Process for direct inoculation from concentrated ferments and associated device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10893682-B2
Application number	US-201515315924-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 2, 2015
Priority date	Jun 3, 2014
Publication date	Jan 19, 2021
Grant date	Jan 19, 2021

Abstract

Process for continuous inoculation of a food product, in particular a dairy product, with ferments, comprising the following steps: —solid concentrated ferments are transformed into liquid concentrated ferments, —the transformed concentrated ferments are continuously injected into a flow of liquid to be inoculated, characterized in that the liquid concentrated ferments are transformed—by thawing frozen concentrated ferments in a temperature controlled chamber or—by rehydrating freeze-dried concentrated ferments.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. Equipment for continuous inoculation of ferments into a liquid to be inoculated, the ferments being thawed, liquid ferments originating from frozen concentrated ferments, the equipment comprising:
a temperature controlled chamber configured to thaw a container containing frozen concentrated ferments, to transform the frozen concentrated ferments into thawed, liquid ferments inside the container,
an inoculation chamber comprising a support configured to support at least two said containers containing thawed, liquid ferments, and at least one weighing device configured to continuously determine a remaining volume of thawed, liquid ferments in at least one of the at least two said containers, wherein the inoculation chamber comprises at least one homogenizer configured to homogenize at least one of the at least two said containers, and
an injection circuit configured to connect said containers to a circuit configured to continuously feed the thawed, liquid ferments into a liquid to be inoculated, wherein the injection circuit comprises a valve configured to switch between said containers and a regulator configured to regulate the flow rate of the thawed, liquid ferments.

2. Equipment according to claim 1 , wherein the temperature controlled chamber comprises a refrigerator.

3. Equipment according to claim 1 , wherein the temperature controlled chamber comprises a stirrer.

4. Equipment according to claim 1 , wherein the inoculation chamber is configured to be pressurized above atmospheric pressure.

5. Equipment for continuous inoculation of ferments into a liquid to be inoculated, the ferments being rehydrated, liquid ferments originating from freeze-dried concentrated ferments, the equipment comprising:
a first chamber configured to receive a container containing freeze-dried concentrated ferments configured to be rehydrated inside the container to be transformed into rehydrated, liquid ferments inside the container,
an inoculation chamber comprising a support configured to support at least two said containers containing rehydrated, liquid ferments, and at least one weighing device configured to continuously determine a remaining volume of rehydrated, liquid ferments in at least one of the at least two said containers, wherein the inoculation chamber comprises a homogenizer configured to homogenize at least one of the at least two said containers, and
an injection circuit configured to connect said containers to a circuit configured to continuously feed the rehydrated, liquid ferments into a liquid to be inoculated, wherein the injection circuit comprises a valve configured to switch between the at least two said containers and a regulator configured to regulate the flow rate of the rehydrated, liquid ferments.

6. Equipment according to claim 5 , wherein the first chamber comprises a stirrer.

7. Equipment according to claim 5 , wherein the inoculation chamber is configured to be pressurized above atmospheric pressure.

Assignees

• Chr Hansen As

Inventors

• Brocheret Sylvain
• Faiveley Marc
• Bauquis Anne-Claire

Classifications

• C12M33/00

  Means for introduction, transport, positioning, extraction, harvesting, peeling or sampling of biological material in or from the apparatus (chemical or physical laboratory apparatus in general B01L, devices for taking cell samples A61B10/0045, withdrawing or distributing predetermined quantities of fluid B01L99/00) · CPC title

• A23V2002/00

  Food compositions, function of food ingredients or processes for food or foodstuffs · CPC title

• C12M23/32

  Frangible parts · CPC title

• A23C9/12 Primary

  Fermented milk preparations; Treatment using microorganisms or enzymes · CPC title

• C12M41/44

  of volume or liquid level · CPC title