Patent Publication Number: US-2007104839-A1

Title: Packing in the tray format for conditioning of &#34;ready dish&#34; food products

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD  
      The present model of utility deals with the tray-type packing to store food products of the ready-made type for consumption, that is, which are already seasoned and cooked/baked/fried, more specifically dealing with a packing, the physical structure of which was especially developed, once it is sealed, to maintain naturally stable all the features and qualities of the prepared product, dispensing with the need for the refrigeration chain (cooling and/or freezing) for the conservation of the said product.  
     Foundations of the Technique  
      It is known that the majority of people, due to the many obligations in terms of work, study and others, have increasingly less time to cook and thus prefer to acquire “ready dishes”, of easy manipulation, generally conserved in freezers or refrigerators and heated in microwave ovens.  
      On the other hand, manufacturers of this type of “ready dish” product seek to combine the practicality of the packing to the nutritional quality of the conditioned food product, guaranteeing especially their conservation factors, since their preparation, insertion and security into the packing wrap until it reaches the hands of the final consumer.  
      For the manufacturers of the “ready dish” type of food products, another obligatory condition is the need to create and maintain a correct cooling process and/or freezing of the products during the whole chain, which goes from the production/manufacturing of the products, through transport, product storing until they reach exhibition for sale to the final consumer, aiming at ensuring the maintenance of their original features and quality, retarding the process of microbiological, enzymatic and physical chemical degradation, risks of leaking and external factors which end up affecting products in transit. Without the above-mentioned cold chain the prepared product after a determined period of time becomes improper for consumption.  
      The consumer, on his turn, when acquiring this type of product, becomes responsible for the maintenance of the temperature conditions, aiming at guaranteeing the quality of the product until its final consumption, because during the whole operation involving the production, transport, storage and marketing of the product, it is understood that that the product would be under the responsibility of able professionals who have the adequate machines, equipment and instruments to guarantee the maintenance of the product features and quality.  
      From the moment that the consumer acquires the product, the conservation process is altered, because when purchasing the product, the client/consumer usually withdraws the product from the cooling exhibitor, where it is conditioned and transfers it to the purchase cart, where it will remain for some more time until purchases are finalized, still within the commercial establishment.  
      After finalizing his purchases, the client must pass all his products through the “check-out” to effect the payment of the purchases. Soon after payment, all the products are usually wrapped in bags and taken to the transport vehicle (from the client or other equivalent) which should supposedly go directly to his residence or establishment, where the product will be transferred to a refrigerating equipment of the freezing or similar type, aiming at maintaining the product frozen. Even when a quick and simple product purchasing process occurs, there is the transfer of the product from a thermal state to another, with the occurrence of a temperature shock, especially in very hot days, which we have faced.  
      In practice, therefore, it should be perceived that since the moment the client decides for the purchase of the product and removes it from the cooling exhibitor until the moment when he arrives home and keeps the product in a cooling equipment, it may take some hours, with the possibility of compromising the quality of the product, without considering that the product should be maintained in the freezing equipment for its conservation and defrosted before consumption, otherwise the product that was maintained under ideal refrigeration conditions during the whole chain of distribution has its validity altered, with the possibility, when being opened by the consumer for preparation, it may present itself improper for consumption.  
      In the case of manufacturers and distributors of food products of the “ready dish” type, there is great concern with their transport safety system, usually being effected by appropriate vehicles with special refrigeration bodies, which apart from being expensive for their initial purchase, also require rigid maintenance routines to maintain their refrigeration pattern, thus making the food product more expensive for the requirement of a special transport.  
      Concerning the professionals who work with these vehicles, they usually have a special working link because they are exposed to big temperature oscillations—warm/cold, generating the so-called insalubrity, which affects their health significantly.  
      The high temperatures that have been registered in different regions, also have affected the validity of food products, especially those of “ready dish” type, considering that when exposed to these temperatures they cannot maintain their original and essentially nutritional consistencies, as well as undergoing a high risk of quick degradation.  
      In general and in view of the “ready dish” type of food product manufacturers&#39; concern, packing especially destined to a better conservation of the product for a longer time has been developed. Among the types of packing, it is worth while mentioning document BR/MU 7801384-4 “Packing for the conditioning of food products”, which comprises a carton box which incorporates internally and additionally a water-proof film material presenting two side walls, two external walls and a bottom wall, interlinked among themselves by creasing lines defining the lower vertical and horizontal edges of the box. However, this packing has no special process to maintain the quality or stability of food products. Another known document, BR/MU 8102688-9 deals with “Arrangement in Packing for the Transport of Food Products” especially developed to condition food, closing it hermetically, which comprises a small internal tray, made of plastic and having internal slots with the purpose of serving as a mechanism to support high temperatures maintaining the food product always warm during transport to the consumer point, supporting also vegetal and animal fat, with the possibility to conserve product proprieties and its hygienic, but also without any property of food temperature stability.  
      Another document found in the state of the art refers to BR/MU 8200341-6 or “Constructive Disposition Introduced in Packing”, which is formed from a single blade, produced in carton or other adequate material, with the said blade cut, creased and later bent so as to define the three-dimensional format of the present packing, defined by two big walls. This packing, however, also has no special process of maintaining food quality or heating/cooling properties.  
      Document BR/PI 0102284-9 deals with a “Packing for Conditioning Solid Food Products”, which comprises a first main base wall, extending at least one side wall, defining a cavity, with said packing being characterized by he fact that it comprises at least one passing opening, located on the side wall. The passing opening is a recess in the height of the side wall, located adjacent to the free extremity of the side wall, containing two recesses and comprising between the recesses a movement limiting element of the food product and this limiting element is a dividing wall. The first main base wall presents a rectangular form, extending to four side walls, disposed two by two parallel to each other.  
      As can be noted, the types of developed packing do not maintain the main property foreseen in the present privilege, which is to maintain all the features of the product prepared for consumption, even when suffering high temperature variations, dispensing with the cold chain (cooling and/or freezing) for conservation during transport, storage and exhibition for sale.  
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
      Analyzing the market needs and aiming at eliminating the inconveniences existent in the above mentioned state of the art, the applicant, who acts in the food area, developed the present packing in the tray format to condition food products of the “ready dish” type, such as seasoned, cooked, baked, fried dishes. This packing was especially developed in plastic layers and with features that allow the stable conservation of “ready dish” type of product, even under high temperature variations, and with the possibility of being maintained at environment temperatures during the whole chain formed since the industrial manufacturing until preparation/consumption by the final consumer.  
      One of the main advantages related to the present packing is the fact that the product does not require any special care with the cold chain, because it can be stored immediately after its production process at environment temperature, and consequently does not require transport in special refrigerating vehicles to the Distribution Centers and/or sales points and also eliminates the exposition of the transporting professionals who drive the refrigeration vehicles, which maintain high levels of freezing temperatures.  
      Another advantage is related to the fact that once in the marketing establishment where it will be sold, the product can be exhibited in common exhibitors, that is, there no need to exhibit the product in refrigerated exhibitors, with these types of exhibitors being reduced or filled with other products, which require refrigeration.  
      Another differential related to similar known products is intrinsically related to the purchasing act by the consumer, because he will be able to acquire the product, transport it for hours within the vehicle, without the need of special care with temperature, because the product, apart from the lack of refrigeration needs, supports sudden variations of temperature, with the possibility of the consumer, for example, to maintain the product stored in his/her summer home or country home for months without the need of having a refrigerator or any other refrigeration equipment, as long he/she maintains the packing intact, that is, hermetically sealed, in adequate hygienic location, which will maintain the original product quality and features, with the product ready for consumption at any moment, only requiring heating in microwave oven or any other conventional method.  
      The indicated set of advantages make the present packing totally differentiated from what is existent in the market and puts an end to a chain of needs related to refrigeration needs, transport and storage of food-types “ready for consumption”, which make the products more expensive and weaker in their essential food features, while in this packing all are maintained especially in relation to the essential nutritional features. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      Supplementing the present description in order to obtain a better understanding of the features of the present invention e according to a preferential practical realization, a set of drawings accompanies the description, enclosed, which on an exemplified although non-limiting manner, represents the following:  
       FIG. 1  is a perspective of the tray-type packing in question;  
       FIG. 2  is an upper view;  
       FIG. 3  represents a side cut of the previous figure; and  
       FIG. 4  illustrates the same cut of  FIG. 3 , but with the complete closure of the packing.  
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
      Concerning the illustrated drawings the present invention refers to a PACKING IN THE TRAY-FORMAT TO CONDITION FOOD PRODUCTS OF THE READY FOR CONSUMPTION TYPE”,more precisely dealing with a packing in the plastic tray-format (BD), developed to contain the “ready dish”-type prepared spiced, cooked/ baked/ fried, with the said tray (BD) shaped by base ( 1 ), side walls ( 2 ) and surrounding upper plane rim ( 3 ) which configures he sealing plan for plastic film (FP).  
      According to the present invention, the tray (BD) is manufactured in laminated plastics, the structure of which present the following order: PP/EBOH/PP, with the internal layer which remains in contact with the ready food, is in PP. More particularly, the packing is shaped, preferentially, in the white color and having basis ( 1 ) with reinforcing features (T), as well as side wall ( 2 ) with thickness of 250,0 microns min., rounded corners with minimum thickness of 325,0 microns and supper rims with thickness of 850 microns +/−100. The present tray (BD) presents a barrier feature against UV, according to IFC (International Food Company) standard, and is resistant to microwaves, not limited to these features, with the possibility of variations high or lower in the presented measures, in order to make its using potential more flexible.  
      Before receiving the product each tray is forwarded for sterilization. After conditioning the “ready-prepared” product in the tray, it receives, on the side rim surfaces ( 3 ), a plastic film (FL) with cover, following to the vacuum process, where the rims and the film are thermally sealed to the tray; once sealed, the packing is conditioned in a carton cartridge (CP), the external faces of which receive the whole range of information for the consumer.  
      The tray (BD) was developed to resist high temperature variations, with the possibility to support from very low freezing temperatures (−40° C.) to the sterilization process (+200° C.). It is also resistant to strong impacts, avoiding its destruction and automatically contact the food.  
      In view of the above and due to its construction, the tray-type packing, now presented allows to maintain the “ready-dish” product, conserved stable with the possibility of being maintained during environment temperature during the whole chain formed by its industrial production until the preparation/consumption by the final consumer.  
      It is important to understand that the present invention does not limit itself to the application of the details and stages described hereby. It is capable of other modalities and of being practiced or executed in other modes, with the understanding that the employed terminology has a description non-limiting purpose.