Mccormick & Company, Inc.

Newly Weds Foods, Inc.

Daniel H Dudek

Ron C Hsieh

Steven M Johnson

To avoid premature deterioration of raw products such as spices and herbs or products produced with these ingredients, the product or material is sterilized by exposure to elevated pressures and temperatures for a predetermined time. The sterilization process comprises a multiplicity of chambers whereby a product is introduced to the first chamber, pressurized, transferred through a series of sterilization chambers while exposing the product to the sterilization environment of the chambers for a predetermined time, then depressurized in a depressurization chamber. When using a moist sterilization fluid, a drying chamber is attached to the depressurization chamber to remove excess and undesirable moisture from the product.

Sterilization method and apparatus for spices and herbs

To avoid loss of volatile oils or cause change of color or excessive loss of moisture in raw vegetable product such as herbs or spices, the product is sterilized for human consumption by placing the product in a jacketed container where the temperature of the interior of walls of the container is elevated to approximately the sterilizing temperature, the product is then charged to the interior of the container and sterilizing, culinary steam is injected for up to five minutes; thereafter, the product is cooled and then the container pressurized to eject the cooled product for subsequent handling such as packaging; the apparatus includes two connected vessels, the first vessel being utilized to sterilize the product and the second vessel being utilized to cool and dry the product; transfer between the two vessels of the container system is effected by maintaining a pressure differential therebetween.

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Cockeysville, MD, United States of America

Daniel H Dudek