IT201800010429A1 - PACKAGING FOR FOOD PRODUCTS - Google Patents

Description

Description of an invention patent

The present invention refers to a packaging for food products.

More particularly, the present invention refers to a packaging for food products, especially fresh food products such as, for example, cold cuts or salami, meat, fish or cheese or even baked goods or the like.

As is known, food products of the type indicated above and, above all, fresh food products, even if stored in the fridge, due to contact with the air and constituent elements (such as water, minerals, proteins, etc.) are an ideal environment for the development of microorganisms which are responsible for a process of decomposition of these foods which determines a loss of freshness, nutritional properties, the onset of bad odor and the like.

To solve these problems by inhibiting the proliferation of microorganisms responsible for the decay of food and prolonging the freshness characteristics of food, multilayer packaging (or packaging composed of multiple elements) is known, typically in the form of sheets, comprising a layer of paper or material. metal (the outer layer), a layer of plastic material (the inner layer) capable of coming into contact with the food and any other layers added with components typically of natural origin with the function of interacting with the food to preserve its characteristics of freshness.

Other known packaging solutions for foods include sheets of waxed paper that are impermeable to fats and oils released from food or have a plasticized paper base (for example paper coupled with high density polyethylene or paper coated with high density polyethylene (extrusion coating) ), with the plasticized part having the function of not letting the grease and humidity of the food in general exude and to provide protection thanks to the barrier properties of the packaging itself.

Further known packaging solutions include sheets for wrapping food made of a plastic material with a high content of fillers based on calcium carbonate, talc and titanium dioxide and similar materials with properties to increase the shelf life and protect freshness. of the food in the fridge.

In combination with these packaging, which can be defined as "primary", sheets in polypropylene or high-density polyethylene, transparent or semi-transparent, are also typically used which, in the event that the food to be packaged includes, for example, several slices to be superimposed, they are used as sheets to be interposed between one group of slices and the next to avoid adhesion effects between the various layers of food.

Typically, the packaging of food products by means of traditional packaging takes place by placing the food on a sheet of plasticized paper (the paper coupled or coated or coated with high density polyethylene, as previously described) and, in the case of more layers of food, arranging sheets in polypropylene or high-density polyethylene with separation between a layer of food and the top, the plasticized paper sheet having the function of not letting the fat and moisture exude from one side to the other of the sheet.

Once the food or food layers have been arranged in the manner described above, the plasticized paper sheet (which defines the main sheet) is folded and closed on itself.

The package thus formed is then inserted into a paper bag which is closed with the identification label of the product contained therein or, alternatively, the same package can be sealed with an aluminum foil which guarantees greater conservation. of the products thanks to the barrier effect of aluminum or, according to a further albeit rarer alternative, the packaging can be inserted and closed in a plastic bag.

However, these traditional solutions have some significant drawbacks linked to the fact that, as described above, the complete packaging includes a plurality of different materials / components (about 3 or 4) which, by their nature, require different methods of disposal once they arrive. at the end of life.

A further drawback linked to traditional packaging is represented by the fact that the materials typically used are no longer to be considered the best solution in food packaging in the light of new regulatory guidelines (at least at European level); in fact, European regulations require packaging made of recyclable or biodegradable materials.

The object of the present invention is to obviate the above mentioned drawbacks.

More specifically, the object of the present invention is to provide a packaging for food products capable of increasing the shelf life of foods by improving their useful life and reducing the variation of perfumes in the direction of a bad smell.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a packaging for food products made entirely of biodegradable and compostable material.

A further object of the present invention is to make available to users a packaging for food products capable of guaranteeing high resistance and durability over time.

These and other objects are achieved by the invention which has the characteristics of claim 1.

According to the invention, packaging is provided for food products, especially fresh food products such as, for example, cold cuts or salami, meat, fish or cheese or even baked goods or the like, comprising constituent elements which comprise a first sheet defining a base layer of the '' packaging on which food products or a first layer of food products are placed, one or more second sheets used to separate different layers of sliced food product from each other and at least one resealable bag defining a housing for an assembly or sub-package defined by the first and second elements, said constituent elements being made of biodegradable and compostable material.

Advantageous embodiments of the invention appear from the dependent claims.

The constructive and functional characteristics of the packaging for food products of the present invention can be better understood from the detailed description that follows in which reference will be made to the attached drawing tables which illustrate, by way of example, a preferred and non-limiting embodiment and in which:

Figures 1 to 3 schematically illustrate a sequence of use of the packaging of the invention with reference to a preferred embodiment, with Figure 1 illustrating a sub-package comprising slices or groups of slices of a food product of the type ham or the like, Figure 2 illustrating the folded sub-package of Figure 1 and Figure 3 illustrating the complete package as described in detail below;

Figures 4 and 5 schematically illustrate the packaging for food of the invention according to an alternative embodiment.

The packaging for food products of the present invention (indicated with 10 in Figure 3) comprises a series of elements and, more specifically with reference to a main embodiment, three elements defined by a first sheet 12 defining a base layer of the packaging and, more specifically, defining a base on which food products or a first layer of food products 14 are placed, one or more second sheets 16 used to separate different layers of food product cut into slices from each other in order to prevent said slices or portions of the food product can adhere to each other (and also facilitate the integral extraction of the product when it is used), with the assembly or subpackage 18 defined by the first sheet 12 and by one or more second sheets 16 which define, as better detailed below, a package or bag used to contain the aforementioned package.

The first sheet 12 is made of a biodegradable and compostable material; this first sheet, as indicated above, is made of paper-based biocomposable material with a high content of fillers or mineral fillers or other fillers of completely or partially vegetable origin, also coming from biological processes such as, for example, shells or shells of eggs or the like, with the content which can also be defined as microcrystalline cellulose; this in order to increase the preservation properties of the products wrapped by the aforementioned sheet or, alternatively, the same first sheet can be defined by a coextruded material and can comprise at least one outer layer in thermoplastic polyester of the PLA type.

The one or more second sheets 14 are also made of biodegradable and compostable material and can be made in two versions, one in which the second sheet is made of the same material as the first sheet and / or bag it wraps and one in which said second sheet is made of completely transparent material (for example polylactic acid (PLA)).

The third element 20 of the packaging comprises a bag made of biodegradable and compostable material of the paper type or with a high content of fillers (the latter which allows to seal the contents and considerably increase the shelf life of the product) or mineral fillers or of other fillers of completely or partially vegetable origin, also coming from biological processes such as, for example, shells or eggshells or the like, with the content that can also be defined as microcrystalline cellulose; said bag having the function of accommodating inside the envelope or sub-packaging 18 defined by the first sheet 12 and by one or more second sheets 16.

Said third element 20 is resealable by means of an adhesive strip directly present on the bag or by means of an adhesive label identifying the product contained in the packaging and the price of the same.

All three elements that make up the packaging can include "filler" components (for example carbonates, talcates and the like) with a barrier effect against water vapor and / or oxygen which are the main elements responsible for an alteration of the food with the formation of humidity in the food product, the onset of odors and / or decay of the nutritional and organoleptic properties of the food itself.

In accordance with an alternative embodiment, the food packaging, indicated as a whole with 10 'in figures 4 and 5, comprises four constituent elements (the elements common to the preferred embodiment of figures 1 to 3 will be indicated with the same numerical reference) which comprise a first sheet 12, at least a second sheet 16, a first bag 22 and a second bag 24 and in which the first and second sheet have the same characteristics as those of the main embodiment and, likewise, the second bag has the same characteristics as the bag 20 of the main embodiment, while the first bag 22 which has the same characteristics as the bag 20 of the main embodiment but has different dimensions and, more specifically, lower than those of the second bag 24.

The first bag 22 defines a first envelope for receiving the assembly or sub-package 18 defined by the first sheet 12 and by the at least one second sheet 16, with said first bag 22 being inserted into the second bag 24 (which, for the function for which it is intended, has larger dimensions than those of the first bag). The increase in the preservation properties guaranteed by the elements that make up the packaging for food of the invention are a consequence of the process of processing the constituent elements themselves which includes processing on high density extrusion machines whose short (extrusion) screws give to the mixture in extrusion a clear improvement of the spreading properties of the materials as well as a better homogenization and spreading of the same with a clear improvement of the average thicknesses that do not leave on the film any weak point in correspondence with which defects may originate.

Also, the constituent elements of the packaging may include components that give surface roughness to the product; however, these components are added only and exclusively for aesthetic reasons.

The packaging described above with reference to its constituent elements is described below with reference to the method of use.

Considering the example of a food product such as sliced or cured meats or the like, an operator (for example an employee in a refrigerated or delicatessen counter) places a first quantity of slices 14 of the sliced meat on the first sheet 12 (on which he may have placed a possible second sheet 14) and, subsequently, places a second sheet 14 on said first sheet 12 and proceeds with the deposition of a possible and further quantity of sliced slices on the second sheet 14 (this operation is repeated according to the quantity of sliced or salami required) and, subsequently, the operator folds the first sheet 12 on himself so as to define a subpackage 18. Subsequently, the above subpackage 18 is inserted into the bag defining the third constituent element 20, which in its once is closed and sealed by means of an identification label of the product or, in accordance with the alternative embodiment, the subpackage 18 is first inserted into the first bag 22 which is subsequently inserted into the second bag 24 having the same characteristics as the bag 20 of the main embodiment.

In this last case, on the first bag 22 an indicative label of the food product (weight, price, product identification code, a bar code or a QR code) contained in the sub-package 18 inserted in the first bag 22 and on the second bag 24 a label can be applied bearing the coded information relating to the first bag 22 inserted in the bag 24 (total weight, total cost, etc.).

The packaging thus defined is, therefore, ready for transport or for storage in special places such as, for example, a refrigerator.

As can be seen from the foregoing, the advantages that the packaging for food products of the invention achieves are evident.

The packaging for food products of the invention, being made of biodegradable and compostable materials, complies with the new sector regulations (specifically a European standard EN13432) and is in line with the current environmental requirements (suitable for food contact for all foods and foods with a PH above a PH 4.2).

A further advantage is represented by the fact that the constitutive characteristics of the described packaging allow to increase the shelf life of the food by improving its useful life.A further advantage is represented by the fact that the constitutive characteristics of the described packaging allow to reduce the variation / alteration of the perfumes in the direction of a bad smell.

Further advantageous is the fact that the third constituent element of the packaging, being like the other two elements made of biodegradable and compostable material, can be reused as a bag for the collection of wet waste.

Further advantageous is the fact that the packaging of the invention is lighter than traditional packaging.

Further advantages are represented by the improved chemical-physical characteristics and by the improved mechanical properties.

In fact, the chemical-physical characteristics of the packaging have improved and increased compared to those that characterize the compostable biopolymers that make up the known packaging and are substantially close to the barrier values of polyethylene. Also, as regards gas permeability, the material has significantly higher permeability values than traditional films made of compostable biopolymer; the detected value is equal to 1,250 [g x µ / (m <2> x 24h)] (with an oscillation of / -30% / 35% of the indicated value) with reference to the different types of defined recipes (this value is about 5 times that of high-density polyethylene with an equal amount of calcium carbonate and other fillers).

As far as oxygen permeability is concerned, it has values of 22,500 [cm <2> x µ / (m <2> x 24h)] clearly better than a compostable biopolymer. (whose value is about half of the high density polyethylene). The improved mechanical properties define failure values equal to or greater than�24 MPa in the machine direction (longitudinal direction) and 17 MPa in the transverse direction, an elongation at break value equal to or greater than 110% in the machine direction and 20% in the transversal, the sliding resistance has a coefficient of friction (dynamic COF) equal to or greater than 0.30 and the thermal resistance in deep freezing has values equal to or greater than 18 °.

Although the invention has been described above with particular reference to an embodiment thereof given only by way of non-limiting example, numerous modifications and variations will appear evident to a person skilled in the art in the light of the above description. The present invention, therefore, intends to embrace all the modifications and variations that fall within the scope of the following claims.

Claims (10)

CLAIMS 1. A package (10, 10 ') for food products, especially fresh food products such as, for example, cold cuts or salami, meat, fish or cheese or even baked goods or the like, characterized in that it comprises constituent elements which include a first sheet (12) defining a base layer of the packaging on which the food products (14) or a first layer of food products are placed, one or more second sheets (16) used to separate different layers of food product from each other (14 ) cut into slices and at least one resealable bag (20) defining a housing for an assembly or sub-package (18) defined by the first (12) and second (16) elements, said constituent elements being made of biodegradable and compostable material. 2. The packaging according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that the first sheet (12) is made of a coextruded material. 3. The packaging according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the first sheet (12) is made includes at least one outer layer in thermoplastic polyester of the PLA type. 4. The packaging according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that the one or more second sheets (14) are made of biodegradable and compostable material. 5. The packaging according to claim 4, characterized by the fact that the one or more second sheets (14) are made of the same material referred to in the first sheet (12). 6. The packaging according to claim 4, characterized in that the one or more second sheets (14) are made of completely transparent material. 7. The packaging according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a bag (20) defining a housing for a sub-packaging (18) defined by the first sheet (12) and by at least one second sheet (14). The packaging according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a first bag (22) and a second bag (24), with said first bag (22) defining a housing for a sub-package (18) defined by first sheet (12) and from the at least one second sheet (16) and with the second bag (24) defining a housing for said first bag (22). 9. The packaging according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the constituent elements include "filler" components with a barrier effect against external agents such as oxygen, water vapor and the like. 10. The packaging according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that it includes components that give surface roughness.