[0001] The present invention has for object a process for packaging, particularly anchovies,
sardines, and packaging thus obtained. The innovation finds particular even if not
exclusive application in the field of the public distribution of fish food products
in oil, pre-packaged.
Prior art
[0002] Anchovies as well as sardines are known. They are an eatable fish product, very tasty,
appreciated by the Italian consumers but also widely spread mainly in the Mediterranean
Countries. Fished in abundance in our seas, they are found in our daily meals, as
an hors d'oeuvre eaten alone, or as a flavouring, for instance in sauces for first
courses, but also combined with other food, such as for instance pizza, a known and
tasty food eaten all over the world. Such a flexibility is due, together with the
typically marked taste, optimal for reviving various dishes which would otherwise
be tasteless, to that the product is put on the market in various solutions, more
frequently in oil, but also pickled or natural. In all these circumstances, the product
is packaged, perfectly clean and boned, in form of fillets, using two preservation
solutions: in a glass jar or in a tin box. From the commercial viewpoint, there is
only a slight dimensional difference in the containers, according to their destination.
Therefore, in the case the products are intended for the wide distribution and the
food retail shops, these are put on the market in dimensionally rather small containers,
while in case of a direct supply, as public bars and restaurants, the products are
generally held in containers larger than the first ones.
[0003] Such needs are obviously related to the consumption levels which, in the two cases,
are different.
[0004] Also the fact that the fillets preservation time depends on the consumed amount in
the open packages, is an important factor, mainly for what concerns the food proper
tasting. It is in fact known that, as it happens with other food, when this latter
comes into contact with air, once the packaging is open, it looses, in proportion
to the time in which it stays in the packaging, its organoleptic characteristics.
For obviating such a drawback, the food should be consumed in short time.
[0005] This circumstance, though, occurs very seldom for the large public, except in few
cases. This is mainly due to that the fillets, especially the anchovy ones, are very
tasty and only few of them are necessary for being satisfied. For the glutton, thus,
the packaging, being either the traditional tin can or the glass jar, will remain
open in the refrigerator for more or less long periods. Such stocking period, depending
on the amount of fillets, besides the product organoleptic alteration, involves other
problems, which undoubtedly involve the hygiene.
[0006] This is the case of bacteria proliferation, mainly in the products left, once opened,
in their original containers, as for the tin can, which between one and the other
consumptions, being each time taken out of the refrigerator, is subjected to temperature
sudden changes. In this hypothesis, to the product natural deterioration, once in
contact with air, the oxidation phenomenon may be added, increased by the salt which
is naturally present in the food-stuff. This, attacks the can intrados, thus spreading
the toxic substances contained in the packaging in the area where the food-stuff is
placed. With regard to this, it should be remembered that it's a good rule to extract
the food-stuff from its original container, once the packaging is open, and to preserve
it at a temperature as low as possible, in suitable plastic containers provided with
sealing caps. A second negative aspect, found in the solutions presently existing
on the market, regards the handling, for instance of the anchovy packages. Usually,
in fact, the consumer for reaching the food, as in the case of the can, must use the
traditional key system which by engaging an edge of the tin, in correspondence of
the side or of the cap, tightens a part on itself, slowly uncovering the container.
Such operation, even for the most skilled ones, involves a certain handling, which
in spite of the necessary care, leads to unavoidably loose the product's liquid, whose
smell is not pleasant, on the adjacent surfaces. For this reason, when the preservation
liquid is oil, the handling of the packaging during the opening operations causes
the spreading on the surfaces, including the same can, dirtying the hands and other
kitchen tools. In this case, once the packaging is open, and the content consumed,
many people place it directly in the refrigerator, dirtying also said surfaces with
oil and liquids. This leads the most careful consumer to transfer the food-stuff from
the can into another clean container, while the first one will be thrown away.
[0007] A similar situation may also occur with cans like those presently existing, that
is those with a strip opening ring. Also in this case, though, a handling is necessary,
during the opening operation, or simply when extracting the anchovies in oil in them
contained, unavoidably causing, because of the low edge, a dirtying of the can surfaces
and of the surrounding area, with the risk of staining also the unfortunate user's
clothes.
[0008] The advantage of said cans is that they contain few anchovies, all laid flat, easing
because of the little quantity the prompt consumption as a quality guarantee. The
anchovies being a poor product, and in order to justify the high prices for the public
deriving from the high packaging costs, the manufacturers generally distribute them
in small amounts, pre-wounded, sometimes with a caper in the centre or also with special
sauces, the whole immersed into an oil bath. In some other cases, for justifying the
high price, the manufacturers lay the anchovy fillets, in the can, one on the other,
giving the idea of a certain increase of the eatable quantity. For both arts, it was
noticed that the packaging costs, have an heavy influence on the cycle going form
production to distribution, a drawback to which others must be added, leading the
consumer to a natural dislike. For what concerns the costs, they are various and range
from the simple cost of the packaging, to the complex manufacturing, in many case
still a manual one, up to the considerable amount of oil necessary for preserving
the fillets, for instance anchovy ones, which is destined for being thrown away with
the packaging.
[0009] The same problem, mainly concerning the high packaging costs, is found also for other
packaging types, which use glass, such as the traditional jar. Such a solution, provides
the placing of the fillets, in a greater amount with respect to the traditional cans,
wound with or without caper or open, in this latter case vertically arranged. For
these the favourite type of preservation is also an oil bath, in which they are suitably
closed by a perimetral clip or twist-off type cap. The fact of providing some oil,
together with the use of certainly uncomfortable closures, create a situation in which
the costs problem is added to an uncomfortable consumption, which like in the previous
solutions, leads to dirty the surfaces, and, once the packaging is open, to loose
a certain fragrance, a characteristic which should never be lost.
[0010] A purpose of the present invention is also that of obviating the above mentioned
drawbacks, offering a real, easy and usefully peerless solution.
[0011] These and other purposes are reached with this invention according to the characteristics
as in the enclosed claims solving the mentioned problems by means of a process for
packaging particularly anchovies, sardines, and packaging thus obtained, in which
the fish product, prepared for the preservation being at least of the boned and eventually
aromatized type, is heaped in at least one means for the delivery of the same along
a working line, consisting:
- of a first upstream station, delivering step by step, and above a continuous support,
the fish product, in single portions;
- then in superposing an upper film on said support and on the fish product;
- in sending the thus obtained portions, through a downstream working station, which,
both in a vacuum and in modified atmosphere, carries out the perimetrical welding
of the upper film to the underlying support;
- and eventually, between a portion and the adjacent one, in carrying out the pre-cutting
by a strip system, obtaining a plurality of bags one linked to the other;
- finally, in starting said bags towards a final station, which carries out the packaging
in a capacious package for more bags of product. Thus obtaining the following advantages,
which reach an immediate and considerable technical progress, is possible:
- in the first place, a peerless fragrance, meaning that each product unit, being separately
packaged, maintains its original organoleptic characteristics almost unchanged, offering
to the consumer the possibility of tasting always fresh products, independently of
the consumed quantity;
- a better comfort, meaning that when satisfying the appetite is necessary, only a single
bag at a time is used, which contains a product originally already pre-arranged for
being preserved, but without oil in excess or other free liquid, a condition which
besides giving a better taste avoids dirtying the adjacent surfaces, the cutlery and
the like;
- an optimal quality and hygiene of the product, which is perfectly preserved, without
coming into contact with the elements which ease its degradation;
- a better productive capacity, increasing the packaging cycle speed and e peerless
flexibility, being able to pass from a kind of product to the other, with the possibility
of operating independently of the preservation pre-treatment and of eventual additional
processes which aim at making the product more tasty;
- a considerable economical benefit, easing the product consumption, because, there
is no more resort to the expensive packages, such as the tin can or glass jar, and
at the same time, avoiding or eventually reducing the use of eatable oil so that the
product is just slightly impregnated.
[0012] These and other advantages will appear from the following detailed description of
a preferred embodiment solution with the aid of the enclosed schematic drawings whose
execution details are not to be considered as limitative but are only given as examples,
where respectively:
Figure 1., is a perspective view of the fish product packaging plant; while Figure
2., shows always in perspective, according to an enlarged view, a fish product unit
packaged into a bag.
Description of a possible execution.
[0013] Referring also to the figures, it may be noticed that a process for the fish product
packaging, consists in carrying out upstream the working line, a preservation pre-treatment,
particularly of anchovies, sardines (a), eventually combining with the same ones some
components also aiming at flavouring the product, such as for instance some oil (1),
some sauces or other aromatizing ingredients. Once carried out said pre-treatment
cycle, the anchovies (a), are at first drained, and then sent to a packaging line
(A). More in detail, said line, is made up of at least one coil (2), from which a
support (3) is unwound in continuous, preferably consisting of a polyethylene film.
Said support (3), is then made pass through at least a station (4) for the previously
heaped anchovies (a) step by step delivery. In this case, the station (4), is made
up of a hopper (4
1), in whose inside the anchovies (a) are inserted in a heap, and an underlying drum
(4
2), on whose surface some suitable seats (4
3) are obtained aiming at housing time by time the anchovies (a) picked up from the
overlapping hopper (4
1), for later being laid, parallel, by means of a drum rotation (4
2), coplanar and equidistant, above said support (3).
[0014] In this condition, the support (3) and the anchovies (a) thus laid on the same, are
sent towards a further downstream station (5) which, in this case, consist of a vacuum
bell automatic working centre. Operationally, before the support (3) and the anchovies
(a) are passed inside of the station (5), a coil (6) by means of a suitable tightener
(7), lays in continuous a polyethylene upper film (8), at least covering the anchovies
(a) and their surrounding area, as these advance towards the downstream station (5).
Finally, inside of this latter, perimetrally to the anchovy (a), a longitudinal, continuous
welding (9) with heated wheel, and a double horizontal welding (10) with current pulse
welder guns is carried out.
[0015] In a possible solution, between horizontal welding (10) and adjacent welding (10
1), defining two bags of anchovies (a
1) and preferably inside of the working station (5), a pre-cut (11) concerning the
upper film (8) and the underlying support film (3), whose trace is an horizontal cut
with strip system is carried out. From the working line (A), that is at the working
station exit (5), a continuous belt, is obtained, made up of an assembly of linked
anchovy bags (a
1), which may be numerically defined and interrupted, an operation mechanically realised
also from inside the same station (5), for then being packaged in suitable cans for
instance in card-board, in layers or in a coil wound according to the retail selling
needs.
1. Process for packaging, particularly anchovies, sardines, and packaging thus obtained,
characterised in that the fish product (a), prepared for the preservation, is heaped
in at least one means (4) for the delivery of the same along a working line (A), consisting
of:
- advancing a continuous support (3) under a first upstream station (4,41,42) , for
delivering above said support (3), the fish product (a), subdivided in portions comprising
at least one unit;
- superposing and sealingly perimetrally coupling to said support (3) an upper film
(8) providing the fish product (a) in intermediate position;
- then, considering the provided portions, in carrying out the eventual cutting of
the thus obtained coupled assembly (a1).
2. Process for packaging, particularly anchovies, sardines, according to claim 1., characterised
in that some fish product (a), prepared for the preservation being at least of the
boned and eventually aromatised type, is heaped in at least a means (4) for the delivery
of the same along a working line (A), consisting:
- on a first upstream station, in delivering step by step, and above said continuous
support (3), the fish product (a);
- then in superposing an upper film (8) on said support (3) and on the fish product
(a) ;
- in sending the product portions (a), towards a downstream working station (5), which,
both in a vacuum condition and in modified atmosphere, is carried out the perimetrical
welding of the said upper film (8) to the said underlying support (3).
3. Process, according to claim 1. and 2. characterised in that between the said fish
product portion (a) and adjacent portion (a), an horizontal pre-cut with strip system
(11) is carried out, obtaining a plurality of bags (a1), one linked to the other, said pre-cut being made inside of the working station
(5) or in a following downstream station.
4. Process, according to previous claims, characterised in that after joining the upper
film (8) to the support (3) , the welding between them is carried out on four sides
relizing some single bags (a1), one linked to the other, each of said bags (a1) making up a portion consisting of a fish product (a) unit.
5. Plant, according to previous claims, characterised in that, following an upstream
to downstream path, it consists of at least:
- a coil (2), from which a support (3) is unwound in continuous, said support being
a polyethylene film;
- a station (4) for the delivery, step by step, of the fish (a);
- a second coil (6), and suitable tightener transmission means (7) for laying in continuous
a polyethylene upper film (8), covering at least the fish (a) and their surrounding
area, as these advance towards a downstream station (5);
- a vacuum bell automatic working station (5) with longitudinal and transverse welding
system (5), also comprising a strip pre-cut system.
6. Plant, according to previous claim, characterised in that the said station (4), is
made up of a hopper (41), inside of which the heaped fish (a) are inserted, and an underlying drum (42), on whose surface some suitable seats (43) are obtained, aiming at housing each time the anchovies (a) picked up from the overhanging
hopper (41), for then being laid, above said support (3).
7. Plant, according to previous claims, characterised in that the anchovies (a) picked
up from the overhanging hopper (41), are laid parallel, as well as coplanar and equidistant above said support (3).
8. Packaging, according to previous claims, characterised in that it consists of a bag
(a1), obtained by joining an upper film (8) to the support underlying film (3), and carrying
out the welding on the four sides, said bag (a1) making up a single portion consisting of a fish product unit (a).