1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the packaging of frozen products, such as frozen food products. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system and method for portioning and freezing a bagged product in a manner that allows easy separation of portions of the frozen product from the remainder.
2. Related Art
Frozen food products are a mainstay of modern life and the modern food production industry. Freezing a suitably pasteurized food product is an excellent method for preserving the flavor of the food product whether it is obtained from fruit sources, vegetable sources, artificially flavored liquids, meat, dairy products, or combinations of the same. Freezing food also preserves the product from the time it is prepared until the time it is ready to be eaten or used. Frozen food products are desirable in part because they do not require any added preservatives. Since many microorganisms do not grow at temperatures below −9.5° C. (about 15° F.), freezing a food product can be sufficient by itself to prevent spoilage. Moreover, prepackaged foods that have been sufficiently sterilized before or at the time of packaging, such as through pasteurization, and are properly packaged, can be kept frozen in their package for a very long time—up to many years—without spoiling or losing significant taste and nutritional value, so long as the temperature is kept sufficiently low.
One challenge presented by frozen foods is that of portioning. Many frozen food products are sold in a bulk quantity that may be larger than desired for a single use or a single serving. With many current packaging approaches, an entire package of product must be thawed for use. Thawing a large mass of product can take many hours, which is a disadvantage both in food service and personal or retail applications. In low volume food service operations and in retail applications an entire pouch of frozen product is often more product than can be used immediately. Once thawed, some products can start to spoil very quickly, with the result that thawing excess product leads to waste.
For a small quantity use, such as personal use in a home, the user is obligated to separate the desired quantity from the frozen remainder, and return the remainder to the freezer. However, separating a portion of a frozen product from the remainder can be very difficult to do and to do accurately. Often, the quantity that is obtained after significant effort is not the quantity that was desired. Moreover, the very act of dividing the frozen product can expose the product to damage and biological contamination, which can shorten its storage life.
The present application is directed toward one or more of the aforementioned issues.
It has been recognized that it would be advantageous to develop a frozen product packaging system that makes it relatively easy to separate a small portion from a frozen product.
It has also been recognized that it would be advantageous to have a frozen product packaging system that promotes compact packaging of the product.
In accordance with one embodiment thereof, the present application discloses a system for packaging a frozen product. In one embodiment the system includes a packaging apparatus, adapted to place and seal a fluid food product into a flexible container; a pasteurizing unit, configured to pasteurize the food product in the sealed container; and a mold, configured to press upon and deform at least one surface of the container, to produce a series of compartments in the container with thin segments therebetween.
In accordance with another aspect thereof, the application discloses a method for packaging a frozen food product. The method includes placing a fluid food product into a flexible container, sealing the container and pasteurizing the food product in the sealed container. The method further includes applying a form to at least one surface of the flexible container, the form embossing the container and creating a series of compartments separated by thin segments therebetween, and freezing the product in the container with the form in place.
In accordance with yet another aspect thereof, the application discloses a portioned, frozen product. The portioned frozen product includes a container of a fluid or semi-fluid food product that has been frozen, and the container and frozen product have an embossed shape, on at least one surface of the container, the embossed shape defining a series of compartments of the food product within the container.
Additional features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the detailed description which follows, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which together illustrate, by way of example, features of the invention, and wherein:
Reference will now be made to exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawings, and specific language will be used herein to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended. Alterations and further modifications of the inventive features illustrated herein, and additional applications of the principles of the inventions as illustrated herein, which would occur to one skilled in the relevant art and having possession of this disclosure, are to be considered within the scope of the invention.
As noted above, it is desirable to have a means to portion a frozen product that enables thawing and using just part of a pouch. Many frozen products are portioned into pucks and sold in an individually quick-frozen state to accomplish this goal. However, this approach can be difficult with some products, such as guacamole. Due to its sensitivity to heat, thermal Pasteurization is not an option for guacamole, and UHP Pasteurization is frequently used. However, the pressures exerted during the UHP step are great enough that frozen pucks could be crushed and melted together, losing the individual quick-frozen attributes. On the other hand, if a guacamole product were treated with UHP Pasteurization, then formed into pucks, and subsequently frozen and packaged, there is a risk of recontamination of the Pasteurized product during freezing and packaging.
Advantageously, the system and method disclosed herein deeply embosses at least one surface of a sealed flexible container of fluid or semi-fluid product, which is then frozen. Provided in
Shown in
A variety of other form patterns and configurations are also possible, in addition to the corrugated pattern shown in
Shown in
The sealing machine 56 can be a vertical form fill seal (VFFS) machine, which both makes and seals the bags. There are many commercial sources for VFFS machines. One such machine that is commercially available is the Cryovac® Onpack® machine, available from Cryovac, Inc. of Duncan, S.C. The portioning and container filling process can also be undertaken using other packaging methods. For example, horizontal form/fill/seal machines, such as those made by Robert Reiser & Co. of Canton, Mass. and sold under the name Repak®, can also be used. Pre-made bags sealed with a band sealer can also be used. It is also desirable that the bag 54 be somewhat loose, or in other words, not filled to capacity or under pressure, to accommodate the embossing process, discussed below. In one embodiment, the bag 54 is filled so that when sealed and lying flat upon the conveyor 52, the bag has a thickness of about ¾″. In general, it is desirable to have a flexible pouch or other container that fits loosely enough around the product to allow it to be deformed by the form 20.
The sealed bag 54 containing the product is then transported to a pasteurizing unit 58, where it is pasteurized (step 86 in
Following pasteurization, a mold or form 60 is applied to the upper surface 61 of the product bag 54 (step 88 in
With the mold 60 in place, the bag 54 is transported into a freezer 62, where the product freezes (step 90 in
After the product bag 54 and the form 60 emerge from the freezer 62, the mold 60 can be removed from the bag 54 (step 92 in
As discussed above, the form 60 can have a variety of shapes, such that the formed top surface 61 of the product can have a variety of shapes. For example, rather than a corrugated surface, the top surface 61 can be a series of curves or arcs or rectangular ridges, etc. Various other form shapes are possible, and some might be used to create product portions in decorative shapes.
A variety of configurations and mechanisms can be used for transporting and placing the forms 60, in addition to that shown in
It is to be appreciated that both the top surface 61 and bottom surface 63 of the bag 54 can be embossed or shaped in a manner like that disclosed herein. For example, a corrugated form can be placed below the bag 54, with a corresponding upper form placed above the bag and used to press down upon it. The two forms, working together, can create the weak or thin regions in the product where opposing peaks of the forms come closest together. Alternatively, upper and lower forms can be configured to align together in different ways, to produce other shapes and configurations in the container of frozen product.
Referring again to
The system and method disclosed herein applies to portionable fluid or semi-fluid products, and can provide individual frozen portions without the need to form and freeze individual pieces, as is otherwise common. This method can be used on any fluid or semi-fluid product that is shipped frozen. Examples might include guacamole, mash, mashed potatoes, gravy, sauces, soups, ground meats, etc. The product can be pasteurized using Ultra-High Pressure (UHP) Pasteurization systems and portioned while in a sealed container, thus eliminating the need for aseptic packaging and freezing.
The system and method disclosed herein thus provides a very convenient, easily-portioned product, and is believed to be able to do so at a relatively low cost compared to some other portion control products. Additionally, since the process is applied to packaged product, there is far less microbiological risk than with some other portioning methods.
In one exemplary embodiment, this system and method have been applied to produce pouches of frozen guacamole, such as for food service applications. Fresh avocados, frozen vegetables, seasonings, and other minor ingredients were mixed to make the guacamole, which was then vacuum packed in a loose-fitting, flexible polymer pouch. The product was then pasteurized in the pouch using ultra-high pressure (UHP) pasteurization technology. A corrugated form was then placed over the pouch at the freezer infeed. The product inside the pouch, being a fluid product, conforms to the shape of the forms, and freezes into the shape of the form in the freezer. Depending on the form shape and how loosely the pouch fits, individual portions or larger portions may be created that the user can easily break apart from the remainder of the product in the container.
It is to be understood that the above-referenced arrangements are illustrative of the application of the principles of the present invention. It will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that numerous modifications can be made without departing from the principles and concepts of the invention as set forth in the following claims.
The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/817,422, entitled SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PACKAGING A FROZEN PRODUCT, filed on Apr. 30, 2013, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61817422 | Apr 2013 | US |