ES2241432B1 - PACKAGING PROCEDURE OF A PLURALITY OF FOOD PRODUCTS THAT INCLUDE A PLURALITY OF FOOD PORTS AND A RECTILINE ROD, AND SET OF CORRESPONDING FOOD PRODUCTS. - Google Patents

Abstract

Method of packaging a plurality of food products comprising a plurality of food portions and a rectilinear rod, and corresponding set of food products. Such food products are for example meat skewers. The procedure consists in placing the skewers (1) parallel to each other forming a first level (8) flat, and with all the ends (6) of the rods (3) of said first level (8) adjacent to each other forming a beam ( 15), place a similar second level (9) of skewers (1) on said first level (8), their beams (15) being opposed, all on a tray (16) with a flat bottom (17) on which the portions of meat (2) of the first level (8) and two flat seating surfaces (18) rest for each of said beams (15), and finally vacuum pack the assembly in a container of flexible plastic material.

Description

Packaging procedure of a plurality of food products comprising a plurality of portions of food and a straight rod and set of food products correspondent.

Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a method of packaging of a plurality of food products, each of said food products comprising a plurality of portions of food and a rectilinear rod, where said rod rectilinear crosses said portions, and where a first end of said rod is housed inside the first of said portions while a second end of said rod protrudes of the last of these portions. Food products at which the invention refers to are for example meat skewers, sausage, cheese, vegetables, etc.

State of the art

Among the numerous packaging systems of existing perishable food, vacuum packaging with a container consisting of a flexible plastic film is especially attractive. This packaging system consists essentially in surrounding the product to be packed with a flexible plastic film and make the void between said product and said film, for example by means of a Vacuum throwing system or by heat if a multi-layer heat shrink film, so that the plastic film It is glued to the product. It is typically used for meats and sausages, and allows proper product preservation minimizing the volume of the container while offering the advantage aesthetics that the packaged product is visible if used a clear plastic However, for certain products, such as skewers, this packaging system is difficult to perform Indeed, skewer manufacturers do not bow By this vacuum packaging system with flexible plastic film because, during the packaging process, said film is perforated too often, with the consequent loss of vacuum in the container This perforation or breakage of the plastic film occurs normally at the level of the skewer rods, where the container is subjected to strong tensions when vacuuming during The packaging process.

Summary of the invention

The invention aims to overcome this inconvenient. This purpose is achieved through a procedure of packaging a plurality of food products that they comprise a plurality of food portions and a rod rectilinear, of the type indicated at the beginning, characterized in that understands:

[a] a first stage of product placement food parallel to each other, forming a first level substantially flat, and with all the second ends of said first level adjacent to each other,

[b] a second stage of product placement food parallel to each other and parallel to the products food of said first level, forming a second level, and with all the second ends of said second level adjacent each other, such that the food portions of the second level are superimposed on the food portions of the first level and in such a way that the second ends of the rods of the second level are in the opposite direction to the second extremes of the first level rods,

[c] a stage of vacuum packaging of said food products in a plastic container flexible.

Such food products comprising a plurality of food portions and a straight rod are per example meat skewers, sausage, cheese, vegetables, etc.

The process according to the invention resolves satisfactorily the problem of the breakage of the material container flexible plastic, or plastic film, during the process of packing. Indeed, applying the method according to the invention, the likelihood of such a break occurs drastically of the plastic film. This improvement, proven by the results obtained in an essay campaign carried out by the applicant, because the provision of food products is such that the tensions in the plastic film are reduced when the empty in the container. This stress relaxation is obtained over all in the areas of the film that are in contact with the rods, precisely where it has been observed most frequently the breakage of the container in the attempts of packaging of said products.

Preferably, said package of flexible plastic material, or plastic film, is transparent and It consists of a bag of heat shrink film in which they are introduced Food products to be packaged. However, said container of flexible plastic material may also be constituted by for example, by one or several sheets of film that are applied on the food products to be packaged.

The invention also contemplates a variant advantageous of said procedure in which, after said second placement stage, where a first block of two has been completed levels of food products, and before that stage of packaging, a third stage of preparation of a second takes place block of food products of two levels of products food with a first level and a second level of products food similar to the first level and the second level of the first block of food products, where said second block is similar to said first block and is arranged in such a way that the extreme seconds of the first or second level of the second block are interspersed between the second ends of respectively the first or second level of the first block. This variant allows to form two blocks of products, one after another, of so that, here too, the products are arranged in such a way so that the tensions in the plastic film are reduced when creates the vacuum in the container, especially in the areas of the film that They are in contact with the rods.

Another advantageous variant of the process according to the invention consists in that, after said first stage of placement of said first level of a first block of products food, an additional first stage of placement takes place of a first level of a second block of food products, and after said second placement stage, a second stage takes place additional step of placing a second level of said second block of food products, so that said first block and said second block are similar and said second block is arranged in such a way that the second ends of the first or of the second level of the second block are interspersed between second extremes of respectively the first or second level of the first block. This variant allows to form two blocks of products, providing a first level of products after another, so that, here too, the products are arranged in such a way so that the tensions in the plastic film are reduced when creates the vacuum in the container, especially in the areas of the film that They are in contact with the rods.

Preferably, as an extension of those cited variants, the method according to the invention comprises Additional stages of two-level block preparation of additional food products arranged in such a way that second ends of each level of food products are interspersed with the second ends of the corresponding level of adjacent block. In this way, the number of blocks of two levels of products contained in the same container, so that more than two blocks of Products in the same container.

Advantageously, in the process according to the invention described in the foregoing, where upon completion of the all of these stages of placement of food products, each group of second rod ends substantially parallel and coplanar to each other forms a beam of ends of rods, said stages of placement of food products are perform placing the first food products levels on a rigid tray, said rigid tray presenting at least one flat bottom, on which the portions of food from these first levels, and a flat seating surface for each of said rod end beams, being located said flat seating surface immediately below said rod ends beam and covering at least all the extension of this one. You get so all the extreme seconds of rods are arranged on said flat surfaces of seat, so that when vacuum packed the set formed for food products and the tray, using a material flexible plastic such as a plastic film, this material easily adheres to said second ends of rod and on the corresponding flat seat surface, when constitute these a substantially flat and continuous surface, thus reducing the final tensions in said plastic film. Be it thus obtains a particularly robust packaging against the eventuality of a breakage or perforation of said plastic film occurred during the packaging procedure.

The mentioned rigid tray can be, by title non-limiting example, thermoformed transparent plastic, or also of expanded polystyrene with a cladding barrier coextruded

The invention also relates to assemblies. of food products obtained through the procedures according to the invention and its variants described in the foregoing, sharing these sets of food products the same Advantageous features already mentioned for these procedures: a great robustness of the container against the breakage or perforation of the flexible plastic material, especially during the process of bottled but staying after this robustness in the products obtained.

Specifically, the invention relates to a set of food products characterized by:

[a] each of said food products it comprises a plurality of food portions and a rod rectilinear, where said rectilinear rod passes through said portions, where a first end of said rod is housed in the inside of the first of said portions while a second end of said rod protrudes from the last of said portions,

[b] said food products are arranged on a first level and a second level, substantially flat, in such a way that all the food products of said first level are arranged parallel to each other and with all second ends of said first level adjacent to each other, and all food products of said second level are arranged parallel to each other and parallel to the products food of said first level and with all the second extremes of said second level adjacent to each other, such that the Second level food portions are superimposed on the portions of first level food and in such a way that second ends of the second level rods are in direction opposite that the second ends of the first rods level,

[c] said assembly is vacuum packed in a flexible plastic material container.

Advantageously, as a variant, said set of products includes, in addition to a first block of food products formed by said first level and said second level, a second block of food products of two food product levels with a first level and a second level of food products similar to the first level and the second level of the first block of food products, where said second block is arranged such that the seconds ends of the first or second level of the second block remain interspersed between the second ends of, respectively, the First or second level of the first block.

Preferably, as an extension of these variants, said set of products comprises blocks of additional food products arranged in such a way that it has the second ends of each level of food products interspersed with the second ends of the corresponding level of adjacent block.

Advantageously, said set of products, where each group of second rod ends substantially parallel and coplanar to each other forms a beam of ends of rods, also includes a rigid tray consisting of at minus a flat bottom, on which the food portions rest of the first levels of food products, and a surface seat plane for each of said beam ends rods, said flat seating surface being located immediately below said beam ends of rods and covering at least the entire length of it.

Brief description of the drawings

Other advantages and features of the invention they are appreciated from the following description, in which, without no limitation, preferential modes of embodiment of the invention, mentioning the drawings that are accompany. The figures show:

Fig. 1, a perspective view of a product food comprising a plurality of food portions and a straight rod.

Fig. 2, a side elevation view of the product food of Fig. 1.

Figs. 3a and 3b, perspective views of a block of food products of the type shown in Fig. 1, as obtained before vacuum packaging in a procedure according to, respectively, a first and a second mode of  embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 4, a side elevation view of the block of food products of Fig. 3b.

Fig. 5, a representative schematic view of the block of food products of Figs. 3b and 4.

Fig. 6, a side elevation view of a set of two blocks of food products of the type depicted in Fig. 1, as obtained before packaging to vacuum in a process according to a third embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 7, a representative schematic view of the set of two blocks of food products of Fig. 6.

Figs. 8a to 8e, schematic views representative of a packaging procedure for a block of food products of the type depicted in Figs. 3b and 4, according to said second embodiment of the invention.

Figs. 9a to 9g, schematic views representative of a packaging procedure of a set of two blocks of food products of the type represented in the Fig. 6, according to said third embodiment of the invention.

Detailed description of some embodiments of the invention

Figs. 1 and 2 show a food product 1 formed by a plurality of food portions 2 skewered in a rectilinear rod 3, wherein said rectilinear rod 3 crosses said portions, and where a first end 4 of said rod 3 is housed inside the first 5 of said portions 2, while a second end 6 of said rod 3 protrudes from the last 7 of said portions 2.

In this example, said food product 1 is a skewer of portions 2 of meat, these portions having a substantially cubic form. However, said portions 2 they could be another type of food, such as cheese, vegetables, etc., and have another form, without leaving the framework of The present invention.

Fig. 3a shows a two-level block 8, 9 substantially flat food products or skewers 1 of the type shown in Fig. 1. This block is the one obtained according to a first embodiment of the procedure according to the invention, before the last stage of vacuum packaging in a flexible plastic material container. In this first mode of embodiment of the invention, said products are not placed in no tray, if not vacuum packed directly in a flexible plastic material container (not shown in Fig. 3a).

Fig. 3b shows a two-level block 8, 9 substantially flat food products or skewers 1 of the type shown in Fig. 1, the first level being placed 8 on a rigid tray 16. This block is the one obtained before the last stage of vacuum packaging in a second mode of realization of the process according to the invention, which differs of the first by the incorporation of said rigid tray 16.

The food product sets represented in figures 3a and 3b comprise, by way of example non-limiting, three columns of skewers 1. However, you must it is understood that this number of columns can be any without thereby leaving the framework of the present invention. Thus, Fig. 4 shows a side view of a set of products according to the Fig. 3b, where the number of columns of skewers 1, and therefore the width of the rigid tray 16 can be any.

It will be seen in Figs. 3b and 4 that the second ends 6 of rod of the first level 8 of skewers are substantially parallel and coplanar to each other, forming a beam 15 rod ends that sit on a flat surface of seat 18 of said tray 16; the same goes for the seconds rod ends 6 of the second level 9 of skewers, seated on another flat seating surface 18 of said tray 16, while meat portions 2 of the first level 8 of skewers sit on a flat bottom 17 of said tray 16.

The rigid trays shown in Figs. 3b and 4 and in Fig. 6 are of reduced thickness, substantially constant, and have fins at their ends. But nevertheless, other forms of tray can be considered without leaving the field of the invention, provided they have a surface seat plane that is located just below each beam of second rod ends and at least one flat bottom for the seating the food portions of the first levels of food products.

Fig. 5 is a schematic representation of the block of skewers of Figs. 3b and 4 together with the rigid tray 16 that supports them, with side elevation view and without distinguishing portions of meat 2, which have been drawn as a single set for greater clarity in the representation of the packaging procedure. Said process according to this second embodiment of the invention is schematized in Figs. 8a to 8e, which they represent the different successive stages of the process, which understands:

[a] a first stage of placement, in a rigid tray 16, of skewers 1 parallel to each other, forming a first level 8 substantially flat, and with all the seconds ends 6 of said first level 8 adjacent to each other forming a make 15 substantially flat; where the meat portions 2 of this first level 8 sits on a flat bottom 17 of said tray 16, and where said beam 15 sits on a first flat support surface 18 of said tray 16; the product obtained at the end of this first stage is represented in a way schematic in Fig. 8b;

[b] a second stage of placing skewers 1 parallel to each other and parallel to the skewers 1 of said first level 8, forming a second level 9, and with all the seconds ends 6 of said second level 9 adjacent to each other, such so that the meat portions 2 of the second level 9 remain superimposed on the meat portions 2 of the first level 8 and of such that the second ends 6 of the rods 3 of the second level 9 are in the opposite direction to the second extremes 6 of the rods 3 of the first level 8, forming a beam 15 substantially flat that sits on a second surface support plane 18 of said tray 16; the product obtained at The end of this second stage is represented in Figs. 3b and 4, and schematically in Figs. 5 and 8c;

[c] a stage of vacuum packaging of said skewers 1 arranged in said tray 16 in a material container flexible plastic 10. This stage is represented in a way schematic by Figs. 8d and 8e.

In this last stage of vacuum packaging, said Flexible plastic material is a transparent film bag heat shrinkable multilayer. The set of skewers that results from the preceding stages, together with tray 16 in which settle, it is introduced into said bag 10, as shown in schematic form in Fig. 8d; then a heating that causes a contraction of the bag 10 with the consequent expulsion of air, until the plastic material of This bag 10 is attached to the set of skewers, obtaining thus a vacuum sealed container as shown schematic in Fig. 8e. It will be noted that by arranging the skewers according to the described procedure, the plastic material 10 adopts without difficulty the shape of said skewers, and especially the shape of the beams 15 of second rod ends that they rest on the flat seating surfaces 18, whereby no is subject to strong tensions that can cause break. An efficient vacuum packaging process is thus obtained. and robust.

Fig. 6 shows an assembly formed by two 11, 12 blocks of two levels of skewers, respectively 8, 9 and 13, 14, together with the rigid tray 16 that supports them. This set is the one obtained before the last stage of packaging under vacuum in a third embodiment of the process according to the invention.

Fig. 7 is a schematic representation of the set of skewers of Fig. 6, with side elevation view and without distinguishing the portions of meat 2, which have been drawn as a only set for clarity in the representation of packaging procedure Said procedure according to this third embodiment of the invention is schematized in Figs. 9a to 9g, where the different stages have been represented successive process. The first two stages (Figs. 9a, 9b and 9c) they are the same as those of the second embodiment already described, with which a first block 11 of two skewers is obtained levels 8, 9 placed on a rigid tray 16 that differs of the rigid tray of the second embodiment described previously because it consists of an additional flat bottom 17 and a additional flat seat surface 18. The following stages include:

- a preparation of a second block 12 of 1 level two skewers 13, 14, with a first level 13 and a second level 14 of skewers similar to the first level 8 and the second level 9 of the first block 11 of skewers, being seated portions of meat 2 of said first level 13 on said flat bottom Additional 17 of said tray 16, wherein said second block 12 is similar to said first block 11 and is arranged in such a way that the second ends 6 of the first level 13 of the second block 12 are sandwiched between the second ends 6 of the first level 8 of the first block 11, forming a substantially flat beam 15 that sits on a flat seating surface 18 of said tray 16, and the second extreme 6 of the second level 14 of the second block 12 form another substantially flat beam 15 that sits on said additional flat seat surface 18 of said tray 16; the product obtained at the end of this third stage is represented in Fig. 6, and schematically in Figs. 7 and 9e;

- a vacuum packing stage of said 1 skewers in a container of flexible plastic material 10. This stage is schematically represented in Figs. 9f and 9g, and it is in all analogous to that already described for the second mode of realization, presenting its same advantages.

Claims (9)

1. Method of packaging a plurality of food products (1), each of said food products comprising a plurality of food portions (2) and a rectilinear rod (3), wherein said rectilinear rod (3) passes through said portions ( 2), and where a first end (4) of said rod (3) is housed inside the first (5) of said portions (3) while a second end (6) of said rod (3) protrudes from the last (7) of said portions (3), characterized in that it comprises: [a] a first stage of product placement food (1) parallel to each other, forming a first level (8) substantially flat, and with all the second ends (6) of said first level (8) adjacent to each other, [b] a second stage of product placement food (1) parallel to each other and parallel to the products food (1) of said first level (8), forming a second level (9), and with all the second seconds (6) of said second level (9) adjacent to each other, such that the portions of food (2) of the second level (9) are superimposed on the portions of food (2) of the first level (9) and in such a way that second ends (6) of the rods (3) of the second level (9) are in the opposite direction to the second ends (6) of the rods (3) of the first level (8), [c] a stage of vacuum packaging of said food products (1) in a plastic container flexible (10). Method according to claim 1, characterized in that after said second stage of placement, where a first block (11) of two levels (8, 9) of food products (1) has been completed, and before said packaging stage, a third stage of preparation of a second block (12) of food products (1) of two levels (13, 14) of food products (1) with a first level (13) and a second level (14) of products takes place foodstuffs (1) similar to the first level (8) and the second level (9) of the first block (11) of food products (1), wherein said second block (12) is similar to said first block (11) and is arranged such that the second ends (6) of the first (13) or second (14) level of the second block (12) are sandwiched between the second ends (6) of respectively the first (8) or the second (9) level of the first block (11). Method according to claim 1, characterized in that after said first stage of placing said first level (8) of a first block (11) of food products (1) an additional first stage of placement of a first level (13) takes place. ) of a second block (12) of food products (1), and after said second stage of placement an additional second stage of placement of a second level (14) of said second block (12) of food products (1) takes place. , so that said first block (11) and said second block (12) are similar and said second block (12) is arranged such that the second ends (6) of the first (13) or the second (14) level of the second block (12) are sandwiched between the second ends (6) of respectively the first (8) or the second (9) level of the first block (11). Method according to one of the claims 2 or 3, characterized in that it comprises additional stages of preparation of blocks of two levels of additional food products (1) arranged in such a way that the second ends (6) of each level of food products are interleaved. with the second ends (6) of the corresponding level of the adjacent block. 5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein upon completion of all said food product placement stages (1), each group of second endpoints (6) of substantially parallel and coplanar rods together forms a beam ( 15) of rod ends, characterized in that said steps of placing food products are carried out by placing the food products (1) of the first levels (8, 13) on a rigid tray (16), presenting said rigid tray (16) by at least one flat bottom (17), on which the food portions (2) of said first levels (8, 13) rest, and a flat seating surface (18) for each of said end bundles (15) of rods, said flat seating surface (18) being located immediately below said beam (15) of rod ends and covering at least the entire length thereof. 6. Set of food products, characterized in that: [a] each of said food products It comprises a plurality of food portions (2) and a rod rectilinear (3), wherein said rectilinear rod (3) crosses said portions (2), where a first end (4) of said rod (3) is housed inside the first (5) of said portions (2) while a second end (6) of said rod (3) protrudes of the last (7) of said portions (2), [b] said food products (1) are arranged in a first level (8) and a second level (9), substantially flat, so that all products foodstuffs (1) of said first level (8) are arranged parallel to each other and with all the second ends (6) of said first level (8) adjacent to each other, and all products foodstuffs (1) of said second level (9) are arranged parallel to each other and parallel to food products (1) of said first level (8) and with all the second extremes (6) of said second level (9) adjacent to each other, such that the food portions (2) of the second level (9) are superimposed on the food portions (2) of the first level (8) and such so that the second ends (6) of the rods (3) of the second level (9) are in the opposite direction to the second ends (6) of the rods (3) of the first level (8), [c] said assembly is vacuum packed in a flexible plastic material container (10). Assembly according to claim 6, characterized in that, in addition to a first block (11) of food products (1) formed by said first level (8) and said second level (9), it comprises a second block (12) of products food (1) of two levels (13, 14) of food products (1) with a first level (13) and a second level (14) of food products (1) similar to the first level (8) and the second level ( 9) of the first block (11) of food products (1), wherein said second block (12) is arranged such that the second ends (6) of the first (13) or the second (14) level of the second block ( 9) are interleaved between the second ends (6) of respectively the first (8) or the second (9) level of the first block (11). Assembly according to claim 7, characterized in that it comprises blocks of additional food products arranged in such a way that it has the second ends (6) of each level of food products (1) interspersed with the second ends (6) of the corresponding level of the block adjacent. 9. Assembly according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein each group of second ends (6) of substantially parallel and coplanar rods (3) forms a bundle (15) of rod ends, characterized in that it comprises a rigid tray ( 16) consisting of at least one flat bottom (17), on which the food portions (2) of the first levels (8, 13) of food products (1), and a flat seating surface (18) rest each of said bundles (15) of rod ends, said flat seating surface (18) being located immediately below said beam (15) of rod ends and covering at least the entire length thereof.