Container closure with overlying needle penetrable and thermally resealable portion and underlying portion compatible with fat containing liquid product, and related method

A container for storing a fat containing liquid product, wherein the container is penetrable by a needle for aseptically filling a storage chamber of the container through the needle with the fat containing liquid product, and the resulting needle hole is thermally resealable to seal the fat containing liquid product within the container, the container comprising:

• a body defining a storage chamber therein for receiving the fat containing liquid product and a first aperture in fluid communication with the storage chamber, wherein the body does not leach more than a predetermined amount of leachables into the fat containing liquid product and does not undesirably alter a taste profile of the fat containing liquid product;
• and
• a container closure assembly including:
• a stopper receivable within the first aperture for hermetically sealing the storage chamber, wherein the stopper includes first means for defining an internal surface in fluid communication with the storage chamber forming at least most of the surface area of the container closure that can contact any fat containing liquid product within the storage chamber and that does not leach more than the predetermined amount of leachables into the fat containing liquid product or undesirably alter a taste profile of the fat containing liquid product, wherein the predetermined amount of leachables is about 100 PPM, and second means for at least one of (i) overlying the first material portion and not contacting any fat containing liquid product within the storage chamber, and (ii) forming a substantially lesser surface area of the container closure that can contact any fat containing liquid product within the storage chamber in comparison to the first means, wherein the second means is needle penetrable for aseptically filling the storage chamber with the fat containing liquid product, and a resulting needle aperture formed in the second means is thermally resealable to seal the fat containing liquid product within the storage chamber;
• third means engageable with the body prior to aseptically filling the storage chamber with the fat containing liquid product and forming a substantially dry hermetic seal between the container closure and body;
• and
• fourth means connectable between the stopper and body for securing the stopper to the body.

A method for aseptically needle filling and laser resealing a container with a fat containing liquid product, comprising the following steps:

• providing a container including a body defining an empty, sterile storage chamber therein for receiving the fat containing liquid product and a first aperture in fluid communication with the storage chamber, wherein the body does not leach more than a predetermined amount of leachables into the fat containing liquid product and does not undesirably alter a taste profile of the fat containing liquid product;
• and a container closure assembly including a stopper received within the first aperture and hermetically sealing the empty storage chamber, wherein the stopper includes a first material portion defining an internal surface in fluid communication with the storage chamber forming at least most of the surface area of the container closure that can contact any fat containing liquid product received within the storage chamber and that does not leach more than a predetermined amount of leachables into the fat containing liquid product or undesirably alter a taste profile of the fat containing liquid product, wherein the predetermined amount of leachables is about 100 PPM, and a second material portion that at least one of (i) overlies the first material portion and cannot contact any fat containing liquid product received within the storage chamber, and (ii) forms a substantially lesser surface area of the container closure that can contact any fat containing liquid product received within the storage chamber in comparison to the first material portion;
• mounting the sealed, empty container on a conveyor, and moving the conveyor through a sterile zone;
• transmitting within the sterile zone a fluid sterilant onto at least an exposed portion of the stopper of the container and, in turn, sterilizing with the fluid sterilant at least the exposed portion of the stopper of the container;
• transmitting within the sterile zone a heated gas onto the portion of the container exposed to the fluid sterilant, flushing away with the heated gas the fluid sterilant from at least the exposed portion of the stopper of the container and, in turn, forming a needle penetration region of the stopper substantially free of fluid sterilant;
• penetrating the needle penetration region of the stopper with a filling needle coupled in fluid communication with a source of the fat containing liquid product, and introducing fat containing liquid product through the needle and into the storage chamber;
• withdrawing the filling needle from the stopper;
• and
• applying laser radiation to a resulting needle hole in the stopper to thermally reseal the second material portion and, in turn, hermetically seal the fat containing liquid product within the storage chamber.