Food Container

Abstract

The present invention provides a vacuum sealed, container suitable for containing preserved pickled food. In a preferred approach, the container includes at least one foil wall formed from a flexible foil and defining a chamber; pickled food within the chamber; and brine, in which the food is immersed, and which fills the chamber when the chamber is sealed. Preferably, the ratio of brine to pickled food by mass is in the range 1:2.5 to :5. The claimed containers can reduce the mess associated with eating pickled foods from traditional containers, and can assist in improving the shelf life of such foods.

Claims

1) A vacuum sealed, container containing preserved pickled food, the container comprising: at least one foil wall formed from a flexible foil and defining a chamber; pickled food within the chamber; and brine, in which the food is immersed, and which fills the chamber when the chamber is sealed, wherein the ratio of brine to pickled food by mass is in the range 1:2.5 to 1:5.

2) A container as claimed in claim 1, wherein the ratio of brine to pickled food is substantially 1:4.

3) A container as claimed in claim 1, wherein the container includes a means for rupturing the wall of the container to open the chamber to provide access to the chamber and contained food.

4) A container as claimed in claim 1, wherein the container comprises a re-closable opening means.

5) A container as claimed in claim 4, wherein the re-closable opening means comprises a sliding fastener.

6) A container as claimed in claim 1, wherein the container comprises a gusseted package.

7) A container as claimed in claim 1, wherein the brine within the sealed chamber comprises the following: water; vinegar; salt; and calcium chloride.

8) A container as claimed in claim 7, wherein the brine comprises the following: 47-70% water; 8-14% vinegar; 5-6% salt; 0.27″0.35% calcium chloride; and 12-28% sugar.

9) A container as claimed in claim 7 wherein the brine is substantially free from artificial preservatives.

10) A method for producing a vacuum sealed container containing preserved pickled food, the method comprising: a. providing a container formed from at least one flexible foil wall defining a chamber having an opening; b. introducing a food into the chamber through the opening; c. introducing brine into the chamber through the opening; d. flushing the chamber with Nitrogen gas; e. imparting a vacuum to the chamber such that the chamber is substantially wholly filled by the brine and the food; f. sealing the chamber by closing the opening of the container; and g. pasteurising the container.

11) A method as claimed in claim 10, wherein steps a to d of the method are carried out within a Nitrogen atmosphere.

12) A method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the ratio of brine to pickled food by mass after sealing is in the range 1:2.5 to 1:5.

13) A method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the ratio of brine to pickled food by mass after sealing is substantially 1:4.

14) A method as claimed in claim 10, wherein pasteurising the container is performed by conveying the container through a tunnel pasteuriser.

15) A method as claimed in claim 10, wherein during the pasteurisation stage, the container is held at a pasteurisation temperature for a pasteurising time period and the duration of the pasteurising time period is no greater than two minutes.

16) A container as claimed in claim 7, wherein the brine within the sealed chamber further comprises sugar.

17) A container as claimed in claim 7, wherein the brine within the sealed chamber further comprises flavoring.

18) A container as claimed in claim 8, wherein the brine comprises 0.12 to 0.37% flavoring.

19) A container as claimed in claim 1, wherein the container comprises a notch for rupturing the at least one foil wall of the container to provide access to the pickled food within the chamber.

20) A container as claimed in claim 1, wherein the container includes a fastener for permitting a user to reseal the container after opening.

Description

[0056] In order that it be better understood, but by way of example only, the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0057] FIG. 1 is an external side view of a container in accordance with a first aspect of the present invention;

[0058] FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the container of FIG. 1, taken through line A-A; and

[0059] FIG. 3 is a flow diagram depicting a process in accordance with a second aspect of the present invention.

[0060] In the drawings, like parts are denoted by like reference numerals.

[0061] FIG. 1 shows a side view of a container, generally indicated 10, in accordance with a first aspect of the present invention. The container comprises foil walls, 12, defining a chamber, generally indicated 14 (and shown more clearly in FIG. 2). The foil walls are formed from a multilayer laminate. The container further contains pickled food, generally indicated 16 (and shown more clearly in FIG. 2) within the chamber 14 and brine, generally indicated 18 (and shown more clearly in FIG. 2) in which the items of a food 16 are immersed. In this embodiment, the food shown represents sliced gherkin but any pickleable food is acceptable. The brine and foods fill the chamber 14 when the chamber 14 is vacuum sealed. Within the chamber 14 either when sealed or not, the ratio of brine 18 to pickled food 16 by mass is approximately 1:4. The upper end of the container 10 is closed after filing. A re-closable sliding seal 20 can be used to access the contents of the chamber.

[0062] FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the container 10 of FIG. 1, taken through line A-A. Illustrated also is the pickled food 16 within the chamber 14 (generally indicated), and the brine 18 in which the food 16 is immersed. The container 10 comprises a gusseted package, with the gusset, generally indicated 22, formed about a lower end, generally indicated 24, of the container 10. The gusseted package defines a self-standing configuration. The seal 20, which seals the chamber 14 is also shown in FIG. 2.

[0063] FIG. 3 shows a flow diagram depicting a process in accordance with the method of the second aspect of the present invention. The process is for the production of a vacuum-sealed container, in this case a foil-based gusseted pouch, for containing pickled cucumbers in brine. The initial stage 30 involves the testing of the machinery to be used during the production of the gusseted pouch. During this stage 30, the machinery employed is tested to ensure it is fully operational and the specific requirements of the machinery are set up to suit the dimensions of the pouch being utilised. For example, the volumetric filling quantity of brine for each gusseted pouch is specified on a vacuum filler machine and the necessary bars of pressure required to produce an effective vacuum seal, according to the size and construction of pouch utilised, is specified on a vacuum sealer machine.

[0064] A number of stages, 32 to 38, involving the receiving and preparation of the cucumbers are then then carried out in series. At stage 32 the raw food materials, in this case cucumbers, are received preservative-free in barrels, in either vinegar or salt-based brine media, having a drained weight of between 170 and 185 kg. At stage 34, the raw cucumbers are inspected and graded according to size and any detected defects. At stage 36 the cucumbers are then washed in order to de-brine the cucumbers. The wash involves soaking the cucumbers in water and may take between 12 and 24 hours, and the water may be changed for fresh water at least once during stage 36. At stage 38, the cucumbers are cut, by hand, to produce desired shapes. There may be no cutting operation applied, in which case the cucumbers are left whole and intact, or the cucumbers may be cut into chips or spears. The output of stage 38 results in cucumber material of the desired size and shape. Where the food to be introduced into the chamber differs from cucumbers, for instance carrots or peppers, differing cutting operations may be applied, for example resulting in the production of half-moon shapes, strips or squares, or the food may be diced.

[0065] As can be seen from FIG. 3, steps 40 and 42 occur alongside stages 32 to 38. At stage 40, the foil-based gusseted pouches are received printed with desired artwork and the pouches are inspected for defects. The pouches in this specific example have a wall formed from bonded layers of film, there being layers each of Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET; 0.012 millimetre thick), Biaxially Orientated Polyamide (BOPA; 0.015 millimetre thick), Aluminum foil (0.009 millimetre thick) and Polyethylene (PE; 0.080 millimetre thick), the layers arranged in this order. The Polyethylene Terephthalate would normally comprise the layer innermost with respect to the chamber. The wall defines a chamber of the pouch, the chamber having an opening for the introduction of cucumbers and brine. The pouches have a width of 120 mm, a height of 150 mm and round bottom gusset having a width of 40 mm and a depth of 40 mm. The stand-up gusseted pouches have a re-closable opening means in the form of a sliding fastener. The stand-up gusseted pouches display a custom printed exterior surface, with the front and back of the gusset printed upon also.

[0066] At stage 42, the gusseted pouches are shaped to receive the cucumber material and brine more efficiently, which involves at least ensuring the opening is fully open.

[0067] At stage 44, the results of stages 38 and 42 are brought together on the production line, such that the gusseted pouches are filled with the cucumber material. This stage 44 is undertaken by hand, wherein workers first perform a secondary inspection to remove any cucumber material showing defects; then fill each gusseted pouch with the resulting cucumber material; and then weigh the resulting gusseted pouches and add or remove cucumbers to meet the target weight with a tolerance of 2 grams +/−. Although done by hand in this example it could be automated.

[0068] Separately, the specific brine formulation is prepared at stage 46. This stage begins by assembling/receiving the raw brine materials of the brine formulation to be used with the cucumbers. In the present example these include water, 20% acetic acid vinegar, calcium chloride, salt, white granulated sugar and appropriate flavours, comprised of bay leaf, caramelised onion flavour and onion flavour. The raw brine materials are then mixed in the appropriate ratios until dissolved before being loaded into the vacuum filler machine.

[0069] At stage 48, the vacuum filler machine is used to introduce the brine formulation resulting from stage 46 into the pouches. In this example three such gusseted pouches are filled simultaneously. Subsequently, at stage 50, each gusseted pouch is conveyed to the vacuum chamber wherein the chamber is flushed with Nitrogen gas. Thereafter, at stage 52, a vacuum is imparted to the chamber such that the chamber compresses until it is substantially wholly filled by the brine formulation and the cucumber. The chamber is then sealed by closing the opening of the container and bonding the walls together. The ratio of brine to cucumber by mass after sealing is substantially 1:4. At stage 54, any excess brine coming out of the chamber resulting from the process of vacuum sealing the chamber of the pouch 52 is recycled into the brine production stage 46, to be used with a later gusseted pouch.

[0070] The vacuum sealed gusseted pouch is then conveyed to the tunnel pasteuriser, wherein, at stage 56, pasteurisation of the gusseted pouch is performed. This process 56 begins as the temperature of the gusseted pouch is brought up from ambient temperature to 76° C. over the course of forty minutes, the temperature then being held at a constant pasteurising temperature 76° C. for a pasteurising time period of between 1 and 3 minutes, and finally the pouch's temperature is lowered to less than 10° C. over the course of sixty minutes.

[0071] A plurality of gusseted pouches may be simultaneously pasteurised as just described, for instance ten such pouches. Upon exiting the tunnel pasteuriser, with the temperature of the pouch less than 10° C., at stage 58, the exterior of the pouch is then dried as it is conveyed through a forced air-drying tunnel.

[0072] At stage 60, bulk packaging is undertaken. This involves a primary packaging step of packing a plurality of pouches resulting from stage 58 into display-ready cartons, a secondary packaging step of packing a plurality of such cartons into a box and a tertiary packaging stage of packing a plurality of such boxes onto a pallet.

[0073] At stage 62, the results of the bulk packaging step 60 are then moved to a storage facility, which facility may be refrigerated, whereafter at stage 64, the packaged product is shipped to further destinations, within shipping containers or by other means.

[0074] At stage 66, waste collected from stages 32 to 38 (such as cucumbers with defects or unwanted offcuts from a cutting operation), stage 40 (such as pouches found defective upon inspection), stage 56 (such as waste pasteurisation water) and stage 60 (such as waste elements of packing) are sorted and disposed of appropriately.

[0075] The nature of certain process parameters including times, temperatures, pouch sizes, brine formulation may vary slightly dependent on the process nature of the food and the end product parameters.