Abstract: A gravity-fed papaya skin scraping machine 10 is disclosed, comprising a rotating scraper drum 20, an inclined feed plate 60 above the drum, a conveyor belt assembly 40 above the drum to hold papaya slices 11 down on rotating rods 21 in the drum, a pulp, seed, and juice collection hopper 100 beneath the drum, and a discharge plate 80 which catches skins coming off of the drum. The pulp and seeds are subsequently separated in a finisher, free from the bitter latex taste left by prior art methods of removing the skins.

Abstract: A rotating brush jar dryer is disclosed having the outer ends of the brush bristles heated by brushing across a heater element during operation. In bottling operations, prior to applying labels to the jars or bottles the outside surfaces of the jars must be dried. This is often accomplished using a cylindrical rotating brush whose bristles wipe across the surface of a series of jars as the jars are moved past the brush on a conveyor. In the present invention a heating element is positioned parallel to the rotating brush so that the bristles are heated as they brush across the heating element thereby increasing the drying effectiveness of the unit.

Abstract: Banana puree is heated with direct steam injection. A lower pressure zone is used to remove seeds and fiber while partially reducing the temperature of the puree. Thereafter, air and water vapor are removed from the puree prior to cooling in heat exchangers and the resulting product stored.