Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A22—BUTCHERING; MEAT TREATMENT; PROCESSING POULTRY OR FISH
  • A22C—PROCESSING MEAT, POULTRY, OR FISH
  • A22C9/00—Apparatus for tenderising meat, e.g. ham
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
  • A23B—PRESERVATION OF FOODS, FOODSTUFFS OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES; CHEMICAL RIPENING OF FRUIT OR VEGETABLES
  • A23B2/00—Preservation of foods or foodstuffs, in general
  • A23B2/50—Preservation of foods or foodstuffs, in general by irradiation without heating
  • A23B2/57—Preservation of foods or foodstuffs, in general by irradiation without heating by treatment with ultrasonic waves
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
  • A23B—PRESERVATION OF FOODS, FOODSTUFFS OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES; CHEMICAL RIPENING OF FRUIT OR VEGETABLES
  • A23B4/00—Preservation of 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—PRESERVATION OF FOODS, FOODSTUFFS OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES; CHEMICAL RIPENING OF FRUIT OR VEGETABLES
  • A23B4/00—Preservation of meat, sausages, fish or fish products
  • A23B4/26—Apparatus for preserving using liquids ; Processes therefor
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
  • A23L—FOODS, FOODSTUFFS OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; PREPARATION OR TREATMENT THEREOF
  • A23L13/00—Meat products; Meat meal; Preparation or treatment thereof
  • A23L13/70—Tenderised or flavoured meat pieces; Macerating or marinating solutions specially adapted therefor
  • A23L13/77—Tenderised or flavoured meat pieces; Macerating or marinating solutions specially adapted therefor by mechanical treatment, e.g. kneading, rubbing or tumbling
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
  • A23L—FOODS, FOODSTUFFS OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; PREPARATION OR TREATMENT THEREOF
  • A23L5/00—Preparation or treatment of foods or foodstuffs, in general; Food or foodstuffs obtained thereby; Materials therefor
  • A23L5/10—General methods of cooking foods, e.g. by roasting or frying
  • A23L5/15—General methods of cooking foods, e.g. by roasting or frying using wave energy, irradiation, electrical means or magnetic fields, e.g. oven cooking or roasting using radiant dry heat
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
  • A23L—FOODS, FOODSTUFFS OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; PREPARATION OR TREATMENT THEREOF
  • A23L5/00—Preparation or treatment of foods or foodstuffs, in general; Food or foodstuffs obtained thereby; Materials therefor
  • A23L5/30—Physical treatment, e.g. electrical or magnetic means, wave energy or irradiation
  • A23L5/32—Physical treatment, e.g. electrical or magnetic means, wave energy or irradiation using phonon wave energy, e.g. sound or ultrasonic waves
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
  • A23L—FOODS, FOODSTUFFS OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; PREPARATION OR TREATMENT THEREOF
  • A23L13/00—Meat products; Meat meal; Preparation or treatment thereof
  • A23L13/70—Tenderised or flavoured meat pieces; Macerating or marinating solutions specially adapted therefor
  • A23L13/76—Tenderised or flavoured meat pieces; Macerating or marinating solutions specially adapted therefor by treatment in a gaseous atmosphere, e.g. ageing or ripening; by electrical treatment, irradiation or wave treatment

Definitions

• This invention relates to a new type of the device and the process 3 ⁇ bound to it, for the pre-cooking process and subsequent cooking phase of all foods, particularly those of animal origin.
• C urrently Ageing consists in storing the carcass of the animal, once it has been opened and cleaned, in a vertical position in an environment with controlled temperature and humidity. During Ageing different phenomena occur, which also affect the commercial factors: for example the lowering of the P H value (i.e. the degree of
• the basic hardness of meat i.e. its tenderness characteristic, is a parameter that depends also on the connective tissue present therein, as well as on the parameters of
• the invention consists in the definition of a procedure (which has been found) according to theoretical and experimental guidelines,
• S uch devices may in fact emit sound waves 3 at a high frequency (with different levels of intensity and frequency) that impact on the food tissue when it is immersed in a liquid, causing a great change in the basic Hardness of the food.
• T he meat must be immersed in a liquid to be affected in a n effective ma nner by the ultrasounds but enclosed inside a *ft container to allow not to be contaminated by the treatment liquid; such container shall permit the addition of aromatic a nd/or marinading substances during maturation.
• the marinade a nd the presence of aromatic substa nces is particularly enhanced *fc with respect to the prior a rt.
• T he conta iner that hosts the food must therefore be impermeable to liquids but permeable to the ultrasound waves transmitted in the liquid, making an effective transduction of these waves therein.
• the temperature of the food during boosted maturation with ultrasound must be kept constant in order to have excellent effectiveness. To ensure this condition can occur, it is necessary that the temperature of water or liquid surrounding the container where the food is inserted be treated with the emission of ultrasound waves, both controlled and then kept at the right value also by means of a recirculation that allows homogeneity in the distribution of thermal energy.
• the modulation and the discretisation of the intensity of the ultrasound signal, the duration, range of frequencies and duty cycle are determined according to a function that is based on the idea of the invention.
• a range of frequencies (Delta F) [F ig7 (70)] a range of Power (Deltal) [F ig7 (71 ) a range of duration (DeltaT) [F ig7 (72)] and a range of cycle of emission of the ultrasound in the unit of time, i.e.
• the Duty Cycle (Delta D) [F ig7 (73) such as to stabilise the temperature of the liquid that immerses the food in a predetermined range, avoiding its uncontrolled increase due to the effect of ultrasound.
• This controlled temperature value allows to avoid the cooking of food during the maturation phase.
• the necessary temperature stabilisation is to be further controlled according to the idea of the invention through a decrease of the gas dissolved in the liquid contained in the tank.
• This is possible because the maturation process is started in the tank under vacuum, i.e. a physical state that allows the stabilisation of the gaseous exchange between the liquid and the air contained in the tank itself.
• the physical status of the vacuum decreases the effect of refraction of ultrasound waves during scattering in the liquid as the lesser presence of gas increases the ease of wave propagation and subsequently limits the increase in temperature of the liquid. 5.
• the physical status of the vacuum also allows to make constant the value of the acoustic impedance of the liquid,
• the device created on the basis of the idea of the invention consists in its main parts in a tank made of stainless steel or other material [Figl) (10) fitted with watertight cover [Figl) (11) and equipped with one or more arrays of transducers for ultrasound waves [Figl) (12) that may be transmitted in its cavity.
• the ultrasound transducers are
• liquid level sensors [F ig.1 (100)]. All devices listed inserted in the tank, i.e. those that generate ultrasound waves [F igl (12)], that measure pressure [F igl (16)], temperature [F igl (17)], liquid level [F ig.1 (100)], which produce heating [F igl ) (1 5), which generate a vacuum [F igl ) (14) and which move the liquid inside the tank [F igl (13)] are controlled by an external P LC [F igl (19) equipped with the appropriate drivers and with a user interface that allows the operator to display a monitor of the states and/or programs and/or edit the desired functions. In particular the liquid level sensor [F ig.1 (100)] allows you to automatically turn off the
• 3 ⁇ 4 device that is the object of the idea of the invention, in order to avoid that the action of the ultrasound waves without the liquid contained in the tank (or with too low a level) is able to destroy the same equipment and/or make it dangerous for the user.
• the structure of the food container [F ig.4 (40)] is designed with a material such as to confer a strong permeability to ultrasound waves [F ig.4 (41 ) coming from the outside from the ultrasound transducers [F ig.1 (12)). These waves scatter inside [F ig.4 (42)] thanks to the
• 3 ⁇ 4 example by the modelling of plastic materials such as polypropylene and polyamide, allows the adaptation of acoustic impedance between the liquid and the container, allowing the maximum energy transfer of ultrasound waves in its interior. [F ig.4 (40)).
• One or more containers of the food [F ig5 (52)] are placed inside the device for ultrasound boosted maturation, and more precisely inside the tank [F ig5 (50)] automatically filled with the liquid [F ig5 (51 )] under the strict control of the level sensor [F ig5 (500)].
• the treatment procedure is activated by means of the ultrasound transducers [F ig5 (54)].
• the pump [F ig6 (68) sucks the air contained inside the tank above the level of the water.
• the ultrasound waves [F ig5 (57)] strike the containers [F ig5 (52)], which transmit their energy inside the containers themselves [F ig5 (58)].
• 3 ⁇ 4 conditioning system of the temperature of the liquid is activated by heating elements [F ig5 (53)] while the recirculation of the liquid is carried out through the pump [F ig5 (55)] in order to better distribute the thermal energy.
• the temperature sensor [F ig5 (56)] monitors this parameter while all control is managed by the central P LC [F ig5
• ultrasound Boosted Maturation the food reaches a degree of homogeneity of the tissues greater than the state of the art of classical Maturation. This facilitates cooking, improves chewability and the nutritional quality of the treated food. 2.
• ultrasound Boosted Maturation we obtain a drastic reduction of the basic Hardness of the food if compared to the state of the art of classical Maturation.
• Ultrasound Boosted Maturation takes place under strict control of the temperature on the food thanks to the method of parameterisation of the energy levels of the harmonics constituting the ultrasound wave.
• the food has the possibility to better stretch its fibres thanks to a distribution of heat without temperature gradients, resulting in a much more uniform method than traditional cooking.
• *fc Cooking according to the idea of the invention is performed with the use of a quantity of energy lower than other food cooking methods (e.g., grid, oven etc.) and less time with respect to traditional cooking techniques. This provides a high energy yield of the cooking device according to the idea of the 3 ⁇ 4 invention.
• Cooking according to the idea of the invention increases the digestibility of food.
• the nutrients are preserved due to the effect of low temperature.
• Cooking according to the idea of the invention the food preserves more nutritional levels (e.g. proteins and enzymes) with respect to the various traditional cooking
• Cooking according to the idea of the invention makes food more hydrated and more pleasant to mastication with respect to the various various traditional cooking methods.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Food Science & Technology (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Polymers & Plastics (AREA)
• Wood Science & Technology (AREA)
• Zoology (AREA)
• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Nutrition Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• General Preparation And Processing Of Foods (AREA)
• Meat, Egg Or Seafood Products (AREA)

Priority Applications (5)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

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Family Applications (1)

Country Status (6)

Cited By (1)

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Citations (5)

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• 2016
  • 2016-06-16 IT ITUA2016A004431A patent/ITUA20164431A1/it unknown
• 2017
  • 2017-06-12 EP EP17733039.6A patent/EP3471555B1/en active Active
  • 2017-06-12 US US16/309,605 patent/US20190313673A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2017-06-12 MX MX2018015738A patent/MX2018015738A/es unknown
  • 2017-06-12 WO PCT/IB2017/053465 patent/WO2017216703A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 2017-06-12 JP JP2019518165A patent/JP2019520855A/ja active Pending

Patent Citations (5)

Non-Patent Citations (4)

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