KR20040078607A - Method of packaging food using inert gas and packing thing using thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A method for packaging a food using an inert gas and a package product using the same are provided to control an oxidation of a food and a proliferation of a microorganism, thereby enhancing a keeping quality of a food. CONSTITUTION: The method for packaging a food(A) using an inert gas comprises a step of substituting the inert gas(B) for an air in a packaging container(10). The inert gas includes at least one inert gas selected from a group consisting of a helium gas, an argon gas, a nitrogen gas and CO2. In case of the inert gas being a helium gas, a purity of the helium is 50 to 80 wt.%. The packaging container is at least one selected from the group consisting of a synthetic resin pack, a paper pack, a carton pack, a glass bottle, a metal can or a plastic bottle.

Description

METHOD OF PACKAGING FOOD USING INERT GAS AND PACKING THING USING THEREOF

The present invention relates to a method for packaging a food using an inert gas and a package using the same. More specifically, the air in the packaging container is substituted with at least one inert gas selected from argon gas, nitrogen gas and carbon dioxide, including helium gas. Thus, the food is oxidized by the oxygen present in the air in the packaging container and the aerobic microorganisms associated with the decay of the food can be suppressed to improve the preservation of the food, and additionally, helium gas is used as an inert gas. In the case of use, simply inhaling the helium gas used in the packaging by the method of the present invention (only by ingesting the packaged food) allows the voice that comes out of the human body to be voiced differently from the original voice. How to make your surroundings enjoyable and how to use them Will.

In general, food goes through various distribution processes from production to end-use.

However, during the distribution and storage, the food may be corrupted by internal and external factors such as air temperature, humidity, gas, heat, light, insects, chemical changes in the food itself, and microorganisms, thereby losing the function as a food and its value as a product. .

In general, food storage methods include drying methods (sun drying, hot air drying, high temperature drying, freeze drying, reduced pressure drying), refrigeration and freezing, sterilization and salting, acid storage, fumigation, etc. And there was a problem that can not completely prevent deformation and the like.

Therefore, in order to solve this problem, the food should be properly packaged according to its characteristics, and basically it should be able to perform the following basic functions.

(1) Decay or abnormal fermentation of foods due to microbiological alteration should be prevented.

(2) Drying or moisture absorption by physical deterioration should be prevented.

(3) Discoloration of foods or oxidation of fats and oils due to chemical alteration should be prevented.

As a packaging method for performing the above functions, various packaging methods such as vacuum packaging, retort packaging, aseptic packaging, normal temperature distribution packaging, and shrink packaging are used.

However, the vacuum packaging method and the like of the packaging method is currently used for the packaging of various foods, various problems have been found. For example, in the case of meat packaging, there is a problem in that the meat packaging is subjected to a physical pressure on the meat and the meat is removed by extracting the juice. In addition, fragile or weak foods such as snack snacks, vegetables, fruits, etc., there is a problem in that the appearance of the product is deformed when the vacuum packaging, the quality of the product is reduced.

In the case of milk in particular, there was a problem that milk is easily rancid due to the aerobic microorganisms breeding due to oxygen in the milk carton.

In addition, simply opened the package to eat food, so there was a disadvantage that can not provide much fun.

The present invention has been proposed in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a food packaging method and a food packaging that can extend the shelf life of food by inhibiting the oxidation of food and the growth of microorganisms.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a food packaging method and a food package in which the appearance of the food is not deformed so that the quality of the food is not deteriorated.

In addition, when the gas intake filled in the package is produced in a different voice from the normal voice to provide a food packaging method and food packaging that can cause a different fun.

1 is a transparent perspective view of a package using an inert gas according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a transparent perspective view of a package using an inert gas according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 3a is an enlarged perspective view of the outlet portion of the gas containing member of FIG.

Figure 3b is a state of use of the gas receiving member of FIG.

4 is a perspective view of a package using an inert gas according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a perspective view of a package using an inert gas according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

<Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

10: packaging container (full packaging container) 20: gas containing member

22: main body 24: outlet

26: opening and closing member 26a: opening and closing membrane

30: Individual packaging container A: Food

B: inert gas G: helium gas

In order to achieve the object as described above, the food packaging method according to the present invention can be replaced with an inert gas air in the packaging container, the inert gas is selected from argon gas, nitrogen gas, carbon dioxide, including helium gas It may be one or more.

When the inert gas is helium gas, the purity of helium may be 50 to 70% by weight, and the food may be any one of noodles, grains, meats, dried fish, teas, vegetables, fruits, confectionary, beverages, or dairy products. .

In order to achieve the object as described above, the food packaging according to the present invention can be prepared by replacing the air in the packaging container with an inert gas, the food packaging, the packaging container used for the food packaging, synthetic resin pack, paper pack, Carton packs, glass bottles, metal cans or plastic bottles can be used.

One side of the packaging container may include a gas receiving portion filled with an inert gas, the gas receiving member is composed of a body in which the gas is accommodated, the outlet and the opening and closing member for opening and closing the outlet, the opening and closing member The opening and closing membrane may be formed so as to open only when an external force is applied to the main body.

The gas receiving member may be detachably coupled to the packaging container.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

However, the following examples are only for illustrating the present invention in detail and do not limit the scope of the present invention. All simple modifications and variations of the present invention can be considered to be included within the scope of the present invention.

1 is a perspective view of a package using an inert gas according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the package using the inert gas of the present invention is configured to accommodate food A therein and to fill inert gas B instead of air.

Inert gas used in the present invention is a colorless, tasteless, odorless gas that is harmless to the human body and does not react with other gases, and includes nitrogen, helium gas, argon gas, carbon dioxide, and the like.

Since the inert gas is a stable gas, unlike in oxygen, the inert gas has little reactivity with food, and does not oxidize in contact with moisture or easily reproduce microorganisms.

Therefore, the present invention is to replace the air in the packaging container of food with one or more inert gas selected from argon gas, nitrogen gas, carbon dioxide, including helium gas to package the food to inhibit the oxidation of food and the growth of microorganisms. It is.

The composition and the amount of the inert gas used in the method of the present invention can be appropriately selected and used by those skilled in the art according to the type of food.

The food to which the method of the present invention is applied is not particularly limited, but for example, it can be used for packaging noodles, grains, meats, dried fish, teas, vegetables, fruits, confectionery, beverages or dairy products.

In addition, the packaging container to which the method of the present invention is applied is also not limited in its kind. For example, after putting food in a plastic pack, a carton, a carton pack, a glass bottle, a metal can, or a plastic bottle, the air in the container is Substitute inert gas.

When the food is packaged according to the packaging method of the present invention, not only the oxidation of the food and the growth of microorganisms are inhibited as described above, but also when the food is meat, the inert gas blocks the physical pressure applied to the meat. This prevents meat from leaking out of meat and degrading meat quality.

In addition, the food is a variety of shapes, such as snacks, vegetables, fruits, etc., take up a lot of empty space, and if the food is fragile and weak hardness according to the method of the present invention is filled with an inert gas in the packaging container vacuum packaging As in the appearance of the food does not change.

In the case of noodles, cold noodles, and some noodles, the taste is slightly less dry than completely dried, so they are packaged in a less dry state, and the taste of food deteriorates due to the growth of mold bacteria by the reaction of water and oxygen. In the case of packaging according to the method of the present invention, since the inert gas and the moisture do not react, microorganisms such as fungi do not proliferate and are preserved without changing taste.

In addition, when the food is a tea such as coffee, the tea is oxidized due to oxygen and moisture in the air or absorbs moisture to deteriorate the quality of the tea and prevent the evaporation of the aroma.

In addition, when food is a dairy product such as milk, the development of aerobic bacteria in the milk is prevented, so that the rancidence time of the milk can be extended to extend the shelf life of dairy products such as milk. The growth of bacteria is suppressed by inert gases, which improves the shelf life of dairy products.)

On the other hand, helium gas (He) of the inert gas can change the human neck.

First, a human voice is produced when air from the lungs passes through the center of the vocal cords and then passes out through the vocal passages. In this case, the air pressure changes due to the tension of the vocal cords, and the air between the vocal cords and the air between them makes the sound vary by the sound frequency.

The height of the voice is determined by the sound frequency, and each person has a different voice, and the average adult voice has a frequency of 130 Hz for a male and 250 Hz for a female.

Second, the human voice can change depending on the type of air in the mouth.

When a person speaks, the air from the lungs passes through the vocal passages and resonates in the mouth, resulting in the final sound. Therefore, the speed of the ringing sound in the oral cavity is changed according to the density of air in the oral cavity, and the frequency of the voice is changed. Will change.

Conventional air has a density of about 29 g / cm 3, the speed of sound passing through the air is about 331 m / sec at 0 ° C., and the density of helium is 4 g / cm 3 and the density is lower than air, so the speed is three times the speed of sound. It is about 891m / sec.

Therefore, when speaking in the presence of helium in the mouth, the frequency of this sound is about 2.7 times higher than in the case of air, in which case the voice is 2.7 octaves higher than usual.

In the present invention, by using the characteristics of the helium gas, the inhalation of the helium gas flowing out of the container at the time of food intake was designed to produce a high-pitched sound.

Therefore, the use of the method of the present invention using helium gas for the packaging of food for children, party foods, etc., as described above, can also obtain additional effects such as providing enjoyment by changing voice.

To this end, it is preferable to use helium gas having a purity of 50 to 80% by weight in consideration of the economical efficiency and the degree of change in voice, and the amount of helium gas added to food can be adjusted according to the use target or the strength of the effect. have.

When the concentration of helium gas is lower than 50% by weight, the change of voice is insignificant, and conversely, when the purity of helium gas exceeds 80% by weight, it is not economically desirable.

In addition, when the mixing ratio of helium and oxygen is about 8: 2, it is equal to the oxygen composition ratio in the atmospheric air. This can eliminate side effects such as lack of oxygen when children inhale helium gas in large quantities.

When we breathe, we drink 79% of nitrogen, 20% of oxygen, and about 1% of carbon dioxide argon water vapor, and when we exhale we discard 16% of oxygen, 79% of nitrogen, and 5% of carbon dioxide. Nitrogen is inhaled and released again, so nothing happens in the body, but the role of nitrogen is to prevent our body from inhaling too much oxygen. Because our body can get oxygen poisoning, respiratory alkalosis if we inhale too much oxygen.

The safety of the human body of the helium gas according to the present invention can be found in the case of the compressed air of the diver to deep sea diving. In deep sea diver breathing, nitrogen anesthesia occurs over a depth of 60 meters. So when helium, a much more stable gas, is used instead of nitrogen, the anesthesia is reduced by 20% than nitrogen. Therefore, helium compressed air instead of nitrogen is used.

In this case, since the gas containing oxygen does not help food preservation of the present invention, it is preferable to double-pack the food packing filled with the gas containing no oxygen and the mixed gas of oxygen and helium.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to Examples, but the present invention is not limited only to these examples.

Example 1a

Put the dried persimmon into the packaging using a vacuum packaging machine equipped with a gas exchanger, and then the inside of the packaging to reach a vacuum state, and then filled with 95 to 100% purity nitrogen gas in an amount of 60% by weight, and then sealed. To complete the packaging.

Example 1b

The final processed milk, such as sterilization, was put in a carton, and then filled with nitrogen gas having a purity of 95 to 100% before sealing the air, and then sealed to complete packaging.

Example 1c

The meat is placed in the packaging container using a vacuum packaging machine equipped with a gas exchanger, and the inside of the packaging container is brought into a vacuum state, and the mixed gas having a nitrogen and carbon dioxide ratio of 7: 3 in an amount of 70% by weight. After filling, sealing was completed.

Example 1d

After filling the snacks in the packaging using a vacuum packaging machine attached to the gas replacement device filled with helium gas having a purity of 50 to 80% by weight, and then sealed to complete the packaging.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a package using an inert gas according to a second embodiment of the present invention, Figure 3a is an enlarged perspective view of the outlet portion of the gas containing member of Figure 2, Figure 3b is the use of the gas containing member of Figure 2 State diagram.

As shown in FIG. 2 or FIG. 3A, a package according to the second embodiment of the present invention may have a separate gas accommodating member 20 for accommodating an inert gas.

The gas accommodating member 20 is composed of a main body 22, an outlet portion 24, opening and closing member 26.

The main body 22 is formed of a flexible material so that the gas filled therein can flow out when the external force is applied, it may be formed of the same material as the food container.

The outlet portion 24 is a portion in which the gas contained in the main body 22 flows out, and an opening and closing member 26 for opening and closing the outlet portion 24 is formed.

The opening and closing member 26 is composed of a lid 26 for opening and closing the outlet portion 24 from the outside and an opening and closing membrane 26a on the lower surface of the lid.

The opening and closing membrane 26a is a member that holds the gas so that the gas filled in the main body 22 opens the lid 26 and does not flow out at once, as shown in FIG. 3B. When an external force is applied to the main body 22 around the opening / closing membrane 26a, the opening / closing membrane 26a may be opened to allow as much gas to flow out as desired.

The gas accommodating member 20 may be detachably coupled to the main body 22 by a dotted line treatment or the like so that only a part thereof may be separated and used after food purchase.

4 is a perspective view of a package using an inert gas according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 4, the gas receiving member 20 is inserted into the food container body 22 so that the gas containing member 20 can be taken out and used after opening the food.

5 is a perspective view of a package using an inert gas according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in Figure 5, the package according to the present invention is composed of the entire packaging container 10 and the individual packaging container (30).

The entire packaging container 10 may be filled with general air, but each of the individual packaging containers 30 may be filled with an inert gas according to the present invention to prevent oxidation decay of food. In addition, when opening and ingesting each individual packaging container 30, the food in the other individual packaging container 30 is maintained as it is, of course, to obtain the equivalent effect even if you do not manufacture a separate gas container.

In general, milk is rich in nutrients, so microorganisms easily grow and grow. Therefore, it is important to increase the shelf life by inhibiting the growth of microorganisms as much as possible within the shelf life of milk and to prevent deterioration of organoleptic quality by metabolites such as volatile compounds such as organic acids, aldehydes and esters formed by bacteria in milk.

Hereinafter, the degree of oxidation and decay of milk is measured by measuring the number of bacteria in the distribution period of the milk packaged with an inert gas (Experimental Example) and the milk (Comparative Example) packaged by general clean air which is a conventional method. To judge.

In the method of testing bacterial counts in crude oil, the National Veterinary Research and Quarantine Service (SPC) used the standard plate culture method (SPC) as a standardized method of crude oil testing.

In this experiment, the instrument was calibrated by the National Veterinary Research and Quarantine Service's standardization method and FOSS's BactoScan ™ was used.

The unit of measurement of bactoscan is in units of cloth.

That is, a value of 1 means the total number of bacteria in 1000 ml or less, and a value of 2 means the total number of bacteria in 100 ml of 1 ml of milk.

Comparative Example

In the comparative example, general clean air, which is a packaging method of general distribution milk, was used.

Commercially available milk can be classified into three types by sterilization method.

Sterilization at 63-65 ℃ for 30 minutes by LTLT long-term sterilization

HTST high temperature short time sterilization 72-75 ℃, 15-20 seconds sterilization

Sterilize for 0.5-5 seconds at 130-150 ℃ or higher by UHT ultra high temperature sterilization

Bacteria distributed in the crude oil of LTST and HTST are different depending on the type, but after the sterilization process, the number of bacteria is reduced by 90-99%. There is a difference in the development of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria depending on the oxygen dependence of the gas filled in the packaging after production.

UHT sterilized milk kills not only heat-resistant bacteria but also spore-forming bacteria, and the number of bacteria immediately after production reaches almost zero per ml. Sterilized milk is filled into clean containers through sterilized chargers after heat treatment, but is not sterile and should be refrigerated and stored and distributed.

<Comparative Example> General Milk Filled with General Clean Air

Sterilization Storage period (days) Bacterial Count (CFU / ml) Storage temperature 7 ℃ 10 ℃ 13 ℃ Comparative Example 1 (LTLT) 0 One One One 3 2 4 140 5 3 79 32000 10 9 2600 Measurement range exceeded Comparative Example 2 (HTST) 0 One One One 3 2 3 44 5 3 57 12000 10 7 1900 Measurement range exceeded Comparative Example 3 (UHT) 0 One One One 3 One One 2 5 One One 100 10 One 2 2000

(Measurement exceeded means that the number of bacteria exceeds the measurable number.)

<Example> Milk sterilized milk according to the present invention filled with nitrogen gas 99% nitrogen gas

Sterilization Storage period (days) Bacterial Count (CFU / ml) Storage temperature 7 ℃ 10 ℃ 13 ℃ Example 1 (LTLT) 0 One One One 3 One 3 110 5 2 59 25000 10 7 2100 Measurement range exceeded HTST 0 One One One 3 One 3 39 5 2 49 9000 10 6 1400 Measurement range exceeded UHT 0 One One One 3 One One One 5 One One 90 10 One 2 1600

In the high quality milk by the sterilization method by LTLT, HTST mainly used for high quality milk, the present invention can be expected to have a good effect.

According to the food packaging method and the package according to the present invention as described above, by packaging the gas filled in the container of the food with an inert gas, the oxidation of food and the growth of microorganisms is suppressed to improve the preservation of food It will provide a method and packaging.

In addition, by filling the inert gas into the food container, unlike the vacuum packaging, it prevents the physical pressure is applied directly to the food, thereby providing a food packaging method and packaging that can prevent the degradation of the quality, deformation of the appearance, etc. Done.

In addition, the packaging method of the present invention is to provide a food packaging method and packaging that can prevent the fragrance evaporation in food such as coffee by sealing by filling the inert gas.

In addition, when filling the helium gas in the inert gas can change the voice of the person inhaling the helium gas by the unique properties of helium, in addition to the packaging effect, it is applied to the packaging of children's food, party food, etc. Additional effects can be obtained to entertain.

In addition, by packing the helium gas in the gas containing member and configured to separate the gas containing member from the container body to be used as a food packaging method and package that serves as a fun ride apart from eating food. Will be provided.

In addition, the gas-receiving member is formed such that the opening and closing membrane is formed so that the gas flows to the outside only when an external force is applied, it can be used while controlling the amount of gas to be intake, so that the gas can be used without waste and fun Package will be provided.

In addition, by filling an inert gas such as nitrogen instead of air in a carton containing milk, etc., it is possible to prevent the development of aerobic bacteria in the milk to prolong the rancidence time of the milk, thereby increasing the shelf life of dairy products such as milk.

In addition, the air of the main body is replaced with an inert gas such as nitrogen to increase the preservation of food contained in the main body, and the separate receiving container is filled with a mixed gas having a volume ratio of about 8: 2 in helium and oxygen. The same as the oxygen distribution to provide a food packaging method and packaging that can ensure the safety of the human body during inhalation.

Claims (7)

Food packaging method, characterized in that for replacing the air in the packaging container with an inert gas. The method for packaging food according to claim 1, wherein the inert gas is at least one inert gas selected from helium gas, argon gas, nitrogen gas and carbon dioxide. The food packaging method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the purity of helium is 50 to 80% by weight when the inert gas is helium gas. The food package of claim 1 or 2, wherein the container of the package is any one of a plastic pack, a paper pack, a carton pack, a glass bottle, a metal can, or a plastic bottle. The food package according to claim 4, wherein one side of the packaging container includes a gas receiving member filled with an inert gas. 6. A food package according to claim 5, wherein the mixed volume ratio of the substituted helium and residual oxygen is 8: 2. According to claim 5, The gas receiving member is composed of a main body that receives the gas and the outlet portion for the gas outflow and the opening and closing member for opening and closing the outlet, the opening and closing member so as to open only when an external force is applied to the main body Food packaging, characterized in that the opening and closing membrane is formed.