Disinfection of grain using ultraviolet radiation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10548332-B2
Application number	US-201715444785-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 28, 2017
Priority date	Feb 29, 2016
Publication date	Feb 4, 2020
Grant date	Feb 4, 2020

Abstract

A system for irradiation of grain foods using one or more ultraviolet emitting sources is provided. The system includes an irradiation region in which the grain foods are irradiated by ultraviolet light. The system can include means for moving the grain foods through irradiation region, means for detecting the flow rate of the grain foods moving through irradiation region, and a control system for adjusting power provided to the ultraviolet emitting sources based on the flow rate of the grain foods.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for irradiation of grain foods, the system comprising:
an irradiation region for exposing grain foods to ultraviolet light; wherein the irradiation region includes a set of UV emitters positioned to irradiate the grain foods as the grain foods pass there through with UV radiation;
means for moving the grain foods through the irradiation region;
means for detecting a flow rate of the grain foods moving through the irradiation region;
a control system for adjusting power provided to the set of UV emitters based on the flow rate of the grain foods moving through the irradiation region; and
an analyzing module configured to analyze a grain optical reflectance under ultraviolet radiation.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the means for moving the grain foods uses the force of gravity.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the means of moving the grain foods uses at least one conveyer belt.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the means for detecting the flow rate of the grain foods comprises a solid mass flow meter positioned prior to the irradiation region.

5. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a user input system for enabling a user to selectively adjust a set of control parameters, the set of control parameters comprising: the flow rate of the grain foods, a typical size of a grain, a typical shape of the grain, and a color of the grain, wherein the user input system enables selection of the typical shape from a menu of available shapes.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the analyzing module is physically separate from the irradiation region.

7. The system of claim 1 , further comprising an analyzing module for automatically determining a grain characteristic shape and a grain characteristic size.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the irradiation region further includes a mixing and tumbling device configured to induce rotation and overall motion of the grain foods during ultraviolet radiation irradiation of the grain foods.

9. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a gate located upstream of the irradiation region, wherein the gate comprises a gap with a controllable cross-sectional height causing the grain foods to spread into a thin layer having thickness of at most 10 grain diameters.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the set of UV emitters are positioned to produce radiation that is substantially normal to a surface of a supporting structure of the thin layer.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the irradiation region comprises a region of a free falling stream of grain foods, wherein the set of UV emitters emit ultraviolet light directed at the free falling stream positioned to deliver a target intensity distribution of UV radiation around the free falling stream, wherein the target intensity distribution of UV radiation varies by less than 50% from a maximum intensity value to a minimum intensity value around the free falling stream at a given stream cross-section.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the UV radiation is in the UVC range of 210 nm to 290 nm.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the irradiation region further comprises at least one screen having openings larger than an average grain diameter, wherein the at least one screen affects the flow rate of the grain foods, wherein a number of openings in the screen is configured to prevent the flow rate from stopping.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the screen contains a second set of UV emitters.

15. The system of claim 13 , further comprising means for vibrating the screen to deliver grain angular and linear momentum.

16. The system of claim 1 , wherein the irradiation region further includes an active grain mixing element, wherein the active grain mixing element provides at least one of: vibrational mixing or rotational mixing.

17. A system for irradiation of grain foods, the system comprising:
an ultraviolet irradiation region for exposing the grain foods to ultraviolet light, with the irradiation region having a set of UV emitters positioned to irradiate the grain foods as the grain foods pass through the irradiation region;
means for moving the grain foods through the irradiation region;
means for detecting a flow rate of the grain foods moving through the irradiation region;
an auxiliary light emitting source for testing grain fluorescence;
a fluorescence sensor for detecting a fluorescent signal from the grain foods irradiated by the auxiliary light emitting source; and
a control system for adjusting power provided to the set of UV emitters based on the flow rate of the grain foods moving through the irradiation system and an intensity of the fluorescent signal measured by the fluorescence sensor.

18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the control system adjusts and optimizes a UV exposure regime for the grain foods based on a set of target grain fluorescence characteristics.

19. The system of claim 17 , further comprising means for disinfection of the grain food using at least one of: a chemical or a gas.

20. The system of claim 17 , wherein the set of UV emitters includes at least two UV emitters with peak wavelengths that differ by at least 10 nm.

Assignees

• Sensor Electronic Tech Inc

Inventors

• Dobrinsky Alexander
• Shur Michael

Classifications

• A23B9/06 Primary

  Preserving by irradiation or electric treatment without heating effect · CPC title

• A23L3/26

  Human Necessities · mapped topic

• A23L3/28

  Human Necessities · mapped topic

• A23B2/50

  by irradiation without heating · CPC title

• A23B2/53

  with ultraviolet light · CPC title