Patent ID: 7281470

Claim:
An apparatus for continuously pasteurizing food products, said apparatus comprising: a supporting framework supporting a top basin and a bottom basin, both said top a bottom basins being substantially longitudinally horizontally extended and arranged one above the other, said top basin being supplied with hot pasteurizing water and said bottom basin being supplied with cold water; feeding means for feeding said food products through the top basin; transfer means for transferring said food products from the top basin to the bottom basin; further feeding means for feeding said food products through the bottom basin and product withdrawing means for withdrawing said food products from the bottom basin; wherein said apparatus further comprises first product holding time changing means for changing a product holding time in said top basin; and second holding time changing means for selectively changing a product holding time in said bottom basin, said top basin comprising top basin top manifolds adapted to spray hot water on said products in said top basin, said bottom basin comprising bottom basin top manifolds adapted to spray cold water on the products in said bottom basin, and wherein said feeding means for feeding said products through said bottom basin comprise a plurality of panels traversed by a plurality of elongated slots, arranged parallel to a bottom of the bottom basin, said panels being supported by swinging arms which can be controllably oscillated about horizontal axes, thereby driving said panels from bottom of the bottom basin upward and with a movement component parallel to a longitudinal extension of said bottom basin, thereby causing said products, arranged in said bottom basin, to be fed from the longitudinal end portion of said bottom basin arranged at a passage region of said products from said top basin to said bottom basin, in the direction of the opposite longitudinal end portion.