Foods and beverages: apparatus – Means to treat food – By applying fluid
Reexamination Certificate
2002-02-16
2002-10-01
Simone, Timothy F. (Department: 1761)
Foods and beverages: apparatus
Means to treat food
By applying fluid
C099S495000, C099S516000, C099S534000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06457403
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates generally to an apparatus for processing fruit in multiple layers, and more particularly to improved tanks used for processing fruit in multiple layers in accordance with the method disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,159,527, the subject matter of which is incorporated herein by reference thereto.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the follow description and claims the term fruit should be interpreted to include other vegetable products, such as, but not limited to, celery, carrots, vanilla beans, and/or broccoli.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,159,527 a method and apparatus are disclosed for infusing fruit with sugar by flowing an infusing liquor containing dissolved sugar and fruit juice through the processed fruit. The infusing liquor has strata of progressively higher concentrations of sugar. The flow rate is controlled so that the strata with the progressively higher concentrations of sugar only just slightly exceeds the sugar content of the fruit being infused. Thus, the infusing is done at a rate slow enough so that as fruit juice leaves the fruit it will be replaced with sugar during an osmotic transfer without causing osmotic dehydration. This slight differential in sugar contents is necessary in order to prevent osmotic dehydration. This infusion continues until the fruit reaches saturation. At saturation, the liquid inside the fruit gels, firming the fruit so that the infused fruit has a firmness similar to the firmness of the raw fruit.
Before infusion, fruits may be initially processed to condition it for infusion. The initial processing of hard fruits, such as cranberries, may include pressing it, to remove a desired quantity of juice, typically about 50-80% of the fruit juice. (The amount of juice removed may be that necessary to leave a soluble acid concentration substantially equal to that desired in the fully infused fruit.) In addition, care is exercised during pressing so that most of the cells within the fruit are not ruptured. After the initial pressing of hard fruits, the fruit is plumped up (or plumped) by replacing the juice which has been pressed out with other fluids by immersing the fruit in a mixture of water, juice and sugar. After this step has been completed, the fruit is then infused in the manner set forth above. The invention which includes pressing of a hard fruit is more fully set forth in applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 6,159,527.
The operation of the process is a continuous batch process. As shown in the various FIGS. of the patent, four tanks or vats
10
,
12
,
14
, and
16
are used for infusing fruit, these tanks being interconnected with suitable plumbing to establish a flow path from tank
10
to tank
12
to tank
14
to tank
16
and back to tank
10
. In addition, a bleed or overflow tank
18
is also provided. Fresh fruit (which may be at room temperature or frozen, and which may be processed or unprocessed fruit) is placed in the first tank in the series, and then fresh fruit is introduced sequentially in each subsequent tank in the series after suitable time intervals. Thus, at the beginning of a first time interval, fresh fruit is loaded into tank
10
, at the beginning of a second time interval fresh fruit is loaded into tank
12
, and so on. Fresh fruit is always loaded into a tank just before it is processed to avoid premature spoilage of the fruit.
The above identified patent describes initial processing and also continuous batch processing. In this regard, it should be noted that the initial processing is for the purpose of building up a stratified column of infusing liquor from the initial infusing liquor, which consists of a fruit juice or fruit juice concentrate which has been fortified with additional sugar if necessary to bring it to a high sugar content, typically 70 Brix. The stratified column, after the initial process has been completed, is formed of superimposed layers of liquors of differing sugar content, which vary from a Brix content equal to the initial infusing liquor at the downstream end to the Brix content of the juice which is to be extracted from the fruit at the upstream end. Preceding the upstream end after the initial processing has been completed is a column of pure fruit juice. Upstream and downstream references are derived from the fact that the infusing liquor is moved upwardly through the infusing tank during infusing. This is because the liquor with the higher sugar content has a higher specific gravity than the liquor with lower sugar content.
As the initial processing may vary from fruit to fruit, the processing of a soft fruit such as strawberries is described initially. At the start-up of infusing, and during a first time interval or cycle, a first batch of whole strawberries, which have been frozen in a conventional manner, are taken from a freezer and placed in thin layers in infusion vessel
10
shown in the aforementioned patent. If desired the strawberries may be sliced and diced after tempering and before infusion. Strawberries are infused best if the layers are not greater than 7.5 mm or 3 inches deep. For this discussion, it will be assumed that the sugar content of the strawberries is 12%, and therefore, the sugar to water weight ratio will be at or slightly below 12% (commonly referred to in the industry as Brix.) The first batch of frozen berries (which are frozen at about 5° F.) are thawed with juice for a few moments after the tank
10
has been filled, the juice having been warmed to 140° F. The fruit is covered with a screen which may be secured to tank
10
in any conventional manner. The screen secures the fruit within the tank and prevents it from floating downstream to the next tank with the flow of infusing liquor from one tank to the next.
The thawing time is determined by observing the tank. Initially, when warm water thawing liquid is introduced into the tank frost will form on the outside of the tank. When the tank is no longer frosty, the berries will have become sufficiently thawed to be infused. This thawing time period will be noted.
Next, during a second time interval an infusing liquor, which consists of a fruit juice or fruit juice concentrate which has been fortified with additional sugar if necessary to bring it to 70 Brix, is now slowly introduced into the bottom of tank
10
to progressively infuse the berries from the bottom up. When the infusing liquor is introduced into tank
10
, suitable valves are opened to permit thawing liquid to flow from tank
10
to a holding tank. As the front of the 70 Brix infusing liquor moves slowly up through the berries in tank
10
, stratification of the infusing liquor will occur. Thus, the initial strata of the 70 Brix infusing liquor will be diluted as fruit juice leaves the fruit through osmosis, until the leading downstream strata is essentially pure fruit juice with a Brix just slightly greater than that of the fruit, for example just above 12 Brix if the fruit has a Brix of 12. Infusing liquor which has had its Brix reduced to that of the fruit is now considered to be a juice product. Normally this full dilution of the infusing liquor will not occur in the first tank during the second time interval, but in the second tank during a third time interval. Succeeding strata of the infusing liquor (as measured in the upstream direction) will have progressively increasing Brix up to the initial Brix of the infusing liquor. Initially, the pump controls the flow rate of infusion liquor into the tank
10
. It may take as little as 3 hours or as long as 12 hours or longer to fill the tank with infusion liquor, the time being established by the particular fruit and any initial processing it may have received. Thus, if osmosis is fairly rapid in a particular fruit, the tank may be filled more quickly, for example, in three hours. However, if osmosis is slow for a particular fruit, the tank may be filled more slowly, for example 12 hours. In any event, the next tank will be filled with a layer of berries and a thawing liquid a sufficient length of time before the first tank becomes completely filled,
Hess Richard S.
Wettlaufer Dale E.
Simone Timothy F.
Thompson John C.
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