Ohmic Heating Sausage Casing Dimensional Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional heating methods for sausages result in uneven expansion and dimensional instability, leading to pointed or rounded casings and increased production time, along with significant liquid and meat protein losses, which complicates slicing and storage.
Innovation Solution
The method involves using a dimensionally stable, non-conductive casing filled with sausage meat, where conductive surfaces are used to supply an electric current for ohmic heating, ensuring uniform heating and minimizing protein loss, with optional high-frequency treatment to enhance heating efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional heating is used to heat sausage meat, then the heating process is simple and equipment requirements are low, but the production time is long and the casing expands unevenly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces conventional thermal heating with ohmic heating, where electrical current directly heats the sausage meat through its own resistance. This substitution of heating mechanism dramatically reduces production time while maintaining ease of manufacture through simple equipment design.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the heating parameter from thermal conduction (conventional heating) to electrical resistance heating (ohmic heating). This parameter change enables rapid heating while maintaining dimensional stability of the casing, resolving the contradiction between heating simplicity and production time.
2Use of energy by stationary object
If conventional heating is used to heat sausage meat, then energy consumption is moderate, but significant liquid and meat protein losses occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent substitutes conventional thermal heating with ohmic heating, where the sausage meat itself acts as the heating element. This direct heating method minimizes energy loss and prevents excessive liquid and protein evaporation, maintaining product quality while being energy-efficient.
Solution Approach 2:
The sausage meat performs self-heating through its own electrical resistance during ohmic heating. This self-service heating mechanism eliminates the need for external heat sources that cause energy loss and product degradation, thereby reducing both energy consumption and substance loss.
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional heating is used to heat sausage meat, then the heating process is gentle and equipment is simple, but the casing becomes pointed or rounded and slicing is uneven
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces conventional thermal heating with ohmic heating, which provides uniform internal heating without external heat exposure. This substitution maintains the casing's dimensional stability and prevents deformation, ensuring even slicing while requiring minimal equipment.
Solution Approach 2:
The ohmic heating process creates uniform heating conditions throughout the sausage meat simultaneously. This equipotential heating approach ensures all parts of the casing expand uniformly, maintaining dimensional stability and preventing pointed or rounded formations, thereby enabling even slicing.
4Productivity
If ohmic heating is used to heat sausage meat, then production time is reduced and dimensional stability is maintained, but conductive heating equipment is required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent substitutes conventional thermal heating equipment with ohmic heating equipment that applies electrical current directly to the sausage meat. Although this requires conductive heating equipment, the system achieves rapid heating and dimensional stability, and the equipment complexity is manageable through straightforward design.
Solution Approach 2:
The ohmic heating equipment serves multiple functions: it heats the sausage meat uniformly, maintains dimensional stability, and can be integrated with existing packaging systems. This multi-functionality justifies the equipment requirement and simplifies overall system design despite the specialized heating method.
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 maintains dimensional stability, reduces protein loss, and allows for efficient production and packaging, enabling even slicing and improved product quality with reduced cooking time and energy usage.
Implementation Method 1
supplying an electric current via the conductive surfaces and conducting current through the fill material with relative movement between the fill material and the conductive surface for uniform ohmic heating
Implementation Method 2
with optional high-frequency treatment to enhance heating efficiency
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for treating food, in particular meat or sausage products, by means of a nonconventional heating process, in particular an ohmic heating process, having the following steps: - filling a dimensionally stable shell or a shell which is made dimensionally stable by additional means, said shell being made of a nonconductive material, with a filling material, in particular with sausage or a similar raw food product, - closing openings of the shell with conductive surfaces, in particular panels, plungers, or stoppers, and - conducting an electric AC voltage via the conductive surfaces and conducting the current through the filling material while the filling material moves relative to the conductive surfaces for a uniform ohmic heating process.