Disinfecting particulate material includes combining the particulate material with a photocatalyst to yield a mixture, irradiating the mixture for a length of time with pulses from a light source having broadband emission spectrum between 190 nm-1100 nm to yield an irradiated mixture, and separating the photocatalyst from the disinfected mixture to yield the disinfected particulate matter. Irradiating the mixture inactivates microorganisms in the mixture to yield a disinfected mixture. A system for disinfecting particulate material includes a pulsed light source having a broadband emission spectrum in a range between about 190 nm and about 1100 nm, a chamber defining a cavity optically coupled to the pulsed light source, a humidifier, a fan, and one or more sensors. The chamber includes a conveyor configured to accept the particulate material and arranged such that the pulses emitted by the pulsed light source irradiate the particulate material on the conveyor.

The present application relates to a method for producing a meat broth composition, and a meat broth composition produced by the method, the method comprising the steps of: primary heating of one or more base materials selected from the group consisting of meat, seafood, and condiment herbs in water at 90-100 C. for 3-35 minutes; secondary heating of the base material, which has undergone primary heating, in water at 80-140 C. for 20-190 minutes; and heating and sterilizing the meat broth extracted in the secondary heating step at 90-130 C. for 10-60 minutes.

The present application relates to a method for producing a meat broth composition, and a meat broth composition produced by the method, the method comprising the steps of: primary heating of one or more base materials selected from the group consisting of meat, seafood, and condiment herbs in water at 90-100 C. for 3-35 minutes; secondary heating of the base material, which has undergone primary heating, in water at 80-140 C. for 20-190 minutes; and heating and sterilizing the meat broth extracted in the secondary heating step at 90-130 C. for 10-60 minutes.

The present invention provides a method of killing, damaging or preventing the replication of bacteria comprising administering or applying a bacteriocin to said bacteria, wherein said bacteriocin is a peptide comprising the amino acid sequence MKFKFNPTGTIVKKLTQYEIAWFKNKHGYYPWEIPRC and related sequences, wherein the bacteria is selected from E. faecium, E. faecalis. E. hirae, S. pseudointermedius and/or S. hemolyticus; and/or in said method said bacteria are subjected to a stress condition. Also provided are related methods and uses such as methods of treatment. Also provided are novel truncation and fusion proteins variants such as MIKKFPNPYTLAAKLTTYEINWYKQQYGRYPWERPVA and MKFKFNPTGTIVKKLTQYEINWYKQQYGRYPWERPVA and their use as bacteriocins in various methods and uses.

Systems and methods for treating unwashed fruit with fruit bloom that provide a first ultraviolet (UV) energy with one or more flashes using a first set of one or more flash lamps to a first surface of each of a plurality of blueberries and provide a second UV energy with one or more flashes using a second set of one or more flash lamps to a second surface of each of the plurality of blueberries. The system determines a fruit bloom level associated with the plurality of blueberries after provision of the first and second UV energies and determines an adjustment to a parameter of at least one of the first and second UV energies based on the fruit bloom level. The system provides UV energy with the adjusted parameter to a subsequent set of blueberries to remove microorganisms from the blueberries while retaining fruit bloom.

Systems and methods for treating unwashed fruit with fruit bloom that provide a first ultraviolet (UV) energy with one or more flashes using a first set of one or more flash lamps to a first surface of each of a plurality of blueberries and provide a second UV energy with one or more flashes using a second set of one or more flash lamps to a second surface of each of the plurality of blueberries. The system determines a fruit bloom level associated with the plurality of blueberries after provision of the first and second UV energies and determines an adjustment to a parameter of at least one of the first and second UV energies based on the fruit bloom level. The system provides UV energy with the adjusted parameter to a subsequent set of blueberries to remove microorganisms from the blueberries while retaining fruit bloom.

Method for decontaminating bulk food and/or feed material, in particular raw food and/or feed materials, comprising the following method steps: inserting the bulk material into a rotary tube dryer, increasing the temperature of the bulk material by means of at least one infrared radiator up to a defined treatment temperature range while at the same time rotating the bulk material, maintaining the temperature of the bulk material in the treatment temperature range during a treatment phase by means of the infrared radiator while at the same time rotating the bulk material, reducing the temperature of the bulk material to a discharge temperature while at the same time rotating the bulk material, discharging the bulk material from the rotary tube dryer.

The invention relates to an apparatus for fast and homogeneously heating a liquid product to a heating temperature by means of resistive heating, the apparatus comprising at least two vertically mounted, longitudinal, heating chambers that are arranged in series. The invention further relates to a process for fast and homogeneously heating a liquid product to a heating temperature by means of resistive heating in such apparatus comprising (a) continuously supplying the liquid product to the first heating chamber in series and flowing the liquid product continuously through the at least two heating chambers; (b) continuously generating an electrical current through the liquid product flowing through the heating chambers by continuously applying an electrical potential over each heating chamber, wherein the direction of the current is continuously alternated with a frequency of at least 500 Hz, to obtain heated liquid product; and (c) continuously discharging heated liquid product from the last heating chamber in series, wherein the liquid product has an electrical conductivity of at least 0.03 S/m.

The invention relates to an apparatus for fast and homogeneously heating a liquid product to a heating temperature by means of resistive heating, the apparatus comprising at least two vertically mounted, longitudinal, heating chambers that are arranged in series. The invention further relates to a process for fast and homogeneously heating a liquid product to a heating temperature by means of resistive heating in such apparatus comprising (a) continuously supplying the liquid product to the first heating chamber in series and flowing the liquid product continuously through the at least two heating chambers; (b) continuously generating an electrical current through the liquid product flowing through the heating chambers by continuously applying an electrical potential over each heating chamber, wherein the direction of the current is continuously alternated with a frequency of at least 500 Hz, to obtain heated liquid product; and (c) continuously discharging heated liquid product from the last heating chamber in series, wherein the liquid product has an electrical conductivity of at least 0.03 S/m.

This invention relates to a sweetener containing an enzymatically modified stevia composition having improved sweetness quality, including 90 wt % or more of steviol glycoside, wherein only glycosylation is carried out using cyclodextrin as a glycosylation material of a stevia extract (steviol glycoside), without a purification process using an existing porous adsorbent resin (aromatic, styrene type), to thus produce enzymatically modified stevia, which can be utilized as an ingredient and a reagent for sweeteners, flavor enhancers and flavor modifiers for a variety of confections, drinks (including alcoholic beverages), foods and food products, thereby providing an enzymatically modified stevia sweetener and products thereof.