Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Packaged or wrapped product – Having consumer oriented diverse utility
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-29
2001-09-25
Hendricks, Keith (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Packaged or wrapped product
Having consumer oriented diverse utility
C426S119000, C426S394000, C426S404000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06294209
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to packages which contain a food product and an additional aroma component and the manufacture thereof so that, upon opening the package, the consumer will smell the aroma.
It is disclosed in the food art that it is, in some cases, desirable to add an aroma composition to the headspace of a package containing a food product to increase and to stress an olfactory sensation, the smell, of freshness and the uniqueness of the food product so that upon opening the package, a consumer's appetite will be whetted.
A system for aromatising a headspace of a food package is disclosed in European Patent Application Publication No. 0 706 944, wherein an aroma composition is dissolved in a liquid, and then the aromatized liquid is dispensed in a gaseous form into the headspace, such as by, for example, means of a spray nozzle, or by other dispenser suitable for introducing the liquid into the headspace.
Another system for aromatising a headspace of a food package is disclosed in European Patent Application Publication No. 0 814 023. In this system, a noble gas, such as argon, or an inert gas, may be employed for introducing an aroma composition, which is soluble in or mixable with the gases, into a package headspace. This system allows for a direct mixing of gases such as carbon dioxide or nitrogen or mixtures thereof, which are employed conventionally for modifying a package atmosphere, and which may be accomplished with a gas mixer via mixing pre-selected proportions of the components to obtain an aromatized gas mixture which then is injected into packages using gas packing machines known in the art.
Although the systems discussed above and although others known in the art may provide an enhanced olfactory perception upon the opening of a package so aromatized, in some cases, however, certain types of food products and certain types of aroma compositions may be incompatible when co-packed in the same space. Significantly, too, co-packing of a food product and an added aroma composition together in the same space may result in the aromas provided by the aroma composition being absorbed by the food product, even within a few days of packing, which will result in, relatively in the context of the aroma-producing potential of the aroma composition employed, reduced aroma impact upon package opening and may result, in turn over a period of storage, in there being almost no excess aroma present in the headspace for release for user perception upon package opening. So, too, if the aroma composition is dissolved in a solvent introduced into a headspace, the solvent may dissolve in the food product, which likewise will tend to reduce the aroma impact sought to be achieved upon package opening. Further, because an amount of headspace aroma absorption may differ from lot-to-lot of commercially manufactured products, and even possibly from unit-to-unit of a same lot (or batch), there is chance of, upon package opening, variability between the aroma strength perceived by the user/consumer from a plurality of packages.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides an alternative to the above-noted ways of giving the consumer, upon opening a packaged food or beverage product, an olfactory perception of freshness and uniqueness of the product without added, or excess, aroma being present in the headspace of the package, although such is not intended to be excluded.
To that end, the present invention provides an air-tight package, i.e., a package sealed from the ambient atmosphere, which substantially reduces a chance, if not substantially avoiding a chance, for the above-noted lot-to-lot and unit-to-unit aroma strength perception differences. Moreover, because the embodiments of the present invention avoid absorption of an added, or excess, aroma component, it is believed that, in general, lesser dose amounts of aroma composition per package unit may be employed as compared with headspace aromatization, and that, it is believed, is not an insignificant consideration in the context of the economics of aroma composition preparation and use.
The invention also provides an aromatized food-containing package wherein a chance or risk of contact between the aroma composition with either the food product or the consumer is limited and sought to be avoided. For example, even if food-acceptable aroma compositions are employed, it is not desirable to have direct contact with the aroma composition since the aroma composition is provided at relatively high concentration. That is, direct contact with a concentrated aroma composition can result in a very strong and undesirable smell on the hands of a consumer or on a portion of the food product. Therefore, the present invention also provides an air-tight package which also reduces the chance of, and substantially avoids, if not totally avoiding the chance of, direct contact of the aroma composition with either the food product or the consumer.
According to the invention, a food or beverage product and a food-acceptable aroma composition are isolated in separate compartments of a package until the package is opened, and upon opening of the package, aromas from an aroma composition maintained in a compartment are released to effect a desired consumer perception, and generally, it will be the case that the aroma(s) released will mix with aroma emanating from the food, or beverage, itself and provide a desirable combined aroma. Further accordance with the present invention, there may be a plurality of aroma compositions maintained in cavities separate from one another to enhance a mixing effect. Additionally, it has been observed that in the case of a package which comprises a peelable web package cover part, the peeling of the web for opening of the package is believed to facilitate aroma mixing just above the opened package, which operates to attract, in a favorable way, the attention of the person opening the package to the product.
In a first aspect, the present invention provides a food package having a configuration. i.e., structure, which defines a first cavity, which is suitable for containing a food product, and a second cavity which is suitable for containing a food-acceptable aroma composition, the first and second cavities being sealed separate and apart by a cover part which, when removed, opens both cavities and wherein the aroma composition is such that and in an amount effective so that upon package opening, aromas are released from the aroma composition-containing cavity, and preferably, substantially all of the aroma potential of the aroma-containing composition is released for consumer perception.
In another aspect, the present invention provides a process for preparing a packaged food product comprising:
providing a package body part which defines a cavity for containing a food product as defined above;
inserting a food product into the cavity;
dosing a liquid mixture of a food-acceptable aroma composition and a liquid carrier into a portion of the package body part separated and apart from the part which contains the food product;
removing the liquid carrier from the aroma composition, preferably by evaporating the carrier, while leaving aroma composition preferably in a form of a residue, preferably comprising a solidified form, so that aromas are released from the package upon opening the package; and
covering and sealing the package body part with a cover part so that the food product and aroma composition are sealed and contained within the package separate and apart one from the other and from the atmosphere within separate package cavities and so that the cover part is removable and so that when the cover part is removed, the separate cavities are opened to the atmosphere.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In line with the description above, the present invention provides means for obtaining an aromatized packaged product (herein defined as being a packaged product having an added/excess aroma component beyond that provided by or capable of being provided by the basic p
Becker Drew
Hendricks Keith
Nestec S.A.
Vogt & O'Donnell, LLP
LandOfFree
Aromatized food package does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Aromatized food package, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Aromatized food package will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2486786