METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONTINUOUSLY DECREASING MICROBIAL ACTION IN LIQUID PRODUCT BY USING PRESSURIZED CARBON DIOXIDE

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for continuously decreasing a microbial action and/or an enzyme action in a liquid product. SOLUTION: This method comprises (a) mixing a pressurized flow of liquid product with a flow of pressurized liquefied carbon dioxide to form a pressurized mixture in a fluid state in which carbon dioxide is under pressure enough to maintain its liquid state and at a temperature not to freeze the liquid product, (b) passing the pressurized mixture through a reaction zone and fluidizing the pressurized mixture for a time enough to reduce microorganisms in the liquid product, (c) sending the pressurized mixture from the reaction zone to plural expansion stages and lowering the concentration of the mixture flow to vaporize liquefied carbon dioxide in the mixture flow and (d) applying a heat to the mixture flow in a couple of expansion stages so as not to cause the freezing of the liquid product by the cooling of carbon dioxide.