Abstract: The invention is related to a method for processing biomass derived from plants or animals, comprising the steps of: a. pre treating said material with an aqueous solution of acid or base; b. subsequently passaging saturated or super heated steam through said material, wherein the water activity of the process is controlled by means of temperature and pressure of the super heated steam to be less than 1, preferably less than 0.8, more preferably in the range of 0.4-0.8. With such a process it is possible to disintegrate or make more accessible for subsequent treatments the lignocellulose from lignocellulose containing materials, like wood or other plant material, chitin from exoskeletons from Crustacea like crabs and shrimps, and proteins such as keratin from pig hair or chicken feather, for further derivation, like acylation, oxidation, etherification, carboxymethylation or esterification, or further enzymatic hydrolysis, and/or for production of chemicals, e.g.

Abstract: The invention is related to a method for processing biomass derived from plants or animals, comprising the steps of: a. pre treating said material with an aqueous solution of acid or base; b. subsequently passaging saturated or super heated steam through said material, wherein the water activity of the process is controlled by means of temperature and pressure of the super heated steam to be less than 1, preferably less than 0.8, more preferably in the range of 0.4-0.8. With such a process it is possible to disintegrate or make more accessible for subsequent treatments the lignocellulose from lignocellulose containing materials, like wood or other plant material, chitin from exoskeletons from Crustacea like crabs and shrimps, and proteins such as keratin from pig hair or chicken feather, for further derivation, like acylation, oxidation, etherification, carboxymethylation or esterification, or further enzymatic hydrolysis, and/or for production of chemicals, e.g.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for treating seeds, comprising the following steps: (a) a sterilization step wherein, for 0.1 to 60 seconds and at a minimum pressure of 0.5 bar absolute, the seeds are contacted with a condensing medium having a condensation temperature of 80-200 DEG C, wherein the medium condenses on the seeds and the temperature of the surface of the seeds is raised to 200 DEG C at most; and (b) a cooling step wherein the sterilized seeds obtained in step (a) are cooled, wherein the temperature of the surface of the seeds is lowered, within 30 seconds at most, to 50 DEG C at most, and wherein the conditions of steps (a) and (b) are set such that the germination capacity of the seeds is relatively preserved or increases. The invention further relates to seeds obtainable with the method according to the invention.