METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR UHT-ST STERILIZING AND ASEPTIC FILLING IN MODIFIED ATMOSPHERE, SOLID FOOD, BEVERAGES, COSMETICS OR DRUGS INSIDE PRIMARY PACKAGING RESPECTFUL OF CONSUMER HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Field of application of the present invention

The present invention falls within the field of technology, machines, plants and packaging for industrially producing solid, liquid, pulpy, pasty or creamy packaged foods with or without solid pieces, or even beverages, cosmetics, drugs and the like, to be kept for periods of medium or long time at room temperature. State of the art

The consumption of industrial food products, in particular ready meals and beverages, with medium or long shelf life, is continuously growing in all industrialized countries, but also in developing countries, especially because they have controlled quality and low prices, and they are practical and varied, therefore suitable and useful both in contexts where there is no time, possibility or convenience to devote oneself to cooking (e.g. subjects who work), and when you want or need to eat in a controlled way (e.g. subjects who apply an organic, vegetarian, energetic, vitamin, protein, hypoallergenic diet, etc.), or when it is necessary to meet the dietary needs of numerous people in a short or delayed time and / or with limited structures and organization, and / or at previously known costs (e.g. company or school canteens, hospitals, barracks, public refreshment places in airports, railway stations, etc.), or re still in different places, even very distant and / or served by different distribution and sales systems (GDO, e-Commerce, Retail, etc.). The most common types of food products or ready meals today are essentially attributable to the following: a) products or ready meals containing fresh or freshly cooked products, placed in medium-large metal and refrigerated or heated containers, to be consumed preferably during the day (for restaurants , delicatessens, company or school canteens, hospitals, barracks, etc.); b) products or ready meals containing fresh, cooked, cooked or pasteurized products, packaged with the MAP technique in flexible packaging, generally single-portion, in multilayer thermoplastic polymers, to be stored at a refrigerated temperature and consumed within 30 days (for families, singles, workers, GDO, e-Commerce, Retail, etc.); c) the same, but vacuum-packed VP and stored and consumed in the same way; d) the same, but packaged in a normal atmosphere and frozen, to be kept in the cold chain and consumed within 1 year at the latest (for families, singles, large-scale distribution, e-Commerce); e) ready-made products or dishes containing liquid, pasty, pulpy or creamy products, with or without solid pieces in suspension, cooked and packaged in metal boxes or flexible multilayer packaging in polymeric materials, paper and metal and then sterilized in an autoclave; f) the same, but pre-sterilized and aseptically packaged in flexible polymeric multilayer or mixed packaging with paper and aluminum; both of these last two types can be stored at room temperature and consumable within 1 or 2 years (for families, singles, workers, travelers, GDO, e- Commerce, Retail, military corps in operation, etc.).

Each of these types has advantages and disadvantages: - fresh or freshly cooked ones have excellent organoleptic characteristics, but if not consumed immediately or within a few hours of preparation they degrade and can even become dangerous for the health of the consumer, in particular if they contain products with pH> 4.5; - those in MAP at a refrigerated temperature retain the organoleptic and qualitative characteristics quite well, up to a maximum of 30 days from packaging, but take up considerable space in the refrigerator; - those in VP at refrigerated temperature are suitable only for products which are in themselves quite stable by the microbiological stand point but easily oxidizable; - frozen ones have a shelf life of up to one year, but require an efficient cold chain, have reduced physical-structural consistency and release of liquids due to the degradation of the structure by the more or less large ice crystals that are formed at an extra and intracellular level during the freezing phase, and after 4-5 months from packaging, even if initially subjected to enzymatic inactivation, they show evident signs of qualitative and organoleptic decay due to the partial recovery of enzymes; - those in a metal box or flexible multilayer packaging post-sterilized in an autoclave, although stable on a microbiological level and quite an enzymatic profile, have from the very beginning organoleptic characteristics different from those of freshly cooked products, and this due to or from thermal treatment long and intense and / or chemical-oxidative activity in particular in the head space and in the vicinity of the sealing gasket; the same applies to those pre-sterilized and aseptically packaged, in particular near the seams and folds.

Furthermore, these last two types, even with the quality limits already highlighted, are suitable only for liquid products, with or without solid pieces in suspension (e.g. milk, cream, fruit juices, tomato juice containing pieces of tomato pulp, broths containing pieces of vegetables and / or meat), and for those solid with preserving liquid (e.g. canned legumes, fruit in syrup, tomato peeled) but not for those without preserving liquid, i.e. exclusively solids (e.g. spaghetti with tomato sauce, meat steaks, roast potatoes, etc.). Obviously, these are solid wet products, that is, with free water aw>

0.6 (e.g. milk, cream, fruit juices and purees, compotes, etc.), and not solids that are almost anhydrous, i.e. with aw<0.6 (e.g. chocolate, candies, anhydrous creams, biscuits, popcorn, potato chips, etc.) in which case the water activity is so limited as to make any biological development impossible and therefore unnecessary, for the purposes of stability microbiological, any heat treatment of pasteurization or sterilization.

Furthermore, all the aforementioned techniques have in common that the primary packaging in them most used, while retaining the product contained in them for the foreseen time thanks to their airtightness and possible barrier, which represents the fundamental characteristic that a packaging for products to be preserved over time at room or refrigerated temperature, are harmful to the health of the consumer and the environment, and are not suitable for use directly on the table, for reuse, and in some cases are also difficult or not economically recyclable. And it is also equally important that the packaging does not give rise to migration of dangerous substances to the product and contamination.

In this regard, in the case of processed wet products which must be preserved for medium or long periods of time at room temperature, an adequate treatment of enzymatic inactivation, pasteurization or sterilization of the product, and of pasteurization or sterilization of the primary packaging, are necessary so that they are microbiologically, physically and chemically stable, or the presence in an adequate quantity of bacteriostatic substances (alcohol, C02, potassium sorbate, etc.) is sufficient to ensure microbiological stability, or even if, in the case of fresh products humid at short or prolonged shelf life at refrigerated temperature, it is necessary to modify the atmosphere in which the same are packaged so that their qualitative characteristics do not deteriorate, a technique that also allows better preservation over time the qualitative aspects of pasteurized or sterilized products at medium and long conservation at room temperature or refrigerated, the microbiological, chemical and physical protection from the external environment exerted by the primary packaging on the contained product and / or the conservation of the modified atmosphere inside it and the absence of migration or contamination from the 'packaging to the product are also nedeed. To date, in fact, and starting from the 60s-70s of the last century, for food, drink and similar products, extensive use is made of primary packaging hermetically sealed by means of seals in thermosetting elastomers or thermoplastic polymers to preserve the product in they are contained under the microbiological profile, and often also barrier by means of metal foils or polymers based on PVC or EVOH to counter oxidative phenomena, making them in polymeric material, and precisely with thermoplastic polymers such as polyethylene PE, polypropylene PP, polyethylene terephthalate PET, acid polylactic PLA, expanded or non-expanded PS polystyrene, PVC polyvinyl chloride, polyamide PA, etc., or in metal, such as tinplate or aluminum, even if their characteristics are not optimal for consumer health and environmental conservation. Until now, in fact, the fact has prevailed that said packaging is light, practical, almost unbreakable, transparent and cheap, which makes it appreciated by large-scale organized distribution and less attentive consumers.

For the same reasons, those made of metal, whose use for preserved foods began for military purposes in the 40s of the last century and soon afterwards also extended to civilian ones, and also they are harmful to the health of the consumer, and also not transparent, heavier and less practical than those in polymeric materials, with some exceptions (canned tomatoes or tuna, canned beer, etc.) have given way to the latter.

Packaging made of glass, porcelain or other ceramics, on the other hand, despite being used since ancient times, in general have not been used so far for the best characteristics of these materials for the health of the consumer and the environment, but rather for the a prestigious image that they give to the packaging, so that they are relegated to niche compartments and applications.

In common, the packaging made of thermoplastic polymers have that almost all are derived from petroleum and therefore are of an organic or abiotic nature, and also that they are flexible, light, almost unbreakable, heat- sealable, almost always transparent and low-cost, but have migrations and/or releases to the product that are more or less high and harmful to the health of the consumer, they do not resist high internal pressure and vacuum, they cannot permanently assume a predefined geometric shape and are not resistant to medium or high temperatures: PVC, in fact, is potentially very dangerous because it releases to the product, especially if rich in fats, phthalates which are solvents with a plasticizing effect and which even in very small quantities interfere on the human endocrine system and damage the liver and kidneys, PS is dangerous because it contains styrene which is an aromatic hydrocarbon which also interferes with the endocrine system, PLA, interesting for the vegetable origin of its components and the characteristic biodegradability, cannot be used at temperatures above 65°C for a few seconds, PET at a maximum of 50°C for 15 minutes and not in direct sunlight, otherwise it releases harmful substances to the product including acetaldehyde, antimony, cobalt, dyes and ethylene glycol (Ashby. Migration from polyethylenterephta late under all conditions of use. Food Additives and Contaminans, 1988, 5. Suppl. n.1. 485-492) and Bis (2-ethylsyl) phthalate DEHP (Balafas, Shaw, Whitfield. Phtalate and adipate esters in australian packaging materials, Foos CFIEMISTRY, 1999, 65, 279-287), again acetaldehyde AA, mutogenic in vitro, dimethylterephthalate DMT and terephthalic acid TPA, genotoxic substances in vivo (Evandri, Tucci, Bolle. Toxicological evaluation of commercial mineral water bottled in polyethylenterephthalate: a cytogenetic approach with Allium cepa. Food Additives and Contaminans, 2000, 17 (12), 1037- 1045), and therefore not only cannot be thermally pasteurized (65°C for at least 20 minutes, or 75- 85°C for at least 3 minutes), but they cannot remain in contact with the product for long or be exposed to long periods in direct sunlight; PE can be subjected to a maximum of 60-70°C and PP a maximum of 120°C, for a few minutes and without load, so that they are not thermally sterilizable (121°C for at least 20 minutes, or 142°C for at least 4 seconds) but only chemically, eg. with hydrogen peroxide, peracetic acid, oxonia, etc., at a reduced temperature and for short times because these polymers are highly oxidable, then carrying out the complete removal of said agents before introducing the product so that no contamination or oxidation occurs, which it is also a source of risks in the workplace and also has a considerable impact on the external environment.

Furthermore, each thermoplastic polymer or metal has characteristics such as to make it suitable or not for use in beverages or foods, or for some of them, or to satisfy some of their needs and not others, so that, to be compatible and useful, it is generally used coupled with other materials having different characteristics, obtaining a material composed of better characteristics than the individual components. These are packaging in so- called coupled or multilayer material, which due to the greater performance (there are many types, with different internal and application characteristics) have become very popular.

For example, tinplate or aluminum metal packaging withstands sterilization temperatures, internal pressure and vacuum, and acts as a barrier to oxygen entry, but exhibits metal ion migrations to the product, especially if it is moist, acidic and contains salts, and said ions are highly dangerous for the health of the consumer, being carcinogenic, so that the surface intended to come into contact with the product is treated in various ways or coated with paints of various kinds that mitigate this effect, however creating other also dangerous. The internal linings of the cans and boxes, in fact, are made with thermoplastic vinyl resins (organosol) based on PVC and phthalates whose migration in the product and danger to human health have already been mentioned, or with thermosetting phenolic resins (resoles or novolacs ) which are products of formaldehyde + phenol polymerization, equally harmful, or epoxy or epoxy-phenolic, containing hardening substances such as bisphenol A (BPA), which is considered among the most dangerous endocrine disruptors, especially for male sexual development, and / or formaldehyde, which is carcinogenic and genotoxic, and melamine, which can cause kidney and urinary tract damage, or even with polyester resins obtained from different monomers (phthalic anhydride, maleic anhydride, fumaric acid, ethylene glycol) and integrated with vegetable oils and pigments, also very dangerous.

Metal capsules for hermetic sealing of glass or ceramic containers are also dangerous, because they have the hermetic seal and barrier element made with a softened PVC mastic and plasticized with phthalates, therefore even more harmful.

Packaging in PE or PP, on the other hand, except during heat sealing and due to the same effect, which is carried out at a temperature of about 180-200°C, are considered almost inert towards most foods and drinks, even if acids or with salts, and are scarcely permeable to water, but they are permeable to oxygen, C02, oils, alcohol and aromatic substances (to a slightly lesser extent PET), which is why they are generally used in multilayer combination, interposing to them, with suitable adhesives, other less permeable materials (e.g. PA, PVDC, EVOH, or cold rolled aluminum), which, on the other hand, are not suitable for direct contact with food or drinks, thus improving some characteristics (e.g. barrier effect to gas and vapor) and worsening others (e.g. impossibility of heating the product with microwave or radiofrequency ovens, in the case of use of an aluminum layer; reduction of properties a barrier of EVOH in the case of high relative humidity, and therefore impossibility or inconvenience to carry out treatments of the packaging with steam or water).

A multilayer packaging that has become very widespread is one whose material is composed, in a nutshell, at the center of a layer of paper and possibly also one of aluminum, and, on each side, of a layer of polyethylene or polypropylene, as well as the related stickers. However, of all packaging materials, it is among the most difficult to recycle, as the separation of the various layers for recycling is problematic and expensive, with a considerable negative impact on the environment.

Even the layers of multilayer materials in which there is no paper or aluminum are difficult to separate, but if they are compatible with each other to give rise to other usable materials by recycling, their separation can be avoided, and therefore the recycling itself is facilitated. In addition to this problem, the EU Directive 2019/904 on the reduction of the incidence of certain plastic products on the environment, better known as the SUP (Single Use Plastics) directive, has recently been approved, which aims to impose bans or limitations on use and sale of some disposable plastic items. To date, the items banned are: cotton buds, cutlery (forks, knives, spoons, chopsticks), plates, straws; drink stirrers; rods to attach to support the balloons.

Expanded polystyrene food packaging, such as boxes with or without lids intended for immediate consumption, on the spot or to take away, generally consumed directly in the container and ready for consumption without further preparation, for example cooking, boiling or heating, included containers for fast food type foods or other ready-to-eat meals, and expanded polystyrene beverage containers and related caps and lids, and expanded polystyrene beverage cups and related caps and lids, are also prohibited.

The Directive also sets more restrictive collection and recycling targets for bottles, compared to other plastic packaging: member countries will have to collect 90% of what is released for consumption by 2029 (77% by 2025), while starting from 2025, PET bottles will have to contain a minimum of 25% recycled material, a percentage that will rise to 30% in 2030. And according to the same Directive, plastic beverage packaging must also have caps and lids integral with the container.

Following this nefarious picture for the world of packaging and packaging in polymeric and mixed materials with paper and / or aluminum, or in metal, it seems correct to foresee a strong increase in the use of glass or ceramic packaging in the short term.

The applicant's research activity, therefore, focused on packaging and parts of packaging made of these materials, and on methods, equipment and systems for their use, resulting in innovations, also subject to separate patent applications for industrial invention, able to make the best use of the positive characteristics and mitigate the others, and to give them greater utility.

In terms of health and the environment, there is no better packaging material for food, drink and similar products than glass. This, in fact, being composed of vitrifying agents (usually silica sand, i.e. silicon dioxide Si02, in the ratio of about 70%, which melts at 1600°C), fluxes (usually soda in the form of sodium carbonate Na2C03 or potash in the form of potassium carbonate K2C03, and glass cullet, in the ratio of 25-30%, which lower the melting temperature to about 1000-1100°C) and any stabilizers (usually CaO, MgO, BaO, AI203, which are used to make the glass insoluble in water), has an exclusively inorganic nature, is absolutely inert towards the product and does not migrate or transfer towards it, has high mechanical characteristics, stably assumes any predefined geometric shape, is resistant to internal pressure and vacuum, it can be used several times and washes easily, it can be placed both in the convection and / or irradiation oven and in the microwave or radiofrequency one, it can be pasteurized by thermal or high pressure , and sterilizable at high temperatures without the use of chemicals, creates an absolute barrier of a microbiological, physical and chemical type between the product contained in the packaging and the external environment, is easily, completely and economically recyclable, has a low cost.

However, its brittleness and greater weight compared to thermoplastic polymers or mixed materials, or metals, and its transparency must be mitigated.

The latter, if on the one hand it constitutes an advantage because it makes the glass packaging rich and elegant and the contained product visible to the consumer, on the other it is the opposite as the light that penetrates from the outside damages the quality of the product. Glass is currently appreciated mainly for its image of richness and for its robustness or transparency, so that in fact, as primary packaging, in the food and beverage sector it is used only for specific high-priced products (bottles of wine or beer, bottles of premium mineral water, bottles of olive oil, jars of preserves). Only in the perfume sector is it also used for its impermeability to aromatic essences, and only in the pharmaceutical sector, but exclusively for specific products, is it used for its chemical inertness and barrier properties (injectable and some other liquid preparations).

The containers made of polymeric materials or glass currently on the market, for their closure require the use of corks or polymeric materials with axial insertion and radial compression or lip seal on the internal lateral surface of the edge of the container opening (wine bottles traditional), or of glass or plastic lids with axial coupling and gasket in polymeric materials or elastomers with axial compression seal (houseware jars for preserves), or of metal caps with axial insertion and gasket in polymeric materials with axial compression seal ( water or wine bottles with crown caps), or screw-on metal capsules (jars or bottles with screw closure of the Twist Off type or others) with axial compression seal made, as mentioned, with plasticized PVC mastic using solvents (phthalates ), e.g. in PLASTISOL, and more recently, following the WIPO PCT patent application n. WO2012152329A1 dated 11.05.2011 , in thermoplastic elastomer called TPE, which is a compound of elastomers based on styrene (SBS, SEBS, polyolefin (TPO) and cross-linked rubber (TPV).

These sealing materials are generally preferred to thermosetting elastomers (e.g. NBR nitrile rubber, VMQ silicone rubber), because, unlike these, they have lower permeability to gases and in particular to oxygen and vapor, and therefore better preserve the product contained in the packaging from oxidation by oxygen permeated by the external air and migration of humidity. But the first is highly dangerous for the consumer's health because it transfers to the product said solvents that are known to interact with the human endocrine system, while the second only resists up to the pasteurization temperature and is therefore not suitable for food and beverage packaging that must be thermally sterilized. These, as known, are the products with pH> 4.5, and constitute the majority of foods and drinks; only fruit (and not all), in fact, has a lower or equal pH.

Even the tomato, with the advent of mechanically harvested varieties in the last 40 years, generally has a higher pH, which is why, in order not to have to operate, for the purpose of its preservation over time, the more onerous sterilization, therefore limited to only pasteurization, industrially it is used to acidify it before this last treatment, generally with citric acid.

Drinks and foods containing alcohol or C02, or other bacteriostatic chemical agents (potassium sorbate, etc.), on the other hand, even if having a pH> 4.5, do not require pasteurization or sterilization of primary packaging and therefore of bottles, jars, capsules, caps, containers and gaskets with which they must be packaged, because said chemical agents act not only against the microbial flora of the contained product, but also against that of the packaging, but in any case require this to preserve said substances and therefore at least have barrier properties.

Furthermore, almost all of the current caps, lids and capsules cannot be reused, because after the first use, since the gasket is plastically deformed in this situation, they do not offer a guarantee of hermetic seal, to the point that the product of a consistent percentage of packaging it would not be preserved.

And finally, they present the problem, not small for the consumer, of being difficult to remove manually when the packaging is under vacuum, a condition that always occurs when the product is packed hot or with steam in the head space, due to the cooling and / or condensation in said space, if it is hermetically sealed.

Problem of fundamental importance, in addition to those already exposed relating to packaging, is the technical and technological difficulty of uniformly heating exclusively solid products, or, to a lesser extent, liquids with solid pieces in suspension, in order to carry out on them thermal treatments of enzymatic inactivation, pasteurization or microbial sterilization that allow their conservation over time at refrigerated or room temperature once packaged in the packaging . The way in which an exclusively solid product can be quickly and uniformly heated, in all its particles, even those at the heart, and reach in the shortest time and then maintain for the necessary time the temperature necessary for enzymatic inactivation, pasteurization or sterilization, and thus achieving chemical and microbiological stability, without affecting the quality and in particular also the organoleptic one, is in fact not yet known.

For this reason, up to now it has not been possible to industrially produce solid food products or ready meals containing quality solid food products, with medium or long shelf life at room temperature. The few currently on the market, in fact, are all packaged in metal packaging and post-sterilized in an autoclave at temperatures above 121°C for a very long time, such as to make the temperature distribution in all particles almost uniform, so that the resulting quality, and in particular the organoleptic one, is decidedly low.

If the product is liquid, the problem is limited or does not exist since the transfer of the heat necessary for heating can take place either by convection through a heat exchange surface interposed between live steam or hot water for heating and product (indirect system), or by means of injection or infusion and immediate condensation of live vapor in the product itself (direct system); in both cases the particles of the product are in continuous movement, so that the continuous exchange of the same occurs in contact with the surface or with the heating flow and consequently their temperature is sufficiently uniform, which allows to obtain the sterility of the product in a short time. On these principles, for example, the indirect pasteurizers or sterilizers with plates or tube in tube are based respectively, and those directed to uperization, both very efficient and therefore widespread in the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, etc. industry (indirect systems) the movement and replacement of the product particles is caused by hydraulics or mechanics, i.e. by means of high flow speeds, or agitators, or rotors with sliding or centrifugal blades, etc., while in the second (direct systems) it is obtained fluidically, i.e. by injecting the medium pressure steam into the product stream, where it is finely dispersed by expansion into condensing cores (direct injection system), or by infusing the steam at a slightly lower pressure into the reduced thin-layer product stream or droplets. The rapid treatment times allow to obtain good quality products, even if the temperatures are higher than those typical of autoclaving.

Problems, on the other hand, arise when there are solid pieces in suspension in the liquid product. Inside the pieces, in fact, the particles are almost immobile, therefore they cannot be subjected to continuous and rapid replacement with others already heated because they come into contact with the exchange surface or with condensing steam cores, and this inevitably produces thermal gradients in the various layers and particles, therefore temperature differences between the external surface of the pieces and their core, and consequently the risk that the product is not sterilized and therefore not preserved. To reduce this risk, these products are treated more intensively, i.e. subjected to higher temperatures and / or sterilization times, so that even the innermost particles can reach the state of commercial sterility: in doing so, however, the particles on the surface are overexposed to temperature and damaged the average product quality. Eg. the process of sterilization and autoclave cooling of hermetic packages of pea in preserving liquid with a total net weight of 380 g, of which 230 g of pea (drained weight) and 150 g of water, salt and sugar, in primary packaging parallelepiped flexible multilayer essentially made of PP-PAPER-AL-PP, it requires a total of just under 3 hours, of which over 1 hour only for heating, with the result that at the end the pea is different, both in terms of sensorial and structural consistency, compared to the starting one. The method, therefore, can only be used for products that are not thermally degradable or of poor quality. In order to try to solve the problem of the temperature gradient in liquid products containing pieces, different methods have been proposed, but all of them have proved unsatisfactory since this problem also occurs with them.

One of these is the ohmic heating OH (Ohmic Heating), which is due to the Joule effect of transforming a part of the electrical energy into thermal when a flow of electrical current is passed through a product that has electrical resistance to the passage. Conceptually, the system is interesting, because it allows to heat even the innermost particles as the electric current also passes through these, and therefore to overcome the limit of heat propagation from the external surface of the pieces typical of thermal methods. Except that the resistivity (electrical resistance per unit of length and per unit of section surface) has a different value in the pieces compared to the surrounding liquid, and also within the individual pieces if not homogeneous, and therefore also the thermal effect resulting from the passage of current is different. The system, therefore, has had only a few industrial applications, none of which on exclusively solid products. In these, in fact, in addition to the above, due to their irregular and variegated geometric shape and therefore to the different length of the individual circuits, the electrical resistance would be further different from area to area, which is why the passage of current would be concentrated in the paths with lower resistance and in these the greatest heating effect would be realized, with the formation of locally different temperatures.

Another system, for similar reasons equally interesting, is the dielectric heating DH (Dielectric Heating), due to the polarization effect of the molecules that make up the product, when this is polar and is subjected to an external electromagnetic field: the electric dipoles are they permanent or induced by the field, are arranged according to the direction of the applied field. If the field is oscillating, a vibro-rotational effect of the molecules is induced, in particular of the dipolar ones such as water, and of the spatial ones; in fact at each inversion of the polarity of the external field the dipoles are forced to an oscillation to realign themselves to the field itself and therefore these oscillate at the same frequency as the applied field. The intermolecular friction due to this frequent oscillation generates heat, which results in heating of the body. The allowed and normally applied frequencies are 2.4 GHz, and then it is MW microwave heating, or 27 kHz in the case of RF radio frequency heating.

Unlike mechanical vibrations and sounds, which are elastic waves and therefore propagate thanks to the elastic properties of the medium in which they originate and therefore cannot spread in a vacuum and cannot penetrate a product deeply, microwaves and waves radios, which as mentioned are instead electromagnetic waves, spread perfectly to infinity in the vacuum carrying energy, while in the earth's atmosphere and ambient they are subject to attenuation (reflection, refraction, diffraction) and dissipation of the energy transported with the square distance. Furthermore, they penetrate into the usual solid foods up to a depth of 2.5-3 cm (penetration thickness), which means that if the entire surface of the product is exposed to these waves, it is heated in all its particles up to the heart, if its geometric thickness does not exceed 5-6 cm. But as we have seen, for the heating effect to occur, the product must be polar: the more polar it is, the greater the heating effect (all other factors being equal). The degree of polarity of a substance is given by its dielectric constant: one of the most polar products is water, and therefore, since this is present in greater or lesser quantities in all foods (except dry ones) and drinks, these they are all to a greater or lesser extent microwavable or radio frequency heatable. In particular, exclusively solid food products can also be heated as long as they are moist, that is, they contain water, or other polar substances (eg spaghetti with tomato sauce or meat steaks).

However, even in the case of microwave or radiofrequency heating, temperature gradients are formed, and this mainly due to the fact that in general the foods are not homogeneously composed and the different particles that compose them singly do not have the same dielectric behavior (e.g. a steak of meat, in addition to the lean parts, may contain fat parts and bone parts that have different dielectric constant). Even with this limit, however, dielectric heating can be and is usually applied, in addition to liquid products, also to liquid food products containing solid pieces in suspension or exclusively solid products.

Summary of the invention . It is an object of the present invention to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks and limitations, by making available to the technique a method and apparatus for pasteurization or rapid sterilization at high temperature UHT-ST of solid foods, or liquids or liquids with pieces, or of beverages, and the like, and aseptic packaging in a modified MAP sterilized atmosphere, which allows to obtain high quality final products and in which, during the entire cycle of short duration in the case of pasteurization and slightly longer in the case of sterilization, the following phases are carried out in sequence and operations: a) pre-heating up to about 70-75 ° C of the product placed in a rigid primary packaging consisting of a container, a lid and a gasket, which can be closed hermetically and barrier, but not yet closed, then open or ajar, by transit and stationing of the same in a pre-heater with ventilated hot air or steam, at atmospheric pressure; b) the rapid thermo-physical deaeration of the pre-heated and pre-cooked product and the surrounding environment, by means of expansion and consequent evaporative flash at a controlled sub- atmospheric pressure, after having introduced the same and the open or ajar primary packaging that contains in a hermetically closable cavity equipped with a microbiological barrier to live vapor, and having it closed. In this phase the product temperature drops on average to 60-65°C; c) rapid heating of the product and of the open primary packaging that contains it inside the hermetically closed cavity, until the temperature required for UHT-ST pasteurization or sterilization is reached, for example respectively 90°C and 142°C, sufficiently uniform for these purposes in all the layers and particles of the product itself, even the innermost ones, by condensation on the surface of the same and on that of the packaging of saturated steam at controlled medium pressure, introduced into the cavity from the outside (or generated inside it), and the simultaneous and synergistic action inside the cavity of controlled power microwaves acting on all layers and particles of the product, even the deepest ones, generated in the outside of the cavity with specific apparatus and diffused inside it by means of a special antenna; d) the stay in said hermetically closed and barrier cavity, at said pasteurization or sterilization temperature and for a period of time that can be set according to the characteristics of the product; e) the rapid cooling of the product thus treated, in all its layers and particles, even the innermost ones, by means of a progressive controlled reduction of the absolute pressure within the aforementioned hermetically closed cavity up to a predetermined vacuum value that can be set according to the process and of the maximum instantaneous temperature difference to which the packaging is subject, and therefore if in the case in two or more consecutive steps interspersed with a period of time; f) the rapid replacement of the existing atmosphere inside the cavity and therefore also of the packaging with another one, compensating for the vacuum existing there by introducing a predetermined gas mixture (N2 + C02) in a suitable proportion according to the characteristics of the product, sterilized by means of a sterilizing microfilter, until a predetermined final absolute pressure is reached; g) the rapid hermetic and barrier sealing of the packaging containing the product thus treated, inside said hermetically closed cavity, by means of the mechanical action of axial coupling of the lid and of the gasket on the opening of the container up to the hermetically closed position, and the possible air or water cooling of the hermetically closed package thus obtained; h) and finally, the post-cooling with air or water at ambient pressure of the aforesaid package, up to the desired final temperature, after having opened the cavity, extracted the package from it and placed it in a cooler of this type; this rigid packaging being preferably made of glass or ceramic material and silicone rubber or other elastomer for foodstuffs, healthy for the consumer and respectful of the environment, therefore totally free in all its components of parts in polymeric material, metal (except for inside the gasket) or chemical agents, in any case not in direct contact with the product), and resistant to the pasteurization or sterilization temperature, to thermal changes and to the expected final internal absolute pressure; this process and apparatus operating in the aforementioned phases of pasteurization or sterilization of the product and of the packaging also the pasteurization or sterilization of the cavity and of the accessories in which the product and the packaging are treated, and this state remaining until the opening of the cavity itself for extracting the hermetically sealed packaging; such process and apparatus operating at the end of the production operations, or after a predetermined number of cycles, the automatic washing of the cavity and accessories by means of a centralized CIP system.

It is also an object of the present invention to make available to the art primary packaging for foods, beverages, cosmetics, drugs and the like having the characteristics and performances indicated above, and respectful of the health of the consumer and the environment . It is also an object of the present invention to make available to the technique a method and apparatus that allows to industrially produce ready meals containing solid food products of high quality, including organoleptic, with medium or long conservation at room temperature, respectful of the health of the consumer and of the 'environment. It is also an object of the present invention to make available to the art an integrated machine-container system and relative process, capable of industrially producing food products, ready meals, drinks and in a simple, safe, functional, environmentally friendly and economical way. similar to medium and long storage at room temperature, of higher quality than that obtainable with the systems currently known and used, and respectful of consumer health and the environment.

In addition, among the purposes of the invention is also that of operating in the context of a relatively simple solution, easily achievable and usable, very rational and with a relatively low investment and operating cost, which includes both the pasteurization or sterilization and aseptic packaging in modified atmosphere in packaging that respects the health of the consumer and the environment.

These and other objects are achieved by the method, apparatus and packaging in question, the characteristics of which are reported in one or more independent claims. The dependent claims outline preferred and / or particularly advantageous aspects of the invention.

In this regard, the present invention relates to an innovative method and apparatus for UHT-ST (Ultra High Temperature Short Time) pasteurization or high temperature sterilization for short times and aseptic AF (Aseptic Filling) packaging in modified atmosphere MAP (Modified Atmosphere Packaging), of food products, beverages, cosmetics, drugs or similar, solid or liquid, or liquids with pieces, long-life at room temperature (Long Life Food), in innovative rigid primary packaging, absolutely respectful of the health of consumers and environment, and having characteristics similar to those of the plates, cups, bowls, jars and bottles normally used by families, restaurants, etc., and therefore can be used directly on the table instead of these.

A preferential application of the method and apparatus object of the present invention relates to the industrial production of ready meals (Convenience Food) containing solid products (e.g. spaghetti with tomato sauce, or steak and roasted potatoes) packaged in primary packaging in glass, porcelain or other ceramic material vitrified on the surface similar to the usual tableware, and can be stored for at least 1 year at room temperature.

Brief description of the drawings

This and other innovative aspects, or specific advantageous embodiments, are, however, set out in the claims below, the technical characteristics of which can be found in the following detailed description, illustrating some preferred and advantageous embodiments, which are however to be considered as purely exemplary and not limiting the invention; said description being made with reference to the attached drawings, in which:

- figures 1 , 1 A and 1 B illustrate a preferred primary packaging for ready meals or solid, creamy or pulpy products, usable with the machine and the process according to the invention,

- figure 1C illustrates a detail of the lid of said primary packaging, and in particular of the closure element, and the edge of the gasket,

- figure 1D illustrates a detail of the container of said primary packaging, in particular of the edge,

- figure 1E illustrates a variant of the preferred primary packaging for ready meals or solid , creamy or pulpy products, indicated in the case of presence of vacuum inside the packaging, usable with the machine and the process according to the invention,

- figures 2 , 2A, 2B and 2C illustrate a preferred primary packaging for beverages and liquids in general and the details of the closure cap, the gasket, the edge of the container and of the mode of opening and closing, that can be used with the machine and the process in accordance with the invention,

- figures 2D, 2E and 2F illustrate a variant of the above preferred primary packaging for beverages and liquids in general, indicated for sparkling products or carbonates, used with the machine and the process in accordance with the invention,

- figures 2G, 2H and 21 illustrate a further variant of the preferred primary packaging for beverages and liquids in general referred to above, indicated in the case of sparkling wines or certain types of beer developing higher pressures, which can be used with the machine and the process in accordance with the invention,

- figures 3, 3A and 4 illustrate both as a whole and in greater detail, a treatment line for the high- temperature pasteurization or rapid sterilization of solid, creamy or pulpy foods or with pieces, or even drinks, and the like, and aseptic packaging in a modified atmosphere sterilized in one of the above preferred packaging,

- figure 5 illustrates a detail of the packaging pick-up / release unit and its transfer system, - figures 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 illustrate various details and views of the packaging treatment area, its sterilization and packaging cavity .

-figures 12, 12A, 12B and 12C illustrate the various operating phases of the treatment process and of the apparatus, in accordance with the invention.

- figure 13 illustrates a variant, simplified in terms of apparatus, in which the closure and opening of the sterilization and packaging cavity is carried out by means of an hydraulic or pneumatic piston, rather than by a mechanical- pneumatic system.

- figure 14 illustrates a further variant, simplified in terms of process and apparatus and suitable for products that are not particularly thermosensitive, in which inside the cavity, after UHT-ST pasteurization or sterilization and thermal pause, an expansion up to atmospheric pressure is carried out, and therefore by it the product is cooled up to about 100°C and at this temperature it is hermetically sealed in the packaging (hot filling), while the further cooling is carried out in the final cooler operating by colder air or water. - figure 15 illustrates a variant, even simpler in terms of process and apparatus and suitable for performing only rapid heating and / or cooking of the product in the cavity, as well as its packaging (heating & cooking). - figure 16 illustrates a further variant, with movement of the lid by rotating and / or translating cams and indirect package cooling inside the hermetically sealed cavity, by means of water or air or other colder fluid. Detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention

Before describing in detail the process and the machine or apparatus in their components and mode of operation, you want to describe some preferred primary packaging P to be used in, object also of the present patent,, some for solid products and others for liquids, specifying, however, that, although not described here, other types of primary P packaging can also be used.

FIRST EXAMPLE OF PRIMARY PACKAGING FOR READY MEALS AND SOLID PRODUCTS IN GENERAL OBJECT OF THE INVENTION With reference to figures 1, 1A, 1B, 1C and 1D , a first preferred packaging P for ready meals, and in general for solid, pasty, creamy or chunky products, is defined by a container 1 and a closure body 2, both in glass, or in porcelain or other ceramic material vitrified on the surface, therefore rigid, and is configured to be hermetically sealed by means of a gasket 3 with axial coupling and bilateral sealing, in silicone rubber or other temperature-resistant elastomer suitable for food, located between the container 1 and the closure body 2, preferably vulcanized on the element 15 of the closure body 2, or on the container 1 , or mechanically anchored to one or the other by means of a rim and therefore removable; said gasket 3, arranged perimeter on the outer edge of the lower face of the closing element 15 of the closing body 2 and configured to seal on the edge 7 of the opening of the container 1 , is defined by two lips 4 and 5 divided by a groove 6 adapted to receive the edge 7 of the opening 11 of the container 1 ; said lips and groove being configured as a "saddle", so that in the phase and state of closure of the packaging each lip comes into direct contact with the corresponding external 8 or internal 9 side sealing surface of the edge 7 which is instead configured as a "wedge" or "back", pressing and perfectly joining them, so that a double hermetic seal is thus created, one between the lip 4 and the lateral surface 8 and one between the lip 5 and the lateral surface 9; said lips, being also provided with holes, slots or other type of passage 71 for steam, hot air, fumes and gas, functioning in this sense when the closing body 2 and the gasket 3 are simply resting on the edge 7 of the opening 11 of the container 1 and therefore not in a hermetically sealed position, and which, on the other hand, do not perform any function and do not affect the hermetic seal when the aforementioned closing body and gasket are engaged on the edge of the container opening in the hermetically closed position; said lip 4 presenting at the lower internal end the border 4d which, in the phase and state of closure of the packaging, anchors itself on the step 8d of the edge 7 of the opening, creating an effective axial retention which ensures the solid and hermetic union of the components 1, 2 and 3 of the packaging; said gasket 3 being provided in the upper part of the groove 6 with a thin sheet 12 which is impermeable or practically impermeable to gases and vapors of small molecular size (02, N2, C02, steam, humidity, alcohol, aromatic essences, etc.) to a greater extent or less permeable through the rubber with which the gasket itself is made, preferably of cold- rolled aluminum or polymeric material, in the shape of a "bridge" with two shoulders; this lamina, when the closing body 2 and the gasket 3 are engaged on the edge 7 of the opening of the container 1 in a hermetically sealed position, having the shoulder straps 12c and 12b in direct contact with the upper parts 8b and 9b of the lateral surfaces sealing 8 and 9 of the edge 7 of the opening of the container 1 and the suspended part 12a in direct contact with the lower surface 15a of the closing element 15, and thus creating a double barrier against the passage of vapor, 02, C02, N2 and aromatic substances, and therefore the preservation of the product inside the packaging and its atmosphere from the external environment.

In fact, food-grade nitrile rubber is considered suitable for contact with food, but only resists up to pasteurization temperatures, while silicone rubber is the only elastomer currently known to be inert towards food products, beverages and the like, and which does not migrate or transfer towards them, and resistant to sterilization temperatures. However, and in particular the silicone one, they have high permeability to 02, C02, N2, vapor, alcohol and aromatic substances, and, consequently, to overcome this drawback, in the gasket in question the rubber is coupled with a thin cold-rolled aluminum foil which, on the other hand, is impermeable or almost impermeable to these substances.

After treatment and packaging, the packaging P can be sealed with the perimeter strip 17 or the clips 14, arranged between the closing body 2 and the container 1.

The outer lip 4 of the aforementioned gasket is equipped at the lower end with one or more tabs 18, pulling one of which the easy opening of the packaging takes place, even if vacuum-packed.

SECOND EXAMPLE OF PRIMARY PACKAGING FOR READY MEALS AND SOLID PRODUCTS IN GENERAL

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

With reference to figure 1 E , a second preferred P packaging for ready meals, and in general for solid products, pasty, creamy or pieces, is defined by a container 1 and a closure body 2, both made of glass, or in porcelain or other ceramic material vitrified on the surface, therefore rigid, and is configured to be hermetically sealed by means of a gasket 3 with axial coupling and axial and bilateral sealing, made of silicone rubber or other elastomer resistant to temperature and suitable for food, located perimeter between the edge 7 of container 1 and edge 16 of closing body 2, preferably anchored by slight interference on one or other of said edges 7 and 16 and therefore removable; said gasket 3, being configured for sealing axial and lateral on both of said edges, is defined at the top by two lips 4a and 5a with the groove intermediate 6a configured to " valley " or " saddle " and suitable to receive the edge 16 of the cover 2 configured as a " wedge " or " back ", and similarly in the lower part by two lips 4b and 5b with intermediate groove 6b suitable to receive the edge 7 of the container 1 , so that in phase of packing closing each lip 4a, 5a, 4b and 5b becomes in direct contact of the corresponding sealing surface, respectively 8a, 9a, 8b and 9b of the corresponding edge 16 or 7, pressing and coupling perfectly on these due to the attractive force axial between the lid 2 and container 1 due to the vacuum inside the packaging or produced by clips or other mechanical axial clamping device of the same; as a result of this axial compression and shape respectively at "wedge" of the aforesaid edges 7 of the container 1 and 16 at "saddle" of the gasket 3, this decreases axially thick and expands radially towards both the center of the container 1 and the exterior, so that the side edges 3a and 3b of the same go to conjugate and press, and therefore to seal, on the side edges 16a of the cover 2 and 7b of the container 1 respectively. A double hermetic seal axial and lateral, particularly effective and reliable, is thus achieved; said gasket 3 being provided on an intermediate radial plane with a continuous thin sheet 12 impermeable or almost impermeable to gases and vapors of small molecular size (02, N2, C02, vapor, humidity, alcohol, aromatic essences, etc.) to a greater extent or less permeable through the rubber with which the gasket itself is made; said lamina 12 being preferably aluminum cold-rolled or polymeric material and configured so as to separate the upper part of the gasket 3 from the lower with its plane and to protrude at the opposite lateral sides of the same with the perimeter wings 12c and 12b opposite folded in the direction almost axial; thus the wings, when the closing body 2 is inserted in the container 1 in the hermetic closure position and therefore the gasket 3 to the effect of axial compression on it exerted by 16 and 7 edges of the same is expanded radially towards both the center and the external of the container, becoming in contact and compressed by the seal 3 itself on to surfaces 16a of the edge 16 of the cover 2 and 7b of the edge 7 of the container 1 respectively; this foil and relative wings thus creating between the lid 2 and the container 1 a continuous barrier to the passage of steam, 02, C02, N2 and aromatic substances, and therefore to preserve the product present inside the packaging and its atmosphere from external ambient. FIRST EXAMPLE OF PRIMARY PACKAGING

FOR BEVERAGES AND LIQUID PRODUCTS IN GENERAL OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

With reference to figures 2, 2A, 2B and 2C, it is identified with P the primary packing 10 composed by the container 1 in glass, or porcelain or other ceramic vitrified on the surface, by the capsule or closure body 2 and by the seal 3. Said capsule 2 is configured to hermetically close the aforementioned container 1 by means of axial coupling and is composed by a closing element 15 also in glass, or porcelain or other ceramic vitrified on the surface, and by a gasket 3 in thermosetting elastomer for food, preferably rubber silicone eg. liquid type LSR; said gasket being bilateral, and arranged perimeter on the outer edge of the lower face 15a of the closing element 15 of the closing body 2, and configured "saddle" in such a way as to create a double lateral seal on the perimeter edge 7, configured "back” or “wedge”, of the opening 11 of the container 1. The gasket 3 is defined by an external lip 4 and an internal one 5 divided by a groove 6, both almost vertical and parallel or slightly inclined, and instead said edge 7 by an external lateral surface 8 and an internal 9 more inclined, in such a way that when the capsule or lid 2 is engaged on the edge 7 of the opening 11 of the container 1 up to the closed position, each of said lips fits perfectly and presses on the corresponding lateral surface of the edge of the container opening, thus creating a double seal lateral hermetic.

The container 1 is essentially a rigid object, and can be of the "hollow" type (bottles, jars, jars, flasks, etc.) or "open" (cups, trays, etc.), with any shape (round, square, rectangular, ellipsoidal, etc.) and design in each view or section, and has the function of containing liquid or pulpy or creamy substances, in particular beverages, foods, drugs, etc .. It is defined by at least a bottom 1/a flat, concave or convex, and by a containment shell or wall 1/b, vertical and / or flat, flared, concave or convex, which ends at the top with an annular or perimeter edge 7 of the opening 11.

This edge, in addition to collaborating in the hermetic seal, performs the function of a rib; in fact, being integral with and in proximity to the opening 11 , it gives it a high mechanical strenght and resistance even against possible impacts, and together with the wall 1/b and the bottom 1/a it makes the container 1 more resistant to internal pressure and vacuum, even if made with reduced thicknesses and therefore light, and also creates an optimal geometric configuration for maneuverability.

The opening 11 of the aforementioned container 1 and therefore the upper edge 7 of the same can have a cross section of any shape, i.e. the mouth of the container can be round, square, rectangular, ellipsoidal, etc., regardless of that of the body of the container itself. . Consequently, the closing body or capsule 2 and therefore the gasket 3 have the same round, square, rectangular or ellipsoidal profile.

The closing element 15 can be flat or rounded, or of other geometric shape and design, and is configured to be axially engaged together with the gasket 3 in the edge 7 of the opening 11 of the container 1 , up to the closing position determined by the engagement of the continuous or discontinuous edge or hook 4d of the lip 4 of the gasket in the step 8d of said edge, position in which the bilateral hermetic seal and the bilateral-axial barrier are formed between the capsule or lid 2 and the container 1.

By 16 is identified a sleeve, cap or cage, made of metal or other mechanically resistant material, sliding coaxially on the element 15 with a manual action. In this first embodiment, said sleeve is completely cylindrical, with a lower internal border 16a and an upper 16b, therefore open at the top and at the bottom, or it could be closed at the top and therefore take the form of a cap, or also open in the skirt 16/c and therefore take the form of a cage. In any case, it is held in guide by the side 15b of the element 15 as well as by the external surface of the lip 4.

The gasket 3, in more detail, is flexible and is arranged annularly or perimeter on the outer edge of the lower face of the rigid closing element 15; it is geometrically configured with at least two parallel or "saddle" walls in order to be able to perfectly couple with the rigid edge 7 of the opening of the container 1 , once inserted in this, which, instead, has a wedge-shaped "back" section, for example trapezoid or rounded, thus creating an effective bilateral hermetic seal with it.

Said gasket extends axially from element 15 downwards and is molded and vulcanized directly on it, so as to allow total and safe anchoring, lasting over time, but without compromising its subsequent recyclability, as by the temperatures normally used (1000°C and beyond) in the glass melting furnaces the silicone rubber burns in its organic part, producing CO2 and thermal energy, while the remaining part is regenerated, producing silica. When the closing body 2 is superimposed on the container 1 and axially grafted onto the edge 7 of the opening 11 of the same in order to close the packaging 10, the two internal and external flexible lips 4 and 5 of the gasket 3 open slightly since they and the interposed groove 6 house the rigid edge 7 with a wedge-shaped, trapezoidal or convex section and slightly larger in size, of the container 1. The annular or perimeter surfaces of said lips 4 and 5 facing the groove 6 mate perfectly with the conical trunk or rounded, annular or perimeter surfaces, respectively internal and external 8 and 9 of said edge 7, with which they come into extensive contact, and consequently perform an effective bilateral hermetic seal on them, even in the case of slightly variable geometry typical of glass containers, or porcelain or other ceramic material. Given the particular geometric and bilateral conformation of the gasket 3 and of the edge 7, the bilateral seal thus created is hermetically effective both when there is a positive pressure difference from the inside to the outside of the packaging 10 (e.g. beer, carbonated drinks, perfumes, etc.), in which case the seal is mainly realized by the inner lip 5 on the truncated or convex surface 9 and to a lesser extent by the outer lip 4 on the trunk or convex surface 8, or in the opposite case (e.g. fruit juices, nectars, tomato puree, etc.), in which case the seal is mainly made by the external lip 4 on the trunk or convex surface 8 and to a lesser extent by the inner lip 5 on the trunk or convex surface 9. In the case, instead, of a situation isobaric (eg natural mineral water, still wine, oil, injectable drugs, etc.) both lips and surfaces operate the seal to an almost equal extent. In any case, these are two seals in series, i.e. successive in the internal-external direction of the packaging 10, therefore a particularly effective double seal even with (limited) dimensional and geometric variations of the edge of the container opening and in any usual condition of use of the packaging itself.

In some cases, in particular for products with a short or medium shelf life for which it is not necessary that the packaging is also a barrier and therefore that in the gasket 3 there is the sheet 12 (see below, specific variant), the gasket 3 and therefore the seal can be simplified, creating only the external lip 4 (products under vacuum) or only the internal one 5 (carbonated products) and consequently only the trunk or rounded surface 8 or 9, respectively. The inner lip 5 extends axially from the element 15 by a longer length than the lip 4; said extra-length, indicated with 5e, does not create any seal on the internal side, but improves the insertion action of the capsule or lid; in other words, it helps to center the closing element 2 during the axial insertion on the container 1 when closing the packaging 10. Then, proceeding axially to obtain the closure and hermetic seal, thanks to the section of at least two parallel or "saddle" walls formed by the two lips 4 and 5 and by the intermediate groove 6 of the gasket 3, and to the wedge-shaped "back" section of the annular or perimeter edge 7, closing and sealing take place in a simple and automatic way: lips 4 and 5 of the gasket 3, in fact, open under the wedge-shaped axial action of the edge 7, so that it fits easily into the annular groove 6 of the gasket and therefore between said lips, and its lateral surfaces 8 and 9 perfectly couple with them, thus creating with the same a double lateral hermetic seal. Once the axial closing position has been reached, the annular or internal perimeter edge or hook 4d of the lip 4 of the gasket 3 engages in the step 8d of the edge 7 of the container 1. Specifically, the aforementioned edge, whose section forms an undercut, goes over and goes to anchoring on the step 8d of the edge 7, realizing an effective axial retention of the components of the packaging 10 and therefore their integral cohesion.

When the packaging is closed, the lower edge 16a of the sleeve occupies and engages in the lower perimeter niche 4f of the lip 4, pressing radially on it towards the central axis of the package and preventing it from moving away from the external surface 8 of the edge 7 of the opening 11 of the container 1 , which makes it impossible to remove the capsule or lid 2 and therefore to open the packaging, while the edge 26b overhangs the closure element 15, anchoring and holding onto the upper surface 15c of the same.

Furthermore, the packaging 10 can be equipped with a guarantee seal, by applying locally between the container 1 and the capsule or lid 2 a thin band 17, perimeter or transversal, in metal or in paper or in heat-shrink polymer, configured and positioned to simultaneously encircle the capsule, the seal and the container, and break or have to be removed in case of opening. Thanks to this band, which can also act as a label, it is therefore prevented from disengaging the edge 16a of the sleeve 16 from the niche 4f of the lip 4, and consequently the disengagement of the edge or hook 4d of the lip 4 from the step 8d of the edge 7 of the container, so that without removing it it is not possible to open the packaging and it remains sealed.

In the open state, on the other hand, the rim 16a occupies the upper niche 4c, thus leaving the lip 4 free to move radially outwards. In this state, if there is positive pressure inside the package, under the action of this the cap or capsule moves axially upwards, opening the package. Otherwise, if there is approximately the same pressure inside as outside, to open the package it is sufficient to manually act on the sleeve 16 in an axial upward direction, which requires a minimum force. On the other hand, in the case of vacuum packaging, the force to be applied can be greater, but always limited if the opening 11 is relatively small (e.g. to open the 18 mm diameter sealing cap of a fruit juice under the usual vacuum degree it is sufficient to exert a force of about 1.2 kg). If, on the other hand, it is desired to obtain the opening with even less effort, even with a larger opening size 1 or degree of vacuum, the outer lip 4 can have a tab 18, an appendage of the same or applied, however integral with it, by acting manually on which, even with minimal force in a radial direction towards the outside, the lip 4 moves away from the surface 8 and consequently the seal exerted by them is m issing, air enters the package, the vacuum becomes reduced or lost, thus the sealing body can be removed with minimal effort.

In accordance with the variant embodiment illustrated in figure 2B, the gasket 3 also acts as a barrier against gases and vapors of small molecular size (O2 , N2 , CO2 , steam, humidity, alcohol, aromatic essences, etc. .) which to a greater or lesser extent permeate through silicone rubber or other food-grade elastomers. For this purpose, inside the same, in the upper part of the groove 6, and therefore not in direct contact with the product contained in the packaging 10 as it is separated from the lips 4 and 5, a thin and flexible sheet 12 in metal material or polymeric impermeable or almost impermeable to such substances and resistant to sterilization temperatures, preferably in cold-rolled aluminum AL or polyvinylidene fluoride PVDF, having the same "saddle" shape, is present.

Said lamina 12 has a "bridge" section with two shoulder straps and an intermediate suspended part; the shoulder straps 12c and 12b coinciding respectively with the upper parts 4b and 5b of the lips 4 and 5 and the upper surface of the suspended part 12a with the lower surface 15a of the closing element 15, so that when the capsule or lid 2 is placed on the container 1 in the closed position, the shoulder straps 12c and 12b are extensively in direct contact respectively with the upper part 8b and 9b of the lateral surfaces 8 and 9 of the edge 7 of the container opening and the upper surface of the intermediate suspended part 12a with the lower surface 15a of the closing element, thus realizing the lamina a double lateral and axial barrier which prevents the passage of the aforementioned small molecular substances through the silicone rubber or other elastomers for food. These contacts, in fact, provide an effective mechanical seal, since the contact surfaces 12b and 12c, and consequently 12a, of the foil are subjected to the pressure exerted on them by the upper parts 5b and 4b of the lips of the gasket and by the counter pressure of the lateral surfaces 8b and 9b of the edge 7 of the container due to its wedging in the gasket 3, as well as by the difference in pressure possibly existing between the outside and inside of the package 10. Due to the double lateral hermetic seal and double lateral-axial barrier that characterize it, therefore, the gasket 3 can be qualified as a bilateral-axial gasket. Said thin sheet is pre-molded and then mechanically inserted in the groove of the gasket, or inserted and vulcanized together with the gasket in the mold of the latter, or again, if in polymeric material, molded just before the silicone rubber and with the same mold, but suitably equipped to operate in two immediately successive phases, each with the related material. These last realizations are also possible thanks to the recent low pressure molding technique of liquid silicone rubber (LSR), which in the injection phase allows not to deform the sheet as in this situation said type of material presents viscosity and therefore pressure drops extremely small. Once closed, the packaging 10 is completely hermetic and barrier. In fact, the walls 1/b of the container 1 and of the closing element 15, being made of glass or ceramic materials with vitrified surfaces, are impermeable to every microorganism and usual chemical element, and the gasket 3 likewise, because it is multilayered, e.g. LSR-AL / AL-LSR or LSR-PVDF / PVDF-LSR and therefore combines the rare range of physico-chemical-bacteriological properties of silicone rubber (no migration of harmful substances and product contamination, resistance to high temperatures up to +205°C in continuous, resistance and hermetic seal to pressure and vacuum, impenetrability to sunlight, resistance and impermeability to solid, liquid and gaseous chemicals of medium and large dimensions, biocompatibility, resistance and impenetrability to bacteria, ISO10993 approval, USP Class VI and FDA), to those of cold rolled aluminum AL (impermeable to gases, humidity and aromatic substances, resistance to temperatures up to even over 300-400°C) or to those of PVDF (almost similar to those of aluminum, but temperature resistance up to just over 160°C).

If, on the other hand, the package is closed and you want to open it, it is sufficient to act manually on the shell 16 in an axial upward direction, so that the lower edge 16a of the sleeve disengages from the lower recess 4f of the lip 4, slides upwards along the external lateral surface of the same, occupies the upper niche 4c of the same, comes into contact with the lower surface 15a of the closing element 15 and pushes it upwards, thus creating the opening.

In this first example, therefore, the closure of the package takes place with a simple and intuitive operation of positioning the capsule on the opening of the container and of axial displacement of the same towards the same, acting in this sense on the sleeve, and the opening as well, acting in the opposite direction. This operation, therefore, is devoid of screwing movements of the capsule and relative gasket on the container, which makes the container simpler as it eliminates the need to make a screw impression in it, preserves the functional integrity of the gasket from damaging tangential actions and clutches that could occur instead with the tightening of lids or screw caps, eg. Twist Off type, and makes it much simpler and easier for the consumer to open, especially in the presence of high pressure or high vacuum inside the packaging: the system and the capsule, therefore, with good reason, could be defined as PUSH ON-PULL OFF, i.e. with the acronym POP.

The aforementioned packaging and relative capsule are particularly suitable, for example, for natural water or water with the addition of carbon dioxide, highly oxidizable alcoholic and aromatic beverages, such as beer, wine, cider, etc., or even non-alcoholic but still highly oxidizable, such as orange juice, apple juice, etc., or even for perfumes based on natural or artificial essences.

SECOND EXAMPLE OF PRIMARY PACKAGING FOR BEVERAGES AND LIQUID PRODUCTS IN GENERAL OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

With reference to figures 2D, 2E and 2F, 26 again identifies a sleeve, cap or cage, made of metal or other mechanically resistant material, thin and free to slide coaxially to the closing element 15. In this second embodiment, said sleeve 26 is still configured to operate like 16 in the preceding example, but it is not completely cylindrical, being oval at the base, i.e. the portion comprising the internal rim 26a, and in the closed state of the 'packaging 20 said lower inner edge 26a does not anchor and retain the niche 4f of the lip 4 of the gasket 3, but rather on the step 28d of the edge 27 of the opening 21 of the container 1 , engaging the part with the smaller diameter on it. Like the sleeve 16 of the previous example, however, this sleeve 26 is circular at the head, i.e. in the portion comprising the upper edge 26b, and always in the closed state, said upper edge 26b overhangs the closing element 15 and anchors and holds on the upper surface 15b of the same.

Furthermore, the sleeve 26 is relatively flexible, so that, by manually compressing the flange 26a in the radial direction along the larger diameter, the ovality of the latter is reduced, precisely the larger diameter decreases and by reaction the smaller one increases, so that if the packaging is in a closed state, the rim 26a disengages from the step 28d of the rim 27 of the container, and therefore by axially lifting the sleeve, said rim raises the closing element 15 and the packaging opens, or if inside the product is under pressure, the opening takes place automatically due to the force exerted by this on the closing element 15.

If, on the other hand, the package is open and you want to close it, it is sufficient to insert the capsule into the opening of the container, an operation always facilitated by the greater extension 5e of the lip 5 of the seal, and manually act on the shell 26 in the axial direction towards the container 1 , so that the lower edge 26a of the sleeve disengages from the upper niche 4c of the lip 4, slides downwards along the external lateral surface of the same and then on that of the edge 27 of the container, overcomes this and hooks and restrains on the step 28d of the same; at the same time the upper edge 26b of the sleeve pushes and engages the closing element 15 and the gasket 3 up to the closed position in the edge 27 of the container opening, so that the edge or hook 4d of the gasket engages in the niche 28b of the edge 27 of the container and the skirt 26c of the sleeve prevents its disengagement.

In this position, therefore, as in the previous example, the bilateral-axial hermetic seal between the gasket 3 of the closing body 2 and the container 1 is obtained, and the removal of said body from the container and therefore the opening of the container is prevented.

Everything else as in the example above.

Also in this case, therefore, the closure of the packaging takes place with a simple and intuitive manual action of positioning the capsule on the opening of the container and axial displacement of the first towards this last, acting in this sense on the sleeve 26. They are not necessary, therefore, screwing movements of one on the other, nor do harmful tangential clutches on the gasket occur, as instead created by screw closures. Opening is also very simple and intuitive, as it is sufficient to manually compress the sleeve between thumb and index finger at its base in the direction of the larger diameter, so as to reduce the ovality, and then lift it.

If the product contained in the packaging is in positive pressure, it does not even need to be lifted as it opens spontaneously, which makes the packaging itself and the capsule very practical, and suitable, for example, for sparkling mineral water or carbonated drinks.

THIRD EXAMPLE OF PRIMARY PACKAGING FOR BEVERAGES AND LIQUID PRODUCTS IN GENERAL OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

This version is particularly suitable for bottles with high internal pressures, containing e.g. sparkling wines or some types of beer. With reference to figures 2G, 2H and 21, with 36 again is identified a sleeve or cap or metal cage, or of other material resistant to mechanical stresses, forming the capsule and sliding coaxially to the element 15.

In this third embodiment, said sleeve 36 has some characteristics of the sleeve 16 of the first variant, with the sleeve 26 of the second. More specifically, the sleeve 36 is of cylindrical section as in the first example, but at the same time, as in the second example, it has the lower inner edge 36a not completely annular and configured to engage and hold axial, this time by rotation, rather than axial displacement as in the previous examples, directly on the edge 37 of the opening thereof, although not completely annular and slightly smaller in size.

By rotating by a certain angle (e.g. 90°) in one direction or the other, the aforesaid metal sleeve 36 engages or disengages with the edge 37 of the opening of the container 1 and therefore with this according to the relative angular positioning, precisely:

- in a given position or relative angular field, the lower inner edge 36a (e.g. with circular or ovoid sectors) of the sleeve 36 is not superimposed or subjected at any point to that (e.g. also with circular or ovoid sectors) of the edge 37, so that it does not engage the edge 37, and consequently it is possible to insert or remove the capsule 2 from the container 1 ;

- in another determined position or relative angular field, instead, for ex. in a position at 90° with respect to the first, this edge 36a is wholly or partially overlapped or subjected, so that it engages the edge 37 (e.g. in the ovoid sectors of greater diameter 38a) and is anchored and mechanically retained on of it, which makes the closing body 2 and the relative gasket 3 axially integral with the container 1. This position corresponds to the closing position of the packaging and therefore the hermetic seal between said components is realized in it, even in case of high pressures inside the packaging. All the rest does not differ from what has already been stated regarding the previous examples of primary packaging for beverages and liquids in general..

1 bottle, jar or other type of glass container 1 next to the bottle, jar or other container

1 b bottle neck, jar or other container

2 locking caps

3 gasket

4 outer lip 4d lower edge or hook of outer lip 4f niche

5 inner lip

5e greater axial extension of the inner lip

6 groove 7 edge of the bottle, jar or container opening

8 outer rim of the bottle, jar or container 8d lower stop of the outer edge 8

9 inner rim of the bottle, jar or container

10 packaging 1st example 11 opening

12 barrier foil

12a upper surface of the intermediate suspended part 12b and 12c shoulder pad contact surfaces 14 clips 15 closing element

15a lower surface of the closing element 15b lateral surface of the closing element 15c upper surface of the closing element 16 sleeve 16th lower inner flange of the sleeve 16b upper inner flange of the sleeve 18 easy opening tab 20 packaging, second example 26 sleeve, second example

26a lower inner flange of the sleeve 26b upper inner flange of the sleeve 20 packaging, second example

27 edge of the bottle opening, jar or other type of container, second version 28d step

30 packaging, third example 36 metal sleeve, third version 36a lower inner flange of the sleeve 36b upper inner flange of the sleeve 37 edge of the bottle opening, jar or other type of container, third version 38a major edge of the bottle opening, container jar.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROCESS AND THE EQUIPMENT Figure 3 illustrates, as a whole, an apparatus corresponding to the invention which is the subject of the present application, and relating to the preferred application for industrially producing long life room temperature convenience food, containing cooked solid products (e.g. spaghetti with tomato sauce, or meat steak with roast potatoes, etc.), configured e.g. for the use of the packaging described above in the first example for this type of products. Said apparatus is composed of section A where the ingredients and components of the product are dosed and the packaging is filled, section B for pre-heating at atmospheric pressure of said packaging and the product contained therein, section C for deaeration, pasteurization or sterilization, evaporative cooling and aseptic packaging in modified atmosphere of the same and section D of final cooling at atmospheric pressure. In the detailed description that follows, this preferred application of the invention is separated into the various phases that make up the process, as indicated above and also in the paragraph AIMS OF THE PRESENT INVENTION above, and for each one the machine is described in its components and operating phases. .

The process and the machine can operate inside the plant or in a dedicated area, i.e. in a sector suitable for the processing and transformation of food products, beverages and the like, but this area does not necessarily have to be a clean room or white room, not even for the preparation, dosing and filling phases of the ingredients and components of the product in the container of the primary packaging P, because in any case in the subsequent phases the product and the packaging are pasteurized or sterilized and so are the parts of the apparatus where such and subsequent operations, up to and including the hermetic packaging, are carried out. For the same reason, the ingredients and components of the product do not need to be pasteurized or sterilized before filling, and the same also applies to the parts of the packaging.

Figures 3 to 12 inclusive show said apparatus for said application in detail, in the version which consists of two lines with three units per line; however, the same principles and innovative details are common with machines with a greater or lesser number of lines and / or units per line, although not shown here.

For the sake of simplicity, the following description relates to a single line of the aforesaid machine, however what has been explained also applies to the other line, since it is identical and operating simultaneously according to an identical program but temporally out of phase with respect to the first. For the same reason, the description of the 3 cavities 17 that make up the line, and of the related process and operation, is carried out for only one of them, since the others are identical and operate simultaneously and in phase with each other.

The line operates cyclically step by step: with reference to figure 3, in sections A and B the advancement is 1 pitch, eg. 400 mm, per step and the frequency is eg. 1 step every 6", while in sections C and D the advancement is 3 pitches per step and the frequency is eg. 1 step every 4'.

The process first of all involves the preliminary preparation of the ingredients (washing, cutting, tanning, etc.), and their composition and transformation according to industrial recipe (pre-cooking or cooking, boiling, frying, roasting, marinating, etc.). Then it continues with the dosing and placing of said one or more ingredients and components in the rigid containers 1, shaped for example of cup, tray, tray, jar, etc., of the primary packagings P, placed by means of a special dispenser 12 at 1 step from each other on the conveyor 13, eg. of the flat top chain conveyor type. These dosing and filling operations are carried out with one or more specific equipment located in section A and operating at the usual kitchen temperatures or at room temperature, or even at freezing temperatures in the case of frozen ingredients or components or which for technological reasons need to be treated at said temperature, and superimposed on the conveyor 13.

The aforementioned containers, after the introduction of the ingredients and components of the product, are made to pass by means of said conveyor under the dispenser 14 of the lids 2, i.e. rigid closing bodies and comprising axially operated gasket, bilateral seal and double barrier already described. However, said lids 2 (see figure 2) are only placed on the edge 7 of the opening of the containers 1, so that the packaging is not hermetically closed, and that through the appropriate passages 71 with which the gasket 3 is provided it is possible through them the flow of air, steam, fumes and gases to and from the product present in the packaging and the external. The operation is facilitated by the axial extension 5e of the inner lip 5 of the gasket 3, which performs the function of centering on the edge 7 of the opening of the container 1 , and which contributes to the stability of the lid 2 although only resting on this edge. Phase a) of the process: PRE-HEATING

The packaging P thus obtained, therefore containing the product and with the cover rested on but not closed, (see figure 3) are introduced and positioned by the same conveyor 13 in the pre-heater B, preferably of the tunnel type with ventilated hot air, and/or steam, operating at atmospheric pressure and at set temperature, having a multiple holding of 3 packaging, e.g. 6 or 9 or 12... packaging, where the product reaches the pre-heating temperature, e.g. of about 70-75 ° C.

The residence time of the packaging in said pre-heater is proportional to said holding, e.g. respectively 8’ or 12 ' or 16’.... All the above operations and machines, as well as those described in the following steps, are controlled and managed by the microprocessor system 16, which controls and governs the entire process and apparatus by means of a specially prepared and installed software.

Phase b) of the process: INTRODUCTION INTO THE CAVITY, LIFTING THE LID AND THERMOPHYSICAL DEAERATION BY VACUUM SELF-EVAPORATION

At this point, the first group of 3 pre-heated packaging P is transferred from the pre-heater B to the 3 openable cavities 17 composing section C where deaeration, pasteurization or sterilization, evaporative cooling and aseptic packaging in a modified atmosphere take place.

This operation is carried out by means of a multiple transfer 18 (see figures 3, 4 and 5), equipped with 6 units 19 for gripping / releasing the packaging P, placed in a row one pitch from the other and operating simultaneously in phase, and each provided by a pair of jaws 20 operated by the shafts 21 by means of the arms 22 in an articulated triangle. Said transfer moves axially along the line on the fixed axis free wheels 23, which also perform the driving function, due to the motion transmitted to it by means of the rack 24 by the toothed wheels 25, also with a fixed axis, operated by a suitable gear motor. The shaft 21 is rotated by the angle required for gripping or releasing the packaging (eg 41°), by means of a pneumatic piston placed at one end of the transfer.

This operation begins with the picking and loading phase of the packaging: the transfer is at the end of the loading stroke towards the beginning of the line (see figure 4), with the first 3 picking / releasing units inside the heater B, corresponding to each of the three pre-heated packaging P, and the other 3 to each of the 3 cavities 17 composing the pasteurizer or sterilizer C; are then slightly raised, eg. by 5 mm, the aforementioned 3 pre heated packaging P, by a pneumatic piston lifting a mobile slide under the chain of the last section of the conveyor 13; the shafts 21 are then rotated by the aforementioned angle, so that the jaws 20 grip the packaging, after which the chain is returned to the original position, so that said packaging remain suspended on the aforementioned transfer jaws.

Immediately afterwards, the transfer and the related load of packaging on jaws are transferred by 3 pitches towards the final part of the line, that is to say at the unloading end stroke, so that each of the first 3 gripping / releasing units 19 and the relative packaging P is located in correspondence of each of the 3 cavities 17 of the pasteurizer or sterilizer C and the other three in correspondence of the final cooler D. In said position, the packaging are released by returning the shafts 21 to the starting point.

Cavity 17 is metal, in austenitic stainless steel, can be opened, hermetically sealed and barrier by live steam, is resistant to internal operating pressure of at least 6 bar, to the absolute maximum vacuum and to the maximum temperature of 200°C. It is composed (see figures 4, 6 and 7) of a fixed upper part 26 equipped with silicone rubber gaskets 27 with interposed groove 28 of live steam barrier, and a lower part 29 which can be moved axially by means of a special mechanical-pneumatic unit 30 of lifting to open or close the cavity itself.

This unit 30 is composed of the crankshaft 31, the connecting rod 32 with pneumatically variable length by means of the piston 33 with high bore and short stroke, and the "half moon" rotating safety bolt 34.

At this point, with three successive operations the cavity 17 is hermetically closed: a) first, by means of a suitable angular actuator located at one of the ends of the set of three cavities of the line, the cranks shaft 31 is rotated 180° up to the top dead center, having all the cranks in the same angular phase and therefore operating simultaneously and identically on the 3 cavities 17, which, acting in each cavity on the variable-length connecting rod 32, axially raises the shaft 35 integral with the mobile part 29 of the cavity itself, giving them most (for example 152 mm) of the total stroke (for example 160 mm) necessary for the upper surface of the 29 to come into contact with the sealing gaskets 27 of the 26. In this phase all the aforementioned parts in movement they are practically unloaded, acting on them only their own weight; b) is then rotated, up to the closed position, eg. 180°, by means of a special angular actuator, also placed at one of the ends of the set of the 3 cavities of the line and operating simultaneously and identically on the same, the "half moon" rotating safety bolt 34, so that it engages in the niche 36 of the same shape of the crank of the crankshaft 31. In this way, said crankshaft remains mechanically locked in safety at the top dead center; c) finally the pneumatic piston 33 is actuated by means of a special solenoid valve, which gives the shaft 35 the remaining stroke (e.g. 8 mm) and exerts the necessary force on the shaft 35 and therefore on the mobile part 29 of the cavity (e.g. of 30 kN) to overcompensate the thrust generated by the internal pressure that will occur in the following phases and to obtain the hermetic seal of the gaskets 27.

Since the crankshaft 31 is at the top dead center, the rotating bolt 34 is not subjected to any load and performs only a safety anti-rotation function. As soon as the cavity 17 is hermetically closed, the pneumatic piston

37 is lowered by a predetermined stroke by means of a suitable sensor, so that (see figure 8) the support 38, fixed to the lower end of the rod 39 of said piston and provided perimeter with three or several retaining jaws 40, is moved closer to the locking body 2. Immediately thereafter, by means of said jaws operated by means of the stem 41 by the pneumatic piston 42 fixed to the upper end of the stem 39, the closing body 2 is hooked and held on said support 38.

At this point, the support and the closing body are raised by means of the piston 37 up to the upper end of the same stroke, so that the container 1 is open.

The support 38 and the jaws 140 are made of thermoplastic polymer with a low relative dielectric constant and resistant even to temperatures above 200°C, to grease, water, steam, the usual washing chemicals, and microwaves. At the same time, live steam is introduced into the groove 28 between the two hermetic seals 27, provided with a condensate discharge duct equipped with a back pressure nozzle, by means of a suitable valve and duct, thus creating the microbiological barrier of said seal.

For the same reason and in the same way live steam is introduced (see figure 9) between the aseptic shut-off valve 43 and the diversion valve 44, equipped on one way with a back pressure nozzle and condensate drain, placed at the head of the duct 45 of adduction to the cavity, and in the other grooves predisposed as a barrier of the machine but for the sake of simplicity not described. Live steam is also introduced into the microfilter device 46 for sterilizing the conditionement gas mixture, in order to sterilize the device itself, which is also equipped with an adduction valve and a counter-pressure valve and condensate drain with nozzle. The aseptic valve 47, placed in the evacuation duct 48 and equipped at the outlet with a counter-pressure nozzle and condensate drain, is then closed, and the 49 is diverted so that there is a passage between the 50 and 51.

Finally, the aseptic interception valve 50 and the evacuation valve 52 of the same duct are opened.

At this point, inside the cavity 17 is progressively realized, e.g. in about 10-15”, an expansion under controlled vacuum, up to absolute pressure eg. of about 0.200 bar corresponding to the saturation temperature of about 60°C. Since the temperature of the product is higher, the expansion gives rise to a self-evaporative flash by effect of which said temperature drops, for example to 60-65°C, so that the almost total thermophysical deaeration of the product and the cavity occurs.

Inside this, the vacuum is created through the evacuation duct 48 and controlled by means of the regulation loop consisting of the absolute pressure sensor 53, the pre-set ramp deaeration set-point and the PID regulator which acts on the modulating valve of the vacuum 51 connected via the water- cooled surface condenser 54 to the vacuum tank 55. Set point and regulator are internal to the software installed in the microprocessor 16. The liquid ring vacuum pump 56, connected via the check valve 57 to the tank 55, generates and maintains the vacuum in said tank and therefore in cavity 17; said pump is activated at the start of production and stopped at the end of the same and the check valve eliminates the risk of backflows inside the tank and cavity. The vapors generated by the product during the evaporative flash are evacuated through the duct 48 and condensed in the surface condenser 54, and their condensate accumulates at the bottom of the tank 55 from which it is discharged at the end of the production period by means of a special valve or continuously by means of a special extraction pump; air and non condensable gases, on the other hand, are extracted by the vacuum pump. Phase c) of the process: HEATING TO PASTEURIZATION

TEMPERATURE OR UHT-ST STERILIZATION, BY DIRECT CONDENSATION OF LIVE STEAM AND MICROWAVE

At the end of the deaeration phase, the aseptic evacuation valve 52 is closed, the interception valve 58 opened, and live steam at medium pressure is introduced into the supply duct 45 through the modulating valve 59; at the same time the condensate is discharged from said duct by opening the valve 60 equipped with a suitable outlet orifice.

Simultaneously the aseptic interception valve 50 is closed, the 70 and the condensate discharge valve 47 are opened, and the live steam modulating valve 62 is slightly opened so that the evacuation duct 48 is invaded by live steam at medium pressure and is sterilized.

The 49 is also diverted so that there is no passage between the 50 and the 51 and the outlet of the 49, equipped with a back pressure nozzle and condensate drain, is open, located at the end of the evacuation duct 48, The aseptic condensate discharge valve 60 is then closed and the aseptic supply valve 61 is opened, so that through the supply duct 45 saturated dry sanitary steam at controlled medium pressure enters the cavity 17.

This vapor condenses directly on the surface of the product contained in the packaging, on that of the packaging itself, and on the walls of the cavity, giving them the latent heat and, consequently, raising their temperature: the pressure and therefore the temperature it is regulated by the pressure regulation loop inside the cavity composed by the absolute pressure probe 53, the predetermined pasteurization or sterilization set point and the PID regulator which acts on the modulating valve 59, the latter internal to the microprocessor software 16. Pressure and temperature are continuously recorded and processed by the microprocessor 16 also for the purposes of process traceability. Simultaneously, the solid state microwave generator 63 is activated, connected via a coaxial cable to the antenna 64 located inside the cavity 17. The microwave power is controlled on the basis of a specific software loaded in the microprocessor system 16, which drives the generator 63.

These waves spread in the cavity, are repeatedly reflected on the metal walls of the same without being absorbed by them as they are apolar, they permeate and refract through the vapor present in the cavity and the walls of the packaging as they are transparent to them and have a low constant dielectric, and are absorbed, instead, by the particles composing the product, even those in depth, to which they release the transported energy, having this high dielectric constant.

The action of the live steam directly condensing on the surface particles of the product, and the simultaneous and synergistic action of the microwaves also on the internal ones, effect that in a short time the temperature of all the particles composing the product, be it solid or liquid or liquid with pieces, provided that it is moist, it rises to the preset value of pasteurization or UHT-ST sterilization, without the occurrence of temperature gradients affecting the pasteurization or sterilization: eg. in less than T the temperature of the product passes from the final deaeration temperature of 60°C to the pasteurization temperature of 90°C, while in 2-3' to the UHT-ST sterilization temperature of 142 ° C.

These exemplary data refer to products with unit weight up to 500 g, and to dielectric heating by microwaves produced by a solid state generator with the highest output power currently available (600 watts), in synergy with convection by means of directly condensing live steam at 5 bar. In consideration of the fact that generators of higher power are currently being developed, it is foreseeable that in the future these times will be susceptible to reduction.

Phase d) of the process: THERMAL PASTEURIZATION OR STERILIZATION

Once the pasteurization or sterilization temperature is reached, (see figure 9) the adduction valve 61 is closed and the microwave generator 63 is deactivated. This is followed by a short period of pause in these conditions necessary to obtain the pasteurization or sterilization of the product, the packaging and the cavity, e.g. about 1 -2 ' in the case of pasteurization and 4- 5 ” in the case of sterilization.

At the same time, the valve 58 remains open and the modulating valve 59 slightly open, and the aseptic valve 60 for counter-pressure and condensate drain is opened, so that the supply duct 45 remains flooded with live steam at medium pressure and therefore in sterile conditions up to adduction valve 61.

Phase e) of the process: FAST ASEPTIC COOLING BY SELF EVAPORATION IN VACUUM

At the end of the period of thermal pause, the aseptic valves 47, 70 and 62 are closed, the 50 opened, and the 49 diverted so that there is a passage between the 50 and the 51 , and the modulating vacuum valve 51 is slightly opened, all along the evacuation duct 48.

The aseptic evacuation valve 52 is then opened, so that an expansion under controlled vacuum takes place inside the cavity 17, up to e.g. at the absolute pressure of about 0.123 bar corresponding to the saturation temperature of about 50°C: since the temperature of the product is higher, the expansion gives rise to a self-evaporative flash by effect of which the temperature of the product drops, for example from 90°C or 142°C to 50- 55°C. To avoid breakage of the packaging P due to thermal shock, in the case that it is made of normal glass and the product is at over 90°C, the expansion can be carried out in two steps, so that in each of them the cooling does not exceed 45°C, this being in general the maximum temperature gradient this type of glass can bear.

If, on the other hand, the packaging is made of tempered glass, it can be made in just one step, as this generally resists up to 130°C maximum gradient.

In each step, the expansion is however carried out progressively, eg. in 10-20", by means of a suitable ramp, to not generate also product sprinklings.

The vacuum inside the cavity 17 is controlled by means of the regulating loop composed of the absolute pressure sensor 53, the preset ramp cooling set-point and the PID regulator which acts on the modulating vacuum valve 51 connected via the condenser to surface 54 to the vacuum tank 55. Also in this phase, as in the previous deaeration phase: - the set point and regulator are internal to the software installed in the microprocessor 16; -the liquid ring vacuum pump 56, connected by means of the check valve 57 to the tank 55, generates and maintains the vacuum in said tank and therefore in the cavity 17; - the check valve eliminates the risk of backflows inside the tank and the cavity: - the vapors generated by the product during the evaporative flash are evacuated through the duct 48 and condensed in the water-cooled surface condenser 54 and their condensate accumulates at the bottom of the tank 55 from which it is discharged by means of a bottom valve at the end of the production period or continuously by means of a suitable extraction pump; - the air and non-condensable gases, on the other hand, are extracted by the vacuum pump 56.

Thanks to the combined action of said pump and check valve, the steam and gas flow is exclusively in the direction from the cavity to the tank and to the vacuum pump, which prevents re-pollution of the evacuation duct, the cavity itself, the packaging and the product therein.

Phase f) of the process: PACKAGING IN A MODIFIED ATMOSPHERE MAP STERILIZED At this point, the aseptic evacuation valve 52, the interception valve

50, and the modulating vacuum valve 51 are closed, and the 49 is diverted so that there is no passage between the 50 and the modulating 51 and the outlet nozzle of the same 49 is open.

The condensate discharge valve 47 is then opened, equipped with a counter pressure nozzle at the outlet, the shut-off valve 70 is opened and the live steam modulating valve 62 is slightly opened, so that the evacuation duct 48 is flooded with said steam up to the evacuation aseptic valve 52; through a special supply valve the compartment between 50 and 49 is also invaded by live steam. In this way, in the evacuation duct 48 and relative valves, a double in series microbiological barrier is created to protect the sterile cavity 17.

At the same time, the aseptic valves of the live steam 58 and 59 are closed, the 65 and 66 are opened, and the modulating valve 67 of the conditionement pre-set gas mixture (e.g. 70% of N2 and 30% of C02) is slightly opened, so that said mixture, passing through the microfilter 46, is sterilized, after which it flows into the supply duct 45 to the aseptic supply valve 61.

The aseptic valve 61 is then opened, and the valve 67 is modulated by a P ID regulator inside the software of the microprocessor 16 acting on the base of the signal coming from the absolute pressure sensor 53 inside the cavity 17 and the gas compensation set-point also internal to said software, so that in a very short time (eg 5”) said pressure rises up to the predetermined value (eg atmospheric pressure).

In this phase the temperature of the product remains almost constant. Phase g) of the process: PHYSICAL, HERMETIC AND BARRIER CLOSING OF THE PACKAGING

As soon as the preset compensation pressure is reached, (see figure 8) the pneumatic piston 37 is actuated downwards, making it perform the necessary stroke so that the closing body 2 descends towards the container 1, fully engaging the "saddle" seal 3 on it vulcanized into the “wedge” or “back” edge 7 of the opening of the container 1. The stroke is mechanically limited by the adjustable screw stop 68, threaded and fixed to the upper part of the piston rod 39. In this way, the surfaces 4a and 5a of the gasket lips form a hermetic seal on the lateral surfaces 8a and 9a respectively of the edge of the opening, and the same the thin "bridge" metal sheet 12 inserted in the groove 6 of the gasket barrier between the upper parts 8b and 9b of said edge and the lower surface 15a of the element 15 of the closing body 2, and the internal edge or hook 4d of the external lip 4 of the gasket 3 anchors and restrains on the step 8d of the edge 7, so that the packaging is hermetically and physically closed and barrier.

At the same time, the shut-off valves 65, 66 and the modulating valve 67 of the packaging gas mixture are closed . The time required for these operations is eg. about 5".

The aforementioned phase may also possibly include, after the hermetic closure of the packaging, a cooling step of the same by means of indirect convection heat exchange by means of water or air flow or other cooling fluid, carried out by means of a specific circuit and valves as shown in the figure 16.

Phase h) of the process: OPENING OF THE CAVITY, EXTRACTION OF THE PACKAGING AND FINAL COOLING OF THE SAME

At this point, the piston 42 is operated so that the jaws 40 release the package P thus obtained, after which the piston 37 is operated to the upper end of the stroke so that the support 38 and the relative jaws 40 retract near the cavity ceiling 17.

At the same time, the rotating bolt 34 is rotated so that the crankshaft 31 , the whole lifting assembly 30 and the movable lower part 29 of the cavity 17 are free.

The crankshaft 31 is then rotated up to the lower dead point, therefore by 180°, so that said part 29 descends and the cavity 17 opens.

In the meantime, the transfer 18 is brought back 3 pitches towards the beginning of the line, therefore at the loading stroke end, thus with 3 gripping / releasing units 19 in the pre-heater B and the other 3 in correspondence with the 3 cavities of the pasteurizer or sterilizer C.

Once in this position, the spindles 21 , which act on the articulated arms 22 and therefore on the jaws 20 of the 6 gripping / releasing units 19 of the transfer 18, are rotated, bringing said jaws into position and gripping state of the packages P.

In each of the 3 cavities the pneumatic piston 33 is then lowered to the lower end of the stroke, so that the packaging remains suspended on the aforementioned transfer jaws.

The transfer is then transferred with the aforementioned load of 6 packages of three pitches towards the final part of the line, i.e. at the end of the unloading stroke, so that the first 3 gripping / releasing units and the related pre-heated packaging P are in correspondence of the 3 cavities of the pasteurizer or sterilizer C, and the other three with the relative packages P pasteurized or sterilized and aseptically packaged in MAP in correspondence with the final cooler D.

In said position, by returning the shafts 21 to the starting point, the packages are released, after which the transfer is brought back to the end of the loading stroke towards the start of the line, waiting to carry out the loading relating to a new cycle. For the three pre-heated P packaging released into the cavities, a cycle identical to the one described above begins, while for the three already pasteurized or sterilized and aseptically closed in MAP and released into the final cooler at atmospheric pressure, the cooling phase at ventilated air or water spray begins, which has a duration depending on the temperature of these last, eg. 20°C, and the holding of the cooler, eg. 5-10 ', so that the product reaches the pre-set final temperature, eg. 40 ° C.

Phase i) of the process: CIP WASH

At the end of the programmed production, or after a predetermined number of cycles, the cavity and accessories are automatically washed by means of a centralized CIP system.

This operation (see figure 9) takes place after having closed the cavities 17, and opened the valves 43, 61, 52, 50, 51, 69, and diverted the 44 so that the flow coming from the centralized CIP plant of the plant flows in the supply duct 45, and finally diverted the 49 so that this flow, after passing through the cavities 17 and in the evacuation duct 48, flows into the condenser 54 and into the tank 55, and then returns to the CIP system through the 69. All other valves and flaps must be closed.

The washing takes place according to the usual factory protocol, through a succession of an alkaline and an acid solution, both hot, and a final rinse.

At the end of the same, the valves 44, 49 and 69 are returned to their original state, and the cavities 106 are opened.

The present invention has been described with reference to the specific embodiment shown in the illustrations; it should be noted, however, that this invention is not limited to said specific embodiment presented and described in the present document. On the contrary, further variants of the described embodiment also form part of the scope of the present invention, as detailed in the pertinent claims. According to a variant embodiment, the lid 2, again with holes or slots for the passage of air, steam, fumes and gas suitably arranged along the gasket, is placed on the edge 7 of the opening 11 of the container 1 between the outlet of the pre-heater B and the entry of the deaeration, pasteurization or UHT-ST sterilization, auto-evaporative cooling and aseptic MAP packaging, cavities C, so that the gasket 3 does not need to be provided with passages 71 for air, steam and fumes.

According to another variant of embodiment, the aforesaid passages are made in the rigid part of the lid 2 and not in the gasket, and said cover and gasket are placed and completely engaged on the container 1 , therefore in a hermetically sealed position, before introduction in cavity 17, so that during the already described deaeration, pasteurization or UHT-ST sterilization operations, air, steam, fumes and gases pass through said passages, the same being then closed and sealed with sticks, adhesive tapes, plates or flexible laminates heat-sealable or glue, or other hermetic seal and / or barrier system, before opening the cavity at the end of the cycle or immediately after in a sterile section e.g. operating with sterile air flow, laminar or overpressure.

According to another variant embodiment, the lid 2 is taken from the resting position on the edge of the container opening and raised or lowered by means of one or more suction cups integral with the mobile support 38 and operating by pressure difference between the cavity and a separate environment.

According to another variant of embodiment, the transfer consists of shutters made entirely or in part of glass or other material permeable to microwaves, on which the packaging rests or in whose holes are housed, each of these shutters being interposed and compressed in a pack between upper part and lower part of the cavity, both equipped with hermetic seals with interposed live steam barrier. According to another variant (see figure 13), the lower mobile part 29 of the cavity 17, instead of being moved by the mechanical-pneumatic group 30, is moved by a pneumatic or hydraulic piston 73, coaxial to said part and operating directly on it. According to yet another variant (see figure 14), the process and the machine, very simplified as they lack all the phases and organs operating aseptically under vacuum, carry out the pasteurization or sterilization of the product, even exclusively solid, inside the cavity 17, provided that it is moist, and of the semi-closed packaging in which the same is contained, and they seal the product itself in a hermetic and barrier way at a temperature of pasteurization or at a maximum of 100°C and atmospheric pressure or slightly higher.

According to yet another variant (see figure 15), the process and the machine further simplified as they also lack the phases and organs necessary for pasteurization or sterilization, only heat and cook the product, even exclusively solid, inside the cavity 17, provided that it is moist, contained in the semi-closed packaging, and seal the product in a hermetic way at a temperature of pasteurisation or at the maximum of 100°C and at atmospheric pressure or slightly higher. The present invention is susceptible of evident industrial application.

The person skilled in the art will also be able to imagine numerous modifications and / or variations to be made to the same invention, while remaining within the scope of the inventive concept, as amply disclosed. Furthermore, the person skilled in the art can imagine further preferred embodiments of the invention which include one or more of the above illustrated characteristics of the preferred embodiment. Furthermore, it must also be understood that all the details of the invention can be replaced by technically equivalent elements.

A, dosing section B, preheating section

C, pasteurization or sterilization section, evaporative cooling and aseptic packaging in modified atmosphere

D, final cooling section P primary packaging

1 , rigid container

2, locking body

3, axial coupling gasket and bilateral sealing

7, edge of the container opening 1 4, outer lip

5, inner lip

6, groove

8, outer side sealing surface

9, inner side sealing surface 4d, internal lower end flange or hook

5e, axial extension of the inner lip 8d, edge step 7

10 packaging

11 container opening 12, aluminum or PVDC sheet

12, dispenser containers 1

13, carrier

14, dispenser lids 2

15, closing element of the closing body 16, system control and management microprocessor

17, opening cavities

18 multiple transfers

19 gripping / releasing units

20 jaws 21 drive shaft

22 articulated triangle arms

23 free wheels with fixed axis

24 rack 25 gear wheels

26 fixed top

27 silicone rubber gaskets

28 groove

29 axially movable lower part 30 mechanical-pneumatic lifting unit

31 crankshaft

32 connecting rod with pneumatically variable length

33 piston

34 safety rotating bolt 35 shaft

37 pneumatic piston

38 support

39 stem

40 retaining jaws 41 stem

42 pneumatic piston

43 aseptic shut-off valve

44 diversion valve

45 adduction duct to the cavity 46 microfilter sterilizing device

47 aseptic valve

48 evacuation duct

49 valve

50 aseptic shut-off valve 51 modulating vacuum valve

52 aseptic evacuation valve

53 absolute pressure/temperature sensor

54 surface condenser 55 vacuum tank

56 liquid ring vacuum pump

57 check valve

58 shut-off valve

60 aseptic condensate drain valve 61 aseptic supply valve

62 modulating aseptic valve

63 solid state electromagnetic wave generator

64 antenna

65, 66, 67, 69 valves 70 aseptic shut-off valve

71 lid slots / holes

72 hydraulic or pneumatic piston for opening - closing cavity 17

73 safety valve

In this text, when we wanted to express the time unit of measurement in seconds, the symbol “ is used, while the symbol ‘ is used for the time unit in minutes.

For a better understanding of the attached claims, the following is noted:

- the reference numbers used in claim 1 refer to the attached figures 3, 12, 12A, 12B and 12C,

- the reference numbers used in claims 2 to 5 refer to figures 6, 7, 8 and

9, - the reference numbers used in claims 6 and 7 are referring to figures 3,

4, 5 and 6 ,

- the reference numbers used in claims 8 to 10 are shown in figures 6, 7,

8 and 9, - the reference numbers used in claims 11 to 14 are referred to in figure

9,

- the reference numbers used in claim 15 are referring to figures 1, 1A,

1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 6, 7 and 8

- the reference numbers used in claims 16 to 21 refer to figures 6, 7, 8 , 9 and 16,

- the reference numbers used in claim 22 are referring to figures 13, 14,

15 and 16,

- the reference numbers used in in claim 23 are referred to figure 14,

- the reference numbers used in in claim 24 are referred to figure 15, - the reference numbers used in claims 25 to 39 are referred to figures 1 , 1A, 1 B, 1C, 1 D,

- the reference numbers used in claim 40 are referred to figure 1 E,

- the reference numbers used in claims 41 to 44 are referred to figure 2,

2A, 2B and 2C, - the reference numbers used in claim 45 are referred to figure 2 D, 2 E, and 2 F,

- the reference numbers used in claims 46 to 53 refer to figures 2 D , 2 H and 2 I .