Sterilizing method for treatment of fresh fruits and apparatus used for the method
First Claim
1. An apparatus for conducting a sterilizing treatment of fresh fruit, said apparatus comprising a far infrared irradiation chamber containing and a curved heat radiation surface, means for transferring fruit from said irradiation chamber to a saturated steam chamber, said saturated steam chamber maintaining the far infrared irradiated fruit at a predetermined temperature for a predetermined period of time, a mechanism for reducing pressure of said saturated steam chamber, a nozzle for introducing steam in a steam jet into said steam chamber, and means for controlling said steam jet by automatically opening the nozzle when the temperature of said steam chamber has fallen under a predetermined level or when the pressure of the steam chamber has fallen under the saturated steam pressure.
0 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A sterilizing method for treatment of fresh fruits and an apparatus used for the method that allow a significant reduction of steam consuption and of fruit sterilization cost is disclosed.
The present invention is characterized by that extermination of vermin eggs and sterilization and disinfection of fresh fruits is conducted without deteriorating the freshness of the fruits to be treated by irradiating far infrared rays on the fruits to preheat the cores of the fruits to a predetermined temperature and then by maintaining the fruit cores at a predetermined temperature for a predetermined period of time in saturated steam.
-
Citations
3 Claims
- 1. An apparatus for conducting a sterilizing treatment of fresh fruit, said apparatus comprising a far infrared irradiation chamber containing and a curved heat radiation surface, means for transferring fruit from said irradiation chamber to a saturated steam chamber, said saturated steam chamber maintaining the far infrared irradiated fruit at a predetermined temperature for a predetermined period of time, a mechanism for reducing pressure of said saturated steam chamber, a nozzle for introducing steam in a steam jet into said steam chamber, and means for controlling said steam jet by automatically opening the nozzle when the temperature of said steam chamber has fallen under a predetermined level or when the pressure of the steam chamber has fallen under the saturated steam pressure.
Specification