JP2670062B2 - Sterilization method of packaging container - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a method for sterilizing packaging containers such as PET bottles. [Prior Art] Recently, plastic containers such as PET bottles have been widely used as containers for simple packaging for various food products. Generally, these packaging containers are formed in a packaging container manufacturing factory, and the packaging containers manufactured in the factory are packed and transported to another place, and filled with juice, cola, etc. as contents under aseptic conditions. Before the contents are filled into the container, the inner surface of the container and its outer surface are sterilized in a sterile room,
Sterilization of the inner and outer surfaces of the container was performed by spraying a room temperature or heated aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution inside and outside the container, or immersing the container in an aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution, followed by blowing hot air to dry the container. . [Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, especially in the sterilization of the inner surface of the container, not only the disinfectant must be completely discharged from the container but also a drying step of the inner surface of the container is required, and the sterilizing apparatus becomes complicated. In addition, the filling machine itself has a disadvantage of increasing in size. In view of the above, the present invention can simplify a sterilizer,
Disinfection and drying equipment inside the container can be omitted from the filling machine itself, and the filling machine itself can be downsized, and the inside of the container can be easily sterilized at the container manufacturing plant, and the container that has been internally sterilized can be supplied to juice sales companies, etc. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of sterilizing a container capable of [Means for Solving the Problems] Accordingly, the present invention provides a three-dimensionally formed container, in which a small amount of hydrogen peroxide is dropped from the inlet, the inlet is sealed with a stopper, and the hydrogen peroxide vapor is used. After sterilizing the inner surface of the container, and then filling the container with the contents, sterilizing the outer surface of the container with a germicide in a sterile room, removing the stopper from the container inlet, filling the contents, and re-closing the inlet with the stopper. Then, the container was put out of the sterile room. [Operation] After molding in a container manufacturing factory, a small amount of a bactericide is dropped into the container from its inlet, and the inlet is sealed with a temporary seal or a lid. The sealed container is supplied to a filling and selling company for juice, cola and the like, and before the filling work there, the outer surface of the container is first sterilized with a germicide in a sterile room. After sterilizing the outer surface, the temporary seal or lid is removed and the contents are filled, and after filling, the container inlet is sealed by the lid. Thus, if a small amount of the bactericide is dropped into the container after the container is molded, the bactericide evaporates in the container and sterilizes the inner surface of the container. Therefore, the sterilization and drying process inside the container can be omitted before filling. [Embodiment] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the figure, in the container manufacturing factory F1, for example,
The containers C, which are PET bottles, are sequentially conveyed along the conveyance path 1 after molding. A nozzle 2 is provided above the middle portion of the transport path 1, and a small amount of a sterilizing agent such as hydrogen peroxide (H ₂ O ₂ ) is dropped into the container C from the nozzle 2 through the inlet of the container C. To be done. Then, the container C in which the bactericide is dropped
A lid S is covered by the capper 3 on the entrance of the. At this time, the container C is pressed by the pressing member 4 and its rotation is stopped. The germicide dropped into the container C evaporates in the container, and the vapor sterilizes the inner surface of the container. In the case of H ₂ O ₂ , the amount of the disinfectant added is preferably 1 μl or more and 1 ml or less per container. The container C may be sealed with a lid, or may be temporarily sealed with another means. The container C covered with the lid is packed in an outer box D such as a corrugated cardboard box and the sales company F2 for juices or the like is sold.
Where the filling process of the contents takes place in the sterile chamber 10. Before the filling, the container C in the outer box D is taken out from the take-out device 11
It is placed on the conveyor 13 by. The containers C on the conveyor 13 are arranged in a line by an appropriate means and sent into the sterile room 10, where the outer surfaces of the containers are sterilized. The outer surface of the container is sterilized by, for example, spraying chlorine water on the outer surface of the container with a spray device 14. The lid S is removed by the decapper 15 from the entrance of the container C in which the container outer surface sterilization has been completed. Next, the container C is sent directly below the filling nozzle 17 of the filling tank 16 for contents, and a predetermined amount of contents such as juice and cola is filled in the container C.
After that, the lid S is attached to the entrance of the container C by the capper 18. This decapper is the capper 18.
The lid S removed at 15 is sent by appropriate means, and this lid is reused. The filled container C sealed with the lid S is packed and transported to each sales place. [Effects of the Invention] According to the present invention, the inner surfaces of the container and the stopper can be sterilized by simple means of simply dropping hydrogen peroxide into the container, and the container can be sterilized from a container manufacturing plant by a sales company such as juice. In other words, the container inside can be sterilized together with the inside of the stopper and the container sterilized inside can be supplied to the sales company of juice etc. during the empty time, so that the sales company of the juice etc. can carry out the filling work in a sterile room. There is no need to inject hydrogen oxide into the container or stopper, or to wait for sterilization inside the container or stopper and evaporation of hydrogen peroxide, and it is possible to fill the contents at the same time as opening the stopper. The process can be simplified and speeded up, the structure of the filling machine can be downsized and simplified, and the stopper provided at the time of manufacturing the container can be reused at the time of filling the contents.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The figures are schematic process explanatory diagrams of the method of the present invention. 1 ... Transport path, 3, 18 ... Capper, 14 ... Spraying device, 15 ... Decapper, 17 ... Filling nozzle.

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] A small amount of hydrogen peroxide is dropped from the inlet into the three-dimensionally formed container, the inlet is sealed with a stopper, and the inner surface of the container is sterilized with the vapor of the hydrogen peroxide, and then the container is filled with the contents. In this case, after sterilizing the outer surface of the container with a sterilizing agent in a sterile room, remove the stopper from the container inlet to fill the contents, seal the inlet again with the stopper, and then put the container out of the sterile chamber. A method for sterilizing a packaging container, which is characterized in that: