Abstract: A method of drying a spice or aromatic herb plant product including providing a quantity Q0 of frozen plant product; adding a quantity qe of an electrolyte and mixing with a quantity qg of a glucid to obtain a homogeneous quantity Q1 of an edible water-soluble carrier substance, the carrier substance being substantially free of monosodium glutamate (MSG); adding the quantity Q0 of frozen plant product and mixing with the quantity Q1 of carrier substance to obtain a resulting frozen plant product with which the carrier substance has been mixed substantially homogeneously; and heating the resulting product to a temperature in the range 50° C. to 170° C. for a time sufficient to substantially dry the product; and a plant product produced by the method, the product including, by weight, less than about 3% of water, about 20% to about 50% of plant matter, and about 35% to about 65% of electrolyte.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for processing freshly picked plants, and more particularly aromatic herbs or plants, characterized in that it comprises steps consisting in adding water activity depressors to consumable pieces of plants and mixing them; deep-freezing the resulting mixture; extracting from such mixture an amount of water determined by sublimation and stopping the process at the very beginning or during progress of the primary desiccation, so that such mixture has dry and/or still frozen or more or less moist pieces of plants; homogeneously mixing the resulting mixture of pieces of plants so as to allow for a migration of water from the frozen pieces towards the more or less moist pieces and/or the dry pieces.

Abstract: An installation for the preparation of frozen vegetables, comprising from upstream in the downstream direction a device (10) for washing the fresh vegetables and a device (14) for the spin-drying of the washed vegetables; the freezing device (16) of the rapid individual type; at least one device (22) suitable for exerting on the frozen vegetables sufficient mechanical stresses to allow them to be broken into a plurality of fractions; at least one device (23) for sorting the frozen uniform fractions; a device (30) for packaging at least one of the frozen fractions; means for disposing of the fraction or fractions coming from the sorting device and intended not to be used; this installation being specially designed for the preparation of aromatic herbs or plants.

Abstract: An installation for the preparation of frozen vegetables, comprising from upstream in the downstream direction a device (10) for washing the fresh vegetables and a device (14) for the spin-drying of the washed vegetables; the freezing device (16) of the rapid individual type; at least one device (22) suitable for exerting on the frozen vegetables sufficient mechanical stresses to allow them to be broken into a plurality of fractions; at least one device (23) for sorting the frozen uniform fractions; a device (30) for packaging at least one of the frozen fractions; means for disposing of the fraction or fractions coming from the sorting device and intended not to be used; this installation being specially designed for the preparation of aromatic herbs or plants.

Abstract: A process for treating an aromatic plant or herb or plants containing essential oils comprises a combination of operational phases which consist of effecting an enzyme blocking of the herb or plant; of a deep-freezing of the plant or herb; of an impregnating the herb or plant with the purpose of sequestering the water and flavors which are contained therein; and of drying and dehydrating the herb or plant at moderate temperatures.

Abstract: The present invention relates to hydro-extractors used for extracting water or other liquids mixed with a treated material. The hydro-extractor according to the invention comprises, in addition to the perforated wall of revolution 1 driven in rotation about its axis, material advancing members 4-6 acting on the material layer, the path of travel f of the advancing members in the region where said members cooperate with the layer m of treated material forcibly applied against the perforated wall 1 comprising a component f.sub.p in the diametral plane and an axial component f1 directed downstream. The invention provides a hydro-extractor operating continuously, the dried product circulating in the direction of arrow D.