Process for the production of alimentary smoke by pyrolysis, the use of means particularly adapted to said process, smoke and smoked foodstuffs obtained

Abstract

The present invention relates to the field of the production of smoke for agro-food usage and has for its object a process characterized in that it includes essentially the steps consisting in introducing organic material to be pyrolyzed into a reactor including essentially a substantially hermetically sealed heatable chamber containing at least one rotatable endless screw heated by the Joule effect receiving the material, heating the organic material to a temperature included between 200° C. and 800° C., preferably between 300° C. and 400° C., so as to cause the pyrolysis during its movement, under the influence of the rotation of the at least one screw and to extract the consumed material and the smoke products from the chamber.

1 . An apparatus for the production of liquid smoke adapted for smoking agro-food products, wherein said apparatus comprises:
 a pyrolysis reactor comprising essentially a substantially hermetically sealed heatable chamber containing at least one rotatable endless screw heatable by electric heating power, said pyrolysis reactor comprising a first end for introducing an vegetable material containing organic material and a second end for removing the consumed vegetable material;   a condensation device for condensing pyrolysis gas present at the outlet of the pyrolysis reactor;   said condensation device comprising an outlet for re-injecting at least one portion of the incondensable pyrolysis gas into the pyrolysis reactor and an outlet for recovering the liquid smoke condensed in the condensation device.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said apparatus comprises a smoking, quenching, or spraying cell for smoking agro-food products with the liquid smoke. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said apparatus comprises a smoking, quenching, or spraying cell for pulverizing an air-distillate mixture of smoke onto agro-food products. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said rotatable endless screw is at a pyrolysis temperature of between 300 and 400° C. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said rotatable endless screw is at a pyrolysis temperature of between 300 and 380° C. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said apparatus comprises a pre-heating zone. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein said pre-heating zone is at least one specific preheating zone in the pyrolysis reactor. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein said pre-heating zone is at a pre-heating temperature below the pyrolysis temperature. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein said pre-heating temperature is below 200° C. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said rotatable endless screw passes horizontally through the heatable chamber. 
     
     
         11 . A method for the production of liquid smoke, wherein said liquid smoke is produced by using an apparatus according to  claim 1 . 
     
     
         12 . Smoke adapted to food product smoking, obtained by the method according to  claim 11 , wherein as liquid smoke, said smoke comprises a volume content of benzo[a]pyrene of at most 10 ppb and a volume content of benzoanthracene of at most 20 ppb. 
     
     
         13 . Liquid smoke obtained by condensation of smoke according to  claim 12 . 
     
     
         14 . Foodstuff smoked by the use of smoke according to  claim 12 . 
     
     
         15 . A method for the production of liquid smoke adapted for smoking agro-food products, said method comprising:
 introducing a vegetable material containing organic material in a pyrolysis reactor comprising a first end for introducing said vegetable material, said pyrolysis reactor comprising a substantially hermetically sealed heatable chamber containing at least one rotatable endless screw for moving said vegetable material through said pyrolysis reactor;   pyrolyzing said vegetable material at a pyrolysis temperature of between 300 and 380° C. in the pyrolysis reactor; and   recovering the liquid smoke produced by pyrolyzing said vegetable material from said pyrolysis reactor.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein said pyrolyzing is performed by heating said at least one rotatable endless screw. 
     
     
         17 . A method for the production of liquid smoke adapted for smoking agro-food products, said method comprising:
 introducing a vegetable material containing organic material in a pyrolysis reactor comprising a first end for introducing said vegetable material, said pyrolysis reactor comprising a substantially hermetically sealed heatable chamber containing at least one rotatable endless screw;   pyrolyzing said vegetable material at a pyrolysis temperature of between 300 and 380° C. in the pyrolysis reactor by heating by Joule effect said rotatable endless screw in rotation;   discharging the consumed vegetable material from a second end of said pyrolysis reactor; and   recovering the liquid smoke produced by pyrolyzing said vegetable material from said pyrolysis reactor.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein said method comprises recovering and condensing in a condensing device pyrolysis gas produced by pyrolyzing said vegetable material. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein said pyrolysis gas is recovered at the outlet of the pyrolysis reactor. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein said method comprises re-injecting from the condensing device at least one portion of the incondensable pyrolysis gas into the pyrolysis reactor and wherein said method comprises recovering the liquid smoke condensed in the condensation device. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein said method comprises pulverizing liquid smoke onto agro-food products. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein said method comprises pre-heating said vegetable material before pyrolyzing said vegetable material. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein said pre-heating is performed in at least one specific preheating zone in the pyrolysis reactor. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein said pre-heating is performed at a pre-heating temperature below the pyrolysis temperature. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein said pre-heating temperature is below 200° C. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein said vegetable material is pyrolyzed during its movement, under the influence of rotation of said at least one screw. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the pyrolysis takes place under precise control, to about 0.1%, of the volume content of oxygen in the pyrolysis reactor. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the pyrolysis takes place under precise control, to about one degree Celsius, of the temperature prevailing in said pyrolysis reactor. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the pyrolyzed vegetable material is essentially constituted by wood chips. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein pyrolyzed vegetable material is essentially constituted by fibers or chips of at least one vegetable substance selected from the group consisting of wood, cellulose, any other polysaccharide, lignocellulose complex, and any mixture thereof. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein said method comprises discharging the consumed vegetable material from a second end of said pyrolysis reactor. 
     
     
         32 . A method for the production of thermally modified wood chips, wherein said thermally modified wood chips are produced by:
 introducing a wood chips containing organic material in a pyrolysis reactor comprising a first end for introducing said wood chips, said pyrolysis reactor comprising a substantially hermetically sealed heatable chamber containing at least one rotatable endless screw for moving said wood chips through said pyrolysis reactor;   pyrolyzing said wood chips at a pyrolysis temperature of between 300 and 380° C. in the pyrolysis reactor; and   recovering the thermally modified wood chips produced by pyrolyzing said wood chips from said pyrolysis reactor.   
     
     
         33 . A method for the production of wood charcoal, wherein said thermally modified wood chips are produced by:
 introducing a wood containing organic material in a pyrolysis reactor comprising a first end for introducing said wood, said pyrolysis reactor comprising a substantially hermetically sealed heatable chamber containing at least one rotatable endless screw for moving said wood through said pyrolysis reactor;   pyrolyzing said wood at a pyrolysis temperature of between 300 and 380° C. in the pyrolysis reactor;   discharging the consumed wood from a second end of said pyrolysis reactor; and   recovering the wood charcoal produced by pyrolyzing said vegetable material from said pyrolysis reactor.   
     
     
         34 . A method for the production of smoke, wherein said smoke is produced by:
 introducing a vegetable material containing organic material in a pyrolysis reactor comprising a first end for introducing said vegetable material, said pyrolysis reactor comprising a substantially hermetically sealed heatable chamber containing at least one rotatable endless screw for moving said vegetable material through said pyrolysis reactor;   pyrolyzing said vegetable material at a pyrolysis temperature of between 300 and 380° C. in the pyrolysis reactor; and   recovering the smoke produced by pyrolyzing said vegetable material from said pyrolysis reactor.