Present invention relates to process for reducing MOSH and/or MOAH content from vegetable oil selected from the group consisting of palm-based oil, cocoa butter-based oil and any mixture thereof, and comprising steps of: a) Subjecting vegetable oil to short-path evaporation being performed at a pressure of below 1 mbar and under further processing conditions either: a1) at an evaporator temperature of between 210 and 240° C., and with a feed rate per unit area of evaporator surface of the shorth-path evaporation equipment of from 35 to 105 kg/h.Math.m.sup.2, or a2) at an evaporator temperature of from 245 to 300° C., and with a feed rate per unit area of evaporator surface of the shorth-path evaporation equipment of from 110 and 170 kg/h.Math.m.sup.2, b) Contacting the retentate vegetable oil with an adsorbent, and c) Subjecting the bleached retentate vegetable oil to a further refining step.

Present invention relates to process for reducing content of MOSH and/or MOAH from vegetable oil selected from group consisting of palm-based oil, cocoa butter-based oil and any mixture thereof, wherein process is comprising step of subjecting vegetable oil to short-path evaporation, wherein short-path evaporation is performed at pressure of below 1 mbar and further processing conditions either: a1) at evaporator temperature of between 210 and 240° C., and with a feed rate per unit area of evaporator surface of the shorth-path evaporation equipment of from 35 to 105 kg/h.Math.m.sup.2, or a2) at evaporator temperature of from 245 to 300° C., and feed rate per unit area of evaporator surface in range of from 110 and 170 kg/h.Math.m.sup.2, and thus obtaining a retentate vegetable oil and a distillate. Present invention further relates to use of short-path evaporation for reducing content of MOSH and/or MOAH from vegetable oil.

Perennial grasses can be a source of sustainable and renewable food supplies. Unlike efforts in selective genetics to produce grains with perennial phenotypes, this invention processes perennial grasses that can be efficiently and economically extracted to produce an easily stored food that does not require refrigeration. Grasses are cut, juice is extracted, centrifuged, treated with non-activated coconut charcoal, filtered , microscopically examined to assure minimal cellulose content, and dehydrated to produce a stable solid that can be rehydrated or incorporated into flours. Yields from fresh grass extraction exceeds those from rehydration of hay. Non-activated coconut charcoal is a renewable and inexpensive resource. Perennial pasture grasses grown with clover or other legumes require minimal yearly fertilization. This process can be sustainable in societies without electricity.

A method of processing an initial starch containing gluten protein to produce a purified starch having less than 20 parts per million of a gluten protein (i.e., “gluten free”). A slurry of the unpurified starch is treated with an agent to degrade the gluten protein, and then the degraded gluten protein is removed, resulting in a slurry of the purified starch. The slurry of the purified starch is dried, resulting in the purified starch, and the purified starch is tested to confirm that the purified starch meets the standard for being gluten free. The starch is from a member of the tribe Triticeae (e.g., wheat, rye, barley, or triticale) or other plant starch that either naturally contains gluten protein or may be contaminated with gluten protein. The agent is selected from among acids, bases, alcohols, surfactants, proteases, chaotropic agents, reducing agents, and combinations thereof.

A method of processing an initial starch containing gluten protein to produce a purified starch having less than 20 parts per million of a gluten protein (i.e., “gluten free”). A slurry of the unpurified starch is treated with an agent to degrade the gluten protein, and then the degraded gluten protein is removed, resulting in a slurry of the purified starch. The slurry of the purified starch is dried, resulting in the purified starch, and the purified starch is tested to confirm that the purified starch meets the standard for being gluten free. The starch is from a member of the tribe Triticeae (e.g., wheat, rye, barley, or triticale) or other plant starch that either naturally contains gluten protein or may be contaminated with gluten protein. The agent is selected from among acids, bases, alcohols, surfactants, proteases, chaotropic agents, reducing agents, and combinations thereof.

Methods and systems are described for providing improved food processing systems by treating wash water in a wash stage of the food processing system with a biocide. Sufficient biocide may be added to significantly reduce the levels of bacteria in the wash stage, which can prevent problems associated with bacteria in downstream processes.

Methods and systems are described for providing improved food processing systems by treating wash water in a wash stage of the food processing system with a biocide. Sufficient biocide may be added to significantly reduce the levels of bacteria in the wash stage, which can prevent problems associated with bacteria in downstream processes.

A food processing apparatus (10) is disclosed for reducing a sugar content of a food product (1). The food processing apparatus comprises a food processing compartment (30) including a blade arrangement (28) and a fluid release valve (37); a base (20) including a motor (22) arranged to drive the blade arrangement; a heating arrangement (40, 42) for heating a food product in the food processing compartment with steam, the heating arrangement comprising a water tank (40) in fluid communication with the food processing compartment (30) and a heating element (42) thermally coupled to said water tank and under control of said controller (60; and a controller (60) arranged to control the motor and the heating element. The controller is arranged to control the heating element such as to heat the food product in the food processing arrangement with steam for a defined period of time; and control the motor to blend the food product upon termination of the heating of the food product for said defined period of time and upon releasing steam condensate generated during the heating of the food product from the food processing compartment through said fluid release valve. Also disclosed is a method of for reducing a sugar content of a food product (1) with such a food processing apparatus.

The present invention is directed to sunflower protein products, very low in, or free of, beany, green, vegetable or similar flavour notes and useful for the fortification of food and beverage products and prepared without the use of salt in the process. The sunflower protein products of the present invention are obtained by extracting sunflower protein source with water to form an aqueous sunflower solution, at least partially separating the aqueous sunflower protein solution from residual sunflower protein source, adjusting the pH of the aqueous sunflower protein solution to a pH between about 1.5 to about 3.5 to solubilize the bulk of the protein and form an acidified sunflower protein solution then separating the acidified sunflower protein solution from the add insoluble solid material. The acidified sunflower protein solution may be dried following optional concentration and diafiltration to form a sunflower protein product, which may be an isolate. The add insoluble Said material may be washed with acidified water and then dried to form another sunflower protein product. These products may be dried at the acidic pH at which they were prepared or may be adjusted in pH before drying.

A process of forming a treated clay composition, a process of decaffeination, and a treated clay composition are disclosed. The process of forming the treated clay composition includes providing a first solution of caffeine molecules and non-caffeine molecules, extracting the caffeine molecules to form a pretreatment solution, and bringing a clay composition into contact with the pretreatment solution to form the treated clay composition, on which at least one of the non-caffeine molecules is adsorbed. The process of decaffeination includes providing a solution of caffeine and non-caffeine molecules, and bringing the solution into contact with a treated clay composition. The treated clay composition includes organic molecules adsorbed on mineral layers of a clay. The organic molecules are non-caffeine molecules from a pretreatment solution.