Devices and methods for pasteurizing and/or sterilizing particulate material, and cartridge

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10849333-B2
Application number	US-201716326800-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 17, 2017
Priority date	Aug 20, 2016
Publication date	Dec 1, 2020
Grant date	Dec 1, 2020

Abstract

Devices (10) and methods for pasteurizing and/or sterilizing particulate material. The devices contain at least one electron source (20) for generating an electron beam and a treatment zone (19) in which the material is pasteurized and/or sterilized by the electron beam. The device (10) comprises a vibration surface (11) which vibrates to convey and individualize the material. The first vibration surface (11) has a plurality of grooves (12) into which the material is conveyed and individualized. The device (10) has a good channel (21) in which the material is pasteurized and/or sterilized by the electron beam in the region of the treatment zone (19). The device (10) has at least one auxiliary channel (22) through which a fluid flows between the electron source (20) and the good channel (21) and is separated from the good channel (21). A cartridge (24), for pasteurizing and/or sterilizing particulate material, is also disclosed.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus for pasteurizing or sterilizing particulate material comprising:
a first vibration surface which is excitable by vibrations in order to convey and separate the material;
at least one electron source for generating an electron beam;
a treatment zone arranged downstream of the first vibration surface, in which the material can be pasteurized or sterilized by the electron beam;
wherein the first vibrating surface comprises a plurality of channels in which the material is conveyed and by which the material is separated.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , the apparatus having, downstream of the first vibrating surface and upstream of the treatment zone, an inclined slipping surface formed and arranged so that the material thereon slides toward the treatment zone.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the sliding surface comprises at least one channel formed and arranged such that the material slides and is separated therein.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the sliding surface is downwardly inclined, with respect to horizontal, at an angle which lies in a range from 45° to 85°.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the apparatus has a defecting surface, downstream of the first vibration surface and upstream of the treatment zone, which is designed and arranged in such a way that the material is defected thereon and slides from the first vibration surface to the sliding surface and/or in a direction of the treatment zone.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the deflecting surface comprises at least one channel which is designed and arranged in such a way that the material slides therein.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the apparatus has, upstream of the first vibration surface, a substantially planar and substantially horizontally aligned second vibration surface which is excitable by vibrations.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1 ,
the apparatus having, in a region of the treatment zone, a material channel in which the material is pasteurized or sterilized by the electron beam,
wherein the apparatus has at least one secondary channel through which a fluid flows, which secondary channel runs at least partially between the electron source and the material channel and is fluid-separated from the material channel.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein a protective film, which is at least partially permeable to the electron beam, is arranged between the electron source and a good channel, which protective film separates the good channel from the secondary channel.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the apparatus has a cassette receiver for receiving a cassette, the cassette at least partially delimits the material channel and the at least one secondary channel and contains a film receiver for receiving the protective film, and the source of electricity is movably arranged, relative to the cassette receiver, in such a way that the source of electricity is movable away from the cassette.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1 , the apparatus includes suction means for sucking process gas surrounding the material downstream of the treatment zone.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the apparatus has a sorting device downstream of the treatment zone, which sorting device contains a measuring unit and an ejection unit, which are designed in such a way that individual particles of the material are ejected by the ejection unit on a basis of at least one property of the particles measured by the measuring unit.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the apparatus has at least one gas outlet opening, arranged downstream of the treatment zone, for blowing a cleaning gas onto the material.

14. A method for pasteurizing or sterilizing particulate material comprising the following steps:
a) conveying and separating the material by a substantially horizontally oriented first vibrating surface which is excited so as to vibrate and has a plurality of channels in which the material is conveyed and by which the material is separated,
b) generating an electron beam, and
c) pasteurization or sterilization of the material by the electron beam in a treatment zone.

15. A method for pasteurizing or sterilizing particulate material comprising the following steps:
d) generation of an electron beam,
e) pasteurization or sterilization of the material by the electron beam in a treatment zone,
wherein the material flows in the region of the treatment zone through a material channel in which the material is pasteurized or sterilized by the electron beam, a fluid flows through at least one secondary channel which runs at least partially between the electron source and the material channel and is fluid-separated from the material channel.

16. The method according to claim 14 , wherein the material moves through the treatment zone at a speed which lies in a range from 1 m/s to 5 m/s.

17. The method according to claim 14 , wherein the electrons of the electron beam have an energy ranging from 80 keV 300 keV.

18. The method according to claim 14 , wherein the material is exposed to the electron beam for a treatment time ranging from 5 ms to 25 ms.

19. The method according to claim 14 , wherein the material is exposed by the electron beam to a radiation dose ranging from 1 kGy to 45 kGy.

20. The method according to claim 14 , wherein the electron beam in the treatment zone ( 19 ) has an average current density ranging from 10 15 s −1 ·cm −2 to 2.77·10 15 s −1 ·cm −2 .

21. The method according to claim 14 , wherein process gas surrounding the material is sucked off after pasteurization or sterilization.

22. The method according to claim 14 , wherein the material is selected from the group consisting of:
foodstuffs such as cereals such as soya, breakfast cereals, snacks, nuts such as dried coconuts, almonds, peanut butter, cocoa beans, chocolate, chocolate liquid, chocolate powder, chocolate chips, cocoa products, pulses, coffee, seeds such as pumpkin seeds, Spices (such as turmeric, especially in slices), tea mixtures, dried fruits, pistachios, dry protein products, bakery products, sugar, potato products, pasta, baby food, dried egg products, soya products such as soybeans, thickeners, yeasts, yeast extracts, gelatine or enzymes;
pet food, such as pellets, feed for ruminants, poultry, aquatic animals (in particular fish) or domestic animals, or compound feed; or
plastic such as PET, for example in the form of flakes or pellets.

Assignees

• Buehler Ag

Inventors

• Meneses Nicolas
• Hersche Martin
• Currie Alasdair
• Schönenberger Niklaus
• Scheiwiller Thomas

Classifications

• A23B2/503

  with corpuscular or ionising radiation, i.e. X, alpha, beta or omega radiation · CPC title

• A23B2/50

  by irradiation without heating · CPC title

• A23B2/001

  Details of apparatus, e.g. pressure feed valves or for transport, or loading or unloading manipulation · CPC title

• B07C5/342

  according to optical properties, e.g. colour {(according to radiation transmittivity B07C5/3416)} · CPC title

• B07C5/00

  Sorting according to a characteristic or feature of the articles or material being sorted, e.g. by control effected by devices which detect or measure such characteristic or feature; Sorting by manually actuated devices, e.g. switches (sorting by hand only B07C7/00; separating solids from solids by sieving, screening, or sifting or by using gas currents or other separating by dry methods applicable to bulk material B07B) · CPC title