JPH01254523A - Method of sterilizing container - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To perform a container charging process without sterilizing and drying an inner side and a mouth part of containers in advance, by dropping a fine amount of a germicide into the container through the mouth part, applying a fine amount of germicide either on the mouth part and a lid or on a part being in contact with a sealing member, and then heretically closing the container. CONSTITUTION:In a container production factory F, molded containers C are sequentially transported on a transporting line 1. On the way of the line 1 provided is a nozzle 2 from which a small amount of germicide such as hydrogen peroxide is dropped into the container C while the outside surface thereof is sprayed with a germicide through a spraying device 4. Thereafter, the container C is plugged with a cap S by means of a capper 5 and at the same time the rotating movement is stopped by a stopper 6. The germicide being dropped is now allowed to evaporate so that the inner surface of the container C is sterilized with the evaporated germicide. This system permits a supply of the container the inside of which is completely sterilized, and eliminate a necessary of conducting a sterilizing treatment of the container in a filling machine.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a method for sterilizing packaging containers such as bed bottles.

[Conventional technology]

Recently, plastic containers such as BET bottles have come into widespread use as simple packaging containers for various foodstuffs. Generally, these packaging containers are molded at a packaging container manufacturing factory, and the packaging containers manufactured at the factory are packed and transported to another location, where they are filled with contents such as juice, cola, etc. in an aseptic condition. Before the contents are filled into the container, the inner and outer surfaces of the container are sterilized in a sterile room.
Sterilization of the inside and outside of the container was done by spraying a room-temperature or heated hydrogen peroxide solution inside and outside the container, or by immersing the container in the hydrogen peroxide solution and then blowing hot air to dry the container. .

However, especially when sterilizing the inside of a container, if the sterilizer has to be completely discharged from the inside of the container, a drying process for the inside of the container is required more than ever, which not only complicates the sterilization equipment but also increases the size of the filling machine itself. There was a drawback.

In order to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks, the present applicant dripped a small amount of sterilizer into the packaging container from its entrance to seal the entrance, and the outside surface of the container was cleaned in a sterile room before filling the packaging material with the contents. We proposed a method for sterilizing packaging containers, which involves sterilizing them with a sterilizing agent, then opening the container entrance and filling the container with the contents (Japanese Patent Application No. 62-316084).

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

However, when a small amount of disinfectant is dropped into a packaging container and sealed with a lid, the area where the opening of the packaging container and the lid come into close contact does not come into contact with the vapor from which the dropped disinfectant has evaporated. Therefore, there is a problem that sterilization cannot be performed.

In view of these points, the present invention can simplify the sterilization device, eliminate the sterilization drying device inside the container from the filling machine itself, downsize the filling machine itself, and easily and reliably sterilize the inside of the container at a container manufacturing factory. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a sterilization method that can sterilize liquids and supply completely internally sterilized containers to juice sales companies and the like.

[Means to solve the problem]

Therefore, in the present invention, a small amount of sterilizing agent is dripped into the packaging container from its mouth, a small amount of sterilizing agent is applied in advance to at least one of the areas where the mouth and the lid material or the sealing material come into contact, and the sterilizing agent is immediately applied to the container. The mouth part is sealed with the lid material or the sealing material, the outer surface of the container is sterilized with a sterilizer in a sterile room before filling the packaging material with the contents, and then the lid material or the sealing material is removed from the container mouth part. Remove and fill with contents,
The opening is again sealed with the lid material or a lid material which has been separately sterilized.

[Effect]

After the container is formed at a container manufacturing factory, a small amount of sterilizing agent is dripped into the container from the mouth of the container, and a small amount of sterilizing agent is applied to at least one of the areas where the mouth and the lid or sealing material come into close contact, and the mouth is closed. It is sealed with the lid material or the seal material. The sealed container is supplied to a filling and selling company for juice, cola, etc., and the outer surface of the container is first sterilized with a disinfectant in a sterile room before filling. After the outer surface is sterilized, the lid or sealing material is removed and the contents are filled, and after filling, the mouth of the container is sealed with the lid or a lid that has been separately sterilized.

In this way, if the mouth of the container is sterilized after the container is formed and a small amount of sterilizer is dropped into the container, the sterilizer evaporates within the container and sterilizes the inner surface of the container while preventing contamination from the mouth of the container. . Therefore, the process of sterilizing and drying the inside and mouth of the container before filling can be omitted.

〔Example〕

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,
Containers C, which are bed bottles, are sequentially transported along the transport path 1 after being molded. Nozzle 2 is located above the middle part of conveyor 1.
is provided, and from this nozzle 2, a small amount of a disinfectant such as hydrogen peroxide (202) is dripped into the container C through the inlet of the container C.Then, the container C is rotated by a rotor 3, A disinfectant is sprayed onto the outside of the mouth of the container C from the spray device 4. The opening of such a container C is covered with a lid S by a capper 5. At this time, container C
is held down by the holding member 6 and its rotation is stopped. The disinfectant dropped into the container C evaporates within the container, and the inner surface of the container is sterilized by the vapor. The amount of disinfectant dropped is H20
In case of □, 1μm or more and IIIJ or less per container is preferable.
In addition, the amount of disinfectant sprayed to the outside of the mouth of container C is 0.1~
The disinfectant may be applied only to the upper end surface of the mouth of the container C, and the mouth may be sealed with a sealing material such as a resin film. The container C covered with the lid material S is packed in an outer box such as a cardboard box and sold to a company selling juice or the like, and the filling process therein is carried out in a sterile room 10. Before filling, the container C in the outer box is removed by the unloading device 1.
1 onto the conveyor 13. conveyor 13
The upper containers C are arranged in a line by appropriate means and sent into the sterile chamber 10, where the outer surfaces of the containers are sterilized. This sterilization of the outer surface of the container is carried out, for example, by spraying chlorine water onto the outer surface of the container using the spray device 14.

The lid material S is removed from the inlet of the container C whose outer surface has been sterilized by the decapper 15.Then, the container C is sent directly below the filling nozzle 17 of the filling tank 16 with its contents.
A predetermined amount of contents such as juice or cola is filled into the container C. Thereafter, a lid material S is attached to the entrance of the container C by a capper 18. The lid material S removed by the decapper 15 is sent to this capper 18 by appropriate means, and this lid material is reused. The filled container C sealed with the lid S is packed and transported to each sales location.

In addition, when the mouth of the container C is sealed with the sealing material,
After the outer surface of the container is sterilized in the sterile chamber 10, the sealing material is removed, the contents are filled into the container C, and then a separately sterilized lid material is attached to the mouth of the container C. As a method for sterilizing the above-mentioned lid material, a sterilizing agent such as an aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution is dropped into a container such as a bag containing the lid material, the container is sealed, and the container is sterilized with steam generated by evaporation of the sterilizing agent. Alternatively, there is a method of sterilizing with ethylene oxide gas or the like.

Next, the method for sterilizing packaging containers of the present invention will be explained in more detail based on experimental examples.

104°102sp on the inner surface of the heat-resistant PET bottle for 1.5j
ore/bott Ie Bacillus subtilis spores were attached. Thereafter, the following two types of sterilization tests were conducted.

(1) At the bottom of the bottle mentioned above, 35%, 20%, 1
Hydrogen peroxide aqueous solutions with four concentrations of 0% and 5% were dropped by 20 μm using a microsyringe, and at the same time, the heat-resistant PETi1! ! Apply a small amount (10 μj) of a hydrogen peroxide aqueous solution of the same concentration to the part that will come into contact with the fi material, seal the bottle mouth with the heat-resistant PET pipe lid material, and heat at 22°C, R,
It was stored upright for 3 days in H, 60%.

(2) The bottle was stored under the same conditions as in (1) without applying an aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution to the part of the bottle mouth that would come into contact with the heat-resistant PET lid.

After storage, 100 ml of ordinary agar medium was poured into each bottle, sealed with a sterilized cap, and cultured at 37°C for 3 days. Table 1 shows the results of the above two types of tests.

From Table 1, we can see that the concentration of hydrogen peroxide solution does not affect the sterilizing effect as long as the amount of hydrogen peroxide is 1 μm or more per container, and that the hydrogen peroxide solution should be dropped into the bottom of the bottle and immediately sealed with heat-resistant PETIJW material. If the bottle and the heat-resistant PET! l! The parts that come into contact with the M material cannot be sterilized because they are not exposed to the vapor of the hydrogen peroxide solution, but before sealing, apply hydrogen peroxide solution to the parts (test (1)).
)), it can be seen that the bactericidal effect is not affected in any way.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, the present invention involves dropping a small amount of a sterilizing agent such as an aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution into the container after forming the container and before shipping, and pre-sterilizing at least one of the parts that come into contact with the container opening and the lid. Since the container is shipped after a small amount of the agent is applied and the mouth is sealed with the lid, the inside of the container, the contact area between the lid and the container mouth, and the inside of the lid are sterilized before the filling process. This eliminates the need to sterilize the inside of the container in the filling machine, which has the effect of simplifying and downsizing the structure of the filling machine.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The figure is a schematic process explanatory diagram of the method for sterilizing packaging containers of the present invention. 1... Conveyance path, 4.14... Spraying device, 5,18.
...Capper-515...Decapper, 17...
filling nozzle.

Claims (1)

[Claims] A small amount of sterilizing agent is dripped into the packaging container from the opening, and a small amount of sterilizing agent is applied in advance to at least one of the areas where the opening comes into contact with the lid or the sealing material, and the opening is immediately replaced with the lid. The outer surface of the container is sterilized with a disinfectant in a sterile room before filling the packaging material with the contents, and then the lid or sealing material is removed from the mouth of the container and the contents are sealed. A method for sterilizing a packaging container, comprising filling the container and sealing the opening again with the lid material or a lid material which has been separately sterilized.