Abstract: A main energizing/heating unit has an outer electrode and an inner electrode, and energizes a fool material to be gelatinized by heating and continuously heat-treats it while it is conveyed in a food flow channel. The food flow channel in which the food material flows is formed between the both electrodes. Fed to the food material flowing in the food flow channel by a power supply section is a current in a direction traversing a flow direction of the food material. An inner cooling flow channel is formed in the inner electrode, and cooling liquid is fed to the inner cooling flow channel through a piping.

Abstract: A yeast extract is produced by preparing a suspension containing yeast, applying an electric field treatment to the suspension, and then autolyzing the suspension. In this electric field treatment, a voltage to be applied is less than 1000 V/mm, and a temperature of the suspension during an application period of the voltage is 64° C. or less. According to such a production process, a content of amino acids in the yeast extract can be improved. Among amino acids, branched chain amino acids or the like can be efficiently increased.

Abstract: Fluid heat-exposed food can be uniformly heated with high energy efficiency. A current-carrying/heating apparatus is applied to use fluid meat and drink, such as soup or the like, as the heat-exposed food and to heat it by resistance heat. A primary winding is winded about an iron core and is connected to an AC power supply. A heat pipe is further winded about the iron core. A communication hole, into which the meat and drink used as the heat-exposed food is supplied, is formed in the heat pipe. An electric closed loop circuit is constituted by the heat-exposed food supplied into the communication hole. When a current is carried to the primary winding, a magnetic flux is generated around the iron core by the current. A current, induced by an operation of electromagnetic induction of the magnetic flux, flows to the heat-exposed food, and the heat-exposed food generates heat by the induced current and is heated.

Abstract: Disclosed is an electric heating device for heating a fluid food material, for example, a liquid food material with high viscosity such as mayonnaise or the like, and a solid-liquid mixed food material such as a mixture of tea powder, coffee powder or the like and water, in which a solid and a liquid are mixed. The heating device includes a cylindrical container body having the bottom end thereof and containing the fluid food material. A cylindrical outer electrode is mounted in this container body, and an inner electrode, having an outer circumferential surface opposite to the inner circumferential surface of the outer electrode, is arranged at the center of the container body. An electric power is supplied from a power supply to the inner electrode and the outer electrode, and an electric current flows through the food material injected in the container body, whereby the food material is heated by the Joule heat.

Abstract: There is disclosed a heating system for producing food stuffs such as a paste food stuff having minced flesh of fish meat as a raw material. The heating system comprises: an electrode row or rows, in which a plurality of roller electrodes are disposed in parallel to one another; and a water permeable film or films trained across the roller electrodes making up the electrode row or rows. The food stuffs are conveyed by the movement of the water permeable film or films and electrical power is supplied to the roller electrodes in such way that electric current flows between pairs of the roller electrodes along current paths extending through the water permeable film or films and the food stuffs to make the food stuffs generate Joule heat. With this arrangement, the food stuffs are quickly heated. The food stuffs are also guided by the water permeable film or films.