Method and Device for Aseptic Filling

Abstract

A method and a device for the aseptic filling of a liquid food product that contains at least one solid particle, including disinfection with a disinfection unit of at least a part of the external surface of at least one first container which contains the solid particle, and disinfection of at least a second container, opening of the disinfected first container with an opening unit and removal of the solid particle, and filling via a filling unit of a disinfected second container with the solid particle and a liquid food.

1 . A method for the aseptic filling of a liquid food product, which contains at least one solid particle, comprising:
 Disinfecting at least one part of the external surface of at least one first container that comprises the solid particle, and disinfecting at least one second container,   Opening the disinfected first container and removing the solid particle, and   Filling a disinfected second container with the solid particle and a liquid food ( 18 ).   
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , and one of wherein the external surface of the first container is completely disinfected, and the disinfected container is transferred before opening into a clean room; and wherein the first container is only partly disinfected and then a disinfected part of the first container is docked onto an opening unit and opened. 
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 1 , and wherein, between the step of opening in the opening unit and the step of filling: one of producing a mixture of the solid particle with a liquid carrier in a dilution unit, predosing one of the solid particle and the mixture of solid particle with the liquid carrier in a predosing unit, and a combination thereof. 
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 3 , wherein the solid particle removed from the first container or the mixture ( 34 ) runs consecutively through the opening unit, the dilution unit and the predosing unit in a vertical direction from top to bottom. 
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the step of opening comprises the perforation of the first container with a perforator. 
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising one of testing the leak-tightness of the first container which contains the solid particle, detecting metal in a second container filled with liquid food product with a metal detector, and a combination thereof, wherein the containers are sorted out in the event of one of a leak, the presence of metal, and a combination thereof. 
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising pasteurizing one of the liquid food, the liquid carrier, and a combination thereof with a pasteurization unit. 
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 2 , further comprising one of introducing one of the first container which contains the solid particle, the empty second container, and a combination thereof into the clean room via at least one first transfer device, removing one of the empty first container the second container filled with the liquid food product, and a combination thereof from the clean room via at least one second transfer device, and a combination thereof. 
     
     
         9 . A device for the aseptic filling of a liquid food product that contains at least one solid particle, comprising
 at least one disinfection unit to disinfect at least one part of the external surface of at least one first container that contains the solid particle and to disinfect at least one second container,   at least one opening unit to open the disinfected first container and to remove the solid particle, and   at least one filling unit for filling a disinfected second container with a liquid food and the solid particle.   
     
     
         10 . The device according to  claim 9 , further comprising one of a clean room in which the opening unit is located, and in which a completely disinfected first container is opened, a docking unit which is located at the opening unit and onto which a disinfected part of the container is docked before opening, and a combination thereof. 
     
     
         11 . The device according to  claim 9 , further including one of a dilution unit for producing a mixture of the solid particle with a liquid carrier, a predosing unit for predosing one of the solid particle and the mixture of the solid particle with the liquid carrier, and a combination thereof. 
     
     
         12 . The device according to  claim 11 , wherein the opening unit, the dilution unit and the predosing unit are laid out in a vertical direction from top to bottom. 
     
     
         13 . The device according to  claim 9 , further comprising one of a testing unit for testing the leak-tightness of the first container which contains the solid particle, a metal detector to detect metal in a second container filled with liquid food product, and a combination thereof. 
     
     
         14 . The device according to  claim 9 , further comprising at least one pasteurization unit for pasteurizing one of the liquid food, the liquid carrier, and a combination thereof. 
     
     
         15 . The device according to  claim 9 , further comprising one of at least one first transfer device to introduce one of the first container, which contains the solid particle, an empty second container, and a combination thereof into the clean room, at least one second transfer device to remove one of an empty first container, a second container filled with the liquid food product, and a combination thereof from the clean room, and a combination thereof. 
     
     
         16 . The method according to  claim 4 , wherein the downward movement is due to gravity. 
     
     
         17 . The method according to  claim 5 , wherein the perforator perforates the container in a vertical direction from top to bottom. 
     
     
         18 . The method according to  claim 7 , wherein the pasteurization step is carried out without treating the solid particle. 
     
     
         19 . The device according to  claim 12 , and wherein the opening unit comprises a perforator. 
     
     
         20 . The device according to  claim 19 , wherein the perforator is positioned in such a way in relation to the first container that the perforator can perforate the first container in a vertical direction from top to bottom. 
     
     
         21 . The device according to  claim 14 , and wherein the pasteurization unit is laid out in such a way that the solid particle is not treated.