CUTTING FOOD PRODUCTS WITH A WATER-POLYMER JET: SCIENTIFIC AND PRACTICAL ASPECTS

A scientifically grounded hydrodynamic calculation method for determining the optimal parameters of food product cutting using a water-polymer jet has been developed. This method is based on an established criterion that incorporates the relaxation time of the polymer solution and the longitudinal velocity gradient, which occurs during the flow of the polymer solution through the nozzle of the hydro-cutting head. An analytical expression for the relaxation time of the polymer solution has been derived, linking the experimentally observed relaxation time with the extrapolated relaxation time at zero concentration. The validity of this relationship, which connects the relaxation time of the polymer solution with its concentration, temperature, and characteristic viscosity, is confirmed by experimental data on the concentration dependence of the relaxation time for two fractions of polyethylene oxide in water.The developed method for calculating the optimal parameters of food cutting using a water-polymer jet enabled a significant reduction in the working pressure of the hydro-cutting machine – by 4 to 5 times – through the implementation of a high-efficiency cutting process. Under equal conditions, the cutting depth of frozen pork at –25 °С was increased by 2 to 2.3 times compared to water jet cutting, whereas standard equipment achieved only a 1.85 – fold increase. The experimental prototype of the hydro-cutting machine for food products using a water-polymer jet was 10 times less expensive than industrial-grade equipment. The developed method for calculating the optimal parameters for hydrojet water-polymer cutting has confirmed the practical feasibility and economic efficiency of using a water-polymer jet for cutting food products, particularly for deeply frozen products, by implementing a high-efficiency hydro-cutting process.