EP0212363A2

EP0212363A2 - Packaging unshirred tubular food casings

Info

Publication number: EP0212363A2
Application number: EP86110465A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Thomas Ralph Stanley
Original assignee: Teepak Inc
Current assignee: Devro Teepak Inc
Priority date: 1985-08-22
Filing date: 1986-07-29
Publication date: 1987-03-04
Also published as: DK398686D0; EP0212363A3; DK398686A; FI863241A0; JPS6246870A; FI863241A

Abstract

Tubular food casings are packaged as continuous flat lengths in large rectangular shaped containers by passing the film to and fro between container sidewalls in a zigzag pattern to provide multiple layers of crisscrossed film. The layered pattern of flat tubular film provides greater packing efficiencies than flattened tubular casing wound on reels.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to films used in packaging food products, and more specifically, to containers of unshirred tubular food casings and methods for efficient packaging of such casings for storage, shipment and use by food processors for stuffing with meat, sausage and.cheese products.
Food casings fabricated from nonedible and edible films have been widely used for many years in processing and packaging various meat products like frankfurters, sausages, bolognas, hams, deli loaves, poultry products and the like. The popular unreinforced regenerated cellulose-type casings are prepared, for instance, by extruding tubular viscose in a coagulating bath where it is regenerated, washed, plasticized and dried. Fibrous casings for larger meat products are prepared in a similar manner except a paper or other tubular reinforcement is saturated with a continuous matrix of viscose according to known methods. Fibrous film is customarily regenerated, washed to remove by-products, treated with glycerin, dried and formed into flattened tubular film by winding onto large reels.
For convenience in handling and filling, it has been the practice of casing manufacturers to convert much of the flat reelstock into tubular strands or sticks on high speed shirring machines. Typically, 40 to 200 feet of casing material is pleated into tightly compacted strands of 10 to 30 inches or more in length and packaged into corrugated caddies for storage and shipment to food processors. Other casings, such as large diameter fibrous types for heavier meat products, may be supplied by manufacturers as relatively short discontinuous lengths of flattened tubular film which are moistened immediately before use. Premoisturized, ready-to-stuff types of casing having sufficient moisture as to eliminate the usual soaking requirements by meat processors prior to stuffing is one example of casing being supplied on large reels.
Although food casing on reels and shirred strands have become the standard of the industry, such packaging techniques have not been totally satisfactory both from the viewpoint of the casing manufacturer and the food processor. For example, shirred strands are frequently subject to breakage and ends can become unshirred. In shirring tubular film, unless the film is properly humidified problems may occur, including jamming as a result of casing adhering to the mandrel. Too high moisture can also lead to excessive plasticity of the film and consequent overstuffing whereas low moisture levels can make film more vulnerable to breaking during stuffing as a result of pinholing. Lubricating surfactants when applied to remedy such problems can result in shirred pleats becoming noncoherent making strands difficult to package, store and handle without breaking. Such strands are unacceptable for high speed automated stuffing operations. In addition to lost production from downtime due to ruptured casings, continuous filling operations with shirred strands have poor stuffing efficiencies because of a loss of time for indexing and inserting new strands onto the stuffing horn.
Representative examples of flat tubular casing wound onto reels are illustrated in U.S. Patents 4,358,873; 4,276,815; and 3,919,739. Such casing may be substantially dry, e.g. 10T. moisture content, where it is transported from the reel through a moisturizing bath prior to stuffing. Alternatively, reelstock may contain sufficient moisture in it as to allow shirring and/or stuffing without adding further moisture immediately prior to filling. Although packaging tubular casing on reels offers advantages by eliminating several problems associated with shirred casing, as previously described, reeled film does not eliminate interruptions in filling operations. When film on a reel is exhausted, stuffing operations must be shutdown to allow an operator to attend to threading a fresh reel of tubular film through the stuffing apparatus. Consequently, there is a loss in production efficiency. In addition, the packing efficiency, i.e...the length of flattened film which can be packaged in a volume of space occupied by reels shipped in a rectangular container, is relatively low because of the annular configuration of storage reels.
Alternative methods for packaging food casings for shipping, storage and/or dispensing for filling have included placing unshirred film into containers without reels. U.S. Patent 3,550,977 and West German Application DE-33 18 373, first published November 22, 1984, disclose sausage casing boxes with lengths of unreeled, unshirred tubular film laying across their bases. U.S. 3,550,977 discloses a sausage casing box having a base and a cover. The box is packed with separate bundles of natural casings each having up to 360 feet of film folded in a serpentine-like pattern. The box has a water tight liner permitting moisturizing the casing in-situ before use. However, each bundle is removed from the container by an operator and manually transported to the stuffing bench for filling. The U.S. patent does not teach as its objective high packing efficiency methods in containerizing flattened tubular film for continuous uninterrupted payout at the stuffing site.
West German Application DE-33 18 373 mentions the benefits of "endless tubular casings" to minimize interruptions in continuous filling by a loop-shaped packaging arrangement of tubular film in a container. However, the casing is layered in the container by passing the film to and fro between container sidewalls where each pass is stacked directly over the previous pass. By piddling the tubular film between the container sidewalls in such a-manner, maximum utilization of interior container space, i.e. optimum packing efficiency, is not fully achieved. Consequently, more frequent interruptions of continuous filling operations will be required.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to improved packages of tubular food casing and methods for their manufacture. It was discovered that tubular food film, especially large diameter, nonedible casings for packaging bolognas, deli loaves, whole hams, picnics, poultry, etc., can be packaged advantageously as continuous, uninterrupted flat lengths of tubular film in large, generally rectangular shaped containers with higher packing efficiencies than if wound on reels, or if simply folded to and fro to form multiple stacked layers of piddled casings where one layer is folded to cover the immediate preceding layer. The space occupied by a length of film on reels or folded by stacking layers in a container is greater than the space occupied by the same length of film layered according to the present invention. The containers as disclosed herein perform as the sole packaging means for the tubular film at the time of manufacture, storage and shipment to food processors where the filled container is positioned adjacent to a stuffing apparatus. Payout of the film may be directly to the stuffing apparatus. Because the containers high packing efficiency, they can be filled with a day's capacity of casing so that interruption and downtime for rethreading a new supply of film can be totally eliminated.
The container formed from a base, spaced first and second opposing sidewalls and spaced first and second opposing endwalls is ,filled with a continuous length of flattened food film by passing to and fro between the first and second sidewalls until a first layer covers the container base. During the filling process at the conclusion of each pass, the film is folded over to make a return pass in the direction opposite from the preceding pass forming a layer as the film moves gradually from the first endwall to the second endwall. A zigzag pattern is used to form layers of the film utilizing virtually all available space in the container, including most container corners.
The walls of the container, including base and cover, may be moisture proof allowing for soaking the film in the container by the addition of water thereto by the food processor prior to use. Alternatively, the film may be shipped to food processors in a premoistened condition so it can be stuffed without additional moisture being added immediately prior to stuffing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a further understanding of the invention as well as its characterizing features, reference should now be made to the following detailed description thereof taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top'diagramatic view showing the pattern of overlapped casing according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the high packing efficiency boxed, flattened tubular strands.
FIG. 3 is an endwall view with a portion of the container broken away showing the trailing, bitter end of the.tubular food film made accessible through the top of the container.
FIG. 4 is a sidewall view with a portion of the container broken away showing the layered casing film.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides for generally rectangular containers which includes substantially square or rectangular shaped cartons and boxes filled with two or more layers of unshirred, flattened tubular film laid out according to the pattern shown in FIG. 1. The carton of tubular film 10 has an interior defined by a container base 12, spaced first and second opposing sidewalls 14 and 16 and spaced first and second endwalls 18 and 20. A layer of the tubular film 22 in a flattened condition is started by first placing film end 24 at a far end of the container adjacent to the first endwall 18 and container base 12 running the film from the first sidewall 14 to the second sidewall 16 on a diagonal in the direction of arrow 26.. When the first run of the flattened film 22 reaches the second sidewall 16 an offset fold 30 is made, the fold being sufficiently offset from the previous pass of the film as to advance the film in the direction of the second endwall 20 as the tubular film 22 is returned to the first sidewall 14, and so on.
The film is passed to and fro between the first and second sidewalls 14 and 16 to provide a generally zigzag pattern to the film by means of offset folds 30. The left edge 28 of the first layer of film 22 is shown in FIG. 1. The offset of the folds is equivalent to about 25 to about 1007. of the width of the flattened film. More preferably, the film offset is equivalent to about 35 to about 757. of the width of the flattened film, and most optimally, approximately 507. of the film width.
When the initial layer of film reaches the second endwall 20 the angle of offset folds 30 is reversed causing the second layer of film to gradually advance from the second endwall back to the first endwall 18 as passes of the film are made back and forth in a generally zigzag pattern between the sidewalls of the container. Thus, second and subsequent layers of the flattened tubular film are formed in a crisscross pattern with the previous layer.
For optimal packing efficiency, the film is preferably layered so the folds 30 are formed when the sidewall is reached. However, folds may also be formed before the sidewall has been reached during a given pass when a looser, less dense pack is desired, for instance, where some additional space is needed for water added to the container prior to stuffing for in-situ moistening.
The number of layers of tubular film and capacity of the containers are discretionary. However, one further feature of the present invention includes a sufficient length of continuous casing in a single container for a day's stuffing in order to avoid interruption and lost production. Sufficient casing for a day's stuffing is intended to mean that amount of tubular film in a single container to last for at least one production shift. This would include containers of layered tubular film mounted on pallets 31, like that shown in FIGS. 2-4. A lift truck (not shown) may transfer a large carton of casing on a pallet adjacent to a stuffing apparatus at the beginning of a production shift and be allowed to run continuously without interruption and with minimal operator supervision required. Payout of the film takes place from the carton directly to the stuffing apparatus. This may be demonstrated by a container, for example, 48 inches long, 40 inches wide and 40 inches deep filled with tubular food casing having a flat width of 10 inches and packed with 5 inch (50%) offset folds. Such a container would be capable of holding a layer of 12-48 inch long sections (see FIG. 1). A container of this dimension would have a capacity of from about 10,000 to about 15,000 feet of casing compared to a reel which would hold only from 750 to 1,000 feet of flattened tubular casing.
Smaller lighter weight containers of layered casing are also contemplated according to the present invention. Such containers may have less casing than required for a day's stuffing. This embodiment includes layering the film into the container such that the trailing end of the casing 32 (FIG. 3) is accessible during payout of the film. This permits additional containers of film to be spliced to the trailing end eliminating downtime intervals and production interruptions for rethreading purposes.
The containerized casings disclosed herein are intended for all types of casings, including edible and nonedible, small diameter non-fibrous reinforced as well as larger size fibrous reinforced casings for stuffing frankfurters, sausage links, bolognas, hams, deli loaves, poultry and turkey loaves, etc. The invention is especially desirable for premoisturized, ready-to-stuff type casings which are manufactured and packaged with sufficient moisture as to eliminate prestuffing soaking operations. Such casings are packaged in cartons having polyethylene or other type moisture barriers. The casings of the present invention may also be layered in polyolefin container inserts or bags. The containers themselves may be of any standard form of boxes customarily used in packaging operations, such as corrugated paperboard boxes, thermoplastic containers, paperboard boxes with moisture proof liners, etc.
Although the invention has been described in considerable detail with respect to the preferred embodiments thereof, it will be apparent that the invention is capable of numerous modifications and variations to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined in-the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method of packaging unshirred tubular food film, which comprises the steps of providing a container and a supply of tubular food film for packaging in said container, the container having a generally rectangular configuration and comprising a base, spaced first and second opposing sidwalls and spaced first and second opposing endwalls, said method including the steps of forming a first layer of the film by filling the container with a continuous length of the film in a flattened state by passing said film to and fro between said first and second sidewalls, folding said film over at the conclusion of each pass to make return passes of said film, each of said folds being sufficiently offset as to cause said film to advance with each pass in the direction of the second endwall, continuing the filling until an edge of the film reaches the second endwall, and forming at least one further layer of said film by folding said film over to form folds sufficiently offset to cause said film to advance towards the first opposing endwall while passing said film to and fro between said first and second sidewalls of said container.

2. The method of Claim 1 wherein said folds are sufficiently offset as to cause each return pass of said film to partially overlap with the film of the immediate preceeding pass to form a generally zigzag pattern of casing in the container.

3. The method of Claim 1 or 2 wherein said overlap is offset at the completion of the return pass by an amount equivalent to about 25 to about 100 % of the width of said flattened film, preferably by an amount equivalent from about 35 to about 75 % of the width of said flattened film.

4. The method of one of the Claims 1 to 3 wherein the folding step is carried out where each pass of said film reaches the sidwalls of the container.

5. The method of one of the Claims 1 to 4 wherein said container is filled with a sufficient number of layers of flat tubular film as required for at least one day of stuffing with the food product.

6. The method of one of the Claims 1 to 5 wherein the shape of said container is rectangular, preferably square.

7. Meth method of one of the Claims 1 to 6 including the step of placing the base of said container on a pallet.

8. The method of one of the Claims 1 to 7 including the step of positioning the trailing end of the film in the container so the bitter end of the trailing end is accessible before payout of the film from the container.

9. The method of one of the Claims 1 to 8 wherein the bitter end of the trailing end of the film is accessible through the container opening.

10. A package of tubular food film comprising a generally rectangular shaped container filled with two or more layers of unshirred, flattened tubular film, said container interior being defined by a base, spaced first and second opposing sidewalls, spaced first and second opposing endwalls and a container cover, each layer consisting of a continuous length of said flattened tubular film running to and fro between said container sidewalls with each pass being sufficiently offset from the previous pass as to provide a zigzag pattern to the film with the first layer advancing from the region of the first endwall of the container to the second endwall and the zigzag pattern of the second layer offset as to advance said film pattern from said second endwall to said first endwall, and so on.

11. The package of tubular food film of Claim 10 wherein the film offset is equivalent from about 25 to about 100 % of the width of said flattened tubular film, preferably equivalent from about 25 to about 75 % of the width of said flattened tubular film.

12. The package of tubular food film of Claim 10 or 11 wherein the container includes a moisture barrier.

13. The package of tubular food film of one of the Claims 10 to. 12 wherein the container is equipped with a polyolefin liner.

14. The package of tubular food film according to one of the Claims 10 to 13 wherein the film is premoisturized casing having sufficient moisture that presoaking prior to stuffing can be eliminated.

15. The package of tubular food film of one of the Claims 10 to 14 in combination with a base support means, preferably with a support pallet.

16. The package of tubular food casing of one of the Claims 10 to 15 wherein the container is filled with a continuous strip of tubular film sufficient for at least one day of stuffing with a food product.

17. The package of tubular food film of one of the Claims 10 to 16 wherein the trailing end of the film in the container is positioned so the bitter end is accessible before payout of the film from the container.

18. A method of stuffing meat casing with the package of tubular film of one of the Claims 10 to 17, which comprises the steps of placing said container in proximity to a stuffing apparatus, filling the container with water to moisten the packaged film while in the container, feeding the leading end of the moistened film onto the stuffing apparatus, and stuffing the moistened film.