JP2000342447A - Food material sterilization machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To permit heating sterilization of food materials such as fresh vegetables without damaging their flavors by heating food materials by steam while automatically agitating them by driving rotationally a storage drum in a heating case. SOLUTION: Heating is made by steam jet from a steam pipe 14 while driving a storage drum 2 with a driving motor 10. The rotational speed of the storage drum 2 is such one that may not apply a centrifugal force to food materials, may make the food materials collapse while scattering and may make some food materials fly in the air. When the food materials are made to contact steam entering the storage drum 2 from a porous wall 5 while kept in a scattered state, food materials can be sterilized in a short time due to higher thermal conductivity than dry heating air. Food materials obtained this way retain flavors due to a shorter heating time and the adhesion of not many waterdrops to the surfaces.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sterilizer for foodstuffs, and more particularly, to a sterilizer for foodstuffs which can be heat-sterilized without impairing the flavor of foodstuffs such as raw vegetables.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, fresh vegetables are almost always served as salads in dishes served at restaurants and the like. As a procedure for cooking these raw vegetables, they are cut off after washing with water, and are then displayed in a cooked product.

[0003] However, since the outbreak of food poisoning due to the O-157 bacterium, foods have been washed with chemicals such as hypochlorous acid water before being served for cooking. With increasing emphasis, draining of used chemical water after washing food into the sewer will no longer be allowed, and a new problem has arisen that must always be neutralized before draining. I have.

[0004] Instead of such a chemical sterilization treatment,
If the food is immersed in hot water and treated with bacteria, it is possible to prevent adverse effects on environmental problems. However, the ingredients are boiled by boiling water.
Raw vegetables lose their original flavor and become crunchy.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems and to sterilize foodstuffs such as raw vegetables so that they can be heat-sterilized without impairing their flavor. To provide machines.

[0006]

According to the present invention, there is provided a food sterilizing apparatus according to the present invention, wherein at least an outer peripheral surface of a cylindrical storage drum provided with an opening / closing door through which food is taken in and out is formed by a porous wall. The storage drum is rotatably supported on a support table, and can be carried in and out of a heating chamber. The storage drum is driven to rotate in the heating chamber to automatically agitate the food and heat-treat with steam. It is characterized by doing so.

[0007] According to the above configuration, since the storage drum storing the food material is heated by the steam while being rotationally driven in the heating chamber, the food material can be separated from each other and the surface thereof can be brought into contact with the steam. Therefore,
Heat treatment is performed without drying the entire surface of the food material in a short period of time, so that the food material can be heat-sterilized without substantially impairing the flavor of the food material.

According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, the support base is formed on a movable carriage, and a rotating shaft provided on the storage drum is detachably attached to a driving means provided on the heating chamber. I do. In addition, it is preferable that an opening / closing door for putting the food in and out is provided on the porous wall on the outer peripheral surface, and a food basket is placed on the support base in correspondence with the opening / closing door.

[0009]

1 to 3 show a food sterilizer according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.
2 is a front view, and FIG. 3 is the same front view as FIG. 2 with the front door opened.

In FIGS. 1 to 3, a sterilizing apparatus main body 1 includes a storage drum 2 for storing foods, a heating chamber 3 for carrying the storage drum 2 inward, and a rotating state with the storage drum 2 in a horizontal state. And a support table 4 movably mounted.

The storage drum 2 is formed in a cylindrical shape as shown in detail in FIG.
Are arranged, and a porous wall 5 having a large number of see-through holes is arranged on an outer peripheral surface of an intermediate portion thereof. Perforated wall 5 on the outer peripheral surface
Is formed from a porous material such as a wire mesh, a punched plate,
The size of the see-through hole is such that the foodstuffs stored therein do not leak out, and the steam can freely flow in and out.

The front plate 6 of the storage drum 2 is composed of an outer frame member 6a whose outer peripheral portion is bent in the axial direction, and a planar porous wall 6b at a central portion thereof. Planar porous wall 6
b is made of a perforated plate material such as a wire mesh or a punched perforated plate similar to the perforated wall 5 on the outer peripheral surface, and its see-through holes are provided so that the foodstuffs inside can be prevented from leaking out and steam can freely enter and exit. It is sized.

The front plate 6 is detachably attached so that the front plate 6 can be replaced with another perforated wall 6b having a different size of the see-through hole according to the type of food material. By making the front surface 6 detachable in this manner, the internal cleaning operation of the storage drum 2 can be facilitated.

The rear plate 7 of the storage drum 2 is formed as a disk-shaped plate member whose outer peripheral portion is formed to be bent in the axial direction, and is fixed at the center of rotation so that the driven shaft 9 projects rearward. Have been. On the end face of the driven shaft 9,
As shown in FIGS. 5B and 5C, a slit 9a that is cut open in the diameter direction is provided. On the other hand, a drive motor 10 is fixed to the outside of the heating chamber 3 and the drive motor 1
The zero drive shaft 11 extends inside the heating chamber 3 and a cross rod 11a is fixed to an end of the shaft so as to intersect the axial direction.

Cross rod 1 provided at end of drive shaft 11
1a and the slit 9a provided at the end of the driven shaft 9 form a detachable clutch, and the cross rod 11a at the end of the drive shaft 11 is inserted into the slit 9a at the end of the driven shaft 9. The insertion of the drive shaft 11 causes the rotation of the drive shaft 11 by the engagement of the cross rod 11a and the slit 9a.
Side (see FIG. 1).

The porous wall 5 constituting the outer peripheral surface of the storage drum 2
An opening / closing door 8 is provided in a part of. The opening and closing door 8 is opened so that food can be stored and discharged in the storage drum 2. Further, by providing the opening / closing door 8 on a part of the outer peripheral surface of the storage drum 2, the operation of storing and discharging the food can be easily performed.

That is, in the food storing operation, when the storage drum 2 is rotated to move the opening / closing door 8 to the upper position, the food is stored in the storage drum 2 only by feeding the food from the opening at the upper position. be able to. In addition, when the door 8 is moved to the lower position, the food can be freely dropped just by opening the door 8, and the work of collecting the food after the bacteria treatment is improved. Can be improved.

When the door 8 has a double-opening structure as shown in FIG. 5B, the opening when the door 8 is opened can be made large, and the door 8 projects outward. In order to reduce the number of foods, food can be charged and discharged so that the opening / closing door is not in the way.

The heating chamber 3 has a heating chamber 12 having a sufficient volume for carrying the storage drum 2, and a door 13 for opening and closing the front opening of the heating chamber 12. In addition, heating room 1
A steam pipe 14 for steam injection is provided at a location near the bottom surface of the fuel cell 2. The steam pipe 14 is connected to an external steam supply source, and supplies steam supplied from the outside to the heating chamber 12. The number of the steam pipes 14 is not particularly limited. Even if the number of the steam pipes 14 can supply the steam amount necessary for the sterilization treatment of the food material, the number thereof is one.
Alternatively, two or more lines may be used.

As shown in FIG. 1, the support base 4 is configured such that the upper frame 4a and the lower frame 4b have a U-shape in a side view through the intermediate frame 4c. Support rollers 15 are provided at both ends of the upper frame 4a at the front and rear two places, respectively, and the storage drum 2 is rotatably supported by these support rollers 15. The support rollers 15 are provided at a total of four places, that is, two places at the left and right corresponding to the front plate 6 side of the storage drum 2 and two places at the left and right corresponding to the rear plate 7 side. Is provided with a flange 15f so that the end surfaces of the front plate 6 and the rear plate 7 are not displaced in the axial direction, respectively (FIG. 1, FIG. 1).
See 2, 3).

The lower frame 4b of the support 4 has
Wheels 16 (casters) for traveling are mounted at four locations before and after the wheels. By passing through this wheel 16,
The support table 4 can be moved as a movable vehicle, and can be loaded into and unloaded from the heating chamber 3 with the storage drum 2 supported by the upper frame 4a as described above. I have.

The bottom plate of the heating chamber 12 constituting the heating chamber 3 is provided with two cutouts 3a, 3a on the left and right sides on the opening side, and the cutouts 3a are connected to the intermediate frame 4 of the support base 4.
c is large enough to fit (see FIG. 3).
When carrying the support table 4 on which the storage drum 2 is loaded into the heating chamber 3, the door 13 is opened as shown in FIG. 3, and the intermediate frame 4c is inserted so as to fit into the cutout 3a.
The storage drum 2 is inserted into the heating chamber 12 together with the upper frame 4a, and the lower frame 4b is made to enter below the bottom plate of the heating chamber 3. When the door 13 is closed, the storage drum 2 is closed.
Are stored in the heating chamber 12 in a sealed state.

As shown in FIG. 4, a food basket 17 can be placed on the lower frame 4b of the support base 4. Thus, the storage drum 2 is carried out together with the support table 4 from the heating chamber 12, and the receiving basket 17 is placed on the lower frame 4b of the support table 4.
Is rotated downward to open, the food in the storage drum 2 falls into the receiving basket 17 and is collected. By providing the receiving basket 17 on the lower frame 4b of the support 4 in this manner, the food can be collected without removing the storage drum 2 from the support 4, so that the food after the sterilization process is recovered. Workability can be facilitated.

The opening / closing door 8 may be provided not only on the outer peripheral surface of the storage drum 2 as in the example shown, but also on the front plate 6. When the opening and closing door 8 is provided on the front plate 6 as described above, the input and collection of food can be performed while the storage drum 2 is being carried into the heating cabinet 3. The shape of the opening / closing door 8 is not limited to a square as shown in the illustrated example, but may be a semicircle or a sector.

The above-mentioned sterilizing apparatus of the present invention is suitable mainly for sterilizing raw vegetables, but can also be used for sterilizing foods other than raw vegetables. Also,
The sterilizing machine of the present invention is used for treating fungi attached to the surface of foodstuffs, but can be used for steaming by performing the steaming for a long time.

The operation of sterilizing foods by the sterilizer will be described below. First, after the storage drum 2 is rotated on the support table 4 in a state of being carried out of the heating cabinet 3 to move the position of the door 8 upward, the door 8 is opened at that position. Ingredients are put into the storage drum 2 from the opened opening. The input amount of the food is set such that a sufficient space exists in the storage drum 2 and the food is stirred while freely flying in the air. When the food is put into the storage drum 2 as described above, the door 8 is closed again.

On the other hand, in the heating chamber 3, the door 13 is closed and steam is ejected from the steam pipe 14 into the heating chamber 12, and the heating chamber 1 is closed.
The inside of 2 is heated to a preset temperature, and a substantially constant temperature is maintained by a temperature sensor (not shown). Next, the storage drum 2 storing the food as described above is moved together with the support table 4 and carried into the heating chamber 12 of the heating chamber 3, and further, the driven shaft 9 of the storage drum 2 and the driving of the heating chamber 3 side are performed. Motor 10
And the heating chamber 12 is closed by further closing the door 13.

Next, while the storage drum 2 is being rotated by the drive motor 10, it is heated by the steam ejected from the steam pipe 14. The rotation speed of the storage drum 2 is set so that the centrifugal force is not applied to the food, and the food is separated and falls apart while falling apart. Depending on the food, a part of the food may fly in the air. When contacting the vapor entering the storage drum 2 from the perforated wall 5 while maintaining the state of separation, the heat conduction efficiency is higher than that of the dry heated air, and the food material is rapidly heated in a short time. And can be sterilized. Since the food obtained in this way is heated for a short time, many water droplets do not adhere to the surface.

When the heating process is completed, the rotation of the storage drum 2 is stopped, and the injection of steam from the steam pipe 14 is stopped. Then, the door 13 of the heating chamber 3 is opened, and the storage drum 2 is opened.
From the heating chamber 3 together with the support table 4. The receiving basket 17 is placed on the lower frame 4b of the support 4 taken out, and the storage drum 2 is rotated so that the door 8 stops at the lower position, and then the door 8 is opened. This door 8
As a result, the sterilized food falls from the storage drum 2 into the receiving basket 17 and is collected.

[0030]

As described above, according to the present invention, since the storage drum storing the food is heat-treated with steam while being rotationally driven in the heating chamber, the food is separated while being separated from each other. It can be brought into contact with steam entering from the wall, and the whole surface can be heat-treated in a short time without drying the surface of the food. Therefore, the heat sterilization treatment can be performed without substantially impairing the flavor of the foodstuff.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a sterilization treatment machine of the present invention in a sectional view taken along line II of FIG.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the sterilizer.

FIG. 3 is a front view showing the sterilizing apparatus with a front door opened.

FIG. 4 is a front view showing a state in which a storage drum of the sterilizer is transported out of a heating chamber together with a support table.

5A and 5B show a storage drum of the sterilizer, wherein FIG. 5A is a front view, FIG. 5B is a plan view taken along the line II-II in FIG. 5A, and FIG. 5C is a rear view.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Sterilizer main body 2 Storage drum 3 Heater 4 Support stand 5 Perforated wall 6 Front plate 7 Rear plate 8 Opening door 9 Driven shaft 9a Slit 10 Drive motor 11 Drive shaft 11a Cross rod 12 Heating chamber 13 Door 14 Steam pipe 15 Support roller 16 Wheel 17 Receiving basket

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 4B016 LC06 LG05 LT09 4B021 LA41 LP01 LT03 LW02 4B054 AA04 AA06 AA16 AA26 AB03 AB17 AC20 BA03 CA03 CC03 CD05 CE02

Claims (3)

[Claims] At least the outer peripheral surface of a cylindrical storage drum provided with an opening / closing door through which foodstuffs can be taken in and out is constituted by a perforated wall, and the storage drum is rotatably supported on a support table and a heating chamber. A food sterilizing apparatus wherein the food can be carried in and out, and the storage drum is rotationally driven in the heating chamber to heat the food with steam while automatically stirring the food. 2. The food sterilizer according to claim 1, wherein the support base is formed on a movable carriage, and a rotating shaft provided on the storage drum is detachably attached to driving means provided on the heating chamber. 3. The food container according to claim 1, wherein an opening / closing door for taking in / out the food is provided on the perforated wall on the outer peripheral surface, and a food basket is provided on the support base in correspondence with the opening / closing door. Food sterilizer.