EP2383203A2

EP2383203A2 - A food package which keeps food fresh for a certain time

Info

Publication number: EP2383203A2
Application number: EP10004902A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Nalan Durmus; Mumcu Göksel
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2009-03-09
Filing date: 2010-05-08
Publication date: 2011-11-02
Also published as: TR200901828A2; EP2383203A3

Abstract

The present invention relates to a food package (1) characterized by comprising an outer layer (12) which encompasses the food (11) partially or completely and which is at least substantially water-proof and at least one moisture trapping layer (13) which covers at least the inner surface of said outer layer (12) partially or completely.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to food packages and particularly relates to food packages which keep food fresh for a certain time.

KNOWN STATE OF THE ART

The level of consumption of ready made foods is raised to a heightened level in line with the fast pace of today's working life. As known, the reason for the spoiling of a food is that the food is in contact with the outer environment and the bacteria coming from that environment begins the spoiling and molding process. Another factor which gives harm to the freshness of food and which accelerates the spoiling process is the moisture in the environment.
In the present applications, in general instead of working on the packages carrying food, the structure of the food is intervened and the retardation of the spoiling time is objected. However, any artificial intervention to be realized to the food brings about serious health and hygiene problems.
For instance, in a method protective chemical substances are used and these chemical substances are very harmful for health. In another method, most of the ready-made foods are sold in frozen form in order not to be spoiled until being bought. However, particularly since the melting in frozen food during transportation will lead to bacteria reproduction, this will lead to very serious health risks. Or when the user dissolves the frozen food, eat some of it and then again freezes the remaining food, again an important amount of bacteria reproduction is realized on the food, and this leads to hygiene problems.
In the patent application 2007/08776 , the applicants disclosed a novel food carrying box used in the carrying of hot food. Said carrying box comprises a moisture suctioning layer and thanks to this, the wetting of the food which is serviced hot as a result of moisture is prevented. However, in said patent application, a solution which prevents the spoiling of the carried substance after a certain while is not disclosed.
As a result, in the present technical field, a method or a product which will retard the spoiling of food without any artificial intervention to the food is a desired novelty.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a hot food box designed to eliminate all such disadvantages mentioned above.
The main object of the subject matter invention is to provide a food package providing the storage of unfrozen fresh food without being spoiled for a certain time since it is air and moisture tight.
In order to realize all of the objects obtained from the above explanation and the below mentioned detailed explanation, the present invention is a food package characterized by comprising an outer layer which encompasses the food partially or completely and which is at least substantially water-proof and at least one moisture trapping layer which covers at least the inner surface of said outer layer partially or completely.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, said food package comprises at least one inner and one outer layers and said moisture trapping layer being situated between said inner and outer layers, accordingly. Thus, the direct contact of the food with the moisture trapping layer is prevented.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, said outer layer is substantially air-proof.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, said outer layer is made of glass.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, said outer layer is made of plastic-based material.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the inside surface of said inner layer is embodied as wholly or partially porous structure, in order to allow the formed moisture to reach the moisture trapping layer.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, said inner layer is made of plain moisture trapping paper which does not have any additive therein.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, said moisture trapping layer covers the inner surface of the outer layer completely.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, said outer and inner layers define a corrugated cardboard and accordingly, moisture trapping material layer is formed inside said corrugations.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, said outer and inner layers define a foam. Accordingly, the moisture trapping material layer is applied to the spaces inside said foam.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, said moisture trapping layer essentially comprises molekulare sieve material.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, outer surface of said outer layer comprises a water-proof covering. Said water-proof cover is preferably transparent nylon.
The structural and the characteristic features and all the advantages of the subject matter invention can be understood more precisely by means of the detailed explanation which is written with references to these figures and therefore, it had to be evaluated with the detailed explanation and figures that are explained below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

In Figure 1 a and 1b, the representative views of the different food packages to which the subject matter invention is applied are given.
In Figure 2, the representative cross-sectional view of a preferred embodiment of the subject matter food package is given.
In Figure 3, the representative cross-sectional view of another preferred embodiment of the subject matter food package is given.

REFERENCE NUMBERS

1: Food package
11: Food
12: Outer layer
121: Corrugations
13: Moisture trapping layer
14: Inner layer
141: Pores
15: Package cover

THE DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In this detailed explanation, a preferred application of the subject matter invention is explained with references to the annexed figures. The protection scope of the subject matter invention is given in claims, this explanation does not form any restrictive effect on said protection scope.
With reference to Figure 1a, in a preferred embodiment of the subject matter invention, a cardboard box in rectangular prism form is preferred as a food package (1). Preferably the cover part (15) of said food package (1) comprises a moisture trapping layer (13). Accordingly, with reference to Figure 2, a cardboard forms the outer layer (12), and a moisture trapping paper with a plurality of pores (141) thereon forms the inner layer (14) and there is the moisture trapping layer (13) between these two layers (12, 14). In this embodiment, at least the surfaces of the food package (1) forming the cover part (15) but preferably all of the cardboard surfaces are made water-proof and optionally they are made air-proof. There is a plurality of methods that will provide this. For instance, in an application, the outer surface of the cardboard outer layer (12) can be covered by a plastic based material and preferably it may be covered by a transparent material.
In a similar manner, in Figure 1b, a glass jar is used as the food package (1). Thus, in this embodiment, the glass defines the outer layer (12); the inner layer (14) and the moisture trapping layer (13) are embodied as again given in Figure 2. As a result, thanks to the inner layer (14), the direct contact of the food (11) with the moisture trapping layer (13) is prevented. Thanks to the porous (141) structure of the inner layer (14), moisture and some other gaseous resulting from the food (11) can easily reach the moisture trapping layer (13). In this embodiment, since directly glass is used, there is no need for an additional process which will make the outer layer (12) water-proof or air-proof. On the other hand, optionally the jar cover (15) can be embodied so as not to comprise the moisture trapping layer (13).
In Figure 3, the application of the subject matter invention to a food package (1) made of corrugated (121) cardboard is explained. Accordingly, said outer and inner layer (12, 14) define the outer and inner surfaces of the corrugated (121) cardboard and the moisture trapping layer (13) is applied to the corrugations (121) between these two layers (12, 14). Again in this embodiment, as similar to Figure 1, the outer surface of the outer layer (12) is made water-proof and optionally it is made air-proof.
The outer layer (12) in the embodiments given in Figure 2 or 3 can be made of materials like foam, plastic, polyester and nylon. On the other hand, in the two applications in Figure 1 a and Figure 1b, the moisture trapping layer (13) is preferably applied as a layer. In the embodiment in Figure 3, a moisture trapping layer (13) with a structure with particles is used. For said moisture trapping layer (13), the material preferred in the subject matter invention is molekulare sieve material. However, in alternative embodiments, different materials realizing the same function can be used.
Under the light of the abovementioned detailed explanation, the functioning of the subject matter invention is as follows. When food (11) is placed into the food package (1), since the outer layer (12) is water-proof and optionally it is air-proof, the contact of the food (11) with the air and moisture outside is prevented. In the inner part, moisture and some other gaseous leading to molding are absorbed by the moisture trapping layer (13). Thus, inside the subject matter food package (1), a condition which leads to spoiling and molding is not formed; with respect to the sealing proportion of the outer layer (12) used, the food (11) inside can be kept fresh for a certain while, for instance for a week without the need for a protective substance or without the need for a freezing process. As a result, thanks to the subject matter food package (1), food like vegetables, fruits, meat, dried beans, floury products, uncooked pizza, Turkish pizza, even flowers, in other words all of the products which have to be frozen in order to be kept fresh can be kept fresh for a certain while. On the other hand, since said moisture trapping layer (13) is directly adapted to the layers (12, 14) forming the food package (1) without the need for an additional chamber, etc., there is no loss of volume inside the package.
The protection scope of the present invention is set forth in the annexed Claims and cannot be restricted to the illustrative disclosures given above, under the detailed description. It is because a person skilled in the relevant art can obviously produce similar embodiments under the light of the foregoing disclosures, without departing from the main principles of the present invention.

Claims

A food package comprising an outer layer (12) which encompasses the food (11) partially or completely and which is at least substantially water-proof and at least one moisture trapping layer (13) which covers at least the inner surface of said outer layer (12) partially or completely, characterized in that said outer layer (12) is substantially air-proof and said moisture trapping layer (13) essentially comprises molekulare sieve material.
A food package (1) according to Claim 1, characterized in that said outer layer (12) is made of glass.
A food package (1) according to Claim 1, characterized in that said outer layer (12) is made of plastic based material.
A food package (1) according to Claim 1, characterized by comprising at least one inner and at least one outer layer (12, 14) and accordingly, said moisture trapping layer (13) is embodied between said inner and outer layer (12, 14).
A food package (1) according to Claim 4, said inner layer (14) is embodied as wholly or partially porous (141) structure, in order to allow the formed moisture to reach the moisture trapping layer (13).
A food package (1) according to Claim 4 or 5, characterized in that said inner layer (14) is made of plain moisture trapping paper which does not have any additive therein.
A food package (1) according to Claim 1, characterized in that said outer and inner layers (12, 14) define a corrugated (121) cardboard and accordingly, moisture trapping material layer (13) is formed inside said corrugations (121).
A food package (1) according to Claim 1, characterized in that said outer and inner layers (12, 14) define a foam and accordingly, the moisture trapping layer (13) is applied to the spaces inside said foam.
A food package (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that said outer surface of the outer layer (12) comprises a water-proof covering