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Method and apparatus for preserving perishable products

a technology for preserving perishable products and products, applied in food preservation, food science, baking, etc., can solve the problems of destroying the growth of microorganisms in produce, affecting the taste and smell of food products,

Inactive Publication Date: 2010-09-09
6231934 CANADA
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  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for preserving the quality of perishable products by using near-infrared light and a magnetic field. The method involves treating the product with near-infrared light from a laser or LEDs, which can inhibit the growth of microorganisms in the product. The method can be used in various perishable products such as dairy products, beer, juices, eggs, and meats. The near-infrared light can be emitted from a high power laser or a near-infrared laser diode. The duration of treatment can vary depending on the physical properties of the product, the type and amount of microorganisms present, and the desired reduction coefficient. The magnetic field can be generated using a magnetic field generator. The apparatus includes a product container and a near-infrared laser or LEDs. The technical effects of the invention include preserving the quality of perishable products, reducing microorganism growth, and improving food safety."

Problems solved by technology

While these processes can destroy the growth of microorganisms in produce, drawbacks of using these types of radiation include breakdown or decomposition of the food products causing off tastes, and off odors.
There is also a common public perception that produce treated by radiation may be unsafe for consumption.
In addition, gamma radiation and to a lesser extent ultraviolet radiation can be hazardous to biological organisms including humans, and thus general public or household use of such types of radiation is either not possible or unadvisable.
Further, many products such as fruits and vegetables cannot be treated by heat sterilization or pasteurization without severely affecting the quality of the produce.
However, the UV light damages the organoleptic properties of the product.
A drawback of this reference is that produce must be treated with a plurality of light sources in a complex method.
In many cases, it is undesirable to treat fresh produce such as fruits and vegetables with ultraviolet light as such treatment can affect the quality of the produce.
It is well known that refrigeration reduces the metabolic activity of microorganisms and generally slows normal biological and biochemical processes.
While it is well known in the art to store fresh produce and other products in refrigerators, most conventional refrigerators are only capable of extending the quality of produce by a short time.

Method used

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  • Method and apparatus for preserving perishable products
  • Method and apparatus for preserving perishable products
  • Method and apparatus for preserving perishable products

Examples

Experimental program
Comparison scheme
Effect test

example 1

Visual Scoring of Produce

Visual Assessment of Products

[0075]Perishable products such as fruits and vegetables are visually assessed on the second day and every other day thereafter for a period of up to 22 days according to the following scale:

[0076]Score 8-10: High quality. Product exhibits no signs of deterioration and is suitable for consumption.

[0077]Score 6-7: Modest quality. Product exhibits some signs of deterioration but is suitable for consumption.

[0078]Score 4-5: Low quality. Product exhibits lack of freshness. Skins may be shriveled or brown spots may be apparent.

[0079]Score 1-3: Poor quality. Product cannot be consumed. Rotted spots may be present. Bad smell may be present.

[0080]The higher the quality assessment score, the better the quality of the product. At the time of each assessment, pictures are taken to visually verify the collected data.

example 2

Preservation of Beer

[0081]Non-pasteurized beer (Kazbegi) is employed in this particular example.

[0082]Unlabeled bottles of beer pass single file on a conveyor system past a near infrared laser. The laser light comprises a peak emission wavelength of 880±5 nm and is set on maximum power of 4000 mW. The pulse frequency is about 5000 Hz and the period or duration of each impulse is about 100 nanoseconds. The bottles interact with the laser for about 20 seconds.

[0083]A magnetic field generator is employed at right angles to the laser to produce a magnetic field of about 60 milliTesla. Further, two 935 nm light emitting diodes (LED) available from Honeywell (#840-3445-004) are employed on each side of the laser to illuminate the bottles with near infrared light. These LEDs exhibit peak emission at about 958 nm with an average spectral bandwidth of about 50 nm.

[0084]As controls, a first set of bottles is processed in exactly the same manner except for not being irradiated with laser light...

example 3

Preservation of Nonpasteurized Milk

[0086]Non-pasteurized whole milk is employed in this specific example.

[0087]The processing of milk was performed exactly as indicated in Example 2, except that the milk is flowing under pressure through a PVC pipe. Milk is sampled prior to processing and after processing via sample collection ports in the PVC tubing.

[0088]Milk treated with near infrared laser light, non-laser infrared light and magnetic field is sampled and the number of bacteria is compared to control milk treated with non-laser infrared light and magnetic field and control milk that is untreated.

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PUM

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Abstract

The invention can be summarized as follows. There is provided a method for preserving the quality of a perishable product comprising the step of treating the product with one or more near-infrared lights, wherein preferably at least one near-infrared light is a near-infrared laser (or laser diode). The perishable product may be simultaneously treated with a magnetic field. The invention also pertains to an apparatus that may be used to preserve the quality of a perishable product.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION[0001]The present application claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60 / 478,117 filed Jun. 11, 2003.[0002]The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for preserving the quality of perishable products. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for preserving the quality of perishable products by exposing the products to near infrared light.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]There has been much interest in preserving the quality of food products such as fruits, vegetables, meats, dairy products, juices, beverages and the like during storage and shipping. Most of these processes have focused on reducing microorganism growth, for example by using a variety of techniques such as radiation processing, heat sterilization or pasteurization, chemical treatment, or cold storage.[0004]Some types of produce are subjected to radiation such as gamma radiation or ultraviolet r...

Claims

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Application Information

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Patent Type & Authority Applications(United States)
IPC IPC(8): A23L3/28A23L3/00
CPCA23L3/26
Inventor VASILENKO, VLADIMIR
Owner 6231934 CANADA