M IDDLE LAYER

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to developing a piping bag that consist of an unfilled food grade inner surface, non-slip raw material filled middle layer and an unfilled - food grade outer surface (figure -4). The invention is about manufacturing a plastic piping bag (1) by using a plastic film having the properties explained above. The plastic film explained can be obtained by Co-ex blown plastic film extrusion (multi-layer film manufacturing extruder) method. The invention is related with increasing the food safety and enhancing the ergonomics (suitability with human anatomy) of plastic-based food piping bags used for piping. Plastic food bag (1) is a triangular or special-geometry bag designed for piping out food products such as dough, cream, whipped cream, puree, ground meat, ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, etc. with low viscosity fluids from the discharge hole (2). Flow from the plastic food piping bag (1) is facilitated by pressing and squeezing with hands.

Currently some rough materials are applied by various methods that prevent hands to slip off from the outer surfaces of the piping bags. This increases the coefficient of friction of the outer surface of piping bag and prevents slipping of hands from the outer surface; however, the chemicals used at the outer surface may fall off from the outer surface of the plastic film during the piping process( due to hard pressure applied while piping). This situation cause non-edible rough materials to fall on the food; as the result food safety is risked seriously.

The feature of the invention is related with the coating of the non-slip surface, that poses a risk for food safety, with two completely food-grade surfaces.

The invention is producing plastic food piping bag (1) by using 3 -layer plastic film having properties given below: Outer surface contains food-grade raw materials and prevents non-slip particles at the middle layer from breaking off.

Middle layer contains dye, grits and similar anti-slip fillers that gives anti-slip properties to the film, yet poses a risk if it contacts with foods; inner surface contains the use of no-filler (food grade) film that reduces friction and prevents the contact of middle layer with the piped fluid.

KNOWN STATUS OF THE METHOD

Being a known material method and having been used in our day, plastic based piping bags that are used in cake decoration or food squeezing are used by squeezing with one hand or two hands and pressing hands on the surface. Working with wet or slightly oily hands while squeezing plastic food piping bag causes plastic food piping bag (1) to slip from hands. In order to prevent this situation; food squeezing bags with rough outer surfaces are manufactured in our day. In order to provide a non-slip outer surface. Particles or flakes are applied during or after film extrusion that provide non-slip properties on the outer surface. In our day, manufactured non-slip outer surface having food piping bags facilitate roughness with particles or flakes having chemistry: plastic, wood chips, fine sand, chalk, micro glass spheres and similar non-food materials. In our day consumers using piping bags with non-slip outer surfaces may break-off the roughness providing particles in the outer food piping bag during piping process. The non-slip affect providing particles that are not food grade may land on the food or near the food due to the force of the squeeze and gravity. As a result of this, squeezed food or poured-on food product is contaminated by non-edible materials harmful for human health.

Following negative cases may occur while using piping bags, which contain non-slip particles or flakes at the outer surface: a cake baker piping out whipped cream into a cake may inadvertently cause the non-food materials on the outer non-slip surface to fall off the cake. Non-slip particles are harmful chemicals such as such as plastic, wood chips, fine sand, chalk, micro glass spheres and similar non-food materials. Broken particles may land on the cake with the effect of gravity. If this is not recognized, a consumer may then consume the cake containing non-food materials that have fallen from non-slip outer surface piping bag.

As stated in the example above, plastic piping bags with outer surfaces containing non-slip particle and flakes pose a contamination risk for the food. On the other hand not having any grits in plastic piping bag may cause the piping bag to slip from the hands of the applier (chef, cook etc.) during piping process. As a result of slipping, squeezing the plastic food bag becomes harder and this causes a waste of time and effort in the kitchen. More important than all of these cases, piping bag may slip from the user's hands and it may fall on the ground, and the food inside may get contaminated. This case poses a problem for food hygiene and safety.

There is a need for an invention which eliminates food-contamination risk caused by broken-off particles / flakes in the outer surface of the piping bag and still provides rough surface that prevent slipping of the plastic piping bag while using.

The packaging with elastic inner bag and valve mechanism is described in the patent application no. "2012/07341" for the products with low viscosity. In this application, an inner-packaging structure is described for easy pouring of food or non-food products with low fluidity such as ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard etc. from the discharge hole (2) without any product residue in the packaging and no contact with air. In this invention, pouring-out is facilitated with valves for the product. The squeezed-out product is placed in a flexible bag in the factory. When it reaches the consumer, the product inside the flexible bag is squeezed with the help of a special valve.

In the method described in the patent application no. "2012/07341", manufacturers fill the product in the bag instead of consumers. Consumers can only squeeze-out the filled product. In our invention, consumers fill the material they intend to pipe in our bag themselves, therefore consumers use our plastic food piping bags for piping out the products they have produced. Consumers perform the squeezing process without any additional tools such as valves.

The invention of our company, high food safety plastic piping bag (1) with unfilled outer/ inner surfaces and a middle layer filled with non-slip raw materials, is related with the improvement of marketed plastic piping bags. Some of the food piping bags in the market contain no non-slip materials, while some products have non-slip outer surface. As described in previous parts, skipping non-slip feature in plastic piping bag poses problems in handling, squeezing; thus food safety. On the other hand, piping bags with non-slip outer surface risk food safety due to broken-off non-slip grits and particles.

The patent registered in Turkish Patent Institute with registration no. 2010/07791 recommends the use of a non-slip outer surface that will prevent plastic piping bags from slipping. One of the methods described in the patent for providing non-slip feature is the manufacturing of plastic piping bag from an at least 2-layer polymer film and roughening the most outer surface of the piping bag that comes in contact with hands. The method suggests performing roughening with particles or flakes.

DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

Figure- 1 Plastic food piping bag

Figure-2 Co-ex blown plastic film manufacturing machine Figure-3 Triangular Plastic Food Piping Bag

Figure-4 Cross-section of the plastic film used in manufacturing of food-safety high plastic piping bag: unfilled outer and inner surfaces (layers A and C) and non-slip raw material filled middle layer (layer B) filled.

DESCRIPTION OF NUMBERS (1) Food piping bag

(2) Discharge hole

(3) Materialhousing

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Our invention is about rendering plastic film of food piping bag (1) into non-slip material filled, food safety high film. We render plastic film's outer and inner surfaces into unfilled, food-grade surfaces and middle layer into non-slip materials (figure 4) filled layer. Plastic food piping bag (1), facilitates piping out filled food products with low fluidity such as dough, cream, whipped cream, ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard vb. from a discharge hole (2). Our invention provides unfilled outer and inner surface for plastic food piping bag (1), and this feature prevents the non-slip raw materials in the middle layer from breaking off and falling during the use of piping bag (1). By means of our invention, contamination risk of food by non-slip materials is prevented completely. Non-slip filler is trapped in the middle of the film that has at least 3 layers (figure 4). The contact of non-slip filler in the middle layer with the fluid is prevented with unfilled, food grade inner surface and its contact with the hands of the consumer is prevented with unfilled, food grade outer surface.

The manufacturing machine of the plastic film, that is the raw material of the invention, (Figure-2) , operates with at least 3 -layer co-ex blown plastic film extrusion (multi-layer film manufacturing extruder) method. A film consisting of at least 3 layers is required for the manufacturing of our invention. The outermost and innermost layers of the plastic film are used for trapping plastic additives (filler, non-slip, coloring agents) in the middle layer that are not suitable for food contact. Main materials that should be prevented from contact with hands or food in plastic food piping bags are non-slip additives and coloring agents.

Co-ex blown plastic film extrusion (multi-layer film manufacturing extruder) machine is the machine displayed in (Figure-2). It is a machine capable of manufacturing plastic films containing 2 or more layers. Two or more materials are placed in different hoppers in the machine. Plastic materials are blended and melted in separate hoppers, and materials in plastic paste form are combined at micrometer level at film manufacturing die. Thus, a plastic film containing several layers with a single film appearance is produced (Figure-4) This method has been developed for the manufacturing of plastic films containing 2 or more layers. In order for our invention to be manufactured, the machine shown in (Figure-2) is used. For the manufacturing of our invention, machines capable of manufacturing at least 3 -layer films are required, because our invention can be carried out by a plastic film having at least 3 -layers. Our invention is mainly related with the conversion of the plastic film having properties: unfilled outer and inner surfaces and a middle layer filled with non-slip raw material (figure 4) Our invention is producing plastic food piping bag (1) by using the plastic film explained.

Our invention, the high food safety plastic piping bag (1) with unfilled outer and inner surfaces and a middle layer filled with non-slip raw materials, consists of at least 3 layers.

The innermost layer (food contact layer) is an unfilled, food grade plastic surface liner.

Middle layer is the plastic layer containing additives (non-slip, filler, coloring agent etc.) posing food-contact risks.

The outermost layer (hand contact layer) is an unfilled, food grade plastic surface liner.

Inner and outer surface provides the entrapment of raw materials posing food contact risks in the middle layer (non-slip filler, coloring agent, etc.).

The purpose of the invention is complete elimination of food contamination risk of non-slip materials that provide non-slip features in non-slip food piping bags. Thanks to trapping the additives in the middle layer, food safety will be maintained at the highest level during the use of piping bag. In order to trap non-slip fillers in the middle layer of at least 3 -layer plastic film, inner and outer surfaces that contact with food and hands are manufactured as unfilled, food grade, plastic surfaces. Trapping of fillers in the middle layer that are not suitable for food contact by outer and inner surfaces depends on whether produced inner and outer surfaces contain unfilled plastic raw materials or not. Additional raw material types that can be used in outer and inner surfaces are polyolefin and polypropylene plastic groups with the addition of high molecular-weight polymers (PIB, etc.) to this group modify adherence and texture of the plastic surface. On this point, it is essential not to add any organic or inorganic undissolved particles or flakes to outer and inner surfaces, so that inner and outer surfaces will always remain physically stable. Our invention, piping bag (1) with increased food-safety manufactured from an at least 3-layer plastic film is a plastic packaging structure, manufacturing of which is detailed above; that contains an unfilled and/or adhesive outer surface, a middle layer filled with materials that pose a food contact risk (non-slip filler, coloring agent, etc.), and an unfilled inner surface (1). The main characteristic of the product is the fact that film layers in outer and inner surfaces have trapping characteristics for fillers in middle layer that pose a food contact risk.

The plastic film used in the manufacturing of the piping bag needs to have at least 3 layers in order to meet these conditions. The manufacturing method should be at least 3 -layered co-ex blown plastic film extrusion (multi-layer film manufacturing extruder) method. The geometry of food piping bags can be as demonstrated in Figure - 1 or Figure-3.

The advantages of high food safety plastic piping bag with unfilled outer/inner surface and a middle layer filled with non-slip raw material compared to plastic piping products developed until now are: by virtue of trapping the non-slip filler in the middle layer of an at least 3-layer film, food contact and contamination risk of non-slip filler caused by fallen off particles from the outer or inner surface is completely prevented.

By virtue of placing the non-slip filler in the middle layer of an at least 3-layer film, contact surface of the plastic piping bag is well adjusted: it has non-slip texture enough avoiding slipping of the hand while piping.

By virtue of placing the non-slip filler in the middle layer of an at least 3-layer film, the risk of hand irritations that is caused by the frequent squeezing movement performed by the consumer is reduced.

In case of coloring the plastic piping bag, coloring agent is added to the middle layer of the 3-layer film, therefore food contamination and mixing (even in trace amounts) risks are completely prevented for the coloring agent.

High food safety piping bag with unfilled outer and inner surface and a middle layer filled with non-slip raw material is manufactured using at least 3-layer plastic film. Film manufacturing is performed with at least 3 -layered co-ex blown plastic film extrusion (multi-layer film manufacturing extruder) method. By manufacturing and at least 3-layered film, properties intended to be obtained are met. Features of the 3- layer film of the product are presented below: Inner layer is the food-contact layer. It is produced by using unfilled, food grade plastic materials. It prevents the contact of non-slip filler in the middle layer with food.

Middle layer is the layer that gives special properties to the film. It contains special additives (non-slip material, coloring agent, etc. that has health risk if it contaminates food.

Outer layer prevents the consumer from contacting with non-slip filler during the use of the piping bag, thus eliminates the risk of broken-off fillers to fall on the food.

High food safety plastic piping bag with unfilled outer/inner surface and non-slip additive filled middle layer is a special piping bag structure manufactured by converting the described special plastic film to plastic piping bag.