594results about "Sausage casings" patented technology

The present invention relates to a method for forming a graphene protective film having gas and moisture barrier properties, to a graphene protective film formed by the method, and to the use thereof. A single-layer or multi-layer graphene protective film can be used as a material for a barrier coating or bags, and improves the gas and moisture barrier properties of a variety of devices in a wide array of industrial fields to thereby maintain the electrical characteristics of devices over a long period of time.

A method and apparatus are disclosed for identifying a characteristic of a bulk flowable material. An identification marker is inserted into a bulk flowable material. The identification marker carries information identifying a specified property or properties of the material. A marker dispenser can be located at one or more handling sites of the bulk flowable material. The identification markers can be pre-prepared or property-related information can be added to the marker prior to or subsequent to dispensing. The identification markers can be paper-like labels, for example, or more complex devices. The system can be used to track the lifespan of a material or to indicate a property of the material to others, such as whether the material is a genetically modified organism (GMO). A pre-printed marker source containing a single continuous bar code is also disclosed.

The present invention relates to a food contamination detector associated with a double bar code, given the trademark GILBAR.TM. by the owner of the present invention, that includes coded indicia used to identify the presence of conditions indicative of microbial contamination in food, including toxic contaminants, bacterial metabolites, and other microbial secretions. Of the two bar code symbols associated with the food contamination detector, the first identifies the food product in terms of the type of food, the quantity, the price and the like, while the second bar code symbol is designed to identify the presence of contaminants. When contamination is not detected, the first bar code symbol is scanner readable, whereas the second bar code symbol is not. Once contamination is detected, bars in both bar code symbols can appear or disappear causing the first bar code symbol to become scanner unreadable and the second bar code symbol to become scanner readable.

The present invention relates to oriented or hot-blown shrink films which may be manufactured from by a number of processes. The oriented films may be manufactured by double bubble, LISIM, tape bubble, trapped bubble or tenter framing processes. The films of the present invention are useful as a shrink film to package and label a variety of products. The films exhibit a high degree of MD shrinkage in a very controlled and consistent manner while providing a number of other positive characteristics such as optical clarity, puncture and abrasion resistance, controlled gauge, and superior web winding and handling characteristics. The shrink control layers of the films of the present invention contain a modifier component selected from plastomers and / or metallocene catalyzed ethylene-propylene copolymers and blends thereof.

A structural reinforcement for a hollow member comprising a rigid reinforcing member having a shape that substantially conforms to the cross section of the section of the hollow member to be reinforced with an expandable adhesive material over at least a portion of the surface of the rigid reinforcing member sufficient to bond the reinforcing member to at least two nonparallel internal surfaces of the structure.

An apparatus and method for producing tissue slides is disclosed. The apparatus includes a holding assembly for manipulating the sample block, a blade assembly for preparing a thin section from the sample block, and a transfer roller mechanism for transferring the thin section to a receiving medium. The apparatus further includes a controller that may track the sample block and thin section. The method includes the steps of first locating a sample embedded within a support medium, which may be paraffin or a similar medium. Next, the embedded sample is oriented in such a way that its working surface is presented. This orientation may entail determining the orientation of the embedded sample with respect to the blade that will produce the largest cross-sectional area. Next, a slice of the sample from said embedded sample is removed and subsequently transferred to a suitable receiving medium, which may include a microscope slide. The slices may be stained, and a representation of the slice may be captured by an image capture device. The sample blocks may be transferred to a holding device, where they may be indexed and stored.

The invention provides a single-layer or multi-layer packaging film or sheet having at least one layer formed of a polyamide resin composition, wherein the layer formed of the polyamide resin composition is a layer (A) formed of a polyamide resin composition comprising a copolymer nylon (c) composed of an aliphatic nylon (co)polymer component (1) and an aromatic nylon (co)polymer component (2) in a proportion of at least 5 wt. %.

Capsule for the preparation of a beverage from beverage ingredients contained therein, comprising a body (2) comprising at least one compartment for receiving said beverage ingredients and a flange-like rim (4) extending outwardly and transversally to a central axis (I) of said body; a membrane (6) for closing the opening which is sealed onto the flange-like rim, an optical code (7) containing binary information configured to be read by a camera (11) of a beverage producing device (20), wherein the optical code (7) is a two-dimensional barcode having rectilinear borders (7a-7d) and which is inscribed in a circular area (8) concentric relative to the centre (O) of the membrane having a radius (R) smaller than the radius (R0) of the membrane.

A multi-layer film with barrier properties having one or more layers made from a bio-based film is disclosed. In one aspect, the print web comprises a bio-based film. The bio-based film can comprises polylactide or polyhydroxy-alkanoate. Unlike prior art petroleum-based films, the bio-based film of the present invention is made from a renewable resource and is biodegradable.

A beverage preparation system comprising: (i) a capsule (1 1) with side (16), bottom (18) and top (14) walls, said capsule having a shape that is substantially symmetrical around a vertical axis, and said capsule is suitable for containing a beverage preparation ingredient to be dissolved, and / or infused, and / or extracted under pressure, by action of a fluid circulating into said capsule through said ingredient, (ii) a beverage preparation machine (1) suitable for receiving said capsule (11), and circulating said fluid into said capsule, (iii) optionally a capsule holder (9) for holding said capsule (1 1), at least at the time said capsule is disposed into said machine, characterized in that: the machine (1) comprises a linear barcode reader (21) suitable for reading a linear barcode sequence (25) contained in a segment S having a segment length LR, said linear barcode reader (21) being disposed in the machine such that it can read a barcode printed on the capsule while said capsule is being inserted inside said machine, and the capsule (1 1) comprises a barcode sequence (25) that is repeatedly printed along a peripheral path of the capsule, each sequence being disposed in an arc having a linear projected length LS that is inferior to LR and said sequence (25) is composed of dots (26) spaced apart from one another along said arc, such that their projected point images along a linear segment are also spaced apart.

The present invention comprises an improved device and method for automated cooking foods with a liquid such as water. In a preferred embodiment, the system comprises a cooking chamber (46); a controller (20); a residential home gateway server (10) comprising a memory and a communications interface operatively connected to the controller (20) and to the Internet (104); a hopper (42) for containing food; a stopper (44) in communication with the cooking chamber (46) and the hopper (42), the stopper (44) operatively connected to and selectively controllable by the controller (20) to provide a predetermined portion of the food from the hopper (42) into the cooking chamber (46); the stopper having at least one position in which it is sealingly engaged against the cooking chamber (46) and the hopper (42) to prevent steam generated by the cooking process from entering into the hopper (42) during cooking; a conduit (30) in communication with the cooking chamber (46) for providing liquid into the cooking chamber (46); and a valve (32) disposed intermediate the conduit (30) and the cooking chamber (46) and operatively connected to and selectively controllable by the controller (20). The method comprises receiving data from a remote source, the data comprising a desired amount of servings of the food and a starting time for preparation of the food; determining the cooking characteristics of the food, comprising liquid needs for the food and cooking time; providing food into the cooking chamber (46) from the hopper (42) in a quantity sufficient to satisfy the desired servings; providing liquid into the compartment from the conduit (30) sufficient to satisfy liquid requirements of the food for the number of serving requirements; and engaging a cooking element accessible to the cooking chamber (46) sufficient to satisfy cooking time requirements for the desired number of servings.

The present invention relates to edible silk holographic elements and methods for making the same. Edible silk holographic elements are used to label pharmaceuticals and foods, or may be formulated to deliver pharmaceuticals.

Nutritional compositions and formulations that optimize nutritional contents are provided. Dietary compositions and methods for tailoring such compositions to optimize levels of nutrients that have beneficial effects within specific ranges are provided. Dietary plans, and formulations comprising dietary products that comprise optimized levels of nutrients derived from phytochemicals, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, lipids, proteins, carbohydrates, probiotics, prebiotics, microorganisms and fiber. Diet plans and modular nutritional packages comprising food and drink items tailored according to consumer patterns typed by diet, age, size, gender, medical conditions, family history, climate and the like are provided.

Food products, such as precooked meats, sausages, and the like are microbially decontaminated in their cooking packages to remove surface microorganism contamination from the packages. The cooking packages are removed and the food products optionally subjected to further processing, such as slicing, and then packaged in aseptic packaging. The microbial decontamination step, further processing and packaging are carried out in a clean room which is maintained to a high level of sterilization or disinfection to minimize or eliminate contamination of the food products with pathogenic microorganisms such as Listeria Monocytogenes. The food products thus leave the packaging plant with a much higher assurance of food safety than is found in a conventional packaging plant.

Support (20) adapted to be associated with, or part of a capsule (7) for the preparation of a beverage, comprising a section on which at least one sequence of symbols (24) is represented so as that each symbol is sequentially readable, by a reading arrangement of an external device, while the capsule is driven in rotation along an axis of rotation, each sequence coding a set of information related to the capsule.

Edible films incorporating carrageenan in conjunction with Konjac and / or Gellan gums have been prepared as substitutes for edible collagen film currently used in meat processing. Compositions according to the present invention overcome the inherent thermoreversibility of carrageenan gel and do not disintegrate from exposure to hot or boiling water. The film can readily be processed to form casing, bags or other packaging useful in the food industry.

The present disclosure provides for methods, systems and apparatus for monochromatic UV light sterilization of container systems and / or container-packaged products. More particularly, the present disclosure provides for improved methods, systems and apparatus for monochromatic UV light sterilization of liquid and / or solid products / solutions and / or packaging / container systems for liquid and / or solid products / solutions (e.g., parenteral pharmaceutical products / solutions and / or packaging / container systems for parenteral pharmaceutical products / solutions). In exemplary embodiments, the present disclosure provides for improved systems and methods for the sterilization of container systems and / or container-packaged products using monochromatic, continuous wave, high-intensity, incoherent light in multiple light source configurations, wherein such sterilization regimen achieves a desired sterilization level without negatively affecting the physical properties of the package / container systems and / or the efficacy of the underlying products / systems.

An edible film and method of making and using same for decorating foodstuffs, in particular baked goods, wherein anyone can easily, inexpensively and artistically decorate foodstuffs. The edible film according to the present invention is composed of an edible polymer film which is preferably releasably mounted upon a flexible substrate to provide a reinforced edible film. The edible film is peelably released from the substrate to provide decorations for the foodstuff. The edible film may be decoratively prepared into predetermined decorations prior to distribution, which may include being pre-printed, pre-cut, colored, or being of pre-selected opacity and sheen. Alternatively, the edible film may be distributed in a not yet finalized decoration form, wherein finalization is left up to the user.

The present invention relates to a method for determining the presence or absence of contaminating bacteria in a packaged food sample comprising storing food in a package having as a lining a hydrophilic polymeric composition, said composition preferably being permeable to water and at least one gas dissolved in water or water vapor and being selected from the group consisting of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide, hydrogen and ammonia gas and containing an indicator for detecting the presence or abscence of said gas; said indicator being polymerized or dispersed throughout said polymeric composition or coated onto a hydrophobic polymeric composition.

A compartmentalized plastic food package includes a container and sealed cover which have a plurality of individually sealed chambers for distinct foodstuffs. The container includes a top flange or surface which extends about the individual chambers onto which the removable cover is secured by an adhesive or heat sealing. The top flange includes a peripheral shoulder and lip which cooperates with the rear or bottom edge of certain of the chambers to facilitate substantially upright self-display of the container and contents. The sidewalls of the chambers are tapered and include notched or stepped spacers such that the containers may be controllably nested, the spacers preventing overly tight nesting and thus facilitating separation prior to filling and sealing. A plurality of distinct foodstuffs such as meat, cheese, crackers and cookies, for example, may be individually sealed in the chambers, thereby maintaining each foods flavor, aroma and desired moisture content.

A film includes a core layer having an amorphous polyamide; two intermediate layers, disposed on opposite surfaces of the core layer, including a semicrystalline polyamide; two adhesive layers, each disposed on a surface of the respective intermediate layer, including a polymeric adhesive; and two outer layers, each disposed on a surface of a respective adhesive layer, including an ethylene / alpha olefin copolymer, propylene homopolymer, or propylene / alpha olefin copolymer; and a second outer layer, disposed on a surface of a respective adhesive layer, including amorphous polyamide, semicrystalline polyamide, ethylene / alpha olefin copolymer, propylene homopolymer, or propylene / alpha olefin copolymer. The film can alternatively have a core layer including a polymeric adhesive, and two intermediate layers each having an amorphous polyamide. A method of packaging a product using these films, and a package, are also disclosed.

A food safety device for placement on a product is disclosed. The food safety device comprises one or more sensors that measure at least one condition of the product and / or its environment, one or more visual indicators that are configured to display a visual indication of freshness and / or safety of the product. An antenna transmits and receives data regarding the at least one measured condition of the product and the freshness and / or safety of the product. A logic module executes programmable logic to determine the freshness and / or safety of the product from the at least one measured condition of the product, to cause the one or more visual indicators to display a visual indication of the freshness and / or safety it determines, and to transmit and receive data regarding the at least one measured condition of the product and the freshness and / or safety of the product via the antenna.

A container with a carbonated fluid therein. The container may include a base and a sidewall positioned about the base. The base and / or the sidewall may include a number of nucleation sites thereon. The nucleation sites may be positioned to form a number of bubbles in a pattern when the container is opened

A packaged food product includes a food product and a package enclosing the food product. The package may be formed from a coated, printed film that includes a substrate film including one or more thermoplastic materials and having an average thickness of less than about 15 mils. An image is printed on the print side of the substrate film. A radiation-cured varnish covers the printed image. The radiation-cured varnish was formed by coating the printed image with a radiation-curable varnish that includes one or more polymerizable reactants and optionally one or more photointiators. The radiation-curable varnish is subsequently exposed to radiation sufficient to polymerize at least 90 weight % of the polymerizable reactants. When the coated, printed film is tested according to the FDA migration test protocol, no more than 50 parts per billion total of any of the polymerizable reactants and the optional photoinitiators migrate within 10 days at 40° C. from the coated, printed film into a food simulant of 95 weight % ethanol and 5 weight % water enclosed within a test container formed from the coated, printed film so that the food simulant contacts the food side of the substrate film and the ratio of volume of food simulant to surface area of coated, printed film is 10 milliliters per square inch.

This invention provides a coating composition for use on a food-contact surface of a container (e.g., a food or beverage can) that includes a polymer having one or more segments of Formula I:—O—Ar—Rn—C(O)—O—R1—O—C(O)—Rn—Ar—O—wherein each Ar is independently a divalent aryl group (i.e., an arylene group) or heteroarylene group; R1 is a divalent organic group; each R is independently a divalent organic group; and n is 0 or 1. Containers comprising the polymer and methods of making such containers are also provided.

The invention provides a beverage substance cartridge, an identifying apparatus, a beverage producing equipment, a beverage producing system and a beverage producing method which could supply water automatically instead of manual work, identify information about beverage substance likewise such as variety and years of tea leaf, and furthermore, take different brewing methods targeting at different beverage substances (e.g. tea leaf) according to identified information in collaboration with pre-stored beverage brewing parameters to make sure every beverage substance could be brewed according to the perfect method, so the advantage of beverage substance will be given into full play. The beverage producing equipment which adopts the invention could yield brewing results accomplished by specialists and furthermore be widely used in offices and homes.