Patents Examined by Kelly Mahafkey
  • Patent number: 7422638
    Abstract: Sago-based gelling starches and the use thereof. Such modified starches exhibit exceptionally fast gelling properties, high gel strengths, and exceptional elasticity. These properties allow for significantly reduced processing times, including reduced hold times. Further, the higher gel strength allows for reduced starch levels without loss of final product gel strength integrity or texture. The instant gelling starches are particularly useful in food systems of the type that gel upon standing, such as pie and cream fillings, puddings, spreads, and jellies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2008
    Assignee: National Starch and Chemical Investment Holding Corporation
    Inventors: Ralph M. Trksak, Patrick J. Ford
  • Patent number: 7357954
    Abstract: Milled rice grains are primarily immersed, and at least surface layers of the grains are converted to the alpha-type. The rice grains are then preliminarily dried and consummatively polished, and are further subjected to secondary immersing and secondary alpha-type conversion. During these processes, there occurs no cracking on the surfaces of the rice grains. The consummatively polished rice grains are then separated into individual single grains. The separated individual single grains are finally dried whereby the finished product of instant rice is obtained. The instant rice containing polished rice has good appearance and quality.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2008
    Assignee: Satake Corporation
    Inventors: Shigeharu Kanemoto, Keishi Wakabayashi, John H. Kendall, Ranvir B. Mohindra
  • Patent number: 7314645
    Abstract: A process for preparing nutritious cooked rice in an aseptic package, by mixing ginseng, jujube, chestnut and black rice, which has excellent taste and smell and capability of long-term preservation at room temperature. The process includes treating ginseng, jujube and chestnut with a mixed solution of an aqueous solution of calcium and an aqueous solution of 0.1-0.3% organic acid or phosphoric acid, mixing with non-glutinous rice, glutinous rice and black rice at a fixed rate, filling a fixed amount of the mixture automatically in a heat-resisting plastic container, sterilizing the mixture 4-10 times repeatedly for 4-8 seconds at a high temperature of 130-150° C. and high pressure, cooking the sterilized mixture in a measured amount of liquid for cooking, sealing and packaging the resultant cooked rice mixture aseptically so that nutritious cooked rice which is free from microorganism and capable of long term preservation (more than 6 months) can be obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2008
    Assignee: CJ Corporation
    Inventors: Changyong Lee, Hyunjun Park, Sangyou Kim
  • Patent number: 7279192
    Abstract: The present invention provides shelf-stable shredded cheeses and methods of preparing such shelf-stable shredded cheeses using a combination of a natural or process cheese, a cheese powder, glycerin, and a filler. The shredded cheeses of this invention are shelf-stable at ambient temperatures, have good organoleptic properties, and exhibit good melt restriction and essentially no browning upon melting. The shredded cheeses of this invention are especially adapted for incorporated into, or use on or with, snack foods (e.g., chips) for retail sale which can be stored at ambient temperatures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2007
    Assignee: Kraft Foods Holdings, Inc.
    Inventors: Amna Munji Abboud, Jackie Robinson Epps, Timothy Dean Babcock, Amber Okwuosah
  • Patent number: 7214402
    Abstract: The present invention calls for the establishment of a centralized facility for the production of unfermented, undiluted, and unprocessed hopped wort using a single source of water. The hopped wort is then cooled and transported to a plurality of remote fermentation sites where the hopped wort will be fermented into beer by the addition of yeast. The fermentation sites are preferably located within a restaurant to provide the diners with the aesthetic enjoyment of consuming beers fermented on the premises and to provide a consistent quality from one restaurant location to the next where such beers are produced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2007
    Assignee: Granite City Food & Brewery, Ltd.
    Inventor: William E. Burdick
  • Patent number: 7186432
    Abstract: A savory, shelf-stable, particulate, meltable, food-grade plasticized composition is disclosed, having a water activity Aw of 0.70 or below. The composition is an oil-in-water emulsion of: a protein that forms a thermally reversible meltable gel, plasticizer components to solubilize the protein, comprising a polyol plasticizer and a non-polyol plasticizer, a level of an edible oil component sufficient to provide proper texture, mouthfeel, and melt characteristics to the plasticized composition, and a savory flavoring component, and typically comprises 10–30 wt-% protein, 15–50 wt-% plasticizer component, including, based upon the total weight of the composition, 10–40 wt-% polyol plasticizer and 3–15 wt-% non-polyol plasticizer, 10–40 wt-% oil component, 5–25 wt-% moisture, and 10–40 wt-% flavor characterizing component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2007
    Assignee: Kerry Inc.
    Inventors: Jack William Maegli, Dustan Theodore Doud, Ellen Kay Morgan, Susan Mary Bischel
  • Patent number: 7169423
    Abstract: A virgin chitosan polymer is added to an acid and water solution in an amount sufficient to form an edible composition having a solids content greater than five percent (5%) and a liquid viscosity. The composition is applied to food products, such as fruits, vegetables and nuts, to provide an edible protective coating for the food products. Alternatively, chitosan may be hydrolyzed to a lower molecular weight so that a gel will not be formed when the partially hydrolyzed chitosan is admixed to the acid water solution. An edible wax emulsion and/or a preservative such as sodium benzoate, and/or an adhesion additive such as zinc acetate, and/or a wetting agent, and/or one or more additives from the group consisting of virgin and/or modified carbohydrates, proteins, hydrocolloides, lipids, oils, gums and waxes, natural and/or synthetic, made be added to the composition before it is applied to the food product.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2007
    Inventors: Carl E. Iverson, Scott P. Ager
  • Patent number: 7153532
    Abstract: A metal co-ordinated complex in a medium, e.g. a palladium-fluorophore, may be used to detect food spoilage products by the release of a detectable component by preferential binding of the metal to, for example, sulphur compounds or amines. It can be easy to detect food spoilage in sealed packs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2006
    Assignee: Johnson Matthey Public Limited Company
    Inventors: Amanda Maria Elsome, Elizabeth Slade
  • Patent number: 7101581
    Abstract: A food product and related method is provided in which the product is prepared in a manner that allows for optimum removal of food for consumption while retaining the delectable taste of the food and the overall easy storage and disposal of the food product. The food product includes a wrapper that contains a food item having a primary fruit substance and a release agent that is associated with the outer surface of the food item such that it substantially prevents the wrapper from adhering to the food item as the wrapper is removed from the food item. Consequently, the wrapper can be removed from the food item without a portion of the wrapper clinging or sticking to the food item and without any portion of the wrapper tearing away from the body of the wrapper and attaching itself as a remnant to the food item. Thus, the consumer does not have to contend with the tediousness of detaching the wrapper from the food item or the messy experience of sticky hands.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2006
    Assignee: The Trustees of the Hildale Trust
    Inventor: Richard A. Ehrman