Alkar-rapidpak, Inc.

Institute of Gas Technology

Dec International, Inc.

Robert E Hanson

Craig R Bonneville

Vernon Donald Karman

Tou T Vang

Gary Lee Hahn

Nelly Feze

Noel R Johnson

Wendell J Holl

Andi J Mikelsons

Nicholas Cable

John J Jurkowski

David Norby

David Lukens

Anthony Renger

Mark J Khinkis

Dennis Conohan

Seth T Pulsfus

David L Brethorst

Joseph Rabovitser

Daren Cornforth

Dennis P Roelke

Brian G Sandberg

Peter G Senn

Christopher D McLinn

Glenn L Leach

Thomas J Betley

Sandeep Ahuja

William Cummings

A method for processing a food product involves transporting the food product through a plurality of stations including a loading station, a pasteurization station, and a closing station. The surface of the food product is pasteurized by convectively transferring heat from the pasteurizing medium to the surface of the food product at a rate such that the surface heat transfer coefficient becomes sufficiently higher than the food product conductance coefficient that the surface temperature of the food product is substantially instantaneously elevated above temperatures which are instantly lethal to microbes which may be present. Preferably, steam is condensed on the food product surface in dropwise condensation, and the onset of film condensation is retarded by removing condensate film from such surface.

Surface pasteurization method

In a web packaging machine () and method packaging a food product (P) between upper and lower webs (and), wherein the lower web () is transported through a series of stations which form the lower web () into a component of a package at a forming station (), and receive the food product (P) at a loading station (), and close the package with the upper web () at a closing station (), a pasteurization station () is provided between the loading station () and the closing station () and pasteurizing the food product (P).

Web packaging pasteurization system

A food processing system for an elongated strand of food product, such as hot dogs or sausage links, provides aligned orientation of conveyor hooks and identical arrival time spacing between adjacent hooks at a reference loading point at a strand producing machine discharge station.

Conveyor chain

A food processing system circulates a processing medium along a circulation path having first and second segments perpendicular to food product travel along a horizontal conveyor. In another aspect, desired sequencing is provided including reversal of orientation order of return and supply path segments of the circulating processing medium.

Food processor with circulation system and method

A process and apparatus for cooking non-cured food products in which the non-cured food products are heated in an atmosphere comprising less than about 0.5 vppmd of NO , producing a cooked food product having substantially no pink discoloration on its outer surface.

Cooking process

Aligned food processing system

A method of curing meat, or other food products, using nitrogen dioxide gas. In a preferred method, the food product is exposed to nitrogen dioxide gas at a concentration in excess of 0.4 ppm. The nitrogen dioxide gas reacts with moisture in the food product to produce nitrous acid which diffuses throughout the product to cure the product and produce the pink 'cured' color pigment. In an alternate method, the nitrogen dioxide gas is dissolved in water to produce a solution containing nitrous acid, and the solution is injected into the food product to produce the cured color pigment.

Method of curing food products

Growing community of inventors

Madison, WI, United States of America

Robert E Hanson