Ohmic Heating Purée Plant Enzyme Deactivation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current methods for extracting fruit purée either result in flavor and color alteration due to premature cooking of waste with the fruit or delayed enzyme deactivation, which affects viscosity and quality.

Innovation Solution

A plant and method utilizing a cold-extraction process with an inert gas environment and ohmic heating to rapidly deactivate enzymes and sterilize the purée, minimizing exposure to oxygen and air, while recycling the purée for intensified heating and sterilization.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If hot-extraction is used to deactivate enzymes immediately after mincing, then enzyme deactivation is effective, but the waste is cooked together with the fruit causing flavor alteration and color worsening

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveenzyme deactivation effectivenessVSAvoidflavor and color alteration

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The process is segmented into distinct stages: cold extraction phase where waste is separated from pulp without heating, followed by a subsequent heating phase where only the purified purée is heated for enzyme deactivation. This segmentation allows waste removal before thermal processing, preventing flavor and color degradation while maintaining effective enzyme deactivation on the purified product.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The waste separation action is performed preliminarily before the heating action. By conducting cold extraction and screening first to remove waste materials, then subsequently heating only the purified purée, the invention ensures that no waste materials are exposed to heat that would cause off-flavors and color changes, while still achieving complete enzyme deactivation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Object-affected harmful factors

If cold-extraction is used to separate waste immediately, then flavor and color are preserved, but enzyme deactivation is delayed causing pectin denaturation and viscosity worsening

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveflavor and color preservationVSAvoidenzyme deactivation timing

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The cold extraction and waste separation is performed as a preliminary action to preserve the organoleptic properties of the purée. After waste removal, the heating action is immediately applied to the purified purée to deactivate enzymes, ensuring that the delay in enzyme deactivation does not affect pectin integrity since the waste materials that would accelerate degradation are already removed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The invention changes the temperature parameter dynamically: cold extraction is used initially to preserve quality attributes, then the temperature is increased for enzyme deactivation only after waste removal. This parameter change strategy allows the process to benefit from both cold extraction (quality preservation) and hot extraction (effective enzyme deactivation) at different stages.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Power

If direct steam injection is used for heating, then heating efficiency is high, but product is diluted requiring re-evaporation which increases production costs

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveheating efficiencyVSAvoidproduct dilution

Core Design Contradiction:

PowerVSLoss of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The harmful effect of steam injection (product dilution) is extracted and removed from the heating process. Instead of injecting steam directly into the purée, the invention uses indirect heating methods or controls steam injection to prevent dilution, thereby eliminating the need for subsequent re-evaporation steps and reducing production costs while maintaining heating efficiency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

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 reduces processing time, minimizes temperature exposure, and enhances the quality of the purée by maintaining flavor and color, and improving viscosity characteristics.

Implementation Method 1

a first ohmic heater (31) which determines a rapid increase of the temperature of the purée in arrival from the refining station (2)

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectOhmic heating: Joule Heating

Implementation Method 2

The plant (1) is operated in an atmosphere of an inert fluid (typically a gas) and the pressure of the mixture of the inert fluid and the vapours present is maintained at a higher level than the external atmospheric pressure

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectOxidation prevention: Oxidation

Data Source

PatentUS11627746B2Plant and method of production of puree

Publication Date: 2023.04.18 CFT SPA

AI summary

A method for producing a purée from a food product, comprising the following steps:refining the food product up to obtaining a purée;de-activating the enzymes by heating the purée, in order to prevent oxidation of the purée.The step of de-activating the enzymes comprises the step of passing an electric current through the purée between electrodes of a first ohmic heater (31).