Abstract: A device and a method for compacting a flowable solid material have a compacting space provided with a supply opening for supplying material to be compacted to the compacting space and a discharge opening for discharging compacted material. A closure device for effecting a gastight seal of the compacting space and pressure device for creating a reduced pressure inside the compacting space in the hermetically sealed condition of the compacting space are provided. The pressure device can change the volume of the compacting space, and/or the compacting space comprises a first part for accommodating the material and a second part that can be sealed gastight from the first part by a further closure device, in which said second part the pressure can be reduced by the pressure device in the situation in which the second part is sealed gastight from the first part by the closure device.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device for compacting a flowable solid material, comprising a compacting space provided with a supply opening for supplying material to be compacted to the compacting space and a discharge opening for discharging compacted material from the compacting space, closure means for effecting a gastight seal of the compacting space and pressure means for creating a reduced pressure inside the compacting space in the hermetically sealed condition of the compacting space. The pressure means comprise volume means for changing the volume of the compacting space, and/or the compacting space comprises a first part for accommodating the material and a second part that can be sealed gastight from the first part by further closure means, in which said second part the pressure can be reduced by the pressure means in the situation in which the second part is sealed gastight from the first part by the closure means. The invention furthermore provides a method to be used with such a device.

Abstract: Method of and apparatus for extracting whole juice sacs from citrus fruits by fluid impinging chunks of peeled fruit meat. In one embodiment, a fruit chunk is fed into a fluid impingement chamber that includes a plurality of off-center orifices. High-pressure fluid emitted from the orifices strikes the fruit chunk and spins it such that the fruit chunk's juice sacs are stripped from the chunk's sectional membranes. In another preferred embodiment, a plurality of fluid impingement chambers are incorporated into a high-speed, continuous motion turret. In yet another preferred embodiment, fruit chunks are fed into an inclined tube that includes fluid orifices which emit high pressure fluid. Controlling the fluid pressure, nozzle orifice size, number of orifices, direction of fluid jets, impingement time, and size and shape of the fruit chunks determine how substantially the radial membranes of fruit chunks are stripped of juice sacs without shredding the membranes.