Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
  • A23B—PRESERVING, e.g. BY CANNING, MEAT, FISH, EGGS, FRUIT, VEGETABLES, EDIBLE SEEDS; CHEMICAL RIPENING OF FRUIT OR VEGETABLES; THE PRESERVED, RIPENED, OR CANNED PRODUCTS
  • A23B4/00—General methods for preserving meat, sausages, fish or fish products
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
  • A23B—PRESERVING, e.g. BY CANNING, MEAT, FISH, EGGS, FRUIT, VEGETABLES, EDIBLE SEEDS; CHEMICAL RIPENING OF FRUIT OR VEGETABLES; THE PRESERVED, RIPENED, OR CANNED PRODUCTS
  • A23B4/00—General methods for preserving meat, sausages, fish or fish products
  • A23B4/015—Preserving by irradiation or electric treatment without heating effect
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
  • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
  • B29C35/00—Heating, cooling or curing, e.g. crosslinking or vulcanising; Apparatus therefor
  • B29C35/02—Heating or curing, e.g. crosslinking or vulcanizing during moulding, e.g. in a mould
  • B29C35/08—Heating or curing, e.g. crosslinking or vulcanizing during moulding, e.g. in a mould by wave energy or particle radiation
• • 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
  • B65D81/24—Adaptations for preventing deterioration or decay of contents; Applications to the container or packaging material of food preservatives, fungicides, pesticides or animal repellants

Definitions

• the invention relates to energy control in general and more specifically a system and a method for controlling a threshold energy level for a chemical reaction.
• a problem with use of temperature control is that freezing can cause damage such as by crystals forming and heating can cause damage, especially to complex organic compounds.
• JP 046065 which relates to a method for maintaining freshness of a perishable food by wrapping the perishable food by using a film comprising antibacterial zeolite particles and vinyl alcohol polymer.
• a main objective of the present invention is to provide a system and method to control the threshold energy of chemical reactions.
• the objective is achieved according to the invention by a method to energize a first object by exposure for use in energy control as defined in the preamble of claim 1 , having the features of the characterising portion of claim 1, an energized object, called a pad, as defined in the preamble of claim 10, having the features of the characterising portion of claim 10, and use of an energized object, called a pad, for preserving white fish, as defined in the preamble of claim 11, having the features of the characterising portion of claim 11.
• the present invention attains the above-described objective by a method for acquiring energy, a method to transfer energy to an object or a pad, and the use of said pad to control a threshold energy of an article in proximity to said pad.
• an activated object according to the methods disclosed here is called a pad.
• the pad can take of the appearance of a piece of cardboard but other forms are envisaged.
• white fish means lean fish that stores fat in the liver such as cod, in contrast to fatty fish such as salmon and mackerel.
• the present invention comprises a technological advantage over known systems and methods by use of direct effect on the threshold energy using an exposed pad.
• the pad can be placed in proximity but not necessarily direct contact, easing handling of products or systems to be controlled
• Fig. 1 shows schematically a chemical process
• Fig. 2 shows an energy capture process in a simplest form
• Fig. 3 shows a system for duplicating pads.
• the inventor has realised that inhibiting chemical processes is an alternative to cooling for preventing degradation of food due to unwanted biochemical processes.
• Fig. 1 shows schematically a chemical process. Unless energy is added, a chemical process will typically go in a direction that reduces Gibbs ' free energy. However, a semi stable initial position implies that a threshold must be overcome in order to proceed, otherwise the initial position would never have been stable.
• the system 100 starts in a semi stable state 102, takes in an amount of energy 104 to overcome the chemical activation energy and is raised to activated state 106. Shortly thereafter the system falls to a new stable state 108, releasing energy 112 corresponding to the energy difference between the activated position 106 and new stable position 108.
• biotope means a place comprising living beings, in particular foodstuff with virus, living bacteria, fungus etc.
• Fig. 2 shows the process in an energy capture system 200 in a simplest form, wherein a working medium 204 is exposed to an incident radiation 202, typically electromagnetic energy, preferably optical energy.
• the resulting exposure is then transferred to a pad 206 for reception by placing the pad in proximity to a container 212 holding the working fluid such as water, wherein the pad is 206 preferably in contact with the container.
• a container 212 holding the working fluid such as water, wherein the pad is 206 preferably in contact with the container.
• the pad starts out in a fluid form and when it is solidified or hardened the pad retains the impression from the exposure. This is essentially a phase transition liquid to solid or gaseous to solid.
• the solidified pad retains the energy and an impression of the energy.
• a pad is any object that can be exposed and retain an impression of an exposure from another pad or energy.
• the pad 206 can additionally be exposed to a second pad 208 for emission which has previously been exposed, which in Fig. 2 is shown as being attached to the container.
• the second pad activates the working fluid which then activates the first pad 206.
• the working medium On exposure the working medium is energized. This energy has been found to dissipate over time, but experiments show that leaving the exposed pad 206 in place will maintain the energy level of the working medium for a longer period than without the pad in place. It has also been found that the working medium can be energised by an already energised pad, as an alternative to the incident radiation disclosed above.
• Fig. 3 shows a system for duplicating pads, using exposure through the working medium.
• This system further comprises an energy projection system 220.
• the projection system comprises an emission pad 222 for emission into the projection on one side of the working fluid, a reception pad 226 for reception of projection positioned on the opposite side of the emission pad from the working fluid, and a projector 224 positioned between the working medium 204 and the reception pad 226.
• the process does not duplicate the energy itself but the impression of the originally exposed energy.
• the energy from the working medium 212 is focused onto the reception pad.
• the projector works like an optical projector.
• the working medium is already energised it is not necessary to use an emission pad 222 but instead rely on the working medium alone for projection onto a reception pad.
• the energy transfer can take on many routes and combinations. For this reason the inventor has developed the following nomenclature.
• the first letter indicates the initial direct exposure
• OFH would indicate optical exposure to fluid which is then transferred by hardening, typically a pad.
• optical exposure comprises both exposure to an incoming energy source as well as exposure to an already energised medium.
• This medium can be a fluid.
• hardening means phase transition of an object into solid form while being exposed to an incoming energy source or exposed to an already energised medium.
• This object can start as a liquid or a gas, while the process renders the object into a solid state.
• a fluid is exposed to an incoming energy source or exposed to an already energised medium.
• This energised medium can be a fluid.
• the exposed fluid retains the energised properties but tends to dissipate its qualities over time.
• Food degradation has several causes. Some are biological such as attack caused by bacteria and fungi, including yeast and mould. Others are based on enzymes, oxidation and other chemical reactions. In seafood protease of free amino acid is a common form of food degradation.
• the embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention shown in Figs. 2 and 3 comprises water as the working medium, and is placed in a transparent plastic container.
• the transparency makes alignment for the projection easier to adjust.
• the process is thus optical exposure (O) to a fluid (F), in proximity to a pad that undergoes hardening (H).
• O optical exposure
• F fluid
• H hardening
• the pad is used as a master for processing subsequent mass production by optical exposure (O) to pads being printed, the fixation of the print being effectively a form of hardening (H).
• O optical exposure
• H hardening
• the mass produced pads thus become a result of an OFHOH process. It has been found that a pad that has been impressed by the originally exposed energy, either exposure, transfer or projection, will increase the activation energies of the processes in white fish that are related to food degradation. It has also been found, qualitatively and quantitatively, that the pad does not have to be in direct contact with the food to have this desired effect. This means the pad can be placed under a tray for food and wrapped in shrink wrap, thus simplifying the process. Tests show that the effective range of a pad will extend to at least the entire product for typical food containers used for white fish in serving packaged used when selling to end users.
• parts of the packaging itself can be a pad such as the tray or the shrink wrap, by exposing these to a master pad during solidification.
• Tests show that shelf life of white fish can be extended from the normally expected 2 weeks to 3 weeks when the fish is still determined by independent laboratories to be of prime quality.
• the effect of the invention can be tested and show reproducibility using the following method.
• the fish selected for the test is cod.
• the cod is headed and gutted on board the fishing vessel, and pre frozen. When it arrives in the test facility, it is subject to thawing/defrosting, processing and portion packing as fresh fish.
• the packing material for the test pack consists of a plastic bowl including transparent plastic glued on top.
• the weight of the fish portion in each pack is approximately 300 gram.
• Each pack is preferably labelled on the top of the pack, showing the test name and the day it should be tested.
• the fish is stored in a refrigerated storage room holding a temperature between 3 and 4 Celsius.
• the study is carried out over a period of 3 weeks and samples are withdrawn from the packages as follows: Day 1, 10, 14, 16 and day 21.
• the working medium can be of different kinds such as but not limited to water, alcohol, acids etc.
• the working medium can be in liquid, solid or gaseous forms.
• liquids such as acetic acid, solids such as water ice, and gases such as water vapour.
• polar and non-polar media can work though the efficiencies of the resulting pads will differ. Examples of these are polar matter such as water and acetic acid, and non-polar media such as epoxy and hydrocarbons found in petrol and diesel, and gases such as butane and propane.
• This system still comprises an energy projection system 220.
• the projection system comprises an emission pad 222 for emission into the projection, a reception pad 226 for reception of projection positioned facing the emission pad, and a projector 224 positioned between the emission pad 224 and the reception pad 226.
• a direct transfer method by projecting from the working fluid to a reception pad without the use of an emission pad is possible if the working fluid is already energised and is maintained in this state. Preferably the working fluid is maintained in the energised state by continuous irradiation.
• the invention according to the application finds use in preservation of white fish. The effect has been documented by an independent laboratory.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Food Science & Technology (AREA)
• Polymers & Plastics (AREA)
• Wood Science & Technology (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Zoology (AREA)
• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Thermal Sciences (AREA)
• Toxicology (AREA)
• Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• General Preparation And Processing Of Foods (AREA)
• Physical Or Chemical Processes And Apparatus (AREA)
• Meat, Egg Or Seafood Products (AREA)
• Food Preservation Except Freezing, Refrigeration, And Drying (AREA)
• Heating, Cooling, Or Curing Plastics Or The Like In General (AREA)
• Steering Control In Accordance With Driving Conditions (AREA)
• Current-Collector Devices For Electrically Propelled Vehicles (AREA)

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• 2020
  • 2020-09-14 KR KR1020227012301A patent/KR20220079559A/ko unknown
  • 2020-09-14 AU AU2020346661A patent/AU2020346661A1/en active Pending
  • 2020-09-14 CA CA3151062A patent/CA3151062A1/en active Pending
  • 2020-09-14 BR BR112022004600A patent/BR112022004600A2/pt not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2020-09-14 EP EP20863127.5A patent/EP4028233A1/en active Pending
  • 2020-09-14 CR CR20220165A patent/CR20220165A/es unknown
  • 2020-09-14 WO PCT/NO2020/050235 patent/WO2021049951A1/en active Search and Examination
  • 2020-09-14 CN CN202080071791.0A patent/CN114929449A/zh active Pending
  • 2020-09-14 JP JP2022516427A patent/JP2022552461A/ja active Pending

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