No abstract

We propose a new method for the efficient decompression of frozen food under high dynamic pressure. Two experiments are conducted on an ice block containing peeled shrimp: wire explosion and underwater shock wave. In these experiments, the ice is finely crushed, while the frozen peeled shrimps retain their original shape and can be efficiently extracted. Since ice crushing is performed momentarily, the defrosting time is significantly shorter than that in traditional thawing techniques, such as melting in running water or cold-water soaking. This new method could increase the efficiency of food production processes.

This study attempts to clarify underwater shock waves using a food container designed for food processing. The underwater shock wave is driven by a spark or wire explosion from a high-capacity condenser bank. Since the applied pressure must be known to control the experimental conditions, a numerical simulation was conducted and the results were compared with measurements using an elastic bar placed in the water.

In recent years, a method of food processing using underwater shock wave has been investigated. The underwater shock wave is generated by high voltage and large current gap discharge in water, and it is used for food processing in the present investigation. When the underwater shock wave is loaded on the food, the food cells are momentarily broken. Therefore, the food becomes soft, and possible to squeeze water easily. Also, seasonings can be penetrated inside of the food. The improvement of absorbing seasonings for the shock processed foods mainly on Japanese radish is reported in this paper.

The basic behavior during underwater electrical discharge up to 10 kJ stored energy is investigated through both numerical analysis and optical-observation experiments. Since the authors have been investigating the use of underwater exploding phenomena for food processing and other applications, it is necessary to know the whole process which may affect the quality of the samples recovered. In the present investigation, the propagation of underwater shock wave was measured using a high-speed camera and compared with the numerically simulated results using LS-DYNA. Also, the motion of gas bubble, which is induced quite after the propagation of the shock wave, was measured and compared with the numerical simulation using the same code. The pressure of the bubble is not such high as the shock wave, but it is known that the impulse is not possible to be ignored due to its relatively long duration of the pressurization. Through a series of optical-observation experiments, it is confirmed that the numerical simulation is potentially possible to predict the whole phenomena for processing foods and other materials.