Societe D'assistance Technique Pour Produits Nestle S.a.

Nestec S.a.

The A.p.v. Company Limited

John E Brittain

Albert C Hersom

Kenneth W Wright

Graham S Cattell

Christopher J Brimelow

Raymond Darlington

A process and apparatus for treating a foodstuff in a container which is to be hermetically sealed characterized in that the container is extended by means of an extension piece, foodstuff is added so that it fills the container and at least part of the extension piece, the extended container is fitted with a closing member to form a closed assembly provided with an outlet for the escape of air, the contents are purged with steam until they have shrunk to such an extent that the foodstuff in the extension piece has subsided into the container and the required degree of heat processing has been achieved after which the container, extension piece and closing member are separated from each other.

Canning apparatus

In a batch method for the heat treatment of particulate solid material, especially food materials, the vessel in which the heat treatment takes place is essentially a jacketed pressure vessel (1) in which the material is tumbled while being heated, and in order to obtain an increase in throughput the solids and cooking liquor are removed to a second vessel (2) after cooling. In the second tumbling vessel there is a reversible strainer (12) which is used in the position illustrated to separate the liquor from the solids and then inverted after withdrawal of the liquor so that they may be blended with a different liquor, such as a sauce, introduced via a line (14).

Heat treatment of particulate solid materials

A process for treating solid foodstuff pieces in a container which is to be hermetically sealed characterized in that the container is extended by means of an extension piece, solid foodstuff pieces are added so that they fill the container and at least part of the extension piece, the extended container is fitted with a closing member to form a closed assembly provided with an outlet for the escape of air, the contents are purged with steam until they have shrunk to such an extent that the foodstuff pieces in the extension piece have subsided into the container and the required degree of heat processing has been achieved after which the container, extension piece and closing member are separated from each other.

Process for treating solid foodstuff pieces in a container

In a batch method for the heat treatment of particular solid material, especially food materials, the vessel in which the heat treatment takes place is essentially a jacketed pressure vessel (1) in which the material is tumbled while being heated, and in order to obtain an increase in throughput the solids and cooking liquor are removed to a second vessel (2) after cooling. In the second tumbling vessel there is a reversible strainer (12) which is used in the position illustrated to separate the liquor from the solids and then inverted after withdrawal of the liquor so that they may be blended with a different liquor, such as a sauce, introduced via a line (14).

A batch process for the sterilization of particulate solid materials, in which a batch of particulate solid material to be sterilized is introduced into a rotary vessel shaped so that rotation of the vessel imparts a tumbling action to the solid material; the solid material is heated in the vessel while rotating the same to subject the material to a tumbling action; a lubricant liquid is injected under pressure into the vessel at a temperature in excess of the temperature of the solids; the lubricant liquid and solid material are held at a sterilization temperature while maintaining the tumbling action; and the sterilized solid material is withdrawn from the vessel under aseptic conditions.

Sterilization of particulate solid materials

A continuous method of impregnating food material such as vegetables, fruit, meat, eggs, and fish wherein pieces of the food material are immersed in a concentrated solution, such as brine, syrup, meat curing solutions, humectant solutions and mixtures thereof, said pieces being initially buoyant in said solution and being passed together with said solution along a flow path to a separation zone wherein the impregnating solution flows downwards at a rate greater than the rate of flow of the food material whereby those pieces of food material which, by absorption of the desired quantity of impregnant, have lost sufficient of their buoyancy in the surrounding impregnating solution to be carried downwards by the said solution, are continuously separated from pieces of food material which have absorbed less than the desired quantity of impregnant.

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Beaconsfield, United Kingdom

John E Brittain