| 主权项 |
1. A means for extending the shelf life of a food product, comprising:
a horizontally disposed and elongated inlet chamber with an open inlet end and an open discharge end with the open inlet end thereof having a plurality of first flexible closure members and with the open discharge end thereof having a plurality of second flexible closure members; a horizontally disposed first housing having an open inlet end and an open discharge end with said open inlet end thereof being in communication with said discharge end of said inlet chamber; a horizontally disposed and elongated discharge chamber with an open inlet end and an open discharge end with the open inlet end thereof having a plurality of third flexible closure members and with the open discharge end of the discharge chamber having a plurality of fourth flexible closure members and with the open inlet end of the discharge chamber being in communication with the discharge end of the first housing; a horizontally disposed second housing having an inlet end with a plurality of fifth flexible closure members and with a discharge end with a plurality of sixth flexible closure members; an elongated and horizontally disposed conveyor which extends through said inlet end of said inlet chamber, through said inlet chamber, through said discharge end of said inlet chamber, through said inlet end of said first housing, through said first housing, through said discharge end of said first housing, through said inlet end of said second housing, through said second housing and through said discharge end of said second housing; said conveyor configured to have a food product placed thereon outwardly of said inlet end of said inlet chamber; said conveyor being configured to move the food product through said first closure members, through said inlet chamber, through said second closure members, and into said first housing; said first housing including means for subjecting substantially all of the food product in said first housing to UV germicidal irradiation as the conveyor moves the food product through said first housing; said conveyor being configured to pass the food product through third closure members, through said discharge chamber and through said fourth closure members with the inlet and discharge chambers and the first, second, third and fourth closure members configured to prevent the UV rays in said first housing from passing outwardly from the inlet and discharge ends thereof; said conveyor configured to pass the irradiated food product through said fifth closure members into said second housing; said second housing including means for subjecting all exterior surfaces of the irradiated food product to an oxidizing agent; and said fifth and sixth closure members configured to prevent the oxidizing agent from passing outwardly from the inlet and discharge ends of said second housing. |
