Method and system for treating food items with an additive and solid carbon dioxide

摘要

Embodiments of the invention generally provide methods and systems that distribute an additive in solid carbon dioxide in an interior of food processing equipment. The additive may be injected into a flow of liquid carbon dioxide upstream of an expander at or adjacent to the interior. Injection of the additive into the interior may be alternated with directing a flow of expanded carbon dioxide into the interior. In some embodiments, the freezing point of the additive with or without a diluent composition and/or additive(s) is lower than a temperature of the liquid carbon dioxide.

主权项

1. A low-energy and time-efficient method of treating a food item by mixing an additive into meat, said method comprising the steps of:
providing a tank containing liquid carbon dioxide; providing a container of an additive, the additive being a liquid or a solid, wherein:
the additive is dissolved in a diluent composition comprising water and/or a non-aqueous solvent, orthe additive is not dissolved in a diluents composition and has a freezing point lower than a temperature of the liquid carbon dioxide; providing a liquid pump; injecting the additive, with a liquid pump, into the a flow of liquid carbon dioxide inside a conduit from the tank with the liquid pump to provide a combined flow of liquid carbon dioxide and the additive; expanding the liquid carbon dioxide and the additive combined flow at or adjacent to the interior of the food processing equipment an inlet formed in a wall of a bottom injection mixer to thereby inject a combined form a flow of the additive and gaseous and solid carbon dioxide thereat into an interior of the bottom injection mixer; and directing the flow of gaseous and mixing the additive, the solid carbon dioxide into the interior to come into contact with food items therein and the meat inside the bottom injection mixer.