The present invention discloses a genus of insect inhibitory proteins that exhibit properties directed to controlling Lepidopteran and/or Hemipteran crop pests, methods of using such proteins, nucleotide sequences encoding such proteins, methods of detecting and isolating such proteins, and their use in agricultural systems.

Prophylactic and/or therapeutic antipathogen agents are provided that disrupt or prevent the formation of at least one homotypic and/or heterotypic protein-protein interaction that has at least one CEA-family protein and that is involved in the establishment and colonization of a pathogen in a suitable host.

A food product is within an aqueous solution. The solution includes: at least one edible acid; and at least one osmotic agent, wherein after the solution reaches equilibrium with the food product, the pH of the solution is between about 1 and 5.

A method of infusing salt can include heating salt to a temperature above the boiling point of water. The method can also apply a liquid additive solution to the heated salt to create an infused salt. The temperature of the heated salt can be sufficiently high that the salt remains above the boiling point of water for a first period of time after the liquid additive solution is applied thereto.

The present invention relates to a method of using an antimicrobial composition on a food product where the antimicrobial composition is applied to a food product, the food product is packaged and sealed, and then activation energy is applied to the sealed food product.

The present invention provides a process for the preparation of freeze dried microorganism composition, comprising the step of (i) subjecting a frozen composition comprising micro-organisms to a drying pressure of from 133 Pa [1000 mT] to 338 Pa [2540 mT] such that at the drying pressure the frozen composition is dried by sublimation of water present in the frozen composition to provide a freeze dried composition comprising the micro-organisms.