To provide an apparatus and a method for washing and sterilizing food materials by immersing the food materials in an aqueous solution containing a minute amount of a bactericide followed by exposing the food materials to ultrasonic waves to substantially entirely exterminate bacteria on the food materials in a short time to enable the shapes and the tastes of the materials to be maintained.
In an experiment performed by using hard-to-sterilize pineapple and sweet corn as objects, the apparatus works as follows: A washing tank is equipped with an ultrasonic generator causing ultrasonic generating conditions exhibiting 80% or greater sterilizing effect to substantially entirely exterminate bacteria on the food materials in a short time by washing and sterilizing them with ultrasonic waves. The method for washing and sterilizing food materials comprises the step of washing and sterilizing the food materials using this apparatus and the step of washing the food materials with water before and/or after the above step, thereby accomplishing substantially 100% sterilizing effect.
HANADA KATSUHIDE
DKK TOA CORP
CRYSTAL KOGAKU KK
| JPH11127831A | 1999-05-18 | |||
| JPH08168365A | 1996-07-02 |