Stokely-van Camp, Inc.

Stokley-van Camp, Inc.

Ashok Dhruv

Rei-Young Amos Wu

Michael J Mastio

Richard Schutzenhofer

Paul Konopacki

Osvaldo A Chu

Amos Rei-Young Wu

A system comprising a pre-heater located downstream of where a product stream is formed and upstream of a heater that heats the product stream to a desired temperature, the pre-heater comprising a circulating stream of a first heat transfer stream that pre-heats the food product, a container cooler comprising a circulating stream of a second heat transfer stream that cools containers containing the heated food product coming out of the heater, and a heat exchanger where heat from the second heat transfer stream is transferred to the first heat transfer stream. A method for using the system is also disclosed. The product can be a food product, including but not limited to a beverage. The container containing the heated product can be any suitable container, including but not limited to bottles and cans.

Energy and water conservation in cooling of containers containing heated products

A fluid processing system has a plurality of segments configured to receive flow of a fluid product. Each of the plurality of segments has a line input, a line output, a cleaning input valve, and a cleaning discharge valve. The cleaning input valve connects to the line input and the cleaning discharge valve connects to the line output. A cleaning medium is provided wherein the cleaning medium is injected into a respective cleaning input valve and drained through a respective cleaning discharge valve, such that each segment can be cleaned independently of each other.

Efficient liquid processing system

An apparatus comprising a chamber where a base concentrate common to at least a first flavored food product and a second flavored food product is formed, the first flavored food product having different flavoring than the second flavored food product, the base concentrate having a first temperature. The apparatus also comprises a process line that receives the base concentrate from the chamber, heated liquid from a heated liquid source, and flavoring from either a first flavor source or a second flavor source to form a mixture of base concentrate, heated liquid and flavoring. The mixture has a has second temperature sufficient to achieve a change in the mixture selected from the group consisting of microbial change, chemical change, biochemical change, and enzymatic change, and combinations thereof. A method is also disclosed for change over from forming a first flavored food product to forming a second flavored food product.

Continuous hot fill process

An improved method and apparatus for pasteurizing filled food containers having contents to be pasteurized includes spraying a heat transfer fluid onto the containers. As the contents increase in temperature, the flow rate of heat transfer fluid is decreased. The heat transfer fluid is at least about 20&#xb0; F. hotter than the initial average temperature of the contents. In one embodiment, the temperature of the spent heat transfer fluid typically does not vary more than about 6&#xb0; F. to 9&#xb0; F.

Bottle pasteurizer and method

An improved method and apparatus for cooling filled food containers having hot contents includes spraying a coolant onto the containers. As the hot contents cool, the flow rate of coolant is decreased. The coolant is at least about 40&#xb0; F. cooler than the initial average temperature of the hot contents. In one embodiment, the temperature of the spent coolant typically does not vary more than about 6&#xb0; F.

Growing community of inventors

Englewood, CO, United States of America

Ashok Dhruv