PATENTREPORT

This section provides information on worldwide patents relevant to food control. Each report gives the following information: title of patent, patentee, patent number, publi- cation date and summary of the patent. The reports have been selected from ‘Food Processing Patents Profiles’ with permission of Derwent Publications Ltd, Rochdale House, 128 Theobalds Road, London WClX 8RP, UK. (Tel: 071 242 5823, fax 071 405 3630).

Determining optimal time of cocoa beans roasting: involves extraction of aroma-forming aldehyde(s) from samples roasted for various times, cooling in liquid nitrogen and measuring luminescence Most. Food Ind. Techn. SU-1597721; 7 October 1990

Optimal duration of roasting stage of cocoa beans is deter- mined more efficiently by roasting samples of beans for various periods of time and extracting them with 10% ethanol for lo-15 min at a sample : ethanol ratio of 15, respectively. Then, the concentration of aroma-producing aldehydes is determined as the extract is cooled in liquid Nz and irradiated at 350-360 nm. Resulting excited luminescence is measured at 470-475 nm. The maximum intensity of luminescence corres- ponds to optimal roasting time. 035

Multiple effect evaporator control in sugar production in- cludes measurement of temperature in first evaporator and temperature of entering juice and return steam Grozn Promavtomatik SU-1599438; 15 October 1990

Improved syrup quality of given concentration is obtained by measuring the temperature in the first effect evaporator and the temperature of infeed juice and of the return steam. The distribution of juice concentrations downstream of the evaporators, and the temperature of the first evaporator are preset, while adjustment of the return steam flow in the first evaporator is made according to the error signal between the measured and set temperature. The pressure of the secondary steam in the second evaporator is also checked. Secondary steam admission is adjusted to match the pressure, correcting it with reference to the concentration of the juice determined at the outlet of the second evaporator. 036

Counting living cells of microbes in fluid sample continuously comprises adding reagent which forms accumulative fluores- cent product with cell substances and detecting fluorescence emitted Mitsubishi Jukogyo EP-443700; 28 August 1991

Method for counting living cells of microbes in a fluid sample continuously while flowing the sample comprises: adding to the sample a reagent capable of reacting with one or more substances intrinsic of living cells to form an accumulative fluorescent product within the living cells, passing the treated sample through a photometric detection cell continuously while irradiating the sample with a light having a wavelength adapted to induce excitation of the fluorescent product accumulated within each of the living cells to cause emission of corresponding fluorescence from each of the living cells each as individual luminous points appearing within the detection area of the detection cell in a certain time interval. Also claimed is an apparatus for counting living cells of microbes. 037

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Measuring content of calcium saccharate in sugar refinery juice by precipitation with alcohol, dissolving in water, acidification and polarimetry FCB EP-447299; 8 March 1990

Determining mono-calcium saccharate (I) in a sugar- containing juice comprises (1) diluting a sample of the juice with alcohol to form a precipitate, (2) filtering off the precipitate and dissolving it in deionised water, (3) acidifying the resulting solution by adding H3P04, then (4) measuring the amount of sucrose in the solution. The sample is diluted with about 9 vol. EtOH and the solution in step (3) is adjusted to pH 4. Any insolubles are removed from the acidified solution before measuring the sucrose content by polarimetry. 038

Measurement and recording of humidity and temperature in ovens comprises mobile system with two housings connected to sensors and containing electronics insulated against the environment in oven Werner & Pfleiderer GMBH DE-4022964; 23 January 1992

A moving system for measuring and recording humidity and temperature in an oven gives more accurate results than stationary sensors and overcomes the problems of existing mobile systems. Electronic components are contained in insulated housings with several sensors and which accom- panies the foodstuffs through the oven. Cooling elements and temperature resistant oxygen sensors are located in the housings. Humidity is determined by measurement of the oxygen content in the oven. 039

Determination of quality of meat pieces using optical probe to measure reflectance along scanning line Slagteriernes Forsk EP-444675; 4 September 1991

Optical reflecting property of a piece of meat is determined by a probe either at a free surface or at an internal surface, along a scanning line at a predetermined wavelength range, or in a predetermined wavelength range, at a number of points along the scanning lint. The measured values are converted into a histogram-like set of data relating to the frequency of reflection intensity values falling within predetermined intcr- vals, after normalization with respect to the irradiating light intensity and using a predetermined mathematical relation, with USC of the frequency data as variables, to dctcrmine the quality of the meat. 040

Heat pasteurization of food involves wrapping in heat shrink- ing film, heating then applying microwave radiation Toppan Printing KK JP-3175963; 31 July 1991

Complex food such as corquette and shaomil is put in tray and wrapped with film having heat shrinkage property. The heat shrinkage film is shrunk by the first heating and then microwave heat pasteurization is conducted. 041

Pasteurization by heating with microwave comprises heating food in container on irradiation stand Toppan Printing KK JP-3183461; 9 August 1991

Foods to be pasteurized are put in containers and they are placed on an irradiation stand. Preliminary pasteurization is carried out by simple heating and finally by irradiation with microwave. 042

Food Control - Vol3 No 3 1992