FR2889690A1 - HIGH TEMPERATURE RESISTANT SEALED FLEXIBLE PACKAGING FOR FOOD PRODUCTS - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a flexible sealable packaging for food products, intended to be subjected to heating for cooking or reheating, the packaging being intended to comprise two composite sheets heat-sealable.Set according to the invention, each composite sheet ( 4, 5) comprises at least one aluminum layer (15) and a high temperature heat-sealable plastic layer (16), a heat-resistant heat-resistant binder layer (17).

Description

The present invention relates to the technical field of packaging of

  food products in the general sense, and more specifically it concerns the technical field of packaging of food products at their point of sale and / or packaging, and in particular products

  food retail, wholesale or semi-wholesale.

  In the state of the art, there are many types of packaging especially for the packaging of food products. For example, patent FR 2 775 252 proposed to implement a sheath at least partially made of a heat-sealable material. This sheath is made from two composite sheets superimposed and assembled by bonding or welding, for example, at their longitudinal edges. Each composite sheet has an outer layer of aluminum, an inner layer of low density polyethylene and a layer of paper covered with a layer of low density polyethylene. This sheath packaged in roll is intended to be cut at the place of use in a length slightly greater than that of the product to be packaged. Preferably, one end of the sheath is cut and closed simultaneously by heat sealing in order to produce a bag. Then, after introduction of the product to be packaged in the bag thus produced, the other end of the sheath is heat sealed so as to obtain a sealed package.

  Such a flexible package is particularly useful for packaging fresh or frozen food products such as fish or meat at the retail sale, wholesale or semi-wholesale. Such a package has a completely sealed character and particularly easy to achieve by heat sealing. However, for the consumption of such a food product, it is necessary to open the packaging and to transfer the food product in a suitable container for cooking or re-heating the food product. It thus appears the need to have a suitable packaging to allow the quick and easy packaging of a food product while offering the advantage of also allowing the cooking or re-heating of the food product thus packaged.

  The object of the invention is therefore to provide a flexible package adapted to allow the simple and fast packaging of food products while allowing the cooking or re-heating of the food product packaged by such packaging.

  To achieve such an objective, the present invention relates to a flexible sealable packaging for food products, intended to be subjected to heating for cooking or reheating, the packaging being intended to comprise two composite heat-sealable composite sheets, characterized in that that each composite sheet has at least one layer of aluminum and a high temperature resistant heat-sealable plastic layer, a heat-resistant binder layer resistant to high temperature.

  According to one aspect of the invention, each composite sheet comprising at least the aluminum layer, the plastic layer and the binder layer is heat-sealable at a temperature of between 100 ° C. and 200 ° C. and advantageously between 160 ° C. and 190 ° C. vs.

  According to one characteristic of the invention, each composite sheet comprising at least the aluminum layer, the heat-sealable plastic layer and the binder layer is capable of withstanding a temperature of at least 120.degree. C. and advantageously at 140.degree. a duration of at least 25 minutes.

  According to another characteristic of the invention, each composite sheet 25 comprising at least the aluminum layer, the heat-sealable plastic layer and the binder layer is able to withstand a temperature at most equal to 220 C for a maximum duration 90 min and advantageously a maximum duration of between 45 min and 75 min.

  According to an alternative embodiment, the flexible packaging according to the invention also comprises a layer of high-temperature resistant paper interposed between the heat-sealable plastic layer and the heat-sealable binder layer.

  Advantageously, the high temperature resistant heat-sealable binder layer is made by extrusion of high temperature resistant polymers or by coextrusion of high temperature resistant polymers.

  Advantageously, the heat-resistant plastic layer resistant to high temperature is made of polypropylene and preferably polyethylene teraphthalate.

  According to one characteristic of the invention, the heat-sealable plastic layer comprises, on the side of the binder layer, a non-heat-sealable face and, on the side of the food product contact face of the sheet, a heat-sealable face.

  Another object of the invention is to provide a flexible package 15 having a window for viewing the packaged food product before and during cooking.

  To achieve such an objective, the flexible packaging according to the invention comprises at least one composite sheet or each composite sheet is formed in two parts interconnected by a plastic film at least translucent resistant to high temperature and fixed on the contact surface food product of each of the parts of the composite sheet so as to constitute a viewing window, said film having on the side of the heat-sealable plastic layer, a non-heat-sealable side and on the other side of the sheet, a heat-sealable side which constitutes with the face of the plastic layer of the sheets, a food product contact face.

  According to one characteristic of the invention, the plastic film is welded to the two parts of the composite sheet and is made of polypropylene or preferably polyethylene teraphthalate.

  According to an alternative embodiment, the two composite sheets comprise a plastic film to each have a viewing window, at least a portion of the films forming the windows being arranged superimposed to facilitate the opening of the flexible packaging.

  According to an exemplary embodiment, the two superimposed composite sheets form a sheath.

  According to another exemplary embodiment, two superimposed composite sheets are obtained by a sheet folded on itself in one or two layers.

  According to another embodiment, the two superposed composite sheets 10 are assembled at their edges to form a bag having an access opening to its internal volume.

  According to another aspect of the invention, the access opening is closed by heat sealing, after the introduction of a food product into the internal volume of the package, in order to constitute a closed sealed package.

  Various other characteristics appear from the description given below with reference to the accompanying drawings which show, by way of non-limiting examples, embodiments of the subject of the invention.

  Figure 1 is a top view showing an embodiment of a flexible package according to the invention.

  Figure 2 is a sectional view on a large scale showing the structure of an embodiment of a flexible packaging according to the invention.

  Figure 3 is a large-scale sectional view showing the structure of another embodiment of a flexible package according to the invention having a viewing window on one of its faces.

  Figure 4 is a top view of a flexible package as shown in FIG. 3.

  Figures 5 and 6 are schematic perspective views of a flexible package according to the invention having a two-sided viewing window and made from a sheath and a folded sheet, respectively.

  Fig. 1 shows an embodiment of a flexible package in the form of a sheath cut from a sheath 2 packaged generally roll. In the example shown, the sheath 2 comprises two composite sheets 4 and 5 superimposed which in the illustrated example are assembled together at their longitudinal edges 6 by heat sealing or heat sealing. This sheath 2 is cut to the desired length to contain a food product 7 such as fish. Preferably, during the cutting of the sheath 2 to constitute the flexible packaging 1, a transverse weld connecting the two longitudinal edges 6 is formed on an end 11 of the flexible packaging 1 which is thus in the form of a bag that can be opened by the other transverse end 12 having an opening giving access to the internal volume of the bag.

  In the example described above, the sheath forming the flexible packaging 1 is formed from two composite sheets 4, 5 placed in superposed position one against the other and assembled along their two longitudinal edges 6. Of course it may be envisaged to make the flexible package 1 in the form of a seamless sheath or a sheath with a single weld obtained by folding a sheet on itself and welding the free edges opposite the fold. Similarly, the flexible package 1 can be made from a sheet folded on itself in one or two layers to obtain the two superimposed composite sheets 4 and 5 which are assembled at their edges to form a bag having an access opening to its internal volume which is closed by heat sealing after introduction of the product to be packaged inside the flexible packaging. In general, the flexible packaging 1 according to the invention is intended to comprise at least two superimposed composite sheets 4, 5 assembled at their edges by heat sealing or heat sealing or gluing to form a bag with a 2889690 6 opening for the introduction of the product to be packaged. The opening of the bag is then closed by heat sealing or heat sealing.

  According to an alternative embodiment of the invention illustrated more particularly in FIG. 2, each composite sheet 4, 5 comprises at least between an aluminum layer 15 and a high temperature resistant heat-sealable plastic layer 16, a layer 17 of high temperature resistant binder. Each composite sheet 4, 5 thus has two outer faces constituted by the aluminum layer 15 and the heat-sealable plastic layer 16. As is more particularly apparent from FIG. 2, the composite sheets 4, 5 are arranged so that the heat-sealable plastic layers 16 are turned toward each other to form the inner surface of the flexible package intended to be in contact with the food product to condition. Thus, each plastic layer 16 has a surface 16a so-called food product contact.

  Each composite sheet 4, 5 has a heat-sealable plastic layer 16 facing each other by their food product contact surfaces 16a thus allowing heat-sealing or heat-sealing of the two composite sheets 4, 5 between them. Thus, since the heat-sealable plastic layers 16 are arranged against each other, the application of a localized pressure on the composite sheets 4, 5 for example at the transverse edges of the sheath, completed by a heating localized allows to obtain a weld composite sheets 4, 5 between them.

  According to one characteristic of the invention, each composite sheet 4, 5 comprising at least the aluminum layer 15, the plastic layer 16 and the binder layer 17 is heat-sealable at a temperature between 100 C and 200 C and advantageously in 160 C and 190 C.

  According to the invention, each composite sheet 4, 5 comprising the aluminum layer 15, the heat-sealable plastic layer 16 and the binder layer 17 is able to withstand a temperature of at least 120 ° C. for a minimum duration at least 25 minutes. Indeed, it appears that a flexible package 1 comprising the composite sheets 4, 5 must be able to withstand a temperature at least equal to 120 C for a minimum of 25 minutes to allow to cook or reheat, a conventional mass of a food product packaged by such a flexible package.

  Advantageously, each composite sheet 4, 5 according to the invention is capable of withstanding a temperature of at least 140 ° C. for a minimum period of 25 minutes.

  According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, each composite sheet 4, 5 comprising the aluminum foil 15, the heat-sealable plastic layer 16 and the binder layer 17 is able to withstand a temperature at most equal to 220 C, that is, less than or equal to 220 ° C. for a maximum duration of 90 minutes.

  Advantageously, each composite sheet 4, 5 is capable of withstanding a temperature at most equal to 220 C for a maximum duration of between 45 minutes and 75 minutes.

  Each composite sheet 4, 5 comprising the aluminum layer 15, the heat-sealable plastic layer 16 and the binder layer 17 is thus capable of being subjected to a predetermined temperature for a period of time suitable for cooking and / or refurnishing. temperature of the food product placed inside the flexible packaging. In other words, the aluminum layer 15, the heat-sealable plastic layer 16 and the binder layer 17 are chosen to withstand the temperatures indicated above for the time indicated above, that is, to say that the technical characteristics of these layers 16, 17 are not altered by heat so that delamination, burns or blisters do not occur.

  In other words, the flexible packaging 1 according to the invention retains its integrity at the end of the heating period chosen. In the 2889690 8 conditions defined above, the flexible packaging 1 and retains its waterproof character. The composite sheets 4, 5 are not drilled and the weld or welds made to close the bag continues (s) to perform their function of sealing the sheets together.

  According to a preferred embodiment, the high temperature resistant heat-sealable binder layer 17 is produced by extrusion of high temperature resistant polymers or by coextrusion of high temperature resistant polymers. For example, it can be used as a binder layer, a low density polyethylene (LDPE), a polypropylene, a polyester or glue.

  According to an embodiment characteristic, the layer of heat-resistant plastics material resistant to high temperature 16 is made for example of polypropylene. Advantageously, this heat-sealable plastic layer 16 is a polyethylene teraphthalate. Advantageously, the layer of heat-resistant plastics material resistant to high temperature 16 is in the form of a film consisting of the material or materials described above.

  According to one characteristic of the invention, the layer of heat-resistant plastics material 16 resistant to high temperature comprises, on the side of the binder layer 17, a non-heat-sealable face and on the side of the food product contact face 16a of the sheet, one side sealable.

  It should be noted that an embodiment variant may be provided in which each composite sheet 4, 5 also comprises a layer of high temperature resistant paper interposed between the heat-sealable plastic layer 16 and the heat-sealable binder layer 17. Advantageously, the layer of heat-resistant plastics material resistant to high temperature 16 is in the form of a film, an extrusion or a co-extrusion consisting of the materials described above such as polypropylene or teraphthalate. polyethylene.

  Figs. 3 and 4 illustrate another alternative embodiment of a flexible package 1 implementing at least one window 20 for viewing the food product 7 placed inside the flexible packaging for viewing the content and to appreciate the cooking of the food product.

  According to this variant embodiment, the flexible packaging 1 comprises at least one composite sheet 4 formed in two parts in the example illustrated, and interconnected by a plastic film at least translucent 30 resistant to high temperature and fixed on the food product contact face 16a of each of the parts of the composite sheet. The plastic film 30 is made for example of polypropylene and advantageously is a polyethene terapthalate. This plastic film 30 thus constitutes a viewing window 20 located between two parts of a composite sheet. The plastic film 30 has a non-heat-sealable face 30a, facing the food product contact face 16a of the heat-sealable plastic layer 16 so as to form in combination with the aluminum layer 15, a face of the composite sheet 4. This plastic film 30 has opposite its face 30a, a heat sealable face 30b which in combination with the food product contact face 16a of the plastic layer 16 of the sheets, the other side of the composite sheet 4 which constitutes a contact surface food product. Advantageously, the plastic film 30 is fixed by a heat-sealing or heat-sealing operation on the two parts of the composite sheet 4. In this way, a flexible package 1 can be produced from a composite sheet 4 equipped with such a window 20 and a composite sheet 5 as described in FIG. 2. According to this embodiment variant illustrated in FIG. 3, the front of the flexible package 1 has a window 20 while the back has no window.

  Of course, it may be provided to produce a flexible package 1 comprising two composite sheets 4, 5 each identical to the composite sheet 4 illustrated in FIG. 3. According to this example, each composite sheet 4, 5 is provided with a viewing window 20 as illustrated in FIGS. 5, 6. In the example illustrated in FIG. 5, the flexible package 1 is obtained from a sheath equipped on either side of a window 20. In the example illustrated in FIG. 6, the flexible package 1 is obtained by a composite sheet provided along its entire length with a window 20, folded along a line perpendicular to the window 20 so as to obtain a flexible package 1 equipped with a continuous window 20 extending on both sides of the package.

  In the examples illustrated in FIGS. 5, 6, the flexible package 1 comprises a duplex, a viewing window 20. Advantageously, at least a portion of the plastic films 30 forming the windows 20 are arranged so as to be superimposed to facilitate the opening of the flexible packaging. It should be noted that the presence of a plastic film 30 on a front face or vis-à-vis on the front and back sides of the flexible package facilitates the opening of the flexible packaging.

  The invention is not limited to the examples described and shown because various modifications can be made without departing from its scope.

Claims (12)

  1 - Flexible flexible packaging for foodstuffs, intended to be subjected to a heating for cooking or reheating, the packaging being intended to comprise two superposed heat-sealable composite sheets, characterized in that each composite sheet (4, 5) comprises at least between an aluminum layer (15) and a high temperature resistant heat-sealable plastic layer (16), a high temperature heat-sealable binder layer (17).   2 - Flexible packaging according to claim 1, characterized in that each composite sheet (4, 5) comprising at least the aluminum layer (15), the plastic layer (16) and the binder layer (17) is heat-sealable at a temperature between 100 C and 200 C and advantageously between 160 C and 190 C.   3 - Flexible packaging according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that each composite sheet (4, 5) comprising at least the aluminum layer (15), the heat-sealable plastic layer (16) and the binder layer ( 17) is capable of withstanding a temperature of at least 120 ° C. and advantageously at 140 ° C. for a duration of at least 25 minutes.   4 - Flexible packaging according to claim 3, characterized in that each composite sheet (4, 5) comprising at least the aluminum layer (15), the heat-sealable plastic layer (16) and the binder layer (17) is capable of withstanding a temperature at most equal to 220 ° C. for a maximum duration of 90 minutes and advantageously a maximum duration of between 45 minutes and 75 minutes.   Flexible packaging according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that it also comprises a layer of high temperature resistant paper interposed between the heat-sealable plastic layer and the heat-sealable binder layer.   6 - Flexible packaging according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the high temperature resistant heat-sealable binder layer (17) is produced by extrusion of high temperature resistant polymers or by coextrusion of resistant polymers at high temperature.   7 - flexible packaging according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the heat-resistant plastic layer (16) resistant to high temperature is made of polypropylene and preferably polyethylene teraphthalate.   8 - Flexible packaging according to claim 7, characterized in that the heat-sealable plastic layer (16) comprises on the side of the binder layer (17), a non-heat-sealable side and the side of the food product contact face (16a). ) of the sheet, a heat-sealable side.   9 - flexible packaging according to claim 8, characterized in that at least one composite sheet (4, 5) or each composite sheet is formed in two parts interconnected by a film (30) of plastic material at least translucent resistant to the high temperature and fixed on the food product contact face (16a) of each of the parts of the composite sheet so as to constitute a viewing window (20), said film (30) having on the side of the heat-sealable plastic layer , a non-heat-sealable side (30a) and on the other side of the sheet, a heat-sealable side (30b) which, together with the face (16a) of the plastic layer (16), forms a food product contact surface .   Flexible packaging according to claim 9, characterized in that the film (30) of plastic material is welded to the two parts of the composite sheet and is made of polypropylene or preferably polyethylene teraphthalate.   11 - Flexible packaging according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that the two composite sheets (4, 5) comprise a plastic film (30) to each have a viewing window (20), at least a portion of the films (30) forming the windows (20) being arranged superimposed to facilitate the opening of the flexible packaging.   12 - flexible packaging according to one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the two composite sheets (4, 5) superimposed form a sheath.   13 - flexible packaging according to one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that two composite sheets (4, 5) superimposed are obtained by a folded sheet on itself in one or two filler.   14 - Flexible packaging according to one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the two composite sheets (4, 5) superimposed are assembled at their edges to form a bag having an access opening to its internal volume.   Flexible packaging according to claim 14, characterized in that the access opening is closed by heat sealing, after the introduction of a food product into the internal volume of the package, to form a closed sealed package.