Apparatus and methods for bulk processing items on a conveyor belt using an angled axial fan that extends obliquely into a processing chamber that performs a pasteurization or other process on the conveyed items. The angled axial fan enhances air flow around a product being processed on the conveyor belt.

A method for carrying out a heat treatment, in particular roasting of bulky food products, in particular cocoa, nuts, like almonds, hazelnuts, pecans or walnuts, coffee, seeds, cereals, malt, peanuts, brans, grains or oilseeds such as sunflower seeds, wherein the food products are subjected to a predetermined temperature for heat treatment. During the heat treatment, the partial pressure of water in the atmosphere where the food products are located is controlled such that during the heat treatment a substantially homogeneous moisture distribution forms in the food products. In particular, the partial pressure of water is adjusted such that during the heat treatment the escape of moisture from the food products is avoided.

A kit for the in-home production of one or more raw food bars is provided. The kit features an amount of one or more raw foods, a die, a plurality of plates, and a dehydration apparatus. Further, a method of producing one or more raw food bars by using said kit is provided.

The present application discloses a nutritional composition for tonifying kidney. The nutritional composition comprises the following components of raw materials in parts by weight: rice 50-90, yellow millet 7-25, gorgon euryale seed 3-14, Chinese yam 2-11, lycium barbarum 0.4-1.6, and poria 0.3-1.5. The present invention, in view of the kidney's main function of reserving and storing the essence of internal organs of the body, complies with the functional characteristics that it is appropriate to reserve rather than consume the kidney, and provides the prescription for more nourishment and less loss and suitable to cooperate with staple foods for long-term consumption, and it is easily accepted by people due to the good taste, and can achieve certain efficacies of tonifying the kidney and disinhibiting the body.

A method is provided for fermenting and dehydrating food items such as nuts and seeds to create novel postbiotic foods with numerous benefits. The method comprises preparing a brine solution and adding it with the food item, a sugar product, and select live bacteria cultures to a fermentation vessel. The vessel ferments for 10-14 days at 60-64? F. until a pH of 3.3-4.0 is achieved. The food item is strained, placed on dehydrator trays, and dried at two temperatures to reduce moisture. The process increases nutrition, digestibility, gut health, and safety by reducing antinutrients, agricultural pollutants, toxins, and pathogens by over 5 logs, exceeding pasteurization requirements. The dehydrated food can be packaged or further processed into items like nut butters. The method generates durable, functional nutrition without damaging heat or chemicals.

The disclosure provides a method of reducing aflatoxin contamination in one or more nuts and/or reducing the amount of Aspergillus flavus and/or Aspergillus parasiticus resulting in the presence of aflatoxin contamination in one or more nuts. In an embodiment, nuts are treated with ultraviolet (UV) light, ozone, and peroxide, or combinations thereof. In an embodiment, nuts are treated with UV light and ozone. In an embodiment, nuts are treated with UV light and peroxide. In an embodiment, nuts are treated with ozone and peroxide.

The disclosure provides methods of preparing aflatoxin-contaminated nuts.

A method for infusing a nut snack by immersing it in an aqueous flavoring solution and baking/roasting the moistened product to the desired texture, crunch, and appearance. The process not only enhances the flavor of the nut, it also produces a nut with no exterior residue. The method includes such steps as providing a portion of blanched nuts; adding the blanched nuts to water and a flavoring component in order to infuse the flavoring into the nuts; cooking the flavored nuts for a predetermined period of time to enhance the infusion process; rinsing the cooked nuts; and roasting the nuts.

A non-processed protein-based nutritional edible substance for providing protein to a consumer. The non-processed protein-based nutritional edible substance includes a quantity of sunflower seeds, a quantity of pumpkin seeds, and a quantity of sweet binding compound. The sunflower seeds and the pumpkin seeds are the primary source for protein and beneficial nutrients. The quantity of sunflower seeds, the quantity of pumpkin seeds, and the quantity of sweet binding compound is heterogeneously mixed into a nutritional mixture, which allows the non-processed protein-based nutritional edible substance to be easily consumed by a person. The nutritional mixture can include additional quantities of ingredients to enhance the flavor, nutrients, protein quantity of the non-processed protein-based nutritional edible substance and/or to provide a recreational/medicinal effect to the consumer.

Disclosed herein are fermented food products and a method for producing fermented food products from a pulse. The method comprises the steps of cooking the pulse, wherein the pulse is provided in the form of flattened pulse fragments, and then fermenting the cooked flattened pulse fragments under conditions whereby the fermented food product is produced.