Sterility control of food product by introducing a harmless non-sterile component
AssigneeThe New Covent Garden Soup Company Limited
InventorRoland A. Palmer
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A liquid food product, such as a soup or sauce, is treated by first sterilizing it, e.g. by UHT processing, and then introducing into it a minor amount, e.g. 5 to 15 vol. %, of a non-sterile component, e.g. a dairy product, substantially free of all micro-organisms liable to cause disease. The non-sterile component will cause evident harmless spoilage of the product after a given period of storage, so that the consumer will be obliged to discard the product before any harmful bacteria have grown.
Claims10
In a method for treating and packaging a liquid food product for temporary storage under controlled conditions and distribution to consumers, comprising the steps of sterilizing the food product and then sealing it in a container, the improvement comprising introducing into the food product, after the sterilization step and before the sealing step, a non-sterile component substantially free of all micro-organisms liable to cause disease but containing food-spoilage bacteria for causing evident spoilage of the food product after a given period of storage under controlled conditions.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.