1. An explosion-proof housing for containing an electrical meter having a visual display comprising:
a first housing portion having a first sidewall with an inner face defining a first chamber having an open end, a closed top having a transparent window, and a first threaded portion about the open end of the first sidewall;
a second housing portion having:
a second sidewall with an inner face defining a second chamber having an open end and a closed bottom portion, the bottom portion having a mounting surface and at least one mounting flange integral therewith and operative to attach the housing to a mounting structure;
at least one port integral with the second sidewall and communicating with the second chamber and to which an electrical conduit can be attached;
a second threaded portion about the open end of the second sidewall that is matable with the first threaded portion to provide an air andor water-tight seal between the first and second housing portions; and
a plurality of elongated ribs that are spaced apart about the periphery of the inner face of the second sidewall;
wherein each of the spaced apart ribs is integral with or fixedly attached to the inner face of the second sidewall and extends laterally from the inner face of the second sidewall into the second chamber and longitudinally from the open end of the chamber to the bottom of the second chamber, each end of the respective ribs facing the open end of the second chamber defining a mounting surface; and
an inner mounting assembly for supporting the electrical meter in the second housing portion, and having a first peripheral wall including a plurality of recesses about the periphery thereof configured to be slidably fitted around and cooperative with the plurality of ribs to orient the inner mounting assembly and the electrical meter supported thereon in the second housing portion in different rotational positions in the second chamber, at least some of the recesses having a mounting end attachable to the mounting surface of respective ones of the ribs to secure the inner mounting assembly to the second housing portion in an intended rotational position such that the electrical meter supported in the housing is in a readable orientation irrespective of the orientation of the housing mounted to a mounting structure.
2. The housing as recited in claim 1, wherein the first housing portion includes a locking device for fixedly attaching the second housing portion to the first housing portion.
3. The housing as recited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of bosses comprises four bosses.
4. The housing as recited in claim 1 wherein the ribs are integral with the inner face of the second sidewall and each includes a threaded opening in the end facing the open end of the second chamber.
5. The housing as recited in claim 1 wherein the inner mounting assembly includes a second peripheral portion outward of the first peripheral wall and having one or more openings to accommodate the electrical meter on the second peripheral portion.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method for supply of a starter culture with a consistent quality comprising the steps of:
(i) supply of a stock inoculum material comprising a concentrate of starter culture organism cells;
(ii) use of, for subsequent production of starter cultures, a subset of said stock inoculum material for direct inoculatiion of a cultivation medium with said starter culture organism;
(iii) propagation of the cells of the starter culture organism for a period of time adjusted sufficiently in size to produce a desired amount of said cells; and
(iv) harvest of the propagated cells to provide a starter culture.
2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the stock inoculum material provided in step (i) is in quantities sufficient to inoculate at least 50,000 liters of cultivation medium.
3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the concentrate provided in step (i) contains at least 108 CFU per g.
4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the subset of the stock inoculum material in step (ii) is directly inoculated in the cultivation medium at a rate of maximum 0.1%.
5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the amount of the subset of the stock inoculum material for direct inoculation of the cultivation medium in step (ii) provides a ratio of the CFU per g of cultivation medium, immediately after inoculation, relative to the CFU per g of the subset of the stock inoculum material to be inoculated, said ratio being in the range from 1:100 to 1:100,000.
6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the cultivation medium immediately after the inoculation in step (ii) contains a number of CFU per g of cultivation medium which is at least 105.
7. A method according to any of the claims of 1 to 6, wherein the cultivation medium in step (ii) does not substantially or entirely consist of whole milk, but at least partially of skimmed milk or cream.
8. A method according to any of the claims of 1 to 7, wherein the stock inoculum material andor the subset of the stock inoculum material is in a state selected from the group consisting of a liquid, frozen and dried state.
9. A method according to claim 8, wherein the frozen subset of the stock inoculum material is thawed before the addition to the cultivation medium in step (ii).
10. A method according to claim 8, wherein the subset of the stock inoculum material is combined with an aqueous medium to obtain a suspension of the cells before adding it to the cultivation medium in step (ii).
11. A method according to any of the claims of 1 to 10, wherein the subset of the stock inoculum material in step (ii) is added under aseptical conditions or under substantially aseptical conditions to the cultivation medium.
12. A method according to any of the claims of 1 to 11, wherein the stock inoculum material is provided in sealed enclosures.
13. A method according to claim 12, wherein the sealed enclosures are made of a flexible material selected from the group consisting of a polyolefin, a substituted olefin, a copolymer of ethylene, a polypropylene, a polyethylene, a polyester, a polycarbonate, a polyamide, an acrylonitrile and a cellulose derivative.
14. A method according to claim 12, wherein the sealed enclosures are made of a flexible material comprising a metal foil.
15. A method according to claim 12, wherein the sealed enclosures have a cubic content of at least 0.01 liter.
16. A method according to claim 12, wherein the sealed enclosures are provided with outlet means for connection of the enclosure to the container comprising the liquid cultivation medium, said outlet means permitting the concentrate of cells to be introduced substantically aseptically into the container to inoculate the liquid cultivation medium with said concentrate.
17. A method according to any of the claims of 1 to 16, wherein the starter culture organism in step (i) originates from a species selected from the group consisting of a lactic acid bacterial species, a Bifidobacterium species, a Propionibacterium species, a Staphylococcus species, a Micrococcus species, a Bacillus species, an Enterobacteriaceae species including E. coli an Actinomycetes species, a Corynebacterium species, a Brevibacterium species, a Pediococcus species, a Pseudomonas species, a Sphingomonas species, a Mycobacterium species, a Rhodococcus species, a fungal species and a yeast species.
18. A method according to claim 17, wherein the lactic acid bacterial species is selected from the group consisting of Lactococcus spp., Lactobacillus spp., Leuconostoc spp., Pediococcus spp., Oenococcus spp. and Streptococcus spp.
19. A method according to any of the claims of 1 to 18, wherein the stock inoculum material in step (i) comprises at least two starter culture strains.
20. A method according to any of the claims of 1 to 19, wherein the starter culture is selected from industries from the group consisting of the food, feed and pharmaceutical industry.
21. A method according to any of the claims of 1 to 20, wherein the starter culture is used for inoculation of milk which is further processed to obtain a dairy product, which is selected from the group consisting of cheese, yoghurt, butter, inoculated sweet milk and a liquid fermented milk product.
22. A method according to any of the claims of 1 to 21, wherein the cells being propagated in the cultivation medium express a desired gene product or produce a desired product.
23. A method according to claim 22, wherein the desired gene product is selected from the group consisting of enzymes, pharmaceutically active substances, polysaccharides and amino acids.
24. A method according to claim 22, wherein the desired product is selected from the group consisting of pigments, flavouring compounds, emulsifiers, vitamins, growth-stimulating compounds, food additives and feed additives.