Abstract: The circuit of a gas-compression refrigerating unit in ice-cream making machines and/or ice-cream mixture pasteurizing machines has inserted therein a by-pass circuit controlled by one or more switching valves. During the cycle of pasteurization and/or sterilization of the ice-cream mixture and of the elements of the machine contacting said mixture (either liquid or frozen), the hot refrigerant gas coming from the compressor is diverted through the evaporator (by-passing both the condenser and expansion valve) so as to heat to a sterilization temperature all the elements of the apparatus which usually are cooled by said evaporator. On completion of this pasteurization and/or sterilization cycle, said by-pass circuit in shut off and the refrigeration cycle is resumed by switching said valves, whereby the fluid refrigerant is circulated from the compressor to the condenser and expansion valves into the evaporator so as to refrigerate the elements that are in heat exchange relationship with said evaporator.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for de-stemming picked tomatoes. Each tomato is introduced into the upper end of a generally vertically disposed, open-ended, resilient, open-mesh fabric tube, a substantial portion of which approximates but is larger than the diameter of the tomato. The stem penetrates into and through the open mesh at some point, the open areas being somewhat larger than the stem, while the tomato continues to fall, thereby exerting a bending moment on the stem that snaps the stem from the fruit. The tomato, free from its stem, is discharged from a lower end of the tube.

Abstract: A disposable cartridge comprises a substantially rigid envelope of plastics material which contains a dose of water-soluble granular, powdery or similar particulate matter adapted to produce a beverage by brewing with hot water. The envelope has an inlet endwall with one or more water inlet through holes close to, and radially inside a peripheral region thereof, the inlet end-wall being otherwise imperforate. The envelope has an opposite outlet endwall which has, within the envelope, a substantially axial tubular appendage which extends from the inner face of the outlet wall towards the inlet wall and which defines a beverage outlet conduit with an intake orifice near the inlet wall and an out-flow orifice in the outer face of the outlet wall.

Abstract: A merchandising package for prolonging holding and serving periods for food products served in edible baked containers is provided in which an edible baked container is provided with an internal moisture barrier and nested snugly in a conformally shaped external container which is of a substantially moisture impervious material. The external container has a top curl (rim) portion on which is snap-fitted the seating skirt of a domed clear plastic lid which protects the food product while permitting it to be viewed.

Abstract: A product conveyor that has a predominately open area transports food substances such as pizzas and the like to be cooked through a thermally insulated treatment zone. An array of nozzles disposed below the conveyor across the width and along the length of the treatment zone discharges streams of heated air upwardly through the conveyor against the bottom surfaces of the food products on the conveyor for primary heat exchange treatment. A reflection surface forms an upper boundary of the treatment zone, and the portion of the upwardly flowing air streams that is not deflected by the food products on the conveyor impinges against the deflection surface and is transformed into downward flowing relatively low velocity air for flow against and across the top surfaces of the food products. After those heat exchange interactions the air is drawn downwardly between the nozzles for exhaust at a point located below the conveyor.

Abstract: A fluid layering device for use with a syringe to facilitate layering a liquid from the syringe onto a denser liquid contained in an open-top centrifuge tube. A fitting in the device is releasably attachable to the syringe for receiving liquid therefrom. An elongate nozzle carried on the fitting has a pair of opposed end faces, and a pair of flow-constricting bores communicating associated nozzle end faces with liquid received in the fitting. An annular step formed on the fitting is engageable by friction fit with the tube's upper open end to hold the nozzle at an axially aligned position within the tube. At this position, each of the nozzle end faces confronts, and is spaced from, an inner wall portion in the tube by a clearance which is adapted to produce, with liquid being forced from the syringe through the associated bore in the nozzle, a controlled-flow ribbon of liquid down the wall of the tube onto the upper surface of the denser liquid in the tube.

Abstract: Products such as small chocolate bars, intended to be uniformly aligned on other products passing on a conveyor, such as pieces of dough in the manufacture of chocolate-filled cookies, are placed in a hopper having resiliently mounted walls. Beneath the hopper is a feeder comprising a cylindrical-sector-shaped feeder part. The feeder part includes a slot through which the chocolate bars can be disposed on the pieces of dough. By means of a motor-driven main crank assembly and a supplementary crank assembly, a perturbed sinusoidal motion is imparted to the feeder part, thus ensuring that the chocolate bars are consistently introduced into the feed slot, particularly in the vicinity of the walls of the hopper. A blocking and release mechanism, connected to the feeder and controlled by a sensor unit, ensures that only one chocolate bar drops on each piece of dough.

Abstract: A coffee brewing device includes a housing for holding ground coffee with at least one wall of the housing being formed from a permeable filtering membrane which permits a flow-through of water. The interior of the housing is vented to the atmosphere through an attached conduit, which can be used as a handle, so as to permit the escape of gases which are generated when the coffee grounds are submerged in a cup of hot water. Baffles which serve to control the extent and direction of gas movement may be positioned in the housing. By such control, the generated gases may be utilized to agitate the coffee grounds to thus get a more complete mixing of the grounds with the water prior to a venting of the gases to the atmosphere. The baffles may be of both a perforated and non-perforated design so as to control gas bubble size and direction of flow.

Abstract: A method of freezing boiled rice or a blanched leafy vegetable in a freezer having an operating temperature from -25.degree. C. to -50.degree. C. characterized in that before entering the freezer, the unfrozen product is cooled and intimately mixed with from 20% to 80% by weight based on the weight of the mixture of already frozen free-flowing boiled rice or blanched leafy vegetable.

Abstract: A vapor outlet valve for packages, consisting of a valve film welded to the inner surface of the capping film of the package in such a way that it is exposed when a predetermined section of the capping film is torn off.

Abstract: Carbonated aqueous liquids can be prepared at ambient pressure with activiated charcoals containing adsorbed carbon dioxide and a coating of a small organic compound such as a di or tricarboxylic acid, a C.sub.10 -C.sub.18 fatty acid or a monocyclic terpene or related compound.

Abstract: A pair of endless belts define a downwardly extending path therebetween which progressively reduces in width from the top to the bottom, so that a material of a foodstuff is compressed while being fed downwardly by the belts through the path. A horizontal conveyor belt lies below the path and is indexed to transfer a predetermined cut length of the material to a shaping station where the material is pushed up into a shaped cavity of a flexible cup member. The flexible cup member is embraced by presser members to shape the material under a preselected adjustable pressure. The resulting block of material attains hardness and shape which would be provided by hand-shaping. Regardless of the hardness of the material in the downward path between the belts, the material can always be cut by each predetermined amount by adjusting the width of the path and, therefore, the degree of compression of the material.

Abstract: A chocolate candy having its upper surface sculpted as the image of a person's face and a method for sculpting a person's face from a photograph onto a chocolate candy by adapting a photographic image of a person's face, converting the adapted image onto a transfer medium or die, and then embossing such adapted image onto chocolate candy.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for the production of branching enzyme, and a method for improving the qualities of food products therewith. According to the present invention, a large amount of branching enzyme with a high specific activity can be easily obtained, and employment of the branching enzyme in food processing remarkably improves the qualities of food products without changing the desirable inherent properties of their amylaceous constituent(s); thus, said food products retain their qualities over a long period of time, prolonging extremely their shelf lives.

Abstract: A dry cake mix comprising 10-50% cake flour by weight, dry basis, 0-45% sugar, 1-12% shortening, 0-20% egg white solids, 1-12% leavening agent, 0-4% emulsifier, 5-40% cellulose flour and from 0-10% gum. The cake mix is combined with from 0.6 to 2.5 parts by weight water for each 1 part cake mix and baked to produce a low-calorie cake containing less than 2 calories per gram and 40% or more water on an as-consumed basis. This low-calorie cake is of high quality and excellent texture and is 40% or more calorie-reduced over conventional cakes.

Abstract: A charge of popcorn and fat is placed in a flexible shipping container composed of a flexible bag having longitudinally extending centrally projecting side gussets. The charge is placed between the gussets and one side panel of the bag. Another aspect of the invention is a special package of collateral tubular configuration comprising first and second longitudinally extending tubular portions. One of the tubular portions is larger in cross-section than the other and a charge of popcorn and fat is positioned within the small tubular portion of the package.

Abstract: A vacuum package bag, e.g., for ground coffee, comprises opposite walls having a gas exhaust valve running along one end of the bag and formed by two parallel transverse weld lines defining a channel at least 5 mm wide. At least one gap is formed in the inner weld line at the upstream end of the channel to define a passageway between the bag and the channel, and an opening is formed at the downstream end of the channel for communication with the surrounding atmosphere. The weld lines have at least one pair of inwardly projecting protuberances defining narrowed sections of the channel. A spot weld is provided along the longitudinal axis and substantially along the continuation of the upstream oblique sides of each pair of protuberances and preferably slightly downstream thereof. Supplementary webs define converging passages between the downstream-most passageway and the upstream-most pair of protuberances.

Abstract: A highly portable food item is provided and more specifically a burrito-type product on a stick. A burrito consists essentially of a highly pliable, soft tortilla wrapped around a burrito food filler. The new burrito-type product includes a self-sustaining tortilla with an edge portion thereof wrapped around a stick or other suitable elongate member which is held by the customer. The food filler is circumferentially enclosed within the remaining portion of the tortilla, with the upper end of the tortilla first turned in to enclose the upper end and with the lower end of the tortilla subsequently tucked in to enclose that end. The portability of the food item thus approaches that of an ice cream bar or coated hot dog having a stick impaled in one end thereof, for example.

Abstract: Margarine or other foodstuff with similar physical properties is warmed to room temperature and placed in a mixing bowl (10). The margarine is blended by stirring with paddles (12). Then, the margarine is mixed until it has a substantially uniform viscosity by a recirculating pump (14), extrusion of the margarine from the recirculating pump through a screen (16), and continued stirring with the paddles. A 15 to 30 second burst of steam is applied into jacket (20) liquifying but not clarifying the margarine contiguous with the edge of the vessel. The recirculating pump draws the liquified margarine from the edge of the mixing bowl and pumps it into the top center of the margarine where it is blended into substantially unheated margarine. The process is repeated until the margarine attains a viscosity in the range of 16,000 to 18,000 centipoise. Once this viscosity range is reached, the margarine is pumped into a holding tank (26).

Abstract: A disposable, individual coffee container and filter unit including a flat frame having an apertured center section, filter layers covering the top and bottom of the frame and being secured thereto, and individual quantities of coffee received in compartments formed in the frame between the spider-like center sections thereof. Additionally, a coffee brewing receptacle having an apertured base and a retainer flange in the base thereof for engaging the coffee carrying flat frame is provided.