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Complete fractionation with reverse osmosis in food processingComplete fractionation with reverse osmosis in food processing description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070248729, Complete fractionation with reverse osmosis in food processing. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001]The present application hereby claims the benefit of the provisional patent application of the same title, Ser. No. 60/764,745, filed on Apr. 25, 2006. FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002]The present invention relates generally to a system and a method for producing food products. In particular, the present invention relates to a system and a method for producing tomato paste, tomato juice concentrate, and similar food products that can be manufactured using Complete Fractionation with Reverse Osmosis. DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART [0003]Numerous technologies exist regarding fractionation and membrane separation as it relates to food processing. These include {hacek over (S)}ulc-{hacek over (C)}iri technology as described in Schobinger et al., Frucht- und Gemusesafte: Technolgie, Chemie, Mikrobiolgie, Analytik, Bedeutung, Recht (Stuttgart, Verlag Eugen Ulmer, 1987), by where the main fractionation of tomato juice occurs in a decanting unit operation. To ensure the flowability of the decanting concentrate, {hacek over (S)}ulc-{hacek over (C)}iri technology suggests mixing a small fraction of the raw tomato juice with a decanting concentrate at a ratio of 1:1. Another technology, Szabo-Hirschberg (U.S. Pat. No. 3,864,504), resorts to settling, which is a gravity-induced separation, for removing most of the suspended and colloidal species from the tomato juice. Decanting by mechanical centrifugation to settle the sludge allows further recovery of more decanted tomato juice. Here the evaporation concentrate can reach 50-60% total solids (TS). Another technology is PCI-Membranes, as described in Kessler, Lebensmittel- und Bioverfahrenstechnik. Molkereitechnologie (Munchen, Verlag A. Kessler, 1996). With this technology there is no fractionation process. As a result, reverse osmosis applies to removing water from tomato juice at low total-solids levels only. PCI-Membranes technology extracts 55% of the water needed to manufacture tomato paste by reverse osmosis. The rest of the water is removed by thermal evaporation. Two other technologies described in Bottino et al., Integrated Membrane Processes for the Concentration of Tomato Juice, Desalination, Vol 148, (2002), pp. 73-77, and Hayakawa (U.S. Pat. No. 6,291,000), both rely on reverse osmosis with their tomato juice processing. However, the Bottino technology includes a microfiltration unit operation which precedes the reverse osmosis. Finally, the Succar and Tishinski technology described in U.S. Patent Application 20040194634, which is very similar to the {hacek over (S)}ulc-{hacek over (C)}iri technology, fractionates the tomato juice in a decanting unit operation and evaporates the decanted juice to produce a concentrate; without any reverse osmosis. [0004]Another more recent process relies upon fractionation and membrane-separation, as disclosed in U.S. Patent Applications 20050260312 and 20050260313: This process will be identified here as Fractionation with Reverse Osmosis (FRO) Technology. The FRO Technology process begins with a decanting and microfiltration operation to fractionate the incoming tomato stream, followed by reverse osmosis and thermal evaporation to remove the water. While this approach employs decanting and microfiltration (i.e., fractionation) to take out the physiochemical species that cause membrane fouling in reverse osmosis, there exists a need for an enhanced method that can process tomato juice in a more cost and energy efficient manner. This can be achieved through a complete fractionation that applies an advanced membrane separation technique, as described in this invention, i.e. Complete Fractionation with Reverse Osmosis (CFRO) Technology. SUMMARY [0005]In accordance with one embodiment, a system and a method for producing a food product paste include separating a food substance into a decanted juice and a decanting concentrate using a decanter or centrifuge. The decanted juice is processed using an ultrafiltration system to produce an ultrafiltered juice that has been clarified and an ultrafiltration concentrate. The ultrafiltered juice is further processed using a two-stage electrodialysis unit operation to produce a deacidified demineralized juice that has been deacidified and demineralized and an electrodialysis concentrate. A first portion of water is removed from the deacidified demineralized juice by a reverse osmosis unit operation, thereby producing a reverse osmosis concentrate. The reverse osmosis concentrate is then mixed using a combination unit operation with the electrodialysis concentrate to form an evaporation feed. A second portion of water is removed from the evaporation feed using an evaporation unit operation to produce an evaporation concentrate. The evaporation concentrate is then pre-mixed using a pre-mixing unit operation with the decanting concentrate to form a first pre-mixture. The first pre-mixture is then processed using a particle size-reduction unit operation to form a first mixture having a reduced particle size. The first mixture is then mixed using a mixing unit operation with the ultrafiltration concentrate to produce a food product paste. Examples of food substances and their corresponding food product include: tomato paste; apple puree; and chili paste. Of course, other fruits, vegetables and spices can be used. [0006]In accordance with another embodiment, a system and a method for producing a food juice concentrate include separating the food substance into a decanted juice and a decanting concentrate using a decanter or centrifuge. The decanted juice is processed using an ultrafiltration system to produce an ultrafiltered juice that has been clarified and an ultrafiltration concentrate. The ultrafiltered juice is further processed using a two-stage electrodialysis unit operation to produce a deacidified demineralized juice that has been deacidified and demineralized and an electrodialysis concentrate. A portion of water is removed from the deacidified and demineralized juice by a reverse osmosis unit operation, thereby producing a reverse osmosis concentrate. The electrodialysis concentrate is pre-mixed using a pre-mixing unit operation with the decanting concentrate to form a second pre-mixture. The second pre-mixture is then processed using a particle size-reduction unit operation to form a second mixture having a reduced particle size. The second mixture is then mixed using a mixing unit operation with the ultrafiltration concentrate and the reverse osmosis concentrate to produce a food juice concentrate. Examples of food substances and their corresponding food juice concentrate include: tomato juice and tomato juice concentrate, apple juice and apple juice concentrate. Of course, other fruits and vegetables can be used. [0007]In accordance with one embodiment, a system and a method for producing tomato paste include the separating of a tomato-juice stream into a decanted tomato juice and a decanting concentrate by means of a decanter or centrifuge. The decanted tomato juice is processed using an ultrafiltration system to produce an ultrafiltered tomato juice that has been clarified and an ultrafiltration concentrate. The ultrafiltered tomato juice is further processed using a two-stage electrodialysis unit operation to produce a deacidified demineralized tomato juice that has been deacidified and demineralized and an electrodialysis concentrate. A first portion of water is removed from the deacidified demineralized tomato juice by a reverse osmosis unit operation, thereby producing a reverse osmosis concentrate. The reverse osmosis concentrate is then mixed using a combination unit operation with the electrodialysis concentrate to form an evaporation feed. A second portion of water is removed from the evaporation feed using an evaporation unit operation to produce an evaporation concentrate. The evaporation concentrate is then pre-mixed, using a pre-mixing unit operation, with the decanting concentrate to form a first pre-mixture. The first pre-mixture is then processed using a particle size-reduction unit operation to form a first mixture having a reduced particle size. The first mixture is then mixed using a mixing unit operation with the ultrafiltration concentrate to produce a tomato paste product. [0008]In accordance with another embodiment, a system and a method for producing tomato juice concentrate including the separating of a tomato-juice stream into a decanted tomato juice and a decanting concentrate by means of a decanter or centrifuge. The decanted tomato juice is processed using an ultrafiltration system to produce an ultrafiltered tomato juice that has been clarified and an ultrafiltration concentrate. The ultrafiltered tomato juice is further processed using a two-stage electrodialysis unit operation to produce a deacidified demineralized tomato juice that has been deacidified and demineralized and an electrodialysis concentrate. A portion of water is removed from the deacidified demineralized tomato juice by a reverse osmosis unit operation, thereby producing a reverse osmosis concentrate. The electrodialysis concentrate is pre-mixed, using a pre-mixing unit operation, with the decanting concentrate to form a second pre-mixture. The second pre-mixture is then processed using a particle size-reduction unit operation to form a second mixture having a reduced particle size. The second mixture is then mixed using a mixing unit operation with the ultrafiltration concentrate and the reverse osmosis concentrate to produce a tomato juice concentrate. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0009]FIG. 1 is the simplified process diagram of {hacek over (S)}ulc-{hacek over (C)}iri Technology. [0010]FIG. 2 depicts the process diagram of Szabo-Hirschberg Technology. [0011]FIG. 3 outlines the concept of PCI-Membranes Technology. [0012]FIG. 4 is the process diagram of Bottino et al. Technology. [0013]FIG. 5 shows the Hayakawa Technology for manufacturing tomato juice concentrate. [0014]FIG. 6 shows a process diagram for one embodiment of the current invention applied to tomato-paste processing; decanting concentrate plus evaporation concentrate=first pre-mixture; first pre-mixture after particle-size reduction=first mixture. [0015]FIG. 7 shows one embodiment of the current invention process flow as applied to tomato juice concentrate manufacturing; decanting concentrate plus electrodialysis concentrate=second pre-mixture; second pre-mixture after particle-size reduction=second mixture. [0016]FIG. 8a shows a graphical representation of the evaporation load as function of operation pressure in reverse osmosis; 5.0% TS in raw tomato juice; CFRO Technology vs. FRO Technology. [0017]FIG. 8b shows a graphical representation of the evaporation load as function of operation pressure in reverse osmosis; 7.5% TS in raw tomato juice; CFRO Technology vs. FRO Technology. DETAIL DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [0018]Complete Fractionation with Reverse Osmosis Technology (CFRO) is useful for the manufacture of food product paste and juice concentrate, and relies upon an advanced membrane-separation technique (an energy efficient process) to remove most of the water from raw fruits-and-vegetables juices. While it may be used with many fruit and vegetable juices, an example of processing tomato juice will be described. This in no way limits the possible fruit and vegetable juices which may be used. Continue reading about Complete fractionation with reverse osmosis in food processing... 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