Abstract: Systems for controlled heating and/or agitation for liquid food or beverage product creation are disclosed. A dispenser for producing a food or beverage liquid product from a frozen contents in a receptacle includes a chamber configured to hold a receptacle containing the contents and a dilution liquid inlet configured to supply a dilution liquid to the interior of the receptacle. The dispenser also includes a perforator configured to perforate the receptacle and form a product outlet from the receptacle for the liquid product and an agitator configured to impart motion to the receptacle and/or the contents in the receptacle that increases a flow path from the liquid inlet to the product outlet taken by at least a portion of dilution liquid, when supplied, relative to a flow path from the liquid inlet to the product outlet taken by the portion of dilution liquid without the imparted motion.

Abstract: A packaging method and packaging material are disclosed. In accordance with one aspect, a method for forming, filling, sealing and flash freezing a liquid extract or concentrate in a continuous ribbon format is described. The packaging material uses a continuous ribbon of a cold-formed foil base with multiple pockets arrayed in a pattern and a heat-sealed foil cover. Following sealing, the continuously formed strip of product is passed through a freezing medium, optionally perforated alongside the pockets to facilitate separation of individual pockets from a sheet, and then cut to size for convenient and space efficient final packaging, storage and transportation.

Abstract: A method and equipment for extracting dissolvable solids from small particles using a staged, counter-current battery of centrifuges is described. The advantages gained by working with particles having a mean diameter smaller than 50 microns and doing the extraction with the particles dispersed in a non-flowing liquid are (1) a significant reduction in the concentration gradient of the dissolvable solids across the diameter of the particles and throughout the body of particles being extracted in a comparable standard column battery and (2) higher overall yields because extraction can be conducted to a uniform limit rather than being constrained by a local (surface or column position) limit. As regards coffee extraction, the equipment and method are intended for the production of high quality concentrated coffee extracts rather than the production of soluble or instant coffee.

Abstract: Systems for controlled heating and/or agitation for liquid food or beverage product creation are disclosed. A dispenser for producing a food or beverage liquid product from a frozen contents in a receptacle includes a chamber configured to hold a receptacle containing the contents and a dilution liquid inlet configured to supply a dilution liquid to the interior of the receptacle. The dispenser also includes a perforator configured to perforate the receptacle and form a product outlet from the receptacle for the liquid product and an agitator configured to impart motion to the receptacle and/or the contents in the receptacle that increases a flow path from the liquid inlet to the product outlet taken by at least a portion of dilution liquid, when supplied, relative to a flow path from the liquid inlet to the product outlet taken by the portion of dilution liquid without the imparted motion.

Abstract: A packaging method and packaging material are disclosed. In accordance with one aspect, a method for forming, filling, sealing and flash freezing a liquid extract or concentrate in a continuous ribbon format is described. The packaging material uses a continuous ribbon of a cold-formed foil base with multiple pockets arrayed in a pattern and a heat-sealed foil cover. Following sealing, the continuously formed strip of product is passed through a freezing medium, optionally perforated alongside the pockets to facilitate separation of individual pockets from a sheet, and then cut to size for convenient and space efficient final packaging, storage and transportation.