Patent NZ-594531-A (NZ)
Title: Method and equipment for removing dissolved oxygen from grapes or other plant products and for maintaining them in a controlled atmosphere in mechanical means for harvesting, transport and storage
Inventor: FRATI MAURIZIO
IPC: C12G1/02
Filed: 2010-03-02
Abstract: Patent No. 594531 Disclosed is a method for removing the oxygen dissolved in and maintaining in a controlled atmosphere a plant product, such as grapes or the like, introduced into mechanical means for harvesting, transporting and storage, said means comprising a collection tank into which said plant product is introduced after harvesting, said product being present in said tank in a solid state and in a liquid state, the method comprising: removing the oxygen and controlling the atmosphere by applying CO2 in the gaseous state to said product and replacing at least partly the oxygen present in said tank with said CO2 in the gaseous state, using said CO2 in an initial solid state, the subsequent sublimation thereof and the interaction of CO2 in the gaseous state so obtained with said product inside the tank, so as to remove the oxygen from it and create a non-oxidative atmosphere, - containing said COS in solid state in a container or sublimer separated from the collection tank into which the harvested product is introduced, - allowing said solid state of C02 in said sublimer to absorb heat from a gaseous stream flowing in the sublimer and heated outside it, delivering said CO2 in the gaseous state to the collection tank, - initially forming said gaseous stream by a fluid, and progressively enriching said gaseous stream with CO2 which is in the gaseous state after its sublimation from the solid state. Also disclosed is an equipment for removing the oxygen dissolved in and maintaining in a controlled atmosphere a plant product, such as grapes or the like, in mechanical means for harvesting, transporting and storage, said means comprising a collection tank , the collection tank being provided with a separating pierced element defining in said collection tank a lower portion or first part and an upper portion or second part, said collection tank being able to receive said product in a solid state and in a liquid state, said harvested product being able to be placed in the tank in the upper portion thereof, the oxygen being removed and the atmosphere being controlled by applying CO2 in a gaseous state to said product and replacing at least partly the oxygen in the tank with said CO2, wherein the equipment further comprises sublimer (1) means separated from the collection tank (30), said sublimer means being adapted to contain inside them said CO2 in the solid state, and to transform the latter into a gaseous state before being flowed into said collection tank to allow said CO2 in gaseous state to interact with said harvested product present in said tank, and wherein said sublimer means are connected to a heat exchanger (20) through ducts, defining sublimation circuit, circuit into which is able to flow a gaseous stream adapted to sublimate the CO2 in the solid state present in the sublimer means, said exchanger being able to receive heat from a fluid flowing in a heating line, said line being connected to a heat source, the latter being the ambient atmosphere, a heating circuit or an engine of a product harvesting means.