Abstract: A process for manufacturing dry sausage. The process includes preparing a dry sausage meat mixture, stuffing the mixture into a casing or mold, fermenting the mixture, heat treating the mixture, cooling the mixture to a temperature sufficiently low to permit slicing, slicing the sausage, placing the sausage onto a conveyor, and passing the conveyor and sausage through a chamber. The process also includes introducing a supply of conditioned air into the chamber, the air having a relative humidity below about 60% and a temperature in the range of at least about 40° F. to 130° F., and introducing a supply of microwaves into the chamber. The air supply and microwaves are selected to reduce the moisture content of the meat to a predetermined moisture to protein ratio.

Abstract: A process for manufacturing dry sausage. The process includes preparing a dry sausage meat mixture, stuffing the mixture into a casing or mold, fermenting the mixture, heat treating the mixture, cooling the mixture to a temperature sufficiently low to permit slicing, slicing the sausage, placing the sausage onto a conveyor, and passing the conveyor and sausage through a chamber. The process also includes introducing a supply of conditioned air into the chamber, the air having a relative humidity below about 60% and a temperature in the range of at least about 40° F. to 130° F., and introducing a supply of microwaves into the chamber. The air supply and microwaves are selected to reduce the moisture content of the meat to a predetermined moisture to protein ratio.

Abstract: A process is proposed for producing low microbial count whole milk products, in which (a1) optionally, the milk product from which microbes are to be removed is subjected to a heat pre-treatment in a heat exchanger and warmed to temperatures in the range from 25 to 30° C., (a2) the optionally pre-treated milk product is heated by infusion to temperatures from 50 to 75° C., and pasteurized in the course thereof, and (a3) the pasteurized product is cooled by flash cooling. A similar method is likewise disclosed for producing low microbial count skimmed milk products which, as the most important intermediate step, further additionally contains the process of separating off the cream.

Abstract: A method for packaging non-liquid food products, particularly those sensitive to oxygen, such as vegetables, in a container with a low oxygen content, the container including an opening. The method includes the following steps: the container is filled with the products, in a non-controlled atmosphere; the air is removed from the container by filling same to capacity with a liquid; the full container is placed in a non-oxidizing atmosphere formed by at least one non-oxidizing gas; the liquid is fully or partially emptied from the container in a non-oxidizing atmosphere while the food products are kept in the container, such that the at least one non-oxidizing gas replaces the liquid in the container; and the above-mentioned container opening is closed in a gas-tight manner in a non-oxidizing atmosphere. A unit for carrying out the method is also described.

Abstract: The invention relates to olive processing, and includes methods for producing low-acid olives, as well as the olives produced thereby. In one aspect, the invention provides compositions directed towards packaged olive preparations having novel and beneficial characteristics, for example, olive preparations that are free of packing liquids such as brine solutions. In other aspects, the packaged olive preparations of the invention can have other beneficial properties, such as extended shelf life, have flavor infusions, and/or can be stuffed with various flavored stuffings.

Abstract: A package including a tray (10) provided with a base (11), a plurality of sidewalls (12, 13, 14, 15) extending upwardly and slightly outwardly from said base (11), a primary flange (20) integrally joined to the upper edges of the sidewalls (12, 13, 14, 15) and extending outwardly all around the upper periphery of the sidewalls (12, 13, 14, 15), a rim (21), i.e., a downward flap extending downwardly and tapering slightly outwardly from the outer periphery of the primary flange (20), and a secondary flange (22), i.e., an overhanging portion extending outwardly from the lower edge of the rim (21), said tray being characterized in that a plurality of strengthening ribs (23) extend substantially vertically along the rim (21) and outwardly with respect to the tray body.

Abstract: Method and installation for controlling the evolution of bottled wine closed with stoppers. Applicable to an alcoholic beverage comprising wine and spirits comprising controlling a surrounding environment of a bottle or bottles containing said beverage, applying a pressure which follows any profile of values over time, with a value equal to, greater than or less than atmospheric pressure, inducing an interaction between the surrounding environment and the inside of the bottle. An installation is used that comprises a sealed enclosure capable of storing bottles of said alcoholic beverage closed with caps, and a system controlling the pressure and composition of the atmosphere in the environment of the bottles in said tight enclosure.

Abstract: Proposed is a package for objects that have a portion of liquid, comprising a container (1) which consists of a liquid-impermeable material for receiving the object (9) and a dimensionally stable hollow body (10, 13, 15) which has at least one opening (12, 14, 16) and is arranged in the container (1) and receives the liquid that escapes from an object (9) arranged in the container (1).

Abstract: This invention is related to a method of manufacturing a tea drink, which comprises the steps of subjecting tea leaves to extraction to obtain an tea extract and adjusting the pH of the tea extract to the range of 5.0-6.0, mixing nitrogen into the tea extract while applying a negative pressure of 0.01 MPa or more, stabilizing the tea extract in succession to the step of applying a negative pressure by maintaining the tea extract under a pressure of not higher than atmospheric pressure for a period of 30 seconds to 20 minutes, and adjusting the pH of the tea extract to the range of 5.5-6.5 during or subsequent to the step of stabilizing the tea extract.

Abstract: A packaged bottle beverage has a base component of the beverage in a container wider vacuum separate from an additive in a sealed compartment of an ingredient release closure. Upon opening the sealed compartment, suction is created forcing the additive to quickly and thoroughly exit the ingredient release closure, a region of relatively higher pressure, and flow into the base component in the container, a region of relatively lower pressure.

Abstract: A method for making a foaming beverage includes providing a beverage having at least one lipid-based ingredient therein and mixing nitrous oxide with said beverage. A beverage having a foam composition includes a liquid having at least one lipid-based ingredient therein and nitrous oxide mixed into the liquid. The nitrous oxide may be in gas phase.

Abstract: Method and installation for controlling the evolution of bottled wine closed with stoppers. Applicable to an alcoholic beverage comprising wine and spirits comprising controlling a surrounding environment of a bottle or bottles containing said beverage, applying a pressure which follows any profile of values over time, with a value equal to, greater than or less than atmospheric pressure, inducing an interaction between the surrounding environment and the inside of the bottle. An installation is used that comprises a sealed enclosure capable of storing bottles of said alcoholic beverage closed with caps, and a system controlling the pressure and composition of the atmosphere in the environment of the bottles in said tight enclosure.

Abstract: A packaged bottled beverage has a base component of the beverage in a container under vacuum separate from an additive in a sealed compartment of an ingredient release closure. Upon opening the sealed compartment, suction is created forcing the additive to quickly and thoroughly exit the ingredient release closure, a region of relatively higher pressure, and flow into the base component in the container, a region of relatively lower pressure.

Abstract: A microwavable vacuum-packed frozen sushi product comprising: a flexible microwave-safe plastic packing bag which is vacuumed to a pressure of 50 to 600 mmHg and, in the pressure-reduced state, hermetically sealed; an open-topped plastic box placed in said packing bag; and a sushi product placed in said box; said vacuum-packed frozen sushi product being such that a space is formed in said packing bag in the pressure-reduced state around said sushi product and the space has, in total, a volume 0.1 to 0.7 times that of said sushi product; an inner surface of said packing bag is in contact with an upper surface of said sushi product; and said packing bag, said box and said sushi product are frozen together in a unified form. Water vapor generated during thawing is allowed to flow through a space formed between the sushi material and the box and the packing bag to heat a rice section and a material or materials, thereby providing the sushi product with diminished unevenness in temperature distribution.

Abstract: There is provided a microwavable vacuum-packed frozen sushi product comprising: a flexible plastic packing bag which is vacuumed to a pressure of 50 to 600 mmHg and, in the pressure-reduced state, hermetically sealed; an open-topped plastic box placed in the plastic packing bag; a laminated metal foil placed on the bottom of the plastic box; and a sushi product placed in the plastic box with its sushi material or materials in contact with the laminated metal foil; the microwavable vacuum-packed frozen sushi product being such that an inner surface of the plastic packing bag is in contact with a rice section of the sushi product; and the plastic packing bag, the plastic box, the laminated metal foil and the sushi product are frozen together in a unified form, in which water vapor emanating from the sushi product in the thawing flow through a space formed around the sushi product to effect heating of the rice section and the sushi material or materials of the sushi product, thereby diminishing temperature uneve

Abstract: The present invention is directed to vacuum skin packaging laminates. The laminates include a first film, a second film, an adhesive bonding the first film to the second film, and an adhesive-free interfacial section between the first and second films. The laminate is adapted to provide substantially horizontal first film-surface above the product for displaying product markings and a thermoformable second film-surface for conforming to the shape of the product. The present invention also is directed to vacuum skin packages formed from such laminates, and methods of packaging a product.

Abstract: According to one embodiment of the present invention, a mixture including milk and one or more gas additives is received at a milk processing system. The system heats the mixture and directs it toward an inlet to be delivered into a vacuum chamber. The vacuum chamber applies a negative vacuum pressure to the mixture to substantially remove the added gas. The resulting milk is extracted from the vacuum chamber.

Abstract: Disclosed is a compressed air powered vacuum mechanism and method for enabling a user to lower atmospheric pressure in enclosed containers and thereby remove carbon dioxide and other entrained gasses from fluids, in this instance wine, in multiple enclosed containers. In a short time, the resulting wine will improve in taste and aroma and clarity, an improvement normally associated with wine that has been naturally aged for many months. A compressed air driven vacuum generator reduces the atmospheric pressure above the wine. When the atmospheric pressure is low enough the entrained gasses will quickly boil off the enclosed wine at room temperatures, disassociating from the fluid, without harming the wine. There are instances in the processing of wine and in keeping containers of food and drink fresh, where following the removing of gasses from the enclosed containers that the vacuum must be retained. This is optionally accomplished with a vacuum retaining on/off mechanism.

Abstract: A prepackaged food kit (20) for making or assembling s'mores generally includes a base tray (22) defining at least one compartment (24). The at least one compartment including a plurality of biscuits (30), a plurality of confection pieces (32), and a plurality of marshmallows (34). The kit also includes a top (40) fitted and sealed to the base tray.

Abstract: A case-ready package has a support member, a lid, and an absorbent pad capable of withstanding sudden evacuation without rupture. The absorbent pad has upper and lower webs enveloping an absorbent layer, with the upper and lower webs adhered to one another around the periphery of the pad. The lower web is a permeable web comprising fiber. The fiber is preferably hydrophobic, and preferably has a hydrophilic composition thereon. The invention also pertains to a packaging process and packaged product using the absorbent pad.

Abstract: A device and method for preservation of an oxidizable substance, e.g. a liquid such as a beverage of which wine is an example, is described. In a first aspect, a device is described for controlling the delivery of a predetermined amount of inert gas into a container with a single opening such as a wine bottle at a pre-determined pressure, suitable for an efficient delivery of the inert gas, with a simultaneous displacement of the air present in the top space of the container or bottle, in a simple actuation. In a second aspect, an improved container or bottle stopper is described with simple features that allow easy and cheap manufacture significantly reducing the cost of the stopper. In a third aspect to an efficient and cost-effective method is described for the preservation of a degradable substances especially liquids such as beverages of which wine is an example.

Abstract: A machine for canning tuna and similar food products comprises a conveyor belt feeder, a plurality of dosing chambers aligned with the feeder and formed in a rotor rotatable in a plane perpendicular to the feed direction, a mouth connecting the feeder to the dosing chambers, a blade to separate the product introduced in the dosing chambers from the bulk of fed product so as to obtain product cakes, shaping means suitable to shape the cakes into the desired shape and transferring means arranged at a second station reachable through a partial rotation of the rotor to transfer the shaped cakes into the cans carried by another rotor. The connecting mouth has a cross-section of substantially constant shape and the shaping is performed in the dosing chambers by shapers radially mobile along the arms of the rotor when the dosing chambers are still aligned with the feeder.

Abstract: A method of manufacture comprising the following steps: (a) making a vent hole in a package; (b) loading product into a receptacle of the package via an opening; (c) closing the opening; (d) placing an air-permeable layer of material over the vent hole; (e) squeezing the receptacle after steps (a) through (d) have been performed to force air out the vent hole; and (f) after step (e) has been performed, sealing the package so that air cannot enter the receptacle via the vent hole. In accordance with some embodiments, the vent hole is formed in the receptacle and sealed by means of an air-impermeable patch or by joining two walls of the receptacle together. In accordance with other embodiments, the vent hole is formed in a zipper tape attached to the receptacle and various means can be used to seal the vent hole after air removal.

Abstract: Producing juice having increased nutritional and organoleptic value by extracting the juice under an atmosphere having an oxygen concentration of less than about 10 percent.

Abstract: A container for a relatively brittle product, such as a haemostatic bandage, including a body and a lid for closing the container to hermetically seal the product therein. A sealing rim of the lid includes a layer of elastomeric material which sealingly engages with a sealing rim of the container body to provide a first, static, seal and a second, dynamic, seal. The elastomeric sealing material extends into the interior of the container beneath the lid to provide an elastomeric formation operative to engage an upper surface of the product within the container so as to apply a resilient bias thereto to hold a lower face of the product against the base of the container. The elastomeric formation thereby acts to inhibit substantial movement of the product within the container.

Abstract: A stopper for a container having a liquid, such as wine, which is subject to oxidation once opened. The stopper is provided with a neck region for fitting within a bottle and a top for residing outside of the bottle when in use. Pathways for the introduction of an inert gas, such as argon, and for air expelled from the bottle when the inert gas is introduced are selectively closeable. Liquid housed within the bottle can be poured from the stopper without removing it. Thus, an oxidizable liquid can be preserved while decanting the bottle contents at will.

Abstract: A method of freezing meat in a marinade includes coating a piece of meat in a marinade, placing the coated meat in a bag which can be vacuum sealed, vacuum sealing the meat and the marinade in the bag, and freezing the meat by immersing the sealed bag in a brine solution containing between 0.05% and 1.0% by weight of cruciferous oil, the brine solution being at a temperature between ?22 and ?43.6° F. The meat is preferably sealed and frozen without allowing any substantial time for marination, whereby the meat can be thawed and marinated according to the time for a piece of fresh meat placed in the marinade.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a pipe-burger includes the steps of: (a) mixing a predetermined amount of texture-rich meat with flavoring ingredients to form a burger meat; (b) extruding the burger meat into a tubular pipe mold to form an elongated pipe-burger meat in a skinless manner; (c) cooking the elongated pip-burger meat to form a cooked pipe-burger meat with coarse fiber; (d) providing a burger bun having an elongated burger cavity which is corresponding to the cooked pipe-burger meat; and (e) disposing the cooked pipe-burger meat into the burger cavity of the burger bread to form a burger product.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a pressure control method suitable for devices such as a vacuumizer for use with containers for storing food under vacuum.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of packaging goods having a liquid element, said liquid element comprising dissolved gases, wherein the liquid element is treated prior to the goods being subjected to a vacuum packing process, such that a substantial volume of the dissolved gages do not escape from said liquid element during said vacuum packing process. Suitable methods of treatment of the liquid element include subjecting the liquid element to a gas removal process and subjecting the liquid element to a freezing process.

Abstract: Roast coffee bean freshness is maintained by storing just roasted beans in a sealed container having much less than 1.0% oxygen therein. Storage of roasted coffee at very low temperatures (less than −40 degrees F. (−40 degrees C.)) also preserves the freshness of the coffee. The combination of low oxygen and low temperature storage provides the freshly roasted coffee taste and a long shelf life for that preserved taste.

Abstract: A composite container having a detachable liner and a method for making the container are provided according to the present invention. The method includes providing a tubular body ply formed of a paperboard material and adhering the liner ply using a standard adhesive applicator. The method also includes heating a heat-releasable adhesive disposed between the liner ply and the body ply such that the liner ply substantially releases from the body ply. The liner ply remains adhered to the opposed ends of the container, thus providing a free medial portion between the opposed ends that can move inwardly if a negative pressure is created within the sealed container, thus equalizing the pressure within the container with that outside the container.

Abstract: A method of freezing a cured protein product to preventing or reducing purge produced from such frozen cured protein products is provided. The method includes the steps of preparing a brine including a cruciferous oil and a glycol, cooling the brine, and subjecting the cured protein product to the cooled brine.

Abstract: A closure system for attachment to and use in gas flushing a container of fresh produce includes a body portion, a closure connected to the body portion, and a pressure-sensitive mechanism connected to the body portion and to the closure that moves the closure to an open position or to a closed position, depending on the pressure exerted on said mechanism.

Abstract: A process for preparing shellfish for storage comprising the steps of vacuum packing live shellfish within a suitable container and then heating the shellfish to a temperature of between 80° C. and 110° C. and a pressure of between 0.8-2.0 kgf/cm2, said temperature and pressure level being sufficiently high to pasteurize the shellfish while preventing substantial expansion of the container yet sufficiently low so as to minimize vaporization of internal juices and preventing substantially all of the shellfish meat from becoming mushy, thereby maintaining substantially all of the natural juices of the shellfish within the shells and maintaining any inadvertently escaped juices to remain in association with the shellfish from which it originated and within said container, said container being suitable for freezing and transport so that both the shellfish and any inadvertent juices remain together during transport.

Abstract: A ready-to-bake, shelf-stable cake dough consisting essentially of flour, fat, sugar, eggs and water and usual dough additives and comprising a leavening system, the dough having a water activity of below 0.85 and being packed in an essentially gas-impermeable pouch in an atmosphere of an inert gas containing less than 4%, preferably less than 2% residual oxygen. A process for the manufacture of such a dough is disclosed.

Abstract: An aromatized food package is provided by providing a package body member part which defines a first and second cavity, inserting a food product into the first cavity, dosing a liquid mixture of food-acceptable aroma and a carrier consisting essentially of low boiling point solvent, into the second cavity, pulling a vacuum within at least the second cavity to cause the solvent in the second cavity to substantially evaporate while leaving aroma composition within the cavity, and sealing the cavities with a cover so that the cavities are separated one from the other and which, when removed, opens both cavities.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for producing high-quality drinks filled in containers, which is characterized in that containers are made to have a nitrogen gas atmosphere to be in a substantially deoxidated condition prior to being filled with drinks. According to the method of the present invention, the inside of empty containers is made in a substantially oxygen-free condition, and drinks as prepared in the presence of an inert gas or in a deoxidated condition are filled into the containers. Therefore, all steps constituting the method, including the step of preparing raw materials through the step of filling and sealing drinks in containers, can be conducted all the way in a deoxidated condition to give high-quality drinks filled in containers.

Abstract: A packaging system and method utilizes a modified atmosphere package including a first package and a second package. The first package includes a non-barrier portion substantially permeable to oxygen, while the second package is substantially impermeable to oxygen. After a food product such as raw meat is placed within the first package, the first package is sealed and then inserted into the second package without sealing the second package so as to create a pocket between the first and second packages. The system and method first employ an oxygen reduction technique such as evacuation, gas flushing, and/or scavenging to quickly reduce the oxygen level in the pocket to a first non-zero level, and then employ an activated oxygen scavenger to further reduce the oxygen level to zero percent after the package is sealed. The oxygen scavenger is activated with an oxygen uptake accelerator to increase the rate at which the oxygen is absorbed.

Abstract: A food container, of the type having a quantity of food vacuum-packed within a body of the container with a closure affixed on an open end of the body of the container, is provided with a low cost improvement for facilitating removal of the closure from the body of the container in the form of a vent opening extending through a wall of the closure overlying the open end of the container and a flexible film strip, a portion of which is sealed to said wall around an area overlying said vent opening. A portion of the film strip which overlies the vent opening is designed to be released from closure wall for equalizing the pressure within the container with that external thereto by pulling up on an unsecured end portion of the film strip. Furthermore, after releasing of the vacuum in the container, the film strip is able to be re-adhered over the vent opening.

Abstract: A process for preserving the color of red meat, which entails contacting the meat with an effective amount of an atmosphere selected from the group consisting of a noble gas, a mixture of noble gases and a mixture containing at least one noble gas and a carrier gas, the noble gas in the mixture with the carrier gas being selected from the group consisting of argon, neon, xenon an krypton and being present in said mixture in an amount of greater than about 10% by volume.

Abstract: A packaging system and method utilizes a modified atmosphere package including a first package and a second package. The first package includes a non-barrier portion substantially permeable to oxygen, while the second package is substantially impermeable to oxygen. After a food product such as raw meat is placed within the first package, the first package is sealed and then inserted into the second package without sealing the second package so as to create a pocket between the first and second packages. The system and method first employ an oxygen reduction technique such as evacuation, gas flushing, and/or scavenging to quickly reduce the oxygen level in the pocket to a first non-zero level, and then employ an activated oxygen scavenger to further reduce the oxygen level to zero percent after the package is sealed. The oxygen scavenger is activated with an oxygen uptake accelerator to increase the rate at which the oxygen is absorbed.

Abstract: A method of measuring out and/or forming foodstuffs to impart a shape to the foodstuff with compromising the rheological and organoleptic properties, foodstuffs formed by this method, and packaging for foodstuffs formed by the method of the invention. In one embodiment of the invention, a foodstuff comprising fish flesh is measured into a receptacle which is sufficiently rigid to impart a desired shape to the foodstuff. In a preferred embodiment, the foodstuff comprises fish flesh, in particular the flesh of fish proper and/or of shellfish.

Abstract: A method and a container for long-term storage in a state in which harmful insects do not propagate, in a case in which grains such as unpolished rice or the like are filled and stored. An inner bag (10) made of a flexible material is accommodated in an outer bag (12) which has high-strength. After grains are filled in the inner bag, the inner bag (10) is filled with carbon dioxide gas and is closed. The grains are stored in a state in which harmful insects are exterminated. It is preferable from the standpoint of the insecticidal effect that the inner portion of the inner bag (10) is able to maintain a carbon dioxide gas concentration of 40% or more for 7 days or more. Because the inner bag has the property of a CO.sub.2 permeation amount of less than or equal to 6300 cc/m.sup.2 .multidot.24 hr 1 atm, an oxygen-deficient state can be maintained.

Abstract: A meat treatment method and apparatus for handling, storage, transportation and sale of meat exposes the meat to a controlled gas environment. This environment includes oxygen under pressure in excess of atmospheric wherein the meat is exposed for a predetermined period of time. The method may also includes the step of pre-treating the meat in a substantially anaerobic environment for a sufficient time to achieve a predetermined close down of aerobic bacteria on the meat and suspension of most biochemic effects of oxygen on the meat. Subsequently, the method includes the treating of the meat under aerobic conditions including the step of supplying oxygen under pressure. The method also includes the prepackaging of meat in at least partially gas permeable packaging suitable for use in a retail sale environment, prior to aerobic gas pressure treatment. The method improves shelf life and appearance of meat over a traditionally handled product.

Abstract: A closable pouring cap for a beverage container comprising a housing, a plunger movable in the housing and a pouring opening provided in the housing, while at its bottom side, which is placed on the container. The housing is provided with a fastener to attach the cap to the container and a duct is provided which extends from the bottom side of the housing to the pouring opening and which can be sealed by the plunger. The fastener comprises a seal made of elastic material through which the duct passes and the cap is provided with a pump connected to the duct for the withdrawal of gas present in the duct.

Abstract: A ready-to-bake, shelf-stable cake dough consisting essentially of flour, fat, sugar, eggs and water and usual dough additives and comprising a leavening system, the dough having a water activity of below 0.85 and being packed in an essentially gas-impermeable pouch in an atmosphere of an inert gas containing less than 4%, preferably less than 2% residual oxygen. A process for the manufacture of such a dough is also disclosed.

Abstract: A fish product is packed in a tomato base sauce which is specifically formulated to withstand the high temperatures of vacuum sealing. In order to avoid any degradation in flavor of the fish product and the sauce, and particularly to avoid the occurrence of a burnt taste in the fish product and the sauce, the amounts of sugar, salt and white pepper in both the fish product and the sauce are maintained within close limits.

Abstract: Disclosed is a mayonnaise base which is mixed with eggs by consumers to give mayonnaise. The mayonnaise base consists indispensably of vegetable oil, vinegar and emulsifier (except egg yolk) along with other seasonings (except vinegar) and spices, and is stored in an oxygen-free container. The mayonnaise base is mixed with fresh eggs by consumers to give mayonnaise with ease. In accordance with the consumers' request, either whole eggs or only egg yolk or albumen can be added to the mayonnaise base.

Abstract: A method for heat preservation of a container filled with material is accomplished by means of heating and a pressure which is maintained during the holding time of the preservation process. The container of a material of laminate type is, after the holding time of the heat preservation, subjected to a supporting pressure during the cooling time of the process. A container intended to contain goods for heat preservation by means of heating and pressure comprises a base layer (1), an inner layer (3), and a barrier layer (4) between the base layer and the inner layer, and at least one layer consists of a plastic with memory.