Appliances useful in extracting a liquid from plant material in the preparation beverages and other food products in the home. An appliance may be embodied in the form of a food processing apparatus having a lid with an entry space formed therein, a rotatable element, and one or more food material contacting surfaces surrounding the rotatable element and disposed below the entry space of the lid. The rotatable element and the one or more food material contacting surfaces are each configured and mutually spatially arranged such that in use a food material disposed about the rotatable element is forced against the one or more food material contacting surfaces. Accordingly, the food material is deformed or divided and is caused or allowed to clear the one or more food material contacting surfaces.

Appliances useful in extracting a liquid from plant material in the preparation beverages and other food products in the home. An appliance may be embodied in the form of a food processing apparatus having a lid with an entry space formed therein, a rotatable element, and one or more food material contacting surfaces surrounding the rotatable element and disposed below the entry space of the lid. The rotatable element and the one or more food material contacting surfaces are each configured and mutually spatially arranged such that in use a food material disposed about the rotatable element is forced against the one or more food material contacting surfaces. Accordingly, the food material is deformed or divided and is caused or allowed to clear the one or more food material contacting surfaces.

A process for optimizing the efficiency of extraction at room temperature of juice or puree from pulps of fruit and vegetables, responsive to their consistency. The pulps are first cut and softened in a first section of the machine, where a rotor applies pulses to the pulps in quick succession against a stator having protrusions on the inner surface. The softened product then passes through an extraction section, where the separation is carried out of a main product, which is conveyed in an outlet duct, from the waste solid parts, which are discharged through an outlet. The rotors are mounted on different shafts operated by motors. Both motors are operatively connected to a device that controls the speeds manually, or automatically, responsive to predetermined input parameters, according to the consistency of the product.

A squeezer unit (1), comprising: two female drums (2) with an internal cavity (3), with a central shaft, which can rotate in opposite directions, comprising a number of cavities (4) to house a fruit to be squeezed, two male drums (5) with an internal cavity (6), with a central shaft, located below the female drums (2), in such a way that each male drum (5) can rotate in a direction opposite to that of the corresponding female drum (2) located above the same, the male drums (5) comprising a number of protrusions (7) which can be coupled to the cavities (4) of the female drums (2) to squeeze out the juice, a support (8) for the squeezer unit (1) comprising a frontal plate (9) which can be coupled to the male drums (5) and the female drums (2),
where each of the female drums (2) and the male drums (5) comprises a frontal extension (10) which is coaxial with its central axis, each frontal extension (10) being integral with the body of the corresponding drum (2, 5), and the frontal plate (9) of the support (8) of the squeezer unit (1) comprises, on its side facing the female drums (2) and the male drums (5), four protrusions (12, 15), in such a way that when the squeezer unit (1) is in the assembled position, the extensions (10) of the female drums (2) and the male drums (5) are coupled to the corresponding protrusions (12, 15) of the frontal plate (9) of the support (8).

A self-contained, consumer-ready product from a coconut that has a seed-case, a layer of coconut meat inside of the seed-case, and an internal cavity containing sterile coconut water, in a condition that is ready for a consumer to access and remove the sterile water within the coconut, and a method for providing such a product. One method comprises forming an aperture that extends through the seed-case of the coconut but does not extend through the layer of coconut meat; forming a coconut pre-product in a first location, by affixing to the apertured coconut a closure member that is adapted to close the aperture and to be easily removed by a consumer in a second location different from the first location; and providing a self-contained, consumer-ready coconut product, by associating, with the coconut pre-product, a pre-selected plunger member that includes an elongated lance member that the consumer slides within the aperture after removal of the closure member in the second location and penetrates through the layer of coconut meat and into the internal cavity containing the sterile water.

A self-contained, consumer-ready product from a coconut that has a seed-case, a layer of coconut meat inside of the seed-case, and an internal cavity containing sterile coconut water, in a condition that is ready for a consumer to access and remove the sterile water within the coconut, and a method for providing such a product. One method comprises forming an aperture that extends through the seed-case of the coconut but does not extend through the layer of coconut meat; forming a coconut pre-product in a first location, by affixing to the apertured coconut a closure member that is adapted to close the aperture and to be easily removed by a consumer in a second location different from the first location; and providing a self-contained, consumer-ready coconut product, by associating, with the coconut pre-product, a pre-selected plunger member that includes an elongated lance member that the consumer slides within the aperture after removal of the closure member in the second location and penetrates through the layer of coconut meat and into the internal cavity containing the sterile water.

A food processing device or food storage device (70), comprising: a chamber (72) for housing a foodstuff (42) to be processed or stored; and a nutrition/ingredient analysis system (30), comprising: an electromagnetic radiation source (32); a radiation guide (34) for guiding the electromagnetic radiation based on total internal reflection (attenuated total reflection, ATR), wherein the radiation guide comprises an input (36) coupled to the electromagnetic radiation source (32), an output (38), and a sensing surface (40) between the input and output for placing against a foodstuff to be analyzed, wherein the sensing surface (40) is for contact with the foodstuff (42); a detector (44) for detecting guided electromagnetic radiation at the output of the radiation guide; and a filter arrangement (46) for wavelength filtering the guided electromagnetic radiation reaching the detector, wherein the filter arrangement comprises a plurality of optical bandpass filters (46a, 46b), and the plurality of filters are selectively movable into the path of the detector (44) or there is a respective detector (44a, 44b) for each optical bandpass filter.

A food processing device or food storage device (70), comprising: a chamber (72) for housing a foodstuff (42) to be processed or stored; and a nutrition/ingredient analysis system (30), comprising: an electromagnetic radiation source (32); a radiation guide (34) for guiding the electromagnetic radiation based on total internal reflection (attenuated total reflection, ATR), wherein the radiation guide comprises an input (36) coupled to the electromagnetic radiation source (32), an output (38), and a sensing surface (40) between the input and output for placing against a foodstuff to be analyzed, wherein the sensing surface (40) is for contact with the foodstuff (42); a detector (44) for detecting guided electromagnetic radiation at the output of the radiation guide; and a filter arrangement (46) for wavelength filtering the guided electromagnetic radiation reaching the detector, wherein the filter arrangement comprises a plurality of optical bandpass filters (46a, 46b), and the plurality of filters are selectively movable into the path of the detector (44) or there is a respective detector (44a, 44b) for each optical bandpass filter.

A production system for improving yield of bayberry juice includes a steam generator, a main body, a feed hopper, an extraction device, a cooling liquid tank and a collection container. A method for improving yield of bayberry juice includes the following steps. Bayberries are selected, soaked, cleaned, squeezed, distilled and condensed. The bayberries are distilled and condensed after ordinary squeezing, which improves the yield of bayberry juice and avoiding the waste of nutrients in the bayberry.

A production system for improving yield of bayberry juice includes a steam generator, a main body, a feed hopper, an extraction device, a cooling liquid tank and a collection container. A method for improving yield of bayberry juice includes the following steps. Bayberries are selected, soaked, cleaned, squeezed, distilled and condensed. The bayberries are distilled and condensed after ordinary squeezing, which improves the yield of bayberry juice and avoiding the waste of nutrients in the bayberry.