Method for determining deleterious bacterial growth in packaged food utilizing hydrophilic polymers
AssigneesHerbert W. Stoltenberg, Ruben Stoltenberg, Edwin Laird, Thomas J. Horan Family Trust
InventorThomas J. Horan
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention relates to a method for determining the presence or absence of contaminating bacteria in a packaged food sample comprising storing food in a package having as a lining a hydrophilic polymeric composition, said composition preferably being permeable to water and at least one gas dissolved in water or water vapor and being selected from the group consisting of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide, hydrogen and ammonia gas and containing an indicator for detecting the presence or abscence of said gas; said indicator being polymerized or dispersed throughout said polymeric composition or coated onto a hydrophobic polymeric composition.
Claims20
A method for detecting the presence or absence of contaminating bacteria in a stored food sample comprising storing food in a package having as a lining a hydrophilic polymeric composition said composition being permeable to water or water vapor and at least one gas dissolved in said water or water vapor released by said bacteria selected from the group consisting of carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide and ammonia gas to allow the formation of carbonic acid, sulfuric acid, hydrogen sulfide and ammonium hydroxide and containing an amount of an indicator effective for visibly detecting the presence or abscence of said carbonic acid, sulfuric acid, hydrogen sulfide or ammonium hydroxide;
- said indicator being polymerized or dispersed throughout said polymeric composition.
A method for detecting the presence or absence of contaminating bacteria in a stored food sample comprising storing food in a package having as a lining a hydrophobic polymeric composition, said hydrophobic composition being coated with a hydrophilic polymeric composition, said hydrophilic composition being permeable to water or water vapor and at least one gas dissolved in said water or water vapor released by said bacteria selected from the group consisting of carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide and ammonia gas to allow the formation of carbonic acid, sulfuric acid, acid, ammonium hydroxide and containing an amount of an indicator effective for visibly detecting the presence or abscence of said carbonic acid, sulfuric acid, hydrogen sulfide or,ammonium hydroxide;
- said indicator being polymerized or dispersed throughout said hydrophilic polymeric composition.
A food storage package adapted to detect gas released by bacteria which may contaminate food stored in said package, said package being lined with a hydrophilic polymeric composition, said hydrophilic composition being permeable to water or water vapor and at least one gas dissolved in said water or water vapor released by said bacteria selected from the group consisting of carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide and ammonia gas to allow the formation of carbonic acid, sulfuric acid, sulfur and ammonium hydroxide and containing an amount of an indicator effective for visibly detecting the presence or abscence of said carbonic acid, sulfuric acid, hydrogen sulfide or ammonium hydroxide;
- said indicator being polymerized or dispersed throughout said hydrophilic polymeric composition.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.