JPS6031695B2 - Sterile packaging method - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a method for sterilizing and packaging solid materials, fluid materials, powder materials, fibrous materials, etc. using a thermally decomposable sterilizing agent.

Commonly used sterilization packaging methods include: {1' A method in which the contents are sealed in a packaging container and then sterilized by external heating, container-permeable sterilizing gas, radiation irradiation, etc.
Method '3' of sealing the contents sterilized by heating etc. in a sterile environment with a packaging material sterilized by heating, medicine, radiation irradiation, etc.; Providing a microporous member part with air permeability and bacteria-blocking properties in part. There are methods of storing and sealing the contents in containers and packaging, and then sterilizing them by heating from the outside, sterilizing gas baths that permeate the container, etc., but all of these methods require discontinuous productivity, high sterilization equipment costs, and sterilization. It takes time for gas to dissipate, heat deterioration of the contents occurs due to high heat sterilization, and costs are reduced by giving containers and packaging materials high heat resistance and high pressure resistance.

It has some of the following problems. The purpose of the method of the present invention is to provide a new sterile packaging method that can solve all of these problems. In the present invention, a pyrolyzable sterilizing agent is placed together with the object to be sterilized into a container and packaging part of which is provided with a microporous member portion having air permeability and bacteria-blocking properties, and after being sealed, the container is heated. The disinfectant penetrates deeply and densely into every nook and cranny of the destructive bacteria that exist nearby, acts quickly and strongly, and is not only effective with a small amount, but also easily decomposes the remaining disinfectant and promotes transpiration removal. This is an innovative sterile packaging method that does not leave any sterilizing agent in the product, and has extremely high industrial value.

The method of the present invention will be explained in detail below. Rigid or semi-rigid containers are suitable for use in the method of the present invention.

For example, metal cans, glass bottles, containers made of thermoplastic synthetic resins such as polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene, polyethylene, polystyrene, polycarbonate, etc., or gas-barrier heat-resistant molded containers made of composite sheets containing these are used. In addition, the bag used in the present invention is flexible or semi-hard, and may be a film or sheet made of aluminum foil, a thermoplastic synthetic resin such as polyethylene, polyester, polyamide, polypropylene, or any of these materials. Including composite films, sheets, etc. 10,000
A bag body that can withstand heating is used.

There is no need to specify the shape of the container or bag;
Any shape is not inappropriate. Generally, the container is a container with a lid, in which case a single or composite film or sheet that can be sealed with the container body is used as the lid.

For metal cans and glass bottles, sealable caps are used.

In order to provide a part of these containers or bags with a microporous member having breathability and bacteria-blocking properties, one or more ventilation holes are provided in the container or bag, and the To seal the microporous member.

Alternatively, the microporous member may be placed at the mouth of the container or bag so that it can be sealed.

The size of the ventilation hole is appropriately determined depending on the size of the package and the contents.

It is preferable that the total area of the holes is 0.5 to 10 holes, but of course the hole is not limited to this. By having multiple holes, breathability due to the pressure in and out of water vapor, gas, and air during heating and cooling,
A reinforcing effect can be obtained that reduces the load on the bacteria-blocking member and prevents its deformation and damage. As the microporous member having ventilation holes and bacteria-blocking properties, known materials such as a fine porous film or membrane filter, nonwoven fabric, pulp, and furnace paper having extremely fine and uniform pores are used.

The thickness of mold in the air is about 2 to 31 cm, and the size of general bacteria is 0.1 to 0.2 cm for small ones, and 8 to 1 cm for large ones.
However, since one purpose of the present invention is to block airborne bacteria attached to dust, etc., the pore size is approximately 0.1 to 30 mm, preferably 0.1 to 10 mm. 0.2 to 1 μm is used, more preferably 0.2 to 1 μm.

The microporous member having self-breathability and bacteria-blocking properties is
Products made from cellulose, cellulose ester (nitrate, acetate), polyolefin, polyvinyl chloride, polyurethane, polyacetal, polyamide, polyester, polysulfide, etc., or products further reinforced and laminated with a nonwoven fabric of the same material. can be used.

Methods for imparting microporosity to these materials include a method in which the substance to be extracted is extracted from the material, a method in which the substance is immersed in a non-solvent and solidified, a method in which a porous material is incorporated, a method in which the material is heat-set under tension after a special stretching process. There are various methods such as forming a non-woven fabric, mixing and heating fibers and a thermoplastic resin, and any method may be used. Moreover, these are currently commercially available and can be used as the breathable, bacteria-blocking, microporous member (hereinafter referred to as a filter member) of the present invention.

The thickness of the filter member is selected from the range of 30 to 5,000 mm, preferably 40 to 1 mm.
It is within the range of 00〆. In addition, it is desirable that the material has stability against heat and can withstand at least 10,000 degrees of steam heat. The filter member can be sealed around the vent by heat-sealing or by adhering the periphery of the filter member with an adhesive.

Hydrogen peroxide is a typical thermally decomposable disinfectant.

This decomposes when it comes into contact with the object to be sterilized and is heated for the required time, and exhibits a strong sterilizing effect.
On the other hand, ◯, 02 or water (steam) generated by accelerated decomposition is promoted to be dissipated and removed to the outside through the filter member. Other germicidal agents that can be used include hypochlorous acid, sodium hypochlorite, etc., but are not limited to these, and any thermally decomposable disinfectant can be used.

The contents to be sterilized include all items that can withstand heating to 100°C and can be sterilized using the sterilizing agents mentioned above, regardless of their shape, such as solid, fluid, fibrous, or powdered items. It can be done.

For example, medical instruments and materials (surgical tools, syringes, gauze,
(catheters, gloves, blood transfusion sets, etc.), microbial towers, mushroom beds, and other general foods. If the object to be sterilized is solid or fibrous, the required amount of sterilizing agent is sprayed onto the surface.

In the case of liquid to viscous steel or granular to powdered materials, the required amount is dropped or sprayed, and the mixture is further mixed in a rope frame so as to be uniform.
It is best to perform these operations immediately before placing the product in the container/package, but it is also possible to perform these operations inside the container/package. After filling the contents and the sterilizing agent, the container/package is sealed and heated for the necessary time, and the contents are sterilized by the action of the heat and the sterilizing agent, and the generated gas is discharged and eliminated from the filter member.

As the heating method of the present invention, in addition to the usual steam, hot water, radiation, and hot air heating, heating of the contents using high frequency waves can also be used.

Since the filter member has a bacteria-blocking property, bacteria will not enter the container or packaging even if it is left unused after sterilization, and the clean state will be maintained semi-permanently.

If the contents contain moisture or other evaporative components, ventilate and
By further covering the bacteria-blocking portion with a gas-barrier film, changes in its components can be prevented.
Alternatively, in the case of a bag, a space may be provided in advance between the filter portion and the sterilized object so that heat sealing can be performed, and after heat sterilization and generation gas removal, that portion may be heat sealed and the filter portion may be cut off.

Examples are shown below. Example A mushroom culture medium prepared by mixing 600 g of hardwood sawdust, 200 g of rice bran, and 20 k9 of water was placed in a vacuum-formed non-stretched polypropylene tray with a capacity of 1,200 g, and after spraying 10 g of 1% hydrogen peroxide on it, the diameter 5 willow vents 4
Heat-seal the periphery of the holes with a high-density polyethylene microporous film (Fine Porous Film ■ manufactured by Asahi Kasei Industries ■) with an average pore diameter of 0.5 to 1 F and a size of 2 arc x 2 C. After cover-sealing with a non-stretched polypropylene lidding film covered with a lid, the sample was heat-treated at 99°C to 99°C for 30 minutes by normal pressure steam heating, and residual fungi were examined.

As a control, pressurized steam heating was performed for 120 o 090 minutes without addition of hydrogen peroxide, and the sterilization effects were compared, and the results shown in Table 1 were obtained. Table 1 Next, Enoki mushrooms were inoculated into the obtained sterilized culture medium, and normal culture and growth were performed, and no difference was observed between the test and control sections.

As mentioned above, the sterilization packaging method of the present invention can achieve a sterilization effect similar to that of pressurized heating under normal pressure in a short time, and can be said to be an extremely efficient sterilization method with no residual sterilization agent.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. The object to be sterilized and a thermally decomposable sterilizing agent are stored and sealed in a container or bag partially equipped with a microporous material that has air permeability and bacteria-blocking properties, and then sterilized by heating. A sterilization packaging method characterized by promoting decomposition and transpiration removal.