This invention describes a device that is able to promote the rapid cooling/freezing of liquids and pasty and solid foods in general, where it is formed by several components that enable the action of cooling/freezing. Additionally, this invention describes that this device can incorporate the additional function of a refrigerator, through direct coupling of a thermal box to the cooling system of the device.

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.

An improved system and method for treating, precooling, and handling perishable products uses a mobile container enhanced with increased capacity refrigeration and air flow to recirculate functional substances including sanitizers, and ripening management and conditioning agents across the surface of palletized perishable products during the precooling step. As the perishable is precooled, the system integrates humidity control to reduce dehydration. Sanitizing substances are dispensed into the recirculating air to significantly reduce micro-organisms on the surface coming from the field and avoid recontamination from the cooling warehouse. Conditioning and ripening management substances are recirculated to enable managing the ripeness of a perishable to a target. The mobile container is modified from a standard intermodal container or over-the-road semi-trailer. The enhanced forced air and/or refrigeration equipment is contained within the container and/or mounted on the top and/or side exterior of the container and can accomplish rapid cooling. The system and method has thus combined rapid cooling, reduced dehydration, reduced surface micro-organism contamination, and conditioning or ripeness control for enhanced quality and shelf life. The mobile container is able to operate independently outside of a refrigerated warehouse used for storage and distribution of the cooled perishable product. The materials of construction used and operational independence enable safely using highly active sanitizing, ripening management, and other functional substances. The mobile container can be located near harvest or facilities with no colling assets. A combined system using conveyors and operational controls provides automated handling of the perishables from receiving, through precooling and treatment, preferably to a MAP process, and then distribution.

A device for controllable growth of ice crystals inside an organic object during freezing, the device comprising at least one transducer, a control unit, a power supply and a modulator, wherein the control unit causes a plurality of types of magnetic fields to be emitted, by the at least one transducer, in a cyclical manner, and the control unit determines, for each type of magnetic field comprised in the plurality of types of magnetic fields, a carrier frequency, a modulation frequency, modulation boundaries and duty cycle, and sets them by utilizing the signal generator and the power supply; and wherein a strength of the plurality of the types of the magnetic fields is determined by adjusting an output voltage provided by the power supply.

A device for controllable growth of ice crystals inside an organic object during freezing, the device comprising at least one transducer, a control unit, a power supply and a modulator, wherein the control unit causes a plurality of types of magnetic fields to be emitted, by the at least one transducer, in a cyclical manner, and the control unit determines, for each type of magnetic field comprised in the plurality of types of magnetic fields, a carrier frequency, a modulation frequency, modulation boundaries and duty cycle, and sets them by utilizing the signal generator and the power supply; and wherein a strength of the plurality of the types of the magnetic fields is determined by adjusting an output voltage provided by the power supply.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a konjak gel with a shrimp-like texture, a shrimp-like food using the konjak gel, and a dried, shrimp-like food that has a shrimp-like texture and can be easily reconstituted using, for instance, hot water. This solution involves a porous structure-containing konjak gel including the following features (A) to (G): (A) a glucomannan content of 3.5 to 12 wt %; (B) a moisture content of 70 to 90 wt %; (C) a gel long side of 7 to 20 mm; (D) a gel thickness of 0.5 to 1.5 mm; (E) a porosity of 9 to 17% as measured for pores of 100 μm.sup.2 or larger in a gel cross section; (F) a largest pore porosity of 3 to 6% in the gel cross section; and (G) the gel having undergone freeze denaturation. The problem is also solved by a method for producing a shrimp-like food containing the konjac gel and a substrate made of glucomannan, or a shrimp-like, vacuum-freeze-dried food containing the konjac gel and a substrate containing a pulverized konjak gel material or a substrate containing a puffing agent.

A method for conditioning a food in connection with a treatment, a processing, or the production of the food in an air environment in an open conditioning space, whereby a) climatic data influencing the food in the conditioning process are captured during the conditioning process in the surroundings of the food within the conditioning space, wherein, as climatic data, the conditioning variables of temperature, absolute water content and air pressure are captured as measured values and are compared with food-related setpoint values for the temperature change process, and b) if a deviation of the measured value from the setpoint value associated therewith is detected, the surroundings of the food in the conditioning space are influenced in order to adjust the measured value to the setpoint value.

A method for conditioning a food in connection with a treatment, a processing, or the production of the food in an air environment in an open conditioning space, whereby a) climatic data influencing the food in the conditioning process are captured during the conditioning process in the surroundings of the food within the conditioning space, wherein, as climatic data, the conditioning variables of temperature, absolute water content and air pressure are captured as measured values and are compared with food-related setpoint values for the temperature change process, and b) if a deviation of the measured value from the setpoint value associated therewith is detected, the surroundings of the food in the conditioning space are influenced in order to adjust the measured value to the setpoint value.

Methods and systems are provided for the extraction of protein rich flour and fiber rich flour from brewer's spent grains (BSG). The extraction of protein from the BSG may include preparing the BSG by controlling the temperature in a hot grain storage system and in some cases dewatering the BSG to acceptable moisture content levels. In extracting the protein rich and fiber rich flour, the BSG is conveyed to a device that dries, mills, and fractionates the BSG into separated protein and fiber extract.

Methods and systems are provided for the extraction of protein rich flour and fiber rich flour from brewer's spent grains (BSG). The extraction of protein from the BSG may include preparing the BSG by controlling the temperature in a hot grain storage system and in some cases dewatering the BSG to acceptable moisture content levels. In extracting the protein rich and fiber rich flour, the BSG is conveyed to a device that dries, mills, and fractionates the BSG into separated protein and fiber extract.