Sterile system for the automated transfer of burrata and similar from forming machines to packaging machines, and associated method

Abstract

Sterile system for the automated transfer of burrata, and similar products, from forming machines to packaging machines (100) having a plurality of stations (101-104-106-110-113), synchronized with each other and carrying out operations automatically, adapted to eliminate any risk of external bacterial contamination for the product (117), avoiding the need for manipulations to be carried out thereon; said sterile system for the automated transfer of burrata, and similar products, from forming machines to packaging machines (100) comprising: a conveyor belt (116); a destacking station (101), a water addition station (104) a forming station (106), a viewing station for quality control (110) and a packaging station (113).

Description

[0001] “Sterile system for the automated transfer of burrata and similar from forming machines to packaging machines, and associated method”

[0002] Description

[0003] Field of the invention

[0004] The present invention refers to the field of automated systems, more precisely, to a sterile transfer system for food products, such as burrata and similar. In particular, the present invention, by means of the synergy achieved by the combination of the different machinery used within the system, allows eliminating the risk of bacterial contamination of the finished product.

[0005] Prior art

[0006] The production of burrata and similar foods is a very complex, delicate and long-established process, mainly characterized by multiple processes carried out manually by operators.

[0007] In recent years, this area of food production has also had to face ever-increasing demand and, therefore, with new technologies mainly linked to the increase in production in ever more stringent timescales. Under this impetus, the production of burrata has increasingly undergone an automation process in its production by means of forming machines. If on the one hand, this has led to a notable increase in its production and advantages in terms of timing and reduced manpower, at the same time such machinery intervenes, especially when making the burrata itself, intervening abruptly ( for example cuts) on a delicate product: this very often means that the burrata itself breaks, causing loss of the product, dirtying the machinery and subsequently requiring considerable manpower for the maintenance of the machinery itself. Examples of such forming machines are given by patent application IT201800001009 (Al) and an improvement thereof contained in WO2022234423 (Al).

[0008] Although the automation process in the production of burrata continues to advance in step with new technologies, eliminating the problems just described, to date, the burrata produced is collected in metal carts / tanks full of water, and once the maximum capacity has been reached the carts are manually transported to the packaging machine; at this point operators manually intervene, removing the burrata from the carts and inserting them in the individual trays used for packaging. These metal carts which transport the burrata have multiple problems: they take up a lot of space, they need ice-cold water to cool the product (and therefore the company needs large cold rooms to freeze the water), electricity to cool the water itself , personnel assigned to transport the carts and who above all make contamination from the "human" contact carried out by the personnel picking up the burrata near the packaging machine inevitable. In addition, these tanks require a lot of maintenance with each use, including cleaning, sterilization and subsequent filling with water.

[0009] The fact that there still exists a manual process within the production chain of burrata, and similar, today means that, in the unfortunate - but probable - case of poor hygiene of the operator linked to the removal of the burrata, the burrata remains inside contaminated water in such carts for hours.

[0010] To date, therefore, there is a lack of a transport system which takes the burrata directly to the packaging machines, therefore, it is a "manual" step which is mandatory within the production chain.

[0011] The object of the present patent application is to overcome the aforesaid problems, proposing a completely sterile automated transport system which eliminates the use of tanks, ensures the reduction of the personnel involved and therefore the elimination of any manual operation: i.e., the burrata is no longer touched by human hands and / or equipment (if the only surface with which it comes into contact is excluded, i.e., the forming cups, which however are sterilized and disinfected from time to time) and therefore the expiry date increases dramatically, as the product is not contaminated by human contact. In addition, the system presented here is self-cleaning, a factor which reduces the need for maintenance and ensures its operation 24 hours a day.

[0012] Description of the invention

[0013] The object of the present invention is an innovative sterile system for the automated transfer of burrata, and similar, from forming machines to packaging machines capable of eliminating any risk of external bacterial contamination for the finished product. In addition, the present invention, thanks to the elimination of the metal carts / tanks used today, not only advantageously allows reducing maintenance costs (water cooling), maintenance, cleaning and storage thereof, but also reduces the cost related to personnel. Precisely with regard to this last factor, thanks to the synergy achieved by the machinery used in the present system, a degree of automation and self-cleaning is achieved which excludes and / or reduces the presence of necessary personnel and therefore the relative costs; in addition, the invention is capable of operating continuously 24 hours a day, significantly increasing production: this translates into the customer's ability to have a finished product on the market at a reduced and competitive cost on the market.

[0014] Burrata and similar is intended as stuffed cheeses: these are delicate products subject to breakage during production. The use of the terms "operator(s)" and "personnel" indicates the same role carried out.

[0015] It should be noted that, according to the prior art, the text does not describe in detail some technical characteristics of some machinery mentioned to describe the functioning of our system precisely because they are already known and obvious to a person skilled in the art: all this translates into the focus on the salient and innovative features of the present patent application.

[0016] Advantageously, the present sterile system for the automated transfer of burrata and similar, from forming machines to packaging machines, implemented with a conveyor belt which puts the stations subsequently described in communication, provides a destacking station, in which one or more destackers, drawing on an internal reserve of trays, used for packaging the finished product, destack the trays, which are initially empty. Such trays can be of any size, preferably common plastic trays used in the burrata trade. Such destackers, by means of mechanical movements, form a train of equidistant trays on the conveyor belt. The machinery can also destack trays of different sizes at the same time: such a case depends on the storage of the same trays in the internal reserve of said machinery. Once destacked, such trays are transported by the conveyor belt through the different stations of the present system. Once destacked, the trays arrive, after a short journey, at the water addition station, in which such trays are filled with what is called preserving liquid: pasteurized and perfectly sterile water, preferably at 2°C. Such a water addition station preferably adds a quantity of preserving liquid equal to approximately 100 ml (for standard packages which include a burrata of approximately 100g) inside each tray present on the conveyor belt. Advantageously, the addition of the preserving liquid into the tray, before the insertion of the product (i.e., burrata or similar), carries out a double function: on the one hand it cushions the fall of the product inside the tray; on the other, it cools the same product (an essential factor in the production process). Once filled, the trays arrive, by means of the conveyor belt, at the forming station, i.e., where a common forming machine produces the burrata, placing it on forming cups. Such a plurality of forming cups are engaged in parallel rows, each containing as many forming cups as there are tracks of the forming machine, above a rotating belt. Such a rotating belt, synchronized to correctly receive the burrata, produced by said common forming machine on the forming cups, on the one hand allows the first end stop, i.e., at the end close to the conveyor belt, with the falling of the burrata and similar by means of the rotation of the forming cups, and therefore gravity, inside the trays (in said first end stop the rotating belt causes the forming cups to pass from the upper part, in which they receive the product, to the lower part), on the other, when the forming cups are in the lower part, to sterilize and disinfect them at each passage in the lower part, by means of nebulizers, used below, which generate sterilizing jets. The forming cups thus sterilized, following the motion of the rotating belt, will reach the second end stop, i.e., the one far from the conveyor belt, and will pass from the lower part to the upper part, ready to receive burrata and similar from the forming machine again, when they are found therebelow. It should be specified that the rotating belt is positioned perpendicular with respect to the conveyor belt. In addition, the forming cups are engaged so that when the forming cups are at the first end stop they pass very close together, touching the trays on the conveyor belt, so as to minimize the falling distance of the burrata and similar inside the same trays.

[0017] Once the product has been received, i.e., burrata and similar, the trays continue their journey reaching a viewing station for quality control. In such a control station, a video recognition device is capable of detecting certain parameters within each individual tray, i.e., there are specific results determined by the following parameters: recognition of the product and clean liquid, and therefore the product is optimal and not broken; recognition of the product and cloudy liquid, and therefore unsuitable, i.e., the dirt in the water is generated by the breakage of the product.

[0018] When this last type of detection occurs, the quality control viewing station, connected to an automatic waste system, eliminates those with broken or otherwise unsuitable product from the train of trays. Advantageously, the waste system is formed by a piston which pushes the unsuitable tray inside a box located below the conveyor belt, so as to be able to still recover the product.

[0019] Preferably, the video recognition device can recognize if there is only water inside the tray and / or recognize only the product: both of these cases indicate that the product is unsuitable. The video device comprises software trained using machine learning and continuous learning techniques, drawing on the data recorded from time to time, so as to continuously improve the recognition of "clean water" and "cloudy water" and therefore "healthy / suitable product" or “broken / unsuitable product”. As a final step, the trays with the product reach the packaging station, where a series of steps occur. Firstly, the trays are pushed by pistons from the conveyor belt onto the catenary of the heat sealer, reaching a common packaging machine; at this point the trays are filled, by means of an input device, with new preserving liquid so that the tray containing the product is filled with said preserving liquid, preferably a quantity of liquid sufficient to fill the plastic tray (e.g., for a tray of approximately 100 g of burrata, a dosage of approximately 200 ml of preserving liquid is provided), before heat sealing in the packaging machine: the insertion of such new liquid ensures that the previous, by now heated liquid, is replaced. Since it is also at a temperature of around 2°C, it further cools the product, i.e., burrata or similar, optimizing the burrata cooling process envisaged for the production cycle. Thus filled, the trays containing the product reach the common packaging machine and are heat-sealed, thus becoming ready for storage in cold rooms or alternative cooling systems, transport and trade.

[0020] Preferably, at least a second video recognition device is installed inside the packaging station and near the catenary of the heat sealer, each for each row stacked on the heat sealer, which allows correction, identifying suitable and unsuitable products according to the same parameters of the video recognition device, of any errors made by the viewing station for quality control: in fact, once the tray detected as unsuitable arrives near the packaging machine, it is discarded by means of a second waste system equal to the one previously described.

[0021] Preferably, the sterile system for the automated transfer of burrata, and similar, from forming machines to packaging machines can comprise a seasoning machine near the catenary of the heat sealer, and immediately after the input device: such a seasoning machine allows adding seasonings by means of nozzles inside each of the trays present on the catenary, such as salt and / or spices, or even delicate dairy products such as stracciatella.

[0022] Below the conveyor belt, preferably along its entire length, devices are present which clean it by means of jets of water.

[0023] In one of the preferred embodiments the invention, it can comprise a sterilization station, between the destacking station and the water addition station in which there can be UV ray emission devices and / or devices which spray hydrogen peroxide on the trays on the conveyor belt: both these solutions allow the correct sterilization of the trays before the water addition station to further increase the shelf life of the packaged product.

[0024] In another preferred embodiment, the entire path of the conveyor belt is enclosed inside a positive pressure tunnel, preventing air from entering and contaminating the trays, and / or overpressure with filtered cold air. It should be noted that such a tunnel is provided with openings near the different stations so that all the processes can be carried out correctly, the same openings are engaged so as to also ensure the correct operation of the tunnel itself, for example with hermetic closures with gaskets.

[0025] Preferably the conveyor belt is internally provided with load cells so that they can constantly monitor the weight of each of the transported trays and compare it with preset parameters linked to the passage between one station and another: for example such load cells will have standard parameters for empty trays, parameters for trays filled with the first preserving liquid in the water addition station, parameters for trays with preserving liquid and product. Such data are transmitted by means of wireless networks to the quality control viewing station, which, if such parameters are not respected, can proceed to reject the tray which does not comply with them.

[0026] In the text, "preserving liquid" or "water" refers to the same object.

[0027] The advantages offered by the present invention are evident in the light of the description presented thus far and will be even clearer thanks to the attached figures and the related detailed description.

[0028] Description of the figures

[0029] The invention will be described hereinafter in at least a preferred embodiment by way of nonlimiting example with the aid of the appended figures, in which:

[0030] - FIGURE 1 shows a plan view of a sterile system for the automated transfer of burrata and similar, from forming machines to packaging machines 100 according to one of the embodiments of the present patent application;

[0031] - FIGURE 2 illustrates in perspective view the detail of the forming station 106 comprised in the sterile system for the automated transfer of burrata and similar, from forming machines to packaging machines 100;

[0032] - FIGURE 3 shows a plan view of the viewing station for quality control 110 comprised in the sterile system for the automated transfer of burrata and similar, from forming machines to packaging machines 100 of the present patent application;

[0033] - FIGURE 4 shows in perspective view the detail of the packaging station 113 comprised in the sterile system for the automated transfer of burrata and similar, from forming machines to packaging machines 100; - FIGURE 5 illustrates the flow chart of the method 400 associated with the sterile system for the automated transfer of burrata and similar, from forming machines to packaging machines 100 according to the present patent application.

[0034] Detailed description of the invention

[0035] The present invention will now be illustrated by way of a purely non-limiting or binding example, resorting to the figures which illustrate some embodiments with respect to the present inventive concept.

[0036] FIGS. 1 to 4 show the components of a sterile system for the automated transfer of burrata, and similar, from forming machines to packaging machines 100 according to the present invention. Specifically, FIG. 1 shows a plan view of all the stations 101-104-106-110-113 of a sterile system for the automated transfer of burrata, and similar, from forming machines to packaging machines 100, while the trays 103 travel along the entire path on the conveyor belt 116; FIG. 2 shows a detail of the forming station 106, at the moment in which the product 117 (i.e., burrata or similar) is made to fall, by gravity, from the forming cups 108 to inside the trays 103; in FIG. 3 a partial view shows the viewing station for quality control 110, while the piston 120 of the waste system 112 causes a tray 103 which has been found to be unsuitable by the control of the video device 111 to fall inside the box 121; FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the packaging station 113 and shows the trays 103 being transported on the catenary of the heat sealer 114, while some of the trays 103 are filled with new preserving liquid by means of the input device 118.

[0037] It should be noted that product 117 means burrata and similar, and that the conveyor belt 116 connects all the stations 101-104-106-110-113.

[0038] The invention has a plurality of stations 101-104-106-110-113 synchronized with each other, and carrying out operations automatically, capable of eliminating any risk of external bacterial contamination for the finished product 117 since a handling thereof does not occur in any manner and there is no contact of the product with any type of surface or material other than the sterilized forming cup or the sterilized tray which will accommodate the product until sealing and finally to the final consumer. The different stations 101-104-106-110-113 will be described below, the operation of which will be clearer with the subsequent description of the method 400.

[0039] The destacking station 101 includes two destackers 102, which, taking the trays 103 from therein, position them, by means of mechanical arms, on the conveyor belt 116: the trays 103 are positioned in a row, or rather in a train, equidistant and so as to allow the operations carried out during their transport; i.e., the pre-established distance allows, for example, the correct introduction of the preserving liquid and the subsequent fall of the product 117 and so on.

[0040] Next is the water addition station 104, in which a dispenser 105, previously filled with preserving liquid, fills (for a standard 100g burrata format) approximately 100 ml of preserving liquid into each individual tray 103 passing through said water addition station 104. Such preserving liquid, and in such a pre-established quantity, allows not only to cushion the next fall of the product 117 inside the trays 103, but also to cool the product 117 itself, being at a temperature of approximately 2°C.

[0041] The forming station 106 comprises a common forming machine 107 which produces the product 117, lowering it onto forming cups 108. The forming cups 108 are moved by a rotating belt 109, so that, after having received the product 117, they transport it to the end stop near the conveyor belt 116, and when they rotate to pass to the underlying part of the rotating belt 109, they let the product 117 fall by gravity inside the trays 103. Passing below the rotating belt 109, the forming cups 108 are disinfected and cleaned from time to time by nebulizers 123.

[0042] The quality control viewing station 110 comprises a video device 111, positioned at its entrance, capable of detecting certain parameters inside each individual tray 103 which passes inside the quality control viewing station 110, processing specific results: recognition of the product 117 and clean preserving liquid, and therefore the product 117 is optimal and not broken; recognition of the product 117 and cloudy and / or dirty, and therefore unsuitable, preserving liquid, i.e., the dirt in the water is generated by the breakage of the product 117. When this last type of detection occurs, the viewing station for quality control 110 uses an automatic waste system 112 to eliminate those with broken or otherwise unsuitable product 117 from the train of trays 103. Advantageously, the waste system 112 is formed by a piston (or any other existing expulsion system) 120 which pushes the unsuitable tray 103 inside a box 121 located below the conveyor belt 116, so as to be able to still recover the product 117. The packaging station 113 comprises the catenary of the heat sealer 114, onto which the trays 103 are introduced from the conveyor belt 113 by means of pistons (not depicted in the figure). By means of the catenary of the heat sealer 114, the trays 103 are moved towards an ice-cold preserving liquid dosing system 118. Such a dosing device 118 has pipes 118' positioned so as to be able to fill each of the trays 103 introduced on the catenary of the heat sealer 114. The input device 118 completely fills the trays 103 with new preserving liquid, so as to make the previously introduced liquid exit, and so that the entire tray is filled with such preserving liquid with the aim of reducing the temperature of the burrata as quickly as possible. The rapid temperature reduction allows a better conservation and shelflife of the product. Once the trays 103 reach a common packaging machine 115, they are sealed by means of heat sealing and are ready for storage in cold rooms and / or for trade.

[0043] FIG. 5 shows, by means of a flow chart, the method 400 associated with the sterile system for the automated transfer of burrata, and similar, from forming machines to packaging machines 100, thanks to which it is possible to avoid any type of risk of bacterial contamination for the final product.

[0044] The method 400 begins with positioning 401 the trays 103, currently empty, on the conveyor belt 116; this operation occurs in the destacking station 101 by means of the destackers 102. Next the transport 402 of the trays 103 to the water addition station 104 occurs, by means of the conveyor belt 116. The introduction 403 of preserving liquid into each of the trays 103 occurs here, in a suitable quantity based on the volume of the tray (approximately 100 ml in the trays with 100g of product). Subsequently, the trays 103 filled with preserving liquid are transported 404 towards the forming station 106. The production 405 of the product 117 by the forming machine 107 occurs here, and the following introduction 406 of the product 117 inside the trays 103 by means of the movement and rotation of the forming cups 108: such an introduction occurs by falling, as described several times.

[0045] Next is the transport 407 of the trays containing preserving liquid and product 117 towards the quality control viewing station 110. The check 408 occurs here, represented with a decision box, by said viewing station for quality control 110 and precisely by the video device 111; if the check 408 detects, according to parameters pre-recorded in the software, that all the trays 103 contain the product 117 and clear liquid, then it gives a positive result Y and they are considered suitable and the method continues with the transport step 410; if the check 408 produces a negative outcome N, i.e., dirty / cloudy preserving liquid is detected inside the trays 103, then we proceed with the removal step 409 in which the automatic waste system 112 eliminates from the conveyor belt 116 the trays 103 showing defects (i.e., unsuitable and therefore with the product 117 broken), letting them fall in the box 121.

[0046] The transport step 410 involves the transport of the trays 103 from the quality control viewing station 110 to the packaging station 113. Subsequently, the trays 103 are removed 411 from the conveyor belt 116 on the catenary of the heat sealer 114 by means of pistons. Subsequently, the transport 412 of the trays 103 occurs on the catenary of the heat sealer 114 towards said common packaging machine 115. Immediately after said transport step 412, a second verification step 415 occurs by a second video device; if the second check 415 detects, according to parameters pre-recorded in the software (i.e., the same as the video device 111), that all the trays 103 contain the product 117 and clear water, then it gives a positive result Y' and they are considered suitable and the method continues with the final input step 413; if the second check 415 produces a negative outcome N', i.e., dirty / cloudy water is detected inside the trays 103, then we proceed with the elimination step 416 in which the trays 103 showing defects (i.e., unsuitable and therefore with the product 117 broken) are eliminated inside the packaging machine 115.

[0047] The final input step 413 involves the trays 103 being filled, by means of the input device 118, with new preserving liquid, so as to be full and thus eliminating the liquid previously introduced in the input step 403.

[0048] Lastly, the closure 414 occurs by heat-sealing the trays 103 inside the packaging machine 415. Finally, it is clear that modifications, additions or variations that are obvious to a person skilled in the art can be made to the invention described so far, without thereby departing from the scope of protection provided by the attached claims.

Claims

Claims1. Sterile system for the automated transfer of burrata and similar, from forming machines to packaging machines (100) featuring stations (101-104-106-110-113), synchronized with each other and carrying out operations automatically, designed to eliminate any risk of external bacterial contamination for the product (117), avoiding the need for manipulations to be carried out on the same; said sterile system for the automated transfer of burrata and similar, from forming machines to packaging machines (100) being characterized by the fact of comprising:- at least a conveyor belt (116) capable of connecting all the stations (101-104- 106-110-113) together, transporting trays (103); said conveyor belt (116) comprising devices at the bottom that clean it using jets of water and / or disinfectants with Cleaning In Place (CIP) technology;- at least a destacking station (101) comprising, in turn, at least a destacker (102) capable of taking said trays (103) from inside and positioning said trays (103) on the conveyor belt (116) in such a way as to be positioned in a row, preferably in a train and equidistant;- at least a station for adding cold water or preservation liquid (104) following said destacking station (101), in which a distributor (105), previously filled with preserving liquid, fills each individual tray (103) with preserving liquid passing through said water addition station (104); said governing liquid being able to cushion the fall of said product (117) inside said trays (103), but also to cool the same product (117) being, preferably, at a temperature of about 2°C;- at least a forming station (106), following said water addition station (104), comprising a common forming machine (107) which produces said product (117), lowering it above engaged forming cups (108) on a rotating belt (109) in such a way that, after having received said product (117), they transport it to the end stop near said conveyor belt (116), and when said forming cups (108) carry out the rotation, passing through the lower part of said rotating belt (109) allow the product (117) to fall by gravity into said trays (103) which are passing through said forming station (106); said forming station (106) comprising nebulizers (123) in the lower part of said rotating belt (109) suitable for disinfecting and sterilizing said forming cups (108), when they are located in the lower part of said rotating belt (109);- at least a viewing station for quality control (110), following said forming station (106), comprising a video device (111) capable of detecting, according to certain pre-stored parameters, the inside of each individual said tray (103) which passes inside said vision station for quality control (110); said video device (111) processing specific results such as the recognition, inside said trays (103), of said product (117) and of clean preserving liquid, and therefore noting that said product (117) is optimal and intact, or the recognition of said product (117) together with cloudy and / or dirty governing liquid, and therefore noting the breakage of said product (117); said video device (111) when it detects that said product (117) is broken, and therefore the preserving liquid is dirty, activates an automatic waste system (112) designed to eliminate said trays (103) with said broken product (117); said automatic waste system (112) comprising a piston (120) capable of pushing said trays (103) inside a box (121), the latter located underneath said conveyor belt (116);- at least a packaging station (113), following said viewing station for quality control (110), including a catenary of the heat sealer (114), onto which said trays (103) are introduced from the limit switch of said conveyor belt (116); said catenary of the heat sealer (114) being able to mobilize said trays (103) towards a common packaging machine (115), first passing them under a device for introducing freezing liquid or preservation liquid (118); said input device (118), entirely overlying said catenary of the heat sealer (114), comprising pipes (118’) positioned in such a way as to be able to fill each of said trays (103) introduced onto said catenary of the heat sealer (114); said input device (118) being able to completely fill said trays (103) with new preserving liquid, in such a way as to make the previously introduced liquid come out, and in such a way that said trays (103) are filled with this new liquid of government; said packaging machine (115), once said trays (103) are inside it, being capable of sealing them by heat sealing and making them ready for trade.

2. Sterile system for the automated transfer of burrata and similar, from forming machines to packaging machines (100), according to the previous claim 1, characterized by the fact that said video device (111) recognizes whether inside said trays (103) there is the presence of only the governing liquid or only the product, activating said automatic waste system (112).

3. Sterile system for the automated transfer of burrata and similar, from forming machines to packaging machines (100), according to the previous claims 1 or 2, characterized by the fact that said video device (111) includes software trained using machine learning techniques and continuous learning, drawing on the data recorded from time to time, in such a way as to continuously improve the recognition of “clean water” and “turbid water” and therefore “healthy / suitable product” or “broken product”.

4. Sterile system for the automated transfer of burrata and similar, from forming machines to packaging machines (100), according to any of the previous claims, characterized by the fact that the path of said conveyor belt (116) is enclosed inside a tunnel at positive pressure and / or overpressure with filtered cold air.

5. Sterile system for the automated transfer of burrata and similar, from forming machines to packaging machines (100), according to any of the previous claims, characterized by the fact of comprising a sterilization station, between said destacking station (101) and said station of water addition (104), in which there are UV ray emission devices and / or devices that spray hydrogen peroxide on said trays (103) transported by said conveyor belt (116).

6. Sterile system for the automated transfer of burrata and similar, from forming machines to packaging machines (100), according to any of the previous claims, characterized by the fact that said conveyor belt (116) is internally equipped with load cells so that they can constantly monitor the weight of each of said trays (103) transported by comparing the weight detected with pre-set parameters; if these parameters are different, said load cells activate said automatic waste system (112), proceeding with the rejection of said trays (103).

7. Sterile system for the automated transfer of burrata and similar, from forming machines to packaging machines (100), according to any of the previous claims, characterized by the fact of comprising a seasoning machine near said catenary of the heat sealer (114), and immediately after the input device (118); said seasoning machinery being suitable to allow the addition of seasonings via nozzles inside each of said trays (103) present on said catenary of the heat sealer (114) before arriving inside said packaging machine (115).

8. Sterile system for the automated transfer of burrata and similar, from forming machines to packaging machines (100), according to any of the previous claims, characterized by the fact of comprising inside said packaging station (113) and near said catenary of the heat sealer (114) a second video recognition device, each for each row of said trays (103)stacked on said catenary of the heat sealer (114); said second video device allowing the same parameters of said video device (111) to be corrected by identifying products (117).

9. Method (400) associated with a sterile system for the automated transfer of burrata and similar, from forming machines to packaging machines (100) according to any of the previous claims characterized by the fact that it comprises the following steps:- positioning (401) of the empty trays (103) on the conveyor belt (116) in a destacking station (101) via at least a destacker (102);- transport (402) of said trays (103) to the water addition station (104), via said conveyor belt (116);- introduction (403), into each of the trays (103), of preserving liquid, preferably 100 ml;- transport (404) to the training station (106);- production (405) of the product (117) by a common forming machine (107);- introduction (406) of said product (117) inside said trays (103) through the mobilization and rotation of the forming cups (108);- transport (407) of said trays (103) containing preserving liquid and said product (117) towards the quality control viewing station (110);- check (408), represented with a decision box, by said viewing station for quality control (110) and precisely by the video device (111); if said check (408) finds that all said trays (103) contain said product (117) and clear preserving liquid, then it gives a positive result (Y) and they are considered suitable and the method continues with the transport phase (410); if said check (408) produces a negative outcome (N), i.e. dirty / turbid governing liquid is detected inside said trays (103), then we proceed with the removal phase (409) in which said automatic waste system (112) eliminates from said conveyor belt (116) said trays (103) showing defects;- transport (410), which involves the transport of said trays (103) from said viewing station for quality control (110) to the packaging station (113);- withdrawal (411) of said trays (103) from said conveyor belt (116) on the catenary of the heat sealer (114);- transport (412) of said trays (103) on said catenary of the heat sealer (114) towards a common packaging machine (115);- final introduction phase (413) requires that the trays (103) are filled, via theinput device (118), with new governing liquid;- closing (414) by heat sealing of said trays (103) inside said packaging machine (415).

10. Method (400), according to the previous claim 9, characterized in that it comprises, immediately after said transport phase (412), a second verification check (415) by a second video device; if said second check (415) finds that all said trays (103) contain said product (117) and clear governing liquid, then it gives a positive result (Y’) and they are considered suitable and the method continues with the final introduction phase (413); if said second check (415) produces a negative result (N’), i.e. dirty / turbid governing liquid is detected inside said trays (103), then we proceed with the elimination phase (416) in which said trays (103) presenting defects are eliminated inside said packaging machine

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