Method of and system for continuously processing liquid materials, and the product processed thereby

Abstract

The present invention proposes a method of and system for continuously processing liquid material by which enzymes in the liquid material are inactivated and the liquid material is sterilized effectively. In one example of the system according to the present invention, a liquid material is introduced into a processing chamber from an introduction port at the bottom, and liquefied carbon dioxide formed into micro-particles by a filter is also introduced in the chamber . The micro-particles of liquefied carbon dioxide dissolves into the liquid material efficiently. The liquid material taken out from a take-out port is introduced into a warming pipe kept at such a preset temperature and pressure where the carbon dioxide turns to a supercritical fluid. After that, the liquid material is introduced through a pressure control valve into a pressure-reducing chamber . The carbon dioxide rapidly changes from supercritical fluid to gas, and vaporizes from the liquid material. The step of dissolving carbon dioxide into the liquid material and the step of processing the liquid material with the supercritical fluid are carried out independently under respective optimized temperature-and-pressure condition. Therefore, the processing time can be shortened even with a small-sized processing chamber , and there is no need to pre-heat the liquid material.