Abstract:
A soy-containing chocolate product having qualities akin to milk chocolate. The chocolate product is prepared from a mixture of chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, a sweetener, and whole soybean powder. A method of making the chocolate product also is provided.
Abstract:
A process and an apparatus for converting liquid by-products, such as whey and permeates of whey, derived from cheese making processes into substantially free-flowing, non-caking powdery products. The process comprises the stages of vacuum evaporation of the whey to a solids content of 65-80%, crystallization of the whey concentrate and air drying the whey, wherein the main stream of initially cooled whey concentrate passing through stages of crystallization, is fed with a secondary and/or tertiary stream to be mixed with the main stream. The apparatus is provided with a secondary and/or a tertiary conduit for feeding a secondary and/or tertiary stream to the main stream in the main conduit connecting means for collection and pretreatment of whey, vacuum evaporation of the whey, crystallization of the whey concentrate and air drying the whey. The feeding of a secondary and/or tertiary stream reduces the sticky nature of whey, leading to whey that is more easy to handle during the processing, and resulting in less wear of the apparatus.
Abstract:
A hydrophobic semi-permeable membrane process (e.g., using hydrophobic microporous hollow fibers) for the concentration of a dilute solution of low osmotic pressure by osmotic distillation (also known as membrane distillation or membrane evaporation), which is a separation process using as its driving force the difference in the osmotic pressure between two fluids (e.g., fruit juice and seawater) separated by a hydrophobic semi-permeable membrane to achieve a concentration of the fluid having the lower osmotic pressure (.e., fruit juice). When coupled with reverse osmosis means there is provided a method for recovery of solvent (e.g., potable water) from the process, e.g., desalination of seawater. A process is also provided to recover part of the energy available between the two fluids i.e., between two different potential energies, due to the difference in osmotic pressure between the two fluids.
Abstract:
An apparatus for reducing the moisture content of liquid honey includes an enclosed housing with an upper inlet port and lower outlet port. Honey enters the inlet port and flows downward across a series of zig-zagged trays to the outlet port. Expanded metal screens on each tray spread the honey uniformly across the trays. A fan unit circulates air within the housing through an evaporator coil and heater, which dry and warm the air. The warm dry air absorbs moisture from the flowing honey.
Abstract:
A dasher is described for whipping fluid food products in a chamber. In this embodiment the dasher includes axially spaced frame members supported in the chamber and at least two cages mounted between the frame members. At least one of the cages is radially displaced from a longitudinal axis of the chamber. At least one of the cages is rotatable with respect to one of the other cages.
Abstract:
Simulated nutmeat products and other products having a nut-like texture are prepared by forming a homogeneous dispersion composed of minute droplets of fat or oil suspended in a continuous phase composed of a hydrophilic fiml-former such as an aqueous protein suspension and mixing the dispersion under conditions which exclude gas such as vacuum treatment of at least 10 inches of mercury or mixing in a closed vessel filled with the dispersion. The pieces are thereafter dried in air to bring the final moisture content to between 1 and 3.5 percent.
Abstract:
A fluidized bed of solid particles, for instance of spray dried milk, is formed along a funnel wall by conveying the particles supplied to the upper funnel edge from above along the wall or by a body of gas which is introduced through a plurality of slits in the wall preferably in a direction substantially tangential to the circular cross section thereof to form a gas vortex. The gas vortex is preferably so distributed that its velocity is in direct proportion to the diameter of the conical wall.