Citrus fruit peeling method
US5817360A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 26, 1996 |
| Grant date | Oct 6, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 26, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA47J17/00
- WIPO fieldOther special machines
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A method of pretreating citrus fruit for facilitating peeling utilizes infusion with an aqueous solution for loosening the peel from the underlying segments. In a first embodiment an infusion of water having essentially neither enzyme nor any other additive therein is accomplished with the use of a pressure or a vacuum apparatus. Further embodiments include making a pair of opposed holes in the peel and forcing an aqueous solution that may or may not contain an enzyme or an additive at low pressure into one of the holes until it emerges from the other hole. In one embodiment water pressure from a faucet may be used; in another, a flexible injection nozzle is used as an interface between the solution source and the inlet hole. All embodiments serve to separate the peel from the segments by hydrating the albedo, making the fruit easier to peel.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.