A taco shell is produced by applying a plasticizing agent to a base or spine portion of a hard taco shell, such as by targeted spraying, rolling, brushing or dipping of the taco shells, thereby softening the base or spine portion, preferably across a strip width between 4 mm-20 mm. As a result, when the taco shell is bitten, the softened base portion has some hinging flexibility or pliability which reduces the potential for any crack propagation. Therefore, the structural integrity of the hard taco shell can be better maintained while be eaten, resulting in retention of the fillings and less mess. If desired, an anti-migration agent can also be applied to assure containment of the plasticizing agent in the targeted region.

Disclosed herein is a composition for enhancing skin elasticity or improving skin wrinkles. In one aspect, 2-isopropylmalic acid or a salt, hydrate or solvate thereof, which is an active ingredient of the present disclosure, activates skin primary cilia and inhibits the expression of MMP-1 to enhance skin elasticity and improve skin wrinkles. In addition, in one aspect, 2-isopropylmalic acid or a salt, hydrate or solvate thereof, which is an active ingredient of the present disclosure, is a safe material and has the advantage that it can be treated in the living body in various forms such as cosmetics and food.

Spirulina infused gummies containing micronutrients for consumption by a person to deliver beneficial and necessary nutrients to the person and a method of preparing spirulina infused gummies to eliminate the bad odor and taste normally associated with spirulina. The gummies have pectin, water, citric acid, sugar and/or glucose and spirulina. Preservatives and flavor additives can also be included. The method of making the gummies includes heating a mixture of citric acid and water, adding pectin and sugar to the mixture and then stirring, adding hot glucose to the mixture, stirring the mixture and allowing the mixture to cool, adding spirulina to the mixture followed by continuous stirring, adding additional citric acid to the mixture, stirring until jellification begins, pouring the mixture into molds and removing the mixture from the molds when cool. Preferably, a preservative and a flavor additive are added to the mixture prior to the additional citric acid.

Cyclic ketal compounds provide excellent foam protection when having at least one moiety of a threshold size (comprising 4 or more carbon atoms) pendant from a ketal carbon. The carbons in such moieties may be present in one or more chains. The cyclic ketal compounds of the present invention are compatible with foodstuff manufacturing. In particular, it has been discovered that the cyclic ketal compounds of the present invention exhibit excellent foam control performance in both potato and sugar beet processing systems.

A modified starch exhibits favorable viscosity upon heating and is less likely to decrease in viscosity even by high temperature heating, or has excellent viscosity stability after gelatinization. The modified starch is obtained by preparing a mixture for heat treatment containing starch and a plant-derived dietary fiber or a mushroom-derived dietary fiber and having a specific moisture content, and then dry heating the mixture, wherein the pH at 25° C. when 5 g of the mixture for heat treatment is suspended in 95 ml of water is 5 to 12.

The present invention relates to a microorganism mixture comprising one or more microorganisms selected from the Bacillus, Paenibacillus, lactobacillus, Pseudomonas, Trichoderma, aspergillus, and Saccharomyces genera, and which is useful in treating of solid organic waste. The present invention also relates to a composition comprising said microorganism mixture, a process for preparing said composition, a method for treating solid organic waste, and the use of the microorganism mixture or the composition of the invention in treating solid organic waste.

The present invention is directed to a method for manufacturing an enzyme preparation, comprising at least one recombinant Actinoallomurus endopeptidase with glutenase activity, at high yields and suitable for human use. The invention is further directed to a recombinant expression vector for expressing the recombinant endopeptidase(s) of interest, and to a S. lividans host cell comprising said vector. Moreover, the present invention is directed the enzyme preparation obtained by said method, to formulations of the same and to clinical uses thereof.

A dietary supplement composition includes a shelf stable, supercritical CO.sub.2 fluid extracted, enhanced lipidosterolic extract of Serenoa repens (LSESr) having about an enrichment of lauric, myristic, oleic and linoleic free fatty acids to total free fatty acids greater than about 82.0% and a ratio of free fatty acids to total fatty acids greater than about 80.0%. A method of making the enhanced LSESr includes subjecting aged saw palmetto powder to supercritical CO.sub.2 extraction followed by first and second separations.

Disclosed is a method for the manufacture of a spray-dried powder consisting essentially of 3-fucosyllactose, the spray-dried powder, its use for the manufacture of nutritional compositions, and nutritional compositions containing the spray-dried powder.

A plant-based food product that substantially emulates a ruminant meat may comprise one or more branched chain fatty acids to induce a sensory profile that is not significantly different from that of animal lamb, venison, or goat.