Other

Pitco Frialator, Inc.

Teo, Inc.

Thomas D Wendel

E Eugene Eves, Ii

Jeffrey H Mackay

Steven J Savage

E Eugene Eves

E Eugene Ii Eves

A mechanism for constraining a product package as it is conveyed through a microwave applicator. In one preferred embodiment, the conveyor is provided by a pair of parallel guide belts arranged to travel through a microwave applicator. The guide belts have a series of slots or other guide elements formed therein. The guide elements engage edges of the product packages. In one arrangement, the pair of belts are disposed on either side of a series of packages, and thus constrain the location of the packages in three dimensions.

Package conveyor for continuous process microwave applicator

An apparatus and method for processing food products is provided. The product conditioning system includes an inlet assembly, a pressurizeable tunnel and an outlet assembly. The inlet assembly and outlet assembly include a pair of vertically extending pressure vessels having entry and exit openings which are both sealable by doors to provide liquid and gaseous tight seals. The inlet and outlet assembly pressure vessels further include a pair of vertically extending parallel screws for transporting food products from one end of the pressure vessel to the other. The pressurizeable tunnel includes a heating stage having microwave sources for irradiating food products so as to pasteurize or sterilize prepackaged food. The pressurizeable tunnel further includes a heat maintenance stage and product cooling stage. Both the heat maintenance stage and product cooling stage include vertically extending pressure vessels. Within each pressure vessel, two pairs of parallel rotating screws are positioned for moving food products through a liquid environment at a desired temperature for continued pasteurization or sterilization in the heat maintenance stage, and product cooling within the cooling stage.

Apparatus and method for mass sterilization and pasteurization of food products

An improved efficient deep fat fryer is described. Heat exchange within the fryer tank is facilitated by a 'U' shaped burner tube which is cantilever mounted from a side of the tank and a burner system is provided to circulate in a spiral pathway products of combustion through the burner tube. An internal turbulator baffle is provided to both facilitate the spiral circulation through the tube and to facilitate heat transfer from the combustion gases to burner tube walls. Exhaust gases are circulated downwardly from the burner tubes to a plenum beneath the tank which also has heat transfer baffle plates to facilitate heat exchange. Ultimately the products are expelled through a flue. The system further comprises filter bags for continuously filtering the oil which are disposed in a sump at the surface of the oil so that oil continually spills from the tank into the sump where it is filtered preferably by one or more bags of cloth material. Other types of filters could be used such as metal or paper or a synthetic in combination with paper so long as porosity is maintained and a filter powder could be used. The system provides a pump for recirculating the filtered oil to the tank.

High efficient convection fryer with continuous filtration

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Nashua, NH, United States of America

Thomas D Wendel