EP0647201A1

EP0647201A1 - Packed plastic fat systems

Info

Publication number: EP0647201A1
Application number: EP93914692A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Christiaan Evert Van Den Oever
Original assignee: Unilever PLC; Unilever NV
Current assignee: Unilever PLC; Unilever NV
Priority date: 1992-06-29
Filing date: 1993-06-22
Publication date: 1995-04-12
Also published as: CA2139098A1; AU4419893A; WO1994000364A1; JPH07508250A

Abstract

The invention concerns packed, plastic food products with a Stevens value of 20-200, which are packed in flexible packaging material, fixed in foldable bulk container. In this way, it can be avoided that a lot of empty space has to be transported during the return of the containers. The containers can be provided with a pump system for the removal of the plastic food product. A method for transportation of the food system is also part of the invention.

Description

PACKED PLASTIC FAT SYSTEMS

Plastic fat-continuous systems are often produced at one site and used at another site, which are very often quite far apart, geographically. In these instances, the fat systems have to be transported from one site to the other. In practice, this is done by packing the fat system in e.g. wrapped paper in the form of blocks and pack the wrapped blocks in boxes. This requires, however, great amounts of packaging material and many handlings. An alternative could be by applying a drum, as used for liquid fat system, transporting the drum and removing the fat from the drum.

This last method, however, entails a problem in that the empty drums have to be returned to the original site for cleaning and refilling. It will, however, be obvious that, by doing so, quite an amount of empty space is transported during the transport of these drums. Moreover, the application of a drum means that a head-space is present above the fat system to be transported. This might lead to microbiological degradation of the product.

We have tried to find a solution to this problem in order to make the method more economic ard more convenient for the user. However, a problem that -id to be overcome was the fact that the fat systems to be transported displayed such a rheology, expressed by Stevens values at working temperature, that they could not be removed from the drums, containing them, by gravity. Therefore, specific measures had to be taken to remove the fat systems from these containers.

We have found that the problem could be overcome by transporting the plastic fat-continuous system having Stevens values at working temperature between 20 and 200 from the production site to a consumption site by packing the fat system at the production site in a flexible packaging material fixed to an unfolded, foldable bulk container, whereupon the bulk container is closed and transported to the consumption site where the upper edges of the flexible packaging material, after the container has been opened, are folded over the sides of the bulk container, a plate is placed on top of the fat system within the packaging material, in such a way that it is movable along the sides of the flexible packaging material and along the means, in particular along the shaft of a positive displacement pump, which is placed on top of the plastic fat system, in such a way that its means, in particular its shaft is surrounded by the movable plate and is dipped into the plastic fat system, whereupon the fat system is removed from the flexible packaging material by pumping at working temperature.

It should be understood that, in general, working temperature will mean ambient temperature; however, the working temperature may also be lower (e.g. 5-10°C) or higher (e.g. 30-35°C) .

Although foldable bulk containers provided with a flexible bag, in general of plastic material, are known (cf.

US 4,881,683) and are used for the transportation of food products, in practice liquid fats or free-flowing powders, these products have such a rheology that they can be removed by gravity through an opening in the bottom of the container system. Therefore, the problem remained of how to use these known containers for plastic fat systems with Stevens values of 20-200.

It should also be noted here that positive displacement pumps with relatively long shafts are known to be used for pumping food products. E.g. in FR 2,571,350 a displacement pump is disclosed that is applied for the removal of viscous liquids from plastic sacs. However, their use for removing plastic fat systems is not known. Therefore, our method provides an elegant means for the transportation of plastic fat systems, such as spreads (10-80 wt.% of fat) , margarines (75-85 wt.% of fat) or shortenings (85-100 wt.% of fat). These fat systems display in particular solid fat contents (NMR pulse) at 20°C (= N₂₀) of 10-30.

By using our method, a reduction in back volume (or empty space) of at least 50% can be obtained, which is very convenient for the producer and the consumer of the fat systems.

Inclusion of a dosing unit in the pumping system also affords an opportunity to dose the amount of fat system removed from the container.

By fixing the flexible packaging macterial to the bulk container (by means of clamps or any other means of attachment) , sucking of the flexible material by the pump, which might lead to blockage of the system, can be prevented.

Therefore, our invention also concerns packed plastic food products consisting of fat-continuous systems with Stevens values at working temperature of 20-200, whereby the fat fat system is packed in a flexible packaging material fixed in a foldable bulk container. Stevens values here mean values obtained according to prior art methods using a 4.4 mm rod and 1 cm penetration.

Although the flexible packaging material may be of any plastic or other suitable flexible material, we prefer to use plastic bags made from, or at least containing, a layer of low-density polyethylene. The bags may contain one or more layers, while the total thickness of the layer(s) is preferably less than 0.3 mm. Preferred foldable bulk containers are those that, when folded, have a volume that is at least 50% less than that in unfolded state.

To remove the plastic fat system from the flexible packaging system, a positive displacement pump is mounted on and (preferably with its shaft) in the plastic fat system. To pump the fat out of the packaging material it is necessary that the surface between the shaft of the pump and the inside of the packaging material be closed in such a way that the closure used is movable along the sides of the packaging material and along the means, in particular along the shaft of the pump.

Accordingly, another aspect of the invention is a packed plastic food product consisting of a fat-continuous system having a Stevens value at working temperature of 20-200, which is packed in a flexible packaging material, while the filled packaging material is fixed in an unfolded, foldable bulk container, the system being provided with a positive displacement pump, preferably a pneumatic piston pump, preferably provided with means, in particular with a long shaft, which is arranged in such a way that the fat- continuous system can be removed via the top of the container, while in case the means consists of a long shaft, the shaft of the pump being surrounded by a movable plate, which fills up the space between the shaft and the sides of the flexible packaging material when the latter is folded over the edges of the side walls of the bulk container.

Claims

1. Packed plastic food product, wherein the plastic food product consists of a fat-continuous system having a Stevens value at working temperature of 20-200, which fat- continuous system is packed in a flexible packaging material, which is fixed in a foldable bulk container.

2. Packed plastic food product according to Claim 1, wherein the fat-continuous system is a spread (10-80 wt.% of fat), a margarine (75-85 wt.% of fat) or a shortening (more than 85 wt.% of fat) , while the solid fat content of the system at 20°C (= N₂₀; NMR pulse) ranges from 10-30.

3. Packed plastic food product according to Claim 1, wherein the flexible packaging material is a plastic bag made from, or at least containing, a layer of low-density polyethylene.

4. Packed plastic food product according to Claim 1, wherein the foldable bulk container, when folded, has a volume that is at least 50% less than that in unfolded state.

5. Packed plastic food product according to Claim 1, wherein the flexible packaging material is fixed to the foldable bulk container by means of clamps or any other means of attachment.

6. Packed plastic food product consisting of a fat- continuous system having a Stevens value at working temperature of 20-200, which is packed in a flexible packaging material, while the filled packaging material is fixed in an unfolded, foldable bulk container, the system being provided with a positive displacement pump, preferably provided with means, in particular with a long shaft, which are arranged in such a way that the fat- continuous system can be removed via the top of the container, while in case the means consist of a long shaft, the shaft of the pump being surrounded by a movable plate, which fills up the space between the shaft and the sides of the flexible packaging material when the latter is folded over the edges of the side walls of the bulk container.

7. Packed plastic food product according to Claim 6, wherein the positive displacement pump is a pneumatic piston pump.

8. Method for the transportation of plastic, fat- continuous systems having Stevens values at working temperature between 20 and 200 from a production site to a consumption site wherein, at the production site, the fat system is packed in a flexible packaging material fixed to an unfolded, foldable bulk container, whereupon the bulk container is closed and transported to the consumption site where, after the container has been opened, the upper edges of the flexible packaging material are folded over the sides of the bulk container, a plate is placed on top of the fat system within the packaging material, in such a way that it is movable along the sides of the flexible packaging material and along the means, in particular along the shaft of a displacement pump, which is placed on top of the plastic fat system, in such a way that its means, in particular its shaft is surrounded by the movable plate and is dipped into the plastic fat system, whereupon the fat system is removed from the flexible packaging material by pumping at working temperature.