Cyclonic Food Packaging Separation and Granulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for processing packaged food products are inefficient, as they require manual separation from packaging, which is costly and time-consuming, and can lead to degradation of the food product, especially farinaceous materials, affecting texture and quality. Additionally, existing technologies do not effectively recycle packaging materials.
Innovation Solution
A cyclonic process that simultaneously separates packaging from food content while grinding, using compressed air to disintegrate the packaging and preserve the food product's structural integrity, allowing for the production of granulated food and recyclable packaging fragments without mechanical contact.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of substance
If manual separation of food product from packaging is performed, then the food product can be recovered for reuse, but the process becomes costly and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical separation with an automated system using expanding gas (such as CO2) to inflate packaging and mechanically eject it from the food product. This substitution of manual labor with automated pneumatic mechanisms dramatically reduces separation time and labor costs while maintaining high food product recovery rates.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention utilizes pneumatic principles by introducing expanding gas into the packaging material to create internal pressure that forces the packaging away from the food product. This pneumatic mechanism enables automatic, rapid separation without direct mechanical contact with the food, solving both the time and cost issues associated with manual separation.
2Ease of manufacture
If conventional grinding or milling operations are used on packaged food, then the packaging can be removed, but the food product undergoes gelatinization and structural degradation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs packaging removal as a preliminary action before any grinding or milling operations. By using expanding gas to eject the packaging intact from the food product, the food never contacts the packaging during grinding, thereby preventing gelatinization and structural degradation that would occur if packaged food were ground together.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the packaging material from the food product through pneumatic ejection, separating the two components before any further processing. This extraction ensures that subsequent grinding operations only affect the food product without the complicating presence of packaging materials, preserving food structure and preventing unwanted chemical changes.
3Shape
If packaged food is ground with mechanical parts, then size reduction is achieved, but the packaging contaminates the food product
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces direct mechanical contact between grinding components and packaged food with a pneumatic separation system. The expanding gas ejects the packaging away from the food before grinding, ensuring that only food-grade materials contact the food product during size reduction, thereby maintaining food safety and quality reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention segments the processing into distinct stages: first pneumatic separation of packaging from food, then independent grinding of the food product. This segmentation prevents packaging contamination of the food while achieving the desired particle size, ensuring food grade quality is maintained throughout the process.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This process reduces waste, preserves the functional and organoleptic qualities of the food, enables efficient recycling of packaging, and minimizes process complexity and costs, producing a shelf-stable granular food product suitable for reuse in food production.
Implementation Method 1
a cyclonic process that simultaneously separates packaging from food content while grinding, using compressed air to disintegrate the packaging
Implementation Method 2
the break down of the package occurs while it is in the cyclone sufficient to release the food contents. Packaging and liberated food contents are acted upon by non-mechanical disintegration forces generated within the cyclone
Data Source
AI summary
A process for grinding packaged processed food and simultaneously separating its packaging in a single unit operation in a continuous, short-duration manner. Grinding may be effected without the need for moving mechanical parts. The granulated food product obtained from the grinding treatment of the packaged processed food is functionally suitable for re-use in food production lines and the packaging material fragments may be further recycled.