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.

Methods of heating compositions comprising at least 20% (w/w) individually distinguishable edible inclusions are provided herein. The method of heating as disclosed herein comprises applying a first ohmic heating treatment to the composition, wherein the composition has at the end of the first ohmic heating treatment a temperature from 60 C. to 95 C.; applying a first holding step to the composition, wherein the temperature of the composition is at most 5 C. lower than the temperature of the composition after the first ohmic heating treatment; applying a second ohmic heating treatment to the composition, wherein the composition has at the end of the second ohmic heating treatment a temperature ranging from 75 C. to 110 C.; and applying a second holding step to the composition, wherein the temperature of the composition is at most 5 C. lower than the temperature of the composition after the second ohmic heating treatment, wherein the steps are performed as a continuous process with an initial back pressure of at least 4 bar.

Methods of heating compositions comprising at least 20% (w/w) individually distinguishable edible inclusions are provided herein. The method of heating as disclosed herein comprises applying a first ohmic heating treatment to the composition, wherein the composition has at the end of the first ohmic heating treatment a temperature from 60 C. to 95 C.; applying a first holding step to the composition, wherein the temperature of the composition is at most 5 C. lower than the temperature of the composition after the first ohmic heating treatment; applying a second ohmic heating treatment to the composition, wherein the composition has at the end of the second ohmic heating treatment a temperature ranging from 75 C. to 110 C.; and applying a second holding step to the composition, wherein the temperature of the composition is at most 5 C. lower than the temperature of the composition after the second ohmic heating treatment, wherein the steps are performed as a continuous process with an initial back pressure of at least 4 bar.

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 MIKKFPNPYTLAAKLTTYEINVVYKQQYGRYPWERPVA and MKFKFNPTGTIVKKLTQYEINVVYKQQYGRYPWERPVA and their use as bacteriocins in various methods and uses.

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.

Dehydration and drying are some of the oldest methods of preserving food and other biological materials such as proteins and both live and dead live microorganisms or their metabolites. The invention disclosed herein seeks a method of further improving the process of preserving biological material by combining the freezing or freeze-drying process with a partial infrared dehydration step. By using infrared radiation energy to perform simultaneous blanching and dehydration, the drying speed is greatly increased and better cellular and molecular integrity is maintained. The invention herein is also particularly useful in connection with cannabis and hemp.

The embodiments disclose a method including processing and treating at least one water source supply for mixing with humic acid and fulvic acid, chopping and pulverizing at least one humate source, mixing the chopped and pulverized at least one humate source with the processed and treated at least one water source supply, processing the chopped and pulverized at least one humate source and the processed and treated at least one water source supply for separating, segregating, and suspending fulvic acid and humic acid molecules from the at least one humate source, storing the fulvic acid and humic acid molecules in a fresh quantity of the treated water source supply, adjusting the pH level of the stored fulvic acid and humic acid, and creating at least one or more beverage product for human consumption using the fulvic acid and humic acid molecule ingredients and other ingredients including vitamins, flavorings and additives.

The embodiments disclose a method including processing and treating at least one water source supply for mixing with humic acid and fulvic acid, chopping and pulverizing at least one humate source, mixing the chopped and pulverized at least one humate source with the processed and treated at least one water source supply, processing the chopped and pulverized at least one humate source and the processed and treated at least one water source supply for separating, segregating, and suspending fulvic acid and humic acid molecules from the at least one humate source, storing the fulvic acid and humic acid molecules in a fresh quantity of the treated water source supply, adjusting the pH level of the stored fulvic acid and humic acid, and creating at least one or more beverage product for human consumption using the fulvic acid and humic acid molecule ingredients and other ingredients including vitamins, flavorings and additives.

The invention relates to a method for treating a food product by means of non-conventional resistive heating. The heating serves to treat sausage products in an intestine, such as Brhwurst (scalded sausage), hot dogs or similar food products. The respective food product is brought into contact with spaced-apart electrically conductive electrodes, wherein the electrodes are connected to a controllable power source. According to the invention, the electrodes are each in the form of at least one first and one second electrode group, wherein the electrode groups are at a distance A.sub.EG in relation to one another. Each electrode group has a number of individual electrodes, similar to a comb-like set of needles, wherein the neighboring individual electrodes of the comb-like set of needles are each at a distance A.sub.EE from one another. The distance A.sub.EG is greater than or at most equal to the distance A.sub.EE. The respective comb-like set of needles passes through the food product, wherein a punching process is realized in such a way that, based on the food product, inlet and outlet points of the comb-like set of needles, based on the encapsulation or sheathing, produce at least penetration points and the product being treated is accommodated in the space between two conveyor belts and the individual electrodes extend from at least one of the conveyor belts in the direction of the opposite conveyor belt.

A retort system includes a vessel having an access opening accessible via a movable door, a basket supporting assembly within the vessel and along which container baskets are movable for loading into the vessel and unloading from the vessel and a heating system for heating containers for treatment within the vessel. A container basket load/unload system moves container baskets into the vessel and for moving container baskets out of the vessel, and includes a rigid chain unit aligned or alignable with the access opening such that a rigid chain can be moved along a chain feed path into the vessel via the access opening.