US 4,409,775 AGranted

Apparatus for the aseptic packing of high acid food

AssigneeThe Mead Corporation

InventorsAaron L. Brody, William E. Archibald

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Abstract

Apparatus for the aseptic packaging of high acid foods having a pH below 4.6 includes conveying means with carrier plate receptacles having orifices to receive preformed cups, the orifices being contoured to match the shape of the sealing flanges of the cups. The conveying means carries cups through a lock of liquid sterilant, past sprays that ensure against air pockets in the cups, through a bath of sterilant liquid in submerged, inverted position, lifts the cups from the bath and into a chamber of sterile inert gas, allowing liquid sterilant to drain therefrom, moves the cups in sequence to filling means and then to sealing means, where cover elements, pre-sterilized from the liquid of the cup bath, dried and preheated, are applied to hermetically close the cups by the action of heat and pressure. Jets of the sterile inert gas, recirculated from the chamber, are directed at the cups after liquid sterilant has drained therefrom, so as to dry the sealing flanges of the cups. The interior of the machine is supplied with an atmosphere of pressurized sterile inert gas, such as nitrogen. After passing through a microbiological and inert gas barrier, ejection means removes the cups from the cup conveying means.

In an apparatus for the aseptic packaging of food in pre-formed plastic cups and including conveying means for carrying said cups through a bath of sterilizing liquid whereby said cups are inverted and immersed in a bath of sterilizing liquid, removed therefrom and said liquid is allowed to drain from said cups and said cups are turned to an upright position, drying means for removing residual sterilizing liquid from the flange sealing areas of said cups, filling means for adding pre-sterilized food to said cups, cover element delivery means for supplying a cover element to each of said cups, sealing means for heat sealing said cover element to each of said cups, ejecting means for removing said cups from said conveying means, the improvement wherein

(a) said conveying means comprises carrier plates joined together to form an endless belt conveying means for carrying said cups through said apparatus and having orifices for receiving said cups, said orifices being shaped to conform with the shape of the cup sealing flanges,
(b) multiple spray means located at a point where said cups are submerged in said bath of sterilizing liquid, said spray means mounted at fixed location above and below the surface of said sterilizing liquid in said bath and arranged to spray liquid into said cups to prevent formation of air pockets or bubbles in said cups,
(c) said drying means comprises jets of sterile inert gas directed at the sealing flanges of said cups and being located downstream from the point where said cups emerge from said sterilant bath,
(d) said drying, filling and sealing means are located inside an enclosure means having means for introducing inert gas into said enclosure means, said enclosure means arranged to maintain an interior atmosphere of sterile inert gas at a pressure slightly above atmospheric pressure, and
(e) microbiological barrier means is provided following said sealing means, said barrier means serving to separate the interior of said enclosure means from the outside atmosphere and comprising a curtain of liquid sterilant effective to maintain the sterility of the atmosphere inside said enclosure means.

2 more elements

Facts

Application

06/197,037Filed 15 Oct 1980 · continuation in part

Priority

22 Aug 1977

Granted

18 Oct 1983

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification9 codes

B67C 7/0073
Concurrent cleaning, filling, and closing of bottles; Processes or devices for at least two of these operations: sterilising, aseptic filling and…
A23B 7/10
Preservation of fruit or vegetables; Chemical ripening of fruit or vegetables: preserving with acids; Acid fermentation
A23B 7/148
In the form of gases, e.g. fumigation; Compositions or apparatus therefor: in a controlled atmosphere, e.g. partial vacuum, comprising only CO2,…
B65B 55/025
Sterilising, e.g. of complete packages: packaging in aseptic tunnels

Abstract

Claims16