EP3621895B1

EP3621895B1 - Pack for preparing foamed food or beverage products

Info

Publication number: EP3621895B1
Application number: EP18719589.6A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Christian Jarisch; Christian Talon; Christophe Sébastien Paul HEYDEL; Philippe Baenninger
Original assignee: Societe des Produits Nestle SA; Nestle SA
Current assignee: Societe des Produits Nestle SA; Nestle SA
Priority date: 2017-05-12
Filing date: 2018-05-02
Publication date: 2022-11-23
Anticipated expiration: 2038-05-02
Also published as: AR111864A1; JP7217235B2; WO2018206347A1; TW201900517A; US20210147139A1; JP2020519532A; CN110573438A; EP3621895A1; TWI780139B

Description

Field of the invention

The present invention relates to a pack for preparing a foamed food or beverage product from one or more food or beverage ingredients. In particular, the invention relates to a pack comprising an insert through and a container where the ingredient or ingredients are stored.

Background of the invention

Preparing beverages by introducing a capsule containing a food or beverage ingredient, such as ground coffee or instant coffee, in a beverage dispensing machine and injecting water into the capsule is known in the state of the art: the beverage or food ingredient is typically extracted or dissolved into water to form the beverage or the desired final product, which flows out of the capsule through a suitable outlet.
As such, different capsules have been developed in the past, these capsules being at least differentiated by the nature of the capsule body used for storing the food or the beverage ingredient. While most of the capsules are made of a rigid body or semi-rigid body, typically made though injection moulding or thermoforming, flexible types of packs can be made out of foil materials. Flexible packs have generally the advantage to semi-rigid and rigid capsules that less amount of material is used to pack the product which leads to overall less production cost, to lower life cycle impact shown in several life-cycle assessments and to advantages on the part of the user, who will need less available space for storing these packs, as they are more compact.
It is known in the state of the art, for example as per document WO 99/05044 , or document WO 2016/020198 A1 , a flexible beverage-producing sachet comprising a beverage ingredient in a volume formed by bonding two laminates at their edges, having a base seam into which a conduit of rigid plastics is bonded. An inlet nozzle is provided at the top of the resulting sachet for introducing water that is mixed with the beverage or food ingredient inside the inner volume of the sachet, the beverage produced being then evacuated through a beverage outlet arranged at the bottom of the pack, where closing means are provided, such that the closing means are adapted to open under pressure when pressurized water is introduced into the sachet, allowing the beverage to evacuate through the beverage outlet.
Other arrangements of flexible beverage-producing sachets are also known in the state of the art. However, in these flexible sachets, when foaming of the food or beverage product is desired, an internal free space (free of food or beverage product, known as headspace), filled with air, is needed in order to obtain a foam when water is mixed with the food or beverage ingredient inside the inner volume of the sachet. Therefore, for a good foaming of the beverage or food product delivered, it is necessary to have high volumes of sachets where only some part of them is filled with the ingredients and the rest is just filled with air. The cost of these sachets is therefore higher, they are more bulky and require more volume for storing, and also the devices to which they are connected for preparing the final products are consequently bigger and more expensive.
It is therefore an aim of the present invention to provide a flexible pack having a minimized headspace volume and that is able to provide at the same time a very good quality foaming of the food or beverage product delivered.
The present invention comes to provide a solution to the above-described need, as it will be further explained. The invention also aims at other objects and particularly at the solution of other problems as will appear in the rest of the present description.

Summary of the invention

According to a first aspect, the invention relates to a pack for preparing a food or beverage product from one or more food or beverage ingredients comprising an insert and a container where the ingredient or ingredients are stored: the insert comprises a fluid inlet configured for introducing an aqueous fluid under the form of a jet in the inner volume of the pack, and the insert further comprises an air inlet communicating with the exterior of the pack and configured for introducing air in the inner volume of the pack.
Preferably, in the pack of the invention, the air inlet is connected to an aspiration inlet through which the jet enters the inner volume of the pack, configured in such a way that air is aspirated through the air inlet when the jet is introduced inside the pack.
According to another embodiment of the pack of the invention, the air inlet is typically connected to an aspiration inlet through which the jet enters the inner volume of the pack: the air inlet is connectable to external means actively injecting air in the inner volume of the pack.
Typically, the fluid inlet is configured for transforming the pressurized fluid introduced by a beverage machine into a high velocity fluid jet in the inner volume of the pack. Preferably, the fluid inlet communicates with a nozzle having a very restricted diameter with respect to the fluid inlet.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the pack comprises two flexible water impermeable sheets joined to one another to define the inner volume of the pack.
The pack of the invention typically comprises a beverage outlet through which the beverage is delivered as a free flow. The beverage outlet is preferably a straight tube oriented essentially vertically at the bottom of the pack.
In the pack of the invention, the insert is preferably arranged on one of the sides of the pack and it comprises the fluid inlet, the air inlet and the beverage outlet.
Typically, the container is configured to open in a certain pre-defined area to allow dispensing of the food or beverage prepared.
In the pack according to the present invention, the relative positioning of the aspiration inlet with respect to the air inlet, together with the diameter of the air inlet, typically define the level of foaming of the food or beverage prepared.
Preferably, the diameter of the nozzle and/or of the aspiration inlet define the design of the jet in the inner volume of the pack.
Typically, the food or beverage ingredient is a soluble food or beverage ingredient.
According to a preferred embodiment, the container is configured as a sachet, a capsule or the like.
Preferably, the pack of the invention is configured in such a way that the fluid inlet can be accessed frontally and/or by the rear to introduce an aqueous fluid through one or the two sides.
In the pack of the invention, the air inlet obturation can be typically regulated in order to control the quantity of air injected.
The pack of the invention typically presents a plane shape oriented along a plane essentially vertically oriented during beverage production and the fluid inlet orientates the jet of fluid in a direction comprised in said plane.
According to a second aspect, the invention further relates to the use of a pack as described for preparing a food or beverage product.

Brief description of the drawings

Further features, advantages and objects of the present invention will become apparent for a skilled person when reading the following detailed description of non-limiting embodiments of the present invention, when taken in conjunction with the appended drawings, in which:

Figs. 1a-b show a pack for preparing foamed food or beverage products according to the present invention.
Fig. 2 shows a detailed view of an insert having an air inlet, configuring together with a container a pack for preparing foamed food or beverage products according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 3 shows a detailed view of an insert having an air inlet, configuring together with a container a pack for preparing foamed food or beverage products according to another embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 4 shows a detailed frontal view of an insert according to Figures 2 or 3, configuring together with a container a pack for preparing foamed food or beverage products according to the present invention.
Fig. 5 shows a view according to section A-A of the insert of Figure 4, configuring together with a container a pack for preparing foamed food or beverage products according to the present invention.

Detailed description of exemplary embodiments

According to a first aspect, the invention relates to a pack 100 for preparing a food or beverage product from one or more food or beverage ingredients. As represented in Figures 1a or 1b, the pack of the invention comprises an insert 10 and a container 20. The container 20 comprises in its inner volume the food or beverage ingredient(s), typically a soluble powder that will be dissolved by a fluid introduced inside the volume of the container through the insert 10. Typically, the fluid introduced through the insert 10 will be a liquid, preferably water.
According to the present invention the food or beverage ingredient of the container can be comprised within the list of: soups, fruit juices, vegetable juices, bouillons, coffee, chocolate, tea, milk or creamer, smoothies, purees, coulis, creams or a combination thereof. The food or beverage ingredient can be a soluble food or beverage ingredient. Preferably the food or beverage ingredient is a soluble food or beverage ingredient selected in the list of:

instant coffee powder, milk powder, cream powder, instant tea powder, cocoa powder, soup powder, fruit powder or mixture of said powders,
a coffee concentrate, a milk concentrate, a syrup, a fruit or vegetable concentrate, a tea concentrate, a fruit or vegetable puree.

The powders can be agglomerated or sintered. The powders or liquid concentrates can be mixed with solid pieces for example for preparing soups with solid pieces. The food or beverage ingredient can also be an infusable food or beverage ingredient like a roast and ground coffee or tea leaves. In that embodiment water extracts the infusable ingredient.
In the present invention fluid covers any aqueous diluent that can be mixed with a soluble beverage ingredient to prepare a beverage, like water, carbonated water, milk, etc. However, according to the invention, water is the preferred fluid which will be used.
The insert 10 comprises a fluid inlet 110 receiving a liquid, typically water, which is injected at a pressure higher than 2 bars, more preferably higher than 3 bars, preferably comprised between 2 and 10 bars, more preferably of around 7 bars. The fluid inlet 110 is configured in such a way that the high pressure fluid injected through it by external means (not shown) is converted into a high velocity jet 50 in the inner volume of the container 20. This is done thanks to the restriction in diameter of the fluid inlet 110, communicating with the inner volume of the container 20 through a nozzle 120 of a much reduced diameter, allowing the transformation of a high pressure jet into a high velocity jet. The fluid inlet 110 is communicated with the inside volume of the container through at least one nozzle 120, having a diameter of at most 1 mm, preferably of at least 0.24 mm, preferably comprised between 0.3 mm and 1 mm, preferably between 0.3 and 0.5 mm, more preferably of about 0.4 mm. With such a configuration, when high pressure fluid is injected by external injecting means through the fluid inlet 110, it is conveyed internally towards the nozzle 120, from which it is converted into a high velocity jet of fluid 50 injected inside the container 20 when passing through the small section nozzle hole. Typically, this jet of fluid 50 provided in the container has a velocity of at least 20 m/s.
Furthermore, the insert 10 further comprises an air inlet 150 communicating with the exterior of the pack 100 and configured for introducing air in the inner volume of the pack 100 (see for example Figure 5) in order to obtain a good foaming during the dissolution of the powder product comprised inside the container 20.
The insert 10 is preferably rigid and is made of a rigid plastic material, preferably by injection moulding. Typically, this plastic material can be selected from the following: polypropylene, polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate and polylactic acid. Also according to a less preferred embodiment the fitment assembly 10 can be made of a metal like aluminium or tin-plate.
The insert of the invention is structurally configured to create an adequate water jet 50 and air into the volume of the container in order to control and stabilize foaming of the product beverage produced. Typically, the product inside the container is a soluble powder that will be dissolved by the water jet 50. In addition, as air will be introduced inside the volume of the pack through the air inlet 150, a proper foaming of the product will be also achieved.
The pack of the invention can be configured as a sachet, for example, by flexible films or sheets folded to conform a container 20. Other configurations are also possible, for example configuring the container as a capsule, as a pod or the like. Preferably, the insert 10 will be a part comprising the fluid inlet 110, though other configurations are also possible where the fluid inlet 110 is for example directly made by piercing the material configuring the walls of the container 20 (being the container a pouch, a capsule, a pod, or the like).
Preferably, the pack 100 of the invention will comprise two flexible water impermeable sheets joined to one another to define the inner volume of the pack or of the container 20, where the product (typically powder) is stored and is further processed with the water jet 50 to prepare the beverage dispensed. The pack further comprises a beverage outlet 160 through which the beverage is delivered as a free flow. There are several possibilities of providing the beverage outlet 160 in the pack 100, one of them being a straight tube oriented essentially vertically at the bottom of the pack, provided in the insert 10, as represented in Figure 2. Another possibility is that the outlet 160 is not arranged in the insert 10 (see Figure 3) but directly in the container 20, configured to open in a certain pre-defined area to allow dispensing of the food or beverage prepared (typically, when the container 20 is made by flexible sheet or sheets configuring an inner volume, the sheet(s) will be able to separate from each other under a certain pressure for example, allowing the exit (dispensing) of the beverage inside.
Preferably, as represented in Figures 1a and 1b, the insert 10 is arranged on one of the sides of the pack 100, and it comprises the fluid inlet 110 and the air inlet 150. It will preferably also comprise the beverage outlet 160.
Referring to Figures 1a and 1b, a pack 100 according to a possible embodiment of the invention is disclosed. The pack is configured comprising an insert 10 and a container 20, essentially defining a vertical plane P, the insert 10 being arranged at the lower side of the pack. The container 20 will comprise inside its volume a product, typically a powder, more specifically a concentrated powder, from which, by adding a liquid (typically water) through the insert 10, as a jet of liquid, the powder will be dissolved, mixed and homogenized into a beverage. The beverage prepared will be dispensed either through an outlet 160, configured as a vertical tube as shown in Figure 2, or through other outlet means, arranged somewhere else in the pack or for example, as previously explained, though an opening made by separation of the sheets configuring the container 20, this separation happening under certain controlled pressure conditions; in any of these cases, the insert 10 will not comprise the beverage outlet, as represented in Figure 3.
Figure 4 shows a detail of the insert 10 arranged in a pack 100 according to the present invention, also showing a fluid inlet 110 through where a fluid (typically water) will be introduced inside the pack. According to the invention, the insert 10 will be further configured in such a way that it will be able to be accessed frontally and also from the rear side, meaning that the consumer will not have to care on the way how the pack is placed in the machine, as it will be able to be accessed on both sides, i.e., the pack is made reversible. Looking at Figures 2 and 3, it can be seen that the fluid inlet 110 is made on the two sides (frontal and rear) of the insert 10: in fact, it comprises a substantially horizontal tube going through the transversal section of the insert 10, from one of its sides to the other, allowing it to be accessible through its two ends. When the container 20 is configured by flexible sheets also arranged covering the frontal and rear parts of the insert 10, the injecting means (not shown) will be configured also as piercing means, able to pierce the sheet over the fluid inlet 110 and after this to inject the fluid. The injection means will be arranged in a particular location in the beverage preparation machine so as to pierce and access the fluid inlet 110, independently if the pack is positioned on one of its two sides, as long as it is placed substantially vertically along a plane P.
Preferably, in the pack of the invention, the flexible sheet or sheets configuring the container 20 also overwrap fully the insert 10, except for the part of it being inside and in communication with the inner volume of the container 20. More preferably, there is one flexible sheet arranged overwrapping the whole insert 10, configuring the inner volume of the container 20 by sealing its ends.
Preferably, the injecting and piercing means are preferably a fluid needle, called in what follows needle, such that these injecting and piercing means typically comprise an inner duct or pipe through which high pressure fluid is injected in the fluid inlet 110.
Referring now to Figure 5, showing a section according to A-A from Figure 4, it is shown that a pressurized fluid is introduced through a fluid inlet 110 in the insert 10 arranged at the lower side of the pack 100. The pressurized fluid is forced to go through a nozzle 120, having a much reduced diameter with respect to the section of the fluid inlet 110, which makes that the fluid losses its pressure in favor of speed and so a jet of fluid 50 is created into the inner volume of the container 20. The jet of fluid 50 goes into the inner volume of the container 20 through an aspiration inlet 130, which is also communicated to the outside of the pack with an air inlet 150. Therefore, when the jet of fluid 50 is conveyed inside the container at a high speed, air is sucked or aspirated through the open air inlet 150, which thus adds air into the jet of fluid 50. As this jet has also air incorporated, the dissolution of the product (powder) incorporates these air bubbles as well, thus providing a very good and accurate foaming.
As explained, the air inlet 150 is connected to an aspiration inlet 130 through which the jet 50 enters the inner volume of the pack 100, configured in such a way that air is aspirated through this air inlet 150 when the jet 50 is introduced inside the pack, by the speed of the jet coming into the inner volume of the pack. Another possibility is that the air inlet 150 is connected to external means actively injecting air in the inner volume of the pack 100, for example an air pump or the like.
Typically, the two possible configurations would be passive air aspiration (by opening the air inlet 150 to the outside so that air is aspirated while the fluid jet 50 enters the inner volume of the container 20) or active air injection by actively injecting air through the inlet 150 when an active air pump is connected to this air inlet 150.
Further, the air inlet 150 obturation can be regulated in order to control de quantity of air injected through the inlet 150, typically from no (closing the air inlet 150) to certain foaming (regulating the entrance of air and the opening of the air inlet 150) up to active air pumping (maximum foaming).
Figure 5 also shows dimensions of the insert 10, of its elements and their positioning within the insert and also with respect to the pack 100, influencing the characteristics of the final beverage obtained. These dimensions are typically:

Diameter D₁: it is the diameter of the fluid jet 50
Diameter D₂: it is the diameter of the air inlet 150
Diameter D₃: it is the diameter of the aspiration inlet 130
L₁: it is the relative positioning of the air inlet 150 with respect to the fluid jet 50 and to the aspiration inlet 130
L₂: it is the height of the aspiration inlet 130, measured with respect to the air inlet 150

Typical dimensions of the above-referred parameters could be the following (these dimensions should just be taken as exemplary and based on experiences):

D₁: 0.3 - 0.6 mm
D₂: 0.5 - 1.0 mm
D₃: 1.0 - 2.0 mm
L₁: 3.0 mm
L₂: 2.0 - 7.0 mm

Typically, the relative positioning of the aspiration inlet 130 with respect to the air inlet 150 (dimensions L₁, L₂), together with the diameter of the air inlet 150 (D₂), define the level of foaming of the food or beverage prepared. On the other hand, the diameter of the nozzle 120 (same as the diameter of the jet 50, dimension D₁) and/or of the aspiration inlet 130 (diameter D₃) define the design of the jet 50 in the inner volume of the pack.
According to the invention, the fluid inlet 110 can be configured for providing an orientable high velocity jet into the container 20, preferably at about 90° with respect to the fluid supply provided into the fluid inlet by the injecting and piercing means, though any other angle would be possible and comprised within the scope of the present application.

Claims

Pack (100) for preparing a food or beverage product from one or more food or beverage ingredients comprising an insert (10) and a container (20) where the ingredient or ingredients are stored,
the insert (10) comprising a fluid inlet (110) configured for introducing an aqueous fluid under the form of a jet (50) in the inner volume of the pack,

characterized in that the insert (10) further comprises an air inlet (150) communicating with the exterior of the pack (100) and configured for introducing air in the inner volume of the pack (100),

the air inlet (150) being connected to an aspiration inlet (130) through which the jet (50) enters the inner volume of the pack (100), configured in such a way that air is aspirated through the air inlet (150) when the jet (50) is introduced inside the pack (100), wherein the relative positioning of the aspiration inlet (130) with respect to the air inlet (150), together with the diameter of the air inlet (150), define the level of foaming of the food or beverage prepared.
Pack (100) according to claim 1 wherein the fluid inlet (110) is configured for transforming the pressurized fluid introduced by a beverage machine into a high velocity fluid jet (50) in the inner volume of the pack.
Pack (100) according to any of the previous claims wherein the fluid inlet (110) communicates with a nozzle (120) having a very restricted diameter with respect to the fluid inlet (110).
Pack (100) according to any of the previous claims, comprising two flexible water impermeable sheets joined to one another to define the inner volume of the pack.
Pack (100) according to any of the previous claims, comprising a beverage outlet (160) through which the beverage is delivered as a free flow.
Pack (100) according to claim 5 wherein the beverage outlet (160) is a straight tube oriented essentially vertically at the bottom of the pack.
Pack (100) according to any of claims 5-6 wherein the insert (10) is arranged on one of the sides of the pack (100) and it comprises the fluid inlet (110), the air inlet (150) and the beverage outlet (160).
Pack (100) according to any of claims 1-4 wherein the container (20) is configured to open in a certain pre-defined area to allow dispensing of the food or beverage prepared.
Pack (100) according to any of the previous claims wherein the relative positioning of the aspiration inlet (130) with respect to the air inlet (150), together with the diameter of the air inlet (150), define the level of foaming of the food or beverage prepared.
Pack (100) according to any of the previous claims wherein the diameter of the nozzle (120) and/or of the aspiration inlet (130) define the design of the jet (50) in the inner volume of the pack.
Pack (100) according to any of the previous claims wherein the food or beverage ingredient is a soluble food or beverage ingredient.
Pack (100) according to any of the previous claims wherein the container (20) is configured as a sachet, a capsule or the like.
Pack (100) according to any of the previous claims wherein the fluid inlet (110) can be accessed frontally and/or by the rear to introduce an aqueous fluid through one or the two sides.
Pack (100) according to any of the previous claims wherein the air inlet (150) obturation can be regulated in order to control the quantity of air injected.
Pack (100) according to any of the previous claims presenting a plane shape oriented along a plane (P) essentially vertically oriented during beverage production and the fluid inlet (110) orientates the jet of fluid in a direction comprised in said plane (P).
Use of a pack (100) according to any of claims 1-15 for preparing a food or beverage product.