WO1998013267A1

WO1998013267A1 - Ceramic porcelain container

Info

Publication number: WO1998013267A1
Application number: PCT/IT1997/000230
Authority: WO
Inventors: Andrea Darecchio; Michelangelo Fortuna
Original assignee: CAVAZZINI ELISABETTA; TEDESCHI PAOLA
Current assignee: CAVAZZINI ELISABETTA; TEDESCHI PAOLA
Priority date: 1996-09-24
Filing date: 1997-09-22
Publication date: 1998-04-02
Anticipated expiration: 1999-03-24
Also published as: ITPR960034A1; ITPR960034A0; AU4636797A; IT1288048B1

Abstract

The invention falls within the sector of containers for packaging in an aseptic manner mass-consumption products such as food, beverages, pet-food, cosmetics, pharmaceutical products, detergents or the like. The container (1) is made from ceramic material or porcelain, is formed at ambient temperature by means of pressing or casting, glazed in the parts making contact with the product and sterilized by a thermophysical method during ceramic firing. The container (1), after use, may be directly reused, recycled or exhausted as filling material in the same manner as any ceramic or brick waste product.

Description

CERAMIC PORCELAIN CONTAINER

DESCRIPTION The present invention relates to a ceramic or porcelain container for packaging in an aseptic or protected manner mass-consumption products such as food, beverages, petfood, cosmetics, pharmaceutical products, detergents or the like, and associated production and packaging process .

Mass-consumption products to be packaged in an aseptic or protected manner require containers which are able to satisfy the requirements of being low-cost, practical, lightweight, reliable and attractive and are suitable for performing their function from a hygienic and health point of view as well as being able to: withstand sterilization treatment; ensure that the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of the contents remain unaltered as far as possible; be impervious to liquids, gases and light rays; not release into the product substances which are harmful for the health of the consumer; transport the product from the location where it is packaged to the location where it is consumed passing through the intermediate distribution stages; show the necessary product and marketing information relating thereto as well as any decorations; facilitate the consumption thereof also with the aid of any opening or reclosing devices; and moreover be manufactured, packaged, used and disposed of without polluting the environment . Each of said requirements assumes a different degree of importance for each product, instance or moment and each type of container and associated production and packaging process is able to satisfy the requirement in question to a varying degree. It is obviously not possible to provide an exhaustive survey of all the possible cases here, but the aspects of each type of known container which are generally considered positive or negative for most of the products may be mentioned:

- METAL CONTAINERS: These are cans, tins or rigid trays, made of strips of tin, aluminium or other metal. They are resistant to knocks, internal pressure and vacuums and impervious to liquids, gases and light rays. Silk- screen printing may be carried out on them. They may be easily opened without tools if provided with a suitable device. They have a particular shape and are always stable on their support base. They withstand sterilization temperatures and rapid and substantial changes in temperature. They may be used for aseptic or protected packaging, with chemical or thermophysical sterilization of the container. They cannot be produced advantageously in-line with the packaging machine in view of the complexity of the process and the use of organic paints and solvents. They have a polluting effect on the environment during painting and silk-screen printing, but not after use since they may be recycled. They are relatively heavy, costly and generally have a cylindrical shape with a round, square or rectangular base. They are not permeable to microwaves. They cannot be closed again after opening, unless they are provided with a special device. The material from which they are made causes reactions with the product and releases metallic substances into the latter; to overcome this problem, their internal surface is almost always covered with organic paints which, however, are not exempt from releasing substances into the product. They are not particularly suitable for the modern distribution systems which prefer containers which are less expensive, have smaller dimensions and are more attractive for the potential purchaser, such as containers with a parallelepiped shape. They are used when the container is required to withstand high mechanical stresses, for example during the aseptic packaging of whipping cream under pressure with N02, or products which benefit from the release of metallic substances, at least from an organoleptic point of view, such as peeled tomatoes. GLASS CONTAINERS: these are rigid glass bottles, pots, jars provided with a closure in the form of a metal lid of the screw or force-fitting type with a pressure seal or in the form of a plastic-coated aluminium capsule heat-sealed onto a rim of lacquered glass. They are very attractive, both owing to the shininess and the transparency of the material and the varied shapes which the latter may assume. They allow one to check visually the quality of the product contained therein. They may be decorated. They are impervious to liquids and gases, but not to light rays (unless they are made of coloured glass) . They do not react with the product and do not release substances into the latter. They are fragile and not particularly resistant to internal pressures and vacuums. They may be easily opened and closed again. They have a characteristics shape and are always stable on their support base. They are permeable to microwaves. They cannot be produced advantageously in-line with the packaging machine, in view of the complexity of the glass working process and the characteristic associated therewith of forming the objects using material in the molten state, i.e. at very high temperatures. They do not have a polluting effect on the environment after use, since they may be recycled. They withstand sterilization temperatures, but -not sudden and substantial variations in temperature. They may be used for aseptic or protected packaging, but, in view of the poor resistance of glass to rapid variations in temperature, they are generally sterilized via the chemical rather than thermophysical method. In this way, however, since it is required to use chemical products which are highly toxic (for example H202) and produce vapours which are difficult to neutralise and easily leave residue inside the package, there is the probability of environmental pollution and chemical contamination of the product. They are heavy and costly. They are used mainly for high-quality containers or in cases where the transparency or lack of reactions and release of substances into the product are essential; - PAPER CONTAINERS: These are flexible containers such as Brik, Combibloc, Pure-pak, etc., made from a thin preprinted laminate consisting of several superimposed layers of polyethylene, paper, and if necessary aluminium, EVOH or the like. They are cold-formed starting from the laminates and closed by means of heat- sealing during packaging. They may not be produced in- line with the packaging machine, in view of the complexity of their production process and the use of organic solvents and inks. They are economical, resistant to impacts and very light. They are impervious to liquids and light rays and, if the lamina is protected with a continuous layer of aluminium, EVOH or the like, also to gases. They are not thermoformable . If there is no layer of aluminium present in the lamina, they are permeable to microwaves. If they are provided with special devices, they may be easily opened without tools and closed again. They generally have a characteristic shape and are relatively stable on their support base, even after opening of the container. They are suitable for parallelepiped shapes and for printing. They do not withstand internal pressure or vacuums (unless they are aided by the product) . They cannot withstand sterilization temperatures, not even for a short period of time, owing to the presence, on the surface, of polyethylene in a thin layer. They may be used for aseptic packaging, but by sterilising them using the chemical rather than the thermophysical method, and therefore with the same drawbacks of environmental pollution and chemical contamination of the product described for glass. They have a polluting effect on the environment during their manufacture, owing to the use of inorganic solvents and inks, and after use, because it is not possible to recycle them in an inexpensive manner and destruction thereof by means of combustion results in the formation of gases and ashes, both of which are toxic. They are used mainly for practical, attractive and relatively cheap packages for widely distributed products when it is necessary that the container should have a characteristic, for example parallelepiped shape; - PLASTIC CONTAINERS: These are bottles made of PET, pots made of PE or PS, combined bags, etc, which are flexible and obtained from laminates, pressed products, extruded or coextruded products made of plastic materials of various types, by means of thermoblowing, thermoforming or ther owelding. They have the same positive and negative aspects as paper containers, but since they do not have the layer of paper and, if necessary, a layer of aluminium, they are hot-formable. They may be transparent and shiny like glass. They are not well- suited for printing. In some cases (bags), they do not have a characteristic shape and lose stability with opening of the package. They may be produced in-line with the packaging system. They are generally used for practical, light and low-cost packages for widely distributed products, where it is required to have a shape different from a parallelepiped, for example a pot, tray, bag or bottle.

In short, it emerges that the present state of the art is composed of some containers for packaging in an aseptic or protected manner mass-consumption products (such as paper and plastic containers) and associated production and packaging processes which fully satisfy the current requirements of the modern-day distribution and marketing, but not those associated with protection of the environment and the consumer's health, other containers (such as glass containers) which satisfy the latter but not the former, and the remaining containers (metal ones) which do not satisfy either set of requirements. Therefore, on a worldwide level, the use of paper, plastic and glass containers is gradually gaining ground, while the use of metal containers is slowly being abandoned.

The object of the present invention, therefore, is to satisfy fully the present-day distribution and marketing requirements, those associated with the environment and health as well as all the other abovementioned requirements of mass-consumption products which are to be packaged in an aseptic and protected manner. Said object is fully achieved by the ceramic or porcelain container for packaging in an aseptic or protected manner mass-consumption products such as food, beverages, pet- food, cosmetics, pharmaceutical products, detergents and the like and the associated production and packaging process, according to the present invention, characterized in that: A) the container comprises:

- a ceramic or porcelain body, having any hollow or concave shape and of any size, with continuous, thin, walls which are smooth or have ribs, and provided with several accesses to the cavity or hollow, which accesses can be closed hermetically by means of devices for closing and if necessary for reclosing by means of a seal, pressure or heat-sealing, said body being, inside the cavity or the hollow and the associated accesses, glazed without porosity, i.e. lined with a continuous and non-porous film of vitrified inert inorganic material, and, externally, smooth or provided with ribs and if necessary partially or totally glazed and decorated and/or covered with one or more decorated labels of material suitable for printing and for absorbing any impacts;

- one or more devices for hermetic closing and if necessary for reclosing after opening, located at the accesses to the cavity or hollow of the body, of the type in the form of a stopper or lid made of ceramic material or porcelain, glazed without porosity on the side towards the product, with sealing tightness and a seal compatible with the product, located in a continuous thin annular layer between the body and closing device in a position which is only partially or not at all accessible to the product itself, or of the type in the form of a stopper made polyethylene or polypropylene and provided with a deformable neck which, by means of pushing from the outside, is forced into the access to the cavity, which has slightly smaller dimensions, where it remains engaged, and which, owing to said forcing effect, exerts a pressure on the collar of the access itself so as to form the hermetic seal, being also provided with an aluminium barrier which is removed or broken by the consumer upon opening of the package and moreover with a reclosable sealing lid, again made of polyethylene or polypropylene, or else of the type in the form of a capsule made of aluminium lined externally with polyethylene or polypropylene, with heat-sealing following lacquering of the annular rim of the access opening and provided if necessary at the top with a reclosable sealing lid;

- one or more labels made of material suitable for printing and if necessary for absorbing impacts, applied to the external surface of the aforementioned body; B) the production and packaging process comprises, in succession: storage, in special silos, of the raw materials necessary for production of the body and the stopper or lid made of ceramic material or porcelain, all of which are inorganic and inert such as clays, kaolins, silicates, etc. suitably ground and atomized;

- forming of said body and closing device at ambient temperature and in the unprocessed/plastic state, by means of high-pressure pressing, in moulds, of said raw materials suitably moistened, or by means of casting, at atmospheric pressure or under pressure, of aqueous suspensions thereof in moulds which can be opened and are semi-pervious, i.e. pervious to water but not to the raw materials suspended therein; - drying of the body and the stopper or lid thus formed, by means of hot air or other means or system;

- glazing thereof, totally or partially, by means of dipping or spraying, using inert inorganic materials such as silicates, etc. and any external decoration again by means of inorganic materials (or ceramic firing);

- firing thereof at the ceramic-forming temperature and thereby also microbiological sterilization via the thermophysical method (or glazing, decoration, and re- firing/sterilization) ; - cooling thereof in an aseptic or protected environment. by means of sterile air;

- immediate use thereof for the aseptic or protected packaging of the product, where the tightness of the package is obtained by placing between the body and the stopper or lid, in a position only partially or not all accessible to the product, pre-sterilized seals compatible with the packaged product, for example impervious natural resins or lacquers;

- the application of any label onto the external surface of the container.

According to this technology, therefore, the production of the container and the packaging of the product therein are performed in-line in the same plant, without the packaging machine being able to perform any prior sterilization of the elements of the container itself. According to a possible variant of this technology, which is used when the body and any ceramic or porcelain stopper or lid are produced at a particular location or time and are used for packaging at another location or time, said elements, after ceramic firing, are cooled in a normal environment, thus losing the sterility acquired during said firing and, shortly before packaging, are re- sterilized by a thermophysical method in a suitable superheated-steam oven or in another thermal system, and then cooled in an aseptic or protected environment by means of sterile air and immediately packaged on-line, again in an aseptic or protected environment. According to another variant, which is used in the case where the ceramic' or porcelain body are produced in a sterile manner and the closing device is any one of the types mentioned, but not produced in a sterile manner, prior to packaging the closing device is sterilized (if made of ceramic material, porcelain or polypropylene) or pasteurized (if made of polyethylene) by a thermophysical method, for example using superheated or saturated water vapour, and then used together with the sterile body for aseptic or protected packaging of the product (sterilized for all neutral and acid products, and pasteurized only for acids), where it is applied to the access of the said body, the tightness of the package being obtained by means of heat-sealing, pressure-fitting or sealing, depending on the type.

C) the container and the associated production and packaging process, together, form a system which possesses the following properties:

- The package is impervious to liquids and to gases (because the cavity of the body, made of ceramic material or porcelain, is glazed without porosity, as are the lid or stopper made of said materials, while the other closing devices provided are made of plastic screened with aluminium, EVOH or the like), as well as to light rays (because the body and the various closing devices provided are made of opaque material ) ;

- the package is permeable to microwaves .(because the body and the stopper or lid made of ceramic material or porcelain are devoid of metal screens) ;

- the container does not cause reactions with the product or the release into it of substances of any kind or to any degree, because the packaged product makes contact continuously with the internal surface of the body which is glazed without porosity, and only accidentally - since it is situated in the high part of the space at the top -with the internal surface of the closing device, which is also glazed without porosity if said device is of the type made of ceramic material or porcelain, but otherwise made of polyethylene or polypropylene, as well as with any seal between the body and the closing device, consisting of lacquer or natural resin, which is thin and located in a zone only partially or not all accessible to the product itself;

- the body and the stopper or lid made of ceramic material or porcelain are perfectly resistant to temperatures even far greater than those for sterilization with rapid and substantial thermal variations, whereas the plastic-coated aluminium capsule or the screened plastic stopper are able to withstand up to 150°C, if made of polypropylene, and 100°C, if made of polyethylene, and therefore, respectively, sterilization and pasteurization temperatures; - the container, therefore, may be sterilized or pasteurized, depending on the type of material of its elements, using a thermophysical rather than a chemical method, this allowing respectively neutral or acid products to be packaged in an aseptic or protected manner, avoiding the formation of vapours which have a polluting effect on the environment or residues in the product which are toxic for the consumer, characteristic of the chemical method; - the closing devices may be of the type in the form of a stopper or lid made of ceramic material or porcelain, of the type in the form of a capsule made of aluminium foil lined with polyethylene or polypropylene, or of the type in the form of a stopper made of polyethylene or polypropylene and the package may be closed hermetically, respectively, by means of sealing, pressure-fitting or heat-sealing of said devices to the access openings of the body; the package may be opened without tools and if necessary may be closed again; - the body has any hollow or concave shape, including that of a parallepiped, pot, tray, bottle, etc., or artistic shapes (because forming is performed by means of pressing or casting in moulds without any restrictions as to shape ) ; - the package may be provided with a label, if necessary made of material suitable for absorbing impacts, which is applied to the external surface of the container after packaging;

- the body and the lid may be made in any colour, and also be shiny;

- the package is stable on its support base even after opening, having a particular shape;

- the container is light, because the specific weight of the ceramic material or that of the porcelain are limited and the walls are thin, and is relatively resistant to mechanical stresses and knocks, because said materials have high permissible stress levels and reasonable resilience;

- the container does not have a polluting effect on the environment, because it is reusable or recyclable and made with inert natural inorganic materials so that, after use, reuse or recycling, it may be exhausted without treatment, for example as a filling material like any ceramic or brick product; - the container is inexpensive (because it is made from low-quality raw materials which are widely available in nature everywhere and because the production process is relatively simple and not costly) ; the container • production process is simple and practical and compatible with the environment for packaging many mass-consumption products;

- the container production process may therefore be performed in-line with the packaging system, in the same plant, without effecting the transport and storage of empties between production and packaging and without performing sterilization thereof in the packaging machine;

- the process for aseptic or protected packaging does not have a polluting effect on the environment and does not give rise to chemical contamination of the packaged product (because sterilization or pasteurization of the container are performed by the thermophysical and not the chemical method, i.e. without making use of toxic chemical substances). These and other characteristic features will emerge more clearly from the following description of four preferred embodiments illustrated, purely by way of a non-limiting example, in the accompanying plates of drawings, in which: - Figure 1 shows a partially sectioned elevation view of the container in the form of a hollow parallelepiped with rounded edges, in the version with the external surface smooth and glazed and with a closure in the form of a sealed ceramic or porcelain stopper; - Figure 2 shows a top plan view of the container according to Figure 1;

- Figure 3 shows the container according to Figure 1), but with the closure in the form of a pressure stopper made of barriered plastic; - Figure 4 shows a top plan view of the container according to Figure 3);

- Figure 5 shows an elevation view of the container with ribs on the outside, a cardboard label and closure in the form of a capsule made of plastic-coated aluminium foil and heat-sealed to the body;

- Figure 6 shows a bottom plan view of the container according to Figure 5;

- Figure 7 shows a top plan view of the container according to Figure 5; - Figure 8 shows an elevation view of the container in the form of a concave pot with a smooth and glazed exterior and with a closure in the form of a heat-sealed plastic-coated aluminium foil capsule;

- Figure 9) shows a top plan view of the container according to Figure 8. With reference to Figures 1 and 2, 1 denotes the hollow ceramic or porcelain body with smooth continuous thin walls, formed at ambient temperature by means of casting or pressing and glazed without porosity inside the cavity and glazed and decorated on the outside, 2 denotes the reclosable stopper made of ceramic material or porcelain, formed in the same manner as the body and glazed on the inside without porosity, 3 denotes the layer of natural resin or lacquer of the hermetic seal which is thin and continuous and located annularly in a position not accessible to the product.

With reference to Figures 3 and 4, 4 denotes the hollow ceramic or porcelain body with smooth continuous thin walls, formed at room temperature by means of casting or pressing and glazed without porosity on the inside of the cavity and glazed and decorated on the outside, 5 denotes the pressure closing stopper made of screened polyethylene or polypropylene. This stopper is provided with a deformable collar 6 which, by means of pushing from the outside, is forced into the access opening of the body 4 of slightly smaller dimensions, where it remains engaged and which, owing to said forcing action, exerts a pressure on the collar 7 of the access opening itself, sufficient to form the hermetic seal. Said stopper is also provided with an aluminium barrier 8 which is removed or broken by the consumer upon opening of the package and moreover with a reclosable sealed lid 9.

With reference to Figures 5, 6 and 7, 10 denotes the hollow ceramic or porcelain body with continuous thin walls which are smooth on the inside of the cavity and ribbed 12 on the outside, which is formed at ambient temperature by means of casting or pressing and glazed without porosity inside the cavity and glazed and decorated on the outside, 11 denotes the closing capsule made of aluminium foil lined with polyethylene or polypropylene on the internal surface and heat-sealed to the body after lacquering of the annular rim of the access to the cavity, and 13 denotes the label which surrounds the body and is made of material suitable for printing and absorbing impacts.

With reference to Figures 8 and 9, 14 denotes the concave ceramic or porcelain body with smooth continuous thin walls, formed at ambient temperature by means of pressing or casting and glazed without porosity on the inside of the hollow and glazed and if necessary decorated on the outside, and 15 denotes the aluminium capsule lined with polyethylene or polypropylene on the inside and heat- sealed to the body after lacquering of the upper annular rim thereof.

Claims

CLAIMS Container for packaging in an aseptic or protected manner mass-consumption products such as food, beverages, petfood, cosmetics, pharmaceutical products, detergents and the like, characterized in that at comprises:

- a ceramic or porcelain body 1, 4, 10 or 14, having any hollow or concave shape and of any size, with continuous thin walls which are smooth or have ribs 12, and provided with one or more accesses to the cavity or hollow, which accesses can be closed hermetically by means of devices 2, 5, 11 or 15 for closing and if necessary for reclosing by means of a seal, pressure or heat-sealing, said body being, inside the cavity or hollow and the associated accesses, glazed without porosity, i.e. lined with a continuous and non-porous film of vitrified inert inorganic material, and, externally, smooth or provided with ribs 12 and if necessary partially or totally glazed and decorated and/or covered with one or more decorated labels 13 of material suitable for printing and for absorbing any impacts;

- one or more devices 2, 5, 11, 15 for hermetic closing and if necessary for reclosing after opening, located at the accesses to the cavity or hollow of the body, of the type in the form of a stopper or lid 2 made of ceramic material or porcelain, glazed without porosity on the side towards the product, with sealing tightness and a seal 3 compatible with the product, located in a continuous thin annular layer between the body and closing device in a position which is only partially or not at all accessible to the product itself, or of the type in the form of a stopper 5 made polyethylene or polypropylene and provided with a deformable neck 6 which, by means of pushing from the outside, is forced into the access to the cavity, which has slightly smaller dimensions, where it remains engaged, and which, owing to said forcing effect, exerts a pressure on the collar 7 of the access opening itself so as to form the hermetic seal, being also provided with an aluminium foil barrier 8 which is removed or broken by the consumer upon opening of the package and moreover with a reclosable sealing lid 9, again made of polyethylene or polypropylene, or else of the type in the form of a capsule 11 or 15 made of aluminium foil lined externally with polyethylene or polypropylene, with heat-sealing following lacquering of the annular rim of the access opening and provided if necessary at the top with a reclosable sealing lid such as that indicated by 9;

- one or more labels 13 made of material suitable for printing and if necessary for absorbing impacts, applied to the external surface of the aforementioned body;

2. Process for production of the container according to Claim 1 and for aseptic or protected packaging therein of mass-consumption products such as those indicated in said claim, characterized in that it comprises, in succession: storage, in special silos, of the ra<Λ materials necessary for production of the body and the stopper or lid mad*³ of ceramic material or porcelair, a_l of which are inorganic and inert such as clays, kaolins, silicates, etc. suitably ground and atonized;

- forming of said body and closing device at ambient temperature and in the unprocessed/plastic state, by means of high-pressure pressing, in moulds, o^ said raw materials suitably moistened, or by means of casting, at atmospheric pressure or under pressure, of aqueous suspensions thereof in moulds which can be opened and are semi-pervious, i.e. pervious to water but not to the raw materials suspended therein;

- drying of the body and the stopper or lid thus formed, by means of hot air or other means or system;

- firing thereof at the ceramic-forming temperature and thereby also microbiological sterilization by means of the thermophysical method (or glazing, decoration, and re-flπng/sterilization) ;

- cooling thereof in an aseptic or protected environment by means of sterile air;

- immediate use thereof for the aseptic or protected packaging of the product, where the tightness of the package is obtained by placing between the body and the stopper or lid, in a position only partially or not all accessible to the product, a continuous thin annular layer of pre-steπlized sealant compatible w th the packaged product, for example impervious natural resins or lacquers;

- the application of any labels onto the external surface of the container.

Process according to Claim 2, characterized in that production of the container is performed in-line with packaging of the product in the same plant, without any sterilization of the body and/or the device for closing the container itself by means of the packaging machine. Process according to Claim 2, characterized in that the body and any ceramic or porcelain stopper or lid are produced at a particular location or time without conserving the sterility thereof acquired with ceramic firing and are used for packaging of the product at another location or time, after re-sterilization by the thermophysical method using superheated steam or the like and cooling in an aseptic or protected environment by means of sterile air.

5. Process according -to Claims 2, 3 or 4, characterized in that the ceramic or porcelain body is produced in a sterile manner, while the hermetic closing device, of the type in the form of a capsule made of aluminium lined with polyethylene or polypropylene or a stopper made of barriered polyethylene or polypropylene, or else a stopper or lid made of ceramic material or porcelain, is not produced in a sterile manner, ana that, prior to packaging, said closing device is sterilized, if made of ceramic material, porcelain or polypropylene, or pasteurized, if made of polyethylene by a thermophysical method, using superheated, saturated water vapour or the like, and then used together with the sterile body for aseptic or protected packaging of the product (sterilized for all neutral and acid products and pasteurized only for acids), where it is applied to the access opening of the said body, the tightness of the package being obtained by means of heat-sealing, pressure-fitting or sealing, depending on the type.

6. Process for packaging a container according to Claim 1, characterized in that:

- The package is made impervious to liquids and to gases by the glazing, without porosity, of the cavity or hollow of the body and the internal part of the lid or stopper made of ceramic material or porcelain and moreover by particular combinations of different plastics or plastic and metal of the other closing devices provided and, moreover, made impermeable to light rays by the opacity of the materials of the body and those of the closing devices;

- the package is made permeable to microwaves by the absence of metal screens in the ceramic material or porcelain of the body, stopper or lid;

- the container does not cause reactions with the product or release into it substances of any kind or to any degree, because the packaged product makes contact continuously with the internal surface of the body which is glazed without porosity, and only accidentally - since it is situated in the high part of the space at the top - with the internal surface of the closing device, which is also glazed without porosity if said device is of the type made of ceramic material or porcelain, and which otherwise is made of polyethylene or polypropylene, as well as with any seal between the body and the closing device, consisting of lacquer or natural resin, which is thin and located in a zone only partially or not all accessible to the product itself; - the body and the stopper or lid made of ceramic material or porcelain are perfectly resistant to temperatures even far greater than those for sterilization and to rapid and substantial thermal variations, whereas the plastic-coated aluminium capsule or the screened plastic stopper are able to withstand up to 150°C, if made of polypropylene, and 100°C, if made of polyethylene, and therefore, respectively, sterilization and pasteurization temperatures; the container, therefore, may be sterilized or pasteurized, depending on the type of material of its elements, using a thermophysical instead of a chemical method, this allowing respectively neutral and acid or only acid products to be packaged m an aseptic or protected manner, avoiding the formation of vapours which have a polluting effect on the environment or residues in the product which are toxic for the consumer, characteristic of the chemical method;

- the closing devices may be of the type in the form of a stopper or lid made of ceramic material or porcelain, of the type m the form of a capsule made of aluminium foil lined with polyethylene or polypropylene, or of the type in the form of a stopper made of polyethylene or polypropylene and the package may be closed hermetically, respectively, by means of sealing, pressure-flttinq or heat-sealing of said devices to the access openings of the body;

- the package may be opened without tools and if necessary may be closed again;

- the body has any hollow or concave shape, including that of a parallepiped, pot, basin, tray, bowl, dish, bottle, etc., and artistic shapes because it is formed by means of pressing or casting in moulds which do not have any limitations as to shape;

- the package may be provided with a label, if necessary made of material suitable for absorbing impacts, which can be applied onto the external surface thereof after packaging;

- the body and the lid may be made in any colour, also of a shiny nature;

- the container does not have a polluting effect on the environment because it may be reused or recycled and because it is made entirely or almost entirely, in accordance with the versions described, of inert natural inorganic materials so that, after use or recycling, it may be exhausted without any treatment, in the manner of any ceramic or brick waste product;

- the process for aseptic or protected packaging of the product in this container does not have a polluting effect on the environment and does not give rise to chemical contamination of the packageα product, because sterilization or pasteurization of the container is performed by a thermophysical and not a chemical method, i.e. without making use of toxic chemical substances. Container and process in accordance with the preceding claims, characterized in that it is used for packaging said products in a modified atmosphere or in any other manner, or for packaging of any type of product.