US-12616228-B2 - Food process line for in-line processing food and method for processing food

US12616228B2US 12616228 B2US12616228 B2US 12616228B2US-12616228-B2

Abstract

A food process line and method are provided for processing food in a food process line. The food process line includes at least two of the following process line stations: a food preparation station, cold store, pump station or forming station for a pumpable food mass, or a dry coater, wet coating device, fryer, heater or freezer for the discrete food products. In each process line station at least one process step is carried out, the process line station having one or more actuators and/or one or more sensors. The food process line comprises an interstation control system configured to control an actuator of a first process line station on the basis of data from a sensor of a second process line station.

Inventors

Hendrikus Cornelis Koos van Doorn
Martinus Johannes Willebrordus van Zoelen
Johannes Martinus Meulendijks
Eric Henricus Johannus Carolus ABEN

Assignees

Marel Further Processing B.V.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20201118
Priority Date: 20191118

Claims (5)

1 . A method for processing food in a food process line including a plurality of process line stations, a first process line station of said plurality of process line stations equipped with an actuator for carrying out an operation in relation to the food, a second process line station of said plurality of process line stations equipped with at least one sensor acquiring data relating to the food and/or to the food process line, a third process line station of said plurality of process line stations provided in the food process line between the first process line station and the second process line station, and an interstation control system communicatively connected to the actuator of the first process line station and the at least one sensor of the second process line station, which interstation control system is configured to control the actuator of the first process line station based on data from the at least one sensor of the second process line station, the method comprising the steps of: operating the at least one sensor of the second process line station to obtain data; communicating the data from the at least one sensor to the interstation control system; controlling the actuator of the first process line station on the basis of based on data from the at least one sensor of the second process line station; wherein the step of controlling the actuator of the first process line station is dependent on both an actual process variable as acquired from the at least one sensor and a desired process variable to provide a feedback loop ensuring the interstation control system exerts a control action in the first process line station at a same value as to adjust the actual process variable to obtain the desired process variable; and wherein the plurality of process line stations are selected from the following: forming station for forming discrete food products from a pumpable food mass, the forming station including a temperature sensor configured to acquire temperature data relating to the food; dry coater for coating discrete food products with a dry coating, the dry coater provided in the food process line between a wet coating device and a fryer, the dry coater including an air knife for blowing off excess dry coating; wet coating device for coating discrete food products with a wet coating, the wet coating device provided in the food process line between the fryer and the forming station, the wet coating device including a temperature sensor configured to acquire temperature data relating to batter temperature; fryer for frying discrete food products, the fryer including the actuator for carrying out the operation in relation to the food, the fryer further including a conveyor configured to transport the food products through the fryer, wherein the actuator is configured to control velocity of the conveyor for adjusting dwell time of the food products in the fryer; and freezer for freezing discrete food products; wherein the food process line comprises, in succession, the forming station, the wet coating device, the dry coater, the fryer, and the freezer; wherein the interstation control system is communicatively connected to the fryer and the at least one sensor of the second process line station, and is further configured to control the velocity of the conveyor of the fryer based on the temperature data from the forming station.
2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the interstation control system is configured to acquire and store a collection of data from the at least one sensor in a memory, and wherein the actuator of the first process line station is controlled on the basis of an analysis of this collection of data, the actuator being controlled only when the analysis of the collection of data reveals a trend.
3 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of process line stations further includes at least one of the following: food preparation station for preparing a pumpable food mass; cold store for cold storing a pumpable food mass; pump station for pumping a pumpable food mass; and heater for subjecting discrete food products to a heat treatment.
4 . The method according to claim 3 , wherein the plurality of process line stations includes the heater for subjecting the discrete food products to the heat treatment, wherein the heater is a convection heater with two climate chambers configured to be controlled individually and the heat treatment includes cooking the discrete food products.
5 . A computer-implemented method for processing food in a food process line including a plurality of process line stations, a first process line station of said plurality of process line stations equipped with an actuator for carrying out an operation in relation to the food, a second process line station of said plurality of process line stations equipped with at least one sensor acquiring data relating to the food and/or to the food process line, a third process line station of said plurality of process line stations provided in the food process line between the first process line station and the second process line station, and an interstation control system communicatively connected to the actuator of the first process line station and the at least one sensor of the second process line station, which interstation control system is configured to control the actuator of the first process line station based on data from the at least one sensor of the second process line station, further including one or more processors with the interstation control system, wherein the method comprising the following steps of executing computer readable program code by the one or more processors: operating the at least one sensor of the second process line station to obtain data; communicating the data from the at least one sensor of the second process line station to the interstation control system; controlling the actuator of the first process line station based on data from the at least one sensor of the second process line station; wherein the step of controlling the actuator of the first process line station is dependent on both an actual process variable as acquired from the at least one sensor and a desired process variable to provide a feedback loop ensuring the interstation control system exerts a control action in the first process line station at a same value as to adjust the actual process variable to obtain the desired process variable; wherein the plurality of process line stations are selected from the following: forming station for forming discrete food products from a pumpable food mass, the forming station including a temperature sensor configured to acquire temperature data relating to the food; dry coater for coating discrete food products with a dry coating, the dry coater provided in the food process line between a wet coating device and a fryer, the dry coater including an air knife for blowing off excess dry coating; wet coating device for coating discrete food products with a wet coating, the wet coating device provided in the food process line between the fryer and the forming station, the wet coating device including a temperature sensor configured to acquire temperature data relating to batter temperature; fryer for frying discrete food products, the fryer including the actuator for carrying out the operation in relation to the food, the fryer further including a conveyor configured to transport the food products through the fryer, wherein the actuator is configured to control velocity of the conveyor for adjusting dwell time of the food products in the fryer; and freezer for freezing discrete food products; wherein the food process line comprises, in succession, the forming station, the wet coating device, the dry coater, the fryer, and the freezer; wherein the interstation control system is communicatively connected to the fryer and the at least one sensor of the second process line station, and is further configured to control the velocity of the conveyor of the fryer based on the temperature data from the forming station.

Description

BACKGROUND The present invention relates to a food process line for in-line processing food, and a method for processing food in such a food process line. A food process line comprises for example the following process line stations: A. food preparation station for preparing a pumpable food mass;B. cold store for cold storing a pumpable food mass;C. pump station for pumping a pumpable food mass;D. forming station for forming discrete food products from a pumpable food mass;E. dry coater for coating discrete food products with a dry coating;F. wet coating device for coating discrete food products with a wet coating, optionally comprising a batter mixer;G. fryer for frying discrete food products;H. heater for subjecting discrete food products to a heat treatment;I. freezer for freezing discrete food products; Exemplary discrete food products processed in a food process line according to the invention are burgers such as hamburgers, burgers, balls, nuggets, schnitzels, sausages, etc. etc. In a process line station of the food process line at least one process step on the food product is carried out. According to the invention a process step is carrying out an operation in relation to the food by one or more actuators, and/or acquiring data by one or more sensors. Hence, it is conceivable that a process line station is formed by a transport unit equipped with a sensor. A process line station can also be formed by multiple actuators for carrying out an operation in relation to the food, and one or more sensors acquiring data relating to the food and/or to the process line station. It is known in the art to provide a station controller communicatively connected to an actuator and a sensor of the same process line station, configured to control the actuator of the same process line station on the basis of data from the sensor of the same process line station. For example, the process line station is formed by a mixer, a viscosity sensor in the mixer and a mixer control system, wherein the mixing speed is controlled on the basis of data from the viscosity sensor. In another example, the process line station is formed by a heater, a product temperature sensor provided when the products exit the heater and a heater control system, wherein the temperature in the heater is controlled on the basis of data from the product temperature sensor. The actuators are provided to carry out an operation in relation to the food. Such an operation may involve contact with the food, e.g. mixing or forming, but operations without contact are also conceivable, such as controlling the climate of the process line station. Exemplary actuators associated with a process line station are thermal actuators to set the temperature in the process line station, moist systems to set the humidity in a process line station, and transport speed actuators, e.g. controlling belt speed or robot speed for controlling the residence time, also referred to as dwell time, of food or a discrete food product in the process line station. One or more sensors of the process line station are provided for acquiring data relating to the food and/or to the process line station. In a process line station wherein an operation in relation to the food is carried out, the one or more sensors may acquire data prior to and/or during and/or after carrying out the operation, e.g. upon entry or prior to leaving the process line station. An exemplary and frequently applied sensor associated with a process line station is a temperature sensor, e.g. using a thermocouple or a thermal radiation thermometer such as an infrared thermometer. Contact temperature sensor types are conceivable, but also non-contact sensor types. Other commonly applied sensors involve an optical system such as a camera, e.g. detecting volume, colour and one or more dimensions such as shape, width, length and/or height. Weight sensors such as scales are also common. SUMMARY The aim of the invention is to provide a food process line and method for processing food with improved control of processing food. According to a first aspect of the invention, the food process line comprises at least three of the following process line stations: A. food preparation station for preparing a pumpable food mass;B. cold store for cold storing a pumpable food mass;C. pump station for pumping a pumpable food mass;D. forming station for forming discrete food products from a pumpable food mass;E. dry coater for coating discrete food products with a dry coating, e.g. comprising an air knife for blowing off excess dry coating;F. wet coating device for coating discrete food products with a wet coating, optionally comprising a batter mixer;G. fryer for frying discrete food products;H. heater for subjecting discrete food products to a heat treatment;I. freezer for freezing discrete food products; wherein the food process line comprises: a first process line station of said three process line stations, which is equipped with an act