Patent Application
20060280845
The present invention relates generally to containers and packaging for food items. More specifically, the invention relates to containers and packages for liquid based food items that separate ingredients of the food item.
Traditionally, soup and other related liquid-based food items are either home made or processed and packaged by commercial preparers of such products. Home made soups may provide the most natural and appealing taste, particularly since they can include selected ingredients and seasonings to suit individual preferences. Preparing home made soups, however, can require a substantial amount of time. For example, particulates, such as vegetables and meat items, must be prepared, which may involve washing and cutting vegetables and meats. The vegetable and meat ingredients are added to water or a broth, which can include seasonings and flavorings, such as salt, pepper, sugar, garlic and onion, etc. These seasonings can also be added to water. The ingredients are then heated and served. Packaged, processed, ready-to-eat soups have become very popular since they are convenient and can be quickly and easily prepared compared to home made soups. A typical can of processed soup includes a mixture of various ingredients, including a broth or a liquid stock, particulates such as meats and vegetables in different combinations, and seasonings, including salt. In use, a consumer opens the can, empties the contents of the can into a pan or bowl, and heats the soup over a range or in a microwave oven.
The manner of making processed soups is well known. Typically, they are made by metering a predetermined quantity of an ingredient or mixture of selected ingredients, which are combined and mixed in a can. A lid is placed on the can and the lid and the can are sealed together. The sealed can is sterilized and pressurized and prepared for storage or distribution. Sterilization involves exposing the can of soup to temperatures from about 240° F. to about 265° F. for about 12-60 minutes depending on the container size, soup thickness and rate of agitation. Sterilization issues are of particular concern with the meat and vegetable ingredients within the mixture because they may contain pathogens, which must be rendered commercially sterile for shelf stability or pasteurized in the case of refrigerated distribution. The heat source must be applied for a sufficient amount of time so that the thermal center of the food in the container achieves commercial sterility or pasteurization.
Processed soups typically have relatively large quantities of salt (sodium chloride), which is the main source of sodium in foods. Large quantities of salt are typically used to provide a sufficient flavor impact to a consumer. Sodium is carried in the broth, and over time, the sodium diffuses or migrates from the broth into particulates, such as meats and vegetables. This “sodium diffusion” typically occurs during processing or distribution of the prepared soups (e.g., sterilization, pressurization, freezing, refrigeration, storage and distribution). Thus, a commercial preparer of soups must add enough salt to the can to compensate for sodium diffusion so that a desired flavor impact is achieved. Although a package soup delivers an adequate salt content, it contains salt levels that are typically higher than those considered healthy for consumers.
Home made soups and other liquid-based food items, such as stews, on the other hand, typically do not these high quantities of salt since the salt is mostly concentrated in the surrounding broth. Thus, home made soups and stews taste fresher and healthier and have lower salt contents compared to processed food items, while still providing desirable flavor impact.
High sodium contents may cause various health problems, particularly considering United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommendations and that it is generally accepted that high sodium diets can contribute to health problems, such as high blood pressure. For example, a single can of certain processed “Chunky” brand soups available from Campbell Soup Company has about 1,800 mg of sodium, or 900 mg per serving. The USDA recommends that the amount of salt consumed on a daily basis not exceed 2,400 mg. Thus, a single can of processed, ready-to-eat soup almost meets the recommended daily allowance of sodium.
Attempts have been made to reduce sodium content by reducing the quantity of salt that is added to a can of soup. While the objective is on the right track, the taste of the resulting processed soup may not be satisfactory since the reduced amount of salt is absorbed by the particulates and does not provide sufficient salt flavor.
Processed soups and other liquid-based food items, therefore, can be improved. Soups can be made to deliver a more natural, home-cooked taste by providing a naturally occurring flavor gradient so that sodium does not diffuse into particulates. In other words, it is desirable that salt remains in the surrounding broth and is added to the particulates when the soup is prepared. The amount of salt and sodium that is added to processed foods should also be reduced to provide a healthier food item, while not sacrificing taste. Reducing the amount of sodium in processed soups can contribute to healthier diets.
Further, processed soups can be prepared and processed more efficiently. Known sterilization steps must apply heat to a can of soup for a sufficient amount of time to ensure mass average sterilization and/or thermal center sterilization or pasteurization of the soup mixture, particularly the meat and vegetable particulates. The time required for the middle sections of the soup mixture to be heated can be reduced while still achieving the desired sterilization, thereby maximizing nutrient retention, color, flavor and other quality attributes, while processing soup products in a more efficient manner.
Accordingly, there exists a need for improved and healthier processed soup products and other liquid based food items that have reduced salt and sodium contents, have acceptable flavor impact, and that can be processed more efficiently than known processed soup products and liquid-based food items.
According to one embodiment of the invention, a segmented container for a liquid-based food item includes an outer member, an inner dividing member, and a sealing member. The outer member includes a bottom, one or more sides extending upwardly from the bottom, and inner and outer surfaces. The inner dividing member is positioned inside the outer member. The inner dividing member includes inner and outer surfaces. The inner surface of the inner dividing member at least partially defines an inner cavity. The outer surface of the inner dividing member and the inner surface of the outer member define an outer cavity. A sealing member extends across the tops of the inner dividing member and the outer member to close the container. One or more seasonings and a liquid are placed in the inner cavity, and particulates are placed in the outer cavity. As a result, seasoning is separated from the particulates to prevent the seasoning from diffusing into the particulates. The liquid, the seasoning, and the particulates are pourable from their respective inner and outer cavities in a single motion.
In accordance with another embodiment, a segmented container for a liquid-based food item includes a substantially rigid, cylindrical outer member, a substantially rigid, cylindrical inner dividing member, and a substantially rigid, circular sealing member. The outer member has a bottom, one or more sides extending upwardly from the bottom and an inner surface. The inner dividing member is positioned inside the cylindrical outer member and has inner and outer surfaces. The inner surface of the inner dividing member at least partially defines an inner cavity, and the outer surface of the inner dividing member and the inner surface of the outer member define an outer cavity. The sealing member extends across the tops of the cylindrical inner dividing member and the cylindrical outer member to close the container. An underside of the sealing member includes a cushion that sealingly engages a top edge or surface of the inner dividing member and closes the container when the sealing member is placed over the tops of the outer and inner dividing members. A liquid and a seasoning are placed in the inner cavity and particulates are placed in the outer cavity so that the seasoning is separated from the particulates in order to prevent the seasoning from diffusing into the particulates. The circular sealing member is removed to open the container, and the liquid, the seasoning, and the particulates are pourable from their respective cavities in a single motion.
In accordance with a further alternative embodiment, a packaged liquid-based food item includes a container, a liquid, one or more seasonings, a plurality of particulates and a sealing member. The container has an outer member and a vertical dividing member. The outer member has a bottom, one or more sides extending upwardly from the bottom, and an inner surface. The vertical dividing member has inner and outer surfaces and is positioned inside the outer member. The inner surface of the inner dividing member at least partially defines an inner cavity, and the outer surface of the inner dividing member and the inner surface of the outer member define an outer annular cavity. Liquid and one or more seasonings are in the inner cavity, and particulates are in the outer cavity, thereby separating the seasoning from the particulates so that the seasoning does not diffuse into the particulates. The sealing member extends across tops of the outer member and the vertical dividing member to close the container. The sealing member is removed to open the container, and the liquid seasoning, and particulates are pourable from their respective cavities in a single motion
According to another embodiment, a packaged liquid-based food item includes, a substantially rigid cylindrical outer member, a substantially rigid cylindrical dividing member, a liquid, one or more seasonings, particulates and a substantially rigid circular sealing member. The outer member has a bottom, one or more sides extending upwardly from the bottom to a top of the cylindrical outer member, and an inner surface. The dividing member has inner and outer surfaces and is positioned inside the cylindrical outer member and at least partially defines a cylindrical inner cavity. The outer surface of the cylindrical inner dividing member and the inner surface of the cylindrical outer member define an annular outer cavity. The liquid and the seasoning are placed in the cylindrical inner cavity, and the particulates are placed in the annular outer cavity. As a result, the seasoning is separated from the particulates to prevent the seasoning from diffusing into the particulates. A substantially rigid circular sealing member extends across the tops of the cylindrical inner dividing member and the cylindrical outer member to close the container. When the circular sealing member is removed to open the container, the liquid, the seasoning, and the particulates are pourable from their respective cavities in a single motion.
In various embodiments, the inner and outer members can be cylindrical and to define cylindrical inner and annular outer cavities. Alternatively, the inner and outer members can be other shapes that define cavities of other shapes. The inner surface of the inner dividing member can exclusively define the inner cavity or define the inner cavity with an inner surface of the outer member. The outer and inner members can be concentric or offset from a center point.
The inner member can extend between the top and the bottom of the outer member and can also extend from a side of the outer member and completely or partially between the top and the bottom of the outer member. The inner and outer members can be various materials and can be substantially rigid, such as metal or plastic. The may also be substantially transparent.
The sealing member can be a lid that is placed across the tops of the outer and inner members. The outer and inner members can be approximately the same height. The sealing member can also be a substantially ridged metal or plastic. An underside of the sealing member can include a cushion, which sealingly engages a top edge or surface of the inner dividing member. The cushion can have the same shape as the top edge or surface of the inner dividing member or have a shape and size to sufficiently cover the top edge or surface. For example, the cushion can be annular or have a ring-like shape.
Referring now to the drawings, in which like reference numbers represent corresponding parts throughout, and in which:
Embodiments of segmented or flavor gradient package of container, a packaged liquid-based food item, and a method of manufacturing a packaged liquid-based food item are described. With various embodiments, soups and other liquid-based food items (generally “soup”) can be prepared so that flavorings and seasonings, such as salt, pepper, sugar, onion powder or flavoring, garlic powder or flavoring, and any necessary colorings (hereafter referred to as “seasonings”) in a broth do not diffuse or migrate into particulates, such as meats and vegetables. Rather, the broth and the seasonings are stored in one segment, and particulates and water (as necessary) are stored in another segment. In some applications, a portion of the seasonings (and colorants if necessary) can be added to the particulate containing segment to provide an improved flavor impact. In use, the package or container is tilted and the broth and seasonings are poured out with the particulates and water from the respective cavities in a single pouring motion. As a result, the soup product is more similar to home made soups since the seasoning is added just prior to cooking, thus providing a more natural tasting product compared to typical processed soups in which the salt and sodium diffuses into the particulates. Since salt is not fully absorbed by particulates, a similar salt or flavor impact can be provided with reduced amounts of salt, thereby providing a soup with more natural taste and a healthier soup with reduced sodium contents compared to known processed soup products.
Referring to
The outer member 110 includes an inner surface 111 and an outer surface 112, which is typically handled by a consumer, a bottom surface 113 and a top edge or surface 114. The inner dividing member 120 is disposed or positioned inside of the outer member 110 and includes an inner surface 121, an outer surface 122, a top edge or surface 123 and a bottom edge or surface 124. In the illustrated embodiment the inner surface 121 of the inner member 120 defines a vertical, inner cavity 125, e.g., a circular or cylindrical cavity. An outer cavity 115 is defined between the outer surface 122 of the inner member 120 and the inner surface 111 of the outer member 110. In the illustrated embodiment, the outer and inner members 110 and 120 are cylindrical and concentric, or share a common axis or center point. Thus, the corresponding outer cavity 115 is annular or ring-like, and the inner cavity 125 is cylindrical.
The outer and inner members 110 and 120 may be formed using various techniques and food-grade materials. For example, the inner and outer members 110 and 120 can be substantially rigid and made of a substantially rigid metal or plastic, e.g., aluminum and other materials that are used to make soup cans and packages. The outer and inner members 110 and 120 can be formed together as a unitary piece or, alternatively, connected together using, for example, adhesive or welding, depending on the materials that are selected. As a further alternative, the inner and outer members 110 and 120 can be plastic and made using, for example, injection molding. Thus, in these embodiments, the outer and inner cavities 115 and 125 have pre-defined shapes. Further, the inner member 120 can be hollow so that the bottom of the hollow inner member 120 is sealed against the bottom 113 of the outer member 110, or the inner member 120 can have its own bottom surface. Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that various segmented configurations can be made with various techniques and materials.
Referring to
Referring to
In the embodiment shown in
For example, as shown in
The sealing member 320 is placed on top of the container after the inner cavity 125 is filled with broth 300 and seasonings 302 and the outer cavity 115 is filled with particulates 310 and water or other liquids 311. Thus, all or the majority of the salt and other seasonings 320 remain contained in the inner cavity 125, advantageously separated from the particulates 310 in the outer cavity 115. This separation is maintained from the beginning of production, during storage, distribution, sales, and subsequent consumer storage, thereby maintaining a flavor gradient to prevent “sodium diffusion” or other flavorings into the particulates.
Referring to
As a result of the segmented configuration, shorter heating durations can be used to achieve the same sterilization results while optimizing flavor, color and nutrient retention. In contrast, traditional soups having mixtures of ingredients require longer heating durations since the particulates are mixed together with the broth and are not heated as easily, since thermal processes have to be assumed at the thermal center of the container which is typically along the axis of the container where heating lags are notable when compared to the outer layers of the container. Thus, the traditional soup or food containers require longer heating durations. Further, food items according to various embodiments are subjected to less heat 500. This reduced thermal stress, results in a higher quality food item that is not otherwise subjected to unnecessary heating and flavor and texture degradation.
The benefit of faster sterilization times and reduced thermal stress on the food item is further illustrated in
Liquid or particulate: T=jr1*(T1—T0)*10(−1/fh)
This equation represents the heat transfer in the water, broth or puree after the curvilinear heating (Hayakawa, 1980) has been transposed. In some foods there are “broken” heating curves that require to solve the equation through specific mathematical algorithms for varying values of fh. Numerical solutions can also be applied to solve heat transfer within containers. The governing differential equations vary and follow simple energy balances as shown in the following one dimensional equation
k*p*cp*dT/dt=a*d2t/dr2
for 0<x<r1 in axi-symmetric heating
Boundary conditions have to be defined according to heating medium characteristics where T=Temperature of food
j=heating lag factor in the liquid or solid particles
r=dimensional location within the container
T1=Heating medium temperature
T0=Initial food temperature
f=empirically measured heating rates
h=heat transfer coefficient
k=thermal conductivity of food
p (rho)=food density
Cp=food specific heat
This equation represents a simplified heat transfer system and one versed in the science of heat transfer would conclude that multiple complex conditions of heat transfer would apply. The solutions currently applied in the industry typically require numerical solutions to complex partial differential equations. Exemplary numerical methods include finite differences and finite elements.
Various other package designs can be utilized to provide a flavor gradient in liquid-based food items and/or provide more efficient sterilization by separating out particulates from thermolable broth having seasonings.
In one alternative embodiment, referring to
In another alternative embodiment, referring to
A further alternative embodiment is shown in
Further alternative embodiments are shown in
A seal 2530 extends across the tops 2514 and 2524 of the outer and inner members 2510 and 2520. The seal 2530 can be, for example, heat seal. The sides of the outer and inner members 2510 and 2520 can be similarly sealed. A tear strip 2532 can be provided across a top portion of the package to allow a consumer to tear open the top of the sealed package and access the contents in the outer and inner pockets or cavities 2515 and 2525 and allow the contents to be poured out of the package in a single pouring motion.
The outer member 2510 includes an inner surface and an outer surface. The inner member 2520 includes an inner surface and an outer surface. The inner surface of the inner member 2520 at least partially defines an inner pocket or cavity 2525 for holding seasonings. An outer pocket or cavity 2515 is defined between the outer surface of the inner member 2520 and the inner surface of the outer member 2510. The outer pocket 2515 includes particulates, such as meat and vegetable particulates, and water, as necessary. The pouch 2500 shown in
The flexible segmented pouch 2500 provides a flavor gradient by separating the salt and other seasonings from particulates, and allowing a consumer to empty the pouch contents in a single motion. The embodiment of a segmented pouch also decreases sterilization times since particulates are concentrated in one area or pocket and can be readily heated through a plastic material. Further, the outer and inner members are flexible, thus allowing the package to assume different shapes. The packages are also durable since they are made of plastic or other durable flexible materials.
In the embodiment shown in
The package 2800 shown in
Referring to
The tops of the outer and inner members can be different heights so that the tops can be engaged more easily by a filling machine. Additionally, a vacuum can be used to engage the outer faces of the outer member and to make the inner and outer cavities more accessible. A filling machine can a rotary machine that includes multiple heads, or multiple stage filling process can be used.
The embodiments shown and described are not intended to be limiting, but are provided for purposes of explanation and illustration. Various segmented package configurations, shapes, sizes and designs can be used to provide a flavor gradient. For example, the containers can have a size suitable for both individual consumption and for commercial or large scale use. Further, square-or rectangular-shaped outer members can be paired with inner members having cylindrical, square, rectangular or other shapes. Similarly, cylindrical-shaped outer members can be paired with inner members having cylindrical, square, rectangular or other shapes. Further, the inner members can be concentric or offset relative to the outer member, stand-alone or connected to the inner surface of the outer member. The inner members can extend between the top and bottom of an outer member or a portion thereof. The package can also be designed so that the package is easy to hold, e.g., the outer member can be contoured to fit a person's hand. Thus, persons skilled in the art will appreciate that various segmented designs that provide flavor gradients can be utilized depending on, for example, food item ingredients, concentrations and packaging considerations.
