WO2007039284A1 - Traitement de compositions surgelées - Google Patents

Traitement de compositions surgelées Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2007039284A1
WO2007039284A1 PCT/EP2006/009591 EP2006009591W WO2007039284A1 WO 2007039284 A1 WO2007039284 A1 WO 2007039284A1 EP 2006009591 W EP2006009591 W EP 2006009591W WO 2007039284 A1 WO2007039284 A1 WO 2007039284A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
polar
ionic
temperature
cooling
microwave
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/EP2006/009591
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Pieter Jozef Luypaert
Carlo Groffils
Johan De Schepper
Original Assignee
Meac Nv
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
Priority claimed from GBGB0520162.9A external-priority patent/GB0520162D0/en
Priority claimed from GB0520241A external-priority patent/GB0520241D0/en
Application filed by Meac Nv filed Critical Meac Nv
Publication of WO2007039284A1 publication Critical patent/WO2007039284A1/fr

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • H05B—ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL
    • H05B6/00—Heating by electric, magnetic or electromagnetic fields
    • H05B6/64—Heating using microwaves
    • H05B6/66—Circuits
    • H05B6/68—Circuits for monitoring or control
    • H05B6/688—Circuits for monitoring or control for thawing
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
    • A23B—PRESERVING, e.g. BY CANNING, MEAT, FISH, EGGS, FRUIT, VEGETABLES, EDIBLE SEEDS; CHEMICAL RIPENING OF FRUIT OR VEGETABLES; THE PRESERVED, RIPENED, OR CANNED PRODUCTS
    • A23B4/00—General methods for preserving meat, sausages, fish or fish products
    • A23B4/015—Preserving by irradiation or electric treatment without heating effect
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
    • A23B—PRESERVING, e.g. BY CANNING, MEAT, FISH, EGGS, FRUIT, VEGETABLES, EDIBLE SEEDS; CHEMICAL RIPENING OF FRUIT OR VEGETABLES; THE PRESERVED, RIPENED, OR CANNED PRODUCTS
    • A23B4/00—General methods for preserving meat, sausages, fish or fish products
    • A23B4/06—Freezing; Subsequent thawing; Cooling
    • A23B4/07—Thawing subsequent to freezing
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
    • A23B—PRESERVING, e.g. BY CANNING, MEAT, FISH, EGGS, FRUIT, VEGETABLES, EDIBLE SEEDS; CHEMICAL RIPENING OF FRUIT OR VEGETABLES; THE PRESERVED, RIPENED, OR CANNED PRODUCTS
    • A23B4/00—General methods for preserving meat, sausages, fish or fish products
    • A23B4/06—Freezing; Subsequent thawing; Cooling
    • A23B4/08—Freezing; Subsequent thawing; Cooling with addition of chemicals or treatment with chemicals before or during cooling, e.g. in the form of an ice coating or frozen block
    • A23B4/09—Freezing; Subsequent thawing; Cooling with addition of chemicals or treatment with chemicals before or during cooling, e.g. in the form of an ice coating or frozen block with direct contact between the food and the chemical, e.g. liquid N2, at cryogenic temperature
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
    • A23B—PRESERVING, e.g. BY CANNING, MEAT, FISH, EGGS, FRUIT, VEGETABLES, EDIBLE SEEDS; CHEMICAL RIPENING OF FRUIT OR VEGETABLES; THE PRESERVED, RIPENED, OR CANNED PRODUCTS
    • A23B7/00—Preservation or chemical ripening of fruit or vegetables
    • A23B7/015—Preserving by irradiation or electric treatment without heating effect
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
    • A23B—PRESERVING, e.g. BY CANNING, MEAT, FISH, EGGS, FRUIT, VEGETABLES, EDIBLE SEEDS; CHEMICAL RIPENING OF FRUIT OR VEGETABLES; THE PRESERVED, RIPENED, OR CANNED PRODUCTS
    • A23B7/00—Preservation or chemical ripening of fruit or vegetables
    • A23B7/04—Freezing; Subsequent thawing; Cooling
    • A23B7/045—Thawing subsequent to freezing
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
    • A23B—PRESERVING, e.g. BY CANNING, MEAT, FISH, EGGS, FRUIT, VEGETABLES, EDIBLE SEEDS; CHEMICAL RIPENING OF FRUIT OR VEGETABLES; THE PRESERVED, RIPENED, OR CANNED PRODUCTS
    • A23B7/00—Preservation or chemical ripening of fruit or vegetables
    • A23B7/04—Freezing; Subsequent thawing; Cooling
    • A23B7/05—Freezing; Subsequent thawing; Cooling with addition of chemicals or treatment with chemicals other than cryogenics, before or during cooling, e.g. in the form of an ice coating or frozen block
    • A23B7/055—Freezing; Subsequent thawing; Cooling with addition of chemicals or treatment with chemicals other than cryogenics, before or during cooling, e.g. in the form of an ice coating or frozen block with direct contact between the food and the chemical, e.g. liquid nitrogen, at cryogenic temperature
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
    • A23L—FOODS, FOODSTUFFS, OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES, NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES A21D OR A23B-A23J; THEIR PREPARATION OR TREATMENT, e.g. COOKING, MODIFICATION OF NUTRITIVE QUALITIES, PHYSICAL TREATMENT; PRESERVATION OF FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS, IN GENERAL
    • A23L3/00—Preservation of foods or foodstuffs, in general, e.g. pasteurising, sterilising, specially adapted for foods or foodstuffs
    • A23L3/26—Preservation of foods or foodstuffs, in general, e.g. pasteurising, sterilising, specially adapted for foods or foodstuffs by irradiation without heating
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
    • A23L—FOODS, FOODSTUFFS, OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES, NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES A21D OR A23B-A23J; THEIR PREPARATION OR TREATMENT, e.g. COOKING, MODIFICATION OF NUTRITIVE QUALITIES, PHYSICAL TREATMENT; PRESERVATION OF FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS, IN GENERAL
    • A23L3/00—Preservation of foods or foodstuffs, in general, e.g. pasteurising, sterilising, specially adapted for foods or foodstuffs
    • A23L3/36—Freezing; Subsequent thawing; Cooling
    • A23L3/365—Thawing subsequent to freezing
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
    • A23L—FOODS, FOODSTUFFS, OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES, NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES A21D OR A23B-A23J; THEIR PREPARATION OR TREATMENT, e.g. COOKING, MODIFICATION OF NUTRITIVE QUALITIES, PHYSICAL TREATMENT; PRESERVATION OF FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS, IN GENERAL
    • A23L3/00—Preservation of foods or foodstuffs, in general, e.g. pasteurising, sterilising, specially adapted for foods or foodstuffs
    • A23L3/36—Freezing; Subsequent thawing; Cooling
    • A23L3/37—Freezing; Subsequent thawing; Cooling with addition of or treatment with chemicals
    • A23L3/375—Freezing; Subsequent thawing; Cooling with addition of or treatment with chemicals with direct contact between the food and the chemical, e.g. liquid nitrogen, at cryogenic temperature
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02B—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS
    • Y02B40/00—Technologies aiming at improving the efficiency of home appliances, e.g. induction cooking or efficient technologies for refrigerators, freezers or dish washers

Definitions

  • the present invention is broadly concerned with a new in line method of tempering frozen materials comprising the use of microwaves and non-polar or polar and/or non- ionic cooling composition such as a non-polar non-ionic snow, for instance a CO 2 snow, or liquid N 2 to put a body of a frozen composition, for instance a frozen aqueous composition, such as a frozen plant or animal tissue, in the optimum condition for processing (e.g. subdividing, for instance by cutting or slicing).
  • This improved tempering method is particularly useful for tempering before cutting and processing and before slicing frozen organic materials like foodstuffs, such as frozen meat.
  • a range of important raw materials are deep-frozen in order to preserve their quality during transportation and storage. They cannot be cut or sliced as such and have to be tempered first. Meat and fish are important examples and are widely used in the food processing. Factories have problems softening or tempering large bodies or blocks of frozen organic material, such as frozen aqueous compositions, prior to further processing. Various procedures are adopted, the most common being to place the blocks or bodies of the frozen organic in tempering rooms, where they may reside for several days while attaining the desired temperature. In order to accelerate the process, media such as warm air, steam or water have been used. Unfortunately, steps that speed up thawing rates tend to degrade the product, cause product loss and can induce a microbiological hazard. If the surface thaws too soon, then the outer layers may deteriorate before the bulk has thawed.
  • the shielding system is provided to prevent selected portions of a food travelling through the microwave oven from overheating relative to the remainder other pieces of food items in the system.
  • This document discloses a method that is particularly adapted for use in connection with the tempering, cooking or thawing of parallelepiped or rectangular-shaped food items and includes a frame structure fixedly mounted within and traversing substantially the entire length of the oven cavity, with the frame structure having a generally rectangular cross-section defined by both microwave impermeable portions and microwave transmissive portions on each side.
  • operations taking 24 hours or more could be reduced to a few minutes.
  • a major difficulty prevents the straightforward use of microwaves in this application.
  • the problem is that water absorbs power much more rapidly than ice, on account of the relative dielectric properties. As soon as water is formed in any part of the product, then gross differential heating is initiated: the water absorbs energy rapidly and heats up to boiling point, while large parts of the block are still frozen. Thus the tempering in abovementioned way is not optimal for processing and causes losses too.
  • surface regions will thaw first, absorb an even increasing proportion of the available power and prevent effective power from reaching central regions.
  • microwave tempering i.e. increasing the products temperature from the deep frozen state (say -15 °C to -30 °C) to a 'processable and/or cuttable' state (say -2 0 C to -8 °C) measured at all sides of product block.
  • a 'processable and/or cuttable' state say -2 0 C to -8 °C
  • GB 1 212 365 discloses an inert gas coolant in combination simultaneously with microwave heating.
  • US 3 536 129 discloses subfreezing gases and liquids in combination with microwave energy.
  • WO 82/00403 proposes a stream of coolant air in combination with microwave energy.
  • An object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for tempering frozen materials using microwaves and non-polar or polar and/or non-ionic cooling composition such as a non-polar non-ionic snow, for instance a CO 2 snow, or liquid N 2 .
  • a non-polar non-ionic snow for instance a CO 2 snow, or liquid N 2 .
  • An advantage of some of the embodiments of the present invention is that it puts a body of a frozen composition, for instance a frozen aqueous composition, such as a frozen plant or animal tissue, in an optimum condition for processing (e.g. subdividing, for instance by cutting or slicing) and hence can solve a problem exhibited by prior art methods and equipment.
  • the object to be thawed out is cooled on the outside with a non-polar or polar and/or non-ionic cooling composition before the microwave radiation step.
  • the temperature at the surface goes down to a temperature lower than the inside or middle temperature of the object to be tempered, e.g. down to at least 1O 0 C below the temperature in the middle of the object.
  • the object may be cooled by any suitable method, e.g. dipped, sprayed or coated in a cooling medium. Shock freezing may be used.
  • a temperature of -4O 0 C may be achieved on the outside of the object to prevent not only local thawing, but also to control the heating rate during the microwaving step.
  • Cooling the outside with respect to the inside before the microwave application step keeps the microwave penetration depth high initially until the middle portion of the object is heated up after which the outer layer is heated resulting in a final relatively controlled uniform temperature throughout. It is not necessary to apply coolant during the microwave step, in fact it is preferred if there is no application of coolant during the application of microwave energy. Due to the fact that no coolant is applied the microwave oven can be operated in a continuous manner, e.g. the object to be thawed can be conveyed through the oven continuously, e.g. on a conveyor belt. The microwave oven can be operated at room temperature, e.g. between 10 and 35°C.
  • the microwave tempering can be used to increase the product's temperature from the deep frozen state (say -15 0 C to -30 0 C) to a 'cuttable or processable' state (say -2 0 C to -8 0 C).
  • other temperatures may apply (ranging from - 18 0 C to 0 0 C).
  • This non-polar or polar and/or non-ionic cooling composition preferably has a temperature below -2O 0 C, more preferably below -25°C, yet more preferably below - 30 0 C and most preferably below -35°C.
  • the non-polar or polar and/or non-ionic cooling composition can be in the form of a fluid, e.g. gas or liquid, or a solid. If the non-polar or polar and/or non-ionic cooling composition is a solid it can be for instance be in the form of a snow, small granules such as micro-granules, or small particles such as micro-particles to cover the frozen organic material to be micro- waved.
  • the non-polar or polar and/or non-ionic cooling composition is a liquid it can be applied as a mist or droplets to cover the frozen organic material to be micro-waved or can be bulk liquid.
  • the non-polar or polar and/or non-ionic cooling composition can be supplied to the bodies or blocks of frozen organic composition to be tempered in such an amount and/or during such a time that the surface temperature of the frozen organic material to be tempered stays optimal (e.g. under -3°C) during the subsequent microwaving step to obtain a optimal quality of the outer layer and also the bulk of the object.
  • a sensor may be used at the surface of the bodies or blocks of the frozen organic material to control the supply of the non-polar or polar and/or non-ionic cooling composition.
  • the sensor can be a contact (e.g. thermometer, thermoresistor) or non- contact sensor, e.g. an infra-red sensor.
  • the output of the sensor may be used to determine when the needed cooling of the outside of the object has been obtained.
  • a sensor may be used at the surface of the bodies or blocks of the frozen organic material to control the microwave power applied or when the microwave heating step is to be terminated.
  • the sensor can be a contact or non-contact sensor, e.g. an infra-red sensor.
  • An embodiment of present includes directly covering the bodies or blocks of frozen organic materials by the non-polar or polar and/or non-ionic cooling composition before, e.g. just before, the microwave treatment.
  • Another embodiment of present includes covering the bodies or blocks of frozen organic materials packed in a packing material suitable for microwave treatment by the non-polar or polar and/or non-ionic cooling composition before, e.g. just before the microwave treatment.
  • An advantage of present invention is that controlled tempering of thick (e.g. in the range 1 to 30 cm, preferably 1 to 20 cm and most preferably 10 to 15 cm) and non- conditioned boxed meat is obtainable in a very short time, for instance, less than 20 min. or even less than 10 min., e.g. going from bulk temperature of - 18 °C to -3 °C.
  • Large scale equipment suitable for the method of present invention is commercially available (e.g. MEAC Oven TYPE MEACHEAT32) which produces microwave (MW) pasteurized food with sixteen 1.8 kW units or a total of 28.8 kW microwave power output at 2450 MHz.
  • Typical throughputs are 1200 kg/hour, or more, depending on the temperature range to be covered and the product type/sizes.
  • An advantage of the rapid tempering regime according to the present invention is the dramatic reduction of drip loss that can occur during subsequent processing.
  • the costs of microwave tempering are often justified in terms of time and throughput compared to classical methods as well as controlling better the sanitary conditions of these phases in the process.
  • the method of present invention overcomes at least one of the the problems described above with prior art methods and achieves the requirement of rapid tempering linked with dramatic reduction of drip loss.
  • Figure 1 shows the propagation of a plane wave in a lossy medium. It shows the essential features of such propagation.
  • the wave is attenuated as it traverses the medium and therefore the power dissipated, which is a function of E 2 , reduces to an even larger extent.
  • Figure 2 demonstrates the penetration as a function of the temperature for various frequencies
  • Figure 3 demonstrates the dielectric properties data for various foodstuffs
  • Figure 5 shows a schematic illustration of temperature behaviour throughout the beef during operation ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
  • the treatment process and apparatus of the present invention is applicable to many types of frozen organic materials.
  • the present invention is in particular applicable to many types of foodstuffs, bodies of tissues or food mass or bodies comprising tissue pieces with or without a binder, in selected shapes. It may be applied to larger cuts of meat or cubed or sliced meats, but also comminute foodstuffs such as ground meats are suited for the method of present invention.
  • the invention is applicable to vegetable and fruit material.
  • Tempering or softening of foodstuff frozen foodstuff/tissues/meat is on the one hand based on propagation and penetration of microwave energy. On the other hand energy is transferred into heat according to thermodynamic laws.
  • the skin effect is limited by the thickness or irregularity of the products to be tempered.
  • the present invention overcomes this problem by the use of none polar snow which allow the microwaves to pass and prevents the outer (skin) layer from heating up too fast.
  • Equation 2 Equation 2 where ⁇ is the circle frequency ⁇ is the attenuation factor and ⁇ is the phase factor.
  • Figure 1 shows the essential features of such propagation. The wave is attenuated as it traverses the medium and therefore the power dissipated, which is a function of E 1 , reduces to an even larger extent.
  • Equation 4 For a highly lossy medium, where (e eff / € ) > 1 , equation 3 reduces to (equation 4) which is the case for conducting materials, since from equation
  • ⁇ 0 is the free space wavelength and the free space velocity c has been equated to
  • the penetration depth is defined as the distance from the surface of the material at which the power drops to ⁇ "1 from its value at the surface, that is
  • Equations 7 and 8 shows that the power of the penetration depth increases with larger wavelengths or in other words with decreasing frequencies.
  • the penetration depths at frequencies below 100 MHz are of the order of metres and presents little problem as far as power penetration unless the loss factors are exceedingly high.
  • the penetration depths are correspondingly smaller and often the size of the material to be treated, particularly when it is very wet, is many times larger than Dp and microwave heating could result in unacceptable non-uniformities in the temperature distribution.
  • Ohlsson et al. (1974) have calculated the variation of the penetration depths of foodstuffs with temperature near the three industrially allocated frequency bands. Their results are shown in figure 2.
  • Figure 4 shows the dielectric constant temperature dependency of various foodstuffs.
  • the penetration depth increases rapidly below freezing point of water O 0 C, e.g. particularly below -20°C. This means that when the outside or frozen organic material is cooled to temperatures below -20°C, the penetration depth is high and the centre of the material will be heated by microwave energy. During the microwave heating step no additional coolant need be added.
  • the microwave oven can be at room temperature, e.g. between 10°C and 35 0 C. The initial temperature and depth of the freezing before microwaving is selected and cooling applied so that on application of the microwave the inner parts start to heat up first.
  • Degree of lowering of the initial temperature of an outside region of the frozen organic material e.g. achieved by setting the duration time of initial cooling, e.g. (partial) dipping, (partial) spraying, (partial) coating, or layer thickness of snow or frozen particles and the temperature of the cooling medium.
  • the frozen organic material can be in a block, in slices, conglomerations of particulate products, e.g. peas.
  • the present invention also includes a method and apparatus for tempering or softening bodies of a frozen organic material, wherein the bodies are cooled by a non-polar or polar and/or non-ionic cooling material before being subjected to a microwave radiation until an optimal temperature has been reached to further process the organic material. No additional coolant need be added during the microwave step.
  • the cooling material can be a non-polar or polar and/or non-ionic snow.
  • the cooling material can be CO 2 , e.g. in the form of dry ice or snow.
  • the cooling liquid can be a snow comprising N 2 .
  • the cooling material can be a snow comprising Argon.
  • the cooling material can be a non-polar or polar and/or non-ionic granulate material.
  • the granulate material can be CO 2 N 2, or Argon.
  • the cooling material can be a non-polar or polar and/or non-ionic particulate material. Examples of the particulate material are CO 2 , N 2 , or Argon.
  • the cooling material can be mist of a non-polar or polar and/or non-ionic particulate liquid. A mist of liquid N 2 or Argon can be used.
  • the cooling material has a temperature of less than -20°C, less than -25°C, less than -30°C, less than -40°C.
  • the frozen organic material to be tempered can be selected from the group comprising aqueous organic material, foodstuff, tissue, bodies comprising tissue pieces with or without a binder, cuts of meat or cubed meats, foodstuffs, vegetable material and fruit material, for example.
  • the organic material has large difference in dielectric absorbing properties and/or heat capacity, differences in local initial degree of cooling may used to even these out.
  • the organic material has large difference in dielectric absorbing properties and/or heat capacity, interrupting the microwave energy for periods of time can be used to allow conduction to even out temperature differences.
  • the microwave radiation can be submitted to one side of the organic material, or two sides or three sides or four sides or five sides, or six sides.
  • the microwave radiation and the initial application of cooling material to the frozen organic material to be tempered is linked in such way that the temperature difference in the product due to handling, size or/and skin effect is neutralised and controlled.
  • the organic material may be turned over or turned around or rotated or dipped and sprayed completely or partially during the cooling before the microwave processing.
  • the organic material may be turned over or turned around or rotated microwave step.
  • the above method allows control of the operation because a non-contact, e.g. infra-red sensor or a contact sensor measuring the temperature of the outside can signal when this outside temperature has reached the desired temperature for the subsequent application, e.g. cutting, slicing, sawing, mincing, etc.
  • a non-contact e.g. infra-red sensor or a contact sensor measuring the temperature of the outside
  • the outside of the organic material is freely available for temperature measurement.
  • Microwave tempering ensures consistently controlled temperatures throughout the block of product. This improved temperature uniformity eliminates most drip loss and therefore will enhance flavour, aroma and juiciness of the finished product.
  • Precise temperature control will assure consistency of particle size in all ground meat products. This enables a high degree of quality control concerning visual uniformity and consistency of bite.
  • An examples of an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises a cooling device or station along side a microwave oven.
  • the organic material is first cooled using a controlled cooling device such as a CO 2 dosing machine and N 2 liquid bath. Once the outer temperature has reached the level required as explained above, i.e. lower than the middle temperature of the organic material, the organic material is placed in a microwave oven and heated, e.g. without addition of coolant.
  • microwave tempering takes only minutes, as compared to days for conventional tempering along the lines of best available technology, there is operational flexibility to instantaneously change production plans.
  • the three day tempering requirement can be eliminated thereby reducing the in process inventory requirement to one day. This reduction in inventory frees valuable funds for other uses.
  • Controlled tempering also inhibits bacterial growth. This improves product quality and taste, increases shelf life, and reduce risk.
  • Finishing cooked yield of many prepared foods can be improved because controlled microwave tempering does not allow valuable protein to leach from raw product.
  • Portion control of the finished product is simplified because controlled tempering precludes overstuffing too warm product or under-filling too cold product. This eliminates product give-away, and reduces the risk of a fine due to short weighting.
  • the cleaned and controlled microwave tempering process will prevent the potential confrontation with Government Regulators over crowded and messy work areas, unsanitary handling procedures, blood on the floor, etc. This will save money in cleaning costs, downtime, and non-productive labour expense.
  • the present invention provides an industrial method for tempering or softening bodies of frozen components such as bodies of frozen tissue/food/meat in such a way that the temperature difference in the product due to handling, size or/and skin effect is neutralised and controlled by applying microwave energy after use of a non-polar or polar and/or non-ionic layer.
  • the surface is frozen/cooled with non-polar or polar and/or non-ionic coolant before the microwave radiation.
  • the temperature at the surface goes down to at least 10 0 C below the bulk temperature, or below the middle temperature, e.g. to a temperature of -40 0 C, to prevent not only local thawing or warming up, but also to control the heating up rate in the microwave step.
  • Microwave (MW) heating reduces the process time and, energy consumption; additionally the use of MW after application of non-polar or polar and/or non-ionic coolant leads to better quality control of the tempering process.
  • the use of a snow (e.g. CO 2 ) or cooling liquid (N 2 ) before application of microwave energy provides optimal control over the temperature profile of the products, leading to mastering of the end temperature that is needed to allow for good processing downstream.
  • An embodiment of the present invention is an industrial tempering method that can be applied for different packing or containers Examples
  • Example 1 Two boxed beef of 50 by 40 by 15 cm 3 are processed in a CO 2 dose- measuring device followed by application of microwave energy, e.g. using a MEACHEAT 32 system, e.g. as known from Patent application PCT/BE03/00214.
  • One boxed beef is without snow and one boxed beef is with snow.
  • the difference between both methods is extraordinary.
  • Differences at the surface of 18°C are measured between both qualities leading to not processable meat in the one not treated with non-polar snow.
  • the microwave field can be 0 to 30W/cm 2 , preferably 0 to 20W/cm 2 and most preferably 1 to 2 W/cm 2 there is no cooking or overheating of the radiation side (Figure 5).

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  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Polymers & Plastics (AREA)
  • Food Science & Technology (AREA)
  • General Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Zoology (AREA)
  • Wood Science & Technology (AREA)
  • Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
  • Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Nutrition Science (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Electromagnetism (AREA)
  • Freezing, Cooling And Drying Of Foods (AREA)
  • Meat, Egg Or Seafood Products (AREA)

Abstract

La présente invention concerne un procédé industriel pour tempérer ou adoucir les matériaux organiques surgelés, comme des aliments, d'une manière que la différence de température dans le produit due à la manipulation, la taille ou l'effet de peau et l'absorption par micro-ondes sont neutralisés par l'application initiale d'un refroidissement non ionique et non polaire à la suite d'une radiation par micro-ondes continues. Pour maintenir la pénétration élevée du produit pour des produits épais, la surface du matériau organique est surgelée/refroidie avec un support de refroidissement non polaire non ionique avant l'application de la radiation par micro-ondes. Aucun refroidissement n'est appliqué pendant le chauffage par micro-ondes. La température à la surface descend jusqu'à -40 °C et plus pour éviter non seulement le dégivrage local, mais aussi pour permettre la commande de correction automatique du taux de chauffage. Le chauffage par micro-ondes réduit le temps de traitement, les besoins en énergie et mène à des améliorations de qualité.
PCT/EP2006/009591 2005-10-04 2006-10-04 Traitement de compositions surgelées WO2007039284A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB0520162.9 2005-10-04
GBGB0520162.9A GB0520162D0 (en) 2005-10-04 2005-10-04 Processing frozen compositions
GB0520241.1 2005-10-05
GB0520241A GB0520241D0 (en) 2005-10-05 2005-10-05 Processing frozen compositions

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Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US8465784B2 (en) 2008-03-10 2013-06-18 L'air Liquide, Societe Anonyme Pour L'etude Et L'exploitation Des Procedes Georges Claude Method for the microwave thawing of food products
EP2859800A1 (fr) * 2013-10-11 2015-04-15 Linde Aktiengesellschaft Appareil et procédé pour stériliser un produit
EP3784004A1 (fr) 2019-08-19 2021-02-24 Meam Bvba Commande d'applicateur à micro-ondes

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB1212365A (en) * 1966-12-10 1970-11-18 Sanyo Electric Co A microwave heating apparatus
GB1534845A (en) * 1977-07-04 1978-12-06 Electricite De France Method and device for defreezing frozen products in which the action of high-frequency radiation is combined with the action of electrostatic spraying of cryogenic liquid
FR2405023A1 (fr) * 1977-10-07 1979-05-04 Anvar Procede de decongelation par irradiations hyperfrequences et dispositif d'irradiation
US5153403A (en) * 1988-06-06 1992-10-06 Showa Denko K.K. Process and apparatus for thawing frozen food

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB1212365A (en) * 1966-12-10 1970-11-18 Sanyo Electric Co A microwave heating apparatus
GB1534845A (en) * 1977-07-04 1978-12-06 Electricite De France Method and device for defreezing frozen products in which the action of high-frequency radiation is combined with the action of electrostatic spraying of cryogenic liquid
FR2405023A1 (fr) * 1977-10-07 1979-05-04 Anvar Procede de decongelation par irradiations hyperfrequences et dispositif d'irradiation
US5153403A (en) * 1988-06-06 1992-10-06 Showa Denko K.K. Process and apparatus for thawing frozen food

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US8465784B2 (en) 2008-03-10 2013-06-18 L'air Liquide, Societe Anonyme Pour L'etude Et L'exploitation Des Procedes Georges Claude Method for the microwave thawing of food products
EP2859800A1 (fr) * 2013-10-11 2015-04-15 Linde Aktiengesellschaft Appareil et procédé pour stériliser un produit
EP3784004A1 (fr) 2019-08-19 2021-02-24 Meam Bvba Commande d'applicateur à micro-ondes

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