EP0368116B1 - Method and apparatus for packaging products absorbing carbon-dioxide, in particular perishable food products - Google Patents

Method and apparatus for packaging products absorbing carbon-dioxide, in particular perishable food products Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0368116B1
EP0368116B1 EP19890120103 EP89120103A EP0368116B1 EP 0368116 B1 EP0368116 B1 EP 0368116B1 EP 19890120103 EP19890120103 EP 19890120103 EP 89120103 A EP89120103 A EP 89120103A EP 0368116 B1 EP0368116 B1 EP 0368116B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
carbon dioxide
solid
package
product
phase carbon
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.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
EP19890120103
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0368116A1 (en
Inventor
Geremia Orio
Marco Milani
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Valle Spluga SpA
Original Assignee
Valle Spluga SpA
Priority date (The priority date 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 date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from IT8822543A external-priority patent/IT1227469B/it
Priority claimed from IT8920353A external-priority patent/IT1229323B/it
Application filed by Valle Spluga SpA filed Critical Valle Spluga SpA
Priority to AT89120103T priority Critical patent/ATE84757T1/de
Publication of EP0368116A1 publication Critical patent/EP0368116A1/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0368116B1 publication Critical patent/EP0368116B1/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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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
    • B65B31/00—Packaging articles or materials under special atmospheric or gaseous conditions; Adding propellants to aerosol containers
    • 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
    • B65B25/06—Packaging slices or specially-shaped pieces of meat, cheese, or other plastic or tacky products
    • B65B25/065—Packaging slices or specially-shaped pieces of meat, cheese, or other plastic or tacky products of meat
    • B65B25/067—Packaging slices or specially-shaped pieces of meat, cheese, or other plastic or tacky products of meat combined with its conservation
    • 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
    • B65B31/00—Packaging articles or materials under special atmospheric or gaseous conditions; Adding propellants to aerosol containers
    • B65B31/04—Evacuating, pressurising or gasifying filled containers or wrappers by means of nozzles through which air or other gas, e.g. an inert gas, is withdrawn or supplied

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for packaging products absorbing carbon dioxide, in particular perishable food products.
  • Said progressive absorption of carbon dioxide also causes a reduction of the carbon dioxide in the space surrounding the product, consequently producing a vacuum inside the package with the disadvantage of an inward collapse of the package if it is made of easily deformable material, as is usually the case for synthetic-material packaging containers.
  • the collapse of the package can cause the crushing of the products contained therein, deforming them and in some cases squeezing liquids out of them which make the appearance of said products extremely unappealing.
  • the absorption of carbon dioxide by the product furthermore modifies the percentages of gas, reducing the free carbon dioxide in the atmosphere inside the container and limiting the potential preservability of the product.
  • the deformation of the packaging container may furthermore cause the customer information, such as for example the date before which the product is to be eaten or other indications which are usually printed directly on the package or on sheets glued to the package or inserted therein, to become partially or totally unreadable.
  • US-A-2.838.403 discloses a method of packaging a dehydrated food, including the steps of depositing the dehydrated food and a desiccant capable of absorbing carbon dioxide into a container along with a quantity of solid carbon dioxide, allowing the solid carbon dioxide to evaporate so as to displace the air inside the can, and then sealing the can to complete the package.
  • Replacement of the air by the carbon dioxide effectively eliminates the possibility of oxidative damage of the packaged food, and the carbon dioxide gas left in the container after sealing is absorbed by the desiccant, thereby creating a subatmospheric pressure in the container which enhances the transferral of any residual moisture present in the food to the desiccant.
  • Such subatmospheric pressure obviously leads to the disadvantageous deformation of the container as discussed above.
  • US-A-3.659.393 shows an apparatus for forming vacuum packages which comprises a cavity for receiving a package, means for withdrawing air from inside the package, means for introducing a gaseous medium into the evacuated package, and means for sealing a flexible cover to the package periphery.
  • the package deforms around the product due to the vacuum produced therein.
  • the aim of the present invention is to solve the above described problems by providing a method for packaging products susceptible of absorbing carbon dioxide, in particular perishable food products, which avoids or at least considerably reduces the deformation of the package caused by vacuum after packaging.
  • an object of the invention is to provide a method which improves the preservability of products susceptible of absorbing carbon dioxide and respects the integrity of the product during packaging.
  • Another object of the invention is to provide a method which does not contaminate the product with health-damaging substances.
  • the method according to the invention comprises a first step wherein a product 1 or a plurality of products is inserted into a known containment package 2 made for example of synthetic material (figure 1), and a second step in which a preset amount of solid-phase carbon dioxide is introduced inside the package 2 (figure 2).
  • the package 2 is subsequently sealed, for example by heat-welding, glueing or by other known sealing methods, so as to isolate the inside of the package from the atmospheric environment.
  • the introduction of solid-phase carbon dioxide into the package 2 may naturally precede or follow the insertion of the product 1 or be simultaneous therewith.
  • the amount of carbon dioxide to be introduced in the package 2 is preset according to the amount of carbon dioxide which can be absorbed by the product after packaging, taking also into account the mechanical resistance of the package 2 and the final result to be obtained, for example so as to avoid the collapse of the package 2 even several days after packaging.
  • the amount of solid-phase carbon dioxide to be introduced in the package 2 may be easily determined on the basis of studies of the absorption in the various products, since it has been found that most of the products susceptible of absorbing carbon dioxide absorb most of the potentially absorbable carbon dioxide within a few hours after packaging, reaching a condition of equilibrium.
  • the solid-phase carbon dioxide is introduced into the package 2 in the form of cubes or tablets 3 of dry ice with a preset weight so as to meet the absorbability requirements of the product as described above.
  • the solid-phase carbon dioxide may also be introduced in the package 2 in the form of finely flaked dry ice ("carbonic snow").
  • the air present in the package 2 may be replaced completely with a controlled atmosphere constituted for example by a mixture of gas which predominantly contains carbon dioxide and nitrogen, sealing the package in an appropriate chamber 4 with a controlled atmosphere, as occurs in known packaging methods indeed termed "controlled-atmosphere packaging methods".
  • a controlled atmosphere constituted for example by a mixture of gas which predominantly contains carbon dioxide and nitrogen
  • the solid-phase carbon dioxide introduced in the package 2 slowly sublimates, pressurizing the interior of the package, while the product starts to absorb the gaseous-phase carbon dioxide, progressively decreasing the overpressure which has formed inside the package 2 (figure 4).
  • the pressure inside the package 2 stabilizes and the package 2 assumes a configuration which remains substantially unchanged for several days after packaging (figure 5).
  • the amount of solid-phase carbon dioxide introduced in the package 2 together with the amount of gas-phase carbon dioxide possibly introduced when replacing the atmosphere inside the package 2 (if replacement is provided for) is slightly larger than the amount of carbon dioxide required to make the product reach the equilibrium condition, a mixture of gases, including carbon dioxide, with a slight overpressure or at ambient pressure is present inside the package 2 even several days after packaging, so as to avoid collapse even with packages which have an extremely low mechanical resistance or do not have an own form, such as soft bags.
  • both the step of introducing solid-phase carbon dioxide inside the package and the subsequent step of sealing the package 2 may occur in an atmospheric environment, since for a wide range of products correct preservation is in any case ensured by the modification of the atmosphere inside the package 2 caused by the sublimation of the solid-phase carbon dioxide.
  • an apparatus generally indicated by the reference numeral 10 in figure 6 may be used; said apparatus comprises a known packaging system with a conveyor element 11 on which the preformed packages 12 intended to contain the products 1 are placed. Said conveyor element 11 is movable along a path which traverses in sequence a station 5 for inserting the products 1 in the packages 12 and a sealing station 13 in which the packages 12 are closed by means of known devices.
  • a dispenser device 14 is arranged ahead of the sealing station 13 according to the direction of advancement of the conveyor element; said device introduces a preset amount of solid-phase carbon dioxide into the packages 12 and may be simply constituted, as illustrated, by nozzles which are fed by a known system and dispense a preset amount of finely flaked dry ice onto the product inside the package which is located in that moment below said nozzles.
  • the dispenser device may also be constituted by a means for dispensing dry ice tablets which are introduced, like the finely flaked dry ice, in the packages 12.
  • the sealing station 13 may be simply constituted by a known device which closes the open side of the packages 12 for example by heat-welding thereon a sheet of synthetic material 15.
  • the sealing station 13 may be placed inside a controlled-atmosphere chamber 16 which contains, in a known manner, a mixture of gases, for example a mixture of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, as in known controlled-atmosphere packaging devices.
  • a controlled-atmosphere chamber 16 which contains, in a known manner, a mixture of gases, for example a mixture of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, as in known controlled-atmosphere packaging devices.
  • a partial replacement of the atmosphere inside the packages 12 may be provided by arranging a dispenser 17 of inert gas, for example nitrogen, ahead of the solid-phase carbon dioxide dispensing device 14.
  • Said dispenser 17 may be simply constituted by a duct which feeds a jet of inert gas inside the packages 12.
  • a further advantage in view of the simple execution of the method according to the invention, is the fact that it can be used in both manual packaging methods and in automated packaging methods.
  • the method according to the invention has been conceived in particular for the packaging and preservation of perishable food products, it may in any case be used successfully also for any kind of product susceptible of absorbing carbon dioxide with similar problems regarding the integrity of the package and of the product after packaging.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Dispersion Chemistry (AREA)
  • Vacuum Packaging (AREA)
  • Packages (AREA)
  • Auxiliary Devices For And Details Of Packaging Control (AREA)
EP19890120103 1988-11-08 1989-10-30 Method and apparatus for packaging products absorbing carbon-dioxide, in particular perishable food products Expired - Lifetime EP0368116B1 (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
AT89120103T ATE84757T1 (de) 1988-11-08 1989-10-30 Verfahren und vorrichtung zum verpacken von kohlenstoffdioxid absorbierenden produkten, vorzugsweise verderblichen nahrungsmitteln.

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
IT2254388 1988-11-08
IT8822543A IT1227469B (it) 1988-11-08 1988-11-08 Procedimento ed apparecchiatura per il confezionamento di prodotti alimentari in atmosfera controllata
IT2035389 1989-05-03
IT8920353A IT1229323B (it) 1989-05-03 1989-05-03 Procedimento per il confezionamento di prodotti suscettibili di assorbire anidride carbonica, in particolare per prodotti alimentari deperibili.

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0368116A1 EP0368116A1 (en) 1990-05-16
EP0368116B1 true EP0368116B1 (en) 1993-01-20

Family

ID=26327502

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP19890120103 Expired - Lifetime EP0368116B1 (en) 1988-11-08 1989-10-30 Method and apparatus for packaging products absorbing carbon-dioxide, in particular perishable food products

Country Status (11)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0368116B1 (es)
JP (1) JPH0487926A (es)
AR (1) AR245582A1 (es)
AU (1) AU622236B2 (es)
BR (1) BR8905725A (es)
CA (1) CA2002411A1 (es)
DE (1) DE68904526T2 (es)
ES (1) ES2037371T3 (es)
GR (1) GR3007200T3 (es)
HU (1) HU208241B (es)
NZ (1) NZ231274A (es)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN105010503B (zh) * 2015-08-31 2018-07-31 国家农产品保鲜工程技术研究中心（天津） 一种采用软包装对树莓贮藏保鲜的方法

Families Citing this family (9)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
IT1305859B1 (it) 1998-01-21 2001-05-21 Marilisa Tellatin Procedimento di conservazione e confezionamento per prodottialimentari e relativo dispositivo
FR2792611A1 (fr) * 1999-04-26 2000-10-27 Remy Boussuge Dispositif automatique pour le remplissage et la distribution de sachets destines a la conservation par le froid notamment de denrees perissables
WO2004045951A1 (en) * 2002-11-19 2004-06-03 Ilapak Machine Automatiche S.A. Plant and device for the continous packing of food products in modified atmosphere
ITMI20022461A1 (it) * 2002-11-19 2004-05-20 Ilapak Macchine Automatiche S A Impianto e dispositivo per il confezionamento in continuo in atmosfera modificata di prodotti alimentari
CA2551041A1 (en) * 2003-12-22 2005-07-14 Da Vinci Association For Inventors' Rights System and method for packaging coffee or tea
JP5161205B2 (ja) 2007-03-23 2013-03-13 株式会社クレハ 密着食品包装体および食品の包装方法
WO2016156336A1 (de) * 2015-03-31 2016-10-06 Gea Food Solutions Germany Gmbh Vorrichtung und verfahren zur dosierung von trockeneis in eine verpackungsmulde
US10925300B2 (en) 2017-10-03 2021-02-23 Tyson Foods, Inc. Packaging with pressure driven oxygen egress
DE102019129446A1 (de) * 2019-10-31 2021-05-06 Krones Ag Vorrichtung und Verfahren zur Kopfrauminertisierung und Produktrestentfernung bei Flaschen

Family Cites Families (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2838403A (en) * 1957-05-06 1958-06-10 George K Notter Packaging of dehydrated foods
US3659393A (en) * 1970-05-28 1972-05-02 Royal Packaging Equipment Inc Apparatus for and method of forming vacuum packages
US3987209A (en) * 1973-08-09 1976-10-19 Central Properties Company Limited Method of preparing flesh-containing products such as roast meat or fowl and pork-butcher's products such as hams and pies
US4653643A (en) * 1986-06-07 1987-03-31 501 Safety Container Corp. Tamper resistant package
AU602030B2 (en) * 1987-07-27 1990-09-27 Wilson Foods Corporation Method of treating fresh meat cuts

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN105010503B (zh) * 2015-08-31 2018-07-31 国家农产品保鲜工程技术研究中心（天津） 一种采用软包装对树莓贮藏保鲜的方法

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
EP0368116A1 (en) 1990-05-16
CA2002411A1 (en) 1990-05-08
DE68904526D1 (de) 1993-03-04
AU4455489A (en) 1990-05-31
HU208241B (en) 1993-09-28
ES2037371T3 (es) 1993-06-16
HUT55609A (en) 1991-06-28
GR3007200T3 (es) 1993-07-30
AU622236B2 (en) 1992-04-02
AR245582A1 (es) 1994-02-28
NZ231274A (en) 1991-09-25
HU895814D0 (en) 1990-01-28
JPH0487926A (ja) 1992-03-19
BR8905725A (pt) 1990-06-05
DE68904526T2 (de) 1993-06-03

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