Patent ID: 8944672
Filing Date: 2015-02-03
Classification: A23K,A23N,A23P,B01F

Abstract:
1. A preconditioner operable to moisturize and partially cook a food or feed material prior to downstream processing thereof, said preconditioner comprising: an elongated, generally horizontally oriented housing presenting a food or feed material inlet and an opposed preconditioned food or feed material outlet, said housing having a larger diameter end proximal to said inlet and a smaller diameter end proximal to said outlet, and a tapered wall section having a taper angle of from about 2-9° between said housing ends; and an elongated, axially rotatable shaft extending along the length of said housing and having a plurality of axially spaced apart, outwardly extending mixing elements supported by the shaft and each presenting an outer margin remote from the shaft, the mixing elements along the length of said tapered wall section being of progressively different lengths respectively, between said shaft and said outer margins thereof, with the longest of said mixing elements along the length of the tapered wall section being proximal to said inlet, the spaced apart outer margins of said mixing elements cooperatively defining a taper along the length of the tapered section of said housing, bearing structure adjacent the end of said shaft proximal to said smaller diameter end of said housing for rotationally supporting the shaft, said outlet comprising an elongated tubular body with the longitudinal axis thereof transverse to the rotational axis of said shaft.