WO2023111883A1

WO2023111883A1 - Dispensing portions of viscous food products

Info

Publication number: WO2023111883A1
Application number: PCT/IB2022/062195
Authority: WO
Inventors: Graeme Hendry GREEN; Bruce Andrew LENNOX; Brendan Michael LENNOX
Original assignee: Green Graeme Hendry; Lennox Bruce Andrew; Lennox Brendan Michael
Priority date: 2021-12-14
Filing date: 2022-12-14
Publication date: 2023-06-22
Also published as: GB202118057D0

Abstract

A refill (10) for a gun-type sauce dispenser includes a shell (70) that extends around a cavity (72) at a back end (14) and intermediate part (18) that tapers towards the back end (14). The shell (70) is closed in a sealing manner at its front end (16) with an end cap (24) with dispensing apertures (40) that open when pressure inside the cavity (72) exceeds a threshold. The refill (10) is inserted in a gun-type dispenser (44) and the plunger (50) of the gun (44) crushes the shell (70) as it presses on the shell (70) from the back end (14), in a working stroke, to put a sauce inside the cavity (72) under pressure and dispense the sauce through the dispensing apertures (40).

Description

DISPENSING PORTIONS OF VISCOUS FOOD PRODUCTS

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to apparatus and methods for dispensing viscous food products such as sauces or flowable condiments.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

When portions of viscous food products are dispensed in commercial scale food preparation, dispensers are often used that dispense predetermined quantities or "portions" of the viscous food products, e.g. when adding flowable condiments to foods.

The term "condiment" is typically used to denote flavour-enhancing substances added to foods after preparation (and it could include liquids and/or granular substances) and the term "sauce" denotes some flowable condiments, but for the sake of brevity, the term "sauce" is used herein to denote any viscous food substances that are applied to foods and it is not limited to condiments, but also includes substances that may be applied during food preparation, such as syrups, substance that are not primarily intended as flavouring, e.g. decorations, and the like.

A widely used sauce dispensing system uses tubular cartridges that are pre-filled with sauces and that include dispensing openings at one end of the cartridge and a piston at the other end. Such a cartridge is loaded into a gun-type dispenser that advances a plunger by a predetermined distance each time a handle is pressed. The plunger drives the piston, which pressurises the sauce in the cartridge and dispenses a portion of sauce via the dispensing openings, each time the handle is pressed.

These widely used sauce cartridges are relatively costly to manufacture, use space inefficiently during transport and storage and create excess waste.

The present invention seeks to provide practical and efficient apparatus and methods for dispensing sauces. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a refill for a guntype sauce dispenser, said refill comprising: a shell having an axis, a first end, an axially opposing second end, and an intermediate part between the first and second ends, said shell extending in a sealing manner around an inner cavity at the first end and the intermediate part; and an end cap that is attached in a sealing manner to the second end of the shell, said end cap comprising a disc that is oriented transversely to the axis and said disc defining at least one dispensing aperture that is configured to be sealed when pressure inside the inner cavity is below a predetermined threshold pressure and to open when the pressure inside the inner cavity exceeds the threshold pressure, said disc being of sufficiently firm construction to retain its shape substantially when the inner cavity is compressed to the threshold pressure; wherein the intermediate part of the shell has cross-sectional size that tapers from the second end, in an axial direction towards the first end.

The shell may include an end wall at the first end and the end wall may be continuously formed with the intermediate part of the shell, i.e. the shell may be of a unitary construction.

The intermediate part of the shell may have a frusto-conical shape.

The intermediate part of the shell may include a plurality of axially spaced, circumferential ridges and the shell may be axially symmetrical.

Each dispensing aperture may include a slit valve comprising multiple cuts that define at least one resiliently flexible flap, that obstructs a flow passage through the dispensing aperture when the pressure inside the inner cavity is below the threshold pressure and that is flexed in an outwardly direction when the pressure inside the inner cavity reaches the threshold pressure. According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of dispensing a sauce, said method comprising withdrawing a plunger of a gun-type dispenser to clear a receiving recess of the gun-type dispenser sufficiently to receive a refill in the receiving recess; placing a refill in the receiving recess with an end cap of the refill at a dispensing end of the receiving recess and a shell of the refill extending in an axial direction inside the receiving recess, said end cap defining at least one dispensing aperture and said shell containing a sauce; operating the gun-type dispenser to drive the plunger in a working stroke towards the dispensing end of the receiving recess; compressing the shell with the plunger as the plunger is driven in the working stroke, so that the sauce inside the shell is placed under pressure; dispensing the sauce through the dispensing aperture in the end cap; wherein the shell has an intermediate part with a cross-sectional size that tapers from the end cap in an axial direction towards the plunger, and the method includes crushing the shell in an axial direction with the working stroke of the plunger.

According to a futher aspect of the present invention there is provided a refill for a guntype sauce dispenser, said refill comprising: a bag having a first end, an opposing second end, an intermediate part between the first and second ends, said bag having a flexible wall that extends in a sealing manner around an inner cavity, said flexible wall being sealed at the first end and around the intermediate part; an end cap that is disposed at the second end of the bag and that has a periphery that is attached in a sealing manner to the flexible wall of the bag, said end cap comprising a disc which defines at least one dispensing aperture; and a sauce inside the cavity of the bag; said at least one dispensing aperture being configured to be sealed when the sauce inside the bag is at ambient pressure and to open when the sauce inside the bag reaches a threshold pressure; and said disc being of sufficiently firm construction to retain its shape substantially when the sauce in the bag is compressed to the threshold pressure.

The bag may have an elongated shape, e.g. its intermediate part may be at least partly cylindrical and it may have one or two longitudinal seams.

The bag may have an axis extending between the first and second ends and the end cap may be oriented transversely to the axis of the bag.

Each dispensing aperture may include a valve that is configured to be normally closed and to open when the sauce in the cavity of the bag reaches the threshold pressure, and the valve may be a slit valve comprising multiple cuts that define at least one resiliently flexible flap that obstructs a flow passage through the dispensing aperture when the sauce is below the threshold pressure and that is flexed by the sauce to allow the sauce to flow along the flow passage, when the pressure of the sauce reaches the threshold pressure.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a dispensing system comprising the refill described herein above, a gun-type sauce dispenser that defines a receiving recess which is configured to receive a cylindrical cartridge; and a hard, hollow sheath that is configured to fit inside the receiving recess of the guntype sauce dispenser, said sheath defining an internal cavity that is configured to receive the refill with the end cap extending across an opening at one end of the sheath.

The sheath is preferably cylindrical and is preferably shaped and dimensioned to resemble the cartridges for which the gun-type dispenser is intended.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of dispensing a sauce using the system described herein above, said method comprising placing the bag inside the sheath; withdrawing a plunger of the gun-type dispenser to clear the receiving recess sufficiently to receive the sheath in the receiving recess; placing the sheath in the receiving recess with the cap at the second end of the bag being at a disposing end of the receiving recess and the first end of the bag facing towards the plunger; operating the gun-type dispenser to drive the plunger in a working stroke towards the dispensing end of the gun-type dispenser, said plunger entering the sheath in its working stroke, pressing against the bag, and placing the sauce in the bag under pressure; opening the one or more dispensing apertures when the pressure of the sauce reaches the threshold pressure; and dispensing sauce from the cavity of the bag, via the dispensing apertures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a better understanding of the present invention, and to show how it may be carried into effect, the invention will now be described by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 shows a three-dimensional view of a first embodiment of a refill according to the present invention;

Figure 2 shows a front view of the refill of Figure 1 ;

Figure 3 shows a three-dimensional view of a second embodiment of a refill according to the present invention;

Figure 4 shows a front view of the refill of Figure 3;

Figure 5 shows a side view of the refill of Figure 3;

Figure 6 shows a three-dimensional view of an end cap of the refills of Figures 1 and 3;

Figure 7 shows an alternative embodiment of an end cap for the refills of Figures 1 and 3;

Figure 8 shows a sectional view of the end cap of Figure 7, taken at VIII-VIII;

Figures 9A to 9D show sequential steps of a method for dispensing a sauce according to the present invention using the refill of Figure 1 or Figure 3, with a sheath of the dispensing system shown partly in section in Figure 9D;

Figure 10 shows an exploded, three-dimensional view of a third embodiment of a refill according to the present invention;

Figure 11 shows a three-dimensional sectional view of a fourth embodiment of a refill according to the present invention;

Figures 12A and 12B show sequential steps of a method for dispensing a sauce according to the present invention using the refill of Figure 10; and

Figure 13 shows a three-dimensional, sectional view of the refill of Figure 11 used in the method step shown in Figure 12B.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring to the drawings, features that are common between different embodiments of the invention are identified by the same reference signs, but where appropriate, different embodiments of the same features are identified by suffixes. E.g. a refill according to the present invention is generally identified by reference sign 10 and the first two embodiments of refills shown are identified by suffixes as 10.1 and 10.2 in Figures 1 to 5.

Referring to Figures 1 , 2 and 6, a first embodiment of a refill 10.1 according to the present invention includes a flexible bag 12.1 that can be made of any suitable flexible, sealing sheet material, but the current preferred material of manufacture for the bag is polypropylene. The bag 12.1 preferably has an elongate shape with a first end or back end 14, a second end or front end 16 and an intermediate part 18 between ends.

The intermediate part 18 is preferably cylindrical in shape (when the bag 12.1 is filled) and in this embodiment of the refill 10.1 , the intermediate part of the bag 12.1 has two seams 20 extending longitudinally along opposing sides of the intermediate part. The bag 12.1 is sealed along these seams 20 and also along an end seam 22 at the rear end 14.

At the front end 16, the refill 10.1 has a disc-shaped end cap 24.1 (shown in detail in Figure 6). The periphery or circumference of the end cap 24.1 is attached to the flexible wall of the bag 12.1 , so that the end cap seals the bag 10.1 completely around an inner cavity of the bag. In the illustrated embodiment, the end cap 24.1 includes a disc in the form of a circular flange 26 with a low skirt 28 that extends around the circumference of the flange. The skirt 28 is attached to the wall of the bag 12.1 in a suitable sealing manner, e.g. by welding, over-moulding, or the like.

The bag 12.1 has an axis 30 (shown in Figure 2) that extends centrally along the axis of the cylindrical shape of the intermediate part 18 and the end cap 24.1 is oriented such that the flange 26 and thus the overall disc-shape of the end cap, are oriented transversely to the axis.

As seen more clearly in Figure 6, the flange 26 defines three dispensing apertures in the form of three slit-valves 32 and each slit valve includes three intersecting cuts or slits 34 to form triangular flaps 36 between adjacent slits. The flange 26 is sufficiently firm (by virtue of material selection, thickness and/or design) to withstand substantial pressure inside the cavity bag 12.1 and to retain its structural integrity, but owing to the slits 34 that extend on two sides of each triangular flap 36, the flaps flex outwards if pressure inside the bag's cavity reaches a threshold pressure. Accordingly, while pressure inside the bag 12.1 remains below the threshold pressure, resilience keeps the flaps 36 in un-deflected conditions, in which their edges butt together to seal the dispensing apertures and the slit valves are closed. However, once pressure inside the bag 12.1 reaches the threshold pressure, the flaps flex 26 outwardly under the pressure to open the slit valves, but the remainder of the flange 26 remains substantially in its original shape.

In other embodiments of the invention, the end cap 24.1 may include different numbers of dispensing apertures and may include different configurations of valves on each dispensing aperture, although the slit valves shown in the illustrated embodiment of an end cap 24.1 , are particularly cost-effective.

The cavity inside the bag 12.1 is filled with sauce after the end cap 24.1 has been attached/sealed onto the wall of the intermediate part 18 and once filled, the bag is sealed at the back end 14 with the seam 22 and it is preferably vacuum sealed to provide a long shelf life for the sauce.

The outside surface of the flange 26 is preferably covered with a seal, such as a tamper-evident peelable aluminium seal (not shown) that covers the slit valves 32 when the refill 10.1 is supplied, to keep the slit valves free from contamination and to ensure hygienic integrity of the refill.

Referring to Figures 3 to 5, a second embodiment of a refill 10.2 according to the present invention, is generally identical to the refill shown in Figures 1 and 2, except that the bag 12.2 of the refill 10.2 includes only a single longitudinal seam 20.

Referring to Figures 7 and 8, an alternative embodiment of an end cap 24.2 is shown, which includes a flange 26 and skirt 28 similar to those shown in Figure 6, but instead of three slit valves that are generally co-planar with the flange, the end cap 24.2 includes three recesses 38 and in each recess, a conical duck-bill valve 40 is provided that protrudes outwardly with three slits 34 that join at the apex of each cone, to form three flaps 36 between adjacent slits. The duck-bill valves 40 function substantially similarly to the slit-valves 32 shown in Figure 6, except that the conical shape of the duck-bill valve and the orientation of the flaps to form the conical shape, serve as a one-way valve that allows sauce to flow outward through the duckbill valve 40, but prevents ingress of air, or any other substances.

Referring to Figures 9A to 9D, a dispensing system according to the present invention is shown, used in a first embodiment of a method of dispensing a sauce according to the present invention. The dispensing system is generally identified by reference sign 42 and it includes a refill according to the present invention - which could be a refill 10.1 or 10.2, but for simplicity, the refill shown in Figure 9A is identified by reference sign 10.1 and the bag shown in Figure 9D is identified by reference sign 12.1.

Referring to Figure 9A, the system 42 includes the refill 10.1 , a conventional gun-type sauce dispenser, referred to simply as gun 44, for brevity, and a sheath 46.

The gun 44 has a recess 48 which is configured to receive conventional cylindrical sauce cartridges, a plunger 50 that is configured to squeeze the contents out of the cartridges in a forward or working stroke, a toothed push-rod 52 that drives the plunger, a handle 54, a trigger 56 and an internal ratchet mechanism that are configured to advance the push-rod and plunger forward by a predetermined distance, each time the trigger is pulled towards the handle. Other variations of sauce guns can be used, as are known in the art, which are configured to dispense sauce from conventional cylindrical sauce cartridges.

The sheath 46 can have a different cross-sectional profile in other embodiments of the invention, but it is preferably a hollow cylinder with a hard cylindrical wall 58 that extends around an internal cavity that is open on the opposing ends of the cylinder. In the illustrated embodiment, the sheath 46 includes an inward circumferential ridge 60 around a front open end 62 of the sheath. The size and shape of the sheath 46, particularly the cylindrical wall 58, are such that its outside dimensions resemble those of a conventional cylindrical sauce cartridge, while the inside dimensions of the sheath allows the refill 10 to fit comfortably inside the sheath with the end cap 24.1 (or 24.2) of the refill resting against the ridge 60 and extending across the open end 62.

In use, to dispense sauce from the refill 10, the refill is inserted into the sheath 46 from a rear end of the sheath, with the front end 16 and end cap 24.1 facing towards the open end 62 and the back end 14 facing towards a back end 64 of the sheath. The refill 10 and sheath 46 now collectively form a cartridge 66.

Referring to Figure 9B, the plunger 50 is withdrawn to clear the recess 48 sufficiently, by pulling the pushrod 52 backwards, as shown by the arrow in Figure 9B. Once the recess 48 has been cleared sufficiently, the cartridge 66 is placed in the recess with the end cap 24.1 at a dispensing end 68 of the receiving recess and the back end 14 of the refill 10 facing towards the plunger 50. The dispensing system 42 is now in the condition shown in Figure 9C and is ready to dispense the sauce from inside the bag Referring to Figure 9D, the sheath 46 is shown partly in section and the gun 44 is operated in the conventional manner, to drive the pushrod 52 and plunger 50 in their working stroke towards the dispensing end 68. As the plunger 50 advances in its working stroke, it enters the sheath 46 and presses against the bag 12.1 of the refill 10.1 , to compress the bag and place the sauce inside the bag under pressure. When the pressure of the sauce in the cavity inside the bag 12.1 reaches the threshold pressure, the slit valves 32 open as described above and sauce is dispensed from the cavity inside the bag, through the slit valves.

The volume of sauce that is dispensed with each full compression of the trigger 56 corresponds generally to the portion of sauce that would have been dispensed from a conventional sauce cartridge in the same gun 44, and the experience for a person operating the gun is substantially the same as with conventional sauce cartridges, apart from the prior step of inserting the refill 10.1 into the sheath 46.

Once the bag 12.1 of the refill 10.1 has been compressed sufficiently (typically until no more sauce can be dispensed by further compression), the push-rod 52 is withdrawn from the recess 48 and the cartridge 66 removed from the gun 44 in the conventional manner. However, once the cartridge 66 has been removed from the gun 44, the refill 10.1 is removed from the sheath 46 and is discarded, while the sheath is re-used.

Referring to Figures 10 to 13, a third embodiment of a refill 10.3 according to the present invention, has an axis 30 (shown in Figures 10 and 11 ) and an end cap 24.3 that is very similar to the end cap shown in Figures 7 and 8, with three duck-bill valves 40. In other embodiments of the invention, the end cap may be configured differently, e.g. it can have different numbers or types of dispensing openings or a different shape, as long as it provides a disc or other wall structure that is oriented transversely to the axis 30 and that is of sufficiently firm construction to retain its shape substantially in use (i.e. when the inner cavity of the refill 10.3 is compressed to the threshold pressure as described above). The phrase “retain its shape substantially” means that the end cap 24.3 does not deform to the extent that it’s circumference decreases, its edges fold or it bulges or deforms to such an extent that it is no longer suitable to perform its function. Those skilled in the art would appreciate what degree deformation would be permissible for the shape of the end cap 24.3 to be retained substantially, but to the extent that quantification may be required, it could be said that the end cap 24.3 is sufficiently firm to prevent deformation by more than 10% of any of its dimensions, in use - preferably far less than 10%, e.g. less than 2%.

Unlike the first two embodiments of the invention, in which sauce was kept in a bag, in the third embodiment, the refill 10.3 includes a shell 70, with a first or back end 14 and a second or front end 16 and an intermediate part 18. The shell 70 extends in a sealing manner around an internal cavity 72 at the back end 14 and intermediate part 18. The end cap 24.3 is attached in a sealing manner to the front end 16 of the shell 70, so that the cavity 72 is completely sealed.

The intermediate part 18 of the shell 70 tapers in an axial direction from the front end 16 to the back end 14 and this can take different forms, e.g. the shell can have a pyramid shape, but in a preferred embodiment, the intermediate part of the shell is frustum-shaped, or “frusto-conical”. The taper of the intermediate part 18 is preferably not very pronounced and in a preferred embodiment, the taper is so slight that the intermediate part appears to be cylindrical, at first glance.

At the back end 14, the shell 70 preferably includes a transversely oriented end wall 74 that is integrally formed with the intermediate part 18. In a preferred embodiment, the shell 70 is a unitary formed body, preferably of a recyclable polymer such as polypropylene and the shell 70 resembles a conventional nestable drinking cup, with tapering side walls (analogous to the intermediate part 18) and a circular base (analogous to the end wall 74). Even though the shell 70 can have other shapes, it is preferably axially symmetrical. Two variations of the shell 70 are shown in Figures 10 to 13. The first variation is shown in Figures 10, 12A and 12B and includes multiple circumferential grooves and/or ridges 76 that are spaced apart in the axial direction along the intermediate part 18 of the shell. The second variation is shown in Figures 11 and 13 and has a smooth intermediate part 18. The function of the ridges 76 will be described below.

Once the shell 70 has been made, it’s cavity 72 is filled with a sauce and this can be done while keeping the shell in an orientation with the open front end 16 facing upwards and the end wall 74 at the bottom, so that the cavity can be filled with sauce from above. Once the cavity 72 has been filled with sauce, the end cap 24.3 is fitted on the front end 16 of the shell and is attached to the shell in a sealing manner, e.g. by welding. The end cap 24.3 is preferably made of the same material as the shell 70, e.g. polypropylene in the example described herein and this ensures compatibility for sealing attachment of the end cap to the shell, and assists in recycling of the refill 10.3.

The cavity 72 is preferably filled completely with the sauce, or includes a small volume of gas - possibly air, but preferably an inert gas to minimise oxidation of the sauce and prolong shelf life. Further, as described with reference to Figures 1 to 9B, the end cap 24.3 can be fitted with a tamper-evident foil cover over the valves 40.

Referring to Figures 12A to 13, in use, the refill 10.3 is fitted in the receiving recess of a sauce dispenser gun 44 after withdrawing the plunger 50 to provide sufficient space in the recess. The refill 10.3 is placed in the recess with the end cap 24.3 at the dispensing end 68 of the recess and the shell 70 extending in the axial direction inside the recess, with the back end 14 of the shell facing the plunger 50.

As shown in Figures 12B and 13, the gun 44 is operated in the conventional manner, by squeezing the trigger 56 towards the handle 54 to advance the pushrod 52 and plunger in a working stroke in the axial direction into the recess, in the direction towards the dispensing end 68. The gun 44 preferably operates with a ratchet mechanism, or the like, which advances the pushrod 52 and plunger 50 by a predetermined distance in its working stroke, every time that the trigger 65 is squeezed.

As the plunger 50 advances in its working stroke, it presses against the end wall 74 of the shell 70, which compresses and crushes the shell, so that the sauce inside the cavity 72 is placed under pressure and is expelled or dispensed through the valves 40.

As the plunger 50 advances in its working stroke, the shell is crushed from the back end 14 and typically forms circumferential creases 78 in the intermediate part 18 adjacent the back end. The number of circumferential creases 78 typically increase from the back end 14 as the plunger 50 progresses further in its working stroke, until the entire intermediate part 18 is crushed, with the end wall 74 in close proximity to the end cap 24.3, so that the volume of the cavity 72 has been reduced to a minimum and practically all of the sauce has been dispensed from the cavity.

The circumferential ridges 76 encourage and guide the formation of circumferential creases 78 in a neat and predictable pattern.

The tapered shape of the intermediate part 18 allows the shell 70 to retain its shape while under axial compression from the plunger 50, without sideways bucking, or deflection and this means that the shell simultaneously has sufficient structural integrity to be compressed without an external support (such as a sheath or barrel), but also that the shell can be neatly crushed with minimal waste.

The tapering shape of the intermediate part 18 means that the volume of sauce that is expelled from the cavity 72 each time the plunger 50 advances by a predetermined distance, is smaller when the intermediate part 18 is being crushed near the narrower back end 14, than when the intermediate part is being crushed near the larger front end. However, in preferred embodiments of the invention, the taper of the shell 18 is small enough so that the variations in the volume of sauce dispensed, are acceptably small Once the sauce has been dispensed from the refill 10.3, the refill can be removed from the gun 44 and can be discarded, or preferably recycled. No separation of materials is required to recycle the refill 10.3, because it has been manufactured from a single material.

Claims

1 . A refill for a gun-type sauce dispenser, said refill comprising: a shell having an axis, a first end, an axially opposing second end, and an intermediate part between the first and second ends, said shell extending in a sealing manner around an inner cavity at the first end and the intermediate part; and an end cap that is attached in a sealing manner to the second end of the shell, said end cap comprising a disc that is oriented transversely to the axis and said disc defining at least one dispensing aperture that is configured to be sealed when pressure inside the inner cavity is below a predetermined threshold pressure and to open when the pressure inside the inner cavity exceeds the threshold pressure, said disc being of sufficiently firm construction to retain its shape substantially when the inner cavity is compressed to the threshold pressure; wherein the intermediate part of the shell has cross-sectional size that tapers from the second end, in an axial direction towards the first end.

2. A refill according to claim 1 , wherein the shell includes an end wall at the first end, said end wall being continuously formed with the intermediate part of the shell.

3. A refill according to claim 1 , wherein the intermediate part of the shell is frusto- conical in shape.

4. A refill according to claim 3, wherein the intermediate part of the shell includes a plurality of axially spaced, circumferential ridges.

5. A refill according to claim 1 , wherein the shell is axially symmetrical.

6. A refill according to claim 1 , wherein each dispensing aperture includes a slit valve comprising multiple cuts that define at least one resiliently flexible flap, that obstructs a flow passage through the dispensing aperture when the pressure inside the inner cavity is below the threshold pressure and that is flexed in an outwardly direction when the pressure inside the inner cavity reaches the threshold pressure. A method of dispensing a sauce, said method comprising withdrawing a plunger of a gun-type dispenser to clear a receiving recess of the gun-type dispenser sufficiently to receive a refill in the receiving recess; placing a refill in the receiving recess with an end cap of the refill at a dispensing end of the receiving recess and a shell of the refill extending in an axial direction inside the receiving recess, said end cap defining at least one dispensing aperture and said shell containing a sauce; operating the gun-type dispenser to drive the plunger in a working stroke towards the dispensing end of the receiving recess; compressing the shell with the plunger as the plunger is driven in the working stroke, so that the sauce inside the shell is placed under pressure; dispensing the sauce through the dispensing aperture in the end cap; wherein the shell has an intermediate part with a cross-sectional size that tapers from the end cap in an axial direction towards the plunger, and the method includes crushing the shell in an axial direction with the working stroke of the plunger.