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Title:
FROZEN PACKAGED VEGETABLE, MUSHROOM
Document Type and Number:
WIPO Patent Application WO/2017/042845
Kind Code:
A1
Abstract:
A frozen packaged vegetable, mushroom product, which comprises frozen vegetables such as Liliaceae (such as for example garlic, onion, asparagus, etc.), Solanaceae (such as tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, etc.), Umbelliferae (such as carrots, fennel, etc.), Asteraceae (such as artichoke, chicory, etc.), Lamiaceae (such as for example basil), Brassicaceae (such as savoy cabbage, broccoli, etc), Cucurbitaceae (such as for example pumpkin, zucchini, etc.), Leguminosae (such as peas, broad beans, etc.) and Chenopodiaceae (such as spinach, beets, etc.), and frozen mushrooms such as Agaricaceae. The frozen packaged vegetable product further comprises a container constituted at least partially by ethylene vinyl alcohols (EVOH), polyamide (PA), polyethylene (PE), lignin, Cartene, corn-derived polymers, cellulose (plant-derived), paper and cardboard. The container is of a type that can be recycled, is resistant to microwaves and therefore suitable to be used as a cooking vessel and as a plate in which the vegetables contained therein are consumed after microwave cooking.

Inventors:
ROLLI GIAN PAOLO (IT)
Application Number:
PCT/IT2015/000224
Publication Date:
March 16, 2017
Filing Date:
September 11, 2015
Export Citation:
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Assignee:
IND ROLLI ALIMENTARI S P A (IT)
International Classes:
A23L3/01; A23B7/01; A23B7/04; A23L3/02; A23L3/36; A23L5/30; A23L19/00; A23L31/00
Foreign References:
JP2014226105A2014-12-08
US3567468A1971-03-02
EP2502846A12012-09-26
US6488973B12002-12-03
US20050136159A12005-06-23
Attorney, Agent or Firm:
MODIANO Micaela et al. (IT)
Download PDF:
Claims:
CLAIMS

1. A frozen packaged vegetable, mushroom product, characterized in that it comprises frozen vegetables such as Liliaceae, Solanaceae, Umbelliferae, Asteraceae, Lamiaceae, Brassicaceae, Cucurbitaceae, Leguminosae and Chenopodiaceae, and frozen mushrooms such as Agaricaceae, and a container constituted at least partially by at least one material selected among ethylene vinyl alcohols (EVOH), polyamide (PA), polyethylene (PE), lignin, Cartene, corn-derived polymers, cellulose (plant- derived), paper, cardboard, said container being of a type that can be recycled at least partially, is resistant to microwaves and therefore suitable to be used as a cooking vessel and as a plate in which said vegetables contained therein are consumed after microwave cooking.

2. The product according to claim 1 , characterized in that said frozen vegetables comprise a pesticide residue that is lower than a predefined threshold.

3. The product according to claim 2, characterized in that said predefined threshold is 0.01 mg/kg.

4. The product according to claim 1 , characterized in that said container is constituted by at least one material of the type of ethylene vinyl alcohols (EVOH), polyamide (PA), polyethylene (PE), in order to render said container at least partially recyclable.

5. The product according to claim 1 , characterized in that said container is constituted by at least one material of the type of lignin, Cartene, corn-derived polymers, cellulose (plant-derived), paper, cardboard, in order to render said container compostable.

6. The product according to claim 1 , characterized in that said frozen vegetables are of the type selected among garlic, asparagus, basil, Swiss chard, broccoli, artichokes, carrots, cauliflowers, chicory, turnip greens, onion, chick peas, beans, Borlotti beans, green beans, broad beans, fennel, lentils, eggplant, peppers, potatoes, peas, tomatoes, leeks, parsley, celery, endive, spinach, cabbages, pumpkins and zucchini.

7. The product according to claim 1 , characterized in that said container is constituted by a box-like body made of cardboard provided with an inner lining layer made of a material such as ethylene vinyl alcohols (EVOFI), polyamide (PA) and polyethylene (PE).

8. Use of the frozen packaged vegetable product, comprising the steps of:

- storing in a freezer said product constituted by frozen vegetables of the type of Liliaceae, Solanaceae, Umbelliferae, Asteraceae, Lamiaceae, Brassicaceae, Cucurbitaceae, Leguminosae and Chenopodiaceae, and frozen mushrooms such as Agaricaceae, and a container constituted at least partially by at least one material selected among ethylene vinyl alcohols (EVOFI), polyamide (PA), polyethylene (PE), lignin, Cartene, corn-derived polymers, cellulose (plant-derived), paper, cardboard, said container being of a type that can be recycled at least partially and is resistant to microwaves;

- extracting said product from the freezer;

- cooking said product in the microwave oven for a predefined time;

- extracting said product;

- leaving said product to rest for a predefined time;

- consuming said vegetables contained within said container directly from said container.

Description:
FROZEN PACKAGED VEGETABLE, MUSHROOM

The present invention relates to a frozen packaged vegetable, mushroom product that is easy to prepare and consume and can be prepared directly in the package, safeguarding the organoleptic and nutritional properties of the vegetables by which the product is constituted.

It is known that food habits and consumption ways of individuals have changed considerably in recent years, influenced by various factors such as for example a growing attention to costs, limited availability of time to dedicate to meal preparation, and a growing attention to the healthiness of the products consumed and to the impact that their production, packaging and consumption can have on the environment.

In particular, greater awareness of the importance of healthy eating has led to greater attention of the consumer to the origin of products, which is an assurance of their quality. In particular, an increase in the consumption of vegetable-based products has been observed since they have a fundamental role in so-called "low-sodium" diets.

The reduction of the time available to dedicate to meal preparation, even at the workplace, where in many companies there is no organized canteen, requiring the individual to self-manage his lunch break, has also produced greater interest in frozen products, even in predefined portions, by way of which it is possible to optimize the management of one's own food requirement while avoiding waste.

Frozen food products can in fact be thawed easily and quickly and cooked with the aid of a microwave oven.

Moreover, a growing interest in cooking systems that have a low impact on foods and better preserve their organoleptic and nutritional characteristics, in particular of vegetable-based products, has led to an increase in the use of the microwave oven.

It is in fact possible, especially for vegetables, to provide the "steam cooking" effect inside the microwave oven by utilizing the water contained naturally in the vegetables and thus reducing the dispersion of nutrients of the vegetable, as instead occurs with traditional cooking by boiling in water.

For these reasons, the search for food product suitable to be cooked by using the microwave oven, as well as to have packages made of materials with reduced environmental impact and suitable to be introduced in a microwave oven, therefore without the need to transfer the product or perform particular operations for preparing said package, is becoming increasingly intense.

The aim of the present invention is to solve the problems described above, by proposing a frozen vegetable, mushroom product that is packaged in a suitable packaging with low environmental impact that is easy to prepare and consume.

Within this aim, an object of the invention is to provide a frozen packaged vegetable, mushroom product that can be consumed directly in its package.

Another object of the invention is to provide a frozen packaged vegetable, mushroom product that safeguards the organoleptic and nutritional properties of the vegetables and mushrooms that constitute the product.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a frozen packaged vegetable, mushroom product that has a recyclable package with reduced environmental impact.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a frozen packaged vegetable, mushroom product that has low costs, is relatively simple to provide in practice and is safe in application.

This aim, as well as these and other objects that will become better apparent hereinafter, are achieved by a frozen packaged vegetable, mushroom product, characterized in that it comprises frozen vegetables such as Liliaceae, Solanaceae, Umbelliferae, Asteraceae, Lamiaceae, Brassicaceae, Ciicurbitaceae, Leguminosae and Chenopodiaceae, and frozen mushrooms such as Agaricaceae, and a container constituted at least partially by at least one material selected among ethylene vinyl alcohols (EVOH), polyamide (PA), polyethylene (PE), lignin, Cartene, corn-derived polymers, cellulose (plant-derived), paper, cardboard, said container being of a type that can be recycled at least partially, is resistant to microwaves and therefore suitable to be used as a cooking vessel and as a plate in which said vegetables contained therein are consumed after microwave cooking.

This aim and these objects are also achieved thanks to the use of a frozen packaged vegetable, mushroom product, which comprises the steps of:

- storing in a freezer said product constituted by frozen vegetables of the type of Liliaceae, Solanaceae, Umbelliferae, Asteraceae, Lamiaceae, Brassicaceae, Cucurbitaceae, Leguminosae and Chenopodiaceae, and frozen mushrooms such as Agaricaceae, and a container constituted at least partially by at least one material selected among ethylene vinyl alcohols (EVOH), polyamide (PA), polyethylene (PE), lignin, Cartene, corn-derived polymers, cellulose (plant-derived), paper, cardboard, said container being of a type that can be recycled at least partially and is resistant to microwaves;

- extracting said product from the freezer;

- cooking said product in the microwave oven for a predefined time;

- extracting said product;

- leaving said product to rest for a predefined time;

- consuming said vegetables contained within said container directly from said container.

Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become better apparent from the description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment of the frozen packaged vegetable, mushroom product according to the invention.

The frozen packaged vegetable, mushroom product according to the invention comprises frozen vegetables and mushrooms of the type of Liliaceae (such as for example garlic, onion, asparagus, etc.), Solanaceae (such as tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, etc.), Umbelliferae (such as carrots, fennel, etc.), Asteraceae (such as artichoke, chicory, etc.), Lamiaceae (such as for example basil), Brassicaceae (such as savoy cabbage, broccoli, etc.), Cucurbitaceae (such as for example pumpkin, zucchini, etc.), Leguminosae (such as peas, broad beans, etc.) and Chenopodiaceae (such as spinach, beets, etc.).

Any frozen mushrooms used can be of the Agaricaceae type, such as champignon mushrooms.

The frozen packaged vegetable, mushroom product further comprises a container constituted at least partially by ethylene vinyl alcohols (EVOH), poiyamide (PA), polyethylene (PE), lignin, Cartene, corn-derived polymers, cellulose (plant-derived), paper, cardboard.

Such container is of a type that can be recycled (the container can in fact be recyclable for a percentage comprised between 96% and 98%), is resistant to microwaves and therefore suitable to be used as a cooking vessel and as a plate in which the vegetables and mushrooms contained therein are consumed after microwave cooking, simplifying and optimizing the entire product utilization process.

The frozen vegetables can comprise a pesticide residue lower than a preset threshold.

This predefined threshold can be 0.01 mg/kg.

The agricultural process for obtaining the fresh vegetables and mushrooms to be transformed subsequently into frozen vegetables and mushrooms is performed by following the provisions of regulations for integrated production, i.e., a set of specific plant protection methods and indications to be adopted in a binding manner for each cultivation and regulated, in the Italian case, by specific Regional regulations.

Moreover, these regulations are applied in a more restrictive manner with the goal of ensuring a pesticide residue level of less than 0.01 mg/kg.

This condition allows, therefore, to classify the vegetables and mushrooms as "pesticide-free".

It is specified that in order to render traceable each batch of packaged frozen agricultural food product, all the data related to each step are catalogued in a specific database and associated with a respective identification string (batch code) that is provided on the containers with which the product vegetable and/or mushroom product will be marketed.

Full traceability of the product in terms of cultivation site, seeds used, treatments performed, etc., i.e., all the detail information required to give assured indications as to the origin of the product, is in fact provided for vegetables, mushrooms classified also as "pesticide-free".

By way of example (without thereby introducing any limitation to the protective scope of the present invention), various processes are described by means of which the vegetables, mushrooms can be converted into a frozen intermediate product, depending on the type of frozen product to be obtained, and can thus be mixed and packaged to obtain the desired finished product:

1 . Frozen natural vegetable product in which the vegetable raw material is subjected to steps for topping/cutting, washing, scorching in hot water and freezing before being stored in cells at -18°C while waiting for use in packaging;

2. Frozen grilled vegetable product in which the vegetable is subjected to steps for topping/cutting, washing, grilling and freezing before being stored in cells at - 18°C while waiting for use in packaging;

3. Frozen vegetable broth in pellets, obtained by means of a process for cooking in water the natural frozen vegetables obtained according to item 1 , with the addition only of cooking water, followed by a pre-cooling process to allow the cutting of the resulting sauce into pellets prior to subsequent complete freezing. The process of division into pellets is necessary so as to be able to then dose correctly the quantity of vegetable broth according to the recipe prescribed by each finished product that one intends to obtain.

According to a solution that is particularly useful and practical, the container can be constituted at least partially by ethylene vinyl alcohols (EVOH), polyamide (PA), polyethylene (PE) in order to render the container recyclable.

This constructive solution allows to obtain a container that can be recyclable for a percentage comprised between 96% and 98%.

According to a further solution that is particularly effective and efficient, the container can be constituted at least partially by lignin, Cartene, corn-derived polymers, cellulose (plant-derived), in order to render the container compostable.

It is appropriate to specify that the frozen vegetables can be of the type preferably selected among garlic, asparagus, basil, Swiss chard, broccoli, artichokes, carrots, cauliflowers, chicory, turnip greens, onion, chick peas, beans, Borlotti beans, green beans, broad beans, fennel, lentils, eggplant, peppers, potatoes, peas, tomatoes, leeks, parsley, celery, endive, spinach, cabbages, pumpkin and zucchini.

According to a preferred solution, the container can be constituted by a cardboard box-like body provided with an inner lining layer made of a material such as ethylene vinyl alcohols (EVOH), polyamide (PA) and polyethylene (PE).

The inner lining is impermeable, thus preventing the water that is naturally contained in vegetables and mushrooms from moistening the container, making it in practice unusable.

The possibility is not excluded, however, that the container is a tray provided with a polymeric closure film.

Once the food has been consumed, it is thus possible to separate the container from the closure film for their sorted recycling. There are also different formats according to the number of portions provided inside the product.

The product can have, if it is a single-portion product, a total weight comprised between 200 grams and 300 grams.

Product information can be provided directly on the container or on a band that wraps around the package, if the container is shaped like a tray.

The possibility is not excluded to add, depending on the recipe, additional foodstuffs, such as for example frozen vegetable broth in pellets, extra virgin olive oil, or other vegetable components, obtain predominantly from the dry fraction, and converted into frozen precooked intermediate products for their use in the finished product, such as for example pasta (supplied dry, precooked in hot water and then frozen), rice, spelt, hay, corn and legumes, such as for example lentils (purchased dry and subjected to a step of generation in water at ambient temperature, subsequently cooked in warm water and then frozen).

The use of salt and other condiments can be left to the consumer's discretion and can be added once microwave cooking has ended.

In order to clarify which are the frozen packaged vegetable, mushroom products, according to the invention, some examples of the types of product that can be provided are listed hereafter.

It is specified that these examples have merely illustrative purpose and therefore cannot be considered suitable to limit the protective scope of the present invention.

EXAMPLE 1 : VEGETABLE SIDE DISH

The product comprises a vegetable or a mixture of vegetables, raw and/or grilled, to which extra virgin olive oil can be added in a quantity for example not greater than 5% of the total weight of the recipe, all packaged within the container, according to the invention.

EXAMPLE 2: MIXED VEGETABLE SIDE DISH WITH CEREALS The product comprises a vegetable or a mixture of vegetables, raw and/or grilled, precooked cereals in a quantity for example not greater than 35-40%, to which extra virgin olive oil can be added in a quantity for example not greater than 5% of the total weight of the recipe, all packaged within the container, according to the invention.

EXAMPLE 3 : VEGETABLE MINESTRONE

The product comprises a mixture of raw vegetables (even up to 15 different types), to which it is possible to add frozen vegetable broth in a quantity for example not greater than 25%, and extra virgin olive oil in a quantity for example not greater than 5% of the total weight of the recipe, all packaged within the container, according to the invention.

EXAMPLE 4: VEGETABLE MIX WITH CEREALS

The product comprises a mixture of raw vegetables, to which it is possible to add frozen vegetable broth in a quantity for example not greater than 25%o, precooked cereals in a quantity for example not greater than 40% and extra virgin olive oil in a quantity for example not greater than 5% of the total weight of the recipe, all packaged within the container, according to the invention.

More particularly, the use of the frozen packaged vegetable product consists in:

- storing in a freezer the product constituted by frozen vegetables such as Liliaceae, Solanaceae, Umbelliferae, Asteraceae, Lamiaceae, Brassicaceae, Cucurbitaceae, Leguminosae and Chenopodiaceae, and frozen mushrooms such as Agaricaceae, and a container constituted at least partially by at least one material selected among ethylene vinyl alcohols (EVOH), polyamide (PA), polyethylene (PE), lignin, Cartene, corn-derived polymers, cellulose (plant-derived), paper, cardboard, the container being of a type that can be recycled at least partially and is resistant to microwaves;

- extracting the product from the freezer;

- cooking the product in the microwave oven for a predefined time; the product can be cooked for a time comprised between 4 minutes and 8 minutes at a power level between 700 W and 950 W, depending on the recipe of the product;

- extracting the product;

- leaving the product to rest for a predefined time, usually I minute; - consuming the vegetables contained within the container directly from the container.

The product does not require a slow thawing period in the refrigerator or at ambient temperature but can be placed directly in the microwave oven.

If the container is a tray, before inserting the product in the microwave oven it is possible to lift, opening it, the corner of the closure film, facilitating the "steam cooking" effect inside the microwave oven.

Advantageously, the vegetable product, mushroom, frozen mushroom, is frozen and packaged in a suitable packaging with low environmental impact that is easy to prepare and consume.

Effectively, the vegetable product, mushroom, frozen and packaged can be consumed directly in the packaging.

Conveniently, the product according to the invention safeguards the organoleptic and nutritional properties of the vegetables and mushrooms with which the product is made.

Conveniently, the vegetable product, mushroom, frozen and packaged has a packaging that can be recycled and has a reduced environmental impact.

The invention thus conceived is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the appended claims; all the details may further be replaced with other technically equivalent elements.

In the examples of embodiment shown, individual characteristics, given in relation to specific examples, may actually be interchanged with other different characteristics that exist in other examples of embodiment.

In practice, the materials used, as well as the dimensions, may be any according to the requirements and the state of the art.