JP2003262043A - Food storage device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent the advance of deterioration of quality, which arises in a specific food and other foods stored with the specific food, when the specific food is stored as in case of an underfloor storage. <P>SOLUTION: This device 20 for storing the food 50 whose quality is easily deteriorated with time is equipped with a container part 22 in which the food 50 is housed and in which an opening is provided in a top surface, a lid part 24 which closes the opening of the container part 22 openably/closably, a humidity controlling material 30 which is arranged on the side of a bottom surface inside the container part 22, and a ventilation laying material 28 which is arranged above the material 30 inside the container part 22, in which the food 50 is housed in an upper part thereof and which has a ventilation part 29 passing through both sides. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a food storage device, and more particularly to a food storage device for storing foods such as fruits whose quality is easily deteriorated during storage and used as an underfloor storage.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An underfloor storage is embedded in a floor of a kitchen of a house. Since the under-floor storage has less temperature change than the indoor space on the floor, it is said to be good for storing fresh food such as fruits and vegetables whose quality is likely to deteriorate during storage. The underfloor storage is often made into a closed structure by using an integrally molded product of fiber reinforced resin or the like in order to prevent invasion of harmful insects from the outside or warm air in the room.

[0003]

If fruits and the like are stored in the above-mentioned underfloor storage, the quality should be maintained better than the indoor environment, but in reality, the quality deterioration rather progresses. Sometimes. Moreover, if a specific fruit or vegetable is stored together with other food, not only the fruit or vegetable but also the quality of other food may be deteriorated. An object of the present invention is to prevent the progress of quality deterioration that occurs when a specific food is stored, such as the above-mentioned underfloor storage, that occurs in the specific food and other foods stored together with the specific food. is there.

[0004]

A food storage device according to the present invention is a device for storing foods whose quality is easily deteriorated with time, and which comprises a container portion for accommodating the foods and having an opening on an upper surface, A lid part for opening and closing the opening of the container part so as to be openable and closable, a humidity control material arranged on the bottom side inside the container part, and arranged above the humidity control material inside the container part, and above the humidity control material. And a ventilation laying material having a ventilation portion that accommodates food and penetrates the front and back. [Food] The food to be stored is not particularly limited, but if it is stored in a sealed state, it is suitable for foods whose quality deterioration easily progresses over time. It is also effective for foods that have the property of promoting the progress of quality deterioration with respect to other foods.
The stored moisture in the refrigerator is also effective for foods that cause low temperature disorders.

Specific foods include fruits such as bananas, grapefruits and lemons. There are also vegetables such as tomato, eggplant and cucumber. In addition to fresh food, it is also effective for processed foods such as bread and tea leaves. It is known that agricultural products such as fruits and vegetables have a respiratory action even after harvesting, and release gas components such as hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, and ethylene to the outside. The released gas causes deterioration of the quality of the food itself that released the gas and the surrounding food. The effects of the present invention are effectively exhibited when such foods having gas releasing properties and foods that easily deteriorate in quality due to the released gas are mixed and stored.

[0006] If a food having a gas releasing property is placed in a non-breathable airtight bag or a hermetic container, it will not adversely affect the surrounding food, but the food itself will be surrounded by a high concentration of released gas and the quality will deteriorate. Will cause. According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent adverse effects on other foods even if the food having gas releasing property is not sealed. Therefore, it is preferable to store the food in an exposed state or in a ventilated state without strict packaging. If it is a breathable package such as a paper bag, the effect of the present invention is not impaired. [Container] Food is stored in the container and has an opening on the upper surface.

[0007] Basically, a structure similar to the food storage part in a normal food storage device such as an underfloor storage can be adopted. The material of the container is synthetic resin, fiber reinforced resin (FR
P), metal, ceramic, wood material, etc. are used. When it is incorporated into a house like an underfloor storage, part of the container part can be made of concrete, which is a structural material of the house, or a wall material. The container part may have a closed structure so that harmful insects or harmful gas or moisture may not easily enter food from the outside. It is also possible to provide a heat insulating layer, a moisture barrier layer, an anti-termite layer or the like on the wall of the container part.

The shape of the container is not particularly limited as long as it is convenient for handling and storing food. Usually, it is a box shape such as a rectangular parallelepiped. A cylindrical shape, a polygonal pillar shape, a spherical shape, or the like can also be adopted. It may be designed according to the installation space and the layout of the internal structure. The container part is provided with an opening for taking in and out food. The installation position of the opening is not particularly limited, but it is usually installed on the upper surface of the container part. An opening may be provided on the entire upper surface of the container portion, or only a part of the upper surface may be an opening. In the case of an underfloor storage, the opening is on the upper surface, but the opening may be provided on the side surface of the container portion depending on the installation location and application.

The openings may be provided at only one place, or may be provided at a plurality of places. The container part may be provided with a structural part for attaching a lid part, a ventilating sheet, etc. described later. When it is necessary to move the food storage device, a handle or caster for moving the food storage device can be provided. [Lid] The opening of the container is closed so that it can be opened and closed. A structure similar to that of an opening / closing lid in an ordinary food storage device can be adopted.

As the material of the lid portion, the same material as that of the container can be used. The shape of the lid portion is set according to the opening shape of the container portion. One opening may be closed with one lid, or a plurality of lids may be combined and closed. A sealing mechanism such as packing may be mounted between the lid and the opening of the container. Double the lid,
It is also possible to make the sealing of the container part more reliable. In the lid opening / closing structure, the entire lid may be removed from the opening of the container, or one side of the lid may be attached to the opening edge of the container rotatably by a hinge. There is also a lid that opens and closes by sliding along the opening of the container. A so-called double door lid can also be used.

[Humidifier] It is disposed inside the container on the bottom side. A material having an excellent function of adsorbing gas or moisture released by food is used. Specifically, siliceous shale,
Inorganic humidity conditioners such as Kanuma soil and zeolite are preferable. A humidity conditioner that effectively adsorbs the gas released by the food can be selected according to the type of food. Humidity in the environment greatly affects the deterioration of food quality. Generally, the higher the humidity, the more the quality of food deteriorates. In addition, outgassing and gas absorption of food are likely to become active. Therefore, it is effective to prevent the deterioration of food quality by absorbing excess moisture in the food storage device with the humidity control material. Some foods release water as well as gas. The moisture released by this food can also be efficiently absorbed by the humidity control material. Furthermore, in a dry environment where the humidity is too low, the water content of the food may be lost, and the quality may deteriorate. Since the humidity control material has a property of releasing absorbed water when the humidity in the environment decreases, it is possible to maintain the quality of food by adjusting the humidity environment in the food storage device within a certain range. .

A material having a moisture absorption / desorption amount of 300 g / m ² or more is preferable as a characteristic showing the adsorption function of the humidity control material. The moisture absorption / desorption amount is more preferably 400 to 800 g / m ² . The form of the humidity control material may be a granular form or an amorphous pulverized form, but a formed body formed into a predetermined shape is easy to handle. The molded body of the humidity control material can be obtained by molding or pressing the powder or slurry of the humidity control material. It is also possible to use a molded product which is dried and cured or fired. Mixing a binder component in the humidity control material facilitates molding and is also effective in improving the strength of the molded body. Examples of the shape of the humidity control material molded body include a simple rectangular parallelepiped shape and a plate shape. A curved surface shape such as a spherical shape can also be adopted. If a large number of holes penetrating the molded body are formed or grooves are formed to increase the surface area in contact with the outside air, functions such as gas adsorption will be enhanced. Having a honeycomb structure enhances the humidity control and gas adsorption functions.

The powdery and granular humidity conditioner may be housed in a breathable bag or box for use. The amount of the humidity control agent used is set in accordance with the volume of the container and the amount of food to be stored so that harmful gas and moisture that promote the deterioration of the quality of food generated inside the container can be effectively removed. The air volume ratio represented by the ratio of the surface area of the humidity control material to the internal volume of the container is 0.4
With the above settings, good performance can be achieved. The air volume ratio is preferably 0.4 to 2.0. Here, the surface area of the humidity control material is not a surface area in a strict sense in consideration of the internal pore area of the humidity control material having a porous structure, but is an outer surface area calculated from the outer dimensions of the humidity control material. . For example, in the case of a rectangular parallelepiped shaped humidity control material molded body, it can be calculated by length × width × height.

[Ventilation Bed Material] The ventilation material is disposed inside the container portion, above the humidity control material, and food is stored in the upper portion thereof, and the ventilation portion penetrates the front and back. Gas and moisture released from the food are supplied to the humidity control material through the ventilation lining material. It also has the function of adjusting the humidity by supplying the moisture released by the humidity control material to the upper space. If you can support the weight of food and support food stably,
The material and structure of the ventilation lining material are not particularly limited. Conventional food support materials can be used. Specific examples thereof include synthetic resins, metals such as stainless steel, wood materials, and plate materials such as ceramics. The plate member may be provided with a ventilation part by processing a through hole or a through slit. It is also possible to form the ventilation part such as the through hole at the same time when the plate material is formed by resin molding or the like. A mesh material obtained by knitting or weaving a wire material can also be used. A parallel bar shape in which rods are arranged side by side at relatively narrow intervals and integrated may be used. If the plate material is made of a porous material, the entire surface can be used as the ventilation part.
A through hole may be formed in the porous plate to further improve air permeability.

The ratio of the ventilation part to the whole of the ventilation lining material is
It may be set so that the required ventilation amount can be secured and the supporting function and strength of the food are not hindered. Normal,
The area of the ventilation part is set to about 20 to 30% of the total area of the ventilation lining material. The width or inner diameter of the ventilation part can be set to 1 to 10 mm. The breathable bed material may be fixedly installed inside the container portion, or may be detachably attached. When fixedly installed in the container part, it is preferable to provide an outlet for the humidity control material and an opening / closing lid so that the humidity control material accommodated below the ventilation laying material can be replaced. As a means for removably attaching the ventilation laying material to the container portion, a support projection or an engagement groove for supporting the peripheral edge of the ventilation lining material can be provided on the inner wall of the container portion. It is also possible to provide support legs higher than the height of the humidity control material on the bottom surface side of the ventilation lining material. The ventilating flooring material can be attached to the container part so that it can be opened and closed by a hinge mechanism or the like.

[Ventilation Bed Material for Humidity Control Material] A ventilation floor material having a ventilation section that is placed on the bottom surface side of the humidity control material inside the container part and has a ventilation portion that penetrates the front and back sides may be further provided. it can. When the back surface of the humidity control material comes into contact with the air in the container, the surface of the humidity control material having the adsorption function can be effectively utilized, and the gas and moisture absorption performance is increased. The air on the food side
By flowing to the back side of the humidity control material and convection or circulation, the contact rate between the humidity control material and air is increased, and the functions of gas adsorption and humidity control are improved. As the ventilation lining material for the humidity conditioner, basically, one having the same material and structure as the ventilation lining material for the food on which the food is placed can be used. However, a structure suitable for mounting a humidity control material instead of food may be adopted.

When the humidity control material is formed by stacking small particles such as powder particles, the ventilation part of the ventilation laying material has a structure in which the humidity control material does not drop and clogging of the ventilation part does not easily occur. For example, the diameter of the through hole may be set small, or a slit shape that does not easily cause clogging may be adopted. When the humidity control material is a relatively large molded body, the ventilation part of the ventilation lining material can be made large. It is also possible to support a plurality of positions on the back surface of the humidity control material molded body in a dotted or linear manner and to expose the entire other back surface. The ventilation laying material for the humidity control material may be arranged in the entire container portion, or may be provided only at a position supporting the humidity control material. For example, it is possible to dispose different ventilation floor materials for each of the plurality of humidity control material molded bodies.

If the ventilation cover material for the humidity control material is also detachably attached to the container part, it is convenient for cleaning or washing the inside of the container part. However, even if it is fixed to the container, there is no problem in handling food and humidity control material. [Cooling material] Inside the container part, it can be arranged above the food storage part. By keeping the internal temperature of the container part low with a cool material, deterioration of food quality is prevented. The air cooled by the heat insulating material above the food descends and comes into contact with the food, and the gas released from the food can be efficiently carried to the humidity control material below. The air degassed and conditioned by the humidity control agent rises and moves again to the cold insulation agent. By the convection circulation of the air, the functions of the cold insulating material and the humidity control material are effectively exhibited.

The material and structure of the cold insulating material are not particularly limited as long as it has a function of keeping the inside of the container cold, and a cold insulating material used for ordinary food storage can be used. To store the cold insulation material in the container part, attach a partition plate above the food storage part and put the cold insulation material on it, or provide the cold insulation material storage part on the inner wall of the container part. be able to. A cold insulating material can be attached to the back surface of the lid. It is also possible to use the above-mentioned ventilating flooring material for holding the cold insulating material. When a heat insulating material is used, the relative humidity increases due to a decrease in the internal temperature of the container, which causes a problem of deterioration of food quality due to humidity. However, if the humidity control material is provided, the moisture absorption effect of the humidity control material also increases as the relative humidity rises, so that excessive humidity or moisture is not generated in the air.

[0020]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION [Underfloor Storage] The food storage device shown in FIG. 1 is an underfloor storage 20 which is embedded in a floor 10 of a kitchen of a house. Underfloor storage 20 is entirely FR
It has a box-shaped container portion 22 made of a P-molded product and the like, and a plate-like lid portion 24 that openably and closably closes an opening provided on the entire upper surface of the container portion 22. The lid 24 is also made of an FRP molded product or the like. Such a basic structure is common to a normal underfloor storage. The volume of the container portion 22 is about 0.27 m.
^{Is 3} .

Inside the container portion 22, near the bottom surface, two ventilating sheets 28 are vertically spaced from each other.
The ventilation laying material 28 is made of a plate material such as synthetic resin, and has a large number of ventilation holes 29 penetrating the front and back surfaces, and the air circulates freely between the front and back surfaces of the ventilation lining material 28. The ventilation laying material 28 is supported in a state of being mounted on the engaging convex portion 26 provided on the inner wall of the container main body portion 22. If desired, the ventilating bed 28 can be removed. A rectangular parallelepiped shaped humidity control material molded body 30 is arranged in the middle of the two ventilation laying materials 28. Specifically, the humidity control material molded body 30 is placed on the lower ventilation lining 28.

The humidity control material molded body 30 is obtained by crushing siliceous shale,
It is put into a mold and press-molded, moisture absorption and desorption amount 400
Indicates g / m ² , vertical 30 cm × horizontal 30 cm × height 0.8
It has a rectangular parallelepiped of cm. Such a humidity control material molded body 30 has three
It is used individually. Therefore, the air volume ratio becomes 1.0. Foods 50 to be stored, such as fruits and vegetables, are placed on the upper air lining material 28. A partition plate 42 is attached to the engaging convex portion 28 provided on the inner wall of the container part 22 near the upper end of the container part 22, and the cold insulating material 4 is mounted on the partition plate 42.
0 is stored. The partition plate 40 has air permeability.

[Use of Underfloor Storage] In order to use the underfloor storage 20, first, a ventilating laying material 28 for a humidity control material is attached inside the container portion 22, and a humidity control material molded body 30 is mounted thereon. Are arranged so that there is a gap between them. Humidity control material molded body 3
In the case of repeated use, 0 is preferably stored after being dried or in a state in which the adsorbed gas is released by heating or ventilation. The ventilation lining material 28 for food is arranged above the humidity control material molded body 30, and the foods 50 to be stored are arranged thereon. At this time, it is preferable that the foods 50 are not packed too much and that there is a sufficient gap between the foods 50.

A partition plate 42 is attached above the food 50, and the cold insulating material 40 is placed thereon. It is desirable that the cold insulating material 40 be sufficiently cooled in advance in a refrigerator or a freezer. In the case of the cold insulating material 40 that exhibits a cold insulating effect by a chemical reaction, the cold insulating material 40 is rubbed or the like so that the cold insulating effect occurs. Finally, the lid 24 is closed and the storage operation of the food 50 is completed. Inside the container portion 22, the air cooled by the cold insulating material 40 naturally descends and comes into contact with the food 50,
Lower the temperature. The quality of the food 50 whose temperature has dropped is less likely to deteriorate. Gas emission from the inside of the food 50 is also reduced.

However, it is unavoidable that gas and moisture are released from the food 50 over time. The gas and moisture released from the food 50 descend as the cool air descends, pass through the ventilation holes 29 of the ventilation lining material 28 for food, and the humidity control molded body 3 is formed.
Contact 0. Further, the ventilation holes 2 of the lower ventilation material 28
There is also air that has come into contact with the back surface side of the humidity control material molded body 30 after passing through 9. In the air that has come into contact with the entire surface of the humidity control material molding 30, the gas released from the food 50 is the humidity control material molding 3
It is adsorbed and removed to 0. When the humidity in the air is high, the humidity control material molded body 30 absorbs the humidity. If the humidity is low, moisture is released from the humidity control material molded body 30 and the humidity of the air is controlled within a certain range.

The air that has been degassed by the humidity control material molded body 30 rises inside the container portion 22, and again the cold insulation material 40.
Is cooled by. The air in the container part 22 transfers the gas and excess water released by the food 50 to the humidity control material molded body 30 while repeating such convective circulation, and the humidity control material molded body 30 efficiently Can be removed. As a result, no harmful gas or moisture that deteriorates the quality exists around the food 50, and good quality can be maintained for a long time. Moreover, the gas released from the food 50 is also prevented from coming into contact with other foods 50 in the surroundings, so that the deterioration of the quality of the other foods 50 is not promoted.

Even when the cold insulating material 40 is not used, the gas and water released from the food 50 come into contact with the humidity control material molding 30 due to natural diffusion and convection, and the quality of the food 50 deteriorates. Can be suppressed. Even if the ventilation pad 28 for the humidity control material is not provided, the functions of gas adsorption and humidity control can be exerted on the upper surface and the side surfaces of the humidity control material molded body 30.

[0028]

In the food storage device according to the present invention, the gas and moisture released from the food come into contact with the humidity control material through the ventilation part of the ventilation flooring material, and the gas is adsorbed and removed by the humidity control material.
If the humidity in the air is excessive, it is absorbed by the humidity control material, and if the humidity is too low, the humidity is supplied from the humidity control material to control the humidity of the air. Therefore, the harmful gas that promotes the quality deterioration does not stay around the food, and the quality deterioration of the food due to the released gas can be prevented. Moreover, since the humidity in the air is properly adjusted, deterioration of food quality due to excessive humidity or overdrying is less likely to occur.

As a result, it is possible to store fruits and vegetables, which have been difficult to store for a long period of time in the conventional food storage device, in a good quality state for a long period of time. In particular, even when a plurality of kinds of foods are mixed and stored, there is no concern that quality deterioration will be promoted.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an underfloor storage representing an embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 floor 20 Underfloor storage 22 Container 24 Lid 28 Venting material 30 Humidity control material molded body 40 Cooling material 50 food

Continued front page    (72) Inventor Hiroshi Sato             1-4-1, Shinsenri Nishimachi, Toyonaka City, Osaka Prefecture             National Housing Industry Co., Ltd. F term (reference) 4B021 LA41 LT03 MC06 MK03 MK08                       MP05                 4B022 LA04 LA05 LP08 LT10                 4B069 AA03 BA12 CA02 HA01 HA11                       KA08 KC11

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A device for storing food that is liable to deteriorate in quality over time, the container containing the food and having an opening on the upper surface, and a lid for opening and closing the opening of the container. A humidity control material arranged on the bottom side inside the container part, and arranged above the humidity control material inside the container part, the food is stored in the upper part thereof, and has a ventilation part penetrating the front and back. A food storage device including a ventilating sheet material. 2. The humidity control material comprises an inorganic humidity control material selected from the group consisting of siliceous shale, Kanuma soil, and zeolite, and has a moisture absorption / release amount of 300 g / m ² or more. The food storage device according to claim 1, which is a material molded body, wherein the humidity control material molded body is arranged such that an air volume ratio is 0.4 or more. 3. The ventilation base material according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: a ventilation laying material having a ventilation portion that penetrates the front and back sides of the humidity control material placed on the bottom surface side of the humidity control material inside the container portion. Food storage device. 4. The cold insulating material is further provided inside the container portion and above the food storage portion.
The food storage device according to any one of 1 to 3.