JP2006206140A - Sterilization packing method of two-closure-having pouch - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sterilization packing method of a two-closure-having pouch, which replaces a conventional retort sterilization process in which sterilization is carried out under pressure and heat, the two-closure-having pouch having a large closure from which liquid contents such as drink or liquid food, for instance, oral enteral hyperalimentation drug are packed and water is added to use the contents, and a small closure from which the liquid contents are discharged via a tube connected to the small closure. <P>SOLUTION: The sterilization packing method is used for a two-closure-having pouch, which has a large closure from which liquid contents are packed and water is added to use the contents and a small closure from which the liquid contents are discharged via a tube connected to the small closure. The sterilization packing method of a two-closure-having pouch uses both a radiation sterilizing process and a chemical sterilization process. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a sterilization filling method for aseptically filling a pouch with a two-neck closure into liquid contents such as liquid foods or beverages such as oral enteral nutrients.

  As a container for storing liquid foods such as oral enteral nutrients or liquid contents such as beverages, a large closure that fills the container and a small closure that serves as a spout by connecting the tube when used Containers are used. It is common to perform retort sterilization by sterilizing under pressure and heat after filling the container with the two-neck closure and sealing it.

  Conventionally, a container mainly composed of polypropylene (PP) resin having heat resistance in consideration of retort sterilization resistance has been used as the above-mentioned container with a two-neck closure. However, since polypropylene (PP) resin is inferior in impact resistance especially at low temperature, the contents may leak due to cracks in the container during distribution, resulting in an accident leading to corruption.

  Therefore, in order to solve the above problem, there arises a problem that the cost of the container is increased by using a material having a retort resistance and a container configuration.

  Furthermore, the retort sterilization process that sterilizes by heating and heating does not increase the production efficiency because it is performed in a batch process, and also causes variations in quality, and changes in the taste and quality of the contents due to excessive heating. There were also problems such as getting up.

  Therefore, in a container for storing liquid contents such as conventional oral enteral nutrients or liquid contents such as beverages, the above-mentioned problems in production efficiency, cost, and quality, which replace retort sterilization, are eliminated. Development of an aseptic filling method has been desired.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and is a filling of liquid contents such as liquid foods and beverages such as oral enteral nutrients in place of the conventional retort sterilization treatment by heat and pressure sterilization. Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for sterilizing and filling a pouch with a two-neck closure of a small closure that joins tubes and pours out the liquid content.

To achieve the above objectives, ie
The invention according to claim 1
A method for sterilizing and filling a pouch with a two-neck closure of a large closure for filling liquid contents and adding water at the time of use, and a small closure for connecting the tubes and pouring out the liquid contents,
A method for sterilizing and filling a pouch with a two-port closure, characterized by using both radiation sterilization and chemical sterilization.

The invention according to claim 2
After the small closure is attached to the main body of the pouch, a radiation sterilization treatment step for collective wrapping and sterilization, and a pouch with a small closure subjected to the radiation sterilization treatment is supplied to a large closure attaching device directly connected to a filling machine. , A step of supplying a pouch with a two-neck closure to an aseptic chamber, sequentially injecting hot air into the pouch, a pre-expansion and preheating step, and a chemical sterilization treatment step of spraying the chemical on the inner and outer surfaces of the pouch And a vacuum process for depressurizing the inside of the expanded pouch, a filling process for filling the pouch with the liquid content, and a capping process for attaching a cap that has been previously sterilized with a medicine to the pouch. A method for sterilizing and filling a pouch with a two-neck closure according to claim 1.

The invention according to claim 3
After the small closure is attached to the main body of the pouch, a radiation sterilization treatment step for collective wrapping and sterilization, and a pouch with a small closure subjected to the radiation sterilization treatment is supplied to a large closure attaching device directly connected to a filling machine. , A step of supplying a pouch with a two-neck closure to an aseptic chamber, sequentially injecting hot air into the pouch, a pre-expansion and preheating step, and a chemical sterilization treatment step of spraying the chemical on the inner and outer surfaces of the pouch A vacuum process for depressurizing the inside of the expanded pouch, a filling process for filling the pouch with a liquid content, and a sealing and sealing process for sealing the large closure spout portion with a film lid material that has been subjected to a chemical sterilization treatment in advance. After the aseptic chamber is discharged, the cap is attached to the pouch with the two-neck closure and capped. A method of sterilizing and filling a two-neck closure pouch according to claim 1, wherein Rukoto.

The invention according to claim 4
The method for sterilizing and filling a pouch with a two-neck closure according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the radiation sterilization treatment is γ-ray irradiation or electron beam irradiation.

The invention according to claim 5
The method of sterilizing and filling a pouch with a two-neck closure according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the chemical sterilization treatment is a hydrogen peroxide gas sterilization treatment.

The invention according to claim 6
3. The method for sterilizing and filling a pouch with a two-neck closure according to claim 2, wherein the chemical sterilization treatment of the cap that has been previously sterilized with chemicals is a hydrogen peroxide gas sterilization treatment.

The invention according to claim 7 provides:
4. The method for sterilizing and filling a pouch with a two-neck closure according to claim 3, wherein the chemical sterilization treatment of the film lid material previously subjected to the chemical sterilization treatment is a hydrogen peroxide gas sterilization treatment.

  According to the present invention, problems in production efficiency, cost, and quality in the conventional retort sterilization treatment under pressure and heat sterilization can be solved. In other words, cost reduction of containers, continuous sterilization treatment filling is possible, production efficiency is improved, and there is no variation in quality, and oral enteral nutrients etc. without contents taste and quality alteration are postoperatively Alternatively, it can be administered orally or enterally to patients with malnutrition that occur in various pathological conditions such as intestinal diseases or intestinal disorders. Of course, it has become possible to provide a sterilization treatment filling method that can be widely developed in the field of using liquid foods and beverages other than the contents such as the above-mentioned oral enteral nutrients as contents.

Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an example of a pouch with a two-mouth closure which is an object of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory view for explaining an example of a method for sterilizing and filling a pouch with a two-neck closure according to the present invention. Moreover, FIG. 3 is explanatory drawing explaining the other example of the sterilization filling method of the pouch with a 2 mouth closure of this invention.

  First, as shown in FIG. 1, a pouch with a two-neck closure as an example of the present invention is used as a spout by connecting a large closure 2 that fills the pouch body 1 with contents and a tube in use. A pouch 10 with a two-closure closure of a small closure 3 is used.

  Conventionally, a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film layer (outermost surface) / transparent barrier film layer / nylon film layer / polypropylene (PP) film layer (outermost surface sealant layer) were sequentially laminated as a base material constituting the pouch body 1. A laminated film was used. In addition, polypropylene (PP) resin was used for both the large closure and the small closure.

  However, according to the sterilization and filling method of the present invention, since the heat resistance required for the conventional retort sterilization treatment under pressure and heat sterilization is not required, polyethylene (PE) resin is used for the innermost surface sealant layer and the closure. Is possible. By using PE resin, the impact resistance at low temperatures of the pouch container is improved, and the problem of leakage of contents caused by cracks in the container during distribution, which has been a problem in the past, is solved. In addition to the above PE resins, those other than the above PE resins can be used as long as they have excellent low-temperature impact properties and heat sealability.

  The transparent barrier film constituting the transparent barrier film layer is not particularly limited as long as it has transparency and gas barrier properties, and a transparent barrier film generally used in the packaging field is used. For example, a resin film having an inorganic oxide vapor-deposited film made of silicon oxide, aluminum oxide, magnesium oxide alone or a mixture thereof having barrier properties, low density polyethylene having medium barrier properties such as water vapor, water, medium density polyethylene, high Examples thereof include resin films such as density polyethylene, linear low-density polyethylene, and ethylene-propylene copolymer, and resin films such as polyvinylidene chloride having a gas barrier property, polyvinyl alcohol, and saponified ethylene-vinyl acetate polymer.

  A method for forming a vapor deposition film made of the above inorganic oxide on a resin film is formed by a normal vacuum vapor deposition method, but other methods such as a sputtering method, an ion plating method, and a plasma vapor phase growth method are used. Can be used. In view of productivity, the vacuum deposition method is the best. As the heating means of the vacuum deposition apparatus by the vacuum deposition method, electron beam heating, resistance heating, and induction heating methods are preferable. In order to improve the adhesion and denseness between the deposited film and the resin film, the plasma assist method or ion beam is used. An assist method can be used. In addition, in order to increase the transparency of the deposited film, reactive vapor deposition in which oxygen gas or the like is blown during the deposition can be performed. The optimum thickness of the deposited film varies depending on the type and configuration of the inorganic oxide used, but is generally in the range of 5 to 300 nm, and the value is appropriately selected.

  Examples of the resin film forming the vapor deposition film include polyester films such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), polyamide films such as nylon (Ny), polycarbonate (PC) film, and polyacrylonitrile (PAN). A film, a polyimide (PI) film, or the like is used, and either a stretched film or an unstretched film may be used, and those having mechanical strength and dimensional stability are preferable.

  Next, an example of a method for sterilizing and filling a pouch with a two-neck closure according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The method of sterilizing and filling a pouch with a two-neck closure according to the present invention is a pouch with a two-neck closure of a large closure for filling liquid contents and adding water during use, and a small closure for connecting the tube to pour out the liquid contents. In this sterilization and filling method, the radiation sterilization treatment and the chemical sterilization treatment are used in combination.

That is, the step of carrying out radiation sterilization treatment by collecting and sealing the pouch 4 with a small closure in which the small closure 3 is attached to the pouch body 1, for example, in a polyethylene bag or the like, set in an outer box such as cardboard, and the like. The pouch 4 with a small closure subjected to the radiation sterilization treatment is supplied to a large closure attaching device directly connected to a filling machine, and the large closure 2 is stored and sealed in a polyethylene bag or the like in advance and set in an outer box such as cardboard. The pouch 10 with a two-neck closure obtained through the process of attaching the large closure 2 that has been subjected to radiation sterilization treatment to the pouch body 1 is supplied to the aseptic chamber and sequentially preheated in the pouch. temperature sterile hot air in conditions that do not condense in the example 70 ° C. of about hydrogen peroxide (H ₂ O ₂₎ unnecessarily gas A step of provisionally inflated simultaneously pouch when come with preheated hydrogen peroxide in a pouch within the outer surface (H ₂ O ₂₎ was sprayed with the drug using a gas, and drug sterilization treatment step of drying by blowing sterile hot air, sterilization A vacuum process for reducing the pressure inside the pouch that has been swollen in the process and returning it to the original state, a filling process for filling the pouch with liquid contents, and hydrogen peroxide (H ₂ O ₂ ) gas is sprayed in advance. And a capping step of mounting the cap 5 that has been sterilized and dried with aseptic hot air on the large closure 2 of the pouch 10. It is.

  In the case of the sterilization treatment of the pouch 10 with the two-neck closure of the large closure 2 and the small closure 3 which are the object in the present invention, the small closure 3 is connected to a tube and is used for liquid foods such as oral enteral nutrients and beverages. For the purpose of pouring liquid contents and administering them orally or enterally, the structure is made narrower due to the need to insert and hold the tube. Since there is a risk that the chemical solution cannot sufficiently contact the inner surface and sterilization failure may occur, first, radiation sterilization treatment is performed on the pouch 4 with a small closure in which the small closure 3 is attached to the pouch body 1. Then, the secondary sterilization contaminated by the handling in the step of attaching the large closure 2 in the subsequent step is subjected to the chemical sterilization treatment in the aseptic chamber of the filling machine, and the radiation sterilization treatment and the chemical sterilization treatment are used in combination.

  In the sterilization and filling method of the pouch with the two-neck closure described above, the large closure 2 is preliminarily subjected to radiation sterilization. However, this radiation sterilization is not always essential, and a filling machine can be used as long as it is a large closure manufactured in a clean environment. Although sterilization is possible in the sterilization process in the aseptic chamber, it is desirable to perform the radiation sterilization treatment in advance, as described above, since the assurance level of sterilization of the container is further increased.

  In the sterilization and filling method for a pouch with a two-neck closure, when the pouch 4 with a small closure in which the small closure 3 is attached to the pouch body 1 is collectively packaged on cardboard or the like and subjected to radiation sterilization treatment, for example, the pouch When the size of the main body 1 is 220 mm (width) × 180 mm (length) and the size of the corrugated cardboard is 700 mm (width) × 400 mm (length) × 300 mm (height), about 1080 sheets A pouch with a small closure 3 can be stored. On the other hand, when the pouch 10 with the two-port closure on which the large closure 2 and the small closure 3 are attached is stored in the cardboard, only about 180 sheets can be stored. That is, the pouch 4 with a small closure is assembled and packaged in cardboard or the like and subjected to radiation sterilization treatment, so that the irradiation cost is about 1 as compared with the radiation sterilization treatment in which the pouch 10 with a two-neck closure is collectively packaged in cardboard or the like. / 6. Therefore, it is economically advantageous to collect and wrap the small closure pouch 4 with the small closure 3 attached to the pouch body 1 on a cardboard as in the present invention and perform the radiation sterilization treatment.

Drug sterilization by the hydrogen peroxide (H ₂ O _2), hydrogen peroxide (H ₂ O ₂₎ hydrogen peroxide in addition to spraying the hydrogen peroxide (H ₂ O ₂₎ gas by heating the water (H ₂ O ₂ ) It is also possible to fill the container with water and rinse it with sterile water after sterilization. Further, instead of hydrogen peroxide (H ₂ O ₂ ) water, a peracetic acid preparation can be filled into the container.

  Next, FIG. 3 shows another example of the method for sterilizing and filling a pouch with a two-neck closure according to the present invention. Sealing after filling is not performed directly with a cap, but a large closure spout is hermetically sealed with a film lid that has been sterilized with hydrogen peroxide or the like in advance. This is carried out in the same manner as the method for sterilizing and filling a pouch with a two-neck closure of the present invention. According to this sterilization filling method, it can be suitably employed when sterilization is difficult depending on the shape of the cap.

  The material of said film cover material is not specifically limited, For example, the base material which laminated | stacked the sealant layer which consists of polyethylene (PE) resin on the polyethylene terephthalate (PET) resin film can be used. Of course, in addition to polyester such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) resin film, polyolefins such as polyethylene, polybutene-1, and poly-4-methylpentene-1, nylon 6, nylon 66, MXD6 (polyamide made of metaxylylenediamine and adipic acid ), Etc., polystyrene, polyacrylonitrile, polycarbonate, poly (meth) acrylate, polysulfone, polydiene compounds (polybutadiene, polyisoprene, etc.), and the like.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the cost of a container and to perform continuous sterilization filling, improve production efficiency, and further, there is no variation in quality, and there is no change in taste and quality of contents. Enteral nutrients and the like can be administered orally or enterally to patients with undernutrition occurring after surgery or in various pathological stages such as intestinal diseases or intestinal disorders. Of course, it has become possible to provide a sterilization treatment filling method that can be widely developed in the field of using liquid foods and beverages other than the contents such as the above-mentioned oral enteral nutrients as contents. By the method for sterilizing and filling a pouch with a two-neck closure according to the present invention, problems in production efficiency, cost, and quality in the conventional retort sterilization treatment by pressure heat sterilization can be solved.

It is a top view which shows an example of the pouch with a 2 mouth closure used as the object in this invention. It is explanatory drawing explaining an example of the sterilization filling method of the pouch with a 2 mouth closure of this invention. It is explanatory drawing explaining the other example of the sterilization filling method of the pouch with a 2 mouth closure of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Pouch main body 2 ... Large closure 3 ... Small closure 4 ... Pouch with a small closure 5 ... Cap 6 ... Film cover material 10 ... Pouch with 2 mouth closures

Claims (7)

A method for sterilizing and filling a pouch with a two-neck closure of a large closure for filling liquid contents and adding water at the time of use, and a small closure for connecting the tubes and pouring out the liquid contents,
A method for sterilizing and filling a pouch with a two-neck closure characterized by using both radiation sterilization and chemical sterilization.   After the small closure is attached to the main body of the pouch, a radiation sterilization treatment step for collective wrapping and sterilization, and a pouch with a small closure subjected to the radiation sterilization treatment is supplied to a large closure attaching device directly connected to a filling machine. A step of attaching the pouch to the pouch body, supplying a pouch with a two-neck closure to the aseptic chamber, sequentially injecting hot air into the pouch, and pre-expansion and preheating steps; And a vacuum process for depressurizing the inside of the expanded pouch, a filling process for filling the pouch with the liquid content, and a capping process for attaching a cap that has been previously sterilized with a medicine to the pouch. A method for sterilizing and filling a pouch with a two-neck closure according to claim 1.   After the small closure is attached to the main body of the pouch, a radiation sterilization treatment step for collective wrapping and sterilization, and a pouch with a small closure subjected to the radiation sterilization treatment is supplied to a large closure attaching device directly connected to a filling machine. A step of attaching the pouch to the pouch body, supplying a pouch with a two-neck closure to the aseptic chamber, sequentially injecting hot air into the pouch, and pre-expansion and preheating steps; A vacuum process for depressurizing the inside of the expanded pouch, a filling process for filling the pouch with a liquid content, and a sealing and sealing process for sealing the large closure spout portion with a film lid material that has been subjected to a chemical sterilization treatment in advance. After the aseptic chamber is discharged, the cap is attached to the pouch with the two-neck closure and capped. Sterilizing and filling method with 2-neck closure pouch according to claim 1, wherein Rukoto.   The method for sterilizing and filling a pouch with a two-neck closure according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the radiation sterilization treatment is γ-ray irradiation or electron beam irradiation.   The method for sterilizing and filling a pouch with a two-neck closure according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the chemical sterilization treatment is a hydrogen peroxide gas sterilization treatment.   3. The method for sterilizing and filling a pouch with a two-neck closure according to claim 2, wherein the chemical sterilization treatment of the cap which has been previously sterilized with chemicals is a hydrogen peroxide gas sterilization treatment.   4. The method for sterilizing and filling a pouch with a two-neck closure according to claim 3, wherein the chemical sterilization treatment of the film lid material previously subjected to the chemical sterilization treatment is a hydrogen peroxide gas sterilization treatment.

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