Food Product Ohmic Heating for Faster Pasteurization and Texture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current food products that require pasteurization or sterilization do not meet consumer demands for natural taste and texture, and existing methods often involve lengthy high-temperature treatments that degrade these qualities.
Innovation Solution
A method and plant using ohmic heating to pasteurize or sterilize food products by applying an electric current directly through the product, maintaining lower temperatures and shorter times to preserve taste and texture, involving a cooking assembly, mixing assembly, and ohmic treatment assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional high-temperature pasteurization methods are used, then effective sterilization is achieved, but the natural taste and texture of the food product deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the physical parameters of the heating process by using ohmic heating (electrical resistance heating) instead of traditional thermal conduction heating. This allows achieving the same sterilization effect at lower temperatures and shorter times, thereby preserving the natural taste and texture of the food product while ensuring effective pasteurization.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the traditional mechanical/thermal heating system with an electrical field-based ohmic heating system. By applying an electrical current directly to the food product, heating occurs throughout the product simultaneously rather than from the outside in, enabling effective sterilization with minimal impact on sensory qualities.
2Reliability
If traditional high-temperature pasteurization is applied, then food safety is ensured, but the processing time increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The invention fundamentally changes the heating mechanism from external thermal conduction to internal ohmic heating. This parameter change enables rapid and uniform heating throughout the food product, achieving effective pasteurization in significantly shorter times while maintaining food safety standards.
Solution Approach 2:
By substituting the traditional thermal conduction system with an electrical ohmic heating system, the invention achieves much faster heating rates. The electrical current generates heat directly within the food product, eliminating the time delay associated with heat penetration from the surface, thus reducing overall processing time while ensuring food safety.
3Reliability
If conventional heating methods are used, then pasteurization is effective, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the energy conversion pathway from thermal conduction (requiring large amounts of heat energy to penetrate the product) to direct electrical-to-thermal conversion within the product. This parameter change results in more efficient energy utilization, as the electrical energy is converted to heat directly where needed, minimizing energy losses and reducing overall energy consumption while maintaining effective pasteurization.
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
The method effectively pasteurizes or sterilizes food products while preserving their natural taste, texture, and nutritional content, offering a cost-effective and efficient alternative to traditional high-temperature methods.
Implementation Method 1
A method and plant using ohmic heating to pasteurize or sterilize food products by applying an electric current directly through the product
Data Source
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AI summary
A method for preparing a substantially pasteurized and/or sterilized food product; the method, which can be used to produce pasta sauces or soups, comprises: a cooking step, during which a base of the food product is obtained by thermally treating a first component at a temperature exceeding 30°C; a mixing step, during which said base and a second, substantially solid component are mixed together so as to obtain a mixture; and an ohmic treatment step, during which said mixture is subjected to an ohmic treatment so as to obtain the substantially pasteurized and/or sterilized food product.