A BEVERAGE CAPSULE COMPRISING A BARRIER LINER ATTACHED TO A PULP BODY

Abstract

Capsule (1) for beverage preparation, comprising a cup-shaped body (2) of moulded cellulose pulp and a closing membrane (5) attached to said body (2), further comprising a multilayer polymeric liner (3) attached to the inner surface of the cellulose pulp body (2), said liner comprising: (i) an outermost polymeric layer (7) having an elongation at break between 10% and 800%, a melt flow rate (MFR) between 2 and 4, and a melting point temperature below 80 C. (ii) a first tie layer (8), (iii) a barrier layer (9), (iv) a second tie layer (10), (v) an innermost polymeric layer (11) comprising a biodegradable polymer, said innermost layer having a thickness between 10 and 100 m, and said innermost layer having an elongation at break between 10% and 1000%, a melt flow rate (MFR) comprised between 4 and 10, and a melting point temperature between 110 C. and 180 C.

Claims

1. A capsule for beverage preparation, comprising a cup-shaped body and a closing membrane attached to said body, said body and membrane defining a closed ingredient compartment, said capsule being adapted to be pierced by water injection means of a beverage preparation machine for injecting water under pressure in the compartment, and said membrane being adapted to pierce onto opening means of said machine for dispensing a beverage prepared within said compartment when water pressure inside the compartment reaches a predetermined value, at least said capsule body being made of rigid or semi-rigid moulded cellulose pulp, characterized in that it further comprises a multilayer polymeric liner attached to the inner surface of the cellulose pulp body, said liner comprising: (i) an outermost polymeric layer comprising a biodegradable polymer selected from the group consisting of: polybutylene succinate (PBSA/bioPBS), polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT), starch, cellulose derivates, polylactic acid (PLA), polyhydroxyalcanoates (PHA), and a combination thereof, said outermost layer having a thickness of between 10 and 100 m, and said outermost layer having an elongation at break of between 10% and 800%, a melt flow rate (MFR) of between 2 and 4 when measured at 150 C. during 10 minutes with a pressure of 2.16 kg, and said outermost layer having a melting point temperature of below 80 C., (ii) a first tie layer comprising a biodegradable modified or functionalized polyolefin, having a melting point temperature of between 180 C. and 230 C. and a thickness of between 1 and 12 m, (iii) a barrier layer comprising a polymer selected from the group consisting of: butenediol vinyl alcohol copolymer (BVOH), polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) and a combination thereof, and having a melting point temperature of between 180 C. and 230 C. and a thickness of between 1 and 15 m, (iv) a second tie layer comprising a biodegradable modified or functionalized polyolefin, having a melting point temperature of between 180 C. and 230 C. and a thickness of between 1 and 10 m, (v) an innermost polymeric layer comprising a biodegradable polymer selected from the group consisting of: polybutylene succinate (PBSA), polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT), starch, cellulose derivates, polylactic acid (PLA), polyhydroxyalcanoates (PHA) and a combination thereof, said innermost layer having a thickness of between 10 and 100 m, and said innermost layer having an elongation at break between 10% and 1000%, a melt flow rate (MFR) of between 4 and 10 when measured at 190 C. during 10 minutes with a pressure of 2.16 kg, and said innermost layer having a melting point temperature of between 110 C. and 180 C.

2. A capsule according to claim 1, wherein said cup-shaped body comprises a peripheral rim onto which the closing membrane is attached.

3. A capsule according to claim 1, wherein at least the outermost, innermost, barrier and tie layers are co-extruded layers.

4. A capsule according to claim 1, wherein the closing membrane is made of a material selected from the group consisting of an extrusion coated paper, a fiber-spinning coated paper, or and a polymer film comprising a compatible polymer material.

5. A capsule according to claim 1, wherein the polymer of the innermost layer is an annealed polymer.

6. A capsule according to claim 1, wherein the outermost layer and innermost layer of the multilayer polymeric liner have different thickness.

7. A capsule according to claim 1, wherein the biodegradable polymer of the outermost and/or of the innermost layers of the multilayer polymeric liner is bio-based.

8. A capsule according to claim 1 wherein said ingredient is roast and ground coffee.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] Additional features and advantages of the present invention are described in, and will be apparent from, the description of the presently preferred embodiments which are set out below with reference to the drawings in which:

[0033] FIG. 1 is a schematic cut view of a capsule according to the invention;

[0034] FIG. 2 is a schematic cut view of a multilayer liner according to the invention;

[0035] FIGS. 3A, 3B, 4A to 4C and 5 are schematic views of the different steps of attaching a barrier liner to a pulp cup-shaped body according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0036] As illustrated in the embodiment of FIG. 1, the invention concerns a beverage preparation capsule 1, comprising a cup-shaped capsule body 2 covered on its inner surface by an oxygen and barrier liner 3. The capsule body 2 further comprises a peripheral rim 4 that surrounds an opening, said opening being closed by a membrane 5 that is sealed onto the rim 4. The capsule body closed by the membrane 5 defines a compartment 6 for a roast and ground coffee ingredient contained therein.

[0037] The barrier liner 3 is a multi-layer film, an embodiment of which is illustrated in FIG. 2. In this embodiment, the liner comprises the following layers attached one to another.

[0038] First, it comprises an outermost polymeric layer 7, made of a polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT) based formulation. This outermost layer has a thickness of 17 m, and an elongation at break of 600% and serves as an adhesive to the pulp. It also features a melt flow rate (MFR) of 3 (measured at 150 C. during 10 minutes with a pressure of 2.16 kg), and a melting point temperature of 75 C.

[0039] The thickness of the outermost layer may vary between 10 and 100 m depending on the applications.

[0040] To the outermost layer 7 is attached a first tie layer 8 made of a biopolyester grafted with maleic anhydride, having a melting point temperature of 200 C. and a thickness of 4 m. The tie layer 8 is an adhesive layer that binds tightly the outermost layer 7 to the barrier layer 9 that will now be described.

[0041] As a core layer located in the middle of the multilayer liner structure is a barrier layer 9 made of butenediol vinyl alcohol copolymer (BVOH), having a melting point temperature comprised of 200 C. and a thickness of 8 m. This barrier layer provides barrier against oxygen and moisture transfer between the outside atmosphere and the capsule compartment.

[0042] To the barrier layer 9 is attached a second tie layer 10 made of a biopolyester grafted with maleic anhydride, having a melting point temperature of 200 C. and a thickness of 4 m.

[0043] Lastly, the liner in this embodiment depicted in FIG. 2 comprises an innermost polymeric layer 11 made of polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT) based formulation. This innermost layer has a thickness of 17 m, and an elongation at break of 177%. It also features a melt flow rate (MFR) of 6 measured at 190 C. during 10 minutes with a pressure of 2.16 kg. This layer has a melting point temperature of 115 C.

[0044] The thickness of the inner termost layer may vary between 10 and 100 m depending on the applications.

[0045] Additionally, according to the needs, the multilayer polymer liner 3 may have a symmetric or an asymmetric structure depending on the thickness of the different layers, and especially of the outermost and innermost layers.

[0046] As a preference, the biodegradable polymer of the outermost and/or of the innermost layers of the multilayer polymeric liner is bio-based.

[0047] More precisely, the various layers of the liner according to the present invention can be chosen according to the following table, which provides various thicknesses that can be chosen for each of the different layers:

TABLE-US-00001 Commercial Grade Tm total name of LAYER Name ( C.) MFR thickness 50 60 80 100 50 polymer Supplier Outermost KF01U 75 3 (150 C./10 - 2.16 kg) 17 22 32 42 15 MaterBi NOVAMONT layer (adhesive) Tie layer BTR800P 200 4 4 4 4 5 MCPP Barrier BVE8049P 200 8 8 8 8 10 G-polymer MCPP Tie BTR800P 200 4 4 4 4 5 MCPP Innermost ES03B0* 115 6 (190 C./10 - 2.16 kg) 17 22 32 42 15 MaterBi NOVAMONT layer (functional)

[0048] The capsule according to the invention is manufactured with the following steps, in order.

[0049] As illustrated in FIG. 3A, a capsule cup 12 is first moulded from a dry or wet (preferably wet) pulp mixture. Moulding cellulose pulp is known in the art already and will not be described in more detail in the present description. The pulp cup 12 has an opening 13 into which a roast and ground coffee ingredient can be filled (not illustrated).

[0050] The barrier liner film 3 is then provided as a flat sheet 14 and placed over the opening 13 of the pulp cup 12, while said cup 12 is placed in a mould 15, as depicted in FIGS. 3B and 4A.

[0051] Then, as shown in FIG. 4B, a plunger 16 is applied onto the surface of the flat sheet 14, which is moved towards the interior of the cup 12, such that the barrier liner sheet is pushed into the vicinity of the cup's interior, until said liner is fully attached to the pulp cup surface as shown in FIG. 4C. The technique of attaching the barrier liner sheet 14 to the surface of the pulp cup 12 is largely based on thermoforming techniques.

[0052] Once the attachment process of the barrier liner sheet 14 onto the inside surface of the pulp cup 12 is terminated, the peripheral rim 4 is trimmed (i.e. cut to the right diameter) so that an empty pulp capsule with barrier properties is obtained as illustrated in FIG. 5, which comprises an opening through which a coffee powder is filled. Then, the filled capsule is closed by sealing a membrane 5 onto the rim 4 of said capsule.

[0053] It should be understood that various changes and modifications to the presently preferred embodiments described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention and without diminishing its attendant advantages. It is therefore intended that such changes and modifications be covered by the appended claims.