Heat stable microwave energy sterilization method
US4808783A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 27, 1987 |
| Grant date | Feb 28, 1989 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 27, 2007 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH05B6/64
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A continuous method for heating a product having at least one faster microwave heating portion and at least one slower microwave heating portion to a uniform predetermined temperature sufficient to sterilize the product without loss of odor, taste, texture, color or vitamin content quality by transporting the product through a plurality of microwave fields including a first higher energy field and one or more successively lower energy fields, in which the first microwave field is attenuated to an energy level sufficient to heat the fast microwave heating portions of the product to the predetermined temperature, the successively lower energy microwave fields are attenuated to an energy level sufficient to maintain the temperature of the faster heating portions and heat the slower heating portions to the predetermined temperature, and the transport of the product through the successively lower energy microwave fields is continued until the slower microwave heating portions of the product reach the predetermined temperature.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.