CA2094211A1 - Process for aseptically packaging a multi-component food product - Google Patents
Process for aseptically packaging a multi-component food productInfo
- Publication number
- CA2094211A1 CA2094211A1 CA002094211A CA2094211A CA2094211A1 CA 2094211 A1 CA2094211 A1 CA 2094211A1 CA 002094211 A CA002094211 A CA 002094211A CA 2094211 A CA2094211 A CA 2094211A CA 2094211 A1 CA2094211 A1 CA 2094211A1
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- container
- food
- process according
- fluid
- food component
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
- B65B55/00—Preserving, protecting or purifying packages or package contents in association with packaging
- B65B55/02—Sterilising, e.g. of complete packages
- B65B55/025—Packaging in aseptic tunnels
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
- B65B25/00—Packaging other articles presenting special problems
- B65B25/001—Packaging other articles presenting special problems of foodstuffs, combined with their conservation
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Noodles (AREA)
- Seeds, Soups, And Other Foods (AREA)
Abstract
PROCESS FOR ASEPTICALLY
PACKING A MULTI-COMPONENT FOOD PRODUCT
ABSTRACT
A process for aseptically packaging a food product containing discrete pieces of a solid food component and a fluid food component comprises: depositing solid food component into an open container; contacting the open container and its contents with steam for a period of time sufficient to sterilize both; depositing a sterilized fluid food component into the container; and sealing the container under aseptic conditions. In a preferred embodiment, fully-cooked pasta is placed in a plastic container and sterilized therein prior to despositing a sterilized, cooled cheese sauce thereover and aseptically sealing.
PACKING A MULTI-COMPONENT FOOD PRODUCT
ABSTRACT
A process for aseptically packaging a food product containing discrete pieces of a solid food component and a fluid food component comprises: depositing solid food component into an open container; contacting the open container and its contents with steam for a period of time sufficient to sterilize both; depositing a sterilized fluid food component into the container; and sealing the container under aseptic conditions. In a preferred embodiment, fully-cooked pasta is placed in a plastic container and sterilized therein prior to despositing a sterilized, cooled cheese sauce thereover and aseptically sealing.
Description
~ ~ CASE 1~694 pRocEs~ ~OR Aæ~pTIcA~Ly PA~RA~ A M~h~I-CONPO~2~T ~OOD PROD~C~
e~hnical Field The invention relates to aseptic packaging, and especially to an improved process for aseptically packaging a food having solid as well as fluid components.
To be stable against spoilage during room-temperature storage, ~oods must be sterilized. This usually entails retorting or otherwise treating a ~ood to kill essentially all microorganisms. For retorting to provide effective protection fnr a packaged food, the whole package must be retorted until the entire contents is raised to at least a minimum temperature and held there ~or a designated period of time. This assures not only complete processing of all portions of the product, but overprocessing of a signifi-cant portion of it.
To overcome the problem of overprocessed food, the art has identified a number o~ techniques such as aseptic packaging. In aseptic packaging, the food is typically sterilized prior to sealing in the container. This enables ~ -2~ 4 2 1 ~
cooking the food uniformly to near the optimum de~ree and avoids the gross overcooking so common to ~'canned goods".
However, these problems have not been fully overcome for multi-component ~ood products, e.g. those comprised of fluid and solid components. These products will o~ten require different cooking conditions ~or each of the various components. Sometimes, cooking the components in the presence of each other will adversely affect one or more of the components.
Back~rou~d_Art The art of aseptic canning has improved the quality of a wide range of food products/ especially those having a relatively homogeneous consistency. Processing large ~uan-tities of foods having both liquid and solid components has posed problems in retaining the quality of the solid food components.
In U.S. Patent No~ 3,437,495, M. R. Jeppson discloses separately sterilizing liquid and solid components before packaging them together in a sterile container under asep-tic conditions. The solid component is subjected to micro-wave heat while the liquid is separately sterilized in a heat exchanger. The cans are sterilized unfilled. As disclosed by D. W. Pohorski in U.S. Patents No. 4,415,539 and No. 4,495,974, both steam and hot air are e~fective ~or this purpose. In U.S. Patent No. 4,522,015, W. M. H:ildebolt discloses an aseptic sterilization and packaging process wherein solid and liquid components of a food product are sterilized separately. The solid component is sterilized by placing it in the can, temporarily sealing the can, - : ~
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heating, opening the can, adding cooled sterilized liquid to the solids in the can, and finally sealing the can. In U.S. Patent No. 5,085,B82, H. Rausing discloses an aseptic packaging method wherein a combined particulate and liquid stream is heated, and a stream with a high liquid content is separated, cooled and admixed with the remainder which is high in particulates. The combined stream is then fed to a packaging machine.
It would be desirable to have a process which would simpli~y the aseptic packaging of multi-component foods while maintaining high quality for each of the components.
Di~olo~ure of ~nve~tion It is an object of the invention to provide an im-proved process for aseptically packaging a multi-component ~oo~ product while maintaining high quality foreach of the components.
It is another object of the invention to provide an improved process for aseptically packaging a multi-component food product comprising a starch-based solid component and a fluid component.
It is another object of the invention to pro~ide an improved process for aseptically packaging a multi-component food product having a solid component and a congealable fluid component.
These and other objectives are accomplished by the present invention which provides a process for aseptically packaging a food product containing discrete pieces of a solid food component and a fluid food component, the ~4- 2~2~
process comprising: depositing at least a portion of, and typically all of, the solid food into an open container;
contacting the open conta.iner and its contents with steam for a period of time sufficient to sterilize both; deposi-ting a sterilized fluid food component into the container;and sealing the container under aseptic conditions.
Brie~ De~criptio~ of the Dra~in~
The invention will be better understood and its advantages will be more ~ully appreciated from the fol-lowing detailed description, especially when read in lightof the accompanying drawing wherein.
The Figure is a schematic representation of a pre-ferred process scheme.
Detailed De~cription The description which follows will center on the pro-ce~sing of a multi-component food product, macaroni and cheese, which is particularly in need of the improvement of the invention. The cheese component must be processed within a rather narrow range o~ conditions to assure steril-ization without overcooking which can cause color and flavor changes. The macaroni product should be cooked to a desired texture and not overcooked to become flacid with starch loss to the cookiny liquid. It is important to cook the pasta separately from the cheese sauce to achieve the desired degree of cooking while preserving the distinct flavors of the two components and preventing starch from the macaroni from being incorporated into the sauce. It will be understood, however, that the invention contem-plates the processing of-any two or more food components and aseptically packaging them.
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The solid food component can be any particulate food which is cut, shap~d or naturally occurs in pieces which can fit loosely within a container, and as such are capable of sterilization with the application of steam. The solid food can be a member selected from the group consisting of pasta, vegetables, meat, fruit and combinations of two or more of these. Within the pasta category are noodles, as well as spayhetti, linguine, lasagna, macaroni, and the like. Among the fruits and vegetables are those which are whole, sectioned, or cut up, whether peeled or unpeeled.
The meat can be seafood, fowl, red meat, sausage, meat-balls, meat loaf, mixtures of these, and the like pieces.
In each case, the pieces may be the whole article where small enough, like peas, rice, or tiny shrimp, or can be any sized portion, like split peas, macaroni or cubes of ham.
The fluid food component will typically be what is known as a broth or a sauce. It can be truly homogeneous or can include suspended particulatPs, globules or the ~o like. Typical o~ the broths are those prepared from meats and/or vegetables including those from meats such as beef, pork, lamb, chicken, and the like. Typical of the sauces are those prepared from ingredients selected from the group consisting of tomato, chaese, vegetable puree, and the like. The broths and sauces can include thickeners such as starch or the like. Finely divided vegetable fat or meat material can be suspended in the fluid component for body, mouthfeel or flavor.
. Reference is now made to the Figure to aid in describ ing a preferred process scheme according to the invention.
The drawing shows empty containers lO being fed to an aseptic packaging line 20 and being discharged from it as sealed containers 12 at the end of the line. The procPss of the invention is highly simplified yet results in products of very high quality.
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-6- 2~942~1 Solid inyredient is prepared in vessel 22. This typically entails cooking, such as in the case of pasta, vegetables, mea~, or the like, or simply blanching in the case of some vegetables. The preparation is usually intended to cook the solid food component to near the desired degree, with the remaining cooking to be accom-plished during sterilization as will be described later.
Most preferably, this component is fully cooked and/or hydrated at this stage with little or no hydration occurring later.
The prepared solid food can be delivered by suitable conduit or other transport means to a container 10 which is delivered to and supported on conveyor 24, here shown as a belt. Any mean~ effective to convey the containers can be employed. They can be indexed or fed continuously as dic-tated by the particular production circumstances. Devices of the ~ype described in the above-re~erenced patents to Pohorski (James Dole Corporation) can be employed, but steam or humidified air are pref2rred to dry air as dis-closed therein to avoid drying of the solid component. Thepreferred pr~cess will employ superheated culinary steam to effectively supply the necessary heat to achieve the target sterilization temperature.
The containers can be glass, metal, plastic, coated fiberboard, or any suitable combination of theseO Pre-ferred for many purposes are plastic containers of co-extruded stock, e. g. haviny a material such as poly-propylene on the surface in contact with the food, a barrier layer of a material such as ethyl vinyl alcohol, and an external surface layer of a material such as poly-propylene (regrind). One especially suitable container comprises polypropylene/tielayer/barrier/tielayer/virgin polypropylene.
.
-7- 2~ ~ 21 1 Following depositing the solid food component pieces into the containers 10 via line 26, the containers are pa~sed into pressurized chamber 28 wherein steam with or without heated air is injected by suitable inlets 30 to increase the temperature to a level effective when held for a time effective to sterilize the open containers and their contents. Where desired, the steam or mixture of steam and air can be directed at the container conténts to force unsterile air out and create turbulence to assure effective heat transfer. TyFiically, in the case of culinary steam (made with FDA approved boiler chemicals, free of dirt, metals and other contaminants), a product such as cooked macaroni i5 heated to from about 220~ to about 250F and held there for about 10 to 15 minutes, prefirably about 12 minutes. Essentially complete kill of pathogenic as well as spoilage organisms is achieved. Shel~-temperature-stable storage for at least one month and preferably at least threa is preferred. Typical commercial storage times are in the range of three to eighteen months. A preferred level o~ kill will be a 5 D i'5 log cycle) reduckion. Here D value i5 1. 5 minutes for commercial sterility.
A*ter sufficient processing, a sterile fluid food component is fed from vessel 32, through conduit 34 and into sterilized container 10. To avoid ~urther cooking of the solid food ingredient and to achieve efficient product cooling, the fluid ~ood component is preferably cooled by passage through heat exchanger 36. ~he degree of cooling will be consistent with process requirements and should not be so extreme as to unduly incr2ase the viscosity of the fluid component.
The fluid component will typically have a major amount of water with enough other liquid materials to make it fluid under conditions of processing and consumption.
Fillers and thickeners can also be employed. In the case ~- 209~2~1 of cheese sauces, they will typically contain from 20 to 60% water, from 8 to 25% cheese solid~ te.g. cheddar), from 2 to ~ starch, salt, sugar, monosodium glutamate and seasonings~ Tomato sauces can be employed such as those prepared from pureed whole tomatoes with seeds removed and spices added.
From filler 34, the containers are passed to a seal-ing station where a sterile lid 38, from stack 40, is employed to cover the open, filled container. Sealing means 42 effects a complete seal of the lid to the con-tainer, the nature of the seal depending on the con-struction of both the lid and the container. An adhesive can be employed as necessary. In the case of poly-propylene containers and matal lids, sealing is effected by double seam crimp action.
Following sealing, the containers are further cooled and packaged. For congealable fluids such as cheese sauce, the invention includes the step of agitati.ng the containers to effect mixing of the fluid and solid food components. This can be achieved by any movement of the container which will move the contents sufficiently to at least contact substantially all solid compvnent exkerior surfaces with the fluid component. Agitation by vibra-tion, rotation or translation can be effective. Prefer-ably, the containers are rotated about at least one axisextending through the container between the container top and bottom. Preferably, rotation is about at least two axes.
The following Example is provided to further illus-trate and explain a preferred form of the invention andis not to be taken as limiting in any regard. Unless otherwise indicated, all parts and percentages are by weight.
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Pasta noodles (elbow macroni) ara blanched to achieve complete hydration (e.g., at 212F for approximately 10 minutes) then drained. Drained, blanched noodles are then poured into 7-8 ounca polypropylene cups. The cups, which are lined with polypropylene and have an impervious barrier layer, containing the ~lanched noodles are ~hen passed through a "Dole" type pressurizad aseptic tunnel and exposed to super-saturated (culinary) steam at about 250F
for approximately 10-15 minutes. Cheese sauce prepared from the following recipe In~redient Parts Whole Milk 48.00 Water 34.87 Maxgarine 6.25 Cheese Powder 4.50 Thic~eners 3.50 Disodium Phosphate 0.94 Sucrose 0-75 Salt 0.~5 Monosodium Glutamate 0.25 Sodium Hexametaphosphate 0.19 Color and Flavor 0.10 is sterilized through a contherm syste~ at about 280F for about 15 s~conds and cooled to lOO~F. Following steril-ization~the sauce is then aseptically filled into thesterilized cups containing the sterilized noodles. The sterilized cups containing sterilized noodles and cheese saure are then aseptically sealed with a "can type" metal lid, constructed of polyolefin axtrusion-coated aluminum, by Central States Co. The noodles and sauce are present at a weight ratio of about 45 to 55. Saaled cups are then .
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removed from the sterile sealing chamber and rotated several times to mix the noodles and cheese sauce together.
The above description is for thQ purpose of teaching the person of ordina~y skill in the art how to practice the present invention~ and it is not intended to detail all of those obvious modi*ications and variations of it which will become apparent to the skilled worker upon reading the des-cription. It is intended/ however, that all such obvious modifications and variations be included within the scope lQ of the present invention which is defined by the following claims. The clai~s are meant to cover the claimed elements and steps in any arrangement or sequence which is effective to meet the objectives there intended, unless the context specifically indicates the contrary.
.
., .
,
e~hnical Field The invention relates to aseptic packaging, and especially to an improved process for aseptically packaging a food having solid as well as fluid components.
To be stable against spoilage during room-temperature storage, ~oods must be sterilized. This usually entails retorting or otherwise treating a ~ood to kill essentially all microorganisms. For retorting to provide effective protection fnr a packaged food, the whole package must be retorted until the entire contents is raised to at least a minimum temperature and held there ~or a designated period of time. This assures not only complete processing of all portions of the product, but overprocessing of a signifi-cant portion of it.
To overcome the problem of overprocessed food, the art has identified a number o~ techniques such as aseptic packaging. In aseptic packaging, the food is typically sterilized prior to sealing in the container. This enables ~ -2~ 4 2 1 ~
cooking the food uniformly to near the optimum de~ree and avoids the gross overcooking so common to ~'canned goods".
However, these problems have not been fully overcome for multi-component ~ood products, e.g. those comprised of fluid and solid components. These products will o~ten require different cooking conditions ~or each of the various components. Sometimes, cooking the components in the presence of each other will adversely affect one or more of the components.
Back~rou~d_Art The art of aseptic canning has improved the quality of a wide range of food products/ especially those having a relatively homogeneous consistency. Processing large ~uan-tities of foods having both liquid and solid components has posed problems in retaining the quality of the solid food components.
In U.S. Patent No~ 3,437,495, M. R. Jeppson discloses separately sterilizing liquid and solid components before packaging them together in a sterile container under asep-tic conditions. The solid component is subjected to micro-wave heat while the liquid is separately sterilized in a heat exchanger. The cans are sterilized unfilled. As disclosed by D. W. Pohorski in U.S. Patents No. 4,415,539 and No. 4,495,974, both steam and hot air are e~fective ~or this purpose. In U.S. Patent No. 4,522,015, W. M. H:ildebolt discloses an aseptic sterilization and packaging process wherein solid and liquid components of a food product are sterilized separately. The solid component is sterilized by placing it in the can, temporarily sealing the can, - : ~
. . ~ . ~ ,. . .
~ ' '. ' : ` ~. : ~
3 2~2~
heating, opening the can, adding cooled sterilized liquid to the solids in the can, and finally sealing the can. In U.S. Patent No. 5,085,B82, H. Rausing discloses an aseptic packaging method wherein a combined particulate and liquid stream is heated, and a stream with a high liquid content is separated, cooled and admixed with the remainder which is high in particulates. The combined stream is then fed to a packaging machine.
It would be desirable to have a process which would simpli~y the aseptic packaging of multi-component foods while maintaining high quality for each of the components.
Di~olo~ure of ~nve~tion It is an object of the invention to provide an im-proved process for aseptically packaging a multi-component ~oo~ product while maintaining high quality foreach of the components.
It is another object of the invention to provide an improved process for aseptically packaging a multi-component food product comprising a starch-based solid component and a fluid component.
It is another object of the invention to pro~ide an improved process for aseptically packaging a multi-component food product having a solid component and a congealable fluid component.
These and other objectives are accomplished by the present invention which provides a process for aseptically packaging a food product containing discrete pieces of a solid food component and a fluid food component, the ~4- 2~2~
process comprising: depositing at least a portion of, and typically all of, the solid food into an open container;
contacting the open conta.iner and its contents with steam for a period of time sufficient to sterilize both; deposi-ting a sterilized fluid food component into the container;and sealing the container under aseptic conditions.
Brie~ De~criptio~ of the Dra~in~
The invention will be better understood and its advantages will be more ~ully appreciated from the fol-lowing detailed description, especially when read in lightof the accompanying drawing wherein.
The Figure is a schematic representation of a pre-ferred process scheme.
Detailed De~cription The description which follows will center on the pro-ce~sing of a multi-component food product, macaroni and cheese, which is particularly in need of the improvement of the invention. The cheese component must be processed within a rather narrow range o~ conditions to assure steril-ization without overcooking which can cause color and flavor changes. The macaroni product should be cooked to a desired texture and not overcooked to become flacid with starch loss to the cookiny liquid. It is important to cook the pasta separately from the cheese sauce to achieve the desired degree of cooking while preserving the distinct flavors of the two components and preventing starch from the macaroni from being incorporated into the sauce. It will be understood, however, that the invention contem-plates the processing of-any two or more food components and aseptically packaging them.
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The solid food component can be any particulate food which is cut, shap~d or naturally occurs in pieces which can fit loosely within a container, and as such are capable of sterilization with the application of steam. The solid food can be a member selected from the group consisting of pasta, vegetables, meat, fruit and combinations of two or more of these. Within the pasta category are noodles, as well as spayhetti, linguine, lasagna, macaroni, and the like. Among the fruits and vegetables are those which are whole, sectioned, or cut up, whether peeled or unpeeled.
The meat can be seafood, fowl, red meat, sausage, meat-balls, meat loaf, mixtures of these, and the like pieces.
In each case, the pieces may be the whole article where small enough, like peas, rice, or tiny shrimp, or can be any sized portion, like split peas, macaroni or cubes of ham.
The fluid food component will typically be what is known as a broth or a sauce. It can be truly homogeneous or can include suspended particulatPs, globules or the ~o like. Typical o~ the broths are those prepared from meats and/or vegetables including those from meats such as beef, pork, lamb, chicken, and the like. Typical of the sauces are those prepared from ingredients selected from the group consisting of tomato, chaese, vegetable puree, and the like. The broths and sauces can include thickeners such as starch or the like. Finely divided vegetable fat or meat material can be suspended in the fluid component for body, mouthfeel or flavor.
. Reference is now made to the Figure to aid in describ ing a preferred process scheme according to the invention.
The drawing shows empty containers lO being fed to an aseptic packaging line 20 and being discharged from it as sealed containers 12 at the end of the line. The procPss of the invention is highly simplified yet results in products of very high quality.
.,. '.
.: :
. ' . , ~ " . ';
-6- 2~942~1 Solid inyredient is prepared in vessel 22. This typically entails cooking, such as in the case of pasta, vegetables, mea~, or the like, or simply blanching in the case of some vegetables. The preparation is usually intended to cook the solid food component to near the desired degree, with the remaining cooking to be accom-plished during sterilization as will be described later.
Most preferably, this component is fully cooked and/or hydrated at this stage with little or no hydration occurring later.
The prepared solid food can be delivered by suitable conduit or other transport means to a container 10 which is delivered to and supported on conveyor 24, here shown as a belt. Any mean~ effective to convey the containers can be employed. They can be indexed or fed continuously as dic-tated by the particular production circumstances. Devices of the ~ype described in the above-re~erenced patents to Pohorski (James Dole Corporation) can be employed, but steam or humidified air are pref2rred to dry air as dis-closed therein to avoid drying of the solid component. Thepreferred pr~cess will employ superheated culinary steam to effectively supply the necessary heat to achieve the target sterilization temperature.
The containers can be glass, metal, plastic, coated fiberboard, or any suitable combination of theseO Pre-ferred for many purposes are plastic containers of co-extruded stock, e. g. haviny a material such as poly-propylene on the surface in contact with the food, a barrier layer of a material such as ethyl vinyl alcohol, and an external surface layer of a material such as poly-propylene (regrind). One especially suitable container comprises polypropylene/tielayer/barrier/tielayer/virgin polypropylene.
.
-7- 2~ ~ 21 1 Following depositing the solid food component pieces into the containers 10 via line 26, the containers are pa~sed into pressurized chamber 28 wherein steam with or without heated air is injected by suitable inlets 30 to increase the temperature to a level effective when held for a time effective to sterilize the open containers and their contents. Where desired, the steam or mixture of steam and air can be directed at the container conténts to force unsterile air out and create turbulence to assure effective heat transfer. TyFiically, in the case of culinary steam (made with FDA approved boiler chemicals, free of dirt, metals and other contaminants), a product such as cooked macaroni i5 heated to from about 220~ to about 250F and held there for about 10 to 15 minutes, prefirably about 12 minutes. Essentially complete kill of pathogenic as well as spoilage organisms is achieved. Shel~-temperature-stable storage for at least one month and preferably at least threa is preferred. Typical commercial storage times are in the range of three to eighteen months. A preferred level o~ kill will be a 5 D i'5 log cycle) reduckion. Here D value i5 1. 5 minutes for commercial sterility.
A*ter sufficient processing, a sterile fluid food component is fed from vessel 32, through conduit 34 and into sterilized container 10. To avoid ~urther cooking of the solid food ingredient and to achieve efficient product cooling, the fluid ~ood component is preferably cooled by passage through heat exchanger 36. ~he degree of cooling will be consistent with process requirements and should not be so extreme as to unduly incr2ase the viscosity of the fluid component.
The fluid component will typically have a major amount of water with enough other liquid materials to make it fluid under conditions of processing and consumption.
Fillers and thickeners can also be employed. In the case ~- 209~2~1 of cheese sauces, they will typically contain from 20 to 60% water, from 8 to 25% cheese solid~ te.g. cheddar), from 2 to ~ starch, salt, sugar, monosodium glutamate and seasonings~ Tomato sauces can be employed such as those prepared from pureed whole tomatoes with seeds removed and spices added.
From filler 34, the containers are passed to a seal-ing station where a sterile lid 38, from stack 40, is employed to cover the open, filled container. Sealing means 42 effects a complete seal of the lid to the con-tainer, the nature of the seal depending on the con-struction of both the lid and the container. An adhesive can be employed as necessary. In the case of poly-propylene containers and matal lids, sealing is effected by double seam crimp action.
Following sealing, the containers are further cooled and packaged. For congealable fluids such as cheese sauce, the invention includes the step of agitati.ng the containers to effect mixing of the fluid and solid food components. This can be achieved by any movement of the container which will move the contents sufficiently to at least contact substantially all solid compvnent exkerior surfaces with the fluid component. Agitation by vibra-tion, rotation or translation can be effective. Prefer-ably, the containers are rotated about at least one axisextending through the container between the container top and bottom. Preferably, rotation is about at least two axes.
The following Example is provided to further illus-trate and explain a preferred form of the invention andis not to be taken as limiting in any regard. Unless otherwise indicated, all parts and percentages are by weight.
, ~:
:` :
: . . .
~, 2~2~1 E~aMPhE
Pasta noodles (elbow macroni) ara blanched to achieve complete hydration (e.g., at 212F for approximately 10 minutes) then drained. Drained, blanched noodles are then poured into 7-8 ounca polypropylene cups. The cups, which are lined with polypropylene and have an impervious barrier layer, containing the ~lanched noodles are ~hen passed through a "Dole" type pressurizad aseptic tunnel and exposed to super-saturated (culinary) steam at about 250F
for approximately 10-15 minutes. Cheese sauce prepared from the following recipe In~redient Parts Whole Milk 48.00 Water 34.87 Maxgarine 6.25 Cheese Powder 4.50 Thic~eners 3.50 Disodium Phosphate 0.94 Sucrose 0-75 Salt 0.~5 Monosodium Glutamate 0.25 Sodium Hexametaphosphate 0.19 Color and Flavor 0.10 is sterilized through a contherm syste~ at about 280F for about 15 s~conds and cooled to lOO~F. Following steril-ization~the sauce is then aseptically filled into thesterilized cups containing the sterilized noodles. The sterilized cups containing sterilized noodles and cheese saure are then aseptically sealed with a "can type" metal lid, constructed of polyolefin axtrusion-coated aluminum, by Central States Co. The noodles and sauce are present at a weight ratio of about 45 to 55. Saaled cups are then .
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removed from the sterile sealing chamber and rotated several times to mix the noodles and cheese sauce together.
The above description is for thQ purpose of teaching the person of ordina~y skill in the art how to practice the present invention~ and it is not intended to detail all of those obvious modi*ications and variations of it which will become apparent to the skilled worker upon reading the des-cription. It is intended/ however, that all such obvious modifications and variations be included within the scope lQ of the present invention which is defined by the following claims. The clai~s are meant to cover the claimed elements and steps in any arrangement or sequence which is effective to meet the objectives there intended, unless the context specifically indicates the contrary.
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Claims (20)
1. A process for aseptically packaging a food product containing discrete pieces of a solid food component and a fluid food component, the process comprising:
depositing at lea t a portion of the solid food component into an open container;
contacting the open container and its contents with steam for a period of time sufficient to sterilize both;
depositing a sterile fluid food component into the container; and sealing the container under aseptic conditions.
depositing at lea t a portion of the solid food component into an open container;
contacting the open container and its contents with steam for a period of time sufficient to sterilize both;
depositing a sterile fluid food component into the container; and sealing the container under aseptic conditions.
2. A process according to claim 1 which further includes the step of placing a sterile cover over the open container after the fluid food component has been deposited therein.
3. A process according to claim 1 wherein the solid food is cooked prior to depositing it into the open container.
4. A process according to claim 1 wherein the solid food component comprises fully hydrated pasta.
5. A process according to claim 1 which further comprises the step of agitating the container to effect mixing of the fluid and solid food components.
6. A process according to claim 5 wherein the containers are agitated by rotating about at least two axes and the container is then cooled to congeal the fluid food com-ponent.
7. A process for aseptically packaging a food product containing discrete pieces of a solid food component in a matrix of congealed food sauce, the process comprising:
depositing the solid food component into an open container;
contacting the open container and its contents with steam for a period of time sufficient to sterilize both;
heating the food sauce sufficiently to render it fluid and to sterilize it;
depositing the food sauce into the container:
sealing the container under aseptic conditions;
agitating the container to effect mixing of the sauce and the solid food component; and cooling the container effectively to congeal the sauce.
depositing the solid food component into an open container;
contacting the open container and its contents with steam for a period of time sufficient to sterilize both;
heating the food sauce sufficiently to render it fluid and to sterilize it;
depositing the food sauce into the container:
sealing the container under aseptic conditions;
agitating the container to effect mixing of the sauce and the solid food component; and cooling the container effectively to congeal the sauce.
8. A process according to claim 7 which further includes the step of placing a sterile cover over the open container after the fluid food component has been deposited therein.
9. A process according to claim 7 wherein the solid food is cooked prior to depositing it into the open container.
10. A process according to claim 7 wherein the solid food component comprises fully hydrated pasta.
11. A process according to claim 10 wherein the food sauce is a cheese sauce.
12. A process according to claim 7 wherein the food sauce is cooled prior to depositing it into the container.
13. A process according to claim 7 wherein the containers are agitated by rotating about at least two axes and the container is then cooled to congeal the fluid food com-ponent.
14. A process for aseptically packaging a food product containing fully hydrated pasta pieces of and a fluid food component, the process comprising:
depositing the pasta into an open container;
contacting the open container and its contents with steam for a period of time sufficient to sterilize both;
sterilizing the fluid food component:
cooling the fluid food component;
depositing the fluid food component into the con-tainer; and sealing the container under aseptic conditions.
depositing the pasta into an open container;
contacting the open container and its contents with steam for a period of time sufficient to sterilize both;
sterilizing the fluid food component:
cooling the fluid food component;
depositing the fluid food component into the con-tainer; and sealing the container under aseptic conditions.
15. A process according to claim 14 which further includes the step of placing a sterile cover over the open container after the fluid food component has been deposited therein.
16. A process according to claim 14 wherein the fluid food component comprises a cheese sauce.
17. A process according to claim 14 which further com-prises the step of agitating the container to effect mixing of the fluid and solid food components.
18. A process according to claim 17 wherein the containers are agitated by rotating about at least two axes and the container is then cooled to congeal the fluid food com-ponent.
19. A process according to any of claims 1-18 wherein the container comprises an inner layer of polypropylene, a barrier layer, and an outer layer of polypropylene and the lid comprises polyolefin extrusion-coated aluminum.
20. A product of the process of claim 15.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US88219892A | 1992-05-13 | 1992-05-13 | |
| US882,198 | 1992-05-13 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2094211A1 true CA2094211A1 (en) | 1993-11-14 |
Family
ID=25380104
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA002094211A Abandoned CA2094211A1 (en) | 1992-05-13 | 1993-04-16 | Process for aseptically packaging a multi-component food product |
Country Status (2)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| EP (1) | EP0570122A3 (en) |
| CA (1) | CA2094211A1 (en) |
Families Citing this family (16)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IT1270064B (en) * | 1994-07-04 | 1997-04-28 | Barilla Flli G & R | EQUIPMENT FOR THE PRODUCTION OF LONG STORAGE COOKED FOODS ON INDUSTRIAL SCALE, READY TO BE CONSUMED. |
| EP0865735A1 (en) * | 1997-03-19 | 1998-09-23 | Societe Des Produits Nestle S.A. | Process for sterilising beverages |
| GB2328668B (en) * | 1997-08-27 | 2001-03-28 | Rye Dev Ltd | Food processing method and apparatus |
| DE29715381U1 (en) * | 1997-08-28 | 1997-10-16 | Münzner, Matthias, 09496 Reitzenhain | Packaged ready meal |
| DE69802357T2 (en) * | 1997-08-28 | 2002-07-11 | House Foods Corp., Higashi-Osaka | Device for the aseptic filling and packaging of food |
| JP3781418B2 (en) * | 2002-10-09 | 2006-05-31 | カゴメ株式会社 | Method for producing containerized aseptic pasta and containerized aseptic pasta |
| US7402326B2 (en) | 2003-03-27 | 2008-07-22 | Nisshin Foods Inc. | Process for producing cooked noodles |
| EP1462010A1 (en) * | 2003-03-27 | 2004-09-29 | Nisshin Foods Inc. | Process for producing cooked noodles |
| AT501597B1 (en) * | 2003-09-25 | 2006-10-15 | Die Kaesemacher Kaeseproduktio | METHOD FOR PRODUCING A PACKAGED FOOD |
| JP2007289052A (en) * | 2006-04-24 | 2007-11-08 | Shinwa Kikai:Kk | Method for producing pasta food packed in container so as to be applicable to normal temperature storage |
| US8046976B2 (en) * | 2006-07-25 | 2011-11-01 | The Coca-Cola Company | Devices and methods for packaging beverages |
| GB2449726B (en) * | 2007-05-29 | 2012-09-26 | Mars Inc | Packaged food products |
| GB0710228D0 (en) * | 2007-05-29 | 2007-07-11 | Mars Inc | Packaged cereal products |
| DE102010062797A1 (en) * | 2010-12-10 | 2012-06-14 | Krones Aktiengesellschaft | Method and device for aseptic filling |
| EP2814334A4 (en) * | 2011-10-02 | 2015-11-25 | Pan Seven Seas General Trading Llc | Method for making industrial pasteurized ice noodles (faloudeh) |
| CN109275835A (en) * | 2017-07-21 | 2019-01-29 | 广州卓诚食品科技有限公司 | The process and aseptic canning system of aseptic canning |
Family Cites Families (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB1135240A (en) * | 1966-04-19 | 1968-12-04 | Cryodry Corp | Improvements in or relating to the canning of food products |
| DE4019470C1 (en) * | 1990-06-19 | 1992-02-20 | Benedict Lebensmittel Gmbh, 5000 Koeln, De | |
| AU1541592A (en) * | 1991-03-04 | 1992-10-06 | Curtice-Burns, Inc. | Pressure-processed foods |
-
1993
- 1993-04-16 CA CA002094211A patent/CA2094211A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 1993-04-26 EP EP19930303219 patent/EP0570122A3/en not_active Withdrawn
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| EP0570122A3 (en) | 1994-01-05 |
| EP0570122A2 (en) | 1993-11-18 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| FZDE | Discontinued | ||
| FZDE | Discontinued |
Effective date: 19970416 |