Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Packaged or wrapped product – Packaged product is animal flesh
Reexamination Certificate
1998-11-19
2001-04-03
Brouillette, Gabrielle (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Packaged or wrapped product
Packaged product is animal flesh
C426S118000, C426S396000, C426S418000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06210725
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to a novel method for producing a Modified Atmosphere Package useful for the preservation and shelf life extension of food and non-food oxygen sensitive items.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
It is well established that the shelf life of products can be extended by packaging them in a modified gaseous environment. For example, the shelf life of fresh meat products can be extended by packaging these products in an oxygen poor gaseous environment (Meat Preservation Robert G. Cussens Food & Nutrition Press, Inc. 1994).
Alternatively, non-food products such as metals which react with oxygen in a degradative manner can be stored in oxygen poor gaseous environments to prevent oxidation or “rusting” and thus enhance their useful life.
The relationship between shelf life and the gaseous environment surrounding a product is complex. For fresh cut meats, exposure to an ambient oxygen atmosphere causes the proteins contained in the meat to oxidize thus turning the meat color from a bright red to a brown color. The relationship between meat color and oxygen concentration is well established (Principles of Meat Science Third Edition Herick et al., Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company 1994). This relationship is graphically illustrated in
FIG. 1
, a relationship whereby the meat turns redder as the oxygen levels increase. In addition the growth of bacteria is enhanced by the presence of ambient oxygen.
This combination of color change and bacteria growth renders the meat product unfit for sale after 3-5 days.
The shelf life of the meat product can be extended by storing the fresh cut meat in an atmosphere of 100% carbon dioxide or combinations of carbon dioxide and nitrogen as well as high and low levels of oxygen in combination with nitrogen (Meat Preservation Robert G. Cussens Food & Nutrition Press, Inc. 1994). The maximum shelf life extension of fresh meats is achieved with 100% carbon dioxide. U.S. Pat. No. 5,667,827 naming Dennis J. Breen and Lawrence Wilson as inventors provides a more detailed description of 100% carbon dioxide environments.
The ultimate shelf life extension of fresh meats is determined not only by the environment surrounding the fresh meat but by the holding or storage temperature. In the case of fresh meat, the natural degradative metabolic process can be slowed by storing the meat in a 100% carbon dioxide atmosphere (or an oxygen level of <500 PPM) and maintaining the meat temperature at approximately 30.2 F. The importance of maintaining the proper meat temperature has been discussed in a recent publication (The National Provisioner April 1998).
While the environment of 100% carbon dioxide extends the shelf life of fresh meat, the meat must be exposed to ambient conditions, or approximately 21% oxygen, prior to retail sale. This exposure to ambient oxygen causes the meat to “bloom” or assume a cherry or bright red color. This color change must be present in order for the meat to be consumer acceptable.
This “blooming” can be accomplished by providing a means to expose the meat to an oxygen rich environment prior to retail sale. The prior art is replete with examples of methods to accomplish “blooming”, such as removable domes (Garwood U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,685,274, 4,801,347, 5,025,611, 5,103,618, 5,129,512, 5,155,974, 5,226,531, and 5,323,590), peelable films (Gorlich U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,334,405, 5,348,752, 5,439,132, and 5,419,097), master bags (Breen/Wilson U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,711,978 and 5,667,827) and disposable barrier bags (Tenneco U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,698,250 and 5,811,142).
While establishing and maintaining the desired meat temperature is reasonably easy, establishing and maintaining the meat in a 100% carbon dioxide environment can be difficult and complex.
Heretofore systems have been described to achieve this desirable modified atmosphere condition. Previous systems have been described in the following patents to achieve this desired state: U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,685,274, 4,801,347, 5,025,611, 5,103,618, 5,129,512, 5,155,974, 5,226,531, and 5,323,590 all naming Anthony J. Garwood as the inventor; U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,711,978 and 5,667,827 naming Dennis J. Breen and Lawrence Wilson as the inventors; U.S. Pat. No. 5,698,250 and 5,811,142 naming Gary R. DelDuca, Alan E. Deyo, Vinod K. Luthra and Wen P. Wu as the inventors; and U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,334,405, 5,348,752, 5,439,132, and 5,419,097 naming Michael P. Gorlich as the inventor. In all of the referenced patents, the techniques require and/or use, complicated and expensive techniques/machines/packages including evacuation, gas flushing, oxygen absorbers, peelable seals, and complex coextruded and laminated films.
The systems described in the prior art establish the modified atmosphere within the package before the package environment is separated from the ambient conditions. For example, scenarios include evacuation, gas flushing and incorporation of oxygen absorbers before an individual layer or layers of permeable and impermeable films and/or bags or a combination thereof that are sealed or adhered to the container used to hold the food product.
Additionally, the previously referenced equipment, materials, and systems used to produce a modified atmosphere are costly, complex, and difficult to maintain. In addition, the machinery and processing steps are not conducive to small packaging operations.
As an example, Multivac produces and supplies machines which evacuate and establish a modified atmosphere prior to sealing a film to the tray package as described in their sales literature.
Since there are a multitude of shelf life extension methods described, large and small food packers have been reluctant to convert to one of these methods due to the large capital investment required for machinery. The food packers fear another system will come along to replace the one they have chosen. Thus market conversion to extended shelf life products in the US has been slow to occur.
Additionally, the previously referenced methods establish the modified atmosphere contemporaneously with the exclusion of oxygen. In other words, the atmosphere cannot be readily changed after it is established because no means is provided to modify the atmosphere within the container without destroying the container.
Further, the pressure of the modified atmosphere established with the prior art is generally limited to one atmosphere although the benefits of higher pressures have been established. These benefits include rapid absorption of carbon dioxide by the meat which slows the growth of certain bacteria, (Controlled/Modified Atmosphere/Vacuum Packaging of Foods, Brody, Food & Nutrition Press, Inc. 1994), prevention of package collapse due to the absorption of carbon dioxide by fresh meat and a cushioning effect which protects the product during shipment.
Providing a simple reusable means for establishing a modified atmosphere subsequent to sealing a barrier bag around a wrapped tray has several significant advantages over methods which establish a modified atmosphere prior to sealing a barrier bag around a wrapped tray. Several of these advantages are discussed below. The integrity of each barrier bag can be checked to determine if there are any leaks. Machine cost is lower and machine complexity is reduced. Production rates (packages produced per minute) can be increased. A poor seal on the end of the barrier bag can be repaired and the modified atmosphere re-established within the barrier bag thus reducing the cost associated with discarding the entire package. The same package can be used to establish a low oxygen environment, a high oxygen environment or a vacuum environment. A self-contained microwaveable package can be provided suitable for the reheating and/or cooking of food items.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a flexible low cost method for establishing a variety of modified atmosphere conditions within a package containing a food or non-food product after the environment surrounding the food or non-food product is separated from the ambient environment.
It ha
Brouillette Gabrielle
Greenwald Howard J.
Greenwald & Basch LLP
Mai Hao
Tres Fresh LLC
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