JP2000004790A - Concentration of candy and device therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for concentrating a candy by dehydrating a candy raw material under specific conditions to adjust the viscosity, or the like, of the candy, capable of stably operating an evaporator and a cooling device and improving the operation efficiency of a molding process. SOLUTION: This method for concentrating a candy comprises dehydrating a candy raw material to produce the candy. Therein, in a process for removing water from the candy raw material until to give the optimal water content, the water contained in the candy raw material is thermally evaporated by using a centrifugal thin film evaporator 3 under the atmospheric pressure or vacuum to concentrate the candy raw material, and the concentrated liquid is subsequently subjected to a viscosity or temperature-controlling treatment using a cooling device 7 set to the next stage so as to give a viscosity or temperature suitable for the following process. The cooling device 7 is preferably a centrifugal thin film type cooler.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for obtaining a candy having a water content and a viscosity suitable for a post-process when a candy raw material is dehydrated to produce a candy.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, candy is concentrated by putting a certain amount of raw material into a stirring tank or by continuously supplying raw materials to an evaporator such as a centrifugal thin film type while simultaneously heating from a jacket or the like. After evaporating the water to a predetermined value,
This concentrate was sent to the next step, such as flavor addition or molding, without any particular operation.

In recent years, there has been a growing demand for candies using new sweeteners such as palatinit in place of the starch syrup (sugar) used as a raw material. Was. These new sweeteners have various characteristics, such as those with low calories, those with refreshing new sweetness, those that do not easily cause tooth decay, etc. Demand is expected to increase. One of these, candy made from palatinit, has a relatively lower viscosity than that using conventional starch syrup. For this reason, after concentrating to a predetermined moisture value as in the past, if the concentrated liquid coming out of the concentrator is placed on a conveyor for sending it to the next process as it is, it will spread thinly and transport will not be successful, and molding afterwards There was a problem that it was difficult. Therefore, it was necessary to increase the viscosity of the concentrated liquid to about the same level as that of a conventional syrup. In order to increase the viscosity, the temperature of the concentrate may be lowered. Therefore, when it is attempted to adjust the operating conditions of the evaporator so that the concentrated liquid has a desired temperature while concentrating it to a predetermined moisture value in the evaporator, the viscosity of the evaporator changes with respect to the temperature change (decrease) of the concentrated liquid. Because of a large change (increase), stable operation of the evaporator was difficult.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to obtain a concentrated solution having a desired degree of concentration and a viscosity suitable for a subsequent step, first, a step aimed at concentration at a higher temperature side suitable for concentration is performed. And then cooling the concentrate to a temperature at which the concentrate has a viscosity suitable for the subsequent step. As a cooler used in the cooling step, a centrifugal thin film type having a rotating blade that rotates with a small gap inside a cylindrical body was used. A jacket was provided outside the cooler, and the concentrated liquid was cooled by flowing a cooling fluid through the jacket. Since the concentration step and the temperature control for adjusting the viscosity can be considered separately, it is easy to set the conditions for the concentration step and the cooling step, respectively. On the other hand, in the cooling step, the concentrated liquid is formed into a thin film by a rotating blade that rotates with a small gap inside the cylindrical body, and is sufficiently stirred. At the same time, the cooling fluid is allowed to flow evenly and uniformly to the outer jacket of the cylindrical body to be uniformly cooled. The rotor blades of the cooler are cooled to improve the stirring efficiency of the concentrated liquid with increased viscosity.
By providing the notch, cooling (operation) can be performed continuously and stably, and as a result, it is possible to obtain a concentrated liquid having both a desired concentration degree and a viscosity suitable for a subsequent process. became.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiment 1: FIG. 2 shows an example of a schematic flow of a conventional candy concentration facility using syrup as a raw material. The outline of the equipment is as follows. The raw material in the feed tank 1 is supplied to the concentrator 3 by the feed pump 2. The evaporator 3 used was a centrifugal thin-film type having rotating blades rotating with a small gap inside the cylindrical main body. Both the evaporator 3 and the condenser 9 provided on the vapor pipe are maintained at a desired pressure (degree of vacuum) in the can by a vacuum pump 10. The raw material supplied to the evaporator 3 at a constant flow rate by the feed pump 2 is heated by the heat from the jacket, and the water is evaporated and concentrated. The water vapor is cooled and concentrated by the condenser 9 and discharged out of the system. The concentrated liquid concentrated to a predetermined moisture value is continuously extracted by the extraction pump 4 and sent to the next step. Using this equipment, we attempted to concentrate candies using new sweeteners as raw materials. A predetermined amount of each of paratin, xylit and water was placed in the feed tank, steam was blown into the jacket, and the mixture was heated and stirred to dissolve and prepare the raw materials. Feed pump 2 evaporates raw material 3
Supplied. The concentrated liquid concentrated to a predetermined moisture value was withdrawn by the withdrawal pump 4 and placed on a conveyor for sending to the next step. Since the viscosity was smaller than that of a conventional syrup made from raw material, it spread thinly. I could not transport well. Also, subsequent molding was difficult.
Therefore, an attempt was made to lower the temperature of the concentrated liquid by increasing the degree of vacuum in the system (reducing the absolute pressure) so that the concentrated liquid had a viscosity suitable for the subsequent step. As a result, this concentrated solution has a lower temperature than the conventional one made from starch syrup,
If the operating conditions fluctuate during the operation and the viscosity rises too much because the viscosity greatly increases, there is a problem that the motor of the evaporator overloads and stable operation cannot be performed. . FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of the present invention. The equipment configuration up to the concentrator 3 is the same as the conventional equipment shown in FIG. However, here, the concentrated liquid extracted by the extraction pump 4 is temporarily inserted into the intermediate tank 5, and then supplied to the newly provided cooler 7 by the feed pump 6. As the cooler 7, a centrifugal thin film type was used similarly to the evaporator 3. However, the rotating blades of the cooler are provided with cutouts in order to improve the stirring efficiency of the concentrated liquid having the increased viscosity. The concentrated liquid cooled here is continuously extracted by the extraction pump 8. Using this equipment, the raw materials were concentrated using the same new sweetener as described above. The raw material was dissolved and prepared in the feed tank 1 in the same manner as above, and the raw material was supplied to the evaporator 3 by the feed pump 2. In this equipment, since the viscosity of the concentrated liquid is adjusted by the following cooler, only the degree of concentration needs to be considered here. Therefore, the operation was performed under higher temperature conditions suitable for concentration. The concentrated liquid concentrated to a predetermined moisture value is continuously extracted by the extraction pump 4 and inserted into the intermediate tank 5. Next, this concentrated liquid was continuously supplied to the cooler 7 by the feed pump 6. The concentrated liquid is formed into a thin film by a rotating blade that rotates with a small gap inside the cylindrical body, cooled gently by hot water to a temperature at which a predetermined viscosity is obtained, and continuously extracted by an extraction pump 8. . The rotor blade was provided with a notch to improve the stirring efficiency of the concentrated liquid that had been cooled and increased in viscosity, so that the motor could be operated stably without overloading. The degree of cooling can be easily adjusted by manipulating the three parameters of the feed amount, hot water temperature, and pressure (vacuum degree) in the cooler. Therefore, even if the concentrated liquid is put on a conveyor for sending to the next step, it can be spread. Without losing, a concentrated liquid having a viscosity that can be transported and handled in the same manner as conventional candy raw materials could be obtained stably.

According to the present invention, in the concentration of candies made from new sweeteners such as palatinit,
A stable operation of the evaporator and the cooler was performed, and a concentrated liquid having a desired degree of concentration and viscosity was continuously and stably obtained. In addition, as a result, the transportation by the conveyor and the molding process became possible as in the case of the conventional equipment.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing one embodiment of a candy concentration system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a conventional candy concentration system using syrup as a raw material.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Feed tank, 2 ... Feed pump A, 3 ... Evaporator, 4 ... Extraction pump A, 5 ... Intermediate tank, 6 ... Feed pump B, 7 ... Cooler, 8 ... Extraction pump B, 9 ... Condenser, 10 ... Vacuum pump.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Seiji Nomura 794, Higashi-Toyoi, Kazamatsu, Kudamatsu, Yamaguchi Prefecture Inside the Kasado Plant of Hitachi, Ltd. F-term (reference) at Kasado Plant, Hitachi Techno Engineering Co., Ltd. 4B014 GB06 GB07 GG08 GP10 GP12 GP27 GY03

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. In the process of removing water to an optimum water value when producing candy by dehydrating candy raw materials, the water is first heated and evaporated in a centrifugal thin film evaporator under atmospheric pressure or reduced pressure to concentrate the water. A method for concentrating candy, characterized in that the viscosity of the candy is adjusted by a cooler installed in a subsequent stage, and the viscosity is adjusted so as to be suitable for the subsequent process. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the cooler is a centrifugal thin film type. 3. In the process of removing water to an optimum water value when dewatering the candy material to produce a candy, the water is first heated and evaporated using a centrifugal thin film evaporator under atmospheric pressure or reduced pressure to concentrate the water. A candy concentration apparatus characterized in that the concentration of the concentrated liquid is adjusted by a cooler provided at a subsequent stage and the viscosity is adjusted so as to be suitable for the subsequent step. 4. In order to obtain a concentrated liquid having a desired degree of concentration and a viscosity suitable for a subsequent step, first, a step of concentrating under a higher temperature condition suitable for concentration, and then, A step of cooling the mixture to a temperature suitable for a subsequent step.