Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D81/00—Containers, packaging elements, or packages, for contents presenting particular transport or storage problems, or adapted to be used for non-packaging purposes after removal of contents
  • B65D81/24—Adaptations for preventing deterioration or decay of contents; Applications to the container or packaging material of food preservatives, fungicides, pesticides or animal repellants
  • B65D81/26—Adaptations for preventing deterioration or decay of contents; Applications to the container or packaging material of food preservatives, fungicides, pesticides or animal repellants with provision for draining away, or absorbing, or removing by ventilation, fluids, e.g. exuded by contents; Applications of corrosion inhibitors or desiccators
  • B65D81/266—Adaptations for preventing deterioration or decay of contents; Applications to the container or packaging material of food preservatives, fungicides, pesticides or animal repellants with provision for draining away, or absorbing, or removing by ventilation, fluids, e.g. exuded by contents; Applications of corrosion inhibitors or desiccators for absorbing gases, e.g. oxygen absorbers or desiccants
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D81/00—Containers, packaging elements, or packages, for contents presenting particular transport or storage problems, or adapted to be used for non-packaging purposes after removal of contents
  • B65D81/24—Adaptations for preventing deterioration or decay of contents; Applications to the container or packaging material of food preservatives, fungicides, pesticides or animal repellants
  • B65D81/26—Adaptations for preventing deterioration or decay of contents; Applications to the container or packaging material of food preservatives, fungicides, pesticides or animal repellants with provision for draining away, or absorbing, or removing by ventilation, fluids, e.g. exuded by contents; Applications of corrosion inhibitors or desiccators
  • B65D81/266—Adaptations for preventing deterioration or decay of contents; Applications to the container or packaging material of food preservatives, fungicides, pesticides or animal repellants with provision for draining away, or absorbing, or removing by ventilation, fluids, e.g. exuded by contents; Applications of corrosion inhibitors or desiccators for absorbing gases, e.g. oxygen absorbers or desiccants
  • B65D81/267—Adaptations for preventing deterioration or decay of contents; Applications to the container or packaging material of food preservatives, fungicides, pesticides or animal repellants with provision for draining away, or absorbing, or removing by ventilation, fluids, e.g. exuded by contents; Applications of corrosion inhibitors or desiccators for absorbing gases, e.g. oxygen absorbers or desiccants the absorber being in sheet form
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D81/00—Containers, packaging elements, or packages, for contents presenting particular transport or storage problems, or adapted to be used for non-packaging purposes after removal of contents
  • B65D81/34—Containers, packaging elements, or packages, for contents presenting particular transport or storage problems, or adapted to be used for non-packaging purposes after removal of contents for packaging foodstuffs or other articles intended to be cooked or heated within the package
  • B65D81/3446—Containers, packaging elements, or packages, for contents presenting particular transport or storage problems, or adapted to be used for non-packaging purposes after removal of contents for packaging foodstuffs or other articles intended to be cooked or heated within the package specially adapted to be heated by microwaves

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a packaged composition comprising a foodstuff and a desiccant.
• a major problem with chilled or frozen food products where a part or the whole product should be crispy after heating for consumption, such as coated meat or fish products is the migration of water from a part of the product with a high water content to a part with a low water content during storage e.g. from the fish or meat to the coating in frozen or chilled coated fish or meat portions.
• coated meat or fish products When such products are heated for consumption in an oven they become undesirably mushy and this prob­lem is particularly noticeable when the heating is car­ried out in a microwave oven.
• a microwave oven cannot crisp and brown a product, the parts of the product which should be crispy and crunchy become soft and sog­gy. While it is possible to use special susceptors or browning dishes in microwave ovens to make the product crispy or brown, this may not only be inconvenient and expensive for the consumer, it can cause problems and can be dangerous.
• the present invention provides a packaged food composition which comprises a package containing a foodstuff and a desiccant.
• the foodstuff may be any processed food product suitable for deep-freezing or chilling where a part or the whole of the food product should be crispy after heating for consumption especially in a microwave oven.
• suitable foodstuffs are coated products such as battered and breaded products (e.g. fish, poultry, meat), pancakes, gratins, pies and filled bakery products.
• battered and breaded products e.g. fish, poultry, meat
• pancakes e.g. fish, poultry, meat
• gratins pies and filled bakery products.
• suitable coating materials may be, for instance, pasta, rice and cheese (e.g. gratins).
• the desiccant which may be edible, may be any food-­acceptable desiccant, for example, silica gel, calcium chloride glucomannan, sodium acrylate, silicon dioxide, bentonite, preferably in finely divided particulate form, or it may be another foodstuff which acts itself as a desiccant such as a specially designed sauce premix which becomes a real sauce by absorbing water during storage.
• the amount of desiccant may vary widely depending on numerous factors such as the type of desiccant, type of products, storage temperature, desired shelf life. Generally the amount of desiccant is from 5 to 80% by weight and more usually from 10 to 60% by weight based on the weight of the food product.
• the desiccant may be in direct contact with the food­stuff in the package or it may be encapsulated in a microporous plastics sheet material the pore size of which renders it permeable to water vapour but impermeable to desiccant particles.
• a microporous plastics sheet material the pore size of which renders it permeable to water vapour but impermeable to desiccant particles.
• Such microporous plastics materials are well known to those skilled in the art and may be made of a variety of plastics materials, for example, polyolefins, vinyl polymers, polyamides, polyurethanes or polyesters.
• the foodstuff may be separated from the de­siccant in the package by wrapping the foodstuff in a protective envelope such as sandwich paper.
• the food product together with the desiccant may be packed in any conventional package suitable for storage under chilled or deep-frozen conditions and, if neces­sary, suitable for subsequent reheating in a microwave oven.
• the package should be water vapour-tight and may be a bag made of materials such as polyurethanes, polyolefins, polyesters or polyamides.
• the packaged food composition after sealing is preferably chilled or deep-frozen where the storage temperature is below +10°C and more usually from +8°C to -30°C.
• a breaded cod portion weighing 100 g and 30 g of finely divided silica gel (average particle size from 0.5 to 4 mm) in a microporous polyolefin pouch were deep-frozen and packaged in a pack suitable for deep freezing.
• the pack was heat-sealed and stored for 3 months in a freezer and then the coated cod piece was thawed and heated for consumption in microwave oven.
• the heated product had a desirable crispy texture.
• a number of deep-frozen nugget-shaped breaded chicken portions weighing 190 g together with 60 g of silica gel in a microporous polyolefin pouch which is permeable only to water vapour were packed in a plastic bag made of polyester.
• the pack was heat-sealed and stored in a freezer for 10 weeks after which the coated chicken pieces were thawed and reheated in a microwave oven.
• the heated product had a crispy coating while the chicken meat was juicy and has a nice texture.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Food Science & Technology (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• General Preparation And Processing Of Foods (AREA)
• Freezing, Cooling And Drying Of Foods (AREA)
• Packages (AREA)
• Package Specialized In Special Use (AREA)
• Food Preservation Except Freezing, Refrigeration, And Drying (AREA)
• Meat, Egg Or Seafood Products (AREA)
• Jellies, Jams, And Syrups (AREA)
• Bakery Products And Manufacturing Methods Therefor (AREA)
• Medicinal Preparation (AREA)
• Compositions Of Macromolecular Compounds (AREA)
• Plural Heterocyclic Compounds (AREA)
• Confectionery (AREA)
• Drying Of Gases (AREA)

Priority Applications (13)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=8199712

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (13)

Cited By (6)

Citations (8)

• 1988
  • 1988-12-23 DE DE88121563T patent/DE3880317T2/de not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1988-12-23 EP EP88121563A patent/EP0374301B1/fr not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1988-12-23 AT AT88121563T patent/ATE88156T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
• 1989
  • 1989-12-13 IE IE398589A patent/IE63245B1/en not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 1989-12-14 NO NO89895034A patent/NO895034L/no unknown
  • 1989-12-14 AU AU46760/89A patent/AU636592B2/en not_active Ceased
  • 1989-12-14 DK DK631589A patent/DK631589A/da not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1989-12-15 NZ NZ231808A patent/NZ231808A/en unknown
  • 1989-12-19 CA CA002006006A patent/CA2006006A1/fr not_active Abandoned
  • 1989-12-21 FI FI896160A patent/FI896160A0/fi not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1989-12-21 PT PT92659A patent/PT92659A/pt unknown
  • 1989-12-22 JP JP1334613A patent/JPH02227061A/ja active Pending
  • 1989-12-22 ES ES8904338A patent/ES2019002A6/es not_active Expired - Lifetime

Patent Citations (8)

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