FR2791871A1 - Product comprising a container with a main compartment containing a salad and a base compartment containing a dressing includes an edible partition between the compartments - Google Patents

Abstract

Product comprising a container with a main compartment containing a salad and a base compartment containing a dressing includes an edible partition that seals the base compartment and releases the dressing when the container is inverted to turn out the salad.

Description

Demouldable compound salad packaged in a container

  with a bottom compartment for sauce.

  The invention relates to the food industry. More specifically, the invention finds its application in the field of presentation and packaging of mixed salads ready to be

  consumed. It will be noted that in the present description the terms

  "compound salad" as meaning any mixture of one or more vegetables and / or

  fruit and / or food of animal origin, cooked or raw.

  Mixed salads ready to be eaten are enjoying increasing success given new eating habits. The Applicant has, in this context, developed compound salads packaged in a container having a general shape of bowl closed by a lid. This container is made of transparent plastic so as to give the consumer the opportunity to appreciate the appearance of the salad it contains and provided at its bottom with a bottom compartment receiving a sauce. The salad contained in such a container can be easily removed from the mold on a plate or

  in any other support by inverting said container after removing the cover.

  Under the effect of gravity, the salad contained in this container is found on the plate and the sauce contained in the bottom compartment spreads on the

unmolded salad.

  A drawback proposed by this type of packaging for compound salad is inherent in the fact that the containers may turn over, before opening the lid, during transport, storage or even the presentation in store of the product. In some cases, this reversal can lead to a premature distribution of the sauce within the salad. Pre-impregnating the salad with the sauce can, in some cases

  lead to a change in consistency and / or taste thereof.

  The main objective of the present invention is to present technical means making it possible to isolate the sauce in the bottom compartment, until the salad is removed from the mold, that is to say until moment o, after having removed with the lid closing the container, the user lifts the inverted container to - 2

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  then consume the salad even if the container is turned over before use. An objective of the present invention is also to propose such

  means that are easy and economical to implement.

  Also an objective of the present invention is to provide such means which do not alter the general taste of the salad. These various objectives, as well as others which will appear subsequently, are obtained by means of a demouldable compound salad packaged in a container having at least one main compartment and at least one bottom compartment, said main compartment accommodating said salad and said compartment. bottom receiving a sauce, characterized in that it includes a valve element closing said bottom compartment and insulating said sauce therein, said valve element being edible and releasing said sauce during demolding by

inverting said container.

  The present invention is therefore characterized by the use of an edible element of a salad to form a valve element isolating the content of a bottom compartment of a demoldable salad container, container containing the sauce and making it possible to maintain the latter in this compartment until the release of said salad. The item in question is intended to be

eaten with salad.

  In the present description, the term "element forming

  valve ", as targeting an element which essentially ensures

  tightness against fat or any other equivalent material.

  The technique in question can obviously be adapted to any

  container shape and any form of bottom compartment thereof.

  However, according to a preferred variant, the bottom compartment has

  an essentially circular section.

  Provision may also be made to use an edible valve element having a diameter substantially smaller than the diameter of the bottom compartment so that this valve element fits into

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  this bottom compartment. However, according to a preferred variant, the element forming an edible valve has a diameter greater than the diameter of the bottom compartment. Advantageously, this diameter will be between 3 cm and

6 cm approximately.

  The thickness of this edible valve element may vary depending on the embodiments. According to a preferred variant, the thickness of this element will preferably be between approximately 2 mm and approximately I cm. According to a variant of the invention, the element forming an edible valve may for example consist of a delicatessen ring (ham,

sausage, etc ...).

  According to another variant, this element forming an edible valve could also consist of a washer of a product based on fish flesh from

surimi or kamaboko type.

  According to yet another variant, this element forming an edible valve could consist of a washer of a vegetable food product, such as

  for example a slice of cucumber.

  As specified above, the invention can be implemented with different types of container shapes for the demouldable salad,

  however, preferably this container will have a general shape of a bowl.

  The invention, as well as the various advantages which it presents, will be

  more easily understood thanks to the description which follows in a non-

  limitative embodiment thereof given with reference to the drawings in which: - Figure 1 shows a sectional view of a demouldable compound salad packaged in a bowl-shaped container, before demolding; - Figure 2 shows the salad made according to Figure I at the time of demolding. With reference to FIG. 1, the salad made up according to the invention is packaged in a container 1 having a main compartment 1a and a bottom compartment 1b.

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  This container has a general bowl shape. The bottom compartment 1b has a circular section which, in the context of the present embodiment, shows a diameter of 3 cm. The bottom compartment 1b contains a sauce 3 while the salad 2 occupies the volume defined by the main compartment 1a. This container is closed by a cover 5. In accordance with the present invention, an element forming an edible valve 4 is provided for closing the compartment 1b so as to keep the sauce 3 there and to prevent it from spreading in the salad 2 if the container 1 is turned over before the opening of the cover 5, that is to say before the

unmolding the salad.

  In the context of the present embodiment, this valve element 4 is constituted by a sausage ring with a thickness of approximately 3 mm and

with a diameter of about 4 cm.

  When removing the salad from the mold, as shown in FIG. 2, the cover 5 closing the container 1 is removed by the user and this container is

  returned to a plate 6 or any other medium.

  Under the effect of gravity, when removing the container 1, the salad 2 spreads on the plate 6. The valve element 4 then detaches from the bottom of the container and allows the release of the sauce 3 contained in the bottom container

  lb and its distribution, as symbolized by the arrows A in the salad 2.

  This diffusion, thanks to the means proposed by the invention, takes place only

  when the salad is unmolded and not before.

  The embodiment of the invention presented here is not intended to reduce the scope thereof. Consequently, numerous modifications can be made to it without departing from its scope. In particular, it should be noted that

  the nature of the valve element used may vary.

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Claims (9)

  1. demouldable compound salad packaged in a container (1) having at least one main compartment (la) and at least one bottom compartment (lb), said main compartment (la) accommodating said salad (2) and said bottom compartment ( lb) receiving a sauce (3), characterized in that it includes a valve element (4) closing said bottom compartment (lb) and isolating said sauce (3) therein, said valve element (4) being edible and releasing said sauce (3) during   demoulding by inverting said container (1).   2. demouldable compound salad packaged in a container according to claim 1 characterized in that said bottom compartment (lb) has   an essentially circular section.   3. demouldable compound salad packaged in a container according to claim 2 characterized in that said element forming an edible valve (4)   has a diameter greater than the diameter of said bottom compartment.   4. Mixed demouldable salad packaged in a container according to one   claims 2 or 3 characterized in that said valve member   edible (4) has a diameter of between about 3 cm and about 6 cm.   5. Mixed demouldable salad packaged in a container according to one   any one of claims 1 to 4 characterized in that said element forming   edible valve (4) has a thickness of between approximately 2 mm and about 1 cm.   6. Demouldable compound salad packaged in a container according to one   any one of claims 1 to 5 characterized in that said element forming   edible valve (4) consists of a delicatessen washer.   7. Demouldable compound salad packaged in a container according to one   any one of claims 1 to 5 characterized in that said element forming   edible valve consists of a slice of fish meat product. 8. Demouldable compound salad packaged in a container according to one   any one of claims 1 to 5 characterized in that said element forming 6 2791871   edible valve (4) consists of a washer of a vegetable food product. 9. Demouldable compound salad packaged in a container according to one   any one of claims 1 to 8 characterized in that said container (1)   has a general bowl shape.