Multi-tier Spiral Microwave Dryer for Rapid Sausage Dehydration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for manufacturing dry sausage are capital intensive, require extensive processing time, and are limited by the need to hold products in casings during curing and drying, which slows moisture removal and increases costs, while also restricting the ability to slice the sausage before drying, thus affecting manufacturing efficiency and product quality.
Innovation Solution
A multi-tier microwave oven/dryer system is used to dehydrate dry sausage, employing conditioned air with controlled humidity and temperature, in conjunction with microwave energy, to reduce moisture content and processing time, allowing for slicing or dicing before drying and improving product quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If conventional air drying methods are used, then product quality is maintained, but processing time extends to days or weeks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the drying parameters by introducing microwave radiation alongside conventional air drying. The microwave component raises the effective temperature and energy input, transforming the drying process from passive (days/weeks) to active (minutes/hours), thus dramatically reducing processing time while maintaining quality through controlled parameters
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements continuous microwave heating throughout the drying process, ensuring consistent and uninterrupted moisture removal. This continuous action eliminates the idle periods inherent in conventional batch drying, maximizing productivity while maintaining uniform product quality throughout the shortened processing cycle
2Loss of time
If sausage is held in casings during drying, then curing is maintained, but moisture removal is slowed and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the sausage from the casing before the drying process begins. By removing the casing constraint, moisture can be directly removed from the sausage surface without the barrier of the casing, significantly accelerating the drying rate and reducing both time and operational costs while maintaining product quality through controlled microwave and air drying
3Productivity
If sausage is not sliced before drying, then curing is simplified, but manufacturing efficiency is reduced and space is consumed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs the slicing action before the drying process begins. By pre-slicing the sausage into thinner pieces, the surface area to volume ratio is increased, allowing moisture to be removed more efficiently from each piece. This preliminary action enables faster drying, reduces the space required for processing, and maintains manufacturing efficiency throughout the shortened cycle
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 approach significantly reduces processing time and costs, maintains product quality by preventing fat melting, and enables efficient use of space, allowing for greater scalability and improved manufacturing efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
dehydrating step is performed using conditioned air and microwaves
Implementation Method 2
reduce the moisture content of the sausage pieces
Implementation Method 3
exposing the meat mixture to a turbulent air flow to reduce the moisture content
Data Source
AI summary
A process for manufacturing dry sausage including preparing a dry sausage meat mixture, stuffing the moisture into a casing or mould, or extruding into a mould, fermenting the mixture, hat treating the sausage log, optionally removing the outer casing from the sausage log, cooling tire sausage log to a temperature sufficiently low to permit cutting, cutting the sausage, placing the sausage pieces onto a conveyor, optionally a multi-tier or spiral conveyor assembly, and passing the conveyor and sausage pieces through a chamber. The process also includes introducing a supply of conditioned, air into the chamber, the air having a relative humidity below about 60% and a temperature in the range, of at least about 40° F. to 130° F., and introducing a supply of microwaves into the chamber. The air supply and microwaves are selected to reduce the moisture content of the sausage pieces to a predetermined moisture to protein ratio.