An agglomerate product comprises a significant percentage of whole grain materials. A whole grain dry component comprising its native starch form is agglomerated with other dry components to provide agglomerates that are highly dispersible agglomerates, which comprise a dry blend substantially comprising whole grains. The agglomerates can be added to modify beverages such as milk products to produce a ready-to-drink beverage that provides a minimum of about to 1 serving of whole grains per 8-ounce serving.

The present application relates to papaya plants having increased resistance to the papaya ringspot virus as compared to a wild type plant due to a mutation in the eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4e and/or eukaryotic translation initiation factor iso4e gene leading to non-functional eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4e and/or eukaryotic translation initiation factor iso4e proteins. Methods of producing such papaya plants having increased resistance to the papaya ringspot virus are described.

Described is a process for creating almond pt, a vegan spread. The ingredients include almonds, olives, one or more vinegars, water, oil, garlic, white pepper and black pepper. The almonds are initially soaked for approximately 24 hours at room temperature in low pH salt solution. The almonds are then combined and processed with other ingredients. The result is a healthy and appealing alternative substantially similar in consistency and satiety as a traditional liver pate.

Disclosed and claimed here is a method of making substantially solid-free and clear tomato water, comprising the steps of mincing whole tomatoes into pulp and liquid, thereafter removing at least some of the pulp from the resulting pulp/liquid material, thereafter freezing the filtered pulp liquid material into a solid material, thereafter maintaining the frozen solid material in its frozen state for at least 24 hours at a temperature at or below 20 F., thereafter thawing the frozen material, thereafter allowing the thawed material to rest until the material separates into a clear tomato water top layer and a particulate bottom layer, and thereafter drawing off the clear tomato water.

The present invention relates to isolated nucleic acid molecules and their corresponding encoded polypeptides able confer the trait of improved plant size, vegetative growth, growth rate, seedling vigor and/or biomass in plants challenged with saline conditions. The present invention further relates to the use of these nucleic acid molecules and polypeptides in making transgenic plants, plant cells, plant materials or seeds of a plant having plant size, vegetative growth, growth rate, seedling vigor and/or biomass that are improved in saline conditions with respect to wild-type plants grown under similar conditions.

The present invention relates to isolated nucleic acid molecules and their corresponding encoded polypeptides able confer the trait of improved plant size, vegetative growth, growth rate, seedling vigor and/or biomass in plants challenged with saline conditions. The present invention further relates to the use of these nucleic acid molecules and polypeptides in making transgenic plants, plant cells, plant materials or seeds of a plant having plant size, vegetative growth, growth rate, seedling vigor and/or biomass that are improved in saline conditions with respect to wild-type plants grown under similar conditions.

A process for preparing (1.fwdarw.6)--D-glucan. A large amount of (1.fwdarw.6)--D-glucan can be prepared from banana by using this process. The chemical structure of (1.fwdarw.6)--D-glucan is shown as Scheme 1. The yield of (1.fwdarw.6)--D-glucan is 3-16 g/kg (with a purity of 85%-95%). This process provides a feasible technique for extensive utilization of banana, and can improve the additional value of banana products. This process is helpful for the sustainable development of banana processing industry. ##STR00001##

The present invention relates to flavoring compositions comprising eriocitrin, eriodictyol-7-O-glucoside and eriodictyol for taste improvement. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a method to produce such flavoring compositions as well as their use for taste improvement as well as a method for improving taste characteristics in a preparation.

An avocado cutting method discloses feeding, orientation and traveling along multi-lanes of avocados (A), a pre-cutting stage to create an incision in the upper and lower portions of each avocado (A) while the avocado (A) is held with its axis stem-blossom vertically oriented, and a cutting stage for cutting each avocado (A) in the sides thereof in order to divide the avocado (A) into two halves with simultaneous hit on its pit. A multi-lane machine is also disclosed having a cutting section (54) with a plurality of pairs of separate cutting blades (55). The cutting section (54) has a plurality of plungers (56) in the form of rods, each plunger (56) being movable between the separate cutting blades (55) with respect to an upper head (43) to strike the pit (N) and move it inside the avocado (A) in order to detach it from the pulp (P).

A process for isolating a taste-modifier component useful for food, beverage, nutraceutical, or pharmaceutical applications is shown. A pulverized fruit- or vegetable-based feedstock is combined with a natural, edible solvent to produce a heterogeneous mixture. A liquid phase isolated from this mixture is contacted with an acidic ion-exchange resin to sequester a basic taste-modifier component. The resin is then treated with a dilute aqueous solution of an alkali metal hydroxide to elute the taste-modifier component. The taste-modifier component, which is further activated by mild heating, is combined with vitamins, flavors, and other food additives and is incorporated into aqueous, oil-based, or powder-based taste-modifier compositions that have improved efficacy compared with previously known taste-modifiers.