METHOD AND ARRANGEMENT FOR STERILIZING EDIBLE NUTS

摘要

The present invention discloses a method of sterilizing whole nuts includes pre-cooking said nuts in a pre-cooking unit to a core temperature T1 at a pressure P1 for a time t1, transferring said nuts to a sterilizing line, said sterilizing line adapted to permit the transport of said nuts through a sequence of process elements, said sequence of process elements comprising a reservoir, at least one feed pump, a consecutive arrangement of heat exchangers, and a filling machine and/or an aseptic tank, and sterilizing said nuts in said sterilizing line.

主权项

1. A method of sterilizing whole nuts comprising:
pre-cooking said nuts in a pre-cooking unit to a core temperature T1 at a pressure PI for a time t1; transferring said nuts to a sterilizing line, said sterilizing line configured to transport said nuts through a sequence of process devices, said sequence of process devices comprising a reservoir, at least one feed pump, a consecutive arrangement of heat exchangers and a filling machine and/or an aseptic tank; wherein said nuts are mixed in said reservoir with a carrier liquid, said carrier liquid at least comprising water, thereby forming a pumpable, slurry-like mixture of nuts and carrier liquid; wherein said slurry-like mixture is pumped using said at least one feed pump through said consecutive arrangement of heat exchangers wherein a first arrangement of heat exchangers heats said carrier liquid to a sterilizing temperature T2 and, when said sterilizing temperature T2 is reached, said sterilizing temperature T2 is maintained essentially constant by a second arrangement of heat exchangers for a predetermined sterilization time t2 while said nuts are being sterilized, after which said slurry-like mixture is pumped through a third arrangement of heat exchangers to cool said slurry-like mixture to a storage temperature T3; and wherein said slurry-like mixture having said storage temperature T3 is pumped to said filling machine for filling, or to said aseptic tank to be held for later filling.