The method is for making a coating for use in reducing penetration of food dyes on an egg shell surface. The method includes admixing an edible salt compound with water in combination with a hydroxide, optionally adding an acid to lower the pH of the mixture; optionally adding a sugar alcohol; optionally adding, and mixing in, one or more of water and a food grade acid, bacterial alpha amylase, a plasticizer, a sugar, starch, cellulose/cellulose esters, gelatin, agar, gluten, casein, and protein, adding a food grade emulsifier and a fatty acid to the mixture, optionally adding a food grade clay to the mixture, heating the mixture to a temperature between 135-200 F. and adding a food grade wax, and optionally adding a silicone, cooling the mixture to produce the coating for application onto the egg shell surface.

Dying Easter Eggs has not changed much in over the 100 years it has been around. There are many methods and products on the market today, but nothing has ever been introduced to stop a particular dye to adhere to an eggshell. This has many advantages, which could allow an individual to dye eggs in 1, 2, 3 or more colors. This would be accomplished through the use of stickers (which would eventually be removed) and an egg paste formulated to a soft, spreadable, wax like consistency for easy application to an eggshell. Once applied, it will block a food grade dye penetrating to the egg's surface with the ability for an individual to easily wipe off the eggshell.

Dying Easter Eggs has not changed much in over the 100 years it has been around. There are many methods and products on the market today, but nothing has ever been introduced to stop a particular dye to adhere to an eggshell. This has many advantages, which could allow an individual to dye eggs in 1, 2, 3 or more colors. This would be accomplished through the use of stickers (which would eventually be removed) and an egg paste formulated to a soft, spreadable, wax like consistency for easy application to an eggshell. Once applied, it will block a food grade dye penetrating to the egg's surface with the ability for an individual to easily wipe off the eggshell.

The present invention provides a composition comprising (a) an antimicrobial material; and (b) an extract obtained from or obtainable from a plant of the Labiatae family, wherein (a) and (b) are different; wherein the composition contains phenolic diterpenes in an amount of greater than 1.0 wt. %, based on the composition, and wherein when the antimicrobial material consists of nisin, the composition comprises carvacrol in an amount of less than 0.075 wt. % based on the composition and carvone in an amount of less than 15 wt. % based on the composition.

The present invention provides a composition comprising (a) an antimicrobial material; and (b) an extract obtained from or obtainable from a plant of the Labiatae family, wherein (a) and (b) are different; wherein the composition contains phenolic diterpenes in an amount of greater than 1.0 wt. %, based on the composition, and wherein when the antimicrobial material consists of nisin, the composition comprises carvacrol in an amount of less than 0.075 wt. % based on the composition and carvone in an amount of less than 15 wt. % based on the composition.

Presented are compositions that can be used as protective coatings for agricultural (e.g., food) substrates. The compositions can comprise a compound of Formula I: ##STR00001##
and an additive, wherein the variables m, n, q, r, R.sup.a, R.sup.b, R.sup.1, R.sup.2, R.sup.3, R.sup.4, R.sup.5, R.sup.6, R.sup.7, R.sup.8, R.sup.9, R.sup.10, R.sup.11, R.sup.12 and R.sup.13 are defined herein. The protective coatings formed from the compositions can be used to prevent food spoilage due to, for instance, moisture loss, oxidation, or infection by a foreign pathogen.

Presented are compositions that can be used as protective coatings for agricultural (e.g., food) substrates. The compositions can comprise a compound of Formula I: ##STR00001##
and an additive, wherein the variables m, n, q, r, R.sup.a, R.sup.b, R.sup.1, R.sup.2, R.sup.3, R.sup.4, R.sup.5, R.sup.6, R.sup.7, R.sup.8, R.sup.9, R.sup.10, R.sup.11, R.sup.12 and R.sup.13 are defined herein. The protective coatings formed from the compositions can be used to prevent food spoilage due to, for instance, moisture loss, oxidation, or infection by a foreign pathogen.

Multirobotic management can involve communications between a command or leader robot and one or more client or follower robots through a cloud computing system. In an example implementation, a leader robot can receive first sensory data captured by a first follower robot and second sensory data captured by a second follower robot, determine a command function based on at least one of the first sensory data and the second sensory data, and communicate with at least one of the first follower robot and the second follower robot based on the command function.

Multirobotic management can involve communications between a command or leader robot and one or more client or follower robots through a cloud computing system. In an example implementation, a leader robot can receive first sensory data captured by a first follower robot and second sensory data captured by a second follower robot, determine a command function based on at least one of the first sensory data and the second sensory data, and communicate with at least one of the first follower robot and the second follower robot based on the command function.

An object of the present invention is to provide an -glucan mixture in a preferable molecular weight range, which can be made into a transparent film with advantageous strength and water solubility when an edible film is made by using the -glucan mixture without adding any plasticizer.

The above object is solved by providing an -glucan mixture, which is obtainable by a process comprising the steps of gelatinizing waxy starch and liquefying the resulting gelatinized waxy starch by allowing an amylase to act on it, having the following characteristics (1) and (2): (1) having the weight average molecular weight (Mw) in a range of 150 kDa to 3,000 kDa; and (2) having the value of dividing weight average molecular weight (Mw) with number average molecular weight (Mn), Mw/Mn, of 35.1 or lower.