Conditioning system for nutritional substances

• US 9,619,781 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2012
• Issued: 04/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Iceberg International SARL
• Original Assignee: Iceberg International SARL
• Inventors: Minvielle, Eugenio
• Primary Examiner(s): Sasaki, Shogo
• Application Number:
  US13/602,040
• Publication Number:
  US 20130273217A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,684 Days
• Field of Search: 700266, 700 9, 700 28, 702 19, 702 22, 702 23, 702 30- 32, 99275, 99325, 99337, 99468, 99486, 426231, 426278
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 3/00 Preservation of foods or foodstuffs, in general, e.g. pasteurising, sterilising, specially adapted for foods or foodstuffs preserving foods or foodstuffs in association with packaging B65B55/00
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 5/00 Preparation or treatment of foods or foodstuffs, in general; Food or foodstuffs obtained thereby; Materials therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A23P 10/00 Shaping or working of foodstuffs characterised by the products
• CPC Class Codes: A23V 2002/00 Food compositions, function of food ingredients or processes for food or foodstuffs
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/02 Food
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/6447 Method of operation or details of the microwave heating apparatus related to the use of detectors or sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/647 Aspects related to microwave heating combined with other heating techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/687 for cooking
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/688 for thawing
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 40/00 Technologies aiming at improving the efficiency of home appliances, e.g. induction cooking or efficient technologies for refrigerators, freezers or dish washers

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a conditioning system for nutritional substances. The conditioning system obtains information regarding the nutritional substance to be conditioned, the desired conditioning, and the desired properties, including nutritional content, of the conditioned nutritional substance, and dynamically controls the conditioning in response to this information optimize the organoleptic properties of the conditioned nutritional substance, while minimizing any detrimental changes to the nutritional content.

Claims

1. A conditioner system for conditioning nutritional substances comprising:

a nutritional substance database containing information related to nutritional substances prior to conditioning and Δ

N information of the nutritional substances which is defined as changes in nutritional, organoleptic and aesthetic value of the nutritional substances after conditioning the nutritional substance, and further contains various conditioning protocols referenced to the nutritional substances;

a reader configured to automatically read a code printed on a label associated with a particular nutritional substance to be conditioned and to retrieve information from the nutritional substance database related to the particular nutritional substance;

a consumer interface configured to receive input data from a consumer regarding a desired nutritional, organoleptic or aesthetic value of the particular nutritional substance after conditioning of the particular nutritional substance;

a controller configured to receive the input data from the consumer, and Δ

N information for the particular nutritional substance, and based on said input data and Δ

N information said controller retrieves and modifies a conditioning protocol comprising one of the various conditioning protocols stored in the nutritional substance database, the modified conditioning protocol comprising instructions for carrying out conditioning the particular nutritional substance to achieve the desired nutritional, organoleptic or aesthetic value of the particular nutritional input by the consumer wherein the modified conditioning protocol is responsive to a directly measured internal temperature of the nutritional substance; and

a conditioner comprising an apparatus that cooks the nutritional substance responsive to the modified conditioning protocol including by modifying the conditioning parameters during cooking based on the directly measured internal temperature of the nutritional substance, and wherein the conditioning parameters comprise various time and temperatures for cooking the nutritional substance.

2. A conditioner system for nutritional substances according to claim 1 wherein the nutritional substance database is located remote of the controller and further comprising;

a transmitter for transmitting the input data from the consumer regarding a desired nutritional, organoleptic or aesthetic value of the particular nutritional substance after conditioning of the particular nutritional to the nutritional substance database.

3. A conditioner system for nutritional substances according to claim 1 wherein

the Δ

N information of the nutritional substances in the nutritional substance database is comprised, at least in part, of observed, measured, or experienced values reported by a consumer of the nutritional substance.