Food processing apparatus and method
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional food processing sequences fail to effectively process fibrous and low-liquid foods without user intervention, often resulting in cavitation and incomplete blending, as they lack efficient mechanisms to handle solid components and ingredients with high surface area to weight ratios.
Innovation Solution
A food processing apparatus with a programmed sequence that includes short pulses followed by continuous blending segments, pausing to allow ingredients to settle and recapture stuck materials, utilizing a fountain effect to ensure thorough blending and liquefaction, and adjustable pulse sequences to accommodate various food types.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional continuous blending sequences are used, then blending time is reduced, but fibrous and low-liquid foods fail to process effectively, resulting in cavitation and incomplete blending
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies periodic action by implementing a processing sequence that alternates between blending phases and pause intervals. The blade assembly operates in cycles: blending for a specified duration, pausing to allow ingredients to settle and be recaptured by the blades, then blending again. This periodic operation prevents cavitation while ensuring thorough processing of fibrous and low-liquid foods, resolving the contradiction between speed and effectiveness.
2Speed
If high-speed continuous rotation is used, then processing speed increases, but solid components and high surface area to weight ratio ingredients are not properly handled
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses periodic action with programmed pause intervals during high-speed rotation. During blending phases, the blade assembly rotates at high speed to process ingredients efficiently. During pause intervals, the blades stop rotating, allowing solid components and high surface area ingredients to settle and be recaptured by the blade path. This periodic on-off operation maintains high processing speed while ensuring proper handling of difficult ingredients.
Solution Approach 2:
The pause intervals serve as preliminary action before the next blending phase. During pauses, ingredients are allowed to settle and reposition themselves in the container, ensuring that solid components and high surface area ingredients are in optimal positions to be recaptured and processed by the blades in the subsequent blending phase.
3Reliability
If user intervention is required to push ingredients into blade path, then processing completeness improves, but user intervention and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements self-service by automatically recapturing ingredients during programmed pause intervals. The blade assembly stops, allowing ingredients to settle and move into the blade path without user intervention. When blending resumes, the blades automatically recapture and process the settled ingredients. This eliminates the need for users to manually push ingredients into the blade path while ensuring complete processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The periodic blending-pause-blending sequence enables automatic recapture of ingredients. During pause intervals, ingredients naturally settle and reposition themselves in the container. The subsequent blending phase automatically processes these settled ingredients, providing complete processing without requiring user intervention to push ingredients into the blade path.
4Reliability
If multiple processing phases with pauses are implemented, then blending thoroughness improves, but processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses periodic action with optimized pause durations to balance thoroughness and time efficiency. The blade assembly blends for specified durations, pauses for brief intervals to allow ingredient settlement and recapture, then resumes blending. This periodic operation achieves thorough processing of fibrous and low-liquid foods while minimizing total processing time through optimized phase durations.
Solution Approach 2:
The pause intervals provide preliminary action by allowing ingredients to settle and reposition before the next blending phase. This preliminary settling action ensures that subsequent blending is more efficient and thorough, achieving complete processing while keeping the additional time required to a minimum through optimized pause durations.
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 apparatus consistently creates smooth liquids from difficult-to-blend ingredients, extracts nutrients, and processes foods with minimal user intervention, preventing cavitation and ensuring thorough processing of fibrous and high-surface-area foods.
Implementation Method 1
a blade assembly including a processing tool configured to process food ingredients
Implementation Method 2
pausing to allow ingredients to settle and recapture stuck materials
Data Source
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AI summary
Food processing apparatus and methods for processing food are disclosed.