Venturi Fill Plate Geometry for Food Molding Texture Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current food product molding technologies result in products with poor quality due to high pressure and speed, leading to excessive myosin release and contraction, causing rubber-like texture and uneven cook shapes.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a venturi effect using spherical geometry in food molding machine components, such as breather and fill plates, to accelerate food products and align fibers, reducing myosin release and controlling cook shape.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If high pressure and high speed are used in food product molding, then productivity is improved, but the texture quality deteriorates due to excessive myosin release and fiber contraction
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the flow parameters by using a venturi-shaped flow path that creates a pressure gradient, allowing the food product to be accelerated to high speeds without applying high pressure throughout the entire molding process. This resolves the contradiction by achieving high molding speed while maintaining texture quality through localized pressure changes rather than sustained high pressure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies fluid dynamics principles by using a venturi effect (pressure-driven flow) to accelerate the food product through the molding die. This hydraulic approach allows high-speed molding without the mechanical high pressure that causes fiber contraction, thereby maintaining texture quality while improving productivity.
2Reliability
If high pressure is applied during molding, then the food product fills the mold cavity effectively, but the muscle fibers contract and bind excessively causing rubber-like texture
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the pressure profile from high and sustained to low and transient by using a venturi-shaped flow path. The pressure is briefly elevated only at the throat of the venturi to accelerate the product, then rapidly drops in the diffusion section, allowing complete mold filling without excessive fiber contraction and binding.
Solution Approach 2:
The venturi-shaped flow path uses curved geometry (converging and diverging sections) to smoothly guide the food product through acceleration and deceleration zones. This curved flow path ensures complete mold filling while minimizing turbulent flow and excessive mechanical working of the muscle fibers.
3Productivity
If complicated flow pathways are used, then mixing and massaging increase protein binding, but the cook shape uniformity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The venturi-shaped flow path uses smooth curved geometry to guide the food product through a controlled flow pattern. This simplified curved pathway provides sufficient mixing and massaging for protein extraction while maintaining uniform flow distribution, thereby ensuring uniform cook shape without the complexity of multi-directional flow paths.
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 enhances fiber alignment, reduces myosin activity, and improves the texture and uniformity of the final product, resulting in a better bite and controlled cook shape.
Implementation Method 1
The venturi effect accelerates food product in order to cause the product to be stretched aligning the fibers of the product
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus and method for creating a venturi effect in a food product molding machine. The venturi effect accelerates food product in order to cause the product to be stretched aligning the fibers of the product.