JP2000350572A - Method for controlling koji-making environment of solid culture apparatus and controlling apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To efficiently control the koji-making environment of a solid culture apparatus without varying the volume of the space in an upper chamber by controlling the volume of the space below a culture bed and controlling the dissipation of heat and water from the koji. SOLUTION: The koji-making process is performed by depositing koji 19 in a culture bed 8. The volume of the space below the culture bed 8 is adjusted according to the growing state of the koji 19 and air is sucked or blown through the bottom of the culture bed 8 to adjust the dissipation of heat and water from the koji 19 and control the koji-making environment of a solid culture apparatus. Preferably, air is sucked or blown nearly perpendicular to the culture bed 8 from under to adjust the dissipation of heat and water from the koji 19, a lower chamber 6 is formed under the culture bed 8, a space-adjusting plate 10 is placed in vertically movable state in the lower chamber 6, a duct port 12 is opened on the floor or the space-adjusting plate 10 of the lower chamber 6 and air is sucked or blown through the duct port.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for controlling a koji making environment of a solid culturing apparatus mainly used in the yeast and brewing industries.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In solid culture, in order to control the growth of microorganisms, it is necessary to adjust the koji making environment such as temperature and humidity.
Therefore, methods for controlling the koji-making environment have been studied depending on the type of the desired product. As the koji making environment to adjust,
The space mainly in direct contact with the solid raw material was mainly used. Therefore, when the koji-making chamber is separated into an upper chamber and a lower chamber by a culture bed for depositing a solid raw material, the space in the upper chamber is adjusted. In some cases, conditioned air or the like was sent into the lower chamber for the purpose of aerating the solid raw material through a culture bed having air permeability. When air was sent into the upper or lower chamber of the koji making chamber, an opening was provided in the side wall of the koji making chamber, and air was sent in a horizontal direction with respect to the culture bed.

[0003]

In the case of solid culture, a koji-making environment such as strict temperature and humidity may be required depending on the type of microorganism used and the koji-making process. In addition, a sudden change in the koji making environment such as a temperature change of the koji or a humidity environment often causes a problem. For this reason, ventilation of the conditioning air into the solid raw material and large movement of the air in the space directly contacting the solid raw material may adversely affect the koji making.

[0004] Therefore, in a solid culture apparatus in which the koji-making chamber is separated into an upper chamber and a lower chamber by a culture bed on which the solid raw material is deposited, the koji-making environment in the space of the upper chamber that directly contacts the solid raw material varies. Is a major problem. The space in the upper chamber requires a certain volume in order to promote spontaneous dissipation of fermentation heat and moisture accompanying the growth of microorganisms, and it is not preferable to change the space. It is necessary to slowly remove the temperature and humidity of the koji without changing the volume of the space in the upper chamber.

[0005] When air is fed into the upper chamber, air is blown under uniform conditions for the koji which is deposited with a wide spread in the horizontal direction. It must not fluctuate sharply. When sending air into the lower chamber, in addition to keeping the temperature and humidity conditions in the lower chamber uniform, the air flow for ventilation through the koji layer from the lower chamber to the upper chamber is also spread horizontally. It is necessary to control the amount of koji to a certain amount.

An object of the present invention is to remove the temperature and humidity of koji gradually without changing the volume of the space in the upper chamber, and to supply a uniform and constant amount of air to the upper and lower chambers and the koji. An object of the present invention is to provide a method and an apparatus for controlling a koji making environment of a solid culturing apparatus to be fed.

[0007]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, koji is produced by depositing koji on an air-permeable culture bed. The volume of the space below the culture bed is adjusted according to the growth state of the koji. By adjusting the volume of the space below the culture bed, the amount of heat and moisture released from the koji are adjusted.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, koji is deposited on a permeable culture bed to produce koji. The air is suctioned or blown out from the culture bed substantially vertically. The movement of the air regulates the amount of heat and the dissipation of water from the koji.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the koji is produced by depositing the koji on a permeable culture bed. The volume of the space below the culture bed is adjusted according to the growth state of the koji. The air is suctioned or blown out from the culture bed substantially vertically. The amount of heat and moisture from koji are controlled by adjusting the space volume below the culture bed and moving air.

[0010] According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, air is sucked or blown out substantially vertically from above the culture bed. The movement of the air regulates the amount of heat and the dissipation of water from the koji. In claim 5 of the present invention, a lower chamber is formed below the culture bed on which the koji is deposited. The space adjustment plate in the lower room can be moved vertically. In claim 6 of the present invention, a lower chamber is formed below the culture bed on which the koji is deposited. A duct port is provided on the floor of the lower room or on the space adjustment plate to suck or blow air in a substantially vertical direction.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, a lower chamber is formed below the culture bed on which the koji is deposited. The space adjustment plate in the lower room can be moved vertically. A duct port is provided on the floor of the lower room or on the space adjustment plate to suck or blow air in a substantially vertical direction.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, an upper chamber is formed above the culture bed on which the koji is deposited. A duct port is provided in the ceiling of the upper room to suck or blow air in a substantially vertical direction. According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, a duct opening is provided in the koji making chamber. An opening and closing mechanism is provided at the duct opening. In claim 10 of the present invention,
A temperature adjustment mechanism is provided inside the movable space adjustment plate in the lower chamber.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings, in which a koji making apparatus having a circular culture bed 8 is used. Is also good.

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a method and apparatus for controlling a koji making environment according to the present invention. A central cylinder 2 fixed to a ceiling wall 1a and a floor wall 1b is provided in a koji-making room constituted by insulated walls 1. A disk 4 supported rotatably by a center cylinder 2 and a receiving roller 3 fixed to a side wall 1c is provided rotatably. Upper room 5 and lower room 6
Is divided into The cylindrical upper side plate 7 is fixed to the side wall 1c, and slides or approaches the outer peripheral portion of the air-permeable culture bed 8. Although not shown, a koji conveying device and a koji stirring device for mixing and stirring the koji are provided on the upper portion of the disk 4 so as to be able to move up and down. When this device is provided in a thermally insulated room, the side wall 1c is omitted, and the receiving roller 3 and the side plate 7 are fixed to the frame of the device.

A cylindrical lower side plate 9 is provided below the disk 4 and is fixed to the side wall 1c. The upper end of the lower side plate 9 slides or approaches the outer peripheral portion of the disk 4. A space adjustment plate 10 that can move vertically in the vertical direction with respect to the inner peripheral surface of the lower side plate 9.
Is provided. The space adjusting plate 10 can be stopped at an arbitrary height by a driving device 11 such as a cylinder.

The space adjusting plate 10 is provided with a plurality of duct ports 12a, and sucks and blows air through an air pipe A14 connected to a supply / exhaust port A13. The air piping A14 uses flexible piping so that the movement of the space adjustment plate 10 is not hindered. Instead of the air pipe A14, an air pipe 14a may be provided from the inside of the lower wall body 1b to the inside of the center cylinder 2 to suction and blow air to the space adjustment plate 10 without installing a pipe in the lower chamber 6. Good.

A plurality of duct ports 12b are provided in the ceiling of the upper chamber 5, and a ventilation duct 22 connected to the central cylinder 2 and the supply / exhaust port B15.
Through which air is sucked and blown out. Instead of the center cylinder 2, an air pipe may be provided inside the center cylinder 2, the ventilation pipe 22 may be connected to the air pipe, and air may be sucked and blown out from the duct port 12b on the ceiling. Although not shown in the figure, an opening / closing mechanism such as a butterfly type or a slide shutter type is provided at the duct opening 12, and the air volume can be adjusted.

A temperature control mechanism 16 for circulating and using air or the like is provided inside the space control plate 10. The temperature control mechanism 16
The temperature-controlled air is circulated to control the temperature of the space control plate 10. After the air blown from the pipe A17 passes through a meandering passage provided inside the space adjustment plate 10, the pipe B1
Emitted from 8. Although not shown, the discharged air is readjusted by a temperature control blower and circulated through the pipe A17. Note that the regulated air may be circulated from either the pipe A17 or the pipe B18.

The simplest method of adjusting the temperature of the koji 19 in the koji making step is a manual operation of mechanically stirring the koji 19,
There is a cooling method of ventilating the koji 19. Either method has a large physical effect on the koji mold and cannot be used for a koji-making method requiring delicate control. Simply Koji 19
The surface layer of the koji 19 is dried only by moving the air on the surface of the koji, and the koji mold does not propagate on the raw cereal grains, which may cause a goby drop. In this way, the drying of the raw cereals due to the movement of air has a large effect, and from the early to middle stages of koji making,
It is not preferable to constantly move the air on the surface of the koji 19.

For this reason, when using microorganisms that are sensitive to growth conditions, it is necessary to moderately control the koji making environment. The upper chamber 5 that requires air conditioning has a high height from the surface of the koji 19 to the duct port 12b of the ceiling and the upper chamber air supply / exhaust port C20 in order to prevent contact of the moving air with the surface of the koji 19 as much as possible. Need to be maintained.

In order to slowly adjust the temperature of the koji 19,
By adjusting the volume of the lower chamber 6 partitioned by the koji 19 and the culture bed 8 having air permeability, the amount of evaporation of water from the koji 19 can be adjusted and the temperature can be controlled. Since the inside of the lower chamber 6 is partitioned by the culture bed 8 which is permeable to the koji 19, the influence on the koji 19 is extremely small as compared with the upper chamber 5 even if there is a large movement of air.

When the volume of the lower chamber 6 is reduced by raising the space adjusting plate 10, the lower chamber 6 is saturated by the evaporation of the water from the koji 19, so that more water can be diffused from the koji 19. The koji temperature cannot be lowered due to the heat of vaporization. Conversely, lower the space adjustment plate 10 and lower
When the volume of the koji is increased, the amount of water evaporated from the koji 19 can be increased, and the koji temperature can be lowered by the heat of vaporization. Further, air is supplied from the air supply / exhaust port A13 to the lower chamber 6 through the duct port 12a, and the air is exhausted from the air supply / exhaust port D21 to keep the humidity of the lower chamber 6 low, thereby continuously evaporating the amount of water from the koji 19. It can also be increased. The air may flow from the air supply / exhaust port D21 to the air supply / exhaust port A13.

Although not shown, the air blown into the lower chamber 6 from the duct opening 12a of the space adjusting plate 10 is partially or entirely adjusted by adjusting the opening degree of an adjusting damper provided at the air supply / exhaust opening D21. Is blown into the koji 19 through the culture bed 8. The air blown into the lower chamber 6 from the duct port 12 is blown out in a substantially vertical direction, so that the air can be uniformly contacted with the koji 19 deposited in the horizontal direction. Inject air horizontally to koji
When ventilating 19, the strongest venting is performed on the koji 19 in the opposite direction of the blowing port.

When controlling the environment of the upper chamber 5, it is necessary to prevent drying of the surface layer of the koji 19 without largely moving the air near the surface of the koji 19. Air is blown out from the duct opening 12a in the ceiling, and the air supply / exhaust opening C20 provided in the side wall 1c
By exhausting air from, the main flow of air is generated only in the upper part of the upper chamber 5 and does not significantly affect the surface layer of the koji 19.

The amount of air to be blown must be selected so as not to blow the surface of the koji 19. If a large amount of air is required to perform a large amount of ventilation during koji making conditions, the adjustment damper provided in the duct port 12 is opened, and the air volume is dispersed by increasing the opening ratio, and the surface layer of the koji 19 is dispersed. It can be prevented from spraying.

[0026]

According to the present invention, without changing the space volume of the upper chamber,
By changing the volume of the space in the lower chamber, the evaporation of moisture from the koji can be adjusted without affecting the koji surface layer, and the temperature and humidity of the koji deposition layer can be moderately controlled. By moving air in the vertical direction from below the culture bed to the koji deposited horizontally on the culture bed, it is possible to make uniform contact with the air in the koji deposition layer, and to accurately form the koji deposition layer. Temperature and humidity can be controlled. By moving air in the vertical direction from the ceiling of the upper chamber to the koji that accumulates horizontally on the culture bed, the temperature and humidity of the koji sedimentary layer can be gently adjusted without significantly moving the air on the surface of the koji. Can be removed. By providing an opening and closing mechanism capable of adjusting the air volume at the duct opening for moving the air in the vertical direction, high-precision air can be blown. By providing a temperature adjustment mechanism on the movable lower space adjustment plate,
The temperature of the koji sedimentary layer can be gently adjusted from below the culture bed.

According to the present invention, the temperature and humidity of the koji are gently removed without changing the volume of the space in the upper chamber, and a uniform and constant amount of air is fed into the upper and lower chambers and the koji.
A method and apparatus for controlling a koji making environment of a solid culture apparatus can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a method and an apparatus for controlling a koji making environment according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Wall body 2 Central cylinder 3 Receiving roller 4 Disk 5 Upper room 6 Lower room 7 Side plate 8 Culture floor 9 Lower side plate Space adjustment plate Drive Duct port Air supply / exhaust port A Air pipe A Supply / exhaust port B Temperature control mechanism Pipe A Pipe B Koji supply / exhaust port C supply / exhaust port D

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ───

[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] June 14, 1999 (1999.6.1
4)

[Procedure amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0001

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for controlling a koji making environment of a solid culturing apparatus mainly used in the enzyme industry and the brewing industry.

[Procedure amendment 2]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0010

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[0010] According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, air is suctioned or blown in a substantially vertical direction from above the culture bed. The movement of the air regulates the amount of heat and the dissipation of water from the koji. According to claim 5 of the present invention, the lower chamber is formed in a culture bed strain on which the koji is deposited. The space adjustment plate in the lower room can be moved vertically. According to claim 6 of the present invention, a lower chamber is formed below the culture bed on which the koji is deposited. A duct port is provided on the floor of the lower room or on the space adjustment plate to suck or blow air in a substantially vertical direction. ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ───

[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] March 17, 2000 (2003.
7)

[Procedure amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] Brief description of drawings

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a method and apparatus for controlling a koji making environment according to the present invention.

[Description of Signs] 1 Wall 2 Central cylinder 3 Receiving roller 4 Disk 5 Upper chamber 6 Lower chamber 7 Side plate 8 Culture bed 9 Lower side plate 10 Space adjustment plate 11 Drive unit 12 Duct port 13 Supply / exhaust port A 14 Air piping A 15 Supply / exhaust port B 16 Temperature control mechanism 17 Pipe A 18 Pipe B 19 Koji

[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] March 17, 2000 (2003.
7)

[Procedure amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] Brief description of drawings

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a method and apparatus for controlling a koji making environment according to the present invention.

[Description of Signs] 1 Wall 2 Central cylinder 3 Receiving roller 4 Disk 5 Upper chamber 6 Lower chamber 7 Side plate 8 Culture bed 9 Lower side plate 10 Space adjustment plate 11 Drive unit 12 Duct port 13 Supply / exhaust port A 14 Air piping A 15 Supply / exhaust port B 16 Temperature control mechanism 17 Pipe A 18 Pipe B 19 Koji 20 Supply / exhaust port C 21 Supply / exhaust port D

Claims (10)

[Claims] In a koji-making method for koji-making by depositing koji on a culture bed, the volume of a space below the culture bed is adjusted in accordance with the growth state of the koji, and the amount of heat and moisture released from the koji are adjusted. A method for controlling the koji making environment of a solid culture device. 2. A koji-making method for koji-making by depositing koji on a culture bed and sucking or blowing air from a bottom surface below the culture bed to adjust the amount of heat and moisture released from the koji. How to control the environment. 3. A koji-making method for koji-making by depositing koji on a culture bed, adjusting the volume of the space below the culture bed according to the growth state of the koji, and sucking air substantially vertically from below the culture bed. Alternatively, a method for controlling the koji making environment of a solid cultivation apparatus that regulates the amount of heat and moisture released from the blowout and koji. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein air is sucked or blown out from a ceiling portion above the culture bed to regulate the amount of heat and moisture dissipated from the koji.
4. A method for controlling a koji making environment of the solid culture apparatus according to claim 3. 5. An apparatus for controlling a koji making environment of a solid culture apparatus in which a lower chamber is formed below a culture bed on which a koji is deposited, and a space adjusting plate is vertically movable in the lower chamber. 6. A koji-making environment of a solid-state cultivation apparatus in which a lower chamber is formed at a lower portion of a culture bed for depositing koji, a duct port is provided in a floor portion of the lower chamber or a space adjusting plate, and air is sucked or blown out. Equipment to do. 7. A lower chamber is formed below the culture bed on which the koji is deposited, and a space adjusting plate of the lower chamber can be moved vertically, and a duct port is provided on the floor or the space adjusting plate of the lower chamber. For controlling the koji making environment of a solid culture device that sucks or blows air. 8. A duct opening is provided in a ceiling portion of the upper room.
8. An apparatus for controlling a koji making environment of a solid culture apparatus for sucking or blowing air according to any one of claims 7 to 7. 9. The apparatus for controlling a koji making environment of a solid culture apparatus according to claim 5, wherein an opening / closing mechanism is provided at a duct opening. 10. The apparatus for controlling a koji making environment of a solid culture apparatus according to claim 5, wherein a temperature control mechanism is provided inside a movable space control plate in the lower chamber.