METHOD AND APPARATUS OF MANUFACTURING ASEPTICALLY FILLED CANNED FOOD

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To manufacture aseptically filled canned food wherein a can and a lid can be reliably sterilized and the canned food has high sterility without being influenced by sterility of a seamer body. SOLUTION: A can barrel sterilizing and feeding device fills an empty can with a chemical from a chemical filling tank 18 while carrying by a net conveyer 17 to bring an internal surface of the can into contact with the chemical for a predetermined time, and also jets the chemical and warm water to an external surface of the can, thereby sterilizing the external surface of the can without heating to a high temperature. A lid sterilizing and feeding device 40 carries lids with intervals in a standing state and sequentially jets the chemical, sterile water and sterile air to internal and external surfaces of the lid from between the lids while carrying them thereby sterilizing the lids. A clean sealer 80 substitutes a high temperature substitution fluid for a head space gas before the can filled with the contents reaches the seamer body 85 in the device 80 and pressure-welds and temporarily rolls the lid to have the can sealed before it reaches a fully rolling space. Since the high temperature substitution fluid rapidly cools, the inside of the can reduces to a negative pressure, obtaining aseptically filled negative pressure canned food.