Abstract: A fat base is described comprising a mixture containing from 4 to 20% C12:0 lauric acid, preferentially from 5 to 17%, from 30 to 50% C16:0 palmitic acid, preferentially from 34 to 45%, and 4 to 10% C18:0 stearic acid, preferentially from 4.5 to 7.5%, and from 20 to 40% C18:1 oleic acid, preferentially from 25 to 35%, the balance being a mixture of other C4:0 to C22:0 fatty acids, having application, for example, as filling for wafer biscuits.

Abstract: A process for the production of a foodstuff containing a fat carrier, a stabilizer and a solvent for the stabilizer, the fat carrier comprising vegetable fat contents having a solid consistency at room temperature comprising dissolving the stabilizer in the solvent, soaking the mixture containing the solvent and the stabilizer in a warmed state for between 15 and 45 minutes at a temperature of between 10 degrees Celsius and 35 degrees Celsius, heating the vegetable fat contents to a temperature between 2% and 20% above their melting point, and mixing the fat carrier to the mixture containing the solvent and the stabilizer in liquid form.

Abstract: The disclosure is directed to a process for the manufacture of roasted cocoa nibs. It is further directed to processes of producing cocoa liquor and cocoa powder from the roasted cocoa nibs.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods for producing esterified propoxylated glycerols and eutectic mixtures containing one or more esterified propoxylated glycerols and one or more digestible fats. Food products containing the eutectic mixtures are also disclosed.

Abstract: The invention provides acidified red cocoa products and ingredients, such as acidified red cocoa bean nibs, red cocoa liquor, and red cocoa powder. The acidified cocoa products and ingredients are generally made from under-fermented or unfermented cocoa beans that are treated with an acid composition. The methods include those of making food products and ingredients where the levels cocoa antioxidants are maintained by the use of an acid treatment and the avoidance of dutching, and the food products and ingredient have a distinctive red color. Cocoa nibs, chocolate or cocoa liquor and cocoa powders having a red hue or color and having high levels of cocoa antioxidants are disclosed, as well as food products made from them.

Abstract: The present invention provides means of allowing an edible oil to contain useful components derived from an oil-containing raw material, such as polyphenols, efficiently. The present invention is a process for producing an edible oil, wherein when the edible oil is expressed from an oil-containing raw material, a diacylglycerol-containing oil or fat is added to the oil-containing raw material so that the diacylglycerol content in the oil or fat obtained after the oil expression is 4% by weight or more.

Abstract: Lipid-based, creamy food fillings are disclosed that are bake-stable up to a temperature of at least about 125° C. The creamy food fillings are particularly suitable for use in products that require the filling to be added prior to baking. In one aspect, the fillings are a solid-in-liquid dispersion having a dispersed solid phase including a hydrophilic powder and a high-melting lipid, as well as a continuous lipid phase including a low-melting lipid in which the hydrophilic powder and high-melting lipid are dispersed. Preferably, the fillings have a low water activity of about 0.5 or lower and are formed in the absence of additional humectants, thickening agents, or gelling agents.

Abstract: Provided herein are oil compositions comprising an interesterified structured lipid component, the component being an interesterifcation reaction product of an amount of a medium chain triglyceride, an amount of a long chain domestic oil, and an amount of a source of stearidonic acid. Also provided are methods for making the compositions. The structured lipid component can be used in edible oil compositions. The oil compositions can contain an amount of a phytosterol ester component. The oil compositions disclosed herein have good stability and also have other properties useful for an edible oil composition.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are compositions that include a blend of sucrose polyesters, wherein each sucrose polyester includes a sucrose moiety and a plurality of fatty acid ester moieties, wherein a percentage range of the combined fatty acid ester moieties of the sucrose polyesters in the blend have a carbon chain that has trans content.

Abstract: Method of preparing an edible oil, characterized by an increased shelf-life, and edible oil obtainable by such method is provided. A method of preparing an edible oil, particularly extra virgin olive oil, is described, including the operation of introducing a predetermined number of olives having a polyphenolic content ranging between 1000-3000 mg of polyphenols/kg of olives in a predetermined volume of oil. In a preferred embodiment, the olives are preventively treated with an anti-mould agent, and are dehydrated, preferably by thermal treatment in an oven at a temperature ranging between 80° C. and 160° C., so as to achieve the elimination of a water amount ranging between 1% and 30%, preferably between 7% and 15%, more preferably of about 10%. The method of the invention allows obtaining an edible oil, particularly extra virgin olive oil, having an increased polyphenolic content, thereby an increased shelf-life, while maintaining the organoleptic characteristics unaltered.

Abstract: A method for peeling tomatoes is disclosed, the method comprises the steps of providing a tomato having a peel and an underlying fruit; washing the tomato with a solution to break down naringenin chalcone in the peel; treating the tomato peel with a caustic solution including OH? molecules to separate the peel from the fruit; introducing pH adjusted water to the OH?-treated tomato; and peeling the tomato to remove the peel from the underlying fruit.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a solid product comprising oil-droplets having a diameter in the range of 0.1 to 100 microns, cross-linked proteins at the interface of said droplets and any polar, low molecular compound in between the cross-linked protein interfaces.

Abstract: Cocoa nuggets and methods for their manufacture are disclosed. The nuggets are formed by providing a dough including, on a dry basis, at least 30% by weight cocoa powder, the dough having a moisture content of at least 10% to about 52% by weight. The dough is processed into nuggets having a moisture content of not greater than about 15% by weight. The nuggets can be crunchy or chewy and can be used as an ingredient such as an inclusion or a topping for food products in order to increase antioxidant levels and the method of creating the nuggets results in minimal loss of antioxidant capacity as a result of processing.

Abstract: The invention discloses a shelf stable food product. The product comprises a continuous aqueous phase, liquid oil droplets dispersed in the continuous aqueous phase, and protein coated gas bubbles. The continuous aqueous phase constitutes from 20% to 80% by volume (or weight) of the food product and the liquid oil droplets and protein coated gas bubbles are from 0.5 ?m to 10 ?m in diameter. The protein comprises cysteine amino acid residues, but is not a hydrophobin. The invention also discloses a method of forming an aqueous dispersion of protein coated gas bubbles suitable for forming the above food product. The method comprises dissolving a protein capable of forming coated gas bubbles in water with stirring, sonicating the protein solution at a temperature below but within 6° C. of the protein's denaturation temperature in the presence of oxygen, and controlling the temperature within these limits. Any protein debris from the resultant dispersion of protein coated gas bubbles is separated out.

Abstract: A process to coat a food product. The process can include providing a food product; providing a vibrating conveyor wherein the vibrating conveyor includes an enclosed channel and wherein the vibrating conveyor has an inlet and an outlet; feeding the food product into the inlet of the vibrating conveyor; operating the vibrating conveyor at a Peclet number of greater than about 6, at a dimensionless acceleration number of greater than about 1, and a vertical amplitude of vibration of greater than about 3 mm; feeding a coating material into the vibrating conveyor such that the food product is coated with the coating material as it moves from the inlet to the outlet.

Abstract: Antimicrobial formulations and solutions for food safety and quality applications are disclosed. Because some of these formulations and solutions contain a substantial concentration of salt, they are adaptable to a variety of food-processing applications, such as for chilling brine applications, disinfecting meat baths/rinses, beef injection brines, poultry chill tanks, brines used in cheese manufacture, as a wash to kill salmonella and other bacteria on hard-boiled eggs or egg shells, and as a wash to disinfect produce, which can become contaminated with salmonella and other pathogenic bacteria in the field. These uses of concentrated salt solutions that depress the freezing point of the solution provide a low temperature bath or shower in which food products can be cooled. One embodiment comprises between 25 ppm and 100,000 ppm surfactant and between 72% and 99.99% salt.

Abstract: The present subject matter relates to palatable beverages and compositions such as non-chocolate flavored water soluble dry powder compositions comprising a cocoa extract which comprises cocoa polyphenols, and an edible acid. The present subject matter further relates to processes for formulating said beverages and compositions.

Abstract: An oil-and-fat composition, meets the following five requirements (a) to (e): (a) a X2O content is 50 to 80% by mass; (b) a XOX content is not more than 50% by mass; (c) a mass ratio XOX/X2O is 0.3 to 0.8; (d) a mass ratio PStO/X2O is 0.2 to 0.6; and (e) a mass ratio St/P is 0.4 to 1.5. In the five conditions (a) to (e), X, O, P, St, X2O, XOX and PStO respectively represent the following. X: saturated fatty acid having carbon atom of not less than 16; O: oleic acid; P: palmitic acid; St: stearic acid; X2O: triglyceride in which two molecules of X and one molecule of O are bonded; XOX: triglyceride in which X is bonded to 1,3-position and O is bonded to 2-position; and PStO: triglyceride in which P, St and O are bonded.

Abstract: The invention relates to novel food, confectionery, and chocolate compositions and methods of producing them. In one embodiment, an amorphous sugar, such as a corn syrup solid, wholly or partially replaces crystalline sugar in the chocolate composition. In a second embodiment, an amorphous sugar is combined with cocoa solids, milk solids and/or fruit purees and incorporated into a chocolate product or composition. In a further embodiment, the invention relates to a chocolate composition comprising amorphous sugar and crystallized sugar wherein the ratio of amorphous sugar to crystallized sugar is such that the combination of amorphous sugar and crystallized sugar has a glass transition temperature of at least room temperature and amorphous sugar is detectable in the final product or composition.

Abstract: A nutritional fat or oil-based composition for increasing HDL cholesterol, decreasing LDL cholesterol and decreasing the LDL/HDL cholesterol ratio in human plasma is described. The composition can advantageously include at least 1% by weight myristic acid esterified at the sn-2 position in triglyceride molecules, includes between 10% and 40% by weight linoleic acid, and further includes between 30% and 65% by weight oleic acid and between 15% and 40% by weight total saturated fatty acids. The ratio of sn-2 myristic acid to sn-2 palmitic acid is typically greater than 1:1 and the sum of weight percentages for saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids equals 100%. In desirable cases, the composition is substantially cholesterol-free.