Abstract: A sterile-packed rice product is produced in a system including a rice filling device that fills an individual tray with a predetermined quantity of washed and soaked rice; a sterilization chamber that substantially air-tightly contains one or more of arrays of the trays with rice for sterilizing the rice with high-temperature pressurized steam introduced into the chamber; a water filling device that fills the trays with the sterilized rice with a predetermined quantity of water necessary for steam rice-cooking; a steam rice cooker that cooks the rice with a steam; and a sealing device that lids air-tightly that trays with the cooked rice. A clean booth surrounds a conveyor conveying the trays from the steam rice cooker to said sealing device, thus providing a predetermined cleanliness over an area covering at least a conveying path of the trays from an exit of the steam rice cooker to the sealing device.

Abstract: A food sterilizing apparatus has a plurality of sterilizing units (18) each comprising a stationery upper member (14) defining an open-bottom chamber (30) and an elevatable lower member (16) defining an open-top chamber (42). The lower member is moved by a drive mechanism (46) so that the apparatus may take a stand-by position where the upper and lower members are remote from each other and an operative position where these member engages closely with each other to form a single air-tight chamber that is defined by the chambers (30) and (42). A plate (38) carrying trays (2), each carrying the food to be sterilized, is intermittently conveyed by a conveyor (40) to make a brief stop at a position between the upper and lower members when they are in the stand-by position. A steam flush is applied to the closed air-tight chamber for sterilization of the food when the members are in the operative position.