A banana crown cover is engageable to a banana bunch for extending the shelf life of the bananas in the banana bunch. An interior cavity of a body of the crown cover is surrounded by a sidewall of elastomer material. An annular ring, formed of elastomer material, forms a seal around said banana bunch when the crown of the banana bunch is positioned into the interior cavity and protects it from communication of gases to the crown, which cause ripening.

Compact device for conditioning of foods allowing it to be always visible and using little physical space. The device may feature both heating and cooling functions, but is preferably used for cooling fruits, vegetables, accessory fruits, roots and others. The device was developed to be compact, having a translucent cover, and allowing the device to be in the field of vision of people, thus offering better visibility and increasing food consumption. Developed preferably with polymeric material, the body has the function of protecting all the internal constituents of the device, the base of the device is responsible for thermal stability, keeping low or high temperature in the compartment for longer periods, the bowl of the device is responsible for holding food within the cooled or heated area and the food conditioning cover is made of a translucent material, with the function of keeping thermal stability.

The present invention is direct to an edible composition in which fruit, vegetables and/or nuts, in conjunction with a hydrocolloid, are treated with pressure and/or heat to form an edible composition that is dimensionally stable, ambient stable for at least 12 months, has a moisture content greater than 50 wt. %, has a pH less than 4.5, has a water activity greater than 0.5, is commercially sterile, is free of artificial flavors, has a solids content greater than 10 wt. %, and does not exhibit syneresis. Also provided is a method for preparation of the edible composition.

The present invention is direct to an edible composition in which fruit, vegetables and/or nuts, in conjunction with a hydrocolloid, are treated with pressure and/or heat to form an edible composition that is dimensionally stable, ambient stable for at least 12 months, has a moisture content greater than 50 wt. %, has a pH less than 4.5, has a water activity greater than 0.5, is commercially sterile, is free of artificial flavors, has a solids content greater than 10 wt. %, and does not exhibit syneresis. Also provided is a method for preparation of the edible composition.

A food processing apparatus (10) is disclosed for reducing a sugar content of a food product (1). The food processing apparatus comprises a food processing compartment (30) including a blade arrangement (28) and a fluid release valve (37); a base (20) including a motor (22) arranged to drive the blade arrangement; a heating arrangement (40, 42) for heating a food product in the food processing compartment with steam, the heating arrangement comprising a water tank (40) in fluid communication with the food processing compartment (30) and a heating element (42) thermally coupled to said water tank and under control of said controller (60; and a controller (60) arranged to control the motor and the heating element. The controller is arranged to control the heating element such as to heat the food product in the food processing arrangement with steam for a defined period of time; and control the motor to blend the food product upon termination of the heating of the food product for said defined period of time and upon releasing steam condensate generated during the heating of the food product from the food processing compartment through said fluid release valve. Also disclosed is a method of for reducing a sugar content of a food product (1) with such a food processing apparatus.

A method of packaging a container includes placing a first level of edible objects into the container at a bottom region of the container and extending around an interior perimeter of the container with end portions of such edible objects in contact with an end portion of an adjacent edible object at the interior perimeter. It also includes inserting a support mechanism into the container. The method further includes placing a second level of edible objects into the container and on top of the first level of edible objects. The support mechanism can be used to support edible objects of the second level against the interior perimeter of the container. And, the method includes introducing liquid into the container.

Embodiments described herein relate generally to plant extract compositions and methods to isolate cutin-derived monomers, oligomers, and mixtures thereof for application in agricultural coating formulations, and in particular, to methods of preparing plant extract compositions that include functionalized and non-functionalized fatty acids and fatty esters (as well as their oligomers and mixtures thereof), which are substantially free from accompanying plant-derived compounds (e.g., proteins, polysaccharides, phenols, lignans, aromatic acids, terpenoids, flavonoids, carotenoids, alkaloids, alcohols, alkanes, and aldehydes) and can be used in agricultural coating formulations.

A shelf stable fried product and a process for creating a shelf stable fried product is disclosed. Aspects include a process for managing fat migration, moisture migration, and cell degrading of a food product during frying. Aspects further include a resulting shelf stable food product that includes a crispy and/or crunchy texture and a desirable fat distribution.

The present invention is direct to an co-fruit pulp based edible composition in which an agricultural fruit byproduct base material, in conjunction with a hydrocolloid, is treated with pressure and/or heat to form an edible composition that is dimensionally stable, ambient stable for at least 9 months, has a moisture content greater than 50 wt. %, has a pH less than 4.5, has a water activity greater than 0.5, is commercially sterile, is free of artificial flavors and/or artificial colors, has a solids content greater than 10 wt. %, and does not exhibit syneresis or exhibits syneresis. Alternatively, the base material contains an edible fruit and/or vegetable and/or nut byproduct alone or in combination with the co-fruit pulp. Also provided is a method for preparation of the edible composition.

The present invention is direct to an co-fruit pulp based edible composition in which an agricultural fruit byproduct base material, in conjunction with a hydrocolloid, is treated with pressure and/or heat to form an edible composition that is dimensionally stable, ambient stable for at least 9 months, has a moisture content greater than 50 wt. %, has a pH less than 4.5, has a water activity greater than 0.5, is commercially sterile, is free of artificial flavors and/or artificial colors, has a solids content greater than 10 wt. %, and does not exhibit syneresis or exhibits syneresis. Alternatively, the base material contains an edible fruit and/or vegetable and/or nut byproduct alone or in combination with the co-fruit pulp. Also provided is a method for preparation of the edible composition.