Device and method for the high-pressure treatment of products
The present disclosure relates to a device for the high-pressure treatment of products, particularly of packaged foodstuffs. The device comprises a high-pressure chamber and a discharge valve for discharging high-pressure medium out of the high-pressure chamber. The invention is characterized in that a controllable actuator is provided for adjusting the rate of the pressure decrease in the high-pressure chamber at least over a predetermined pressure range. The disclosure also relates to a method for the high-pressure treatment of products, wherein pressure decrease takes place in a first phase and in a second phase, and the mean pressure decrease rate in the first phase is higher than in the second phase.
1. A method for processing a food product, comprising:
loading the food product into a packaging,
replacing air inside the packaging with a protective gas or a protective gas-mixture,
subsequent to replacing air inside the packaging by a protective gas or a protective gas mixture:
gas-tight closing the packaging to form a packaged food product,
loading the packaged food product into a high-pressure chamber,
subjecting the packaged food product in the high-pressure chamber to a high-pressure treatment, during which a high-pressure medium acts upon the packaged food product, and
decreasing the pressure within the high-pressure chamber in a first phase and in a second phase, wherein a mean pressure decrease rate in the first phase is higher than in the second phase.
2. Method according to claim 1 , wherein the mean pressure decrease rate in the first phase and/or in the second phase is continuously adjustable.
3. Method according to claim 1 , wherein the second phase is followed by a third phase in which the mean pressure decrease rate is higher than in the second phase.
4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the pressure during the high-pressure treatment reaches a value of 300 to 1,000 MPa.
5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the pressure during the high-pressure treatment reaches a value from 300 to 700 MPa.
6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the packaging is made from a plastic film or a film composite.
7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the packaging is made from a multilayer packaging material.
8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein, during the second phase, the pressure in the high-pressure chamber is reduced in a controlled way, the pressure in the high pressure chamber being 100 MPa to 0.1 MPa during the second phase.
9. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the pressure is reduced during the second phase in a controlled way, the pressure in the high pressure chamber being between 50 MPa and 5 MPa during the second phase.
10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the pressure decrease rate is controlled at least in the second phase by a controllable actuator.
11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the actuator comprises a pressure transformer, and a counter-pressure acting on the actuator is continuously decreased at least over a specific pressure range.
12. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the actuator is used for controlling the pressure decrease rate only after the pressure in the high-pressure chamber has been reduced to a predetermined threshold value.
13. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the predetermined threshold value is 50 MPa.
14. The method according to claim 1 , wherein water is used as the high-pressure medium.
15. A method for the high-pressure treatment of a food product, said method comprising:
placing the food product into a package made from a multilayer packaging material,
hermetically sealing the package to form a packaged food product,
placing the packaged food in a high-pressure chamber,
subjecting the packaged food product to a high-pressure treatment within the high-pressure chamber, in which a pressurized high-pressure medium acts upon the packaged food product, and
decreasing pressure within the high-pressure chamber in a first phase at a first mean pressure decrease rate and in a subsequent second phase at a second mean pressure decrease rate, wherein the first mean pressure decrease rate is higher than the second mean pressure decrease rate.
16. The method according to claim 15 , wherein a protective gas or a protective gas mixture is provided within the hermetically sealed package.
17. The method according to claim 16 , wherein the protective gas or protective gas mixture comprises nitrogen, oxygen or CO 2 .
18. The method according to claim 15 , wherein a rate of the pressure decrease is continuously adjustable.
19. A method for processing a food product, comprising:
loading the food product into a packaging,
replacing air inside the packaging with a protective gas or a protective gas-mixture,
subsequent to introducing a protective gas or a protective gas mixture into the packaging, gas-tight closing the packaging to form a packaged food product, loading the packaged food product into a high-pressure chamber,
subjecting the packaged food product in the high-pressure chamber to a high-pressure treatment, during which a high-pressure medium acts upon the packaged food product,
decreasing pressure within the high-pressure chamber in a first phase at a first mean pressure decrease rate, and
subsequent to the first phase, decreasing pressure within the high-pressure chamber in second phase at a second mean pressure decrease rate, wherein the first mean pressure decrease rate is higher than the second mean pressure decrease rate.