Abstract: A bio-indicator carrier mounted on one of the rotating members in the interior of a shredding-type autoclave for use in the disintegration and sterilization of medical waste.

Abstract: A safe, practical, and less costly method for disposing of infectious personal care waste, as well as pathological waste and equipment which can be configured for large municipal type use employing continuous process techniques, or for smaller, batch type, stand-alone processors for individual sites such as hospitals.

Abstract: An apparatus for aseptically dispensing measured quantities of sterilized particulate garnish, includes identically constructed inlet and outlet valves each having a valve body with a radial port for communication with either a header/reservoir or a product conduit, substantially cylindrical valve members positioned within the valve bodies each with a radial port which when the valve members are rotated communicate with said radial ports in the valve body, enlarged cleaning and sterilizing zones within the cylinder bores of each of the valve bodies for in-line use, and a metering valve. The radial port on the valve member has a cutting edge which is engaged in the normal course of use whenever traversed by fibrous particulate matter such as meats, vegetables, or pulpy fruit. On the suction stroke of the metering valve piston, sterilized particulate garnish is drawn from the supply header/reservoir and is delivered through the outlet valve and nozzle on the dispensing stroke of the piston.

Abstract: Apparatus for filling containers with two products from different sources, using a rotating volumetric filler which picks up first one product then the other, and discharges them both simultaneously into a container. The filler uses a pair of concentric pistons, the central one of which is retracted to pick up the first product as it rotates over an arcuate slot beneath which the first product is stored; the outer, cylindrical piston is then retracted to pick up the second product as it rotates over another arcuate slot beneath which the second slot is located. Both pistons are later extended simultaneously to discharge the combined product into the container. Since the two products picked up by the successive retractions of the two pistons are held beside each other, a more uniform mixture of the two products is obtained than if they are picked up one above the other by a single piston.

Abstract: A system for verifying that the proper ingredient-containing transport containers have been assembled at a particular soup-blending kettle, in which a hole-coded metal key is permanently affixed to each container and provided with an array of machine-readable holes corresponding to a number unique to each container. At the ingredient-dispensing station, a key-reader reads out the identifying number of the container and transmits it to that kettle station to which the container is to be delivered. The transport container is then delivered to the kettle station, where the key code is again machine read; the container number thus read out at the kettle station is compared with that previously transmitted from the ingredient-dispensing station, and if they both represent the same number then the proper container has been delivered to the kettle station and its contents are dumped into the kettle.

Abstract: A nutritionally enriched and stabilized meat product is prepared by introducing an aqueous colloidal dispersion of insoluble animal protein particles and a binder which sets up at cooking temperatures into the tissue structure of a solid animal meat mass, preferably of the same species. The process can be used to upgrade low quality meat cuts, to increase the yield of meat products, to increase the total protein base of meat products and to reduce cooking losses.