JPH061372A - Packaged food and its packaging method - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] (Modified) [Purpose] To provide a packaged food that has an appearance similar to that of wrapping packaging, has little oxidation by air, and has a high microbial preservability, and a packaging method thereof. [Structure] A film having heat-sealing properties, heat-shrinking properties, and oxygen impermeability is provided at a predetermined position after packaging, and 2 to 20 small holes 7 are opened in the center of the surface to form a normal lateral pillow The food placed on the tray 2 is packaged by a packaging machine, the backing 4 and the top seal 5 are applied in the usual way, the film is heated and shrunk to release the excess gas from the small holes 7, and then the small holes 7 are adhered. A food packaged with a flexible film 6 and a packaging method thereof.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a packaged food which has an appearance similar to that of a wrapping package and is completely sealed unlike the wrapping package, and a packaging method thereof.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Many self-service stores put food in trays and wrap them in wrapping. This is also because it is in-store packaging and is a packaging form that gives the consumer a feeling of being cheap. In addition to this, wrap packaging has other excellent features such as simple packaging machines and equipment.

[0003]

However, the biggest drawback of this packaging form is that it is not hermetically sealed, and therefore the shelf life of the packaged food product is extremely low.
For example, the shelf life of sliced ham in wrap packaging is only one day due to the oxidation of air in the container, whereas the shelf life of sliced ham in inert gas filled package is well above 30 days.

Attempts have been made to mechanize the packaging of foods in a form similar to wrap packaging, and thus to carry out mechanization and packaging of an inert gas filled by the machine at the same time. An existing packaging machine that is likely to be particularly suitable is a horizontal pillow packaging machine. The biggest difference between the normal wrapping by these wrapping machines and the close wrapping wrapping is that the former needs to seal the enclosed gas as it is, while the latter allows some of the enclosed gas to escape to the outside due to the shrinkage of the film. This is something that needs to be done. As an example of such packaging, for example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-111233, after a primary shrink is applied to a film formed into a cylindrical shape by a pillow packaging machine, a space between the objects to be packaged is sealed and cut to perform a secondary shrink. The packaging method is described. However, in the additional test conducted by the present inventors, when the film is formed into a cylindrical shape and the primary shrink is performed, the space between the objects to be packaged is closed due to the shrinkage of the film, and the subsequent sealing and cutting between the objects to be packaged are performed. There was no room left to do it.

Further, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-187821 discloses (1) a method of packaging foods contained in a container, wherein (a)
It is characterized by performing a step of wrapping a food placed on a high-barrier plastic film having an exhaust hole in a tray, (b) shrink-wrapping, and (c) sealing with a label. The packaging method of food is described. Further, here, the tray is also provided with an exhaust hole. This is because the air in the tray escapes from the degassing hole at the bottom of the tray and the exhaust hole of the film at a position corresponding to it. However, if such a packaging method is actually performed, it is very difficult to evacuate because the degassing holes at the bottom of the tray and the exhaust holes of the film are misaligned.

[0006]

The present invention has been made to solve these problems. That is, a film having heat shrinkability, heat sealability and oxygen impermeability is hung on a horizontal pillow packaging machine until it reaches the package input point.
A package that is placed on the tray in the center of the film, avoiding the position of the top seal to be performed afterwards on the surface of the finished package and punching a plurality of small holes in the film according to the property of the package. While being housed in the film, a vertical seal (back-sealed heat seal) is used to form a tube, and an inert gas is blown into the tube formed of the film. It is preferable that this film is transparent and has dew resistance. At this time, an oxygen absorber such as Ageless (trade name) may be placed in the tray. Further, when the oxygen scavenger is used, the inert gas may not be blown into the pipe. Alternatively, the use of the oxygen scavenger and the blowing of the inert gas may be performed simultaneously. Next, separate each piece with a top seal. In this state, preferably, the lower part and the back-sticking seal part are heated to shrink the film and pull it to the lower part, and then the film on the surface is heat-shrinked. However, depending on the size and shape of the package, it is possible to shrink the package once. In any case, the surplus gas inside which is extruded due to the shrinkage of the film escapes from the small holes provided on the surface of the film. Before all the inert gas escapes or the air does not enter again, the plurality of small holes are closed with one adhesive film and sealed. After this, the packaged products are separated one by one, but the sealing with the adhesive film may be performed after the separation. If the position where the holes are punched is properly selected, the position where the adhesive film is applied should be at the center of the surface of the package, so it is possible to preprint it on the adhesive film so that it also serves as a label. By these operations, the film is taut from edge to edge of the tray and is completed with the wrap-around wrap sealed. In this packaging step, a sachet, card or other form of oxygen scavenger may be used in order to supplement the function of air replacement by an inert gas or to save the trouble of blowing an inert gas.

In wrap-around packaging, one large hole must not be punched in order to allow the gas enclosed in the packaging to escape. When the film shrinks, it is pulled from the surroundings,
This is because the hole becomes large or the shape of the hole is distorted and it is difficult to close it. It can't be a single stoma. This is because the foodstuffs in the contents block the holes, and the gas cannot escape to the outside. Also, the position where the hole is to be opened must be a position away from the sealing position. Since a hole is made in the film before sealing, the hole is not tightly sealed at the time of sealing, or the swelling of the film due to the sealing becomes an obstacle, and the hole cannot be closed with the adhesive film. Therefore, in the present invention, a plurality of small holes, preferably 2 to 20 small holes are provided at a position away from the sealing position of the film, depending on the shape and properties of the food to be packaged. The number of holes is small for simple foods, but large for fine, complicated, and film-lifting shapes. However, generally speaking, if the number of the small holes is small, it is difficult for the inert gas to escape, and if the number is too large, the strength of the film becomes weak, so 2 to 20 are preferable.

[0008] Heat shrinking of the film is a necessary procedure in order to taut the surface of the packaging film, in particular, to give it a clean appearance.

As the film used for packaging the food according to the present invention, the present inventors have used a laminated film of polyethylene, polyester, eval, and polyethylene, and have a beautiful appearance after packaging, heat sealability and heat resistance. However, the film is not limited to this as long as the film has shrinkability and is preferably oxygen impermeable. Further, this packaging is used for packaging foods such as sliced loin ham, fish paste, chikuwa, wiener sausage, Frankfurt phosage and the like.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Slice normal loin ham as sterile as possible, weigh this sliced ham (1) and put it on a white hard vinyl chloride tray (2) together with a small bag of oxygen scavenger, and roll the roll film of a normal horizontal pillow packaging machine. Pull it out,
Before reaching the back seal position, a small hole (7) is opened by a machine with a device that opens 14 small holes in the center of the film avoiding the planned top seal position, and nitrogen gas and carbon dioxide gas are added. The white hard vinyl chloride tray containing the roasted ham slice and the small bag of oxygen scavenger was packaged while blowing a mixed gas, sealed on the back, and the film (3) was heat-shrinked by a heating tunnel. At the final stage of the packaging process, a pressure-sensitive adhesive film (6) having a label required printed on the surface was attached to cover the hole. The packaged sliced ham according to the present invention looked like a wrap package from the surface, and was subjected to a storage test in a refrigerated showcase at 10 ° C. to confirm that it had a shelf life of 40 days. On the other hand, the sliced loin ham, which had been wrapped in the usual wrapping, discolored after 2 days and lost its commercial value.

The packaged food obtained according to the present invention is as beautiful as a wrap package, and moreover the preservability of the content food can be greatly improved as compared with the wrap package.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the surface of a packaged food according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the back surface of the packaged food of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Slice ham 2 Tray 3 Packaging film 4 Back sticker 5 Top seal 6 Adhesive film 7 Small hole

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A food placed on a tray is packaged with a film having heat shrinkability, heat sealability and oxygen impermeable property, and a bag is formed with a backing sticker and a top seal to shrink the film. And stretch it from the edge of the tray to the edge,
A packaged food product in which multiple small holes concentrated on the front surface of the packaging film are covered with an adhesive film. 2. The packaged food according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of small holes are 2 to 20 small holes. 3. The packaged food according to claim 1, which is a label having an adhesive film printed thereon. 4. The packaged food according to claim 1, further comprising an oxygen absorber. 5. When pulling out a roll film having heat shrinkability, heat sealability and oxygen impermeability from a horizontal pillow packaging machine, a top seal portion for dividing the packaged food into individual ones is provided at the center of the film. Avoid multiple holes, place the food placed on the tray inside the film and make a vertical seal to make the film tubular, and blow an inert gas into the pipe between the food and the food. Seal the
A method for packaging food, characterized in that the entire film is shrunk through a heat shrinking tunnel to allow excess gas to escape from the small holes, and immediately after that, the adhesive film is applied so as to completely cover the small holes provided in the packaging film. . 6. The food packaging method according to claim 5, wherein the oxygen scavenger is placed in the package instead of or together with the blowing of the inert gas.