Oven equipment and methods for cooking whole cuts of meat that are initially uncooked.

Abstract

The invention relates to an oven apparatus and method for cooking an initially uncooked whole muscle meat food product to obtain a cooked product having a minimum final core temperature. The oven apparatus comprises an oven housing and a conveyor for conveying the food product through the oven housing. A scanner device is provided upstream of the oven housing for scanning the uncooked food product, the scanner device being configured to acquire food data. A controller is provided which uses the data obtained from the scanner device to control the conveying speed and oven atmosphere means to obtain a cooked product.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to an oven apparatus and method for cooking whole cuts of meat that are initially uncooked to obtain cooked products with the lowest possible final core temperature. Background Technology

[0002] In the food industry, it is well known that whole cuts of meat, such as whole slices of poultry, are cooked in an oven shell. Obtaining cooked products with the lowest possible final core temperature is crucial for food safety in industrial food processing. For example, for poultry, a minimum core temperature of 80ºC is required. In practice, the core temperature is measured in samples of the produced product using a needle probe.

[0003] It is well known that the performance of an oven shell is significantly affected by the thickness of the food products. The thickness of food products can vary, for example, due to differences in individual components and / or between batches. In cases where undercooked or otherwise under-processed food products are detected when leaving the oven shell, this issue is typically resolved by manually adjusting the processing settings.

[0004] A heat processing and control system is known from EP2935056. This system includes a heat processing station for receiving food articles carried on a conveyor system. A first scanning station, located upstream of the heat processing station, is used to scan the food articles carried by the conveyor. The method involves simulating the heat processing system by taking into account the thickness of the food articles entering the heat processing station. If the simulation results indicate that the measured temperature of the food articles leaving the heat processing station exceeds the desired temperature range, the control system adjusts or recommends adjustments to the processing parameters of the heat processing system.

[0005] EP2935056 discloses a method of controlling conveyor speed and oven climate by using the maximum thickness of the food product obtained from a scanner device to obtain cooked products.

[0006] Because improperly processed or processed food products at excessively low temperatures pose safety risks, the controller includes a safety margin to ensure that all cooked products have the lowest possible final core temperature.

[0007] In the food industry, it is common to sample cooked products. When it is determined that the products are not properly cooked, the entire batch may be rejected. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The object of the present invention is to provide an improved oven apparatus and method, wherein a reduced safety margin is applied while ensuring that cooked products with the lowest possible final core temperature are obtained, i.e., the food products are fully cooked.

[0009] This prevents overcooking of food products, making them dry and / or unappealing, as well as weight loss, and thus effectively prevents yield loss, which is attributed to the optimized use of the oven unit, such as resulting in lower oven temperatures and / or reduced oven times.

[0010] This objective is achieved through an oven apparatus used to cook whole, initially uncooked pieces of meat to obtain a cooked product with the lowest possible final core temperature. The oven apparatus includes:

[0011] - Oven housing, which has an oven atmosphere device;

[0012] - A conveyor that receives uncooked food products and conveys them through the oven shell at a conveyor speed to obtain cooked food.

[0013] - A scanner device located upstream of the oven housing, the scanner device being used to scan uncooked food products, the scanner device being configured to acquire food product thickness data;

[0014] - A controller that uses the maximum food product thickness obtained from the scanner to control the conveyor speed and oven atmosphere to obtain cooked products;

[0015] The feature is that the scanner device is further configured to acquire fiber orientation data of whole muscle food products;

[0016] Furthermore, a prediction module is provided, which is adapted to be fed both food product thickness data and fiber orientation data, and the prediction module is configured to predict the effective maximum food product thickness caused by fiber denaturation that occurs during the initial cooking stage in the oven based on the fiber orientation data and food product thickness data.

[0017] Furthermore, the controller uses the effective maximum food product thickness obtained from the prediction module to control the conveyor speed and oven atmosphere device.

[0018] This objective is also achieved by a method for cooking initially uncooked whole pieces of meat to obtain a cooked product with a final core temperature, the method comprising the following steps:

[0019] - Upstream of the oven shell, scan the uncooked food products to obtain food product thickness data and fiber orientation data;

[0020] -Predict the maximum effective thickness of food products based on food product thickness data and fiber orientation data;

[0021] - Use the effective maximum food product thickness to control cooking parameters to obtain food products with the lowest final core temperature, such as cooking time and oven atmosphere.

[0022] The oven equipment and method of the present invention for cooking whole muscle meat products have improved precision.

[0023] This invention is based on the understanding that during the cooking of whole-piece meat products, fiber degeneration and collagen contraction mainly occur in the initial cooking stage, resulting in significant changes in the size of the food product. Therefore, the final shape of the cooked product is linked to the shape of the raw, uncooked product by means of the fibrous muscle structure.

[0024] Experience shows that shape change reaches its maximum at 30%-40% of the denaturation process, which begins at the start of cooking time and typically continues after 15%-40% of the cooking time. The food product, including the outer layer of denatured meat, then undergoes most of the cooking process. This shape change depends on fiber orientation, as fibers typically shrink. For meat slices, this usually results in a reduction in overall length and width, and an increase in height. At this stage, a preliminary stable shape, or near-final shape, is obtained, which is significantly different from the shape of the uncooked food product. In particular, the height of this preliminary stable shape is greater than that of the uncooked product. During subsequent cooking time, the preliminary stable shape (near the final shape) is largely maintained, while the food product undergoes uniform shrinkage to obtain the cooked product.

[0025] Due to the unique fiber orientation of individual food products, there is no direct relationship between the thickness data of the food product obtained by the scanning device and the height of the food product in its initial stable shape. Therefore, the controller using the maximum food product thickness must include a safety margin to compensate for this indirect relationship.

[0026] The present invention provides a prediction module adapted to be fed both food product thickness data and fiber orientation data, and the prediction module is configured to predict the effective maximum food product thickness resulting from fiber denaturation occurring during the initial cooking stage based on the fiber orientation data and food product thickness data.

[0027] By understanding the influence of fiber orientation on the effective maximum food product thickness, it was further discovered that this effective maximum food product thickness is a crucial factor in simulating the final core temperature. Product shape, particularly the heat transfer distance towards the core determined by thickness, is important for the final core temperature. Taking fiber orientation and effective maximum food product thickness into account led to improved accuracy. Therefore, a reduced safety margin is needed while ensuring well-cooked products with the lowest possible final core temperature.

[0028] This invention is based on the understanding that fiber orientation is to be achieved. Therefore, food products suitable for cooking in the oven apparatus of this invention must have a scannable fiber orientation. This is possible for raw food products, including frozen food products.

[0029] Muscle meats such as beef, pork, poultry, and fish are suitable food products. It is also conceivable to cook the bonded meat using the method according to the invention and in the oven apparatus of the invention: the invention is based on the understanding that fiber orientation is used to determine the effective maximum thickness of the food product. Therefore, the invention is applicable to food products in which fiber orientation can be obtained, and to bonded meat products having several zones.

[0030] Generally, this invention is not applicable to food products in which the fiber orientation is not visible, such as food products with a skin or coating, or food products that are pre-cooked.

[0031] The oven apparatus includes an oven housing having an oven atmosphere device. The oven housing may include one or more oven zones. In an embodiment, the oven housing is a so-called spiral oven, wherein the conveying path is a spiral path. Possibly, the oven apparatus includes a double spiral. The invention is also applicable to ovens with tunnel-type housings.

[0032] Advantageously, the food products are cooked using conditioned air. Preferably, the oven equipment utilizes conditioned air to cook the food products. The oven atmosphere is set by parameters affecting the conditioned air. Preferably, the conditioned air flows through the oven housing at an air velocity in the form of an airflow. In embodiments, the air conditioning device is configured to regulate the airflow, particularly to regulate the air temperature, moisture content, and dew point temperature.

[0033] Therefore, an exemplary oven atmosphere device is a device for setting airflow, air temperature, moisture content, and dew point temperature.

[0034] The oven equipment includes a conveyor for receiving uncooked food products and conveying them through the oven shell at a conveying speed to obtain cooked food products. The conveyor moves along a conveying path.

[0035] It is conceivable that the conveyor extends outside the oven housing, and a scanning device scans the uncooked food products on the conveyor. In one embodiment, a supply conveyor is positioned near the conveyor to transport the products through the oven housing. The scanning device can scan the uncooked food products on the supply conveyor.

[0036] Controllers known in the art use the maximum food product thickness obtained from the scanner device to control the conveying speed and oven atmosphere to obtain cooked products.

[0037] The controller simulates the core temperature of the food products leaving the oven shell based on their thickness. Based on this predicted core temperature, the conveyor speed and oven atmosphere are controlled and adjusted to ensure that all products leaving the oven shell achieve the desired minimum final core temperature.

[0038] In practice, the conveyor speed determines the dwell time of the food within the oven shell. Therefore, the conveyor speed represents the cooking time. In embodiments without a conveyor, the controller can control the cooking time.

[0039] The oven equipment includes a scanner device disposed upstream of the oven shell. This scanner device is used to scan uncooked food products and is configured to acquire thickness data of the food products. The scanner device of the present invention is also configured to acquire fiber orientation data of whole-piece muscle food products.

[0040] Preferably, the scanner device according to the invention comprises one or more laser scanners. Such laser scanners are typically used to determine the thickness of articles.

[0041] The scanning device acquires both thickness and fiber alignment. It is conceivable that this data is obtained in successive steps, requiring the scanner to track the food product, or its storage container and label. If scanning is performed in a subsequent step, it is conceivable that only the fiber orientation of the thickest part of the product is obtained.

[0042] It is conceivable that not all uncooked food products are scanned, but only selected food products are scanned. In particular, it is conceivable that relatively thicker food products are selected for scanning, as these may be products with the maximum effective food product thickness.

[0043] In an advantageous embodiment, the scanner device is also configured to simultaneously acquire food article thickness data and fiber orientation data of whole muscle food articles.

[0044] In one embodiment, the scanner device includes a plurality of scanners for scanning uncooked food products.

[0045] To obtain fiber orientation data for whole-piece meat products, a scanner device includes an optical camera. It is known in the art that optical scattering patterns recorded by transmission or backscattering—that is, the spatial distribution of light reflection on the surface of a fibrous product—contain information about the internal structure of the meat. This method visualizes the degree of fiber formation and fiber orientation. An extension of light scattering is diffuse wave spectroscopy, in which products with strong scattering can be measured. It is also conceivable that near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy could be used to analyze the fiber orientation of raw meat.

[0046] In a preferred embodiment, the scanner device includes a 3D laser scanner and an optical camera, such as a QC scanner commercially available under the applicant's name, the MS2920 Quality Scanner. Preferably, a laser triangulation 3D scanner is applied, using a laser beam and a camera to analyze the deformation of the laser beam on the object by means of triangulation.

[0047] The scanner is positioned upstream of the oven housing, for example, at the upstream end of the conveyor path. This upstream position allows for full control over the conveyor speed and oven atmosphere. Typically, oven atmosphere control requires settling time, and therefore, positioning the scanner further upstream may be advantageous for ensuring adequate control over oven parameters.

[0048] In this embodiment, the scanner device is also configured to acquire the temperature of the food product before it enters the oven shell, and this temperature is also fed into the prediction module to predict the effective maximum food product thickness. Alternatively, the scanner device is configured to acquire additional food product data, such as heating history (frying, cooking) and (salting) treatment, which is also fed into the prediction module to predict the effective maximum food product thickness.

[0049] According to the present invention, a prediction module is provided, which is adapted to be fed both food product thickness data and fiber orientation data, and the prediction module is configured to predict the effective maximum food product thickness resulting from fiber denaturation occurring during the initial cooking stage in the oven based on the fiber orientation data and the food product thickness data.

[0050] By utilizing this effective maximum food product thickness, the controller is able to simulate the lowest final core temperature, and thus control the conveyor speed and oven atmosphere to obtain cooked products with the lowest final core temperature.

[0051] In practice, the computing power of the controller and the prediction module can be integrated together.

[0052] In this embodiment, the prediction module predicts only the effective maximum food article thickness for the thickest food article. It is conceivable that the prediction of the effective maximum food article thickness is calculated only for the thickest food article; that is, fiber orientation is obtained for all articles, but the fiber orientation is only used to predict the effective maximum food article thickness for the selected articles. This is advantageous considering computational power.

[0053] The prediction module may include a database and / or an algorithm to predict the effective maximum thickness of food products.

[0054] Advantageously, the prediction modules are product-specific, with different modules used for different types of food products, such as poultry breast slices, poultry legs, fish fillets, pork tenderloin, steak, etc. Therefore, not only the animal from which the meat originates, but also the type of meat must be considered. In embodiments, it is also conceivable that the slaughtering process used to obtain whole pieces of muscle meat will be taken into account.

[0055] In an embodiment, the scanner device according to the invention further includes a (digital) optical recognition device that captures a series of images for food product identification. The acquired data can be used to (automatically) provide a prediction module specific to a type of food product.

[0056] In this embodiment, the prediction module also considers oven atmosphere setpoints, such as temperature and / or dew point. Taking the oven atmosphere into account allows for a more accurate determination of the effective maximum food product thickness. It has been observed that dew point has a significant impact on the overall shape change, and specifically on the rate of increase in height (i.e., thickness) and the rate of decrease in length and width of meat, particularly chicken slices. The higher the dew point, the faster and larger the shape change of the chicken slices. Attached Figure Description

[0057] The invention is further illustrated in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0058] Figure 1 The image shows a whole slice of uncooked muscle or poultry meat, with the fiber orientation schematically depicted.

[0059] Figure 2 It is a graph showing the relationship between the height change of chicken slices and the heating time;

[0060] Figure 3 It is a graph showing the relationship between the weight change of chicken slices and heating time;

[0061] Figure 4 It is a graph showing the relationship between the length variation of chicken slices and heating time;

[0062] Figure 5 It is a graph showing the relationship between the width variation of chicken slices and heating time;

[0063] Figure 6 This schematically illustrates the height variation of two different slices of meat. Detailed Implementation

[0064] exist Figure 1 The image shows a whole, uncooked piece of poultry meat 1 in a top-down view. In the upper portion of the depicted meat slice, the fiber orientation generally extends along the width of the slice, as indicated by line Fu. In the lower portion of the depicted meat slice, the fiber orientation generally extends along the length of the slice, as indicated by line Fb.

[0065] This is a very rough overview of poultry meat slices. The fiber orientations Fu and Fb depicted are an oversimplified representation of the fibers. However, considering that the (historical) function of muscle is to enable flight, the muscle and fibers in the upper portion of the slice do indeed generally extend in width, while the fibers in the lower portion extend in length.

[0066] The "upper portion" with fiber orientation Fu mentioned above actually varies between 20% and 40% of the total meat slice length. The "lower portion" with fiber orientation Fb actually varies between 60% and 80% of the meat slice length.

[0067] The thickest part of the meat slice is at the top. This part tapers in width and therefore bulges in height, resulting in an increase in the thickness of the food product.

[0068] This is based on Figures 2-5 The data shown is derived from... Figures 2-5 Graphs showing the relationship between the height, weight, length, and width variations of multiple chicken slices and heating time are presented separately. The experimental conditions were identical: the slices were cooked in an oven shell at 160°C, a dew point of 84°C, and an air velocity of 2.8 m / s. The lowest final core temperature of the slices was 80°C. This lowest final core temperature was reached after approximately 20 minutes of cooking in the oven shell. The data were obtained for eight batches of slices, each with an uncooked weight of 145–153 grams.

[0069] from Figure 2As can be seen, during the initial cooking time, the height, i.e., the thickness of the food product, increased significantly, from ~22 mm to ~30 mm, an increase of almost 50%. This increase in height occurred at the beginning of the cooking time. Most of the increase in height occurred within the first 4-5 minutes of the total 20-minute cooking time. Thereafter, the height changed little. Some shrinkage occurred, but the order of magnitude was only 1-2 mm, or about 10%.

[0070] from Figure 3 It can be seen that the weight of the chicken slices decreases during cooking. This decrease is essentially linear. This indicates that the initial change in shape during cooking is caused by fiber orientation, rather than by water loss from the slices.

[0071] from Figure 4 It can be seen that the length of the chicken slices decreases during cooking. On average, most of the length reduction occurs at the beginning of the cooking time, within the first 4-5 minutes of the total 20-minute cooking time. The length continues to decrease thereafter. The results for these eight slice samples do indeed show a trend.

[0072] from Figure 5 It can be seen that the width of the chicken slices decreases during cooking. The results for these eight slice samples do indeed show a trend.

[0073] The shrinkage behavior of meat slices in terms of length and width is significantly less uniform than the variation in thickness.

[0074] exist Figure 6 The upper portion shows two exemplary uncooked chicken slices with identical food article thicknesses H0 and H'0. In prior art oven equipment, a scanner acquires the same food article thickness data H0 and H'0 for both slices. In the prior art, because the data from the scanner is identical, this identical height is fed to a controller, which then controls the conveying speed and oven atmosphere of the two slices in the same manner.

[0075] exist Figure 6 The lower portion schematically illustrates the effect of fiber orientation. The left-side meat slice protrudes in a different manner than the right-side meat slice. In particular, it can be seen that the effective maximum food product thickness of the left-side meat slice is lower than that of the right-side meat slice. According to the invention, these different effective maximum food product thicknesses are fed to the controller. The controller uses the maximum effective food product thickness, i.e., 1.35H'0, to control the conveying speed and oven atmosphere device.

Claims

1. An oven apparatus for cooking an initially uncooked whole muscle meat food product to obtain a cooked food product having a minimum final core temperature, the oven apparatus comprising: - an oven housing having oven atmosphere means; - a conveyor for receiving an uncooked food product and conveying the food product through the oven housing at a conveying speed to obtain the cooked food product; - a scanner device arranged upstream of the oven housing for scanning an uncooked food product, the scanner device being configured to acquire food product thickness data of the food product; - a controller using a maximum food product thickness obtained from the scanner device to control the conveying speed and the oven atmosphere means to obtain the cooked food product; characterized in that the scanner device is further configured to acquire fiber orientation data of the whole muscle meat food product; and wherein a prediction module is provided, the prediction module being adapted to be fed both the food product thickness data and the fiber orientation data, and the prediction module being configured to predict an effective maximum food product thickness resulting from fiber denaturation occurring in an initial cooking phase within the oven based on the fiber orientation data and the food product thickness data; and wherein the controller uses the effective maximum food product thickness obtained from the prediction module to control the conveying speed and the oven atmosphere means.

2. The oven apparatus of claim 1, wherein, the scanner device is further configured to acquire both food product thickness data of the food product and fiber orientation data of the whole muscle meat food product simultaneously.

3. The oven apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein, the scanner device comprises a 3D laser scanner and an optical camera, and wherein laser triangulation is applied to acquire the fiber orientation data.

4. The oven apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein, the scanner device is further configured to acquire a food product temperature prior to entering the oven housing, the food product temperature also being fed to the prediction module to predict the effective maximum food product thickness.

5. The oven apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein, the prediction module only predicts the effective maximum food product thickness of the thickest food product.

6. The oven apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein, the prediction module further takes into account an oven atmosphere set point.

7. The oven apparatus of claim 6, wherein, the oven atmosphere set point is a temperature and / or dew point.

8. The oven apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein, the oven atmosphere means controlled can control air flow, air temperature, moisture content and / or dew point temperature.

9. The oven apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein, the scanner device scans the uncooked food product on the conveyor.

10. A method for cooking an initially uncooked whole muscle meat food product to obtain a cooked food product having a minimum final core temperature, wherein, The method using the oven apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 9, the method comprising the steps of: - scanning an uncooked food product upstream of an oven housing to obtain food product thickness data and fiber orientation data, - predicting an effective maximum food product thickness based on the food product thickness data and the fiber orientation data, - using the effective maximum food product thickness to control cooking parameters to obtain a food product having the minimum final core temperature.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein, the cooking parameters are cooking time and oven atmosphere.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein, The use of an oven apparatus, the oven apparatus comprising: An oven housing having an oven atmosphere device; - a conveyor for receiving an uncooked food product and conveying the food product through the oven housing at a conveyor speed to obtain the cooked food product; - a scanner device arranged upstream of the oven housing for scanning an uncooked food product, the scanner device being configured to obtain food product thickness data of the food product and the scanner device being further configured to obtain fiber orientation data of the whole muscle meat food product; - a prediction module adapted to be fed both the food product thickness data and the fiber orientation data and configured to predict an effective maximum food product thickness resulting from fiber denaturation occurring in an initial cooking phase within the oven based on the fiber orientation data and the food product thickness data; - a controller using the effective maximum food product thickness obtained from the prediction module to control the conveyor speed and the oven atmosphere device to obtain the cooked food product; The method comprises the following steps: - upstream of the oven housing, scanning an uncooked food product to obtain food product thickness data and fiber orientation data and feeding these data to the prediction module; - predicting an effective maximum food product thickness based on the food product thickness data and the fiber orientation data; - a controller using the effective maximum food product thickness to control the conveyor speed and the oven atmosphere to obtain a food product having the final core temperature; - conveying the food product through the oven housing.

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