Abstract: Method for handling and heat treatment rectangular bag or film packs with a smaller thickness than length and width, having two longer and two shorter lateral edges, characterized by an orientation of the film packs, in which one main extension plane of the film pack containing the lateral edges forms during handling and/or heat treatment an angle of less than 60° with the vertical and the longer edges are oriented substantially horizontally.

Abstract: A method for picking up and handling filled, closed rectangular bags, film packs and pouches, which have a bottom side, and two longitudinal sides, and are provided on the bottom side with a bottom fold. The pouches, standing on one of the longitudinal sides, are arranged in parallel to one another in a row and in each case are picked up with a gripper mechanism having comb-like, finger-like gripper elements on an opposite (upper) longitudinal side with the gripper elements being moved between the upper longitudinal sides of adjacent pouches. The gripper elements are moved in the longitudinal direction of the upper longitudinal sides, from the base side and pass the same, between adjacent longitudinal sides.

Abstract: A method for opening prefabricated pouches for the subsequent filling thereof with each pouch having a circumferential seal and an opening zone comprising holding a pouch on a support and introducing the support with the pouch into a vacuum chamber which has a first opening facing the opening zone of the pouch connected to the environment and a second opening remote from the opening zone, suctioning air from the vacuum chamber through the second opening with a volume flow adequate to produce a vacuum to open the pouch and moving the support with the opened pouch out of the vacuum chamber and apparatus therefor.

Abstract: Process for producing a meat product, such as an animal food, particularly for domestic pets or the like, comprising substantially lumpy meat material on the one hand and a substantially liquid gravy on the other and which is filled into a container, such as a shell pack, tin can, etc., in which the meat raw material is cut up in frozen form to meat lumps, together with the gravy is filled into a base of the container and finally with the container base is connected in a substantially liquid and gas-tight manner a container top and in which a sterilization process takes place, characterized in that both the meat material, comprising the meat lumps, optionally accompanied by the addition of prefabricated moulded pieces with a meat or vegetable base, and the sauce or gravy, the latter in granule form, are compression moulded to a shaped article in frozen, solid, quasi-dry state and as such introduced into the base, as well as meat product produced by this process.