Importance

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Abstract

A system and method for applying brine solution to food pieces, such as potato chips, allows application of brine solution to a continuous stream of food pieces in a brine bath, while maintaining a continuously refreshed supply of brine solution in the brine bath, but without requiring that the used brine be discharged as effluent. Food pieces are washed in a water bath and then deposited, with an amount of surface water carried on the washed slices, into a brine bath tank. The brine bath tank has a predetermined volume of brine solution at a predetermined concentration of brining substance in the solution. The food pieces are marinated in the brine bath so as to thoroughly wet the pieces and are then removed from the brine bath tank with an amount of surface solution carried on the slices. The amount of surface solution carried on the marinated slices is greater than the amount of surface water carried on the washed, pre-marinated slices. Brine solution and/or salts are continuously added to the brine bath tank to maintain a specified volume and concentration of brine solution within the brine bath tank. The amount of brine solution that is removed from the brine bath tank is about equal to the amount of fresh brine solution and/or salts that are added to the tank, so that the entire volume of brine solution within the brine bath tank is replaced after processing a predetermined amount of food pieces through the brine bath tank. A microbicide may be added to the brine bath tank to prevent microbial growth within the tank, and the brine solution may be filtered to remove filterable contaminants therefrom.

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