Systems and methods have demonstrated the capability of rapidly cooling the contents of pods containing the ingredients for food and drinks.

A slurry mixing device includes an installation frame, a slurry mixing tank, a slurry feeding tank, a cooling mechanism and a slurry discharging mechanism. The slurry feeding tank is movably arranged under the slurry mixing tank, the cooling mechanism and the slurry discharging mechanism. A mass scale is arranged under the slurry feeding tank. A stirring cavity is formed in the slurry mixing tank, and a stirring paddle is arranged in the stirring cavity. A stirring motor is arranged on the slurry mixing tank. An outlet is arranged on the bottom of the stirring cavity. An oil bath cavity is formed between the slurry mixing tank and the stirring cavity. The cooling mechanism includes a lifting cylinder and a lifting base. The lifting base is provided with a rotating paddle and a rotating motor. The lifting cylinder is arranged on the installation frame.

A particulate material leveling system includes an agitating system disposed within a storage tank for a particulate material. The agitating system includes a drive system and a shaft coupled to the drive system. Further, the drive system drives the shaft to rotate about a central axis. The agitating system also includes a wrapped wire coupled to the shaft. The wrapped wire extends around the shaft along a helical path in an axial direction and a circumferential direction, and the wrapped wire moves the particulate material in the axial direction in response to rotation of the shaft in a first direction about the central axis.

The sealing performance of a stirring device and the abrasion resistance of a seal are improved. A stirring device includes a stirring tank that defines a stirring chamber; a plurality of stirring blades that are disposed in the stirring chamber; a shear blade drive shaft that extends from a lower side of the stirring tank to the stirring chamber and rotationally drives at least one shear blade among the plurality of stirring blades; and a fixed ring and a rotating ring that is disposed radially outside the shear blade drive shaft and seals between the stirring tank and the shear blade drive shaft. A sealing surface of the mechanical seal structure is formed at the same height as or above a lowermost portion of the stirring chamber.

A system for providing a single serving of a frozen confection, wherein the system comprises a pod comprising at least one ingredient for providing a single serving of a frozen confection; the system cools the pod; the system introduces water into the pod; the system simultaneously stirs the contents of the pod while scraping at least one wall of the pod to prevent a build-up of the frozen confection on the at least one wall of the pod; and the system ejects the frozen confection out of the pod.

A system for providing a single serving of a frozen confection, wherein the system comprises a pod comprising at least one ingredient for providing a single serving of a frozen confection; the system cools the pod; the system introduces water into the pod; the system simultaneously stirs the contents of the pod while scraping at least one wall of the pod to prevent a build-up of the frozen confection on the at least one wall of the pod; and the system ejects the frozen confection out of the pod.

An agitating system of an agricultural system includes a brace configured to couple to a sub-hopper of the agricultural system and a support configured to engage the brace and to support a shaft within the sub-hopper. The support includes a support piece having a first portion configured to receive the shaft and the brace has a recess configured to receive the first portion of the support piece while the support is in an installed configuration.

There is provided a method for producing hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose acetate succinate (HPMCAS), including an esterification step of reacting hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose with an acetylating agent and a succinoylating agent in the presence of an aliphatic carboxylic acid in a kneader reactor equipped with two or more stirring blades rotating around their own axes and orbitally revolving, to obtain a reaction product solution containing HPMCAS; a precipitation step of precipitating the HPMCAS by mixing the reaction product solution with water to obtain a suspension of the precipitated HPMCAS; and a washing and recovery step of washing the HPMCAS in the suspension and recovering the washed HPMCAS. Further, there is provided HPMCAS having yellowness at 20° C. of 15.0 or less, as determined in a 2% by mass solution of the HPMCAS in a mixed solvent of dichloromethane, methanol and water in a mass ratio of 44:44:10.

A food material powder supply device 1 of the disclosure includes a supply tank 50 that temporarily stores food material powder in a tank 50A and supplies the food material powder to a processing container 2A of a food processing machine 2, a vacuum device 70 that reduces the pressure inside the supply tank 50 with vacuum pumps 71A and 71B, and a control device 3 that operates the vacuum device 70 to reduce the internal pressure of the supply tank 50 to be equal to or lower than a predetermined atmospheric pressure at which moisture of the food material powder is evaporated and cools the food material powder in the supply tank 50. A stirring member 54 which is driven to rotate during the cooling of the food material powder is arranged inside the tank 50A.