temperature sensor 3.

From the description above, it will therefore be understood that the board 1 according to one embodiment of the invention will provide a user with very useful information related to the state of the board 1 with regard to whether it has been sufficiently cleaned, about bacterial flora on the board before, during and after use, about any allergens on the tray, as well as information about the food on the tray.

Claims (10)

Patent claims 1. Tray (1) for use in the preparation of food, characterized in that the tray (1) is provided with at least one temperature sensor (3) which is arranged to communicate with a reading unit (5) to provide information at least about the tray (1) has undergone a heat treatment process to disinfect the tray (1). 2. Board (1) according to claim 1, where the temperature sensor (3) is releasably attached to the board (1). 3. Board (1) according to claim 1, where the temperature sensor (3) is integrated into the board. 4. Fold (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, where the temperature sensor (3) communicates wirelessly with the reading unit (5). 5. Fold (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the temperature sensor (3) is a temperature logger. 6. Tray (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, where the tray (1) is further provided with a sensor (12) for recording at least one of the bacterial flora on at least one use side (B) off the tray (1), and pull a food product placed on the tray (1). 7. Fold (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, where at least the temperature sensor (3) is connected to an energy source in the form of a thermoelectric generator (16). 8, Tray (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the tray (1) is further provided with a sensor (18) to be able to weigh the food on the tray (1). 9. Board (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, where the board (1) is made of acetylated wood. 10. Board (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, where the board (1) is provided with an identification means (10) designed to be read by the reading unit (5).