Tearable Venting Pouch for Viscous Food Pouring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current packaging pouches for viscous food products, such as wet ready meals, face issues with food sticking to the pouch walls and difficulty in emptying due to insufficient flow properties and vacuum creation when inverted, leading to slow pouring and residue issues.
Innovation Solution
A flexible multilayer laminate pouch with a tearable venting means in the bottom region, combined with a modified inner layer featuring low surface tension, increased surface roughness, and surface-active additives, allows air penetration to reduce vacuum and enhance pouring speed, reducing residue left in the pouch.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the pouch is sealed hermetically to protect food, then food protection is improved, but vacuum is created when inverted making pouring difficult
Solution Approach 1:
A tearable venting means is pre-positioned in the bottom region of the pouch to allow air penetration before pouring begins. This preliminary action prevents vacuum formation during the pouring process while maintaining hermetic sealing during storage and transport.
Solution Approach 2:
The pouch structure incorporates a localized venting feature specifically in the bottom region, while the rest of the pouch maintains hermetic sealing. This local modification allows air entry only where needed for pouring without compromising overall food protection.
2Ease of operation
If the inner layer has smooth surface to prevent sticking, then food release is improved, but flow properties are insufficient slowing pouring
Solution Approach 1:
The inner layer surface properties are modified by changing parameters such as surface tension and roughness. Surface-active additives are incorporated to reduce surface tension below 24mN/m, while controlled roughness above 700 particles/mm² is introduced to enhance flow properties and pouring speed without compromising food release.
Solution Approach 2:
The inner layer is formulated as a composite material combining base polymer with surface-active additives and roughness-inducing particles. This composite structure provides both anti-sticking properties and enhanced flow characteristics for faster pouring.
3Loss of substance
If the pouch is completely emptied to reduce waste, then food utilization is improved, but food sticks to walls making complete emptying difficult
Solution Approach 1:
Air acts as an intermediary substance that penetrates behind the viscous food content through the venting means. This air insertion disrupts the vacuum and reduces adhesion forces between food and pouch walls, enabling more complete emptying with less residue.
Solution Approach 2:
The vacuum effect that initially causes food sticking is converted into a benefit by introducing air through the venting means. The air penetration eliminates the harmful vacuum condition, allowing gravity to effectively drain the food without sticking to the walls.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution significantly improves pouring speed and reduces residue by allowing air to penetrate behind the viscous content, achieving an average pouring rate of 80-85% with lower standard deviation compared to standard pouches, which typically vary between 40-60%.
Implementation Method 1
the tearable venting means (2) in the bottom region allows the penetration of air behind the viscous content to remove the vacuum
Implementation Method 2
the inner layer has a surface tension that is lower than 24mN/m, preferably lower than 20mN/m
Implementation Method 3
surface-active additives
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~5
Figure 6~8
AI summary
The present invention discloses a packaging pouch for a viscous content, the pouch comprising a flexible multilayer laminate, said laminate comprising an inner layer in contact, in use, with the content of said pouch, the pouch comprising a top region and a bottom region and one or more cross-seal(s), said pouch comprising a tearable venting means in the bottom region.