Claims
- 1. A method of providing fresh meat products, comprising:
irradiating the meat products in a first controlled atmosphere; packaging the irradiated meat products in a second controlled atmosphere; and distributing the packaged irradiated meat products to a retail store.
- 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first controlled atmosphere excludes oxygen and the second controlled atmosphere is high in oxygen.
- 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the steps of irradiating the meat products in the first controlled atmosphere and packaging the irradiated meat products in the second controlled atmosphere are performed in the same meat packing facility.
- 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
adding an antioxidant to the meat products prior to the step of irradiating the meat products in the first controlled atmosphere.
- 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the antioxidant is a rosemary extract.
- 6. The method of claim 4, wherein the packaged irradiated meat products have a color-life of over three weeks.
- 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the retail store is a convenience store.
- 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
topically applying an antioxidant to the irradiated meat products prior to the step of packaging the irradiated meat products in the second controlled atmosphere.
- 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the antioxidant is a rosemary extract.
- 10. The method of claim 8, wherein the packaged irradiated meat products have a shelf-life and a color-life of over three weeks.
- 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the retail store is a convenience store.
- 12. The method of claim 1, wherein the retail store is a superstore that does not include an in-store meat processing department.
- 13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
providing a clean curtain between a meat processing area where the step of irradiating meat products is performed and a meat packaging area where the step of packaging the irradiated meat products is performed.
- 14. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of irradiating meat products is performed in a sealed conduit having the first controlled atmosphere therein.
- 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of irradiating meat products comprises:
conveying the meat products to be irradiated through a processing area in the sealed conduit; controlling the first controlled atmosphere in the sealed conduit to be different from an ambient atmosphere; and applying radiation to the meat products in the processing area.
- 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first controlled atmosphere in the sealed conduit excludes oxygen.
- 17. The method of claim 16, wherein controlling the first controlled atmosphere in the sealed conduit comprises filling the sealed conduit with a gas selected from the group consisting of nitrogen and carbon dioxide.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)
[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/115,507 filed Apr. 2, 2002 for “Irradiation System and Method” by S. Koenck, S. Lyons, B. Dalziel, D. White, J. Kewley and V. Kennedy, which in turn claims the benefit of the following Provisional Applications.
[0002] 1. Provisional Application No. 60/280,790 filed Apr. 2, 2001 for “Irradiation System for Food or Other Articles” by S. Lyons, S. Koenck, B. Dalziel, D. White and J. Kewley.
[0003] 2. Provisional Application No. 60/333,045 filed Nov. 14, 2001 for “Irradiation System for Sanitizing Mail” by S. Lyons, S. Koenck, B. Dalziel and V. Kennedy.
[0004] 3. Provisional Application No. 60/359,813 filed Feb. 26, 2002 for “Irradiation System for Stationary Articles” by S. Lyons, S. Koenck, B. Dalziel and V. Kennedy.
[0005] This application also claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/434,528 filed Dec. 18, 2002 for “Method and Process for Extension of Color-Life of Fresh Meat Products” by S. Koenck, V. Kennedy and B. Dalziel.
[0006] The aforementioned Provisional Application Nos. 60/280,790, 60/333,045, 60/359,813 and 60/434,528 are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. In addition, U.S. application Ser. No. 09/685,799 filed Oct. 10, 2000 for “Irradiation System and Method” by S. Lyons, S. Koenck, B. Dalziel and J. Kewley and U.S. application Ser. No. 09/795,058 filed Feb. 26, 2001 for “Bulk Material Irradiation System and Method” by S. Lyons, S. Koenck, B. Dalziel, D. White and J. Kewley are also hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
Provisional Applications (4)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60280790 |
Apr 2001 |
US |
|
60333045 |
Nov 2001 |
US |
|
60359813 |
Feb 2002 |
US |
|
60434528 |
Dec 2002 |
US |
Continuation in Parts (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
10115507 |
Apr 2002 |
US |
Child |
10624319 |
Jul 2003 |
US |