Digestion a thin-walled expanded portion of the alimentary tract used for the storage of food prior to digestion. In some birds it is an expanded, muscular pouch near the gullet or throat. In adult doves and pigeons, the crop can produce crop milk to feed newly hatched birds. Certain insects may have a crop or enlarged esophagus. Herbivores have evolved cecums (or an abomasum in the case of ruminants). Ruminants have a fore-stomach with four chambers. These are the rumen, reticulum, omasum, and abomasum. In the first two chambers, the rumen and the reticulum, the food is mixed with saliva and
Retort pouch in 1992. Retort pouches are used in field rations, space food, fish products camping food, instant noodles, and brands such as Capri Sun and Tasty Bite. Some varieties have a bottom gusset and are known as Stand-Up Pouches. The retort pouch was invented by the United States Army Natick R&D Command, Reynolds Metals Company, and Continental Flexible Packaging, who jointly received the Food Technology Industrial Achievement Award for its invention in 1978. Retortable pouches are extensively used by the U.S. military for field rations (called "Meals, Ready-to-Eat", or "MREs"). A retort pouch is constructed from a flexible metal-plastic laminate that