Oven Process Control Using Surface Temperature for Quality
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing food processing technologies rely solely on internal core temperature measurements for determining doneness, which are inadequate for monitoring surface changes such as moisture evaporation, surface dryness, and surface quality, limiting the optimization of cooking processes for food safety and quality.
Innovation Solution
An oven control system that adjusts cooking processes based on product surface temperature measurements, allowing for precise control of ambient temperatures to optimize food safety, drying rates, quality, and yield by programming controllers to adjust conditions in various food processing chambers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If core temperature measurement is used to determine doneness, then food safety is ensured, but surface quality monitoring and optimization are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the temperature monitoring function into two separate measurement systems: one for core temperature (food safety) and one for surface temperature (quality optimization). This segmentation allows each measurement to be optimized for its specific purpose without compromise.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary relationship between surface temperature measurement and process control. The surface temperature serves as a mediator that provides information about moisture evaporation, surface dryness, and quality changes, enabling indirect monitoring of surface conditions that cannot be directly measured by core temperature alone.
2Measurement precision
If manual temperature probe insertion is used to verify doneness, then core temperature can be checked, but process automation and efficiency are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements continuous feedback loops where both core and surface temperature measurements are fed back to the control system. This automated feedback replaces manual probe insertion and enables real-time process adjustment, improving both verification accuracy and automation level.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs self-verification of doneness through automated temperature monitoring and comparison against target values. The cooking process automatically determines when the product is done without requiring manual intervention, while still maintaining precise temperature verification.
3Productivity
If high ambient temperatures are used to speed up cooking, then productivity increases, but surface quality defects such as case-hardening occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs dynamic temperature adjustment where ambient temperature is continuously modified based on real-time surface temperature feedback. This dynamic control allows the system to accelerate cooking when surface temperature is low and slow down or pause when surface temperature approaches critical levels, preventing case-hardening while maintaining high overall productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the ambient temperature parameter in response to surface temperature conditions. By adjusting this key process parameter based on surface temperature feedback, the system optimizes the balance between cooking speed and surface quality, avoiding the fixed temperature limitations of conventional methods.
4Manufacturing precision
If surface temperature monitoring is added to existing core temperature systems, then surface quality control is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the temperature measurement system with multi-functionality in mind. The same control system and processing logic that manages core temperature is extended to also handle surface temperature monitoring and control. This universal approach allows one system to perform multiple functions (core safety monitoring and surface quality control) without proportionally increasing complexity.
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
Enables improved food safety, surface quality, and increased yield by ensuring surface proteins are denatured slowly, preventing defects like case-hardening, and ensuring lethal surface temperatures for pathogen destruction, resulting in consistent product quality and reduced waste.
Implementation Method 1
heating a meat article at a first ambient temperature
Implementation Method 2
monitoring and optimizing the effect of oven process conditions on moisture evaporation
Data Source
AI summary
Food processing and food science systems, apparatus and methods are disclosed. In particularly, an oven apparatus and cooking method are provided for processing meats and meat products, most particularly ham and roast beef. An oven control system is disclosed that controls the cooking process based on product surface temperature in addition to simply product core temperature. This control system allows the user to automatically optimize each process for food safety, drying rates, quality, cooking time, yield, and defect detection by programming the controller to adjust process conditions in food processing chambers such as steam cookers, water cookers, forced-air convection ovens, fermentation rooms, and drying rooms based on surface temperature measurements.