A process for the complete fractionation of cocoa beans with zero waste into various value-added ingredients, a composition having cocoa polyphones/procyanidins and soluble dietary fiber, and a water dispersible and sustained release formulation of cocoa polyphones with cocoa soluble dietary fiber capable of forming a colloidal dispersion of bioactive cocoa polyphones in gastric fluid.

A method for reducing level of contaminants from an object, the method comprises introducing the object into an ultrasonic (US) bath carrying an aqueous medium that holds, suspended therein, insoluble nanoparticles and activating said bath to apply US waves onto said object while the object is at least partially submerged within said aqueous medium.

Described is a method for preparing a nut paste, comprising the steps of: a) treating the surface of nutshells and/or non-shelled nuts to remove surface contaminants from the shell material; b) preparing a mixture comprising: b1) surface-treated non-shelled nuts, b2) shelled culinary nuts and surface-treated nutshells, and/or b3) shelled culinary nuts and surface-treated non-shelled nuts; and c) grinding the mixture to an average particle size of 500 m or less to provide a nut paste; wherein the mixture contains at least 0.05 wt.-% of surface-treated nutshell material based on the total weight of solids, and wherein the mixture does not contain added water. The method enables optimized extraction and yield of nutritionally beneficial components of both nut kernels and nut shells while enabling fast and inexpensive processing. In addition, a nut paste obtainable by the aforementioned method and the use of surface-treated nut shells and/or surface-treated non-shelled nuts in ground form as filler material in the preparation of food is described.

Described is a method for preparing a nut paste, comprising the steps of: a) treating the surface of nutshells and/or non-shelled nuts to remove surface contaminants from the shell material; b) preparing a mixture comprising: b1) surface-treated non-shelled nuts, b2) shelled culinary nuts and surface-treated nutshells, and/or b3) shelled culinary nuts and surface-treated non-shelled nuts; and c) grinding the mixture to an average particle size of 500 m or less to provide a nut paste; wherein the mixture contains at least 0.05 wt.-% of surface-treated nutshell material based on the total weight of solids, and wherein the mixture does not contain added water. The method enables optimized extraction and yield of nutritionally beneficial components of both nut kernels and nut shells while enabling fast and inexpensive processing. In addition, a nut paste obtainable by the aforementioned method and the use of surface-treated nut shells and/or surface-treated non-shelled nuts in ground form as filler material in the preparation of food is described.

A liquid nitrogen quick-freezing preservation method for fresh bamboo shoots. The method includes performing a coating treatment on cuts of fresh bamboo shoots, which reduces the moisture loss through the cuts, slows down the degree of lignification of the bamboo shoots, mitigates color changes at the cuts, inhibits excessively fast reproduction of microorganisms at the cuts and prevents invasion of microorganisms from the cuts, so that a decrease in nutritional value is reduced, the deterioration of the appearance quality of the bamboo shoots is mitigated, and the nutritional value and commodity value of the bamboo shoots are maintained. The method further includes an intermittent ultrasonic treatment on the fresh bamboo shoots, so that coating substances form films on the surfaces of the cuts more easily, preventing the fresh bamboo shoots from being eroded by microorganisms and preventing nutrient substances from being decomposed and utilized by the microorganisms.

A liquid nitrogen quick-freezing preservation method for fresh bamboo shoots. The method includes performing a coating treatment on cuts of fresh bamboo shoots, which reduces the moisture loss through the cuts, slows down the degree of lignification of the bamboo shoots, mitigates color changes at the cuts, inhibits excessively fast reproduction of microorganisms at the cuts and prevents invasion of microorganisms from the cuts, so that a decrease in nutritional value is reduced, the deterioration of the appearance quality of the bamboo shoots is mitigated, and the nutritional value and commodity value of the bamboo shoots are maintained. The method further includes an intermittent ultrasonic treatment on the fresh bamboo shoots, so that coating substances form films on the surfaces of the cuts more easily, preventing the fresh bamboo shoots from being eroded by microorganisms and preventing nutrient substances from being decomposed and utilized by the microorganisms.