GB2400070A

GB2400070A - Improvements in a package for a comestible

Info

Publication number: GB2400070A
Application number: GB0307387A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Margaret Lesley Jackson
Original assignee: Culpitt Ltd
Current assignee: Culpitt Ltd
Priority date: 2003-03-31
Filing date: 2003-03-31
Publication date: 2004-10-06
Also published as: GB0307387D0

Abstract

A high barrier material for manfacturing comestible packages comprises an inner layer of polyethylene laminated to an exterior layer of polyester eg. polyethylene terephthalate. The inner layer is between 50 and 150 microns thick whereas the exterior layer is between 8-16 microns thick. Alternatively the material comprises a polypropylene film coated on its outer surface with polyvinylidene chloride and on its inner surface with an acrylic sealing material. The packaging may be transparent and is particularly suitable for storing sugar paste products or the like, due to its ability to prevent moisture loss (stated to be less than 1.5% over 12 months).

Description

IMPROVEMENTS IN A PACKAGE FOR A COMESTIBLE

This invention is concerned with improvements in or relating to a package for a comestible product and particularly, but not exclusively, this invention is concerned with improvements in a package for a sugar paste product for use as a decoration or adornment for a decorated cake product Printed and unprinted sugar paste products, used by plant bakeries as decorative edible components for celebration cakes and biscuits, have traditionally been bulk packed in pizza style boxes The products are normally used within a short time from manufacture, but remain in an edible condition until the end of their shelf life, a period of approximately 12 to 18 months. However, although these products are safe for consumption at the end of their shelf life, a certain amount of moisture will have evaporated from the packaged product over the period that the product is on the shelf thereby rendering the product brittle and susceptible to breakage.

In addition, the products lose some of their pleasantness to the taste, viz their palatability and, therefore, it has not been possible to sell sugar paste products in retail packs for the home bake sector.

In the past, various attempts have been made to introduce sugar paste products into retail packs for display stands in supermarkets and for inclusion in home bake kits.

These products were normally placed in formed plastic blister packs of clear polyvinyl-chloride (PVC) and sealed onto a printed backing card Flow wrapping, a high-speed packing process used by most food and confectionery manufacturers, has also been tried. The material used to pack the products is a transparent, heat-sealable co-extruded film Both of these methods have proven to be unsuccessful because the packaging does not seal in the moisture and, therefore, over a prolonged shelf life, the products lose substantially all of their moisture and become embrittled and unpalatable Due to these problems in achieving a sugar paste product that remains pliable, moist and palatable over a prolonged period of time, it has been the practice to utilise printed wafer as an alternative edible adornment for use in the home bake sector The wafer products have proven to be ideal for purpose because they are not susceptible to the side affects of moisture loss and indifferent taste when compared to sugar paste products Examples of wafer use include application to cup-cakes, cake mixes and biscuits made and decorated at home.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to introduce a range of printed and unprinted sugar paste products for use in the retail and home bake sectors, which products will stay edible and pliable until required for use.

It is another of the objects of the present invention to provide an improved package for a sugar based product Thus, the present invention conveniently provides a package for a sugar based product, characterized in that the package comprises high barrier material, which, in use, restricts moisture loss from the sugar product to less than 1 5% over a period of not less than twelve months.

Preferably, the high barrier material comprises a two ply layer of plastic More preferably, the two ply layer of plastic material comprises an inner layer of polyethylene and an outer layer of poltester, preferably polyethylene-terephthalate.

Conveniently, the inner layer of polyethylene is between 50 microns and 150 microns thick.

Preferably, the inner layer of polyethylene is 100 microns thick In another arrangement provided by the present invention, the outer layer of polyester, preferably polyethylene-terephthalate may be between 8 microns and 16 microns thick and, more preferably, the outer layer of polyethylene-terephthalate is 12 microns thick.

In a further arrangement conveniently provided by the present invention, the two ply layer of high barrier material comprises a polypropylene film coated on an outer surface with polyvinylidenechloride and coated on an inner surface with a low temperature acrylic sealing material.

In one convenient package provided by the present invention the product is visible within the package.

Preferably, the package comprises at least one transparent portion through which a sugar product may be seen when the package is displayed at a retail outlet for sale.

The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to two examples of novel packages provided by the invention

EXAMPLE 1

A sugar paste comestible product is packaged in a high barrier bag comprising a two ply layer of plastic material comprised of: a) an inner layer of transparent polyethylene of 100 microns thickness; and, b) an outer layer oftransparent polyethylene-terephthalate of 12 microns thickness.

The high barrier bag is sealed by crimping along the edges thereof.

In use, the high barrier bag maintains the moisture content of the sugar paste product over a shelf life of some 12 to 18 months thereby preserving the pliability and palatability of the product until the bag is opened In accelerated tests it has been found that the loss of moisture content was less than 1.5 % over the expected shelf life ofthe product

EXAMPLE 2

In a further example, a sugar paste product is packaged in a high barrier bag comprising a plastic material comprised of a layer of transparent polypropylene of microns thickness coated on an outer surface with a transparent layer of polyvinylidenechloride of 10 microns thickness. An inner surface of the polypropylene is coated with a low temperature sealing material, e g. an acrylic.

As in Example 1 a high barrier bag is sealed by crimping along the edges thereof In use, the high barrier bag of Example 2 maintains the moisture content of the sugar paste product over a shelf life of some 12 to l 8 months thereby preserving the pliability and palatability of the product until the bag is opened.

In accelerated tests it has been found that the loss of moisture content was less than 1.5% over the expected shelf life of the product.

In both Example I and Example 2, the package may be a bag as described, which bag is sealed by crimping along the opening thereof, alternatively, the plastic material may be formed about the product using a high speed flow wrapping process. -s-

In the flow wrapping process, the sealing is effected by long crimped seals rather than conventional short crimped seals It will be appreciated that sugar paste products packaged as herein described can be sold through retail outlets in a format that may be displayed over long periods of time in the confidence that the products will remain in excellent condition until the package is opened after sale or until the sell by date has expired

Claims

-A CLAIMS

1. A package for a sugar based product as herein defined, characterised in that the package comprises high barrier material, which, in use, restricts moisture loss from the sugar product to less than 1 5% over a period of not less than twelve months.

2. A package according to Claim 1, characterised in that the high barrier material comprises a two ply layer of plastic.

3 A package according to Claim 2, characterised in that the two ply layer of plastic material comprises an inner layer of polyethylene and an outer layer of polyester.

4. A package according to Claim 3, characterised in that the polyester material is polyethylene-terephthalate.

5. A package according to either one of Claims 3 and 4, characterised in that the inner layer of polyethylene is between 50 microns and 150 microns thick.

6. A package according to Claim 5, characterised in that the inner layer of polyethylene is 100 microns thick.

7. A package according to any one of Claims 4, 5 and 6, characterised in that the outer layer of polyethylene-terephthalate is between 8 microns and 16 microns thick.

8 A package according to Claim 7, characterised in that the outer layer of polyethylene-terephthalate is 12 microns thick 9. A package according to Claim 2, characterised in that the two ply layer of high barrier material comprises a polypropylene film coated on the outside with polyvynilidenechloride and on the inside with a low temperature acrylic sealing material.

A package according to any one of the preceding Claims, characterized in that the product is visible within the package 11 A package according to Claim 10, characterized in that the package comprises at least one transparent portion through which a sugar product may be seen when the package is In use.