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Food Crisper
OVERVIEW
A recent study, conducted by USDA's Economic Research Service, found that about
96 billion pounds of food, or 27 percent of the 356 billion pounds of the food
available for human consumption in the United States, were lost at the retail,
consumer, and food service levels. Fresh fruits and vegetables, fluid milk, grain
products, and sweeteners accounted for two-thirds of these losses.
Restaurants have fresh perishable food items trucked into their locations several
times a week. The optimum temperature for storing such perishables as
iceberg lettuce require 0° (32° F) with >95% RH to optimize lettuce storage life.
However, it is a well-known fact that perishable foods such as fruits and
vegetables, deteriorate in a refrigerator in spite of the fact that the cold
temperature slows down bacterial growth. This decay is primarily based on
two factors:
- The first is low or high humidity, which causes foods to dehydrate (low humidity)
or have mold growth (high humidity).
- The second problem is the oxygen in the environment, which leads to oxidation of
the foods.
The first problem is dealt with in the conventional refrigerator crisper which
(theoretically) maintains an optimal humidity in the crisper drawer that assists
with the problem of dehydration and mold formation. However, the oxygen
concentration in that drawer is essentially equal to that of room air and therefore
the oxidation is not retarded. The oxidation of the food, which is the same
chemical reaction as occurs with rust often leads to a browning color just like
rust. This is seen most rapidly on cut fruits and vegetables such as lettuce
cut in half or a sliced apple.
According to the National Restaurant Association's Restaurant Industry
Operations Report — 2001, full service restaurants spend 28 percent of their
revenue on food costs, and limited-service operations spend 32 percent. Reducing
food costs by 2 or 3 percentage points can mean the difference between staying in the
black or sinking into the red, says Jim Laube, president of the Houston-based
consulting firm RestaurantOwner.com.
To date there has not been a state of the art method for preserving perishable
foods which, depending on the season, is one of the costliest food items a restaurant
will purchase.
PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
The N2 FIFO Crisper System for Walk-In Coolers is a patent pending technology
that represents the next generation in extending the life of food perishables.
This system allows a restaurant or hotel owner to:
- Reduce the costs of food by controlling inventory loss.
- Utilize the First In, First Out order of perishable storage.
- Extend the life of perishables.
- Cut back the number of truck deliveries required on a weekly basis saving
transportation and delivery charges
- Solidify customer loyalty because of superior food quality
The N2 FIFO Crisper System is based on an increased nitrogen concentration.
This nitrogen concentration necessarily depletes the oxygen thus reducing the
opportunities for food to oxidize or "brown."
This is a method of preserving food in-walk in coolers by taking the steps of
introducing the food into FIFO ordered drawers. The system will sense the status
(empty or full) of the drawer and will appropriately increase the concentration of
nitrogen thus decreasing the concentration of oxygen and introducing that
nitrogen-concentrated air.
With the removal of oxygen and the introduction of nitrogen gas, the opportunity
for oxidization is removed and the foods are held in stasis.
Product Safety:
Concerns about introducing GN2 into an enclosed environment:
- 78% of air is GN2.
- Pure GN2 is the absence of GO2 thereby reducing the oxidization of perishables.
- Pure GN2 cannot sustain human life due to lack of oxygen therefore:
Our system has proper safeguards to prevent users from having direct exposure to GN2.
The N2 FIFO Crisper System must have proper safeguard to prevent users direct
exposure to nitrogen. The safety protocols include:
- Only one drawer at a time is presented to the sole access door. That door
is the only access that is exposed to room atmosphere conditions. The rest of
the drawers remain in a constant GN2 bath.
- To avoid the cycling of the nitrogen concentrator during times the access door
is open and to minimize the risk of reducing the oxygen concentration in a small
space, the control unit can also monitor the door. Thus the air pump would
not be cycled when the door switch is open.
- Safety sealed locked doors allows for the safe exchange of the nitrogen for
oxygen before food is accessed in the walk in cooler.
- A switch to detect the closure of the main access crisper drawer is utilized
- Triggering a three-way solenoid valve will allow the oxygen-enriched air from
the adsorber vessel to exhaust air vent. A check valve restricts the flow of
the air from the crisper back out during the regeneration process. The
nitrogen flow and purity is controlled by a restriction orifice.
- The controller circuitry reads the crisper drawer switch to start the
nitrogen generation once the crisper drawer is inserted in the refrigerator
as sensed by the position switch.
- The nitrogen product enters the crisper at the opposite end of the nitrogen
discharge line. A check valve is installed in the discharge line to prevent
air from entering the crisper and to prevent the crisper from over pressurization.
The discharge line is connected to the suction of the air compressor.
- A nitrogen concentration system connected to the crisper drawer and the
switch to produce nitrogen-enriched and oxygen-depleted air to increase the
life of the oxygen-sensitive food.
- The exchange of N2 and O2 is accomplished using the pressure swing adsorption
through which the regeneration process is performed. This is done for about
30 to 120 seconds.
The nitrogen generation system will be operated for pre-set time typically
between 1 and 8 hours after the crisper has been inserted into the refrigerator.
The operating time may be increased for a larger crisper size or reduced desired level
of oxygen. The control system will also control when the nitrogen generator
produces nitrogen and when regeneration of the absorption vessel takes place
through the controls of the compressor and the three-way valve.
As an alternative, a humidification stage could be added in line between the
center chamber and the crisper drawer. This would allow for the optimal
humidification along with the lower oxygen levels for maximum food longevity.
MARKET POTENTIAL
Strengths— The technology behind this patent pending system is readily available
and is being used currently in other applications. The technology employed in
this application is based on proven science.
The safety measures used in this technology allows for a unique application of
N2 in an enclosed environment.
The need for this type of technology is clearly demonstrated by the amount of
fresh foods wasted in the United States on a daily basis. This technology
allows food preparation facilities to extend the life of their most costly inventory.
An original equipment manufacturer that is already established in their market
can integrate this technology to give them a market advantage.
Opportunities - The focus for all businesses is how to save money but not
compromise the end quality of the product being served. The N2 FIFO Crisper
Systems is a way to accomplish both by saving money on inventory, reducing
transportation costs, and ensuring the quality of perishables remains high.
This technology represents an opportunity to enter an agreement with a Walk In
Cooler OEM to develop a Cost/Benefit Analysis.
Market Potential
All food processing facilities, restaurants, hotels and institutions. Also island
luxury hotels and restaurants where food shipping costs are high.
PATENT STATUS
Filing is in process for a Continuation in Part on the current patent application
on common usage of the FIFO Crisper system)
1. PENPages College of Agricultural Sciences.
2. Lettuce: Crisphead or Iceberg: Recommendations for Maintaining Postharvest
quality by Marita Cantwell and Trevor Suslow, Department of Vegetable Crops,
University CA, Davis, CA 95616.
4. National Restaurant Association's Restaurant Industry Operations Report — 2001
RestaurantOwner.com
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