Production unit of long-term preservable lunch and lunch box use

Details Production unit of long-term preservable lunch and lunch box use Production unit of long-term preservable lunch and lunch box use

1994-01-20

1997-12-16

Larson, Lowell A.

Package making

With contents treating

Vacuum or inert atmosphere

99477, B65B 3100

Patent

active

056972032

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF INDUSTRIAL APPLICATION

This invention relates to production units of long-term preservable lunch and to lunch boxes used for said lunch, and particularly to production units capable of mass-producing long-term preservable lunch which not only prevents itself from putrefaction but also keep its freshness, flavor and fragrance without deleterious change, and to lunch boxes used for said lunch.


TECHNOLOGICAL BACKGROUND

There are many opportunities to eat lunches in a journey, holiday resort or job site. Especially in summertime, however, from the view point of outbreak of food poisoning, the lunches must be served within a definite period of time, for example, within about six hours immediately after production thereof. Accordingly, what is meant by the foregoing is that from the standpoint of the makers who produce lunches, a certain number of lunches must be produced within a definite period of time fixed by counting backward to the lunch time, and as the result, an increase in cost of production of the lunches has been brought about and, at the same time, a plan of the mass production of lunches has been thwarted. From the standpoint of the consumers who eat lunches, on the other hand, there was such a problem that when the lunches are served in the lapse of a nice bit of time after the production of said lunches, freshness, flavor and taste of the lunches deteriorate.
Particularly, vegetables or fruits are foodstuffs, which are desirous to be kept fresh in the lunch box, generate ethylene gas when packed in said box. Accordingly, there was such a problem that when the lunches dished up with vegetables or fruits and packed in lunch boxes are allowed to stand for a long period of time after the production thereof, the aging of said lunches is accelerated by the generated ethylene gas and will deteriorate in freshness, flavor and taste.
An object of the present invention is to provide methods for mass producing long-term preservable lunches even when they are dished up with perishables such as vegetables or fruits and lunch boxes therefor.


DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

Under such circumstances as mentioned above, the present inventor prosecuted intensive researches with the view of making it possible to preserve lunches for a long period of time to a certain extent, and he has eventually found methods through which lunches can basically be preserved for a long period of time by filling a film-sealed lunch box with an inert gas and preserving the foodstuffs packed in said box in the inert gas atmosphere at a temperature below than the prescribed temperature, wherein there can be controlled not only oxidation and breathing action of the foodstuffs of the lunch but also evaporation of water contained in said foodstuffs and, as the result, the foodstuffs are prevented from putrefaction and also deterioration of freshness, flavor and fragrance.
The first one of the methods of the present invention as referred to above is to carry by means of a conveyor a lunch box containing dished-up foodstuffs while passing said lunch box through a stand-by chamber filled with an inert gas, followed by sealing said lunch box with a film in a sealing chamber filled with an inert gas and kept at a temperature below the prescribed temperature.
The second one of the methods of the invention is such that after the lunch box is filled with an inert gas in the stand-by chamber used in the first method mentioned above, the lunch box is sealed with a film in a sealing and cooling chamber filled with an inert gas while cooling said lunch box at a temperature lower than -1.degree. C.
The third one of the methods of the invention is such that in the sealing and cooling chamber of the second method mentioned above, the lunch box is cooled at a cooling temperature below -8.degree. C.
The lunches thus produced can be preserved for an extended period of time without deterioration in freshness or the like of said lunches by preserving them at a temperature below 5.degree. C.
Hereinafter, units for producing long-term preservable l

REFERENCES:
patent: 4140159 (1979-02-01), Domke
patent: 5001878 (1991-03-01), San Filippo et al.
patent: 5020303 (1991-06-01), Vokins
patent: 5071667 (1991-12-01), Grune et al.
patent: 5077954 (1992-01-01), Williams
patent: 5247746 (1993-09-01), Johnson et al.
patent: 5371998 (1994-12-01), Johnson et al.

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