Process for separation and cleaning of edible vegetable products

Claim 2

A PROCESS FOR THE CONTINOUS SEPARATION OF EDIBLE VEGETABLE PRODUCTS FROM BOTH HEAVIER AND LIGHTER FOREIGN SUBSTANCES, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF CONTINOUSLY DYNAMICALLY MIXING SAID SUSPENDING VEGETABLE PRODUCTS TO BE CLEANED AND SEPARATED WITH A FIRST SEPARATION SOLUTION HAVING A SPECIFIC GRAVITY SUCH THAT THE VEGETABLE PRODUCT AND HEAVIER SUBSTANCES TEND TO SINK AND LIGHTER SUBSTANCES TEND TO FLOAT IN SAID SOLUTION, SEPARATING SAID SUSPENDED VEGETABLE PRODUCT AND HEAVIER SUBSTANCES FROM SAID LIGHTER SUBSTANCES IN A HYDROCYCLONE SEPARATOR, SEPARATING SAID VEGETABLE PRODUCT AND HEAVIER SUBSTANCE FROM SAID SEPARATION SOLUTION, DYNAMICALLY MIXING AND SUSPENDING SAID VEGETABLE PRODUCT AND HEAVIER SUBSTANCES WITH A SECOND SEPARATION SOLUTION HAVING A SPECIFIC GRAVITY SUCH THAT THE VEGETABLE PRODUCT TENDS TO FLOAT AND THE HEAVIER THAN VEGETABLE PRODUCT SUBSTANCES TEND TO SINK, SEPARATING SAID SUSPENDED VEGETABLE PRODUCT FROM SAID HEAVIER SUBSTANCES IN A HYDROCY-

Claim 3

The continuous process of separating edible vegetable products from foreign substances which are both lighter and heavier than said edible vegetable product, comprising the steps of dynamically mixing and suspending the vegetable product, heavier and lighter substances with a first separation solution having a specific gravity such that the vegetable product and heavier substances tend to sink and the lighter substances tend to float, separating said suspended vegetable product and heavier substances from the lighter substances in a hydrocyclone separator, removing said first separation solution from said vegetable product and substances and recycling said solution, dynamically mixing and suspending said vegetable product and heavier substances with a second separation solution having a specific gravity such that the vegetable product tends to float and the heavier substances tend to sink, separating said suspended vegetable product from said heavier substances in a hydrocyclone separator, and removing said second separation solution from said second vegetable product and said heavier substances and recycling said solution.

Claim 4

The continuous process of separating edible vegetable products from foreign substances which are both lighter and heavier than said edible vegetable product, comprising the steps of dynamically mixing and suspending the vegetable product, heavier and lighter substances with a first separation solution having a specific gravity such that the vegetable product and heavier substances tend to sink and the lighter substances tend to float, separating said suspended vegetable product and heavier substances from the lighter substances in a hydrocyclone separator, removing said first separation solution from said vegetable product and substances and recycling said solution, dynamically mixing and suspending said vegetable product and heavier substances with a second separation solution having a specific gravity such that the vegetable product tends to float and the heavier substances tend to sink, separating said suspended vegetable product from said heavier substances in a hydrocyclone separator, and removing said second separation solution from said second vegetable product and said heavier substances and recycling said solution.

Claim 5

The process defined in claim 2 including the steps of dynamically mixing and suspending the separated edible vegetable product with a third separation solution having a specific gravity such that split and undersized portions of said vegetable product tend to sink and the whole portions of said vegetable product tend to float, separating said suspended whole portions from said suspended split portions in a hydrocyclone separator, separating said whole and split portions from said third separation solution, and recycling said separation solution.

Claim 6

The process as defined in claim 3 wherein the solid vegetable product and heavier and lighter substances are mixed with said separation solutions in venturi mixers.