Direct inoculation method using frozen concentrated cultures and associated device
First Claim
1. A device for the continuous dosage of a frozen starter culture into a liquid fermentation medium to be inoculated, wherein said device comprises (A) a fermentation unit and (B) a container for thawing of the starter culture, which container comprises means of retaining the frozen culture inside the thawing container while allowing the thawed liquid starter culture to pass into a circuit for the continuous feeding of the fermentation medium into the fermentation unit, wherein said circuit is provided with means of regulating a flow-rate of the culture in liquid form and a flow-rate of the fermentation medium.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A device for the continuous dosage of frozen starter cultures into a liquid fermentation medium is provided. The device comprises a fermentation unit and a container for the thawing of the starter cultures. It further comprises means of retaining the frozen cultures inside the thawing container while allowing the culture in liquid form to feed into a circuit for continuously feeding the fermentation medium to be inoculated. Furthermore, a method of dosing a frozen inoculant into a liquid fermentation medium is also described.
-
Citations
20 Claims
- 1. A device for the continuous dosage of a frozen starter culture into a liquid fermentation medium to be inoculated, wherein said device comprises (A) a fermentation unit and (B) a container for thawing of the starter culture, which container comprises means of retaining the frozen culture inside the thawing container while allowing the thawed liquid starter culture to pass into a circuit for the continuous feeding of the fermentation medium into the fermentation unit, wherein said circuit is provided with means of regulating a flow-rate of the culture in liquid form and a flow-rate of the fermentation medium.
- 13. A method of dosing a frozen inoculant, wherein 1) frozen concentrated culture is thawed in a thawing container that comprises means of retaining the frozen culture inside the thawing container while allowing thawed liquid starter culture to pass, 2) the thawed culture is kept temporarily at low temperature and 3) a well-defined quantity of said thawed culture is introduced continuously into a flow of a liquid fermentation medium to be inoculated.
Specification