Sterilized Ready-Meal Tray With Removable Secondary Container
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current ready-meal packages with separate sterilized food components for microwave heating face challenges in preserving organoleptic qualities due to limited headspace, requiring consumers to pour contents into separate dishes for mixing, which is inconvenient, or risking quality with premixed sterilization.
Innovation Solution
A sterilized ready-meal package design featuring a removable secondary container within a main container, minimizing headspace while allowing easy mixing and maintaining food quality, using a design similar to the French patent FR 2855817 for salads, but adapted for microwave-ready meals.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of stationary object
If the two compartments of the tray are filled with the products to the brim to meet headspace requirements, then the headspace is minimized, but there is no free space sufficient to mix the two components
Solution Approach 1:
The tray is divided into two separate compartments that are filled to the brim to minimize headspace, while a separate mixing tool (spoon or fork) is provided in one of the compartments to enable mixing without requiring additional headspace volume
Solution Approach 2:
A mixing tool (spoon or fork) is introduced as an intermediary element that enables the mixing function within the constrained headspace environment, allowing consumers to mix the two food components directly in the tray without needing additional dishes
2Reliability
If separate packets for the two components are used, then the organoleptic qualities are preserved, but the production and package costs increase considerably
Solution Approach 1:
Two separate food components are placed in the same tray structure rather than using separate packets, merging the packaging into a single unit that maintains physical separation during storage and transport but allows easy mixing during consumption, thereby reducing production and packaging costs while preserving organoleptic qualities
3Ease of operation
If the two components are premixed in a tray without compartments, then mixing is simplified, but sterilisation risks prejudicing the quality of the food
Solution Approach 1:
The tray is compartmentalized into two separate sections that keep the food components physically separated during sterilization, preventing quality deterioration, while still allowing easy mixing by the consumer through the provision of a mixing tool and the close proximity of the compartments
Data Source
AI summary
A sterilized ready-meal food package comprising: a main container, defining a main volume and having a first opening at the upper part; a main food product held inside at least part of such main volume; at least one secondary container defining a secondary volume and having a second opening at the upper part; at least one secondary food product held inside at least part of the secondary volume; removable covering means arranged to occlude the first and the second opening. The main and secondary food products occupy at least 80% of the free volume available therefor; furthermore, the secondary container is associated in a removable manner inside the main container, in such a manner to occupy part of the main volume and reduce the free volume available for the main food product to a portion of the main volume. The finding also comprises a method for preparing the ready-meal food package.