Fecha de publicación: -- Fuente: WIPO "tomato" A packaging apparatus for forming sealed packages (2) partially-filled with a pourable product, comprises: a tube forming and sealing device (3), configured to form a tube (4) from an advancing web (5) of packaging material and to longitudinally seal the tube (4); a filling device (6), including a product feeding pipe (60) extending from an inlet (61) to an outlet (62) and presenting an inner surface (67) and a pipe axis (A2), and configured to direct the pourable product into the tube (4) for obtaining a product column (7) within the tube (4); a gas feeding device (8), comprising a gas feeding duct (80) configured to direct a sterile gas into the product column (7) so that a gas cushion (71) is formed and/or maintained within the product column (7); a package forming unit (9), for forming and transversally sealing the tube (4) for obtaining the packages (2), so that each package (2) is filled with the pourable product and contains a gas space (10) containing a defined volume of the sterile gas present within the gas cushion (71). The apparatus (1) includes a channel (68) that develops around the pipe axis (A2) and provides the outlet (62) of the product feeding pipe (60), and is configured to convey the product at the outlet (62) of the product feeding pipe (60) in an ejecting direction (D1) having a component radially 5 diverging with respect to the pipe axis (A1).