An apparatus includes a food product, at least one ingestible device associated with the food product to communicate information and at least one coating material surrounding the at least one ingestible device is disclosed. The ingestible device is associated with an ingestible medication to be ingested in conjunction with the food product. The coating is configured to release the at least one ingestible device upon the occurrence of an event.

A frozen food product is described to include frozen foodstuffs combined with a polysaccharide, protein, or other water absorber, individually or in combination, separated from the food stuff through one or more mechanisms including but not limited to, suspension of the polysaccharide, protein, or other water absorber in oil, encapsulation of the polysaccharide, protein, or other water absorber, or a dry mixture of the polysaccharide, protein, or other water absorber and seasoning applied to frozen foodstuffs. As the frozen foodstuffs are cooked, water expressed from the foodstuffs activates or hydrates the polysaccharide, protein, or other water absorber.

The present application describes a primer formulation which is sugar-free and composed from food safe materials. The primer compositions contain two or more surfactants. The primer compositions do not contain a whitening or opacifying agent, and the primer surface dries as a transparent film. The primer composition forms an excellent receiving layer for edible inks.

A product having an internal substance protected by a rugged exterior shell is disclosed. The internal substance is reactive with the exterior shell but is separated therefrom by a coating on an interior surface of the external shell so that the product can be stored for a long period of time without the internal substance reacting with the exterior shell. The coating is meltable so that, when desired, the product may be heated (e.g. immersed in hot water or exposed to heat) in order to melt the coating so that the internal substance can react with the external shell so that the internal substance can excrete out of the exterior shell.

This disclosure provides CaCO.sub.3 and/or ZnO-loaded microcapsules for use as whitening agents in foods, beverages, supplements, pharmaceutic products, cosmetic products, and personal care products.

The present invention relates to a new delivery system for PUFAs.

A shelf stable, edible sphere containing alcohol and methods for preparing the same. The edible sphere comprises a liquid and/or gel inner core comprising ethyl alcohol and an outer membrane comprising alginate, wherein the outer membrane coats and encapsulates the liquid and/or gel inner core and wherein the edible sphere is shelf stable for at least one month. The process for preparing the shelf stable, edible sphere comprises combining an alcoholic beverage, a calcium salt, and optionally one or more further components to form a cocktail solution, de-aerating and either freezing the cocktail solution to form a frozen cocktail solution or adding a thickening compound to the de-aerated cocktail solution to form a viscous cocktail solution, immersing the frozen cocktail solution or viscous cocktail solution in a sodium alginate bath at ambient temperature for a period of time to form an edible sphere containing alcohol, and removing the edible sphere containing alcohol from the alginate bath and rinsing it with water to form a shelf stable edible sphere.

A method of producing an aqueous solution of zein suitable for forming edible coatings includes combining zein with an alcohol-free, non-corrosive amphipathic carrier solvent (e.g., [1,3]-propanediol), and adding a surfactant (e.g., surfactin) thereto, forming a Phase I solution. The surfactant may be non-ionic or anionic as determined by the type of zein being used. The Phase I solution is combined with a Phase II aqueous solution including primarily water without alcohol to provide an aqueous coating solution of zein. A plasticizer (e.g., polyethylene glycol) or fatty acid (e.g., lauric acid) may be added to the Phase II solution to enhance the zein coating. The resulting coating solution may then be applied on food, and dried, to form an edible coating.

A fortified salt mixture includes sodium chloride salt grains and a multi-supplement food-additive admixed with the sodium chloride salt grains. The multi-supplement food additive includes particles, and each particle includes a core having a first supplement and a binder, a coating on the core, and a second supplement in the core and/or in the coating. A method for fortifying salt includes combining a first supplement, a second supplement, a binder and a coating to yield a multi-supplement food-additive; and admixing the multi-supplement food-additive with sodium chloride salt grains.