FR2808166A1 - De-salting machine for salted and dried fish has container of cold water to receive fish and automatic system to change water periodically - Google Patents

Abstract

The machine consists of a container (2) to de-salt the fish in a given volume of refrigerated water, a system (8, 14) for replacing part of the water with fresh water, and a control unit (16) to actuate the system in cycles of selected duration and frequency. The temperature of the water is governed by a cooling unit (6) and a heat exchanger (5) in contact with the base (4) of the container.

Description

The present invention relates to a machine for desalting fish preserved by salting, possibly drying, with a view to their consumption more particularly, to such a machine for desalinating rehydrating cod. More particularly still, the present invention relates to such a machine adapted to the needs of food catering businesses or the sale of desalinated fish in specialized stores.

Fish, such as cod, julienne, ling, cusk or black 1 ", are commonly called" cod ", after treatment of the latter by salting and drying in view of their preservation. Thus treated, they can be transported without damage up to possibly very distant consumption points, provided that a cold chain with a predetermined positive temperature is respected.

To prepare the fish for consumption, it is then advisable to desalt and rehydrate them so that the fish regains as much as possible its original appearance, while presenting the desired taste qualities. In this respect it must be sufficiently desalted but not too much, otherwise it will be tasteless.

The domestic or artisanal processes commonly used today to desalt and rehydrate cod proceed by soaking in numbers and uncontrolled durations with water sometimes not refrigerated, involving a number of manual operations carried out under often questionable hygienic conditions . It can result in products that can be criticized from the triple point of view of health, taste (insufficient or excessive desalting) and freshness. The object of the present invention is precisely to provide a machine for desalting preserved fish salting and, optionally, drying, making it possible to ensure this desalting under hygienic conditions in accordance with good practices in the field of food products, while giving desalinated fish the desired qualities, particularly in terms of color (white), texture, flavor and salting of the flesh of this fish.

The present invention also aims to achieve such a machine, designed more particularly to meet the needs of catering businesses or stores specializing in the sale of salted fish. These objects of the invention are achieved, as others will appear on reading the description which will follow with a machine for desalting fish preserved salting and, optionally drying, for consumption, this machine being remarkable in that that it comprises a) a tank sized to receive a load of fish to be desalinated in a volume of chilled water, b) means for selectively replacing at least part of the water contained in the tank with unsalted water, means for periodically automatically controlling the operation of said replacement means, according to predetermined operating cycles in duration and in number.

As will be seen in detail below, the machine according to the invention makes it possible to automate the fish salting operations. There are many advantages from this automation in terms of health (thanks to the elimination of many manipulations of fish and water previously required) and in terms of taste, the precision of the salting rate of fish, in particular).

According to other characteristics of the present invention, the machine comprises means for selecting the number of operating cycles of this machine. means for controlling the machine include means for adjusting the duration of a cycle. The machine also comprises means for refrigerating water at a predetermined temperature, these means comprising a refrigeration exchanger in thermal transfer contact with at least one wall of said tank.

other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will appear on reading the description which follows and on examining the appended drawing where the single figure schematically represents the reconditioning machine according to the present invention.

this figure it appears that the machine essentially comprises, placed on a base 1, a tank 2 and an adjacent box 3, the assembly being in one piece and taking the form of a piece of furniture which can take place in the kitchen of a catering establishment, for example .

tank 2 is preferably made of food grade stainless steel. It is sized to receive a load of salted and dried fish, such as cod or, alternatively, only salted. The quantity of water tank 2 must be able to contain depends on the quantity of fish to be desalinated. By way of illustrative and nonlimiting example only, one can estimate at 80 liters the volume of a tank suitable for the treatment of current quantities (approximately 25 kg) of cod in a medium-sized restaurant.

bottom 9 of the tank is adjacent to a refrigeration exchanger 5 forming part of water cooling means incorporated in the machine according to the invention and the other members of which are grouped at 6 in the box The exchanger 5 is supplied with water by a local water distribution network, through a flow regulator 7 a solenoid valve 8.

In box 3, block 6 shows schematically a well-known "compression" type refrigeration unit, which conventionally includes a compressor for a refrigerant, a condenser, a fan and a thermostat allowing the regulation of the water temperature. cooled in the exchanger 5, supplied by the group 6, and contained in the tank 2. The group supplies with cooling fluid a coil 9 placed in the vicinity of the bottom of the tank 2 and another coil 9 'in which the water admitted passes by solenoid valve 8.

As a variant, the water entering the exchanger 5 can pass through a concentric tube and inside another tube where the coolant evaporates, circulating against the current of the water current, to cool this water.

It is understood that the bottom, in stainless steel, of tank 2 in thermal transfer contact with the exchanger 5, this thermal transfer making it possible to maintain 1 water contained in the tank at a temperature which can be adjusted by acting on the group thermostat. refrigerator.

The tank 2 is further equipped with a water level detector 11, placed at the top of the latter in the vicinity of its cover 12, and a drain tube 13 mounted vertically on the bottom 4 of the tank. At its open upper end, the tube acts as an overflow for the tank. I1 is equipped at its base with a pump 14 for emptying the tank connected to a waste water discharge flow.

The water contained in this tank can optionally be stirred or circulated in it, by a paddle wheel 15 selectively rotated by an electric motor (not shown).

The machine also comprises electronic means 16 for controlling its operation, protected by box 3.

According to the present invention, and as will be seen in detail below in connection with the description of the operation of the machine, these means are duly programmed to periodically and automatically control the replacement of at least part of the water contained in the tank 2 , by water from the network through the exchanger 5. To ensure this replacement, the means activate the drain pump 14 which then discharges a predetermined volume of water. This volume of neighbor of the bottom of the tank, is precisely that which is more salty, because of the density of salt water. The solenoid valve 8 then opens to replace it with an equal volume of fresh water. These emptying and filling phases of the tank take place at predetermined times as a result of machine operating cycles, -memes adjusted in duration and number. Water is thus mixed, which can supplement or make unnecessary that established by the paddle wheel 15.

To do this, the control means 16 selectively activate the refrigeration unit 6, the solenoid valve 8, the pump 14 and, optionally, the stirring wheel 15, by exploiting signals from the level detector 11 and a control keyboard 17 .

This keyboard, actuated by the operator of the machine, comprises a general switch 18 controlling the electrical supply by sector of the various components of the machine, a button 19 for starting and stopping cycles, a button 20 for manual emptying control. of the tank and a coding wheel 21 making it possible to select a number of operating cycles for this machine.

Before describing the operation of the machine according to the invention, it is recalled the objectives pursued, namely to provide a machine making it possible to obtain a desalinated fish in a hygienic manner and respecting two essential quality criteria 1) at the end of the desalting cycle, the fish should be neither too much nor too salty, 2) the flesh of the regenerated fish should be white and firm and of optimal organoleptic quality.

To satisfy these two criteria, it is necessary to carry out a progressive, and therefore slow, process of desalting of the fish, a process which the present invention makes it possible to automate and adjust precisely, while ensuring its execution under hygienic conditions. required, in particular thanks to the elimination of most of the water and fish handling currently practiced.

starting the machine, by switching the general switch 18, the solenoid valve 8 opens to supply water to the exchanger 5 and the tank 2 and to activate the refrigeration unit 6 which cools the water thus admitted up to a predetermined and selectable temperature with thermostat. For example, this temperature is around 4 C for the desalination of cod.

It takes a while for the water to warm up, for example around 30 minutes. At the end of the necessary time, the fish to be desalinated are placed in the tank water, and a choice is made, depending on the quality of the fish, of its initial salting and of the salting which it is desired to preserve after treatment. number of machine operating cycles, punctuated by emptying / filling phases of the tank capable of progressively removing the excess salt contained in the original salted fish, while rehydrating the flesh of the fish so as to restore its expected color and texture. The choice of the number of cycles being made by the user of the machine, taking into account his experience and his know-how, he displays this number using the encoder wheel 21 and switches button 19 to launch the execution of cycles. It is understood that the water in the tank becomes progressively charged with salt during the same cycle and that it is advisable to renew the water when the salinity gradient between the flesh of the fish and the water decreases, under penalty of Too slow the transfer of salt from fish to water. Several successive replenishments of the tank water may be necessary to regenerate the flesh of the fish and make it fit for consumption. electronic means 16 automatically control the emptying / filling operations necessary to do this, with a periodicity which can be chosen using appropriate adjustment means (not shown).

According to a first embodiment of the invention, this periodicity can be from four to eight hours, treatment of the fish which may require from 2 to 6 successive desalination cycles, or of machine operation. The encoder wheel 21 makes it possible to choose this number of cycles. At the end of each cycle, the means control the successive activations of the drain pump 14 and of the solenoid valve 8, during predetermined time intervals suitable for ensuring the desired renewal of the water.

oil changes thus ensured by the pump can be total or partial. At the next filling with water, level detector 11 delivers to the means 16 a signal triggers the closing of the solenoid valve 8 when the water reaches a predetermined level in the tank 2.

other partial emptying can be ordered within the same operating cycle, for example after one hour, two hours, three hours, within a four hour cycle.

machine can, during these operating cycles, periodically or continuously control the start-up of the stirring wheel 15, so as to accelerate the transfer of the When all the programmed operating cycles have been executed, the control means 16 stop machine, after emptying the tank 2. The refrigeration unit 6, however, is then kept in activity to keep the fish cool, at the bottom of the tank.

It now appears that the machine according to the invention makes it possible automatically to carry out all the operations necessary for the regeneration of the treated fish, therefore without the intervention of manual operations which are often polluting and therefore unhygienic. The machine makes it possible to precisely maintain the temperature of the desalting water and to ensure a regular renewal of this water throughout these operations, commonly extending over a period of 48 hours, for cod for example. There is thus obtained a treated fish of constant quality, in particular as regards the residual salting thereof. The machine allows you to measure exactly the water you need and therefore save that water and save money compared to current manual desalting methods. It also makes it possible to reduce the labor required for desalting operations and thus generates other savings.

Claims (1)

1. Desalting machine for preserved fish salting and, optionally, drying, for consumption, characterized in that it comprises a) a tank (2) sized to receive a load of fish to be desalinated in a volume of water refrigerated, means (8, 14) for selectively replacing less of the water contained in the tank (2) with unsalted water, and means (16) for periodically and automatically controlling the operation of said replacement means (8, 14), according to predetermined operating cycles in duration and in number. Machine according to claim 1, characterized in that said control means (16) comprise means (21) for selecting said number of cycles Machine according to any one of claims 1 to 2, characterized in that said means ( 16) control comprise means for adjusting the duration of a cycle. Machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it comprises means for cooling (5, 6) of said water at a predetermined temperature. Machine according to claim 4, characterized in that said refrigeration means (5, 6) comprise a refrigeration exchanger (5) in thermal transfer contact with at least one wall (4) of said tank). 6. Machine according to any one of claims 4 and 5, characterized in that it comprises means for connection to a local water distribution network for delivering water to said refrigeration means (5, 6) . 7. Machine according to claim 6, characterized in that said connection means comprise a solenoid valve (8) controlled by said control means (16), a water level detector (11) being placed in said tank (2) for cutting said solenoid valve (8) when said level exceeds a predetermined level. 8. Machine according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that a tube (13) for draining and overflow is mounted in the tank (2), a drain pump (14) being mounted at the base of said tube 3), said pump (14) being controlled by said control means (16). 9. Machine according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that it comprises means for stirring (15) of the water contained in said tank.