Patents Examined by Preston Smith
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Patent number: 8383177Abstract: A method and system is provided whereby pathogens in food are reduced by first sealing food in a package and then applying high hydrostatic pressure to the sealed package. The package is moved to a clean area having pathogen-reducing treatment such as a cleansing plasma. The food is removed from the sealed package and then transferred to a food processor such as a grinder or dicer having internal pathogen reducing treatment. The food may then be transferred to a patty maker having internal cleansing plasma. The food may then be transferred to a freezer or freeze dryer having internal cleansing plasma.Type: GrantFiled: July 14, 2009Date of Patent: February 26, 2013Assignee: Stella & Chewys, LLCInventors: James L. Marsden, Marie Moody
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Patent number: 8383185Abstract: Protein-containing suspensions such as milk that are preserved by a UHT treatment, show age gelation. This age gelation can be reduced by inclusion of an emulsifier with an HLB value below 16.Type: GrantFiled: November 10, 2004Date of Patent: February 26, 2013Assignee: Conopco, Inc.Inventors: Robertus Martinus M Diks, Ian Stewart Galloway, Michel Mellema, Helena Kristina Persson
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Patent number: 8377488Abstract: Methods are provided for treating freshly harvested olives to substantially retain the quality of oil contained therewithin for enabling production of high quality olive oil from said treated olives at a prolonged time after harvest and treated freshly harvested olives with retained oil qualities characterized in that the oil extracted therefrom after a prolonged storage time meets the standards of the IOC for Virgin Olive Oils.Type: GrantFiled: August 25, 2010Date of Patent: February 19, 2013Assignee: Olive X-Tend Ltd.Inventors: Nir Padan, Yariv Gershony, Zohar Kerem, Shimon Lavee
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Patent number: 8372460Abstract: A method for sanitation and preservation of foodstuffs includes the following steps. A container containing a foodstuff is provided. A non-thermal plasma is introduced to an interior of the container. The container is sealed.Type: GrantFiled: December 31, 2009Date of Patent: February 12, 2013Assignees: L'Air Liquide Societe Anonyme pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude, American Air Liquide, Inc.Inventors: Pierre-Emmanuel Meyers, Jean-Christophe Rostaing, Rajat Agrawal
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Patent number: 8282974Abstract: A method for de-soiling and disinfecting produce, the method including: treating the produce with a catholyte solution to yield a catholyte treated produce; sonicating the catholyte treated produce to yield a sonicated produce; and treating the sonicated produce with an anolyte solution.Type: GrantFiled: September 17, 2010Date of Patent: October 9, 2012Assignee: Dole Fresh Vegetables, Inc.Inventors: Thomas W. Johnson, Bob J. Dull
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Patent number: 8268378Abstract: The invention relates to a method for the continuous production of a powdered product from a product in the liquid state in the form of a solution-, suspension- or emulsion-type mixture in an aqueous medium. According to the invention, during the first step (E1) of the method, the product in the liquid state is transformed into a product in the viscous state. The invention is characterised in that it includes at least one overrun step (E2, E4) and at least one product-drying step (E3, E6) comprising at least a first step (E3) involving thermomechanical treatment with at last one thermomechanical treatment machine into which the viscous state product and a determined amount of powered product from the same family as the liquid state product are injected simultaneously. The treatment machine is configured to mix the viscous state product and the powdered product such as to produce solidified particles of the product upon contact with the ambient air.Type: GrantFiled: September 22, 2005Date of Patent: September 18, 2012Assignee: ClextralInventors: Daniel Durand, Jean-Marie Bouvier, Gilles Maller, Maxwell Scott, Stewart Robert Stevenson, Steven James Roberts
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Patent number: 8257771Abstract: A method for heating and pasteurizing a material, comprising placing the material inside of a semi-sealed chamber at atmospheric pressure that contains an atmosphere produced by replacing air in the chamber with a gas component produced by spraying or injecting hot water droplets and steam at a temperature of at least 100° C. into the chamber which is heated to a temperature of at least 100° C. which is equal to or higher than the temperature of the sprayed hot water droplets and steam, which gas component has a humidity of at least 95% and contains no more than 1% oxygen; contacting said material to the gas component for exposing it to continual temperature variation during heating ranging from 10-50° C. inside the chamber at temperature(s) ranging from 90-180° C. for a time sufficient to heat or pasteurize it. An apparatus for performing this method.Type: GrantFiled: July 19, 2005Date of Patent: September 4, 2012Assignees: Umeda Jimusho Ltd., National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Taiyo Seisakusho Co., Ltd.Inventors: Keiji Umeda, Yositaka Nadachi, Hiromu Shishido, Ryo Maruyama, Yukio Ogasawara, Takumi Yamamoto, Seiichiro Isobe
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Patent number: 8197874Abstract: A method of producing baked egg using a horizontal rotating cylinder-type continuous frying apparatus, which baked egg has a small size and a strong fried flavor, is disclosed. Egg liquid is sprayed onto the inner surface of a heating drum while rotating the heating drum to solidify the egg liquid and then to make the solidified egg liquid detach from the inner surface of the heating drum, which egg liquid is sprayed within an area of the inner surface of the heating drum, which area expands at an angle of 60° to 150° in the direction of rotation of the heating drum from a rotation origin defined as the intersection of a vertical line and the rotation axis of the heating drum, wherein the angle is indicated taking the angle of the direction of the vertical line as 0°.Type: GrantFiled: June 22, 2010Date of Patent: June 12, 2012Assignee: Ajinomoto Co., Inc.Inventors: Kazuya Hori, Eiji Kawase, Yuuki Hiruma
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Patent number: 8187650Abstract: The present invention relates to an egg tray that is used to sterilize an egg or to boil the egg soft or hard and in which an egg is washed, heated, sterilized, boiled soft or hard, dried, coated, inspected, cooled, and packed to increase the safety and the value of commodity of foods and to increase the productivity, a fixer for layering the egg trays to fix them, and a method for processing an egg by using the same.Type: GrantFiled: August 13, 2008Date of Patent: May 29, 2012Inventor: Joong-Min Park
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Patent number: 8182852Abstract: A method is described wherein products, such as potato chips, vegetables, fruits, nuts or the like are fried in at least two stages. In the first stage the products are fried at a temperature between 90-190° C., where after the products are being transported to the second stage. In the second stage the products are subjected to frying under reduced pressure at 25-150 mbar at a temperature between 100-145° C. In the second stage evaporation is improved and maintained at a high level, because under said reduced vacuum conditions the evaporation temperature drops considerably and consequently the evaporation out of the products continues. This reduces the quantity of fatty and oily frying substance that is taken up in this stage by the product.Type: GrantFiled: January 30, 2006Date of Patent: May 22, 2012Assignee: BMA Nederland B.V.Inventors: Mirko Löhn, Erik Van Loon
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Patent number: 8178142Abstract: A method for conducting a treatment program in a preparation chamber of a food preparation appliance comprises: (a) determining at least one first value of the preparation chamber atmosphere and/or of the atmosphere surrounding the food preparation appliance before selection and/or beginning of the treatment program, (b) storing the first value, (c) determining at least one second value of the preparation chamber atmosphere and/or of the atmosphere surrounding the food preparation appliance after loading the cooking product into the preparation chamber or after introduction of a lime removal and/or cleaning agent into the preparation chamber and/or after beginning of the treatment program, (d) determining at least one third value from the first and second value, (e) comparing the third value with the stored values, and (f) conducting the treatment program as a function of the result of the comparison of the third value with stored values.Type: GrantFiled: February 7, 2008Date of Patent: May 15, 2012Assignee: Rational AGInventors: Michael Greiner, Oliver Merker, Reinhard Nielsen, Stefan Rusche, Thomas Schreiner, Manfred Breunig
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Patent number: 8178149Abstract: A method and an apparatus (100, 100?) serve to continuously produce fruit leather from a fruit mass. The fruit leather does not include added sugar or fat. The fruit mass includes a share of dry substance of at least 50% and a share of water. The fruit mass exposed to vacuum is cooked for less than one minute in a way to reduce the share of water in the fruit mass to increase the share of dry substance in the fruit mass to approximately between 80% to 90%. The fruit mass is then formed to attain the fruit leather.Type: GrantFiled: March 13, 2009Date of Patent: May 15, 2012Assignee: Chocotech GmbHInventors: Jens Fleisch, Erhard Hilker, Klaus Markwardt
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Patent number: 8163324Abstract: An extruded, directly expanded, high fiber reduced calorie food product, such as a ready-to-eat (RTE) cereal or sweet or savory snack, is produced at high production rates without substantial loss of extrusion functionality and extrudability by replacing a substantial portion of at least one flour with a gelatinized, enzyme-resistant starch type III ingredient or bulking agent as a reduced-calorie, high fiber flour replacer. The resistant starch type III ingredient or bulking agent contains an enzyme-resistant starch type III having a melting point with an endothermic peak temperature of at least about 140° C., and may have a water-holding capacity of less than 3 grams water per gram of the starch-based bulking agent. The total dietary fiber retention of the gelatinized, starch-based bulking agent may be at least about 90% by weight after the extrusion using a die temperature of least about 100° C., and a die pressure of at least about 150 psig.Type: GrantFiled: December 4, 2009Date of Patent: April 24, 2012Assignee: Kraft Foods Global Brands LLCInventors: Jeanny E. Zimeri, Lynn Haynes, Allan R. Olson, Vijay Kumar Arora, Louise Slade, Harry Levine, Meera Kweon
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Patent number: 8163323Abstract: A method for preparing bread includes forming a dough billet and providing a frame including a sling of flexible cloth material secured between two cross members, the sling defining an elongate trough sized to receive the dough billet. The dough billet is disposed in the elongate trough such that the dough billet has a predetermined orientation and the dough billet is moved into a cutting station using a conveyor. The dough billet is scored in the sling at the predetermined orientation with an automated cutting station. The dough billet is removed from the elongate trough by raising the dough billet by pressing a contact element against a bottom of the sling and taking the raised dough billet from the frame. The dough billet is also cooked on an oven floor.Type: GrantFiled: August 10, 2007Date of Patent: April 24, 2012Assignee: New French Bakery, Inc.Inventors: Peter Kelsey, Jürgen Ullrich
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Patent number: 8158176Abstract: The present invention relates to the use of carbon monoxide as a process aid to ameliorate the loss of red color of fat-beef-trimmings while they are heat treated to produce finely textured beef. Finely textured beef, sometimes known as fat reduced beef, is produced from trimmings. The finely textured beef may be exposed to an elevated level of carbon monoxide before, during, or after the finely textured beef is heated to improve the final color of the finely textured beef product.Type: GrantFiled: June 30, 2006Date of Patent: April 17, 2012Assignee: Cargill, IncorporatedInventor: Rudy Steiner
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Patent number: 8142831Abstract: A stabilized emulsion is mixed with plasticizable matrix material to produce shelf stable, controlled release, discrete, solid particles or pellets which contain an encapsulated and/or embedded component, such as a readily oxidizable component, such as omega-3 fatty acids. An oil encapsulant component which contains an active, sensitive encapsulant, dissolved and/or dispersed in an oil is admixed with an aqueous component and a film-forming component, such as a protein, to form an emulsion. The emulsion is admixed with a matrix material for obtaining a formable mixture or dough. An acidic antioxidant for prevention of oxidation of the active, sensitive encapsulant, and a plasticizer which solubilizes the acidic antioxidant are included in the matrix material which encapsulates film-coated oil droplets containing the readily oxidizable component.Type: GrantFiled: September 27, 2010Date of Patent: March 27, 2012Assignee: General Mills IP Holdings II, LLCInventors: Bernhard H. Van Lengerich, Goeran Walther, Benjamin Van Auken
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Patent number: 8133517Abstract: A microwavable vacuum-packed frozen sushi product comprising: a flexible microwave-safe plastic packing bag which is vacuumed to a pressure of 50 to 600 mmHg and, in the pressure-reduced state, hermetically sealed; an open-topped plastic box placed in said packing bag; and a sushi product placed in said box; said vacuum-packed frozen sushi product being such that a space is formed in said packing bag in the pressure-reduced state around said sushi product and the space has, in total, a volume 0.1 to 0.7 times that of said sushi product; an inner surface of said packing bag is in contact with an upper surface of said sushi product; and said packing bag, said box and said sushi product are frozen together in a unified form. Water vapor generated during thawing is allowed to flow through a space formed between the sushi material and the box and the packing bag to heat a rice section and a material or materials, thereby providing the sushi product with diminished unevenness in temperature distribution.Type: GrantFiled: March 1, 2006Date of Patent: March 13, 2012Assignee: Polar Star Co., Ltd.Inventors: Yuji Ishino, Hironobu Kadoya
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Patent number: 8124163Abstract: The present invention provides a water containing, heat processable firm RTE fudge dessert. The RTE fudge dessert of this invention is prepared from an emulsified blend of water, fat, milk, lecithin, and a water binder. Sweeteners and/or flavorings may be added to provide the desired level of sweetness or desired flavor profile. A smooth firm fudge candy textured dessert comprising about 20 to about 60 percent water, about 15 to about 45 percent fat, about 1 to about 15 percent non-fat dry milk (or equivalent milk protein), about 0.1 to about 3 percent lecithin, and about 0.1 to about 20 percent water binder is provided.Type: GrantFiled: March 21, 2006Date of Patent: February 28, 2012Assignee: Kraft Foods Global Brands LLCInventors: Richard R. Leshik, Meg Harris
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Patent number: 8124150Abstract: A dispensing apparatus for hot beverages is provided with means (4,5) to filter hot pressurized water through ground edible ingredients such as coffee, tea or herbal remedies in a chamber, means (17,18,20) of monitoring real-time data concerning brewing parameters; a controlling unit (16) comprising means of storing data, means of comparing the real-time data to a set of stored data and/or threshold parameters, stored in the controller's memory associated with the brewing system, to determine whether a correction to the parameters should be made, and means (8,9,24) of altering at least one of the relevant brewing parameters, when required to bring said real time parameter in line with said recorded parameter to obtain consistent high quality of the dispensed beverage.Type: GrantFiled: January 23, 2005Date of Patent: February 28, 2012Assignee: Rhea Vendors, S.p.A.Inventor: Luca Doglioni Majer
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Patent number: 8114452Abstract: There is provided a microwavable vacuum-packed frozen sushi product comprising: a flexible plastic packing bag which is vacuumed to a pressure of 50 to 600 mmHg and, in the pressure-reduced state, hermetically sealed; an open-topped plastic box placed in the plastic packing bag; a laminated metal foil placed on the bottom of the plastic box; and a sushi product placed in the plastic box with its sushi material or materials in contact with the laminated metal foil; the microwavable vacuum-packed frozen sushi product being such that an inner surface of the plastic packing bag is in contact with a rice section of the sushi product; and the plastic packing bag, the plastic box, the laminated metal foil and the sushi product are frozen together in a unified form, in which water vapor emanating from the sushi product in the thawing flow through a space formed around the sushi product to effect heating of the rice section and the sushi material or materials of the sushi product, thereby diminishing temperature uneveType: GrantFiled: March 1, 2006Date of Patent: February 14, 2012Assignee: Polar Star Co., Ltd.Inventors: Yuji Ishino, Hironobu Kadoya