CZ20012893A3 - Packaging method and package for preserving and/or cooking or heating food products and package made for this purpose - Google Patents

Abstract

The container, which is hermetically sealed by a plastic film cover after filling with the foodstuff, has a base and a false bottom with perforations. A water-soaked pad or humidifier, made from a spongy material containing a chemical or natural flavori agent, is located in the space between the base and false bottom. The film cover has a hole in it covered by a detachable sealing disc or label which can be removed before the container is placed in a microwave oven, the container and cover being made from microwavable materials.

Description

Technical field

The invention relates to a packaging method for storing and / or cooking or heating fresh food products. According to a particularly interesting, although non-limiting form of use, the method and packaging are intended to allow the storage and / or cooking or heating of all fresh food products, such as raw or pre-cooked vegetables or fruits, or various food products prepared by cooking, by microwave saturation .

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Various food products, such as various raw or pre-cooked vegetables or fruits, or certain cooked foods, are made available on the market in the form of shrink-wrapped plastic trays, for example made of polyethylene or analogous materials, with instructions on how to cook them; heating in microwave.

This packaging method has at least two disadvantages, namely:

- the risk of accelerated dehydration of food products if dishes containing such products are not kept in the most favorable temperature and hygrometric conditions, and

- the risk of progressive drying when placed in a microwave oven, changing the consistency, organoleptic properties and product vitamins

EP-701 995 A and EP-732 275A disclose a device

for the packaging and storage of fresh food products such as meat, fish, etc., which tend to excrete bacterial flora-promoting liquids that limit the shelf-life and shelf life, the apparatus being a bowl containing an impermeable bottom and an auxiliary bottom provided with apertures disposed above a absorbent pad containing a chemical inhibitor for neutralizing substances excreted by said articles and, optionally, other reagents, such as a regeneration reagent, capable of modifying the atmosphere in which said articles are stored, between said day and said auxiliary day; dependence on the exclusions mentioned.

Although this device can solve the problem of processing substances excreted by said food products of animal origin, such as offal, pieces of meat, fish, etc., the above problem does not solve the preservation and / or cooking or heating of food products such as fresh vegetables. steam and microwave passage associated with the dehydration phenomenon of this particular product.

It is an object of the present invention to solve the above problem.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the invention, this is achieved by a packaging method for storing and / or cooking or heating fresh food products such as raw or pre-cooked vegetables or fruits, or cooked meals in which the food products are stored in a hermetically sealed container. a container or bowl comprising a bottom and an auxiliary bottom having apertures disposed above and at a distance therefrom, with a saturation or humidifying pad soaked with water, with or without a treatment agent, interposed between said bottom and the auxiliary bottom, closed by a plastic cover foil, fixed by a fusion connection around the perimeter of the container,

According to a further feature of the invention, the wrapper, i.e. the tray and the sealing film, are formed from microwave-permeable materials and resistant to the heat released by the microwave ovens in use.

The method and packaging according to the invention bring a number of advantages. They prevent the rapid drying of fresh food products between the time they are packaged and their consumption. They represent a significant improvement in the shelf life of the packaged products, due to the regulation that naturally occurs inside the vessel based on photosynthesis (oxygen + water + light). They allow rapid cooking and heating, without dehydrating fresh, raw or pre-cooked products, or cooked foods, for example, packed in portions weighing from 50 g to 1 kg. Furthermore, they allow better preservation of the organoleptic qualities, vitamins and aromas contained in said products.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the package of the present invention; and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional detail taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the description, the term packaging, unless it is directly related to the sequence of the method for forming the package assembly and the packaged product, means the article formed by the package and the food product contained therein. The package comprises a container 1 or a bowl with a double bottom, namely a construction bottom 2, preferably impermeable to water, and an auxiliary bottom 3 disposed above and at a distance therefrom. The auxiliary bottom 3 is provided with a plurality of openings 4, for example of circular shape, and preferably at regular intervals, and distributed over the entire surface of said auxiliary bottom. For example, the container 1 comprises a double shell consisting of an outer shell 5 comprising a bottom 2 and an inner shell 6 of smaller dimensions comprising a perforated auxiliary bottom 2 and inserted into the outer shell 5.

In view of the interesting use of the method and packaging according to the invention for the sale of products to be cooked or heated in a microwave oven, the dish 1 and hence in the illustrated example the outer shell 5 and the inner shell 6 can be made of all microwave-permeable, water and capable of withstanding the heat released by microwave ovens intended for kitchens when using such ovens, ie in practice heat at least equal to 100 ° C, with no distortion or migration of their components towards the food or water contained in the package. For example, the shells are thermoformed of any semi-rigid food plastic meeting the above requirements, such as polypropylene (PP).

The outer shell 5 and the inner shell 6 may be connected to each other in any suitable manner, for example by means of a fusion connection at the upper edge of the peripheral walls of said shells or their bottom, one of which in this case comprises ribs permitting this fusion connection and maintaining an intermediate space between on days 2 and 3.

As is known per se, the shells 5 and 6 forming the vessel or the rigid dish 1 may comprise ribs to ensure their stiffness.

In the space E formed between the bottom 2 and the auxiliary bottom 3, a saturation or moistening insert 7, preferably occupying all or almost this space, is arranged. This humidifying insert 7 is formed by a sponge-like layer of a food-type absorbent tampon, soaked with water. This sponge-like mass may consist of a non-woven fabric of vegetable, animal or synthetic fibers. It is preferred that the weight of the volume of water retained in the moistening pad is 40 to 60 times the weight of the pad in the unimpregnated state.

At least one agent for processing the food products 8 packaged 1-9, such as a preservative, a chemical or natural flavoring agent, etc., may be added to the water-impregnating sponge liner.

Fresh food products 8, such as raw or pre-cooked vegetables or sheep, cooked meals and other products, are placed in a container or dish 1 and retained therein by means of a transparent foil 9 fastened by a heat seal, for example at the periphery of the upper edge of the dish . The transparent film may be formed of any plastic having the properties required for packaging and for cooking or heating food, such as transparency for light and microwaves, flexibility, extensibility, shrinkage, compliance with food regulations, resistance to heat released by microwaves, resistance to the pressure exerted by the steam in the cooking chamber, the air permeability (allowing fresh products to breathe without directly touching the surrounding air so as to avoid suffocation and premature destruction).

For example, the transparent film 9 may be formed of polyethylene or polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and more precisely and preferably, a shrinkable, non-fogging, polyethylene with a multi-layer co-extruded structure.

The packaging according to the invention is prepared by distributors of raw or pre-cooked vegetables or fruits or cooked food manufacturers before entering the sales network, so that the packaged products are maintained until consumed in a certain environment having hygrometry which delays the drying process of said products.

When opposite the taif, the package is placed in a microwave oven to cook or heat the food product it contains, the water contained in the saturation or humidifier insert 7 is rapidly converted into steam. This steam escapes through openings 4 in the auxiliary bottom 2 of the container 1 and occupies the entire volume defined

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00 • 0 «0 container and sealing foil 9.

Thus, the microwave cooking principle simultaneously affects the solids and water contained in the package, and creates ideal conditions for cooking or heating with saturated steam, thus preventing any dehydration of these products.

In order to prevent overpressure which would lead to undesirable deformation of the container during cooking, there is an opening 10 in the closure film 9. This opening is formed during manufacture of the package. In order to avoid any contact between the articles and the ambient air, the opening after the package has been formed is sealed with a peel-off lid or food quality label 11 to close said opening. This removable sealing lid is peeled off by the consumer before placing the package in the microwave.

Claims (10)

PATENT CLAIMS A method of packaging for storing and / or cooking or heating fresh food products, such as raw or pre-cooked vegetables or fruits, or cooked meals, in which the food products (8) are placed in a hermetically sealed container consisting of a container or a bowl ( 1), comprising a bottom (2) and an auxiliary bottom (3) provided with openings (4) disposed above and spaced therefrom, and on the other hand with a plastic cover foil (9) fixed by a fusion connection to said container (1), characterized in that a saturation or humidifying insert (7) soaked with water is placed in the lower part of the container (1) in the space (E) formed between the bottom (2) and the auxiliary bottom (3) of the container. 2. Packaging for the storage and / or cooking or heating of fresh food products such as raw or pre-cooked vegetables or fruits, or cooked dishes, comprising a hermetically-eaten packaging in which said food products (8) are stored. comprising, on the one hand, a container or a cup (1) comprising a bottom (2) and an auxiliary bottom (3) provided with openings (4) above and spaced therefrom, and on the other hand a plastic cover foil (9) fastened to said container (1), characterized in that the package also comprises a soaking or wetting insert (7) soaked with water, located in a space (E) formed between the bottom (2) and the auxiliary bottom (3) of the container (1). Packaging method according to claim 1, characterized in that an opening (10) is formed in the sealing foil (9) which is closed by means of a removable lid or a label (11) which can be removed before placing the packaging in the microwave. oven. Packaging according to claim 2, characterized in that the packaging components (1, 9) are made of microwave-permeable materials and resistant to the heat released by the microwave. Package according to claim 2, characterized in that the sealing film (9) is provided with an opening (10) closed by means of a removable lid or a label (11) which can be removed before placing the package in the microwave. Packaging according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that the container (1) is made of plastic, for example polypropylene (PP). Package according to any one of claims 2, 4 or 6, characterized in that the sealing film (9) is made of polyethylene or polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Packaging according to any one of claims 2, 4 or 6, characterized in that the sealing film (9) is made of a shrink-proof shrinkable polyolefin with a multi-layer structure with coextruded layers. Package according to claim 2, characterized in that the saturation or humidifying insert (7) is a sponge-shaped sheet. * · A A • A A A ♦ ·· A · »» ♦ A A · A • «A • A • A ♦ • « A A • A «· A « • • A AND A A AND A · • AND 9 • · A A AAA ♦ · A · AND Package according to claim 2 or 9, characterized in that the water impregnating the saturation or moisturizing pad (7) comprises at least one agent for treating food products (8) stored in the package (1-9), such as chemical or natural aromatic agent. 1/2