EP0505294A1 - Sliced food product separated by spacer-leaves, vacuum packed under thermo-formed plastic film - Google Patents

Abstract

Food product packaged in thermoformed plastic film under air vacuum, comprising a support (1) for presentation with flat bottom (1a) and a face (1c) for heat sealing the plastic film, a stack (2) in contact of the heat-sealing face, composed of slices (3) of a foodstuff presented for consumption, and of sheets (4) which are substantially watertight separating sheets, having a shape and dimensions adapted to the mean contour of the superimposed slices of the stack, said slices being offset from one another according to a dimension of presentation of the support, corresponding to one of the dimensions, or width, of said slices, said plastic film (5), flexible, waterproof and transparent, conforming to the effect of the void on the relief of said stack, and being heat-welded along its surface external to the stack, on the presentation support, characterized in that, on the one hand, each intermediate sheet (4) has a e width, depending on the size of presentation, sufficient both to separate two consecutive slices (3), according to most of their common surface, and to reveal between the two visible and adjacent edges (3a) of said consecutive slices, transversely at the presentation dimension, a gripping element of said interlayer with the upper edge (3 "), and on the other hand each interlayer sheet (4) has on both sides a transverse contour, allowing it to be contained in the stack (2), between the two common edges of said consecutive sections (3). <IMAGE>

Description

The present invention relates to food products presented in slices and packaged in this form in a storage and presentation package, essentially comprising a presentation support and a plastic film, flexible, waterproof and transparent, conforming to the relief of the superimposed slices, and thermo-welded on the support.

Various packaging materials are now available and available, for packaging in the aforementioned manner a food product previously cut into superimposed slices.

• un support de présentation, du type barquette, avec un fond plat, et une face extérieure de thermo-soudage du film plastique ; il peut s'agir par exemple d'un récipient en carton revêtu sur ses deux faces d'une couche plastique ou d'un récipient en matériau plastique thermo-formé
• un empilement au contact de la face de thermo-soudage du support, composé de tranches de la denrée alimentaire présentée à la consommation, et de feuilles intercalaires de séparation desdites tranches, substantiellement étanches ; ces intercalaires ont chacun une forme et des dimensions adaptées au contour moyen des tranches superposées de l'empilement ; et les tranches avec leurs intercalaires, sont décalées les unes par rapport aux autres, selon une dimension de présentation, correspondant à l'une des dimensions des tranches, par exemple leur largeur, mais aussi à l'une des dimensions du support
• le film plastique de protection, adhérant et épousant sous l'effet du vide le relief de l'empilement des tranches décalées, thermo-soudé sur le support de présentation, et plus précisément sa face de thermo-soudage, selon pratiquement toute sa surface extérieure audit empilement.

More particularly, the present invention is concerned with food products presented for consumption as indicated above, and comprising:

• a presentation support, of the tray type, with a flat bottom, and an outer face for heat sealing the plastic film; it may for example be a cardboard container coated on both sides with a plastic layer or a container made of thermo-formed plastic material
• a stack in contact with the heat-sealing face of the support, composed of slices of the foodstuff presented for consumption, and intermediate sheets for separating said slices, which are substantially leaktight; these spacers each have a shape and dimensions adapted to the mean contour of the superimposed edges of the stack; and the slices with their spacers, are offset from each other, according to a presentation dimension, corresponding to one of the dimensions of the slices, for example their width, but also to one of the dimensions of the support
• the protective plastic film, adhering and marrying under the effect of the vacuum the relief of the stacking of the offset slices, heat-welded on the presentation support, and more precisely its heat-sealing face, along practically all of its external surface said stacking.

Not exclusively, and by way of example, the present invention is introduced, defined, described and argued with reference to the packaging of sliced, dried, salted or raw meats, such as slices of ham.

A package or package as defined above presents for slices of ham, but also for any sliced food having the same consistency or texture, different drawbacks than should explain.

First of all, the hams offered today for consumption are reconstituted under press, after boning the thigh or the shoulder of the pork, and consist in practice of a juxtaposition of different pieces or elements, having once sliced perpendicularly at the direction of the bone, a limited consistency or overall resistance. A slice of ham therefore constitutes in itself a fragile product, without significant intrinsic resistance, which it appears difficult to handle, both at the time of its packaging or packaging, as during its unpacking, its grasping, and its consumption.

After rupture of the thermo-formed and thermo-welded film, the consumer therefore experiences some difficulties, on the one hand to grasp by one of its sides the upper edge, remaining above the stack, and on the other and above all separating this slice from the stack, maintaining its integrity; different pieces of the slice entered or drawn may remain attached to the stack.

These difficulties are aggravated by the fact that vacuum heat sealing compresses the different wafers against each other, promoting their bonding. These difficulties are also increased by the fact that meat or ham constitutes a moist and fatty material, the surface of which naturally tends to stick or adhere.

The object of the present invention is to remedy these various drawbacks. More specifically, the subject of the invention is a packaging, or presentation for consumption of a foodstuff cut into slices, making it possible to effectively separate each slice from the stack, retaining its physical integrity, this packaging or presentation remaining compatible with current packaging techniques in thermo-welded plastic film under vacuum.

• d'une part, chaque feuille intercalaire présente une largeur, selon la dimension de présentation, suffisante à la fois pour séparer deux tranches consécutives, et pour laisser apparaître entre les deux bordures apparentes et adjacentes des deux tranches consécutives séparées par ledit intercalaire, transversalement à la dimension de présentation, un élément de préhension de cet intercalaire avec la tranche supérieure
• et d'autre part, chaque feuille intercalaire présente de part et d'autre un contour transversal, lui permettant d'être contenue dans l'empilement, entre les deux bordures communes des deux mêmes tranches consécutives.

According to the present invention, in combination:

• on the one hand, each interlayer sheet has a width, depending on the size of presentation, sufficient both to separate two consecutive slices, and to reveal between the two visible and adjacent edges of the two consecutive slices separated by said interlayer, transversely to the dimension of presentation, a gripping element of this interlayer with the upper edge
• and on the other hand, each intermediate sheet has on both sides a transverse contour, allowing it to be contained in the stack, between the two common borders of the same two consecutive sections.

Such packaging or presentation makes it essential and main to grasp the wafer above the stack, not itself directly, but by the gripping element of the interlayer supporting it. By pulling on this insert, the user will then easily and cleanly detach the edge of the stack, and bring it whole on his plate.

• les intercalaires sont superposés et décalés dans l'empilement, exactement comme les tranches qu'ils séparent ; à ce titre, il y a étalement des tranches et des intercalaires, facilitant l'échappement de l'air de l'empilement, au moment de l'opération de thermo-formage et thermo-soudage sous vide
• les intercalaires ne débordent pas de l'empilement des tranches décalées, sur ses côtés, c'est-à-dire transversalement à la dimension de présentation, en tout cas pas suffisamment pour diminuer la surface de thermo-soudage, ou emprisonner de l'air lors du thermo-formage sous vide
• en choisissant convenablement la matière et l'épaisseur des feuilles intercalaires, celles-ci ne modifient pas substantiellement les différents transferts thermiques lors du thermo-formage/thermo-soudage
• en choisissant convenablement l'épaisseur des feuilles intercalaires, ces dernières épousent les formes ou le relief des tranches empilées.

Such packaging remains compatible with the usual and current techniques of vacuum packaging and in thermoformed film, for four reasons:

• the dividers are superimposed and offset in the stack, exactly like the slices they separate; as such, there is spreading of wafers and spacers, facilitating the escape of air from the stack, at the time of the thermoforming and thermo-welding operation under vacuum
• the inserts do not protrude from the stack of offset wafers, on its sides, that is to say transversely to the presentation dimension, in any case not enough to reduce the surface of thermo-welding, or to trap the air during vacuum thermoforming
• by appropriately choosing the material and the thickness of the intermediate sheets, these do not substantially modify the different heat transfers during thermoforming / thermo-welding
• by appropriately choosing the thickness of the intermediate sheets, the latter conform to the shapes or the relief of the stacked edges.

The solution according to the invention also provides the following essential advantages.

The gripping element, but also the upper face of the interlayer can be used for the support, for example the printing of different information, such as marks or different messages from the manufacturer or producer. It is in particular the first time that the consumer can identify, even on his plate, the origin of the slice of ham that he is about to eat, if the manufacturer's mark is affixed on the upper face of the interlayer supporting said edge.

Once the packaging has been opened, the solution according to the invention allows particularly hygienic consumption of the slices, since, on the one hand, by an appropriate choice of the material of the interlayer, the various interleaves limit the migration of germs, bacteria , etc ..., from one slice to another, once the packaging is opened, and on the other hand the consumer can "peel" each slice, without manual contact with the others.

• l'élément de préhension faisant partie de chaque feuille intercalaire correspond à sa bordure transversale apparente, c'est-à-dire celle disposée entre la bordure transversale apparente de la tranche inférieure et la bordure transversale apparente de la tranche immédiatement supérieure, décalée ; mais ce même élément de préhension peut être distinct de cette bordure, et consister en un onglet de préhension, situé à une extrémité de la bordure transversale dudit intercalaire ; dans ce dernier cas, et préférentiellement, l'onglet de préhension est situé, par rapport aux tranches immédiatement supérieure et inférieure, présentées à la consommation, du côté de ces dernières le plus résistant à la traction ou à l'arrachement
• de manière à limiter au maximum l'adhésion d'une tranche immédiatement inférieure au verso d'une feuille intercalaire située au-dessus, tout en apportant une séparation effective entre les tranches disposées de part et d'autre du même intercalaire, la surface desdites feuilles est comprise en moyenne entre 50 % et 90 % de la surface moyenne des tranches de l'empilement
• le matériau constitutif des feuilles intercalaires est étanche, à la fois à l'air et aux liquides, et choisi par exemple parmi les matières plastiques suivantes, à savoir polyéthylène et polypropylène ; préférentiellement le côté inférieur ou verso de chaque feuille intercalaire, en contact avec la tranche immédiatement inférieure, est revêtu d'un matériau ou vernis anti-adhérent
• pour une feuille intercalaire en matière plastique, l'épaisseur de cette dernière est comprise préférentiellement entre 40 et 60 microns ; en dessous de cette épaisseur, l'expérience montre que le thermo-formage du film plastique conduit au plissage de l'intercalaire, et au-dessus de 60 microns, l'expérience montre que c'est alors le film thermo-plastique lui-même qui se plisse, au contact dudit intercalaire, lors de l'opération thermo-formage/thermo-soudage.

The invention also has the following secondary characteristics:

• the gripping element forming part of each interlayer sheet corresponds to its apparent transverse border, that is to say that disposed between the visible transverse border of the lower edge and the apparent transverse border of the immediately upper edge, offset; but this same gripping element can be distinct from this border, and consist of a gripping tab, located at one end of the transverse border of said interlayer; in the latter case, and preferably, the gripping tab is located, relative to the immediately upper and lower sections, presented for consumption, on the side of the latter most resistant to traction or tearing
• so as to limit as much as possible the adhesion of a slice immediately below the back of an interlayer sheet situated above, while providing an effective separation between the slices arranged on either side of the same interlayer, the surface of said sheets is on average between 50% and 90% of the average surface of the slices of the stack
• the material of the interlayer sheets is impermeable, both to air and to liquids, and chosen for example from the following plastics, namely polyethylene and polypropylene; preferably the lower or reverse side of each interlayer sheet, in contact with the immediately lower edge, is coated with a non-stick material or varnish
• for a plastic interlayer sheet, the thickness of the latter is preferably between 40 and 60 microns; below this thickness, experience shows that the thermoforming of the plastic film leads to pleating of the interlayer, and above 60 microns, experience shows that it is then the thermo-plastic film itself even that wrinkles, in contact with said interlayer, during the thermo-forming / thermo-welding operation.

• la Figure 1 représente une vue de dessus d'un produit alimentaire conditionné selon l'invention, en l'occurrence des tranches de jambon, emballées sous vide d'air, et sous film plastique thermo-formé
• la Figure 2 représente une vue en coupe partielle, selon la ligne II-II de la figure 1 du produit alimentaire représenté à la figure 1.

The present invention is now described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

• Figure 1 shows a top view of a food product packaged according to the invention, in this case slices of ham, packed under vacuum, and in thermo-formed plastic film
• Figure 2 shows a partial sectional view along line II-II in Figure 1 of the food product shown in Figure 1.

• un support du type barquette, ou récipient 1 à fond plat 1a, de forme rectangulaire, comprenant un rebord périphérique 1b constitué de deux parties successives vers l'extérieur, à savoir une première convexe et une deuxième partie droite substantiellement parallèle au fond plat 1a ; ce récipient est réalisé intégralement en matière plastique, ou en carton revêtu extérieurement d'une couche de matière plastique, sur ses deux faces ; le récipient 1, et plus précisément son fond 1a, présentent donc, dans ces conditions, une face 1c de thermo-soudage du film plastique 5 décrit ci-après
• un empilement 2 au contact de la face 1c de thermo-soudage, composé de tranches 3 de jambon, et de feuilles 4 intercalaires, ayant sensiblement la même forme, en l'occurrence rectangulaire, et des dimensions comparables ; par conséquent, la forme et les dimensions de chaque feuille intercalaire sont adaptées au contour moyen des tranches superposées de l'empilement ; par ailleurs, les tranches 3 sont décalées les unes par rapport aux autres, selon une dimension de présentation du support 1, correspondant à l'une des dimensions, ou largeur, des tranches 3, de manière à laisser apparaître la bordure 3a d'une tranche inférieure, par exemple 3′, par rapport à la bordure 3a adjacente d'une tranche immédiatement supérieure, par exemple 3˝
• le film plastique (cf figure 2), souple, étanche et transparent, adhérant et épousant sous l'effet du vide le relief de l'empilement 2, et thermo-soudé sur le support 1, et plus précisément sa face 1c, sur toute la surface de ce dernier non couverte par l'empilement 2.

The presentation or packaging according to the invention generally comprises:

• a support of the tray type, or container 1 with a flat bottom 1a, of rectangular shape, comprising a peripheral rim 1b consisting of two successive parts towards the outside, namely a first convex and a second straight part substantially parallel to the flat bottom 1a; this container is made entirely of plastic, or of cardboard coated externally with a layer of plastic, on its two faces; the container 1, and more precisely its bottom 1a, therefore have, under these conditions, a face 1c for heat sealing the plastic film 5 described below
• a stack 2 in contact with the heat-sealing face 1c, composed of slices 3 of ham, and of intermediate sheets 4, having substantially the same shape, in this case rectangular, and of comparable dimensions; consequently, the shape and dimensions of each interlayer sheet are adapted to the mean contour of the superimposed edges of the stack; moreover, the sections 3 are offset from one another, according to a dimension of presentation of the support 1, corresponding to one of the dimensions, or width, of the sections 3, so as to reveal the border 3a of a lower edge, for example 3 ′, with respect to the adjacent border 3a of an immediately upper edge, for example 3˝
• the plastic film (see FIG. 2), flexible, waterproof and transparent, adhering and marrying under the effect of the vacuum the relief of the stack 2, and heat-welded on the support 1, and more precisely its face 1c, on any the surface of the latter not covered by the stack 2.

• elle est suffisante pour séparer les deux tranches consécutives de part et d'autre de l'intercalaire, selon l'essentiel de leur surface commune, c'est-à-dire sur pratiquement toute la surface en commun définie par l'empilement décalé desdites tranches consécutives
• elle est également suffisante pour laisser apparaître, entre les deux bordures 4a apparentes et adjacentes desdites tranches consécutives 4, transversalement à la dimension de présentation (largeur du support ou récipient 1), la propre bordure 4a transversale de ladite feuille intercalaire, disposée entre la bordure transversale apparente de la tranche inférieure, par exemple 3′, et la bordure transversale apparente 3a de la tranche immédiatement supérieure, par exemple 3˝ ; un onglet ou élément de préhension 4e est disposé d'un côté de la bordure transversale 4a de l'intercalaire 4 ; la bordure 4a et l'élément 4e qui lui est associé permettent la préhension de chaque intercalaire avec la tranche 3˝ supérieure, supportée par ledit intercalaire.

According to the invention, each intermediate sheet 4 has a width, that is to say according to the presentation dimension of the support 1, having the following characteristics:

• it is sufficient to separate the two consecutive sections on either side of the interlayer, according to most of their common surface, that is to say over practically the entire common surface defined by the offset stacking of said consecutive installments
• it is also sufficient to reveal, between the two visible and adjacent edges 4a of said consecutive slices 4, transverse to the dimension of presentation (width of the support or container 1), the own transverse border 4a of said intermediate sheet, disposed between the apparent transverse edge of the lower edge, for example 3 ′, and the apparent transverse edge 3a of the immediately upper edge, for example 3˝; a tab or gripping element 4e is arranged on one side of the transverse edge 4a of the interlayer 4; the border 4a and the element 4e which is associated with it allow the gripping of each insert with the upper 3˝ edge, supported by said insert.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 1, each intermediate sheet 3 has on either side a transverse contour, in this case a straight edge 4d, making it possible to contain said intermediate sheet in the stack, between the two edges communes of two consecutive slices 3, stacked in an offset manner.

As already indicated, the principle of presentation or packaging described above can be applied to many other foodstuffs than slices of ham.

Claims (9)

1 / Food product packaged in thermoformed plastic film under vacuum, comprising a support (1) for presentation with flat bottom (1a) and a face (1c) for thermo-welding the plastic film, a stack (2) in contact with the heat-sealing face, composed of slices (3) of a foodstuff presented for consumption, and of sheets (4) of substantially sealed interleaving sheets, having a shape and dimensions adapted to the mean contour of the superimposed slices of the stack, said sections being offset from one another according to a dimension of presentation of the support, corresponding to one of the dimensions, or width, of said sections, said plastic film (5), flexible, waterproof and transparent, marrying under the effect of vacuum the relief of said stack, and being heat-sealed according to its surface external to the stack, on the presentation support, characterized in that , on the one hand each intermediate sheet (4) present e a width, depending on the size of presentation, sufficient both to separate two consecutive slices (3), according to most of their common surface, and to reveal between the two visible and adjacent edges (3a) of said consecutive slices, transversely to the presentation dimension, a gripping element of said interlayer with the upper edge (3˝), and on the other hand each interlayer sheet (4) has on both sides a transverse contour, allowing it to be contained in the stack (2), between the two common edges of said consecutive sections (3). 2 / Product according to claim 1, characterized in that the gripping element of each interlayer comprises its apparent transverse edge (4a), disposed between the apparent transverse edge of the lower edge (3 ′) and that of the immediately upper edge (3˝). 3 / Product according to claim 1, characterized in that the gripping element of each interlayer (4) comprises a gripping tab (4e), located at one end of the transverse edge (4a) hoses interlayer. 4 / Product according to claim 1, characterized in that the gripping tab (4th) is located, relative to the immediately upper (3 ′) and lower (3˝) slices, presented for consumption, on the side of the latter the most resistant to traction or tearing. 5 / Product according to claim 1, characterized in that the surface of the intermediate sheets (4) is between 50% and 90% of the average surface of the superimposed slices of the stack. 6 / Product according to claim 1, characterized in that the material of the intermediate sheets (4) is airtight, and chosen from the following plastics, namely polyethylene and polypropylene. 7 / Product according to claim 6, characterized in that the thickness of each interlayer sheet (4) is between 40 and 60 µm. 8 / Product according to claim 1, characterized in that, at least the side of each interlayer sheet (4), in contact with the immediately lower edge (3 ′), is coated with a non-stick material. 9 / Product according to claim 1, characterized in that the food presented for consumption is dry, salted or raw meat, in particular a salting product such as sausage, or a ham.

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