CN111169677B

CN111169677B - Apparatus, system and method for filling packages with solid food products

Info

Publication number: CN111169677B
Application number: CN201911099893.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 卡琳·伯格; 彼得·拉尔森; 弗雷德里克·尼尔松
Original assignee: Tetra Laval Holdings and Finance SA
Current assignee: Tetra Laval Holdings and Finance SA
Priority date: 2018-11-12
Filing date: 2019-11-12
Publication date: 2023-05-30
Anticipated expiration: 2039-11-12
Also published as: CN111169677A; ES2909001T3; EP3650359A1; EP3650359B1; WO2020099195A1; CN212333018U

Abstract

A device (1) for filling at least one package (10) with a first volume of solid food is provided. The device (1) comprises: a pump (4) operatively connected to a product tank (2) containing a solid food product; at least one filling head (8) operatively connected to the pump (4); a valve (7) configured to selectively connect the pump (4) to the product tank (2) or the filling head (8); and a control unit (9) configured to control the valve (7) to connect the pump (4) to the product tank (2) or the filling head (8) and to control the pump (4) to supply a first volume of solid food to the filling head (8), wherein the control unit (9) is further configured to control the pump (4) to draw a volume of solid food from the product tank (2) that is greater than the first volume and to output an excess volume back to the product tank (2). A system (20) and method (100) for filling at least one package (10) with a solid food product are also provided.

Description

Apparatus, system and method for filling packages with solid food products

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an apparatus, system and method for filling packages. More particularly, the present invention relates to devices, systems and methods for filling packages with food particles.

Background

Today, there are several known techniques for filling packages with liquid foods (e.g. soups, purees, juices and sauces). A standard pump, in combination with a standard volume measurement, can be used to move a liquid or substance of sufficiently low viscosity from the product reservoir to the package in order to control the amount of product filled.

However, filling packaging with food in the form of food particles (e.g. mushrooms, fruits, peas or beans) is usually done in two steps; first, the solid part of the food product (i.e. the actual mushrooms/fruits/etc.) is filled, and then a second step of filling with brine or syrup or the like is performed. In particular, the first part has proven to be very difficult to automate, as air pockets occupy an unknown amount of volume between individual food particles. Today, solid food is often filled in volumetric bag filling machines, or manual filling is performed. Even for an automatic filling process, manual adjustment after filling is often necessary. The weigh filling machine can also be used for certain types of solid food products, thereby achieving better filling accuracy. To some extent, prior art systems can successfully fill the package with food particles. However, such machines cannot be used to accurately fill viscous, irregularly shaped, somewhat fragile, spongy or moist food particles or pieces without requiring manual adjustment after filling.

Disclosure of Invention

It is an object of the present invention to at least partially overcome one or more of the above identified limitations of the prior art. In particular, it is an object to provide an apparatus, a method and a system for filling packages with solid food products in an improved and more accurate manner.

Preferably, food particles such as flaked mushrooms are transported on a conveyor into a filling tank. Advantageously, the mushrooms should contain as little moisture/humidity as possible when reaching the filling machine. According to some embodiments described herein, mushrooms are drawn from a filling tank into a piston pump controlled by a servo motor. When filling a piston pump from a tank, the stroke of the piston is about 40-80% longer than the stroke required for the desired filling amount, for example 50% longer. A retraction stroke of a nominal or desired filling amount is performed before switching the piston pump connection from the canister to the filling nozzle. The retraction stroke compresses the product in the piston and forces out the air between the food particles. The profile and acceleration of the piston movement can be controlled in order to accurately control the filling process. During filling, i.e. when the piston pump discharges the desired filling quantity to the filling nozzle, the piston pump can be emptied through the filling head, which can be closed if necessary to cut out the food particles. Other filling machines may be used to add brine/liquid to the package.

According to a first aspect of the invention, the above and other objects of the invention are achieved in whole or at least in part by a device for filling at least one package with a first volume of solid food. The device comprises: a pump operatively connected to a product tank containing the solid food; at least one fill head operatively connected to the pump; a valve configured to selectively connect the pump to the product tank or the fill head; and a control unit configured to control the valve to connect the pump to the product tank or the filling head and to control the pump to supply the first volume of solid food to the filling head, wherein the control unit is further configured to control the pump to draw a volume of solid food from the product storage tank greater than the first volume and to output an excess volume to the product storage tank.

The advantage of the product flow into and out of the pump is that it makes the product more homogenous (homogeneous), which means that air is expelled, so that the volume measurement becomes more standardized and the product is easier to handle.

The pump may be a reciprocating pump.

An advantage of the reciprocating pump is that it can be easily scaled according to the first volume to be filled.

The pump may comprise a piston.

The advantage of the piston is that it increases the efficiency of the pump.

The device may comprise a motor, such as a servo motor, for actuating the piston.

The advantage of the motor is that it allows to increase the speed of the piston and to control it automatically. This is especially true when the control unit is used to control the movement of the piston according to a software profile adapted to fill a specific food particle. In this way, potentially any solid product with a corresponding software profile for the movement of the piston stored in the control unit or some external memory accessible to the control unit can be accurately filled into the container described previously. The software profile has the function of controlling the movement of the motor and thus the movement of the piston.

The excess volume of solid food extracted from the product tank may be between 40-80% of the first volume to be filled.

The advantage of this interval is that the inventors of the present application have found that it maximizes the air exiting while maintaining high speed and efficiency.

The first volume to be filled may correspond to the volume of solid food to be filled in only one package.

The advantage of this volume is that it enables a simpler filling head and a simpler operable connection between the filling head and the tank, thus making the valve simpler.

According to a second aspect, a system for filling at least one package with a solid food is provided. The system comprises an apparatus according to the first aspect; a product tank containing the solid food; at least one nozzle for pouring liquid into the at least one package; and a sealer for sealing the at least one package. Optionally, the system further comprises a heater for cooking the at least one package.

The advantage of this system is that it allows an efficient cooperation of the different components and results in a complete, steamed food package for consumption.

The system may include at least one liquid tank operatively connected to the at least one nozzle.

An advantage of the liquid tank is that it supplies the nozzle in a simple and efficient manner.

The system may include a conveyor for storing the solid food product in the product tank.

The advantage of the conveyor belt is that it can rapidly transport any solid food product.

According to a third aspect, a method for filling at least one package with a solid food is provided. The method comprises the following steps: inputting a volume of solid food product greater than a first volume to be filled into the pump; returning the excess volume to the product tank; and supplying the first volume of solid food to be filled to a filling head.

The advantage of the product flow into and out of the pump is that it makes the product more homogenous, which means that air is expelled, so that the volume measurement becomes more standardized and the product is easier to handle.

The method may comprise the step of storing solid food in the product tank.

The method may comprise the step of pouring the liquid into the at least one package.

The method may comprise the step of sealing the at least one package.

The method may comprise the step of cooking the at least one package.

Other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings.

Drawings

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an apparatus for filling at least one package with a solid food product according to an embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of an apparatus for filling at least two packages with a solid food product according to another embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a system for filling at least one package with a solid food product according to an embodiment; and

fig. 4 is a schematic view of a method for filling at least one package with a solid food product according to one embodiment.

Detailed Description

Referring to fig. 1, there is shown an apparatus 1 for filling at least one package 10 with a first volume of solid food (i.e. food particles). Package 10 may be a cardboard box, a metal can, a plastic bottle, or any other suitable package for food products. In the most preferred embodiment, package 10 is a retortable carton package designed for shelf stable products such as vegetables, beans, tomatoes, pet foods, soups and spices that are conventionally filled in cans, glass cans or pouches. Such carton packages are commercially available and are known as rilieri

For the device 1 of fig. 1, the food particles may for example comprise mushrooms, fruit pieces or meat pieces. The solid food is heterogeneous and contains product chunks or particles with air pockets in between. The solid food may have a certain amount of liquid, for example between 0-20% liquid, as long as the result is heterogeneous. The solid food is typically packaged in brine or another type of liquid (e.g., syrup) that is added to at least one package 10 at a later stage, as discussed below with reference to fig. 3.

The device 1 comprises a pump 4, said pump 4 being operatively connected to a product tank 2 containing solid food product, i.e. a solid portion of the food product. The pump 4 may be a reciprocating pump capable of extracting solid food from the product tank 2. The advantage of a reciprocating pump is that it is very convenient to scale with varying filling amounts of solid food. The scaling may be, for example, a slave scaling. In this way, one device 1 can be used for any number of filling volumes or packaging volumes. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the volume of the package 10 need not be the same as or even proportional to the fill volume.

Preferably, the pump 4 pumps at a fast and efficient speed and acceleration without causing any damage to the product. Preferably, the pump 4 is operated automatically.

The purpose of the pump 4 is to withdraw the solid food product from the product tank 2 and to subsequently deliver the withdrawn solid food product to the package 10. The filling quantity, i.e. the volume of solid food to be delivered to the package 10, is from now on denoted as first volume.

Another function of the pump 4 is to temporarily store solid food products while measuring the amount of product to be filled. Thus, the pump 4 is made of a material suitable for periodically containing solid food (for example plastic, glass or metal) and is shaped for example substantially like a ball, a box, a cylinder or a tube.

The pump 4 is configured to hold a volume of solid food product that is greater than the first volume (i.e., the volume to be filled in the package 10). When solid food is pumped into the pump 4, a volume of solid food greater than the first volume enters the pump 4. The excess volume (i.e. the difference between the withdrawn volume and the first volume) is then discharged from the pump 4 back to the product tank 2.

Thus, the excess volume is the difference between the input/extracted volume and the first volume to be filled. The output of excess volume back towards the product tank 2 does not necessarily mean that the product will reach the product tank 2. The excess volume of the output product may instead be temporarily stored in the connecting tube, for example.

This process compresses the solid food to primarily expel air from the air pockets to achieve a more homogenous and compact solid food product. This means that by extracting additional volume and then outputting the additional volume, the final volume of the product is the same as without the additional step, the final content effectively fills the volume and can be used as a rational measure.

In one embodiment, the volume extracted is 40-60% greater than the first volume to be filled. In another embodiment, the volume extracted is about 50% of the first volume to be filled.

The device 1 further comprises at least one filling head 8 operatively connected to the pump 4. The filling head 8 is configured to dispense the solid food product supplied by the pump 4 into at least one package 10. The filling head 8 may be, for example, a nozzle, a funnel or a pipe opening.

Preferably, the filling head 8 ensures that all solid food supplied by the pump 4 is filled into the at least one package 10 by using a feedback system such as a sensor or the like or simply by designing the filling head 8 such that spillage and loss are prevented.

The device 1 further comprises a valve 7, said valve 7 being configured to selectively connect the pump 4 to the product tank 2 or to the filling head 8. Preferably, the valve 7 is a passive component that does not affect the flow. The valve 7 may be, for example, a branch pipe with a mechanical switch or a set of plugs blocking different paths depending on its position. The valve 7 may allow flow into or out of one or more pumps 4.

Preferably, valve 7 connects pump 4 to product tank 2 to allow solid food to flow between product tank 2 and pump 4 while product is drawn into pump 4 while excess product is output back to product tank 2, as previously described. For modern filling operations, this process typically requires about half a second.

Note that valve 7 allows product to flow from product tank 2 to pump 4, and from pump 4 to product tank 2. In different embodiments, the valve 7 may be arranged to allow flow in both directions simultaneously or to switch between allowing flow in both directions at different times.

Once excess product is output from the pump 4, the valve 7 is preferably switched to connect the pump 4 to the fill head 8 to allow flow between the pump 4 and the fill head 8. This enables the correct amount of solid food contained in the pump 4 to be filled by the filling head 8 into the package 10. For modern filling operations, this process typically requires about half a second.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 1, the pump 4 comprises a piston 5 for controlling the flow of solid food between the product tank 2 and the pump 4.

During the stroke, the piston 5 will first drive a flow of solid food product into the pump 4 and by changing direction push the piston 5 forward, thereby outputting the product from the pump 4 towards the product tank 2 or to the filling head 8.

Preferably, the piston 5 moves with a fast and efficient speed and acceleration, but without damaging the product.

The device 1 may further comprise a motor 6 for driving the piston 5. The motor 6 may be integrated into or arranged in combination with the pistons 5 and may be arranged to actuate one or more pistons 5. The motor 6 may be controlled manually or automatically. The motor 6 may be, for example, a stepper motor or an electric motor, preferably a servo motor.

The device 1 further comprises a control unit 9, said control unit 9 being configured to control the valve 7 to connect the pump 4 to the product tank 2; controlling the pump 4 to withdraw from the product tank 2 a volume of solid food greater than the first volume to be filled, and then to output an excess volume back to the product tank 2; a control valve 7 connects the pump 4 to a filling head 8; and controlling the pump 4 to supply a first volume of solid food to the filling head 8.

The control unit 9 may be further configured to control the operation of the one or more pistons 5 and/or the one or more motors 6 in order to engage the pistons 5 with the pump 4.

The control unit 9 may be further configured to control the operation of the one or more filling heads 8 in order to activate the filling of the solid food product, monitor and react to the feedback system, and/or control the processing means, as previously discussed.

The control unit 9 may be implemented as one or more processors (CPU) or Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC). It may be a single unit or divided into several parts. A control unit 9 may be configured to control the operation of any number of valves 7, pumps 4, pistons 5, motors 6 and/or filling heads 8.

By using a feedback system, the control unit 9 may be fully automated in order to control the device 1 in the most efficient way. The control unit 9 may have a semi-manual change control, such as a package volume control, by using a user interface, such as a control panel or the like.

The control unit 9 is preferably configured to accurately control the movement profile of the piston 5, both in terms of speed and acceleration, and in terms of defining the end position of the piston 5 (i.e. the end position corresponding to the larger volume, and the intermediate position corresponding to the first volume to be filled). Since the piston 5 is preferably driven by a servo motor, the control unit 9 communicates with the servo motor to follow a software profile for each type of food particle suitable for filling. Such control will improve the filling operation in terms of accuracy and speed.

Fig. 2 shows another embodiment of the device 1, wherein two devices 1 are arranged with certain shared components in order to increase efficiency. The skilled person will appreciate that any number of devices 1 may be arranged with any number of shared components.

Fig. 2 shows two pumps 4, each comprising a piston 5. Although not shown, two or more pumps 4 may be arranged to share the same piston 5. Only one of the pistons 5 is equipped with a motor 6, in this embodiment the motor 6 is configured to actuate both pistons 5.

Two filling heads 8 are shown, each filling a respective package 10. One filling head 8 may for example be arranged with a plurality of nozzles or openings, each configured to fill one package 10.

In one embodiment, the first volume to be filled corresponds to the volume of solid food to be filled in only one package 10. In this case, preferably one filling head 8 is used per package 10 to be filled.

Preferably, the first volume to be filled output by each pump 4 does not change between the pump 4 and the respective package 10 to be filled. For this purpose, it is beneficial to keep the number of pumps 4 and filling heads 8 the same while scaling the system 20. Each filling head 8 may then be configured to accurately fill one volume to be filled into any number of packages 10 using known methods to ensure that each package 10 receives the same amount of solid food product.

Fig. 2 further shows two valves 7, each connected to a respective pump 4 and a respective filling head 8. However, each valve 7 is connected to the same product tank 2 (not shown). The skilled person will appreciate that more than one valve 7 may share any two or more connections.

Preferably, however, the valve 7 maintains a direct connection between the pump 4 and the respective filling head 8 to ensure that the first volume to be filled of each pump 4 output does not change as discussed above.

Fig. 2 shows a control unit 9 controlling two valves 7 and a motor 6. Although all of these components may be controlled by one control unit 9 each, one skilled in the art will recognize that it may be more efficient for one control unit 9 to control all of the components as desired.

Fig. 3 shows a system 20 for filling at least one package 10 with a solid food product. The system 20 comprises a device 1 for filling at least one package 10 with a first volume of solid food, which is similar to the device 1 of fig. 1 and will therefore not be described again.

The system 20 comprises a product tank 2 containing a solid food product. As previously described, the product tank 2 is connected to the pump 4 via a valve 7. The product tank 2 may be any tank suitable for storing solid food products, made of a material suitable for containing solid food products (such as plastic, glass or metal) and shaped for example substantially like a sphere, a box, a cylinder or a tube.

The product tank 2 may be of any size, for example 0.1-5 litres, 5-10 litres, 10-20 litres and 20-100 litres. Regardless of size, restocking (restocking) may ultimately be required. The storage may be performed manually or automatically. If automatic, any means suitable for transporting solid food products may be used, such as screws, vibrating hoppers or conveyor belts 3.

It may be beneficial to treat the solid food before it is stored in the product tank 2. For example, the dryer 13 may be arranged with means suitable for transportation to dry the product when stored. Other processing stations 11-15 are also possible. Other examples of processing include shaping, mashing, cutting or coating.

However, the dryer 13 is not necessary for the described system 20. In such an embodiment, a conveyor or any other type of transport should ensure that the food particles are thoroughly discharged when reaching the filling device 1. When a conveyor is used, it may have holes to expel the food product.

After filling the at least one package 10, further processing may be beneficial. The embodiment of fig. 3 shows a conveyor belt 3 in which packages 10 are handled in a specific order at different handling stations 11-15. The different processing stations 11-15 may be processed in any order and any station may be omitted. Each processing station 11-15 may process any number of packages 10 at a time, and any number of processing stations 11-15 may process the same package 10 at the same time.

The different processing stations 11-15 may be part of different machines or integrated into one machine. The packages 10 may be transported in some way (e.g. by hand or by conveyor 3) between the different processing stations 11-15. Additionally or alternatively, the different treatment stations 11-15 may be transported to the package 10; additionally or alternatively, the different processing stations 11-15 may be arranged to process the packages 10 without any transport.

The nozzle 11 may be used to pour liquid into at least one package 10. The liquid is brine or syrup. The nozzle 11 may be any opening suitable for delivering a liquid (similar to the way the filling head 8 delivers a solid food product) to the package 10.

The nozzle 11 may be operatively connected to at least one liquid tank 12. The liquid tank 12 may be any tank suitable for storing liquid, made of a material suitable for containing liquid (e.g. plastic, glass or metal) and shaped, for example, substantially like a sphere, a box, a cylinder or a tube. Different liquid tanks 12 may contain different liquids. The liquid tank 12 may or may not be integrated with the nozzle 11. One liquid tank 12 may be centrally connected to any number of nozzles 11, and additionally or alternatively each nozzle 11 may have its own liquid tank 12.

The sealer 14 may be used to seal at least one package 10. Sealer 14 may seal package 10 using, for example, adhesive, pressure, fastening means, heat, or electricity. The package 10 may need to be folded prior to sealing, which may be accomplished by the sealer 14 or another processing station.

The heater 15 may be used to cook at least one package 10. The heater 15 may heat the package 10 to between 100-130 c.

The control unit 9 of the device 1 for filling at least one package 10 may further be used for controlling any number of components of the system 20, such as the different processing stations 11-15 and/or the conveyor belt 3. The feedback system may be implemented at the system level to allow the control unit 9 to automatically control the system 20.

The system 20 may further comprise a user interface (not shown) to allow a user to interface with the control unit 9 and thus with the system 20. The user interface may, for example, be configured to allow a user to change the first volume or excess volume/stroke length of the solid food product, to adjust the speed of the filling operation, or to stop or resume the filling operation.

Fig. 4 illustrates a method 100 for filling at least one package 10 with a solid food product. The method 100 may include any number of steps, which may be taken in any order or omitted, partially or entirely. Therefore, each step will be described separately.

The storing step 110 includes storing the solid food in the product tank 2. The storing step 110 may be performed manually or by any means suitable for transporting solid food products, such as a conveyor belt 3. The storing step 110 may be performed continuously or periodically.

The inputting step 120 comprises inputting a volume of solid food product larger than the first volume to be filled into the pump 4. This input step 120 may be performed by a pump 4, said pump 4 being driven by means of a piston 5.

The return step 130 includes returning the excess volume to the product tank 2. This return step 130 may be performed by the pump 4. As explained above, the excess volume is the difference between the input volume and the first volume to be filled. Returning excess volume to the product tank 2 does not mean that the returned product will reach the product tank 2. The returned product may instead be temporarily stored in the connection tube, for example.

The supplying step 140 comprises supplying a first volume of solid food product to be filled to the filling head 8. This supplying step 140 may be performed using any operable connection (e.g. a tube) between the pump 4 and the filling head 8, and may be driven, for example, by the pump 4.

The filling step 150 includes filling at least one package 10 with a solid food. The filling step 150 may be performed by the filling head 8. Any number of packages 10 may be filled by one filling head 8. In this case, the filling head 8 may need to ensure that each package 10 is filled with the correct amount of solid food.

Note that the correct amount to be filled in each package 10 is not the first volume to be filled, which in this filling step 150 is the sum of the volumes filled in all packages 10 by the filling head 8.

The pouring step 160 includes pouring the liquid into at least one package 10. The pouring step 160 may be performed by the nozzle 11, as previously described, with the liquid being supplied from the liquid tank 12. The resulting mixture of solid food and liquid is the food sold to the customer, such as mushrooms or chickpeas in salt water or fruit in sugar solution.

The sealing step 170 includes sealing the at least one package 10. The sealing step 170 may be performed by the sealer 14 using, for example, adhesive, pressure, fastening means, heat, or electricity. The package 10 may need to be folded prior to sealing, which is considered part of this sealing step 170.

The cooking step 180 includes cooking at least one package 10. This cooking step 180 may be performed by heating the package 10 by the heater 15 after sealing the package 10, the increased heat and pressure resulting in sterilization of the package 10 and its contents.

In light of the foregoing description, while various embodiments of the invention have been described and illustrated, the invention is not limited thereto but may be otherwise embodied within the scope of the subject matter defined in the following claims.

Claims

1. Device (1) for filling at least one package (10) with a first volume of solid food product, the device (1) comprising:

a pump (4), said pump (4) being operatively connected to a product tank (2) containing said solid food product,

-at least one filling head (8), said filling head (8) being operatively connected to said pump (4);

-a valve (7), the valve (7) being configured to selectively connect the pump (4) to the product tank (2) or the filling head (8); and

a control unit (9), the control unit (9) being configured to control the valve (7) to connect the pump (4) to the product tank (2) or the filling head (8) and to control the pump (4) to supply the first volume of solid food product to the filling head (8),

it is characterized in that the method comprises the steps of,

the control unit (9) is further configured to control the pump (4) to draw a volume of solid food product from the product tank (2) that is greater than the first volume and to output an excess volume back to the product tank (2).

2. The device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the pump (4) is a reciprocating pump.

3. The device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the pump (4) comprises a piston (5).

4. A device (1) according to claim 3, the device (1) further comprising a servo motor for actuating the piston (5).

5. The device (1) according to claim 4, wherein the control unit (9) is further configured to adjust the movement of the piston (5) according to a software profile adapted to fill specific food particles.

6. The device (1) according to claim 4, wherein the control unit (9) is further configured to adjust the speed of the piston (5) according to a software profile adapted to fill specific food particles.

7. The device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the excess volume of solid food product drawn from the product tank (2) is between 40-60% of the first volume to be filled.

8. The device (1) according to any one of claims 1-6, wherein the first volume to be filled corresponds to the volume of solid food to be filled in one package (10).

9. A system (20) for filling at least one package (10) with a solid food, the system (20) comprising:

the device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims;

a product tank (2) containing the solid food;

at least one nozzle (11) for pouring a liquid into the at least one package (10); and

a sealer (14) for sealing the at least one package (10).

10. The system (20) according to claim 9, the system (20) further comprising at least one liquid tank (12) operatively connected to the at least one nozzle (11).

11. The system (20) according to claim 9 or 10, the system (20) further comprising a conveyor belt (3) for storing solid food products in the product tank (2).

12. A method (100) for filling at least one package (10) with a first volume of solid food, the method (100) comprising the steps of:

controlling the pump (4) to withdraw a volume of solid food from the product tank (2) greater than the first volume;

-controlling the pump (4) to return excess volume to the product tank (2);

connecting the pump (4) to a filling head (8)

-controlling the pump (4) to supply the filling head (8) with the first volume of solid food to be filled.

13. The method (100) according to claim 12, the method (100) further comprising adjusting the movement of the piston (5) in the pump (4) according to a software profile adapted to fill specific food particles.

14. The method (100) according to claim 12, the method (100) further comprising adjusting the speed of a piston (5) in the pump (4) according to a software profile adapted to fill specific food particles.

15. The method (100) according to claim 12, the method (100) further comprising the step of filling the at least one package (10) with the solid food product.

16. The method (100) according to any one of claims 12 to 15, the method (100) further comprising the step of storing the solid food product in the product tank (2).

17. The method (100) according to any one of claims 12 to 15, the method (100) further comprising the step of pouring a liquid into the at least one package (10).

18. The method (100) according to any one of claims 12 to 15, the method (100) further comprising the step of sealing the at least one package (10).

19. The method (100) according to any one of claims 12 to 15, the method (100) further comprising the step of cooking the at least one package (10).