A recirculation circuit for a processing vessel is configured to process a load with a process fluid. The recirculation circuit includes a first circuit portion configured to recirculate a first portion of the process fluid through the vessel. The first circuit portion includes a first pump having a first flow rate and a first output pressure and a heat exchanger in fluid communication with the first pump. A second circuit portion is configured to recirculate a second portion of the process fluid through the vessel. The second circuit portion includes a second pump having a second flow rate higher than the first flow rate and a second output pressure lower than the first output pressure.

A digital pressure canner and related methods of operation that provide for improved safety and consistency during a food canning process by reducing temperature over and undershoot. The digital pressure canner includes a digital control operating with inputs from digital sensors to accurately control the canning temperature during the canning process. By reducing over and undershoot of canning temperatures, foods within the pressure canner are maintained at temperatures sufficient to kill any bacteria or microorganisms for the entire canning cycle. In order to verify operation of the digital canner at sufficient canning temperatures, mechanical safety devices, for example, a pressure relief valve can be utilized in conjunction with digital controllers and sensors to provide audible and visual feedback to a user during the canning process.

A ready-to-bake brownie batter having prolonged shelf life and which produces brownies having desirable taste and texture characteristics is disclosed. The ready-to-bake brownie batter can include greater than or equal to 30 wt. % sugar, greater than or equal to 9 wt. % water, a sugar to flour ratio of greater than or equal to 1.5, and a water activity of from about 0.65 to about 0.85. Methods of preparing and packaging a ready-to-bake brownie batter using High Pressure Processing (HPP) is also disclosed.

High pressure processing of substances such as foodstuffs and products produced therewith. The methods include externally pressurizing a container containing a substance immersed in a liquid, then displacing at least a portion of the liquid from the substance with a gas and sealing the substance and the gas from at least a portion of the displaced liquid. The methods are particularly useful for producing packaged substances, such as packaged fruits or vegetables, that are advantageously processed with high pressure in a liquid but are disadvantageously stored in the liquid after the processing.

A pressure-treated, partially fermented palm sap beverage is disclosed that has an alcohol content of about 4-6%, a total yeast and mold count of no more than about 50 CFU/g, a shelf-life of at least 9 days at about 20 C. and the characteristic flavor of freshly harvested toddy.

In a method for the inactivation of microorganisms in liquid foods, a liquid food is mixed with a pressurized, liquefied gas at a pressure which is sufficient to maintain the liquefied gas in the liquid state. The mixture of food and gas is then depressurized to a pressure at which the liquefied gas is vaporized. According to the invention, before or during the depressurization to the second pressure, the mixture is guided through a pipeline and brought up to a flow speed in the pipeline which is sufficient to form cavitations in the liquid food.

Activated treated water that can be manufactured by an extremely simple method and with which activation treatment can be performed on water that has not undergone activation treatment without direct contact. Activated treated water that is clustered water that has undergone activation treatment and thereby formed small molecule groups, wherein the ratio FID/FID0 of the free induction decay (FID) (units being seconds) of a peak originating in the hydrogen atoms in the water molecules in the hydrogen nuclear magnetic resonance spectrum for the activated treated water and the free induction decay FID0 (units being seconds) of a peak originating in the hydrogen atoms in the water molecules in the hydrogen nuclear magnetic resonance spectrum for water that has not undergone activation treatment is 0.80 or less.

A method for high fluid shear processing of a fluid uses an isolator that has a first sub-chamber for containing a first fluid and a second sub-chamber for containing a second fluid defined by a separator positioned in the chamber and movable between a first end of the chamber and a second end of the chamber. The two sub-chambers are in pressure communication with each other but are not in fluid communication with each other. A first fluid is pumped at an ultrahigh pressure into the first-sub chamber, and the pressure in the first sub-chamber causes a second fluid to be processed to be discharged from the second sub-chamber into a processing valve. A system is also provided for performing the steps of this method.

A digital pressure canner and related methods of operation that provide for improved safety and consistency during a food canning process by reducing temperature over and undershoot. The digital pressure canner includes a digital control operating with inputs from digital sensors to accurately control the canning temperature during the canning process. By reducing over and undershoot of canning temperatures, foods within the pressure canner are maintained at temperatures sufficient to kill any bacteria or microorganisms for the entire canning cycle. In order to verify operation of the digital canner at sufficient canning temperatures, mechanical safety devices, for example, a pressure relief valve can be utilized in conjunction with digital controllers and sensors to provide audible and visual feedback to a user during the canning process.

Plug for high-pressure processing machines with a bag, comprising a duct for the passage of a pressure-transmitting fluid to the bag, another duct for filling and emptying of a product to be pressurized and a valve. The plug is further provided with a rod for opening and closing the valve. Said rod is located in the duct for the product and has its own inner duct joined to a cleaning agent chamber for the passage of the cleaning agent through the product duct. The invention also relates to a machine incorporating said plug and a method for the processing of pumpable substances. Hygienic design and very high pressure sealing requirements are met by the invention.