Apparatus for producing a food product

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR MAKING STERILE FOOD PELLETS AND PACKAGING SAID PELLETS IN STERILE CONDITION COMPRISING AN ELONGATE TANK MOUNTED IN FIXED INCLINED AND ELEVATED POSITION SLOPING DOWNWARD FROM ONE END CONSTITUTING ITS REARWARD END TO ITS OTHER END CONSTITUTING ITS FORWARD END, SAID TANK HAVING A PORT FOR DRAWING A VACUUM THEREIN TO PROVIDE A STERILE ENVIRONMENT IN THE TANK, AN EXTRUDER OUTSIDE THE TANK AT THE REARWARD END OF THE TANK COMPRISING A HOUSING AND A SCREW ROTARY IN THE HOUSING, SAID HOUSING HAVING AN INLET AT ONE END AND AN OUTLET AT THE OUTER, MEANS FOR FEEDING MEAL TO SAID INLET, MEANS FOR ADDING MOISTURE TO THE MEAL AS IT IS FED TO SAID INLET, MEANS FOR COOLING THE HOUSING ADJACENT ITS INLET END TO PREVENT SLIPPING OF THE MEAL THEREIN, MEANS FOR HEATING THE HOUSING ADJACENT ITS OUTLER END TO HEAT THE MEAL THEREIN TO STERILIZATION TEMPERATURE, AN EXTRUSION HEAD WITHIN THE TANK ADJACENT THE REARWARD END OF THE TANK IN COMMUNICATION WITH THE OUTLET END OF THE EXTRUDER HOUSING, MEANS FOR DIVING THE EXTRUDER SCREW FOR EXTRUSION OF MEAL THROUGH THE EXTRUSION HEAD WITHIN THE TANK, MEANS WITHIN THE TANK ADJACENT THE REARWARD END OF THE TAND FOR SEGMENTING THE EXTRUDED MEAL ISSUING FROM THE EXTRUSION HEAD INTO PELLETS, AN OPEN-ENDED DRYING DRUM EXTRUSION LENGTHWISE OF THE TANK AND MOUNTED FOR ROTATION ON AN AXIS EXTENDING LENGTHWISE OF THE TANK, MEANS FOR ROTATING THE DRUM, AND MEANS FOR HEATING THE DRUM, THE SEGMENTED PELLETS ENTERING THE DRUM AT ITS REARWARD END, TUMBLING ALONG THE DRUM, AND EXITING FROM THE DRUM THROUGH THE FORWARD END OF THE DRUM, THE FORWARD END OF THE DRUM BEING SPACED FROM THE FORWARD END OF THE TANK, SAID TANK HAVING A BOTTOM OUTLET ADJACENT ITS FORWARD END LOCATED FORWARD OF THE FORWARD END OF THE DRUM, A PACKER''S ENCLOSURE BELOW THE FORWARD END OF THE TANK, THE INTERIOR OF SAID ENCLOSURE BEING ADAPTED TO BE MAINTAINED IN ASPEPTIC CONDITION, AND DISCHARGE MEANS EXTENDING DOWNWARD FROM SAID TANK OUTLET INTO SAID ENCLOSURE HAVING MEANS FOR DISCHARGE OF PELLETS IN BATCHES FROM THE TANK WITHOUT SUBSTANTIAL LOSS OF VACCUUM IN THE TANK.