| abstract |
Apparatus and methods for applying treatment fluids, such as disinfectants, flavoring agents, and tenderizing agents, to foodstuff surfaces to, for example, reduce populations of microorganisms or fungi, alter taste, or alter texture. In representative embodiments, the apparatus includes a housing, a fluid delivery system, and a shaft with a protruding surface, the latter adapted to rotatably convey, while agitating and tumbling, the foodstuffs from an inlet to an outlet of the housing, as the fluid delivery system applies a treatment fluid to the foodstuffs. In more specific embodiments, the protruding surface may be paddles, or paddles interconnected by a solid web and having angled distal surfaces, or a spiral blade with radial protrusions, or such a spiral blade along a first longitudinal portion of the shaft and paddles along a second longitudinal portion of the shaft. |