A method for recovering pomace from a citrus fruit includes providing the citrus fruit to an extractor that separates the fruit into three primary product streams, (i) pomace, juice and pulp, (ii) seeds, peel caps, and peel frits, (iii) waste peel. The extractor includes a vertically oriented strainer tube with axially oriented slots, i.e., slots parallel to the longitudinal axis of the strainer tube, to effectively separate pomace, juice and pulp from the other two primary product streams. An apparatus for performing the method is described.

A fruit snack with probiotics that is stable at room temperature is manufactured by combining various ingredients including fruit juices/purees to produce a slurry and cooking the slurry to produce a center that contains a high moisture content. The fruit snack center is covered with a barrier layer which in turn is covered by an outer layer that contains heat sensitive ingredients, such as probiotic cultures. The barrier layer substantially prevents migration of moisture from the center to the outer layer, and the fruit snack is cooled prior to applying the outer layer to minimize damage/harm to the heat sensitive ingredients. In addition to including probiotic cultures and being stable at room temperature, the fruit snack has other desirable characteristics including a chewy soft texture and fruit-flavorings, and may be manufactured using traditional processes.

The invention relates to olive processing, and includes methods for producing olives, as well as the olives produced thereby. In one aspect, the invention provides compositions directed towards packaged olive preparations having novel and beneficial characteristics, for example, olive preparations that are free of packing liquids such as brine solutions. In other aspects, the packaged olive preparations of the invention can have other beneficial properties, such as extended shelf life and flavored stuffings or flavor infusions. In other aspects, the invention provides methods for producing such olives. The invention relates particularly, but not exclusively, to black-ripe olives.

Provided are a method and a system for producing puree or paste that is less likely to separate or drip or for producing an ice confection, without compromising the flavors and colors of the ingredients. The producing method according to an embodiment of the present invention includes the following steps: (1) cutting fruit or a vegetable to have a certain size, (2) performing heat sterilization for a certain period of time in a low oxygen state in a superheated steam atmosphere at a certain temperature, and (3) processing the fruit or the vegetable into a puree or paste form using any one of a planetary centrifugal mixer, a millstone grinder, and a rotary cutter mixer, depending on the type of the fruit or the vegetable or the finished state of the puree or paste. Adding a stabilizer such as kudzu starch to the puree or paste thus produced to make an ice confection can provide an ice confection having unique texture, almost without dripping even when being melted.

A frozen food product is described to include frozen foodstuffs combined with a polysaccharide, protein, or other water absorber, individually or in combination, separated from the food stuff through one or more mechanisms including but not limited to, suspension of the polysaccharide, protein, or other water absorber in oil, encapsulation of the polysaccharide, protein, or other water absorber, or a dry mixture of the polysaccharide, protein, or other water absorber and seasoning applied to frozen foodstuffs. As the frozen foodstuffs are cooked, water expressed from the foodstuffs activates or hydrates the polysaccharide, protein, or other water absorber.

A process for producing a dried product, optionally in the form of a flake, the process comprising (a) combining an active ingredient with a carrier, and an optional stabilizer, to create a wet mixture, wherein the active ingredient and carrier are in a ratio of about 1:1 to about 1:250 in the wet mixture; (b) spreading the wet mixture on a belt of a thin film belt dryer with a belt temperature in the range of about 60 C.-92 C.; and (c) drying the mixture to produce a dried product with less than about 7% moisture, optionally about 2-5% moisture, and a water activity of about 0.15 and about 0.65; as well as a dried product that can be produced by the method, and related methods and compositions.

This present disclosure provides reliable methods and apparatus for delivering a pharmaceutical active ingredient to a substrate. In some examples, the pharmaceutical active ingredient is applied to the substrate after the substrate has been fully prepared. The substrate can be an edible product or an inedible substrate. The edible product can be a baked or otherwise cooked good. In some examples, the edible product can be fruits and/or nuts. The method and apparatus for delivering the pharmaceutical agent can be configured to deliver microquantities of the pharmaceutical active ingredient to the substrate.

Nutraceutical composition for the activation of sirtuins in humans, the composition including from 10% by weight to 15% by weight of honokiol; from 12% by weight to 40% by weight of pterostilbene; from 22% by weight to 32% by weight of polydatin; from 25% by weight to 40% by weight of ellagic acid and from 1.5% by weight to 3% by weight of a mixture of zinc, seleniun, chromium and nicotinamide, the composition promoting the inhibition of cell degradation and aging phenomena.

A composition of nutritional powder from germinated dragon fruit seeds was obtained from the process steps performed in the following specific order: (i) preparing materials, (ii) creating a dried germinated dragon fruit seeds mixture having moisture content lower than 10%, (iii) creating a foundation mixture, (iv) checking homogeneously of the foundation mixture, (v) determining whether adding the noni powder ingredient, (vi) creating a first temporary mixture, (vii) determining whether adding the dragon fruit powder ingredient, (viii) creating a second temporary mixture, (ix) determining whether adding the other ingredients, (x) creating a third temporary mixture, (xi) checking homogeneously of the third temporary mixture, (xii) grinding, and (xiii) adjusting humidity having less than 10%, then packing, and storing at room temperature. The composition of nutritional powder from germinated dragon fruit seeds is convenient for users to bring to eat/drink directly or to dilute with water and/or other food solutions when using.

Encapsulated polyphenolic compounds and a method of making said encapsulated polyphenolic compounds are provided. The encapsulated polyphenolic compounds include polyphenolic compounds encapsulated in natural fibers, the encapsulated polyphenolic compounds imparting improved stability to the encapsulated polyphenolic compounds. The polyphenolic compounds may be extracted from natural sources, such as pomegranate peels. The encapsulating natural fibers may also be obtained from natural sources, such as orange peel fibers. The method of encapsulation includes mixing an extract containing polyphenolic compounds with ground, dried orange peel powder, freeze-drying the mixture to obtain a first encapsulated polyphenolic compound, and mixing the first encapsulated polyphenolic compound with the extract containing polyphenolic compounds and repeating the freeze-drying to obtain the final encapsulated polyphenolic compounds.