Systems and methods describe continuously and progressively hydrating material, such as food material for meat analogue products. First, material is provided to be conveyed through a material passage between an exterior tube and a rotating inner shaft, with the rotating inner shaft including one or more agitation and/or progression features. The progression features could be, e.g., a series of imbricated protruding filled paddles arranged in a helical pattern, while the agitation features could take the form of, e.g., unfilled hoops, hooks, or paddles. Concurrent to conveying and hydrating the material through the material passage, a number of lumps, clumps, and/or unhydrated pieces of the material are broken up via one or more agitation features configured to produce uniform hydration and consistent dispersal of the material. Also concurrently or subsequently, water is continuously and/or progressively provided to the material to produce hydrated material particles.

A screw feeder includes: a case that includes a material putting-in portion through which a fluff material is put in and a material putting-out portion through which the fluff material is put out below the material putting-in portion; and a screw that includes a rotational shaft and a blade portion, the rotational shaft being provided rotatably inside the case, the blade portion being spirally mounted on the rotational shaft; wherein the screw is rotated with repeated alternation of a slope-down direction in which the blade portion slopes downward spirally in a vertical direction and a slope-up direction in which the blade portion slopes upward spirally in the vertical direction.

A combined cleaning and stirring device for a distillation still comprises at least one hollow tube provided with at least one nozzle. The tube is adapted to place the at least one nozzle in fluid communication with a source of cleaning fluid, at least one stirring blade being fixed on said tube.

Provided is a mixing apparatus. The mixing apparatus comprises a housing defining a primary chamber, an inlet for receiving material into the mixing apparatus, as well as an outlet for discharging material from the mixing apparatus. The housing provides within the primary chamber a plurality of rotating shafts, each rotating shaft having a plurality of flailing fixtures associated therewith.

Provided is a mixing apparatus. The mixing apparatus comprises a housing defining a primary chamber, an inlet for receiving material into the mixing apparatus, as well as an outlet for discharging material from the mixing apparatus. The housing provides within the primary chamber a plurality of rotating shafts, each rotating shaft having a plurality of flailing fixtures associated therewith.

Systems and methods describe continuously and progressively hydrating material, such as food material for meat analogue products. First, material is provided to be conveyed through a material passage between an exterior tube and a rotating inner shaft, with the rotating inner shaft including one or more agitation and/or progression features. The progression features could be, e.g., a series of imbricated protruding filled paddles arranged in a helical pattern, while the agitation features could take the form of, e.g., unfilled hoops, hooks, or paddles. Concurrent to conveying and hydrating the material through the material passage, a number of lumps, clumps, and/or unhydrated pieces of the material are broken up via one or more agitation features configured to produce uniform hydration and consistent dispersal of the material. Also concurrently or subsequently, water is continuously and/or progressively provided to the material to produce hydrated material particles.

Systems and methods describe continuously and progressively hydrating material, such as food material for meat analogue products. First, material is provided to be conveyed through a material passage between an exterior tube and a rotating inner shaft, with the rotating inner shaft including one or more agitation and/or progression features. The progression features could be, e.g., a series of imbricated protruding filled paddles arranged in a helical pattern, while the agitation features could take the form of, e.g., unfilled hoops, hooks, or paddles. Concurrent to conveying and hydrating the material through the material passage, a number of lumps, clumps, and/or unhydrated pieces of the material are broken up via one or more agitation features configured to produce uniform hydration and consistent dispersal of the material. Also concurrently or subsequently, water is continuously and/or progressively provided to the material to produce hydrated material particles.

An oven comprises a cooking cavity, a stirring member extending, in use, into foodstuff contained in a vessel disposed in the cooking cavity as well as drive means to provide, in use, relative movement between the stirring member and the vessel. The oven comprises a displacement device to move the stirring member from outside the cooking cavity through an opening in a wall bounding the cooking cavity into the cooking cavity as well as, in use, into the vessel disposed in the cooking cavity.

An oven comprises a cooking cavity, a stirring member extending, in use, into foodstuff contained in a vessel disposed in the cooking cavity as well as drive means to provide, in use, relative movement between the stirring member and the vessel. The oven comprises a displacement device to move the stirring member from outside the cooking cavity through an opening in a wall bounding the cooking cavity into the cooking cavity as well as, in use, into the vessel disposed in the cooking cavity.

An oven comprises a cooking cavity, a stirring member extending, in use, into foodstuff contained in a vessel disposed in the cooking cavity as well as drive means to provide, in use, relative movement between the stirring member and the vessel. The drive means comprises means to rotate, in use, the vessel with respect to the stirring member about a rotating axis. The oven comprises a swivel means comprising a motor to swivel, in use, the stirring member by means of the motor about a swivel axis extending at an angle of between 60-120 degrees, preferably substantially perpendicular to the rotating axis.