Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D81/00—Containers, packaging elements, or packages, for contents presenting particular transport or storage problems, or adapted to be used for non-packaging purposes after removal of contents
  • B65D81/34—Containers, packaging elements, or packages, for contents presenting particular transport or storage problems, or adapted to be used for non-packaging purposes after removal of contents for packaging foodstuffs or other articles intended to be cooked or heated within the package
  • B65D81/3415—Containers, packaging elements, or packages, for contents presenting particular transport or storage problems, or adapted to be used for non-packaging purposes after removal of contents for packaging foodstuffs or other articles intended to be cooked or heated within the package specially adapted to be heated in hot water, e.g. boil pouches
  • B65D81/3423—Packages shrinking in hot water, e.g. for boiling hams
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B32—LAYERED PRODUCTS
  • B32B—LAYERED PRODUCTS, i.e. PRODUCTS BUILT-UP OF STRATA OF FLAT OR NON-FLAT, e.g. CELLULAR OR HONEYCOMB, FORM
  • B32B27/00—Layered products comprising a layer of synthetic resin
  • B32B27/06—Layered products comprising a layer of synthetic resin as the main or only constituent of a layer, which is next to another layer of the same or of a different material
  • B32B27/08—Layered products comprising a layer of synthetic resin as the main or only constituent of a layer, which is next to another layer of the same or of a different material of synthetic resin
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B32—LAYERED PRODUCTS
  • B32B—LAYERED PRODUCTS, i.e. PRODUCTS BUILT-UP OF STRATA OF FLAT OR NON-FLAT, e.g. CELLULAR OR HONEYCOMB, FORM
  • B32B27/00—Layered products comprising a layer of synthetic resin
  • B32B27/32—Layered products comprising a layer of synthetic resin comprising polyolefins
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
  • Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
  • Y10T428/00—Stock material or miscellaneous articles
  • Y10T428/13—Hollow or container type article [e.g., tube, vase, etc.]
  • Y10T428/1328—Shrinkable or shrunk [e.g., due to heat, solvent, volatile agent, restraint removal, etc.]
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
  • Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
  • Y10T428/00—Stock material or miscellaneous articles
  • Y10T428/28—Web or sheet containing structurally defined element or component and having an adhesive outermost layer
  • Y10T428/2813—Heat or solvent activated or sealable
  • Y10T428/2817—Heat sealable
  • Y10T428/2826—Synthetic resin or polymer

Definitions

• the present invention is directed to a cook-in film and to bags, pouches and the like made therefrom.
• the invention is further directed to a method of producing and preserving a food product using such a film, bag or pouche and to a packaged food product obtained therefrom.
• thermoplastic film packages by subjecting the packed product to elevated temperatures produced by, for example, exposure to steam, hot air or immersion into boiling water. This thermal processing is usually called cook-in and the films used for such applications are generally called cook-in films.
• a cook-in film must be capable of withstanding exposure to severe temperature conditions like immersion in hot water of a temperature of 70 to 90° C. for a time period of about 4 to 18 hours. During these severe thermal conditions, the film should be able to withstand
• a further desirable effect of the cook-in films is heat shrinkability, which is the ability of a film to shrink under heat conditions so that it conforms tightly to the packed food and gives a good aesthetic appearance.
• a further desirable effect is good optical properties, meaning high gloss and low haze of the film, providing a nice presentation to the consumer.
• Another desirable effect is the ability of the film to heat seal effectively in commercial bag making machines.
• the film is used in the form of a bag (pouch) in which the product is packed under vacuum and then is put in a hot water bath or in a steam container in order to be cooked.
• Still another desirable effect is high heat seal strength not only after the heat treatment (cook-in or post pasteurization process) but also before.
• an object of the present invention to provide a heat shrinkable multilayer film having excellent optics, efficient heat sealability, resistance to bag opening and delamination, and sealstrength during loading. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a cook-in film having the above properties.
• the invention is based on the surprising insight that multilayer films for high temperature applications (up to about 95° C.; so called cook-in films) may be produced by introducing a heat sealing layer comprising an olefin block copolymer.
• the multilayer films of the present invention remained stable under these circumstances, i.e. did not show opening of the seals and delamination. Moreover, the multilayer film of the invention showed an improved heat sealability due to using an inner heat sealing layer having the above properties.
• the invention provides an oriented heat shrinkable film comprising a heat sealing layer comprising an olefin block polymer.
• Other layers may include an oxygen barrier layer and an outer layer comprising polyolefin polymer or styrene butadiene copolymer.
• film refers to a flat or tubular flexible structure of thermoplastic material.
• a “cook-in film” is more specifically defined as being a film adapted for high temperature applications, e.g. treatment with hot water at temperatures between about 70°-98° C., e.g. up to about 95° C.
• the time period for subjecting the packaged food product to the elevated temperature is between about 1-18 hours.
• heat shrinkable refers to a film that shrinks at least 10% in at least one of the longitudinal and transverse directions when heated at 90° C. for 4 seconds.
• the shrinkability is measured according to ASTM 2732. This test method covers the determination of the degree of unrestrained linear thermal shrinkage at given specimen temperatures of a plastic film and sheeting of 0.76 mm thickness or less.
• the instrumental method used is DSC (differential scanning calorimetry) in accordance with ASTM D 3418.
• outside layer refers to the film layer which comes in immediate contact with the outside environment (atmosphere).
• inner layer refers to the film layer that comes in direct contact with the product packed. This is also called “sealing layer” as this layer must be hermetically sealed in order to protect the product from ingress of air.
• carrier layer is the layer providing protection against oxygen coming into the package from the atmosphere. Suitable materials are PVDC, EVOH, polyamide etc.
• homopolymer refers to a polymer resulting from polymerization of a single monomer.
• copolymer refers to a polymer resulting from polymerization of at least two different polymers.
• polymer includes both above types.
• polyethylene identifies polymers consisting essentially of the ethylene repeating unit.
• the ones that have a density more than 0.940 are called high density polyethylene (HDPE), the ones that are have less than 0.940 are low density polyethylene (LDPE).
• HDPE high density polyethylene
• LDPE low density polyethylene
• ethylene alpha olefin copolymer refers to polymers like linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE), medium density polyethylene (MDPE), very low density polyethylene (VLDPE), ultra low density polyethylene (ULDPE), metallocene catalysed polymers and polyethylene plastomers and elastomers.
• LLDPE linear low density polyethylene
• MDPE medium density polyethylene
• VLDPE very low density polyethylene
• ULDPE ultra low density polyethylene
• metallocene catalysed polymers and polyethylene plastomers and elastomers.
• styrene polymers refers to styrene homopolymer such as polystyrene and to styrene copolymers such as styrene-butadiene copolymers, styrene-butadiene-styrene copolymers, styrene-isoprene-styrene copolymers, styrene-ethylene-butadiene-styrene copolymers, ethylene-styrene copolymers and the like.
• ethylene methacrylate copolymers refers to copolymers of ethylene and methacrylate monomer.
• the monomer content is preferably less than 40 wt.-%.
• ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer refers to copolymers of ethylene and vinyl acetate.
• EVOH refers to saponified products of ethylene vinyl ester copolymers.
• the ethylene content is typically in the range of 25 to 50 wt.-%.
• PVDC refers to a vinylidene chloride copolymer wherein a major amount of the copolymer comprises vinylidene chloride and a minor amount of the copolymer comprises one or more monomers such as vinyl chloride and/or alkyl acrylates and methacrylates.
• polyamide refers to homopolymers and copolymers.
• polypropylene refers to any homopolymer, copolymer, terpolymer, tetrapolymer etc. that includes mer units of propylene.
• the term as used in the present application includes homopolymers, random copolymers, propylene alpha olefin copolymers, propylene ethylene copolymers propylene-ethylene-alpha olefin copolymers and other propylene polymers.
• ethylene alpha olefin block copolymer refers to copolymer comprising hard and soft blocks.
• hard and soft blocks comprise a copolymer of ethylene and alpha olefin, like propylene, butane, hexane, octene.
• Typical polymers are described in applications US 20030073785, JP-A-60/35009, US 2006/0199030.
• the molecular weight distribution of the olefin block copolymer is between 1.2 and 3.5.
• the present invention provides a heat shrinkable film comprising a heat sealing layer comprising an ethylene olefin block copolymer.
• the heat sealing layer of the multilayer film of the present invention comprises an ethylene octene block copolymer having a melting point of more than 115° C.
• PP might be present as a heterogeneous or a homogeneous polymer produced with single site catalyst. It may also be a blend of such a material with the following
• the PP polymer may be blended with an ethylene alpha olefin copolymer which has a vicat softening point less than 100° C.
• the oxygen barrier layer used may include a high oxygen barrier material such as a polyvinylidene chloride homopolymer or copolymer or an ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer (EVOH).
• a high oxygen barrier material such as a polyvinylidene chloride homopolymer or copolymer or an ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer (EVOH).
• EVOH ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer
• Other oxygen barrier materials are also well known in the art.
• oxygen barrier materials also polyamides or polyesters may be used.
• a preferred version comprises a
• styrene butadiene copolymer 2. a blend of styrene butadiene copolymer and an ethylene alpha olefin copolymer 3. a reactor made TPO polymer incorporating propylene mer units 4. a blend of a reactor made TPO polymer incorporating propylene mer units and polypropylene homopolymer or copolymer 5. a propylene ethylene polymer with a vicat softening point less than 100° C. 6. a blend of two propylene ethylene polymers with a vicat softening point less than 100° C. 7. further preferred is a film which comprises an outside layer incorporating
• inner heat sealing layer and the oxygen barrier layer may exist further layers that could comprise any of the polymers mentioned in the possibilities for inner heat sealing layer.
• Preferred materials are ethylene vinyl acetate, ethylene alpha olefin copolymers, EMA polymers, polypropylene copolymers, polybutylene, styrene homopolymers or copolymers.
• outer layer and the oxygen barrier layer may exist further layers that could comprise any of the polymers mentioned in the possibilities for inner heat sealing layer.
• Preferred materials are ethylene vinyl acetate, ethylene alpha olefin copolymers, EMA polymers, polypropylene copolymers, polybutylene, styrene homopolymers or copolymers.
• any of the layers described above may also include additives well known in the art such as slip agents, antiblock, polymer processing aids, antistatic, antifog, acid scavengers, odour scavengers and the like.
• additives well known in the art such as slip agents, antiblock, polymer processing aids, antistatic, antifog, acid scavengers, odour scavengers and the like.
• the film is irradiated with e beam radiation of levels from 1 to 10 MRAD.
• a 5 layer film is produced in a double bubble (the double bubble method is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,456,044, incorporated herein by reference) commercial line with the following structure:
• a 5 layer film is produced in a double bubble (the double bubble method is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,456,044) commercial line with the following recipe
• the thickness of the layers are (in microns)
• Haze is measured according to ASTM D 1003, gloss according to BS 2782 and shrinkage according to ASTM 2732.
• a bag is clamped at its two edges.
• a falling weight of 2 kilos is thrown on the interior of the bag from a height of 1.5 meters. Percentage of opened bags is calculated. The results for 1, 2 were 0 failures after 20 drops whereas for comparative sample was 10 failures out of 20 drops.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Food Science & Technology (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Laminated Bodies (AREA)
• Wrappers (AREA)

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• 2008
  • 2008-05-23 US US12/154,662 patent/US20080305220A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2008-05-23 EP EP08156814.9A patent/EP1995058B1/fr active Active

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