General Mills, Inc.

Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc.

Soumya Roy

Kellie Denson

Craig E Zimmermann

Jean L Weber

Daniel L Gordon

Gary S Bachand

Ann L Ryan

Madonna M Ray

Ryan Moriarty

Noman Khan

Barbara Vazquez Del Mercado

Jeffrey A Taylor

David Clancy

Bernhard H Van Lengerich

Philip K Zietlow

Harold L Mantius

Gregory Charles Flickinger

James L Stinson

Paul D Nordling

Bernhard Van Lengerich

Kelly S Schwenn (nee Rudd)

Chester A Baker

The present specification provides, in one aspect, a method of treating or inhibiting infection of a plant by a plant pathogen. The method includes contacting the plant with an amount of a cranberry composition effective to inhibit the plant pathogen. In another aspect, the present specification provides a composition for treatment of a plant disease. The composition includes a cranberry composition and a carrier that delivers the cranberry composition to at least a portion of a phloem of a citrus plant.

Compositions and methods for inhibiting plant pathogens

A method for producing a fruit or vegetable product, wherein the method consists essentially of (a) infusing a whole or sliced fruit or vegetable with an infusible molecule to between 10 and 55&#xb0; Brix; (b) pre-drying the whole or sliced fruit or vegetable at a temperature between 80&#xb0; C. and 120&#xb0; C. to produce a pre-dried fruit or vegetable; (c) exposing the pre-dried fruit or vegetable to freezing temperatures and to vacuum to a temperature between &#x2212;1&#xb0; C. and &#x2212;40&#xb0; C. and a pressure between 7.5 mmHg and 0.53 mmHg, thereby partially subliming the fruit or vegetable; (d) puffing the fruit or vegetable under vacuum between 0.1 mmHg and 600 mmHg at a temperature between 40&#xb0; C. and 110&#xb0; C.; (e) cooling the fruit or vegetable under vacuum to a temperature between 0&#xb0; C. and 40&#xb0; C., to thereby produce the fruit or vegetable product.

Fruit and vegetable products

The specification provides methods for extracting juice, anthocyanin, pectin, proanthocyanidin, and/or other phenolic compounds, from fruit material such as cranberry fruit, presscake, and/or pomace, through a sequential extraction procedure.

Subcritical water extraction of fruit material

The present specification provides, e.g., processes for infusing food bodies with infusion formulations, including long chain molecules such as soluble corn fiber, and provides food products infused with such formulations. Also provided are infusion formulations for performing such methods.

Infusion methods and products

Dough compositions that can be baked to provide baked articles (e.g., cinnamon rolls) having an extended shelf life of about 7 days or greater (e.g., about 14 days, about 21 days, or about 28 days or greater). The dough composition may be a developed dough compositions or an under-developed dough compositions. The dough compositions may include one or more shelf life enhancing agents.

Dough compositions for extended shelf life baked articles

A rolled food item () is fabricated by rolling a strip of support material () and food () about its leading end () into a roll. Prior to its rolling into the roll, a deposit () of water is sprayed onto the food () adjacent to the trailing end () to increase the tackiness of the food () sufficient to be adherable to the support material () in the roll to at least temporarily prevent unintentional unrolling of the roll during later fabrication operations. In the preferred form, the trailing end of the deposit () is coextensive with the trailing end () of the strip of support material () and food (). In one form, the side edges of the deposit () are spaced inwardly from the side edges of the food () which are spaced inwardly from the side edges of the support material ().

Labelless, rolled food item and its fabrication

Methods of preparing a gelled dried sweetened products comprise the steps in sequence of: providing a hot fluid gelable base blend at near finish % solids, and depositing the fluid gelable base blend into shaped cavities. The present methods can further comprise the steps of rapidly curing the base blend to form gelled shaped pieces; and, separating the gelled shaped pieces from the shaped cavities to form quantities of shaped pieces. Depositing a gelable base blend at near finish solids content is possible by completely hydrating any gel hydrocolloids prior to addition to other wet and dry ingredients.

Gel products forming system and methods of preparation

Improved, intermediate moisture sweetened gelled food compositions comprise: A) about 55 to 85% by weight nutritive carbohydrate sweeteners; B) sufficient amounts of a gelling system to provide a gel strength of about 1-8 kg/cm ; C) about 10% to 20% moisture. The gelling system comprises high methoxyl pectin and kappa carrageenan. The gelling system allows for a high solids level but a low viscosity when maintained above 130&deg; F. Also disclosed are methods for the preparation of such gelled products involving forming a hot fluid high solids gellable slurry, forming the hot fluid gellable slurry into pieces such as by starch molding and curing to form gelled food product in the form of pieces of about 1 to 5 g. By virtue of the high solids concentrations the duration of the curing step is greatly reduced.

Gel products with carrageenan

Topical applications are provided to the support material (16) before the deposit of the food (14) thereon or to the food (14) after the deposit of the food (14) on the support material (16). Thus, although the food (14) is continuously deposited on the support material (16), the characteristics of the food is varied by contact with the topical application. In the preferred form, the topical applications are in the form of flavors, colorants and/or fortification ingredients and especially temperature sensitive ingredients.

Food item and its fabricating methods

Disclosed are improved, intermediate moisture sweetened gelled food compositions fortified with calcium supplied by calcium phosphate. The gelled compositions comprise: A) about 55 to 85% by weight nutritive carbohydrate sweeteners; B) sufficient amounts of a gelling agent(s) to provide a gel strength of about 2-8 kg/cm.sup.2 ; C) about 50 to 1500 mg/oz total calcium; and D) about 9 to 20% moisture. Also disclosed are methods for the preparation of such fruit products involving forming a concentrated slurry of calcium phosphate having a particle size such that at least 90% are less than 150 .mu.m, forming a gellable blend and admixing the gellable composition with the slurry to form a gellable calcium fortofied composition and forming into desired shaped and sized pieces.

Growing community of inventors

Plainville, MA, United States of America

Soumya Roy