Foods and beverages: apparatus – Means to treat food – By applying fluid
Patent
1998-05-22
2000-06-20
Alexander, Reginald L.
Foods and beverages: apparatus
Means to treat food
By applying fluid
99571, 99570, 426482, A23N 500, A23N 507, B02B 312
Patent
active
060764546
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to an apparatus for separating the outer layers or shells from the internal seed of plant matter.
The invention has been developed primarily for use in separating the outer flesh from the seed of fruit or separating the inner seed or kernel from the outer shells of nuts and will be described hereinafter with reference to these applications. However, it will be appreciated that the invention is not limited to these particular fields of use and is equally suited to separating the outer layers and internal seeds of many different plant varieties as well as removing the outer layers from the internal wood of stems, branches and trunks of trees, bushes and plants. Examples of the latter include the recovery of outer layers, or bark, of certain woody plants for use as a tanning ingredient for leather processing, as a spice ingredient for cinnamon and as a medical ingredient for the quinine drug. Alternatively, the internal wood is recovered for many commonly known purposes. Other examples where the invention has particular application include coconut-in-husk, macadamia nuts-in-husk, alfalfa (lucerne) seed-in-pod, coffee bean-in-fruit, coffee bean-in-husk and coffee bean-in-pod.
Hitherto, separating and decorticating apparatus have relied upon one or more of a rubbing, beating, grinding and/or impacting action to remove the outer layers or shells from the internal seeds of plant matter by some mechanical means. For example, known apparatus employ metallic or ceramic material components to confine and impact the plant matter with rotating, reciprocating, or oscillating motion to effect the separation or decortication. This attrition often results in the internal seed being bruised or otherwise damaged, reducing its value. Moreover, these apparatus are noisy and dusty to operate, generate large amounts of heat due to friction, and are therefore inefficient and wasteful of energy. Moreover, like all mechanical attrition devices, the known apparatus are particularly subject to mechanical failure and wear and tear.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to overcome or substantially ameliorate at least one of these deficiencies of the prior art.
According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided an apparatus for separating the outer layer or shells from the internal seed of process matter, the apparatus including: chamber including one or more separating apertures therein, the or each of said apertures being smaller than the seed; matter in said chamber and to separate the outer layers or shells from the seed such that a majority of the outer layers or shells are forced through said one or more apertures and a majority of the seeds pass to said outlet.
Preferably, the process matter is plant matter.
Preferably, the fluid is a liquid for piercing and/or lancing the outer layers or shells. Alternatively, or in addition to, the fluid may be a gas adapted to expand upon entry to the separating chamber so as to cool the plant matter. Furthermore, alternatively, or in addition to, the fluid may be a gas dissolved in a liquid adapted to initially penetrate and pierce the outer layers or shells wherein the expending gas explodes the outer layers or shells away from the internal seed in addition to cooling and facilitating flushing away the separated outer layers or shells.
More preferably, the apparatus includes a plurality of nozzles to propel the liquid, the gas, the gas dissolved in the liquid or any combination thereof into the chamber.
In a preferred embodiment, the apparatus includes a collecting chamber adjacent the separating chamber adapted to collect the separated outer layers or shells passed through the apertures. The collecting chamber preferably includes at least one outlet for the outer layers or shells.
In another preferred embodiment, the plant matter inlet includes a metering means adapted to control the flow of plant matter into the separating chamber. The metering means may include hopper having a number of discrete
REFERENCES:
patent: 1935385 (1933-11-01), Biggs
patent: 2759511 (1956-08-01), Jacobson
patent: 3561515 (1971-02-01), Nahm, Jr.
patent: 3845704 (1974-11-01), Zhislin et al.
patent: 5511469 (1996-04-01), Satake et al.
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