Method for Sterilizing Packaged or Partially Packaged or Partially Sealed Consumable Items and Storage Containers and Outer Packages Used for This

Abstract

Presented are a method for sterilising packaged, partially packaged, or partially sealed consumable items, such as plastic opening and/or closing elements for subsequent use with beverage or food packaging, by means of a treatment agent having a disinfectant, and storage containers and outer packagings that can be used for this purpose. The method can be designed and further developed so that contamination of the consumable items with germ-forming spores is reliably excluded. A consumable item or an area thereof to be sterilised can be disposed in a first sealed environment, so that a plurality of such individually packaged consumable items or sealed areas thereof is stored together for a specified time in a storage container, the inside of which the treatment agent, so that, through the diffusion thereof, the packaged consumable items or sealed areas thereof are also sterilised, thereby achieving long-term sterilisation.

Claims

1.-22. (canceled)

23. A method for sterilising packaged or partially packaged or partially sealed consumable items by means of a treatment agent having a disinfectant, comprising disposing a consumable item to be sterilised or an area of a consumable item to be sterilised in a first sealed environment such that a plurality of such individually packaged consumable items or sealed areas of consumable items are stored together for a specified time in a container; and treating the inside of the container with a predetermined quantity of the treatment agent by a treatment carrier, treated with sterilisation agent, being introduced into the container, so that through diffusion of the treatment agent the packaged consumable items or sealed areas of the consumable items are sterilised.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein the treatment is performed mechanically.

25. The method according to claim 23, wherein the treatment is performed manually.

26. The method according to claim 23, wherein the treatment agent is hydrogen peroxide (H.sub.2O.sub.2) and wherein the concentration of the treatment agent is between 20% and 50%.

27. The method according to claim 26, wherein the concentration of the treatment agent is 35%.

28. The method according to claim 23, wherein the amount of the respective treatment with treatment agent is, dependent upon the volume and the size of the surface of the consumable items, between 0.5 ml and 2 ml.

29. The method according to claim 23, wherein the duration of the exposure to treatment agent in the container is between 12 hours and 21 days.

30. The method according to claim 29, wherein the duration of the exposure to treatment agent in the container is between 24 hours and 7 days.

31. The method according to claim 23, wherein the method is free from active removal of the treatment agent.

32. The method according to claim 23, wherein the treatment agent used is free from a reaction accelerator.

33. The method according to claim 23, wherein a treatment agent is used containing a dye and brings about a discoloration of the container.

34. The method according to claim 23, wherein the specified quantity of consumable items is measured in individual parts and/or individual modules and wherein the quantity of individual parts and/or individual modules is 100.

35. The method according to claim 23, wherein the method is free from positioning of the consumable item or consumable items.

36. A container for accommodating a plurality of unarranged consumable items for use with the method according to claim 23, wherein the material for the container is plastic, wherein the container is designed as a bag which, after filling with consumable items and subsequent treatment, is sealed and stored in a subsequently sealed outer packaging and wherein a treatment carrier, treated with an appropriate quantity of sterilisation agent, is introduced into the container.

37. The container according to claim 36, wherein the plastic material has a set permeability so that condensation of treatment agent inside the container is prevented.

38. The container according to claim 37, wherein the container is a plastic bag in polyethylene.

39. The container according to claim 37, wherein the container is a plastic bag in polyamide.

40. The container according to claim 36, wherein the bag is sealed at its open end (folded).

41. An outer packaging for accommodating one or more container(s) for use with the method according to claim 23, wherein the material for the outer packaging is cardboard, resulting in an outer carton with closable flaps, which are folded down and suitably secured in order to close the outer carton and wherein the outer carton is partially wetted on its inside with treatment agent or a treatment carrier treated with a suitable quantity of sterilisation agent is introduced into the outer carton.

Description

[0044] The invention is explained in more detail in the following using a drawing showing a merely preferred embodiment. The drawing shows as follows in

[0045] FIG. 1 a perspective view of an empty storage container in an outer package;

[0046] FIG. 1A a perspective view of an opening or closing element for drink packaging from below;

[0047] FIG. 2 the filled storage container from FIG. 1;

[0048] FIG. 3 the closed storage container from FIG. 2 in the open outer package;

[0049] FIG. 4 the closed outer package; and

[0050] FIG. 5 a further embodiment concerning application of the sterilisation agent.

[0051] FIG. 1 shows a storage container 1 designed as a plastic bag, inserted in an open outer carton 2 so that its top edge can be guided over the flaps of the outer carton 2. In this way contact between the consumable items 3 to be filled in the storage container 1 and the outer carton can be avoided. As consumable items 3 into the embodiment shown and to this extent preferred, opening and/or closing elements for subsequent use with beverage or food packaging are shown.

[0052] FIG. 1A illustrates how an opening or closing element 3 not individually packed can also have an area which can be sealed with a film F and an inside which nevertheless has to be sterilised, in the example the air gap between screw cap and membrane.

[0053] FIG. 2 shows the storage container 1 filled with the abovementioned consumable items 3, in which for sterilisation purposes a predetermined quantity of the treatment agent H.sub.2O.sub.2 is introduced. The storage container 1 is then closed, as shown in FIG. 3 and the outer carton 2 is finally closed as shown in FIG. 4. Non-immediate indirect sterilisation of the consumable items takes place by diffusion of the liquid treatment agent, which has long enough to act on the packaged or partially packaged or partially sealed areas of consumable items.

[0054] Finally, FIG. 5 shows a further possibility for introducing the sterilisation agent, in which this takes place by means of an inserted sheet 4, to which various treatment carriers 5, treated with a sterilisation agent, have been applied.