Back to results
US 6,548,132 B1Granted
Packaging biological materials
AssigneeLandec Corporation
InventorsRaymond Clarke, Donald A. Schultz
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Novel gas-permeable membranes which are particularly useful in the packaging of fresh cut fruit and vegetables, and other respiring biological materials. The membranes comprise a microporous film or other gas-permeable substrate and, coated on the substrate, a layer of a block copolymer having a heat of fusion of at least 5 J/g and containing polysiloxane polymeric blocks and crystalline polymeric blocks having a melting point of −5 to 40° C.
Claims36
A gas-permeable membrane which comprises
- (a) a microporous film which comprises a polymeric matrix which provides a network of interconnected pores such that gases can pass through the film, and
- (b) a polymeric coating on the microporous film, the polymeric coating comprising a block copolymer which has a heat of fusion ΔH of at least 5 J/g, and which comprises
- (i) polysiloxane polymeric blocks, and
- (ii) crystalline polymeric blocks having a melting point, Tp, of −5 to 40° C.
1 more element
A package which is stored in air and which comprises
- (a) a sealed container, and
- (b) within the sealed container, a respiring biological material and a packaging atmosphere around the biological material;
- the sealed container comprising
- (i) one or more barrier sections, and
- (i) one or more atmosphere-control members;
- the one or more barrier sections, by comparison with the one or more atmosphere-control members, being relatively large in area and composed of materials having relatively low permeability to oxygen and carbon dioxide, whereby the one or more atmosphere-control members provide at least a large proportion of the permeability of the container to oxygen and carbon dioxide;
- at least one of said one or more atmosphere-control members comprising a gas-permeable membrane which comprises
- (a) a microporous film which comprises a polymeric matrix which provides a network of interconnected pores such that gases can pass through the film, and
- (b) a polymeric coating on the film, the polymeric coating comprising a block copolymer which has a heat of fusion ΔH of at least 5 J/g, and which comprises
- (i) polysiloxane polymeric blocks, and
- (ii) crystalline polymeric blocks having a melting point, Tp, of −5 to 40° C.
8 more elements
A container which
- (A) can be sealed around a respiring biological material to provide a package which comprises
- (a) the sealed container, and
- (b) within the container, the respiring biological material and a packaging atmosphere around the biological material, and
- (B) comprises
- (i) one or more barrier sections, and
- (ii) one or more atmosphere-control members;
- the one or more barrier sections, by comparison with the one or more atmosphere-control members, being relatively large in area and composed of materials having relatively low permeability to oxygen and carbon dioxide, whereby the one or more atmosphere-control members provide at least a large proportion of the permeability of the container to oxygen and carbon dioxide;
- at least one of said one or more atmosphere-control members comprising a gas-permeable membrane which comprises
- (a) a microporous film which comprises a polymeric matrix which provides a network of interconnected pores such that gases can pass through the film, and
- (b) a polymeric coating on the film, the polymeric coating comprising a block copolymer which has a heat of fusion ΔH of at least 5 J/g, and which comprises
- (i) polysiloxane polymeric blocks, and
- (ii) crystalline polymeric blocks having a melting point, Tp, of −5 to 40° C.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.