The United States of America As Represented by the Secretary of

United States of America, As Represented by the Secretary of Agriculture

Michael F Kozempel

James C Craig, Jr

Neil M Goldberg

Kevin B Hicks

Wolfgang K Heiland

Arthur I Morgan

Michael F Dallmer

E Richard Radewonuk

Richard J Cook

Michael J Kurantz

Stanley Elias

The killing of microorganisms on the surface of porous and non-porous materials including agricultural commodities is accomplished by use of methods and apparatus which expose the material to controlled applications of a biocidal treatment gas into a sub-atmospheric environment. The material is first exposed to a vacuum then, without an intervening flush step, full treated with an air-free treatment gas prior to being re-exposed to a vacuum. The method and apparatus successfully kill microorganisms both on the surface and within the pores or structural recesses of the material without causing significant deleterious changes to the material.

Method and apparatus for surface treatment of materials

Conventional food treatment processes utilized for food preservation generally involve heat treatment and usually result in some degree of thermal damage. A process has been developed for the non-thermal treatment of liquid food products which results in a significant reduction in the microbial population, thus reducing spoilage and extending shelf life. The novel process involves the rapid application of electromagnetic energy (EME), such as microwave or radio frequency energy, and the simultaneous removal of any thermal energy which may be generated by the process through the use of circulating cooling medium and an efficient heat exchanger.

Non-thermal energy treatment for the reduction of microbial population

A method is described for the preparation of lactulose by isomerizing lactose to lactulose, followed by complexing lactulose to boric acid. The isomerization reaction is carried out in alkaline solution, and it is followed by splitting the lactulose-borate complex in acidic solution and separating the two components. Separation is achieved by crystallizing boric acid, filtering the crystals out of the product mixture, evaporating the product mixture to form a concentrate, recirculating the concentrate to the crystallization step where it is mixed with fresh reaction mixture in order to provide volume and nuclei for the crystallization of the boric acid in the reaction mixture, then passing the resulting mixture through another filtration step followed by an additional separation step by column chromatography.

Continuous process for the production of lactulose from lactose using

Disclosed are processes and apparatus utilizing, choke means at least partially providing restriction to passage of material and measurement of magnitude of force(s) exterted on said choke means by passage of material, to provide: (1) an indication of characteristics of the material, and/or; (2) control of said passage of material and/or control or processes or apparatus associated with said passage of material in response to the magnitude of the measured force(s).

Process and apparatus for extrusion utilizing force measurement means

Edible tallow is continuously processed through a crystallizing system to produce three fractions, one of which has physical and thermal properties like those of cocoa butter. Nominal residence time of the crystallizing solution in the system at steady state crystallizing temperature is less than ten minutes.

Continuous fractionation of tallow and production of a cocoa butter-like

A continuous process for the preparation of isopropenyl stearate in which a comelt of stearic acid and zinc stearate is pumped through a reaction zone simultaneously with stabilized propyne. Total reaction time is about 10 minutes.

Growing community of inventors

Hatfield, PA, United States of America

Michael F Kozempel