Preservation system for nutritional substances

• US 9,541,536 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2012
• Issued: 01/10/2017
• 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): BECKER, DREW E
• Application Number:
  US13/729,548
• Publication Number:
  US 20130273222A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,474 Days
• Field of Search: 426/524, 426231-233, 426 87- 88, 426/394, 426/383, 426/393, 434/127
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A23B 4/09 with direct contact between the food and the chemical, e.g. liquid N2, at cryogenic temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A23B 5/055 with direct contact between the food and the chemical, e.g. liquid nitrogen, at cryogenic temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A23B 7/055 with direct contact between the food and the chemical, e.g. liquid nitrogen, at cryogenic temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A23B 9/10 Freezing; Subsequent thawing; Cooling
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 3/001 Details of apparatus, e.g. for transport, for loading or unloading manipulation, pressure feed valves
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 3/375 with direct contact between the food and the chemical, e.g. liquid nitrogen, at cryogenic temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 3/00 Investigating fluid-tightness of structures
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/00 Investigating or analysing materials by the use of optical means, i.e. using sub-millimetre waves, infrared, visible or ultraviolet light G01N3/00 - G01N19/00 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 25/00 Investigating or analyzing materials by the use of thermal means G01N3/00 - G01N23/00 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/00 Investigating or analysing materials by the use of ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves; Visualisation of the interior of objects by transmitting ultrasonic or sonic waves through the object G01N3/00, G01N5/00, G01N7/00, G01N9/00, G01N11/00, G01N13/00, G01N15/00, G01N17/00, G01N19/00, G01N21/00, G01N22/00, G01N23/00, G01N24/00, G01N25/00, G01N27/00 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/0004 Gaseous mixtures, e.g. polluted air gaseous biological material G01N33/497; exhaust gas of internal combustion engines G01M15/102
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/02 Food
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 7/00 Analysing materials by measuring the pressure or volume of a gas or vapour
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24 Querying
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

Disclosed herein is preservation system for nutritional substances. The preservation system obtains information about the nutritional substance to be preserved, senses and measures the external environment to the preservation system, senses and measures the internal environment to the preservation system, senses and measures the state of the nutritional substance, and stores such information throughout the period of preservation. Using this accumulated information, the preservation system can measure, or estimate, changes in nutritional content (usually degradation) during the period of preservation. Additionally, the preservation system can use this information to dynamically modify the preservation system to minimize detrimental changes to the nutritional content of the nutritional substance, and in some cases actually improve the nutritional substance attributes.

Claims

1. A method of determining nutritional or organoleptic values of nutritional substances comprising the steps of:

initially freezing a nutritional substance utilizing a type of freezing and storing the nutritional substance in a frozen state following the initial freezing;

determining an estimated change in nutritional value resulting from the initial freezing of the nutritional substance based on prior freezing of a test nutritional substance that is the same type as the nutritional substance;

determining an estimated change in nutritional value resulting from the storing of the nutritional substance in the frozen state based on information relating to a time and a temperature of the frozen storage, the estimated change in nutritional value based on prior storing of a test nutritional substance that is the same type as the nutritional substance;

retrieving a baseline nutritional value of the nutritional substance the baseline nutritional value determined based on prior testing of nutritional substance that is the same type and from the same source as the nutritional substance;

determining an overall change in nutritional value based on the change in nutritional value resulting from the initial freezing of the nutritional substance and the change in nutritional value resulting from the storing of the nutritional substance in the frozen state;

determining a current nutritional value based on the overall change in nutritional value and the baseline nutritional value and storing the current nutritional value referenced to a dynamic information identifier in a database;

receiving a request for the current nutritional value from a consumer; and

transmitting, in response to the request, the current nutritional value from the database and the overall change in nutritional value for display to the consumer.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein said type freezing comprises liquid nitrogen freezing.

3. A method according to claim 1 wherein:

said type of freezing comprises CAS freezing.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the nutritional value is based on water content.