JP2000217541A - Method for preventing dietary salt from caking - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for preventing sealed dietary salt from caking comprising using a compound included in dietary salt. SOLUTION: This method for preventing dietary salt from caking comprises eliminating part or the whole of the crystal water of a mineral salt included in dietary salt followed by sealing the resultant dietary salt so as to effect absorption of moisture from the outside by the mineral salt as its crystal water and preserve the dietary salt in a condition of low moisture content. Dietary salt caking has a close relationship to the free water in dietary salt; by keeping the value as the result of subtracting the crystal water of a mineral salt included in dietary salt from the water (moisture) in the dietary salt, as an index indicating the state of free water in the dietary salt, at <=-0.04 wt.% for dietary salt <200 μm in average particle size while <=-0.02 wt.% for dietary salt >=200 μm in average particle size, the caking of sealed dietary salt can be prevented.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for preventing the edible salt from solidifying when the edible salt is in a sealed state such as a package at the stage of distribution and consumption.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Edible salt particles absorb and release moisture depending on the surrounding temperature and humidity. When such a phenomenon is repeated, crystals are newly deposited between the grains of the edible salt, and as these grow and increase, the grains of the edible salt are fixed to each other, and consolidation occurs.
Edible salt is usually distributed and consumed in a sealed state in packaging containers of various materials. If the edible salt is condensed, the edible salt loses its commercial value when consumed. Prevention of caking of edible salt is an essential condition for maintaining commercial properties.

A method of preventing edible salt from caking is to add a fluidizing agent such as calcium carbonate and silica to prevent caking by coating the surface of particles of the edible salt and fluidizing the particles. Method. A method in which sodium ferrocyanide, iron ammonium citrate, or the like is added to prevent caking by a crystal habit effect. There is a method in which anhydrous sodium phosphate or the like is added in a powder state to prevent caking using a moisture absorbing effect. Among these methods, the term "utilizing edible salt in a dry state" means that ferrocyanide salt cannot be used because it is not permitted as a food additive.

[0004]

The conventional technique for preventing caking is to add a compound not contained in the edible salt and to use this action to prevent caking. However, the addition of compounds not contained in edible salts tends to be limited or avoided, depending on the field in which edible salts are used. There is a demand for a technique capable of preventing caking of an edible salt using only a compound contained in the edible salt. Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a method for preventing caking of an edible salt using only a compound contained in the edible salt.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an edible salt in a sealed state, wherein a value obtained by subtracting crystallization water of a mineral salt contained in the edible salt from the water of the edible salt is used as an index. We propose a method to prevent consolidation by maintaining a non-existent state. In particular, as pointed out in the present invention, when the average particle size is less than 200 μm, the value obtained by subtracting the crystallization water of the mineral salt contained in the edible salt from the water of the edible salt is preferably -0.04% by weight or less. Is-
When the average particle diameter is 200 μm or more, the above value is -0.02% by weight or less, preferably -0.05% or less.
It is a major feature of the present invention that the caking of edible salt can be prevented by keeping the content at 0.03% by weight or less.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail. The water content of the edible salt can be divided into water contained in the mineral salt contained in the edible salt as water of crystallization (hereinafter referred to as crystal water) and other water (hereinafter referred to as free water). By keeping the free water out of the water of the edible salt, solidification of the edible salt can be prevented,
As a result of the test, it became clear. The present invention reduces the generation of free water of edible salt by dehydrating some or all of the water of crystallization of the mineral salt contained in the edible salt and sealing it with a material having a shielding property against humidity. It is a method to say that you can hold down.

When edible salt absorbs moisture from the environment, the mineral salt first absorbs water in the form of water of crystallization, and after the crystallization water becomes saturated, the edible salt takes the form of absorbing water. Therefore, no free water is generated while the mineral salt contained in the edible salt absorbs water in the form of water of crystallization. The present invention is a method for preventing edible salt from caking utilizing such a phenomenon. Here, mineral salts refer to edible salts manufactured by ion exchange membrane method, salt method, salt purification method, etc., which are currently mainly used, magnesium chloride, calcium chloride, sulfuric acid contained in bittern. Magnesium, calcium sulfate, etc.

The edible salt is filled, sealed, stored and distributed in a packaging container molded of polyethylene, polyvinylidene chloride, aluminum, paper, glass, and the like, and a composite thereof. Edible salt absorbs moisture when the surrounding environment is at or above the critical humidity of the edible salt, and releases moisture when the humidity falls below the critical humidity. The packed edible salt also absorbs and releases moisture through the packaging container according to the surrounding environment. At this time, if free water is generated in the packaging container, edible salt is solidified. In order to prevent caking, it is important to suppress the generation of free water in edible salt.

[0009] The period during which caking of edible salt can be prevented is determined by the amount of water permeating from the packaging container and the amount of water that the mineral salt can absorb as crystal water. In order to prevent caking for a long period of time, a method of using a highly moisture-proof material for the packaging container, increasing the mineral salt concentration of the edible salt, and increasing the amount absorbed as crystallization water can be used. The material of the packaging container may be selected in consideration of the storage period, storage environment, cost, and the like. The mineral salt concentration of the edible salt is set as high as possible in consideration of the edible salt product specifications. Mineral salts having more water of crystallization, such as magnesium chloride, are more advantageous.

[0010] The mineral salt loses water of crystallization when heated,
Dehydrate. The temperature at which water of crystallization starts to be lost varies depending on the mineral salt. For example, magnesium chloride is about 70 ° C.
Losing water of crystallization at about 200 ° C. Next, when this is left indoors, it gradually absorbs moisture. It is necessary to set conditions such as heating temperature and drying time suitable for the type of mineral salt. Mineral salts are included in the edible salt production process.If this amount is not sufficient, mineral salts specified for food additives are added in the form of solids, aqueous solutions, bitter, bitter with mineral salts, etc. You may. When the additive contains free water, an operation for removing water by drying or the like may be performed. Here, bitterness refers to a solution obtained by further concentrating seawater obtained by concentrating seawater to precipitate salts.

The package weight of edible salt is about 1 kg to 100
It is a wide range up to about 0 kg. The state of edible salt varies depending on the state, position, and the like in the packaging container. In the present invention, the value obtained by subtracting the crystallization water of the mineral salt contained in the edible salt from the water content of the edible salt is -0.04% by weight or less when the average particle size is less than 200 µm, and -0 when the average particle size is 200 µm or more. It is set at 0.02% by weight or less and 0 or less, even if the state of the edible salt in the packaging container varies.
This is to prevent free water from being generated in the container. This minus width is an important point in determining whether to prevent caking. In addition, when the average particle size is less than 200 μm,
The reason for setting the stricter value is that fine edible salt tends to cause caking more easily.

The edible salt to which the anti-caking method of the present invention can be applied is a dried salt. Here, the dry salt is a value obtained by subtracting the water of crystallization water of the edible salt from the water of the edible salt,
It refers to an edible salt of 0.5% by weight or less. The average particle size is determined by sifting edible salt using an electric shaker using a JIS standard sieve, displaying the weight on the sieve as a percentage, drawing a trend line of the distribution, and setting the intersection of this and the 50% line. Read the corresponding sieve eyes,
The average particle size was used. The water content was determined by the Loss on Drying method of "Salt Analysis and Physical Properties Measurement" jointly edited by the Japan Society of Sea Water and the Salt Science Research Foundation.

[0013]

The solidification of edible salt is caused by the generation of free water in the water. In order to prevent edible salt from caking, it is necessary to maintain a state in which free water is not generated in the edible salt. By sealing the edible salt in a packaging container that shields from humidity, moisture that enters the edible salt is suppressed, and part or all of the crystal water of the mineral salt contained in the edible salt is dehydrated. This allows the mineral salt to absorb the infiltrated water as water of crystallization, thereby preventing generation of free water. The present invention is a method for preventing caking of edible salt using such an action.

[0014]

The present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the following Examples and Comparative Examples, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0015]

Example 1 A high-purity edible salt having a sodium chloride concentration of 99.637% by weight on a dry basis and an average particle diameter of 135 μm was pulverized with a hammer mill to an average particle diameter of 100 μm, and dried at a constant temperature dryer at 140 ° C. Dried edible salt was used.
The material of the packaging bag was an aluminum foil (thickness: 100 μm) laminated with polyethylene, filled with 1 kg of edible salt, and sealed by heat sealing. This test bag contains 0.
Place the weight so that a load of 25 kg / cm2 ↑ is applied,
Stored indoors. The storage was opened after 64 days had elapsed, and the state of solidification of the edible salt was measured. Evaluation of consolidation
The consolidation rate was used. The consolidation rate is a method in which all lumps are taken out of the opened edible salt by hand, and the portion where the lumps are formed is indicated by weight%. When this value exceeded 20%, it was determined that caking had occurred. The results are shown in Table 1.

[0016]

Example 2 The same raw material salt as in Example 1 was ground in the same manner to adjust the average particle diameter to 135 μm, and a magnesium chloride solution was added to adjust the magnesium concentration to 0.11% by weight. Edible salt heated and dried with a constant temperature dryer was used. The material of the packaging bag is polyethylene film (high-density polyethylene 40μm, low-density polyethylene 30μm
And sandwich it with 20k of edible salt
g, and heat-sealed and sealed. A weight was placed on the packaging bag so that a load of 0.08 kg / cm 2 was applied, and the bag was stored indoors. The evaluation of consolidation was performed after 99 days in the same manner as in Example 1. The results are shown in Table 1.

[0017]

Example 3 The sodium chloride concentration was 9 on a dry basis.
Edible salt was used, which was heated and dried with a constant-temperature dryer at 9.594% by weight, an average particle size of 400 μm, and 140 ° C. The test bag is a polyethylene film (high-density polyethylene 40μm,
Low-density polyethylene sandwiched with 30 μm), filled with 20 kg of edible salt, and sealed by heat sealing. This packaging bag contains 0.25 kg / cm2
A weight was placed so that a load of ↑ was applied, and it was stored indoors.
Evaluation of consolidation was performed 48 days later in the same manner as in Example 1. The results are shown in Table 2.

[0018]

Example 4 The sodium chloride concentration was 9 on a dry basis.
A magnesium chloride solution was added to an edible salt having an average particle diameter of 400 μm to give a magnesium concentration of 9.594% by weight.
Edible salt adjusted to 50% by weight and heated and dried with a constant temperature dryer at 140 ° C. was used. The packaging bag was a polyethylene film (high-density polyethylene 40 μm sandwiched with low-density polyethylene 30 μm), which was filled with 20 kg of edible salt, heat-sealed, and sealed. A weight was placed on the packaging bag so that a load of 025 kg / cm2 was applied, and the bag was stored indoors. Evaluation of consolidation was performed 50 days later in the same manner as in Example 1. The results are shown in Table 2.

[0019]

Comparative Example 1 The same edible salt as in Example 1 was used by heating and drying with a constant temperature dryer at 110 ° C. The material of the packaging bag is a polyethylene film having a thickness of 80 μm.
kg and heat sealed. A weight was placed on the packaging bag so that a load of 0.25 kg / cm 2 was applied, and the bag was stored indoors. The evaluation of consolidation was performed after 64 days in the same manner as in Example 1. The results are shown in Table 3.

[0020]

Comparative Example 2 The same edible salt as in Example 2 was used by heating and drying with a constant temperature dryer at 110 ° C. The material of the packaging bag is polyethylene film (high density polyethylene 40μm sandwiched with low density polyethylene 30μm)
This was filled with 20 kg of edible salt, and heat-sealed and sealed. A weight was placed on the packaging bag so that a load of 0.08 kg / cm 2 was applied, and the bag was stored indoors. The evaluation of consolidation was performed after 99 days in the same manner as in Example 1.
The results are shown in Table 3.

[0021]

Comparative Example 3 The same edible salt as in Example 3 was used by heating and drying with a constant temperature dryer at 140 ° C. The packaging bag was made of three layers of crust paper, kraft paper in which kraft paper was coated with polyethylene film 30 μm, and kraft paper, and 20 kg of edible salt was filled into the packaging bag and packed with a sewing machine. A weight was placed on the packaging bag so that a load of 0.25 kg / cm 2 was applied, and the bag was stored indoors. Evaluation of consolidation was performed 42 days later in the same manner as in Example 1. The results are shown in Table 3.

[0022]

[Table 1] Each concentration of Mg, Ca, K, SO4 ↓, and NaCl shown in Table 1 is a concentration on a dry basis. Analysis of water and these components was measured using "Salt Analysis and Physical Property Measurement" co-edited by the Japan Society of Sea Hydrology and the Salt Science Research Foundation. Mineral salt, Mg is MgCl2 ↓, Ca is first C
aSO4 ↓ is formed, the remaining Ca is calculated as CaCl2 ↓, MgCl2 ↓ is 6 water, CaSO4 ↓ is 2
Water and crystallization water were calculated on the assumption that CaCl2 was dihydrate. Examples and Comparative Examples all used such a method. Example 1
And Example 2 is an edible salt having an average particle size of less than 200 μm. The value obtained by subtracting the water of crystallization of the mineral salt contained in the edible salt from the water content of the edible salt was -0.04% by weight or less, and none of the values was solidified. This shows that the method for preventing caking of the present invention is effective.

[0023]

[Table 2] In Example 3 and Example 4 shown in Table 2, the average particle size was 200.
Edible salt of μm or more. The value obtained by subtracting the crystallization water of the mineral salt contained in the edible salt from the moisture of the edible salt,
In each case, the content was not more than -0.02% by weight and was not consolidated. This shows that the method for preventing caking of the present invention is effective.

[0024]

[Table 3] Comparative Example 1 and Comparative Example 2 shown in Table 3 had an average particle diameter of 200.
Comparative Example 3 is an edible salt having an average particle size of 200 μm or more. In Comparative Examples 1 and 2, the value obtained by subtracting the water of crystallization of the mineral salt contained in the edible salt from the water content of the edible salt exceeds -0.04% by weight in both cases. In Comparative Example 3, the above value exceeded -0.02% by weight and was solidified. If the value obtained by subtracting the water of crystallization of the mineral salt contained in the edible salt from the water content of the edible salt is out of the range pointed out in the present invention, it is easy to consolidate as shown in Comparative Examples.

[0025]

According to the present invention, when the edible salt is in a sealed state, part or all of the water of crystallization of the mineral salt contained in the edible salt is dehydrated, and water entering from the outside is absorbed as water of crystallization of the mineral salt. By suppressing the generation of free water in the edible salt, caking of the edible salt can be prevented. This method has a great feature in that solidification of the edible salt can be prevented by using a compound contained in the edible salt.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A state in which a part or all of water of crystallization of a mineral salt contained in an edible salt or adjusted by adding bitter and / or magnesium chloride to the edible salt is dehydrated and then sealed. A method for preventing caking of edible salt, characterized in that: 2. A sealed edible salt having an average particle size of less than 200 μm, wherein the value obtained by subtracting the crystallization water of the mineral salt contained in the edible salt from the water of the edible salt is -0.04% by weight or less. A method for preventing caking of edible salt, comprising retaining moisture. 3. A sealed edible salt having an average particle size of 200 μm or more, wherein the value obtained by subtracting the crystallization water of the mineral salt contained in the edible salt from the moisture of the edible salt is -0.02% by weight or less. A method for preventing caking of edible salt, comprising maintaining the water content of edible salt.