Kellogg Company

Graceland Fruit, Inc.

Michael N Bauman

Gerry I Johnson

Decai Zhang

Nancy Esterline

Doyle Tankersley

Chris L Willoughby

Nirmal K Sinha

Hillis O Kauffman

Meena Sinha

Harold G Gobble

Douglas R Zimmermann

David C Ours

Randall L Cary

Hillis Kaufman

Disclosed is a scarified, whole, dried, infused, buoyant cranberry. Further a process for preparing the cranberry is disclosed. The process includes sizing individually quick frozen cranberries by collecting those that pass through a mesh screen with 16 millimeter openings and that are retained on a mesh screen with openings of 9 millimeters. The sized cranberries are then scarified and infused in an infusion solution having a Brix of from 40 to 80 at a temperature of from 29 to 44&#xb0; C.&#xb1;5&#xb0; C. until the cranberries have a Brix of at least about 40. The cranberries are removed from the infusion solution and dried at a temperature of from 73 to 85&#xb0; C. until they have a water activity level of from 0.25 to 0.6 and a buoyancy of at least 30%.

Scarified infused dried buoyant cranberries and method for making same

Disclosed is a peeled whole dried infused buoyant cranberry. Further a process for preparing the cranberry is disclosed. The process includes sizing individually quick frozen cranberries by collecting those that pass through a mesh screen with 16 millimeter openings and that are retained on a mesh screen with openings of 9 millimeters. The sized cranberries are then peeled and infused in an infusion solution having a Brix of from 40 to 80 at a temperature of from 29 to 44&#xb0; C.&#xb1;5&#xb0; C. until the cranberries have a Brix of at least about 40. The cranberries are removed from the infusion solution and dried at a temperature of from 73 to 85&#xb0; C. until they have a water activity level of from 0.25 to 0.6 and a buoyancy of at least 30%. The final dried infused cranberry preferably has a Brix of 76 to 84.

Peeled infused dried buoyant cranberries and method for making same

A method for filling a flexible container with a flowable material is provided, including the steps of filling the flexible container, suspending the flexible container, transferring the weight of the flexible container from being suspended to being supported by a support surface, and applying a hoop force to the flexible container to substantially maintain a configuration of the flexible container. The flexible container can be a bag-type container for containing flowable material such as chemicals, food products, agricultural products, and plastic pellets. As the container is lowered from the suspended position to a bottom-supported position, the hoop force is applied around the perimeter as the perimeter changes during transfer of the flexible container from being suspend to being bottom-supported. The hoop force can be applied by stretch wrap. Alternatively, the first flexible container can be lowered into a second flexible container. The second flexible container can be formed from a heat shrinkable material and the second flexible container can be shrunk at the perimeter as the perimeter changes. Alternatively, the second flexible container can be a stretchable bag. A stretched portion of the stretchable bag can be released substantially at the perimeter to generate the hoop force.

Growing community of inventors

Battle Creek, MI, United States of America

Michael N Bauman