Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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MODIFIED ATMOSPHERE PACKAGING CONTAINERS
Cross-Reference to Related Applications
This application claims priority to co-pending U.S. Provisional Patent
Application Serial
No. 62/647,250, filed March 23, 2018, the entire disclosures of which are
incorporated herein by
reference.
Background
The present disclosure relates to containers for perishable goods or other
goods having
limited shelf lives. In particular, the present disclosure relates to
containers configured to provide
modified atmospheres in order to preserve goods.
Detailed Description
It will be readily appreciated that the many embodiments of the present
invention can be
utilized in a wide variety of applications and industries. The present
invention can be utilized with
the transportation, treatment, and storage of a plethora of items. Items such
as but not limited to
produce, cheeses, flowers, poultry and other meats and seafoods, nuts,
dehydrated foods, mail,
parcels, medical tools and equipment, etc. The items can be treated while
being transported and or
stored. Such treatments are carried out through the use of the various
treatment sacks or sachets of
the present invention as described below. The sacks, depending upon the
application may be
utilized to sanitize, eliminate and/or inhibit molds and/or pathogens, delay
ripening and aging or
senesce, and the like.
Conventional Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) devices modify the atmosphere
of
fresh fruits and products by controlling the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2)
within the packaging
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by the use of a permeable membrane. One such device is a rigid container as
described in U.S. Pat.
Nos. 6,880,748 and 7,597,240. Other designs of MAPs include non-rigid or soft
containers, such
as bags. The present invention expands on the MAP devices by including at
least one agent
releasable device. The at least one agent releasable device or agent
releasable sack or sachet, which
at the choice of a user, has the capability to release at least one agent into
the MAP and thus further
modify the atmosphere of the MAP to gain the desired effect of the user.
Examples of some agents
available for release into the MAP are, but are not limited to, an
insecticide, anti-microbial agent,
ethylene gas, nitrogen gas or a combination. Additionally, the releasing
device may also be
configured to control a release of chlorine dioxide (C102) for sanitation of
the contents of
packaging. Additionally, the present invention provides a method for releasing
agents into a
modified atmospheric package. Use of sachets in MAP applications has been
described in
reference to other devices including in U.S. Pat. No. 9,527,684, the
disclosure of which is
incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
As shown in FIG. 1, a modified atmosphere packaging system 10 may generally
include a
cylindrical container 12, a lid 14, and a cartridge 16. Container 12 is shown
generally as a hollow
body having an open top and a cylindrical shape. The shape of container 12,
however, may be of
any of a variety of suitable shapes including those having triangular, square,
rectangular,
hexagonal, or other cross-sectional shapes. Container 12 generally defines an
interior, hollow
space for receiving and storing goods. The space may be at least partially
defined by a wall 18
extending from a floor 20 to a rim 22. An optional sealing ridge 24 is
provided as a continuous
raised ridge traversing the perimeter of the exterior of wall 18. Sealing
ridge 24 may be positioned
such that it contacts a corresponding ridge on an interior of lid 14 whereby
when lid 14 is pressed
downwardly over container 12, the ridge in lid 14 snaps over sealing ridge 24
to lock lid 14 in
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place with respect to container 12. Alternatively, lid 14m container 12 or
both may include
compression seals, screw threads, or other means for providing a sealed
engagement.
Cartridge 16 includes a cover label sachet label 26, sachet 28, sachet
containment tray 30,
and sachet release label 32. Sachet cover label 26 may include printed
information regarding the
contents of container 12, sachet 28, or both. Such information may include
expiration dates,
ingredients, warnings, or other information. Alternatively, sachet cover label
26 may include a
color indicator that changes with the concentration of an agent released by
sachet 28 whereby a
user may be provided with a visual indication of the concentration of such
agent and, therefore,
the potential effectiveness of an assembled cartridge 16. In such embodiments,
lid 14 may be
provided with a transparent portion or be manufactured from a transparent
material through which
a user could assess the efficacy of cartridge 16 after it is installed on
container 12 containing a
good without the need to break a seal between lid 14 and container 12 and
exposing the interior of
container 12 to the external atmosphere.
Sachet 28 includes at least one active ingredient held within a permeable
container 34.
While a sachet is shown, other devises such as sacks, pucks, or other devices
suitable for providing
the active ingredient may be used. The active ingredient may be selected to
release one or more
agent within cartridge 16. Depending upon the application, the active
ingredient and agent(s) may
be utilized to sanitize, eliminate and/or inhibit molds and/or pathogens,
delay ripening and aging
or senesce, and the like.
Sachet 28 in the present embodiment may be a dry chemical sachet, commonly
known in
the art of dry chemical sachets. One example of a dry chemical sachet that may
be employed in
the present embodiment is a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Generally
Recognized As Safe
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(GRAS) or foreign lands approved insecticide such as, but not limited to,
sulfur dioxide. However,
it should be appreciated that in other various exemplary embodiments, the
sachet 28 may contain
an anti-microbial such as but not limited to chlorine dioxide. Still further,
the sachet 40 may contain
releasable gases such as but not limited to ethylene, carbon dioxide or
nitrogen.
An example of the at least one agent releasable sack 40 is described in a
report tilted
EFFICACY OF CHLORINE DIOXIDE GAS SACHETS FOR ENHANCING THE
MICROBIOLOGICAL QUALITY AND SAFETY OF BLUEBERRIES by Popa, I; Hanson, E J;
Todd, E C; Schilder, A C; and Ryser, E T of the Department of Food Science and
Human Nutrition,
Michigan State University, East Lansing, Mich. 48824, Sep. 7, 2009. "In
response to increasingly
stringent microbial specifications being imposed by purchasers of frozen
blueberries, chlorine
dioxide (C102) gas generated by a dry chemical sachet was assessed for
inactivation of Listeria
monocytogenes, Salmonella spp., and Escherichia coli 0157:H7 as well as five
yeasts and molds
known for blueberry spoilage. Fresh blueberry samples (100 g) were separately
inoculated with
cocktails of L. monocytogenes, Salmonella, E. coli 0157:H7 (three strains
each), or yeasts and
molds (five strains each) to contain approximately 10(6) CFU/g and exposed to
C102 (4 mg/liter,
0.16 mg/g) for 12 h a sealed 20-liter container (99.9% relative humidity) at
approximately 22
degrees C. After gassing, 25 g of blueberries was added to 225 ml of
neutralizing buffer, pulsified
for 1 min, and plated using standard procedures to quantify survivors. This
treatment yielded
reductions of 3.94, 3.62, 4.25, 3.10, and 3.17 log CFU/g for L. monocytogenes,
Salmonella, E. coli
0157:H7, yeasts, and molds, respectively. Thereafter, 30 lugs of uninoculated
blueberries
(approximately 9.1 kg per lug) were stacked on 1.2 by 1.2-m pallets (5 lugs
per level x six levels),
tarped, and exposed to C102 (18 mg/liter, 0.13 mg/g) for 12 h. After gassing,
significant (P<0.05)
reductions of 2.33, 1.47, 0.52, 1.63, and 0.48 log CFU/g were seen for
mesophilic aerobic bacteria,
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coliforms, E. coli, yeasts, and molds, respectively, compared with non-gassed
controls. No
significant differences (P>0.05) in microbial inactivation were seen between
lug levels and, with
one exception (mesophilic aerobic bacteria), between the bottom and top
surface of individual
lugs. Based on these findings, C102 sachets may provide a simple, economical,
and effective
means of enhancing the microbial shelf life and safety of blueberries."
Similarly, in an article by S. Y. Lee, M. Costello and D. H. Kang of the
Department of
Food Science and Human Nutrition, Washington State University, Pullman, Wash.,
99164 dated
September 2007 states the following: "Aqueous solutions of sodium hypochlorite
or hypochlorous
acid are typically used to sanitize fresh fruits and vegetables. However,
pathogenic organisms
occasionally survive aqueous sanitization in sufficient numbers to cause
disease outbreaks.
Chlorine dioxide (C102) gas generated by a dry chemical sachet was tested
against food borne
pathogens on lettuce leaves. Lettuce leaves were inoculated with cocktail of
three strains each of
Escherichia coli 0157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, and Salmonella Typhimurium
and treated
with C102 gas for 30 min, 1 h, and 3 h in a model gas cabinet at room
temperature (22 2 C.).
After treatment, surviving cells, including injured cells, were enumerated on
appropriate selective
agar or using the overlay agar method, respectively. Total C102 generated by
the gas packs was
4.3, 6.7, and 8.7 mg after 30 min, 1 h, and 3 h of treatment, respectively.
Inoculated lettuce leaves
exposed to C102 gas for 30 min experienced a 3.4-log reduction in E. coli, a
4.3-log reduction in
Salmonella Typhimurium, and a 5.0-log reduction in L. monocytogenes when
compared with the
control. After 1 hour, the three pathogens were reduced in number of CFU by
4.4, 5.3, and 5.2 log,
respectively. After 3 h, the reductions were 6.9, 5.4, and 5.4 log,
respectively. A similar pattern
emerged when injured cells were enumerated. The C102 gas sachet was effective
at killing
pathogens on lettuce without deteriorating visual quality. Therefore, this
product can be used
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during storage and transport of lettuce to improve its microbial safety." This
type of agent is
utilized in the sack in another exemplary embodiment made in accordance with
the present
invention.
Another example of a dry chemical sachet that may be employed in the at least
one agent
releasable sack or sachet is an oxygen absorber type packet. An oxygen
absorber packet can be
used to prolong the shelf life of food and retard the growth of oxygen using
aerobic micro-
organisms such as fungi. The presence of oxygen in the packaging of fresh
fruits and produce
supports the growth of micro-organisms and cause changes in color of the
product. The presence
of oxygen in the packaging also can cause rancid odors. Oxygen absorbers
absorb oxygen and
effectively reduce the aerobic environment and can be used to achieve a 0%
oxygen level within
the packaging. Therefore, aerobic bacteria and fungi are less likely to grow
in an oxygen depleted
environment. An advantage of oxygen sachets versus vacuum packaging is that
the food products
are not crushed or squeezed, as some products are of high value or can be
damage easily from the
packaging. Another advantage is simplicity of use. Oxygen-absorbers are made
in different
formulations to match the water activity of different foods. Oxygen absorbers
can be activated by
the presence of humidity. An example of an oxygen absorber common in the art
is a sachet of iron
carbonate.
Still another example of a dry chemical sachet that may be employed in the at
least one
agent releasable sack or sachet is a carbon dioxide generating type packet.
One type of carbon
dioxide generating sachet can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,797,235, by Boldt.
Further, it is anticipated by the present invention that products other than
fresh fruits and
vegetables will benefit from this invention. For instance, certain flowers or
meat products that do
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not require a modified atmosphere package may be banned from being shipped
into certain
countries because of micro-organisms that may infest the flowers. The
packaging system 10 of the
present invention may be use to disperse an insecticide on such products, even
though a MAP is
not required, thus allowing a supplier access to more locations for his
products.
In the present embodiment, the at least one agent releasable sack 40 is
constructed using
various paper and polymer combinations, which are filled with microspheres
embedded with
chemicals, anti-oxidants, herbs, spices and plant based materials. An example
of an at least one
agent releasable sack 40 can be found in U.S. Patent Application number
2008/0131395, which is
incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
The at least one agent releasable sack 40, in various other exemplary
embodiments includes
a temperature controlled release valve. Particularly, one exemplary embodiment
would include
that sack lining being comprised of a material that acts as a valve at
particular temperatures. As
fresh fruits and produce are shipped, they are also refrigerated. As the
produce nears the intended
destination, the temperature of the environment of the device 10 may be
warmed. At a preset
temperature, the temperature release valve opens and a gas chosen by the user
is released into the
package 20. For example, an erogenous ethylene gas may be introduced through
the release valve
into the MAP environment. The introduction of ethylene gas will wake up the
product and
accelerate the ripening process. The ripening process of fresh fruits,
bananas, avocados, kiwi,
peppers, melons, pears, stone fruits, tomatoes, etc, which are stored or
contained in MAP
environments, is generally suppressed by the presence of CO2, which further
inhibits ripening. In
order to ripen, CO2 must be exhaled from the package 20 and oxygen allowed to
enter the MAP
environment. The release of CO2 and the ingestion of oxygen allows ethylene
gas generated by
the fruits or ethylene gas introduced to reach a proper level and become
effective in ripening the
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fruits. An example of a CO2 releasing sack can be found in U.S. Pat. No.
7,189,666, Finnegan, et
al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Further, a hormone can be released from the sachet to assist with delaying
ripening and
senesce. An example of one such hormone is SmarFresh marketed by AgroFresh
Inc. This
hormone is a synthetic produce quality enhancer based on 1-methylcyclopropene
(1-MCP). The
1-MCP's mode of action is via a preferential attachment to the ethylene
receptor, thereby blocking
the effects of both endogenous and exogenous ethylene. Another example is the
use of a
combination of 5-10% 02 and 0-5% CO2 gas released by the sachets can be useful
for delaying
senescence and for firmness retention in produce, such as oranges. U.S. Pat.
No. 6,017,849 and
EP1237411 disclose incorporation of these gaseous cyclopropenes into a
molecular encapsulation
agent complex in order to stabilize their reactivity and thereby provide a
convenient and safe means
of storing, transporting, and applying or delivering the active compounds to
plants, avoiding the
problems presented by the unstable gases. For the most effective cyclopropene
derivative disclosed
in U.S. Pat. No. 5,518,988, 1-methylcyclopropene ("1-MCP"), the preferred
molecular
encapsulation agent is a cyclodextrin, with alpha-cyclodextrin being the most
preferred. The
encapsulation of 1-MCP improves the stability of the product during
transportation and storage by
allowing the 1-MCP to be delivered in a powdered form and later activated by
contacting the
complex with gaseous or liquid water to release the 1-MCP gas. Thus, the
application or delivery
of these active compounds to plants is accomplished by simply adding water or
humidity from
within the container to the molecular encapsulation agent complex that is
disposed within the sack
or sachet of the present invention. All of the above patents referenced in
this paragraph are
incorporated herein in their entireties by reference.
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Sachet containment tray 30 provides a hollow recess in which one or more
sachets 28 may
be placed. In general, sachet containment tray includes a rim 36, a floor 38
having a plurality of
perforations 40. Rim 36 may be sized to interface with rim 22 of container 12
such that floor 38 is
maintained in a position above floor 20.
When assembled before use, cartridge 16 includes at least one sachet 28
positioned in
containment tray 30. Cover sachet label 26 covers sachet containment tray 30
and may be
adhesively or otherwise coupled to sachet containment tray 30 to provide an
air-tight seal. Sachet
release label 32 is adhered to a bottom of sachet containment tray 30 such
that perforations 40 are
covered and the interior of cartridge 16 is not in fluid communication with
the air outside the
interior of sachet containment tray 30.
The configuration of cartridge 16 allows for a streamlined process of
packaging goods. A
user or machine may fill container 12 with a desired product and removing
sachet release label 32
by means of pulling a tab 42. Once sachet release label 32 is removed, the
interior of sachet
containment tray 30 is placed in fluid communication with the atmosphere
external to cartridge 16
by way of perforations 40. When assembled with container 12 and lid 14, this
places the hollow
region of container 12 in which the goods have been placed in fluid
communication with the
interior of cartridge 16 where sachet 28 releases one or more agents. Lid 14
and container 12
provide a seal whereby a closed atmosphere is created and conditioned by the
agent released by
sachet 28.
Alternatively, other means of placing sachet 28 in fluid communication with
the interior of
container 12 may be utilized. These may include breakable seals, pre-scored
perforations that may
be broken, or the like. The design of cartridge 16 may be such that a
packaging system with a
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container and lid may be reused with a new cartridge. This may be done to
allow a container of
goods to be re conditioned with a new cartridge without the need to replace
container 12 and/or
lid 14, or to permit cleaning and reuse of these components upon consumption
of the goods.
Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, a standard mason jar can be the basis of a MAP
container.
Container 112 may be a standard mason jar where lid portion 114 includes a
ring 146 and canning
lid 148. Container 112 includes a shoulder 150 that tapers the overall
diameter to a standard
opening neck 152 that includes threads 154. Ring 146 is used to secure lid 148
to neck 152 as is
conventionally done with mason jars. Cartridge 116 may be adhered to an
underside of lid 148.
Lid 148 includes a raised portion 156 along its perimeter which allows for a
rubber seal 158 to be
disposed within a corresponding recess along the underside of lid 148.
Cartridge 116 includes a
sachet (not shown) disposed within sachet containment housing 130 which
includes a floor 138
and perforations 140 that allow for fluid communication, namely air
circulation, between the
interior of housing 130 and its sachet and the surrounding air. Release label
132 may cover
perforations 140 until it is necessary to assemble a MAP container in the same
manner as release
label 32 in the previous embodiment. This provides a single use lid that may
be used in
combination with reusable mason jars for purposes of allowing small scale
users to rapidly
assemble MAP containers for storage of goods.
As shown in FIG. 4, a cylindrical container with a removable lid may be
provided. In some
embodiments, the containers may be stackable for storage of larger quantities
of goods. The lid
may include raised portions to act as spacers permitting airflow around the
containers. There can
be an optional hole or port, which can be permanent and or removable such as a
perforated opening
that can be quickly removed.
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On an underside of the lid may include bracket configured to removably retain
a cartridge
containing a sachet of an active agent. A lower side of the cartridge that is
positioned distal to the
lid when the cartridge is installed may include a plurality of perforations or
be comprised of an air
permeable material. This side may be covered with a cover label. When a
container is loaded and
ready for use the cover label may be removed to allow air movement between the
interior of the
cartridge where the active agent is held, and the interior of the container.
In some embodiments,
the lid may be configured to allow air, gases or moisture (or any combination)
to pass above the
cartridge and pass through the hole or ported area.
In some embodiments, it may be advantageous to facilitate air circulation
around the goods
in the container. In such situations, a vented spacer may be positioned at the
bottom of the
container. The vented spacer may include a plurality of openings in a planar
section that extends
generally parallel to a bottom of the container. On an underside of the vented
spacer, features may
be provided to raise the planar section above the bottom of the container.
These features may be
in the form of feet, projections, and/or protrusions configured to allow air
circulation beneath the
goods in the container. In some embodiments, the spacer may not include vents.
The embodiment of FIG. 4 provides a cylindrical container to have a sealable
lid, which
may incorporate some or all of the following:
1) Lid may or may not have raised portions. The raised portions allow passage
of air
between the lid and bottom of another cylinder container placed on top the
cylinder lid
2) Optional, a passage way / hole which is covered by a lable or breathable
material capable
of controlling, regulating and or managing moisture or exchange of gasses or
both
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3) A mechanism to slide or attach a cartridge or dispensing unit. Cartridge or
dispensing
unit would contain substances or sachets which manage the interior atmosphere
of the cylinder.
- Cartridge could be sealed with on pervious materials
- Cartridge could have a cover label which changes colors, visbible without
opening
container
4) Inserted false bottom, which has feet to act as spacers. Bottom can have
vents or be solid
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