EP0755876A1 - Package for packaging and preserving at least two food components - Google Patents

Abstract

The industrial packaging of two food products, one of which is a raw or cooked vegetable, consists of individually preparing each product and packaging it in a specific hermetically sealed container. The packaging comprises a hollow container (1) receiving the vegetable (2) and a transparent container (3) receiving the garnish or seasoning (4). Each of the two containers has an opening with a peripheral edge (6) having a plane surface allowing fixing of a sealing sheet (7). One of the containers forms a cover for the other container, their plane surfaces being superposed. The containers are fixed to each other by a band (8) which can have windows (9) for taking projecting lugs. The sealing sheet holds the seasoning in position in its container. The container forming the cover has radial ribs enabling the ingredients to be held in position.

Description

The present invention relates to an industrial packaging process for the conservation of at least two food products or groups of products, at least one of which is a raw or cooked vegetable.

The present invention also relates to the packaging used for carrying out the process which is the subject of the invention and the final product obtained.

The field of the present invention is that of so-called fourth-line food products for part, and refrigerated ready meals for another part, that is to say delivered ready to use and more particularly salads with their ingredients. By salad is meant any combination of raw or cooked vegetable products and by ingredients, all food products that can be consumed with said salad, including condiments.

The consumption of salads has become a food habit.
The evolution of tastes, the increasingly current need to eat a light and balanced diet, the growing demand for fresh and natural products and finally the very short time devoted to meals, make salad with a few ingredients more and more often the main meals, especially midday meals and during the hot season.

To save consumers the work and time necessary for their preparation, fourth-line or ready-to-eat plant products are available. The time necessary for the preparation of the plants making up the salad has been replaced by the time for preparing the ingredients.

To avoid this waste of time, it is commercially available products consisting of a salad mixture as defined at the top and its ingredients.

• des produits végétaux prêts à l'emploi qui sont des produits vivants, triés et lavés en respectant la chaîne du froid (froid positif de 2° à 4° environ) et qui contiennent encore une flore microbienne qui ne peut cependant se développer correctement car un produit vivant n'est pas le meilleur substrat à cet effet ;
• des produits alimentaires, essentiellement cuits ou stérilisés, pasteurisés ou traités de telle sorte qu'ils présentent une flore microbienne très réduite et qui constituent un substrat de choix pour le développement des substances contaminantes.

The direct contact of the salad and its ingredients causes physical degradation (crushing, discoloration, etc.) and organoleptic of the various products which means that these manufacturing can only be done in an artisanal way and very little time before consumption or then industrially but under conditions which do not ensure good preservation of the products.
In addition, a conservation problem exists in these products since two families of food products with different characteristics are combined:

• ready-to-use plant products which are living products, sorted and washed in accordance with the cold chain (positive cold of 2 ° to 4 ° approximately) and which still contain a microbial flora which cannot however develop properly because a living product is not the best substrate for this purpose;
• food products, essentially cooked or sterilized, pasteurized or treated in such a way that they have a very reduced microbial flora and which constitute a substrate of choice for the development of contaminating substances.

Each product family has its own storage conditions which are not necessarily compatible.
The bringing into contact of products of different families imposes a compromise which consists in adapting the shortest shelf life for the whole of the product, which does not exclude the migration of microorganisms present from plants to the ingredients with increase risks of microbiological contamination.

The prior art has proposed packaging making it possible to package products of a different nature.

Patent DE 3314097 of the Ferrero Company describes two bowls which are filled separately and which are placed one on top of the other and assembled by a radial crown. This packaging is intended to receive fluid, or melting, or pasty products.

European patent 80 200 237.8 WAVIN describes a package consisting of a cup and its cover.
This packaging is intended to receive wet food products and dry products.
The cup and its cover each cover a product and are closed separately before assembly with aluminum foil.
This packaging is especially designed to receive soup in the lid and meat in the cup.
According to this patent, the cover is fitted onto the cup.

The utility model DE G 8 603 890.7 describes a package consisting of a cup and its lid, each being closed before assembly. This document essentially aims at packaging food products in the cup and their sauce in the lid.

These different packages do not address the specific problem of salads, which are fragile plants, and their garnishes, which are products of a different complementary nature, which implies special preparation conditions which cannot be suggested by the use of prior art packaging.
These products according to the invention must be chosen before being consumed.
It is therefore necessary that the packaging according to the invention allows an organized presentation of the products before opening and preparation which will be found during mixing. This problem is neither seen nor seen suggested by the patents of the prior art.

The present invention aims to overcome these drawbacks by a method and packaging means capable of achieving industrial production of the order of "x" thousands of units per day which have all the storage guarantees mentioned above for a period of time. normal products of the fourth range which is "z" days.

• chaque produit ou groupe de produits est préparé individuellement en respectant ses propres conditions de conservation sur une chaîne spécifique et est conditionné sur la dite chaîne dans un récipient spécifique obturé de manière hermétique et réversible ;
• les dits récipients sont appareillés de manière complémentaires quant à leur contenu après remplissage en formant un emballage dont chacun des récipients peut être ouvert pour réunir les produits en vue de leur mélange et consommation, les récipients constituant l'emballage étant dotés de moyens propres ou rapportés d'association entre eux.

Another object of the invention is to provide packaging which makes it possible to eliminate all handling of the food products before consumption, either by the consumer or by service personnel.
To this end, the process according to the invention for industrial packaging of at least two food products or group of food products of which at least one is a plant is essentially characterized in that:

• each product or group of products is prepared individually by respecting its own storage conditions on a specific chain and is packaged on the said chain in a specific container hermetically sealed and reversible;
• the said containers are complemented in terms of their content after filling, forming a package in which each of the containers can be opened to combine the products for mixing and consumption, the containers constituting the packaging being provided with own or added means of association between them.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the packaging is characterized in that it consists of at least two receptacles which can be sealed independently of one another and which are complementary so that they can be paired in a single packaging for storage and conservation.

According to yet another characteristic of the invention, each of the two containers has an opening provided with a peripheral rim having a flat surface to allow the fixing of a sheet or cover wall, one of the two containers forming a cover the other and said flat surfaces being superimposable.

• la figure 1 est une vue avec écorché partiel d'un emballage mettant en oeuvre l'invention ;
• la figure 2 est une vue partielle de dessus de l'emballage selon la figure 1 ;
• les figures 3, 4 et 5 représentent une autre forme de réalisation de l'invention ;
• la figure 6 est une vue avec écorché partiel d'une autre forme de réalisation de l'invention.
• les figures 7, 8, 9, 10 et 11 représentent d'autres formes de réalisation de l'invention.

Other advantages and characteristics of the invention will appear on reading the following description of an embodiment of the invention given by way of nonlimiting example and illustrated by the accompanying drawings in which:

• Figure 1 is a partial cutaway view of a package embodying the invention;
• Figure 2 is a partial top view of the package according to Figure 1;
• Figures 3, 4 and 5 show another embodiment of the invention;
• Figure 6 is a view with partial cutaway of another embodiment of the invention.
• Figures 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 show other embodiments of the invention.

The process of industrial packaging of at least two products or groups of food products of which at least one is a vegetable, for example a leaf salad, consists in preparing and packaging each of the products or group of products independently of the other while respecting its own constraints and conditions for preparation of packaging and packaging on a specific industrial chain.
Thus in the case of preparation of salads, for example lettuce, a specific chain is according to this process of the invention assigned to its preparation.
This chain can include sorting, cutting, washing, spinning, weighing and packaging stations and respect the sanitary conditions imposed for obtaining a living product fit for human consumption.

This chain is in positive cold, for example between 2 to 4 degrees centigrade.
This chain comprises a packaging station provided with means for sealing the container used.
This sealing operation can be done under an appropriate atmosphere to create in the container the gaseous conditions most favorable for conservation.
Before sealing, a preservative gas, for example a neutral gas such as nitrogen, may be injected into the container and be enclosed therein.

The ingredients which can be cooked or raw are treated on a specific chain with respect for the sanitary conditions imposed (positive cold between 1 ° to 3 °).
The chain includes, for example, weighing and packaging stations with lidding and placing in an appropriate atmosphere if necessary.

The ingredients may be food products of a different nature from the salad, for example, cooked eggs and / or shrimp, or fish, and / or ham, and / or cheese.

According to the process which is the subject of the invention, the salad is packaged on its own chain and packed in the appropriate packaging which is then closed, the condiments or garnishes as stated are prepared, packaged and packed with the packaging closed on their own chain, respecting the sanitary and positive cold conditions corresponding to their conservation condition.

According to the method, the containers are then brought together and paired in a complementary manner, for example a salad and a garnish, forming a single package each of which can be opened to pool the products for mixing and consumption. .

The advantage of the process is that it is possible from the installation to diversify the products at will, the production chain for complementary food products operating independently of the packaging and salad packaging chain.

Thus to a number N of salads can correspond X times n packages of condiments or different garnishes.

Advantageously, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, each container having its opening sealed separately to its own sealed atmosphere. Before sealing a preservative gas, for example a neutral gas such as nitrogen can be injected into the container and be enclosed therein.
Preferably, use is made of two hollow containers of complementary shapes, one of which can constitute the cover of the other and the peripheral walls of which at their opening can be stacked placed in the extension of one another.

According to the invention, each of the containers has an opening provided with a flange having a flat surface allowing the fixing by any known technique of the cover and serving as a support surface for the other container, the surfaces of the covers coming from the 'one over the other.

As shown in FIG. 1, the packaging according to the invention comprises a hollow container 1 receiving the plant 2 and a hollow container 3 receiving the ingredients 4 or garnish.
The opening of the container 1 and that of the container 3 have the same dimensions and their walls in the vicinity of said opening come in the extension of one another during their superposition.
This superposition is preferably carried out according to the invention by inverting one of the containers, in this case the container 3, on the other, in this case the container 1, to which it serves as a cover.

The containers are sized according to the quantities and volumes of the products they receive. The container 1 receiving the plant is larger than the container 3 which receives the filling ingredients.

According to the invention, the periphery of the opening of each of the hollow containers has a flat wall 6, the said flat walls of two complementary containers being superimposable.
After filling any of the containers, it is closed hermetically but reversibly by a cover 7 which may for example be a sheet of heat-sealable synthetic material which is cut on the wall 6 by a die and which is welded by any known means on said wall 6.

Advantageously, the containers 1, 3 and the lids 7 are made of one or more synthetic materials with suitable and transparent characteristics to make the content visible.

At least the container 3 is transparent in order to be able to check during assembly with the container 1 what its content is and so that the consumer can before purchase know what type of salad he is taking and / or make a choice at trim level.

After fitting the containers one on top of the other or during this fitting, these are fixed to each other, either by their own means, or by added means.

In the embodiment of FIG. 1, these means consist of a strapping band 8 made of all suitable materials, cardboard, paper, etc. which, as shown, can be provided with windows 9 receiving projecting parts 10 or ears of said packaging.

The products thus packaged, each in the specific enclosure of its container, can be brought into contact by uncapping said containers then covering one over the other without the user having to handle the food.

The embodiment of the invention illustrated by FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 shows a package according to the invention which has all the characteristics of the previous one, in particular the peripheral plane surface 6 of the opening of each of the hollow containers which allows the cutting and fixing the cover 7.

Advantageously, the rim of the container 1 has an annular rib 11 (FIG. 4) and the periphery of the container 3 has a deformable vertical annular wall 12 and an inwardly oriented annular bead 13 provided with a flat surface 7.

After filling and sealing, the containers 1 and 3 according to this embodiment are stackable. As shown in Figures 3/4, the lids 7 of each of them overlap and their flat wall 7 coming one on top of the other.
The wall 7 of the container 3 is offset towards the outside with respect to the wall 7 of the lower container.
After removal of the lids, the bead 13 of the container 3 will be housed by pressing in forcing under the rib 11 of the container 1.
This arrangement of the invention of nesting the containers one on the other allows them to be joined together, which protects the food for example in the case where consumption must be deferred and allows the packaging to be stirred for example mix the products.

In Figure 6 is shown another embodiment of the invention of a package having all the characteristics already stated and in which the cover 7 of the container 3 forming a cover is fixed on an annular flat wall internal to the cover and no longer peripheral as in the other exemplary embodiments of the invention.

As stated above, the internal volumes of the containers 1, 3 are adapted to the volume of the products which they must contain.
The container 3 forming a lid is of reduced depth so that the ingredients it contains are kept in position by the lid, which allows an adapted arrangement of these which can be found when they are spilled on the salad. container 1.

Advantageously, as shown in FIG. 7, the internal wall of the cover can be provided with means, for example ribs 14 arranged for example in concentric spokes which allow the ingredients to be put in place and to be held in place.

The ribs 14 make it possible to produce separate zones which can either receive separate garnish or condiment elements, or allow a desired and decorative arrangement of said elements, an arrangement which will be found when the salad is viewed by the user and afterwards. lids of containers 1 and 3 when overturning the garnishes on the salad.

It is conceivable that preferably the ribs 14 will have a height such that their upper level or upper stop comes into contact with the cover which contributes to hold the packing elements in position.

Figures 8 to 13 show seen from above and seen in section of embodiments of cover 3 intended to receive condiments and garnishes.
Depending on the constraints of use, these covers are internally compartmentalized.

It is also conceivable that views 8 to 13 do not represent the covers 3 themselves, but internal linings of the said covers which are placed inside these and which can be trimmed either before being placed in the cover. turned upwards, either after being placed in said cover.
These complementary coverings of the covers can be produced by thermoforming a sheet of synthetic material with adopted qualities.

For the simplification of the description, these elements 3 are called covers.

In FIG. 8 is shown a cover divided into four sectors 15A, 15B, 15C, 15D by orthogonal ribs making it possible to separate different filling products.
This cover has a peripheral annular flat wall 6 which is superimposed on the wall 6 of the lower container during the inversion and which allows bonding by any suitable means of the cover (not shown here) which is preferably transparent.

The ribs 15 can come at the level of the annular planar wall 6.
They can also occupy a position lower than this.

On these ribs 15 can be placed a wall, for example a cardboard wall.

The cover or internal covering of a cover preferably has a truncated cone shape, its bottom 16 being of smaller diameter than its opening, which facilitates installation in a cover of the preceding figures when it is used. as internal cover covering.

The peripheral wall 6 preferably has a radial tongue 17 either for handling or to facilitate by folding this tongue the tearing of the cover.

In Figures 9 and 10 are shown covers or cover trim comprising two compartments 15A, 15B or three 15A, 15B and 15C.

In Figure 11, the rib 15 is arranged along a diameter.

In FIG. 12, the rib 15 is wide, reducing the useful volume of the two compartments 15A and 15B.

In FIG. 13, the cover or cover covering has a central boss 18 and an annular groove 19.

It goes without saying that the cover can be flat-bottomed and provided with a hollow covering, either which occupies its entire volume, or that one, two or three compartments define, for example in FIGS. 9 and 10 or 15A and 15B can be separate thermoformed parts placed in the cover.

Claims (11)

Industrial packaging process for the preservation of at least two food products or group of fresh food products of which at least one is a vegetable (2) raw or cooked, intended to be mixed at the time of consumption, said products or groups of products being respectively subjected to different constraints and conditions of conservation and / or incompatible with each other, characterized in that: - each product or group of products is prepared individually respecting its own storage conditions on a specific chain and is packaged in a suitable atmosphere in a specific enclosure (1), (3) sealed; - that said closed enclosures (1), (3) are combined in a single packaging comprising at least two complementary enclosures forming a conservation packaging, each of said enclosures being able to be opened to bring the products into contact with a view to their mixing and their conservation. Process according to claim 1 for industrial packaging with a view to their conservation of at least two food products or group of fresh food products of which at least one is a raw or cooked plant (2) containing a microbial flora and the other of which consists of sterilized or pasterized cooked food products with a reduced microbial flora, intended to be mixed at the time of consumption, said products or groups of products being respectively subjected to different constraints and conditions of conservation and / or incompatible with each other, characterized in that: - each product or group of products is prepared individually respecting its own storage conditions on a specific chain and is packaged in a specific enclosure (1), (3) hermetically sealed; - that said closed enclosures (1), (3) are combined in a single packaging comprising at least two complementary enclosures forming a conservation packaging, each of said enclosures being able to be opened to bring the products into contact with a view to their mixing and their conservation. Installation for implementing the method according to claim and claim 2 characterized in that it comprises a specific chain for each product, salad or condiments and garnishes, that each chain proceeds to the packaging of said products in accordance with its own conditions to the said product and that the complementary packaging covers are then combined to make a finished product, salad and garnish or condiment. Packaging used in the implementation of the method according to claim 1 for the packaging for preservation of at least two products or groups of fresh food products at least one of which is a raw or cooked vegetable, intended to be mixed at the time of their consumption made up of two enclosures (1), (3) sealable independently of one another and complementary, characterized in that they are combined in a single package for storage and / or consumption by turning one over the other and that the enclosure receiving the condiments is transparent. Packaging according to claim 2 in which each of the two containers 1 and 3 has an opening provided with a peripheral rim (6) having a flat surface to allow the fixing of a sheet or cover wall (7), one of the two containers forming the cover of the other and said flat surfaces being superimposable, characterized in that the sealing sheet maintains the condiments of the container 3 in the position which was given to them during installation. Packaging according to claim 4 and claim 5 characterized in that the container 3 forming a cover by inversion, after its sealing, on the container 1 is provided with means for placing the ingredients in place and keeping them in position. Packaging according to claim 6 characterized in that the means are ribs 14 radial. Packaging according to claim 6 characterized in that the means are ribs 15 at the bottom of the cover providing sectors 15A, 15B and 15C where the ingredients are arranged. Packaging according to claim 6 characterized in that the ribs come at the level of the sealing sheet. Packaging according to claim 6 characterized in that the ribs 15 come below the level of the sealing sheet. Packaging according to any one of claims 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 characterized in that the cover 3 receives an internal covering on which the ribs and the condiment holding means are produced.

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