DE9409959U1 - Packaged egg product, device for its production and arrangement of several packaged egg products - Google Patents

Description

Egg products
D-84494 NiedertaufKirchen

OUR REF DATE/OATE

R1191-2-S 94 Gbm 20 June 1994

vS/5/cr

Packaged egg product, device for its production and arrangement of several packaged egg products

The invention relates to a packaged egg product, a device for producing it and an arrangement of several packaged egg products.

Eggs pose a number of problems during processing, particularly in restaurants. For example, eggshells, due to their porosity, easily absorb odorous substances that can affect the taste of the eggs. The shelf life of eggs is generally limited to a period of around 20 days. There is also a risk that eggs are contaminated with salmonella or other pathogenic bacteria. Finally, it is relatively time-consuming to open the eggshell and separate the contents of the egg from it. The storage and processing of eggs, particularly in restaurants, must therefore meet high hygiene requirements and is relatively time-consuming overall.

In order to facilitate the processing of eggs by the final consumer, it is already known to cook the eggs in their shells in a processing plant upstream of the final consumer, to peel them and to package them in a plastic film.

It is also known that in the upstream processing plant the raw eggs are opened, the egg contents are pasteurised by heat treatment without curdling, and the liquid, pasteurised egg contents are packaged in plastic film.

Although the egg products obtained in this way are easier for end users to store and process than natural eggs, these known egg products and the processes used to produce them have disadvantages and are therefore not optimal. There is a very high risk that the egg mass will become contaminated with bacteria, particularly salmonella, during the processing steps from heat treatment (cooking or pasteurization) to packaging. It is therefore necessary to meet very high hygiene requirements during these processing steps, which makes processing relatively complex. Nevertheless, it is practically impossible to completely rule out contamination. The shelf life of the egg products obtained in this way is therefore, as with natural eggs, limited to a relatively short period of time.

The invention is therefore based on the technical problem of providing an egg product based on this prior art that has a longer shelf life and is easier to produce. This includes providing a device for producing this egg product.

This technical problem is solved according to the invention by a packaged egg product, formed by an egg mass which is essentially formed by the contents of at least one egg or a component thereof, and a package which consists essentially of plastic film and in which the egg mass is tightly packed, wherein the egg mass is heat-treated in the package after being introduced into the package in a liquid state and the package being tightly, in particular airtightly, sealed, wherein the heat treatment is selected so that at least conditions for pasteurization of the egg mass are met. These conditions are generally known for liquid egg; the treatment temperature and the treatment duration must exceed certain minimum values, whereby a higher treatment temperature allows a shorter treatment duration, and vice versa.

• * · &bgr;

For example, treatment at 65°C for approximately 18 minutes meets the conditions for pasteurization of liquid egg.

In contrast to the prior art, when producing the egg product according to the invention, the heat treatment of the egg mass only takes place after it has been tightly sealed in the packaging. The egg product according to the invention therefore has practically no bacterial contamination, which significantly increases the shelf life of the egg product according to the invention compared to the prior art. In addition, the egg product according to the invention is easier to produce because the processing steps from tightly sealing the packaging to the subsequent heat treatment do not have to meet such high hygiene requirements.

Advantageously, the packaging of the egg product is sealed tightly, in particular airtight, by means of the welded plastic film. The plastic film preferably comprises a bottom film and a top film which are welded together. Alternatively, however, the packaging can also be formed by a plastic film in the form of a tube which is sealed at the ends by welding.

A first preferred embodiment of the invention relates to an egg product in which the egg mass is coagulated or cooked, which thus resembles, for example, a fried egg packaged in a plastic film. This first preferred embodiment is obtained in that the heat treatment after the tightly closing of the packaging is selected so that the egg mass coagulates or cooks.

In a particularly advantageous development of the first embodiment, the packaging or a part of it (e.g. the bottom film) is dimensionally stable and has an inner shape that corresponds to the shape that the coagulated or cooked egg mass is intended to have for consumption. The packaging

In this advantageous further development, in addition to its actual function as packaging and as a container for heat treatment, it also fulfils the function of a mould for the coagulating egg mass.
5

Preferably, in the first preferred embodiment, the egg mass is essentially formed by the contents of an egg with yolk and egg white, whereby the yolk has melted into the egg white. The melting of the yolk into the egg white can be achieved, for example, by cutting into the yolk membrane enclosing the yolk before the packaging is closed. The melting of the yolk ensures that the conditions for pasteurization are also met in the area of the yolk, whereby at the same time the appearance of a fried egg is almost preserved.

A second preferred embodiment of the invention relates to a liquid egg product that can be used, for example, as a starting material in the preparation of food. For this purpose, the heat treatment is selected so that the egg mass remains liquid. The egg mass is preferably formed from the contents of one egg or several eggs (e.g. 8 eggs), the yolk and egg white of which are mixed together.

Alternatively, the egg mass can be made up of only yolk or only egg white.

A process for producing an egg product comprises at least the following steps:
0 a) the contents of at least one egg or a component thereof are used to form an egg mass

(b) the egg mass is placed in liquid form in a package consisting essentially of plastic film 5 or part thereof

(c) the packaging is sealed tightly, in particular airtight, and

(d) the egg mass enclosed in the packaging is subjected to a heat treatment such that at least the conditions for pasteurisation of the egg mass are met.
5

It is advantageous to seal the packaging tightly by welding the plastic film. Preferably, a plastic film is used as packaging, which comprises a bottom film and a top film. In this case, the packaging is sealed by welding the bottom film and the top film together. Alternatively, a plastic film in the form of a tube can be used, for example, which is welded at the ends.

A first preferred embodiment of the method relates to the production of an egg product in which the egg mass has coagulated, i.e. resembles a fried egg, for example. In this embodiment, the heat treatment in step d) is carried out in such a way that the egg mass coagulates. In this embodiment, it is particularly preferred to use a packaging that is at least partially dimensionally stable and whose internal shape corresponds to the shape that the egg mass is to take for consumption. This is particularly advantageous because in step d) the egg mass is simultaneously brought into the shape intended for consumption by the coagulation of the egg mass in the packaging, which further simplifies the production process. Preferably, the egg mass used essentially consists of the contents of an egg with yolk and egg white, whereby the yolk is damaged before step b) or c) so that it flows into the egg white. This produces an egg product that resembles a fried egg after the packaging has been removed, whereby the yolk is allowed to flow to ensure that the conditions for pasteurization are also met in area 5 of the yolk during the heat treatment in step d).

A second preferred embodiment of the method relates to the production of a liquid egg product which can be used, for example, as a starting material for preparing dishes such as scrambled eggs. To this end, in step d) the heat treatment is carried out in such a way that the egg mass remains liquid. Preferably, the egg mass used essentially consists of the contents of at least one egg with yolk and egg white, with the yolk and egg white being mixed together before step b). This gives a more or less homogeneously mixed egg mass. Alternatively, the egg mass can be used, for example, only yolk or only egg white.

Preferably, the egg mass enclosed in the packaging is moved back and forth during the heat treatment in step d). The resulting circulation of the egg mass in the packaging means that the residence time in the surface layer adjacent to the packaging is essentially uniform for all parts of the egg mass, which ensures that the egg mass is heated evenly.

This ensures that the conditions for pasteurisation are met throughout the egg mass, even if the egg mass consists of several eggs (e.g. 8 eggs).

The technical problem relating to a device for producing an egg product is solved according to the invention by a device comprising a processing line with a processing direction on which at least the following processing stations are arranged in the processing direction 0:

- a processing station for filling egg mass into packaging,

- a processing station for closing the packaging and

5 - a processing station for heat treatment of the

packaged egg masses.

Preferably, in the device for the processing station for filling in egg mass, a processing station for drawing in a bottom film and for deep-drawing depressions in the bottom film is arranged upstream. Preferably, the processing station for filling in egg mass comprises devices for drawing in top film and for sealingly welding the top film to the bottom film.

To produce the first preferred embodiment of the packaged egg product, a processing station for injecting an agent into the recesses is advantageously provided after the processing station for pulling in a bottom film and for deep-drawing recesses into the bottom film, which allows the finished egg products to be easily removed from the packaging.

It is advantageous for the device (for producing all of the above-mentioned egg products) to have a processing station for separating connected packaged egg masses after the processing station for closing the packaging. The processing station for heat-treating the packaged egg masses is preferably formed by a steam/water bath. The packaged egg masses travel through or run through this steam/water bath - preferably on conveyor rollers that are equipped with rocking devices. It is advantageous for the processing station for heat-treating the packaged egg masses to be followed by a processing station for cooling the packaged egg products.

0 The invention is also directed to an arrangement of several packaged egg products, in which several of the packaged egg products are connected to one another in a series that extends in one direction or in two mutually perpendicular directions. This enables storage to be further simplified.

Preferably, the connection of the several packaged egg products is achieved in that at least one plastic film common to the several packaged egg products is provided for the packaging of the several packaged egg products. In the arrangement, perforation lines are advantageously provided in the common plastic film(s) in order to be able to easily separate individual or rows of the packaged egg products connected to one another from the arrangement.
10

Preferred embodiments of the invention are described in more detail below with reference to the attached figures. Here:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an egg product

with curdled egg mass,

Figure 2 is a flow chart of a process for producing the egg product of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a perspective view of an egg product with liquid egg mass,

Figure 4 is a flow chart of a process for producing the egg product of Figure 3,
Figure 5 is a plan view of an arrangement of several egg products

of Figure 1, and

Figure 6 is a perspective view of a device

for the production of egg products of Figure 1.

The egg product 1 shown in Figure 1 is essentially formed by an egg mass 2 and a packaging 3.

The egg mass 2 consists essentially of the contents of a chicken egg, namely an egg yolk 4 and an egg white 5. The egg mass 2 has coagulated, i.e. is in a solid state. The egg yolk 4 has melted into a part of the egg white 5. The egg mass 2 essentially completely fills a cavity formed by the packaging 3, which is described in more detail below, so that

there are almost no air pockets in the cavity of the packaging 3. The external shape of the coagulated egg mass 2 corresponds to the internal shape of the cavity of the packaging 3.

The packaging 3 is formed by a bottom film 6 and a top film 7.

The bottom film 6 is formed by a flat, square sheet in which a recess 8 in the form of a circular cylinder with a closed base 9 and a cylinder jacket 10 is provided concentrically. The part of the square sheet lying outside the recess 8 forms a projection 11 in the plane of the (imaginary) cover surface of the circular cylinder opposite the base 9. The projection 10 is flat and rectangular and lies coaxially to the axis of the circular cylinder. The circular cylinder can, for example, have a depth of 15 mm and a diameter of 75 mm.

The bottom film 6 consists of a hard plastic film which is heat-resistant and dimensionally stable up to at least 100 ^° C. It can be, for example, a polypropylene film with a thickness of 200 μm, which has received its circular-cylindrical shape by deep-drawing.

The upper film 7 is essentially flat and has a square shape. Its external dimensions correspond to the external dimensions of the projection 11. The upper film 7 consists of a flexible plastic film which is heat-resistant up to at least 100 ^° C and can be connected to the lower film 6 by welding. It can be a film made of polypropylene with a thickness of 75 μm, for example.

The upper film 7 is arranged on the (imaginary) cover surface of the circular cylinder and the overhang 11 of the lower film 6, so that it closes the (imaginary) cover surface of the circular cylinder and is essentially congruent with

the projection 11. The above-mentioned cavity is defined by the recess 8 and the upper film 7. The upper film 7 and the lower film 6 are connected to one another by a circular welding zone 12, which runs just outside the circumference of the cylinder jacket 9, concentric to the cylinder axis in the projection 10 (and accordingly in the upper film 7). The extension of the welding zone 12 in the radial direction is chosen sufficiently to ensure a hermetic seal of the cavity; it can be 5 mm, for example. The dimensions of the rectangular projection 11 and the upper film 7 are chosen so that there is sufficient space in the radial direction for the formation of the welding zone 12.

The egg product 1 is obtainable by placing the egg mass 2 in liquid state into the packaging 3, then sealing the packaging 3 airtight and then heat-treating the egg mass 2 enclosed in the packaging 2, the heat treatment being selected such that the conditions for pasteurization of the egg mass are met and the egg mass 2 coagulates. An example of such a heat treatment is explained in more detail below in connection with Figure 2. Only a relatively small number of germs are present in the egg product 1 obtained in this way. In detail, the egg product 1 meets the following limits of germ counts shortly after production:

Salmonella: 0 xn 25 G, Enterobacteriaceae: < 10 in 1 G, Total bacterial count < 10,000 in 1 G/ Aerobic mesophilic Bacterial count < 10 in 1 G/ Staphylococcus aureus 0 in 1 G-

5 Due to these relatively low germ counts, egg product 1 has a relatively long shelf life.

The egg mass 2 has the shape of a disc-shaped fried egg, which can be eaten as an insert in a bread roll, for example. To do this, the end user first removes the top film

7 is removed from the bottom film 6. The egg mass 2 is then removed from the recess 8. Before consumption, the egg mass 2 removed from the packaging 3 can be briefly fried on both sides. This means that the preparation of the fried egg is almost completely shifted from the end user to the manufacturing plant of the egg product 1, while at the same time the egg product 1 is stored very easily.

In the following, a process for producing the egg product of Figure 1 is explained in more detail with reference to Figure 2.

In a first process step Sl, the depression

Oil, preferably vegetable oil, is injected into the lower film 6 of Figure 1 produced by deep drawing. This serves to make it easier for the end user to remove the finished egg mass 2 from the depression 8.

In a second process step S2, a fresh chicken egg is cracked using a cracking device, while at the same time the skin of the egg yolk 4 is scratched using an edge knife in order to ensure that the egg yolk 4 runs.

In a third process step S3, the egg mass 2 thus obtained is filled into the recess 8 of the bottom film 6.

0 In a fourth process step S4, the upper film 7 is laid essentially congruently on the lower film 6, whereby an inclusion of air in the cavity filled by the egg mass 2 is avoided. For this purpose, the upper film 7 is progressively rolled out on the lower film 6 under the influence of a stamp.

·

&bull; ·«

&bull;&bull;&bull;&bull;&bull;&bull;a ··

In a fifth process step S5, the lower film 6 and the upper film 7 are tightly welded together using a welding device, whereby the circular welding zone 12 shown in Figure 1 is formed.

In a sixth process step S6, the egg mass 2 enclosed in the packaging 3 is subjected to a heat treatment. To do this, the packaged egg mass 2 is moved on a roller-guided rocking device through a steam atmosphere above a water level, the temperature of the water being approximately 96°C. The duration of the heat treatment is approximately 10 minutes, but can be shortened or extended depending on whether the finished egg mass 2 should be more or less cooked. The heat treatment causes the packaged egg mass 2 to coagulate. In addition, the heat treatment ensures pasteurization (i.e. killing or inactivation of germs) of the egg mass 2, whereby the low germ counts mentioned above in connection with Figure 1 are achieved.

In a seventh process step &Xgr;7, the packaged coagulated egg mass 2 is cooled in a water bath at approximately 1-2°C for 6 hours. The egg product 1 produced in this way can now be packaged and stored in a cool place.

The egg product 21 shown in Figure 3 is explained in more detail below. It is formed by an egg mass 2 2 and a 0 packaging 2 3.

The egg mass 2 2 essentially consists of the contents of several (e.g. eight) chicken eggs and is in a liquid state, with the egg yolk and egg white of the chicken eggs 5 mixed and stirred to form an almost homogeneous mass.

The egg mass 22 essentially completely fills a cavity formed by the packaging 23, which is described in more detail below, so that there are almost no air inclusions in the cavity.
5

The packaging 23 is formed by a bottom film 26 and a top film 27. The bottom film 26 is formed by a flat, rectangular sheet in which a trough-shaped depression 28 is formed in the middle. The part of the rectangular sheet lying outside the depression 28 forms a circumferential overhang 31. The trough-shaped depression can, for example, have a length of 15 cm, a width of 4 cm and a depth of 4 cm.

The upper film 27 is essentially flat - in particular slightly curved upwards - and rectangular and its external dimensions correspond to those of the overhang 31.

The bottom film 26 and the top film 27 consist of a flexible plastic film that is heat-resistant up to at least 100°C. It can be, for example, a film made of polypropylene with a thickness of 75 μm.

The upper film 27 is arranged on the lower film 26 in such a way that it closes the trough-shaped depression 28 and is essentially congruent with the projection 31. The above-mentioned cavity is defined by the depression 28 and the upper film 27. The upper film 27 and the lower film 026 are tightly welded to one another by a circumferential welding zone 32 which runs just outside the circumference of the trough-shaped depression 28 in the projection 31 (and correspondingly in the upper film 27). The extension of the welding zone 32 in the plane of the upper film 28 is chosen to be sufficient to ensure a hermetic seal of the cavity; it can be 5 mm, for example.

"L4

The egg product 21 is obtainable by placing the egg mass 22 in liquid state into the packaging 23, then sealing the packaging 23 tightly and then heat treating the egg mass 22 enclosed in the packaging 23, whereby the heat treatment is selected so that the conditions for pasteurization of the egg mass are met and the egg mass 22 remains liquid. An example of such a heat treatment is explained in more detail below in connection with Figure 4. Only a relatively small number of germs are present in the egg product 21 obtained in this way. In detail, the egg product 21 also meets the limits of germ counts specified above in connection with Figure 1 shortly after production. Due to this relatively very low germ count, the egg product 21 has a relatively long shelf life.

The egg mass 2 2 of the finished egg product 21 is in the form of a stirred liquid egg, which can be used by an end user as a starting material for the preparation of dishes.

0 The end user no longer needs to worry about peeling and mixing eggs, and at the same time enjoys the advantage of easier and longer storage of the egg mass under improved hygienic conditions.

In the following, a process for producing the egg product of Figure 3 is explained in more detail with reference to Figure 4.

In a first process step Ql, several fresh chicken eggs are cracked using a cracking device. 30

In a second process step Q2, the contents of the chicken eggs are mixed together to obtain an almost homogeneously mixed egg mass 22.

5 In a third process step Q3, a certain quantum of egg mass 2 2 (e.g. one corresponding to eight chicken eggs)

sufficient quantity) into the recess 28 of the bottom film 2 6 .

In a fourth process step Q4, the upper film 27 is laid essentially congruently on the lower film 26, whereby the entrapment of air in the cavity filled by the egg mass 22 is avoided.

In a fifth process step Q5, the lower film 26 and the upper film 27 are tightly welded together with the aid of a welding device, whereby the circumferential welding zone 31 shown in Figure 3 is formed.

In a sixth process step Q6, the egg mass 22 enclosed in the packaging 23 is subjected to a heat treatment. To do this, the packaged egg mass 22 is moved on rockers through a steam or water bath, partly above and partly below the level of the water bath, with a back and forth movement being carried out on the rockers, which ensures that the egg mass 22 is heated evenly. The temperature of the water bath is approximately 65° C. The duration of the heat treatment is approximately 20 minutes. The heat treatment ensures that the egg mass 22 is pasteurized, whereby the low germ counts mentioned above in connection with Figure 1 are achieved.

In a seventh process step Q7, the packaged egg mass 22 is cooled. The egg product 21 produced in this way can now be packaged and stored in a cool place.

Figure 5 shows an arrangement of several of the egg products 1 shown in Figure 1. The egg products 1 can be arranged either in one direction or in two directions perpendicular to each other. In the embodiment shown in Figure 5, four eggs are arranged in a longitudinal direction and three in a transverse direction.

products 1 are lined up one after the other. The individual egg products 1 are connected to one another by using a common bottom film 6 and a common top film 7 for all egg products 1 of the arrangement 41. In order to be able to easily separate a row of egg products 1 from the arrangement 41, perforation lines 53 running in the longitudinal direction are provided in the films 6 and 7 between the egg products 1.

In another (not shown) embodiment of an arrangement, several of the egg products 21 shown in Figure 3 are lined up in one direction, with the packages 23 each adjoining one another with their long sides. The connection of the individual egg products 21 is also achieved by common films 26 and 27 for all egg products 21 in the arrangement. Perforation lines are provided between the packages 23 for easy separation of an egg product 21.

It is understood that the methods explained above for producing the egg products 1 and 21 are also suitable for producing the above arrangements in that the individual process steps for the multiple egg products of an arrangement are carried out simultaneously and/or immediately one after the other.

Finally, Figure 6 shows a device for producing packaged egg products from Figure 1. The device is formed by a processing line 61, on which processing stations Bl to B7 are provided in succession in a processing direction r.

A first processing station Bl for drawing in a bottom film 6 and deep-drawing recesses 8 comprises a device 62 for drawing the bottom film 6 wound on a roll into the processing line 61 and, following this, a device 63 for deep-drawing recesses 8.

depressions 8 in the bottom film 6 in the form of a heating plate with a deep-drawing mold - if necessary under the influence of an air stream. The processing station Bl is designed in such a way that a certain length of the bottom film 6 (e.g. a length corresponding to four depressions 8) can be drawn step by step into the processing line 61 and in each step several depressions 8 (e.g. three transverse to the processing direction r and four in the processing direction r, so a total of twelve depressions 8) can be deep-drawn simultaneously.

This is followed by a processing station B2 for injecting an agent into the recesses 8, which allows the finished egg product 1 to be easily removed from the packaging. The agent can be a vegetable oil, for example. The processing station B2 is formed by several spray nozzles 65 connected to an oil container 64 and arranged above the processing line 61, which spray a predetermined quantity of oil into the recesses 8 in synchronization with the step-by-step advance of the bottom film 6.

This is followed by a processing station B3 for filling egg mass 2 into the recesses 8 of the bottom film 6. The processing station B3 comprises a funnel plate 66 arranged above the processing line 61 with a number of filling funnels 67, whereby the funnel plate 66 is adapted to the width of the bottom film 6 and the step width in the processing direction r (i.e., has three times four filling funnels 67). Each of the filling funnels 67 is equipped with an upright knife in its funnel tube. In synchronization with the advance of the bottom film 6, chicken eggs are broken manually or with the help of a breaking device (not shown), and the contents of one egg are placed in each of the filling funnels 67. The filling funnels 67 are each designed with a knife in such a way that the knife injures the yolk membrane of the egg yolk when the egg contents pass through the filling funnel 67.

After the egg contents have been poured into the filling funnels 67, each of the recesses 8 located below the funnel plate 66 is filled with an egg mass 8 which is formed by an egg white 5 and the egg yolk 4, with the egg yolk 4 running in the egg white 5.

This is followed by a processing station B4 for closing the packages 3. The processing station B4 is formed by a device 68 for pulling in the top film 7 and a welding device 69. The welding device 69 comprises an arrangement of welding stamps (e.g. three times four welding stamps) adapted to the film width and the step length, which can be lowered onto the top film 7 and are designed in such a way that, synchronized with the advance of the films 6 and 7, they can weld the bottom film 6 and the top film 7 tightly together in each package 3 using a circular welding zone 12.

This is followed by a processing station B5 for separating (cutting) the films 6 and 7 that are still running up to this station into individual sections. The sections can correspond to the step length of the processing line 61 (i.e., have a length of four and a width of three packages 3) if arrangements of egg products as shown in Figure 5 are to be produced. A device (not shown) for applying perforation lines 52 in the processing direction r and/or perpendicular to it can also be provided.

0 However, if individual egg products 1 are to be produced, the processing station B5 can be designed so that the continuous films 6 and 7 are cut in the processing direction r and guer thereto in order to obtain individual egg products 1.

This is followed by a processing station B6 for heat treating the packaged inlets 2. The processing station B6 comprises

a first tub 70 in which water can be kept at a constant cooking temperature (e.g. 96°C). The first tub 70 is closed to ensure the formation of a steam atmosphere above the water level. The first tub 70 can be moved through on roller-guided rocking devices 71, which are designed in such a way that the packaged inlets 2 can be guided with rocking movements just above the water level, whereby a residence time of several minutes (e.g. ten minutes) is achieved in the first tub 70.

Finally, as the last processing station, a processing station B7 is provided for cooling the packaged egg products 1. It is formed by a second tub 72, in which water can be kept at a constant cooling temperature (e.g. 1-2°C). The processing station comprises a device (not shown) with which the packaged egg products 1 can be guided through the second tub 72 below the water level, whereby a residence time of several hours (e.g. six hours) is achieved in the second tub 72.

The device shown in Figure 6 can also be used, with minor modifications, to produce egg products shown in Figure 3. For this purpose, at least one dosing device must be provided at the processing station B4 for filling in egg mass instead of the funnel plate 66, which is connected to a container that contains stirred liquid egg. The station B3 can be omitted here. In the station B6, the packaged egg mass 22 is moved on the roller-guided rockers 71 through the steam/water bath through the first tub 70, partly above and partly below the level of the water bath. The packaged egg masses 22 move back and forth on the rockers 71, which ensures uniform convective heating of the egg mass 22. The temperature of the water bath is approximately 65°C; the duration of the heat treatment

is approximately 20 minutes. These heat treatment conditions achieve pasteurization of the egg mass 22 in a particularly simple and cost-effective manner.

Claims (16)

Expectations 1. Packaged egg product formed by an inlet (2, 22) which is essentially formed by the contents of at least one egg or a component thereof, and a packaging (3, 23) which consists essentially of plastic film and in which the egg mass (2, 22) is tightly packed, wherein the egg mass (2, 22) is heat-treated in the packaging (3, 23) after being introduced into the packaging (3, 23) in a liquid state and tightly closing the packaging (3, 23), wherein the heat treatment is selected such that at least conditions for pasteurization of the egg mass (2, 22) are met. 2. Packaged egg product according to claim 1, wherein the plastic film comprises a bottom film (6, 26) and a top film (7, 27) which are welded together to tightly seal the package (3, 23). 3. Packaged egg product according to claim 1 or 2, in which the heat treatment is selected such that the egg mass (2) is coagulated after the heat treatment. 4. Packaged egg product according to claim 3, in which the packaging (3) or a part thereof is dimensionally stable and gives the egg mass (2) coagulated in the packaging (3) by the heat treatment a shape intended for consumption. 5. Packaged egg product according to claim 3 or 4, in which the egg mass (2) is essentially formed by the contents of an egg with yolk (4) and egg white (5), wherein the yolk (4) has melted into the egg white (5). 6. Packaged egg product according to claim 1 or 2, in which the heat treatment is selected such that the egg mass (22) remains liquid after the heat treatment. "5 7. Packaged egg product according to claim 6, in which the egg mass (22) is essentially formed by the contents of at least one egg, the yolk and egg white of which are mixed together. 8. Device for producing packaged egg products according to one of claims 1 to 7, comprising a processing line (61) with a processing direction (r), on which at least the following processing stations are arranged in the processing direction (r): - a processing station (B3) for filling egg mass (2, 22) into packages (3, 23), - a processing station (B4) for closing the packages (3, 23) and 0 - a processing station (B6) for heat treatment of the packaged egg masses (2, 22). 9. Device according to claim 8, in which the processing station (B3) for filling in egg mass (2) is preceded by a processing station (B1) for pulling in a lower film (6, 26) and for deep-drawing depressions (8, 28) in the lower film (6, 26), and in which the processing station (B3) for filling in egg mass (2, 22) comprises devices for pulling in upper film (7, 27) and for sealingly welding the upper film (7, 27) to the lower film (6, 26). 10. Device according to claim 9, in which between the processing station (B1) for drawing in a base film (6) and for deep-drawing recesses (8) in the base film (6) and the processing station (B4) for closing the packaging (3) a processing station (B3) is provided for injecting an agent into the recesses (8), which allows easy removal of the finished egg product (1) from the packaging (3).
5 11. Device according to one of claims 8 to 10, in which a processing station B5 for separating coherent packaged egg masses (2, 22) is provided after the processing station (B4) for closing the packages (3, 23). 12. Device according to one of claims 8 to 11, in which the processing station (B6) for heat-treating the packaged egg masses (2, 22) is formed by a steam/water bath which can be moved through on rollers and/or on rocking devices (71). 13. Device according to one of claims 8 to 12, in which the processing station (B6) for heat-treating the 0 packaged egg masses (2, 22) is followed by a processing station (B7) for cooling the packaged egg products (1, 21). 14. Arrangement of several packaged egg products according to one of claims 1 to 7, in which several packaged egg products (1, 21) are connected to one another in a series which extends in one direction or in two mutually perpendicular directions. .
30 15. Arrangement according to claim 14, in which the connection of the plurality of packaged egg products (1, 21) is achieved in that at least one plastic film common to the plurality of packaged egg products (1, 21) is provided for the packaging of the plurality of packaged egg products (1, 21). 16. Arrangement according to claim 15, in which perforation lines (52) are provided in the common plastic film(s) in order to be able to easily separate individual or rows of the interconnected packaged egg products (1, 21) from the arrangement.