JP2005168358A - Food material cooling device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a food material cooling device eliminating cooling unevenness and having improved yield. <P>SOLUTION: This food material cooling device 10 has a cooling air unit 12 supplying cooling air, a food material container part 32a holding a food material and a pocket part 32b spraying cooling air supplied from the cooling air supplying unit 12 to the bottom or the side surface of the food material R held on the food container part 32a, and sending cooling air to the inside of the food material R. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a food material cooling device for cooling food and other food materials.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when a food is taken as an example of a food, a cooling device is known in which hot-formed food is placed in a lunch box and cooled (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  In what is described in Patent Document 1, a cooling device and a belt conveyor that conveys a lunch box containing hot-formed rice are arranged in a cooling tunnel, and the cooling air cooled by the cooling device is used for the rice in the lunch box. The air is blown toward the surface. The inside of the cooling tunnel is divided into a plurality of booths, and a cooling device is arranged in a row in each booth, and the cooling device includes a cooling coil and a blower fan. The cooling air is circulated in the booth by the blower fan, and after passing through the belt conveyor, is cooled again by the cooling coil.

  However, in the configuration described in Patent Document 1, since cooling is performed using cooling air that circulates throughout the booth, it takes cooling time, and therefore, the length of the cooling tunnel is required to be large. There is a problem that the apparatus becomes larger.

  In order to solve such a problem, Patent Document 2 proposes a hot forming cooling device including a nozzle that inserts a nozzle into the rice and blows cooling air. In addition, the applicant of the present application is Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-119031, and is provided with a closed space defined in order to install foodstuffs, and is disposed in the closed space and supplied to the surface of the foodstuffs from the cooling air supply unit. A food material cooling apparatus is provided that includes a nozzle that blows the cooled air and an exhaust unit that discharges the cooling air ejected from the nozzle to the outside of the closed space.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-204 JP 2003-225058 A

  However, when the cooling air from the nozzle is blown into the rice or blown to the surface of the food as in the proposed cooling device, the cooling air passes only through the same path when passing through the food. Therefore, there is a problem that uneven cooling occurs. There is also room for improvement in yield due to the amount of water lost from food. Furthermore, when inserting a nozzle into a foodstuff, there also exists a problem that there exists a possibility that a nozzle may be damaged.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a food cooling device that is further improved. The object of the present invention is to provide a food cooling device that can prevent uneven cooling and improve the yield. That is.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention described in claim 1 is a food cooling device for cooling food, comprising a cooling air supply unit for supplying cooling air, a food holding body for holding food, and a food A cooling air spraying unit that blows the cooling air supplied from the cooling air supply unit to the bottom or side surface of the food held by the holding body and feeds the cooling air into the food.

  The cooling air passes through the interior of the food held by the food holding body in order to send the cooling air from the side or bottom surface to the food held by the food holding body. Cooling air flows from the bottom to the top of the food in a direction that coincides with the direction of steam from the food, and can smoothly disperse and pass through the food to uniformly cool the food, preventing uneven cooling. be able to. Thus, the cooling efficiency can be increased, the cooling time can be shortened, the amount of water evaporated from the food can be reduced, and the yield can be improved. In addition, since the cooling air can be uniformly contained in the food material, the cooled food material can be held in a soft state.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the food holding body according to the first aspect is conveyed by the conveying means, and cooling air is sent into the food held at a plurality of positions determined along the conveying path. It is characterized by. With this configuration, it is possible to sequentially process foods that are mass-produced.

  A third aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the plurality of positions according to the second aspect, the flow rate of the cooling air fed is set so as not to be the same in all positions. With this configuration, the foodstuff can be cooled under appropriate conditions in the cooling process, and the cooling efficiency can be increased. In this case, the condition may be set to be different at all positions, but the condition may be set to be the same at any of several positions.

  Invention of Claim 4 cooled the foodstuff in the thing of Claim 1 in the closed space which consists of a lid | cover covered so that opening and closing is possible from the upper part of the said foodstuff holding body, and this foodstuff holding body and a lid | cover. And an exhaust unit for discharging the cooling air out of the closed space. With this configuration, the pressure in the closed space formed by the food material holder and the lid can be made substantially uniform, the cooling air can be dispersed to uniformly cool the food material, and uneven cooling can be prevented. Can do. In addition, since the cooling air is blown into the closed space composed of the food material holder and the lid, the apparatus can be miniaturized.

  The invention according to claim 5 is characterized in that the exhaust part according to claim 4 is connected to the lid. By connecting the exhaust part to the lid, the exhaust part can be arranged upward, and the cooling air that has been cooled by passing through the inside of the food material together with the steam from the food material can be smoothly exhausted.

  The invention described in claim 6 is characterized in that the exhaust unit according to claim 4 or 5 is provided with an adjusting means for adjusting the pressure in the closed space or the exhaust amount from the closed space. With this configuration, it is possible to further increase the cooling efficiency by adjusting the pressure and the exhaust amount depending on the temperature to be cooled and the capacity of the closed space.

  The invention according to claim 7 is the one according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the food material holder is conveyed by a conveying means and corresponds to a plurality of positions determined along the conveying path. A closed space is formed together with the lid, and cooling air is sent into the closed space. With this configuration, it is possible to sequentially process foods that are mass-produced.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the plurality of positions according to the seventh aspect, the pressure in the closed space including the corresponding lid and the food material holder, the flow rate of the cooling air flowing in the closed space, or the cooling discharged from the closed space. It is characterized in that at least one of the conditions of the air exhaust amount is set not to be the same at all positions. With this configuration, the foodstuff can be cooled under appropriate conditions in the cooling process, and the cooling efficiency can be increased. In this case, the condition may be set to be different at all positions, but the condition may be set to be the same at any of several positions.

  Invention of Claim 9 is provided with the unit which performs washing | cleaning, disinfection, or drying of the said foodstuff holding body in the other position decided along the said conveyance path of Claim 2, 3, 7 or 8. Features. With this configuration, cleaning, sterilization, or drying can be sequentially performed.

  The invention according to claim 10 is characterized in that the cooling air according to any one of claims 1 to 9 is sterilized. With this configuration, hygiene can be imparted. Further, since the cooling air flows in one direction from the cooling air supply unit and the exhausted cooling air is not reused, the cleanliness of the cooling air can be maintained.

  The invention described in claim 11 is characterized in that, in any one of claims 1 to 10, the food carrier is removable from the apparatus. Hygiene and safety can be improved by removing the food carrier from the apparatus and washing it. When the food material holder is transported by the transport means, it may be removable from the transport means.

  A twelfth aspect of the present invention is the food container according to any one of the first to eleventh aspects, wherein the food holder is a food container having a recess for receiving the food, and a plurality of cooling air passes through the wall surface of the recess. An opening is provided. By receiving the food material in the food material container, the cooling air can be easily blown onto the bottom surface or the side surface of the food material. Then, the cooling air is blown to the bottom surface or the side surface of the food material through the plurality of openings.

  According to a thirteenth aspect of the invention, in the twelfth aspect of the invention, the cooling air blowing portion has a concave pocket surrounding at least a part of the bottom surface and the side surface of the food container. A cooling air inflow port through which cooling air from the cooling air supply unit is fed into the pocket is formed on the wall surface. Accordingly, the cooling air passes through the cooling air inflow port, and further passes through the plurality of openings, so that the cooling air is blown onto the bottom surface or the side surface of the food material. With the pocket, the cooling air can be sprayed uniformly on the food over a wide area.

  The invention according to a fourteenth aspect is the one according to any one of the first to eleventh aspects, wherein the food material holder is a plate material on which the food material is placed, and a plurality of cooling air passes through the plate material. An opening is provided. By placing the food material on the plate material, the cooling air can be easily blown to the bottom surface or the side surface of the food material through the opening of the plate material. The board | plate material should just be plate shape in the site | part which hold | maintains a foodstuff, and the part beyond it can be made into arbitrary shapes.

  According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, the cooling air blowing portion according to the fourteenth aspect includes a pocket on which a plate material is placed, and the cooling air supply is provided on a wall surface of the pocket. A cooling air inflow port for feeding cooling air from the portion into the pocket is formed. Accordingly, the cooling air passes through the cooling air inflow port, and further passes through the plurality of openings, so that the cooling air is blown onto the bottom surface or the side surface of the food material. With the pocket, the cooling air can be sprayed uniformly on the food over a wide area.

  The invention according to claim 16 is the one according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that the food material is provisionally formed into a sheet shape. By placing the sheet-like food material on the plate material, the food material can be uniformly and rapidly cooled.

  The food to be cooled is arbitrary, and can be, for example, a meal that is an aggregate of meals. By making the food holder directly hold the profit, the profit can be efficiently cooled. The fried rice can be white rice, vinegared rice, cooked rice with ingredients, or the like.

  In the food cooling device of the present invention, the cooling air passes through the inside of the food in order to blow cooling air onto the bottom or side surface of the food held by the food holding body. Cooling air flows from the bottom to the top of the food in a direction that coincides with the direction of steam from the food, and can smoothly disperse and pass through the food to uniformly cool the food, preventing uneven cooling. be able to. Thus, the cooling efficiency can be increased, the cooling time can be shortened, the amount of water evaporated from the food can be reduced, and the yield can be improved. In addition, since the cooling air can be uniformly contained in the food material, the cooled food material can be held in a soft state.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram showing a food cooling device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, the food cooling device 10 includes a cooling air unit 12 serving as a cooling air supply unit for supplying cooling air, a cooling unit 14, a final cooling unit 16, and a carry-out unit 18.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the cooling air unit 12 includes an air compressor 20, an air tank 22, an air dryer 24, and a filter unit 26. The compressed high-pressure air generated by the air compressor 20 is accommodated in the air tank 22. The compressed high-pressure air from the air tank 22 is cooled and dehumidified by the air dryer 24, filtered by the filter unit 26, and becomes clean low-humidity cooling air from which germs are removed. The filter unit 26 can include a line filter, a micro mist filter, an activated carbon filter, or a sterilization filter.

  The cooling unit 14 circulates the carry-in conveyor 30 into which the food is loaded, the plurality of cooling containers 32 that receive the food, and the plurality of cooling containers 32 in a circulating manner to position the plurality of positions (P0...). Type conveying means (conveying means) 31, a lid 34 that can be moved up and down provided above the circulating type conveying means 31 corresponding to the cooling container 32 at the cooling positions (P1 to P4), and cleaning positions (P6, P7) ) And a sterilization drying unit 38 for sterilizing and drying the cooling container 32 at the sterilization drying position (P8, P9).

  The carry-in conveyor 30 carries the food and supplies the food to the cooling container 32 at a predetermined food receiving position P0 placed on the circulation type conveying means 31. The circulation type conveyance means 31 cyclically conveys the cooling container 32 that is detachably installed thereon.

  As shown in FIG. 2, each cooling container 32 has a double structure of a food container portion (food material holding body) 32a and a concave pocket portion (cooling air spraying portion) 32b. It arrange | positions inside the part 32b and can accommodate now, for example, a meal which is a foodstuff directly in the recessed part inside the foodstuff container part 32a. A cavity is formed between the food container portion 32a and the pocket portion 32b, and the cavity communicates with the supply path 32d via a coupler attached to a cooling air inlet 32c provided on the wall surface of the pocket portion 32b. The The supply path 32 d is connected to the cooling air unit 12 through the electromagnetic valve 33. A large number of openings 32e are formed on the bottom surface of the food container portion 32a, and the openings 32e communicate with the cavity.

  The concave portion inside the food container portion 32a is preferably a truncated cone shape as shown in FIG. 2, and this shape makes it easy to put in and out the food ingredient R and to clean it. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a cylindrical shape is also possible. In addition, it is preferable to make stainless steel with high corrosion resistance corresponding to food materials such as vinegared rice.

  The lid 34 can be moved up and down with respect to the food container portion 32a of the cooling container 32 at the predetermined cooling positions P1 to P4 on the circulation type conveying means 31, and is lowered to the food container portion 32a of the cooling container 32. When the cover is covered, a closed space is formed by the lid 34 and the food container portion 32 a of the cooling container 32. An exhaust passage (exhaust portion) 34a is connected to the top of the lid 34, and the exhaust passage 34a is for exhausting the cooling air that has cooled the food from the closed space and the steam from the food. 34 a is provided with a flow control valve (adjusting means) 35 and a temperature sensor 62.

  The final cooling unit 16 includes a loosening conveyor 40, a loosening bar 42, a cooling nozzle 43, and an electromagnetic valve 44. The loosening conveyor 40 receives the food taken out by reversing the cooling container 32 located at a predetermined food discharge position P5 on the circulating conveying means 31. The loosening bar 42 is for loosening the food conveyed by the loosening conveyor 40, and has a large number of stirring blades or spiral stirring blades attached to the peripheral surface of the center bar. The cooling nozzle 43 is disposed above the loosening rod 42 and is connected to the filter unit 26 of the cooling air unit 12 via the electromagnetic valve 44.

  The carry-out unit 18 includes a measuring instrument 50, a carry-out conveyor 52, and a container 53. The weighing device 50 measures food materials, and the carry-out conveyor 52 conveys the measured food materials stored in a container 53 installed thereon to the shipping room.

  The controller 60 (see FIG. 2) controls the opening and closing of the electromagnetic valve 33, the flow control valve 35, and the electromagnetic valve 44.

The operation of the food cooling apparatus 10 configured as described above will be described.
The food material carried on the carry-in conveyor 30 is supplied to the food container portion 32a of the cooling container 32 at the predetermined food material receiving position P0 of the circulating conveying means 31. The unit of ingredients carried in by the carry-in conveyor 30 should correspond to the storage capacity of the ingredient container part 32a of one cooling container 32. For example, when the ingredient is a meal, the unit is a rice cooker. It is good to be the amount that can be cooked at once. For example, it is large enough to accommodate rice corresponding to 15 kg of rice.

  When the cooling container 32 to which the food is supplied is transported to the next cooling position P1 by the circulating transport means 31, the lid 34 is lowered to cover the food container portion 32a of the cooling container 32 and form a closed space together with the cover 34. To do. Next, the corresponding electromagnetic valve 33 is opened, cooling air is supplied to the cavity between the food container portion 32a and the pocket portion 32b of the cooling container 32, and the cooling air enters the food container portion 32a from the opening 32e of the cooling container 32. It is sent toward the ingredients. At this time, the pressure in the closed space formed by the food container 32a and the lid 34 is controlled to a predetermined positive pressure by the electromagnetic valve 33 and the flow rate control valve 35, and the cooling air from the opening 32e is Filled in a closed space. And cooling air is disperse | distributed and a foodstuff will be uniformly exposed to cooling air and will be cooled uniformly.

  This will be explained in detail. When cooling air is blown onto the surface of the food material or blown into the food material by the nozzle, it is avoided that uneven cooling occurs between the place where the cooling air is directly received from the nozzle and the place where it is not. Can not do it. The cooling air ejected from the nozzle tends to escape in a direction in which it easily escapes. For example, the tendency to escape to the outside of the food material without penetrating into the food material becomes strong. Therefore, there is a problem that the cooling air does not reach the inside or bottom of the food material uniformly. On the other hand, in this invention, since cooling air is supplied from the downward direction of a foodstuff, a cooling air flows smoothly according to the flow of a vapor | steam, and will reach | attain the upper part of a foodstuff reliably. And since cooling air can disperse | distribute and flow uniformly in a foodstuff, a foodstuff can be cooled uniformly. Moreover, cooling air can be included in the whole foodstuff, and the cooled foodstuff can be kept in a soft state. Thus, the cooling efficiency can be increased, the cooling time can be shortened, the amount of water evaporated from the food can be reduced, and the yield can be improved. Further, since the closed space with the uniform pressure is formed by the lid and the cooling container, the cooling air can be more uniformly dispersed and the food can be cooled more uniformly.

  By increasing the pressure in the closed space, it is possible to prevent the evaporation of moisture and improve the yield, but it is preferable that the pressure be sufficient to induce the latent heat of evaporation necessary for cooling. It is possible to adjust the flow rate, pressure, and time of the cooling air sent to the food by adjusting the electromagnetic valve 33 and the flow rate control valve 35.

  Clean cooling air is sent into the closed space composed of the food container portion 32a and the lid 34 to form a clean room, thereby preventing the growth of bacteria due to fungi floating in the closed space (falling bacteria). be able to. Further, since the cooling air flows in one direction and the exhausted cooling air is not reused, the cleanliness of the cooling air can be maintained.

  When a predetermined time elapses, the supply of cooling air is stopped, the lid 34 is raised, and the cooling container 32 is moved to the next cooling position by the conveying means 31. And the lid | cover 34 corresponding to the cooling position descend | falls, the cooling process by which cooling air is supplied to the cooling container 32 and is sent to the foodstuff in the foodstuff container part 32a is repeated. The cooling container 32 undergoes a plurality of cooling steps while being sequentially moved to the next cooling position by the conveying means 31. Then, the cooling container 32 is inverted at the food material discharge position P <b> 5, and the food material is supplied to the next final cooling unit 16.

  Depending on the target temperature, a single cooling process can be performed, or a plurality of cooling processes at the respective cooling positions P1, P2,... Can be performed under the same conditions. Further, by controlling the electromagnetic valve 33, the pressure in the closed space and the flow rate flowing through the closed space can be made different.

  FIG. 3 shows an example thereof, and the pressure is set so as to increase each time the process is performed. That is, in the initial cooling process, the flow rate in the flow control valve 35 is not reduced, the pressure in the closed space is reduced, and a large amount of cooling air is flowed to exchange heat with the food in a high temperature state. And it is good to restrict | squeeze the flow volume in the flow control valve 35, and so that the pressure P of closed space may become high so that cooling air may spread over the part where the temperature of the upper part of foodstuff is high each time it passes through a process. However, the present invention is not limited to this example, and the pressure and flow rate can always be kept constant in all cooling processes.

  In the final cooling unit 16, the cooling nozzle 43 blows cooling air on the surface of the unwinding conveyor 40 while unwinding with the unwinding rod 42. The cooling air blowing time or blowing flow rate varies depending on the target final cooling temperature and the temperature cooled by the cooling unit 14. The controller 60 can adjust the spray time or the spray flow rate according to the exhaust temperature detected by the temperature sensor 62 installed in the exhaust passage 34a to set the final cooling temperature to the set temperature. When target cooling is performed by the cooling unit 14, the final cooling unit 16 can be omitted.

  The foodstuff uniformly cooled to the target final cooling temperature by the final cooling unit 16 is supplied to the container 53 of the carry-out unit 18, measured by the measuring device 50, and then carried out by the carry-out conveyor 52.

  Thus, for example, in the case where the food is fried, cooling is performed from 90 ° C. to 20-25 ° C. for white rice and 50 ° C. for vinegared rice.

  In the cooling unit 14, the empty cooling container 32 after supplying the food to the final cooling unit 16 is sprayed with cleaning water by the cleaning unit 36 at the cleaning position (P 6, P 7), and then is sterilized and dried ( In P8 and P9), the sterilization and drying unit 38 performs sterilization and drying, and sequentially undergoes washing and sterilization and drying processes.

  Since the cooling container 32 can be periodically removed from the circulating conveying means 31 and washed, it is excellent in hygiene and safety.

  The opening 32e through which the cooling air is fed into the food container portion 32a of the cooling container 32 is not limited to the bottom surface of the food container portion 32a, and can be provided on the bottom surface and side surfaces. Moreover, although the exhaust path was provided in the lid | cover 34, it is not restricted to this, It is also possible to extend an exhaust path from the upper side surface of the foodstuff container part 32a.

  Next, FIG. 4 is a plan view mainly showing the cooling unit 114 of the food cooling device according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. The other units of the food cooling device are the same as in the previous embodiment, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

  In the example of FIGS. 4 and 5, a hopper 130 that moves to the cooling unit 114 while loosening the ingredients carried in from the carry-in conveyor, a plurality of ingredient containers 132 that receive the ingredients, and a plurality of ingredient containers 132 are conveyed in a circulating manner. Are provided corresponding to the food containers 132 at the cooling positions P10, P12, P13, and P14 below the circulation type conveying means 131. The circulation type conveying means 131 performs positioning to a plurality of positions P10, P11,. A cooling air sprayer 134 that can be moved up and down, a cleaning unit 136 that cleans the food container 132 at the cleaning position P16, and a draining unit 138 that drains the cleaned food container 132 at the draining position P17. ing.

  The circulation type conveying means 131 reciprocates the food container 132 between the food receiving position P10 for receiving food from the hopper 130 and the standby position P11, and moves the food container 132 receiving the food from the standby position P11 to the cooling position P12. At the same time, the pusher 131a that pushes the other food containers 132 at the cooling positions P12 and P13 along the rails 131b to the next cooling positions P13 and P14, and the food from the food container 132 at the cooling position P14 are carried out. Inverted at a reversal position P15 to be transferred to another receiving pad 150 on the conveyor 152, and further moved to a reversal position P15 ′ by moving the food container 132 after discharging the food material to the reversal position P15 ′. A roll conveyor 131d for horizontally moving the food container 132, and a roll controller A conveyor 131e with a lift function that guides the food container 132 conveyed by the door 131d to the cleaning position P16, a chain conveyor 131f that moves to the cleaning position P16, the draining position P17, and the reverse position P18, and the food at the reverse position P18 The reversing device 131g for reversing the container 132 to the standby position P11 is provided, and the food container 132 is circulated by these devices 131a to 131g.

  Each food container 132 includes a container main body 132a that directly stores the food, and an absorber 132b that cushions the other food containers 132 on both sides of the container main body 132a. The container main body 132a has a mesh shape, and a large number of openings are formed on the side and bottom surfaces thereof.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the cooling air sprayer 134 has a concave pocket 134a in which the food container 132 is accommodated, and an air cylinder 134b for raising and lowering the concave pocket 134a. A large number of openings 134c as cooling air inlets are formed on the bottom and side surfaces, and a cavity as a flow passage is formed inside the concave pocket 134a, and the cavity is connected to the cooling air unit via an electromagnetic valve. 12 filter units 26 are connected. When the food container 132 is stored in the concave pocket 134a, the cooling air is sent into the container body 132a through the numerous openings 134c and the many openings of the container body 132a.

  Further, a loosening device 160 is separately provided corresponding to the cooling position P12. The loosening device 160 is provided with a lifting rod 160a that can be raised and lowered. The loosening rod 160a plays a role of lowering into the food container 132 and loosening the food in the food container 132.

  The action of the food cooling device according to the second embodiment configured as described above is performed in the same manner as in the first embodiment. That is, the food material loaded on the carry-in conveyor (not shown) passes through the hopper 130 and is stored in the food container 132 at the food material receiving position P10. When passing through the hopper 130, the loosening bar 130a provided in the hopper 130 rotates and drops the ingredients while loosening them. At this time, if the cooling air is ejected from the nozzle provided around the loosening rod 130a or the opening of the loosening rod 130a through the inside of the loosening rod 130a, the cooling effect is further enhanced.

  Next, the air cylinder 134b of the cooling air sprayer 134 lifts the concave pocket 134a and accommodates the food container 132 in the concave portion of the concave pocket 134a. Next, the cooling air from the concave pocket 134a is sent into the food container 132 through the openings 134c and the multiple openings of the container body 132a.

  After a predetermined time has passed, the feeding of the cooling air stops, the concave pocket 134a of the cooling air sprayer 134 moves down, and moves to the next cooling position P12 through the standby position P11 by the action of the pusher pusher 131a. At this position, similarly, the concave pocket 134a of the cooling air sprayer 134 rises and the cooling air is fed into the food. In the cooling position P <b> 12, the cooling effect is enhanced because the loosening rod 160 a loosens the food in the food container 132 simultaneously with the feeding of the cooling air. Sequentially, cooling air is sent to the food in the food container 132 at the cooling positions P13 and P14. When the food container 132 is inverted from the cooling position P14 by the lateral movement reversing device 131c, the food material is transferred to the receiving pad 150 and supplied to the next final cooling unit 16 as necessary.

  Further, the empty food container 132 from which the food has been discharged is completely reversed at the reversing position P15 'by the lateral movement reversing device 131c, and then washed at the next washing position P16. This is because the container body portion 132a, which is a waste product, can be washed better when washed in the inverted state. Further, the water is drained at the next draining position P17, and is reversed again by the reversing device 131g from the reversing position P18 to the standby position P11.

  In this embodiment, since the lid is not provided, the closed space as in the first embodiment is not formed. However, in order to send the cooling air from the bottom surface and / or the side surface of the food container 132 into the food material, the first operation is performed. The same action and effect as the form can be obtained.

  Next, FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view showing a food holder, a cooling air spraying unit, and food used in the food cooling device according to the third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is an explanatory view including a sectional view and a controller. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a production line including the food cooling device 10.

  In this example, the food cooling device 10 is installed between the food material temporary forming device 70 and the food material forming device 72 as shown in FIG. The foodstuff temporary forming apparatus 70 is an apparatus that temporarily forms a thin sheet as an example of foodstuffs. In this example, the ingredients are used as the ingredients, and after the ingredients are temporarily formed into a sheet shape by the ingredients provisional molding apparatus 70, the ingredients are cooled by the ingredients cooling apparatus 10 according to the present invention, and then the ingredients are added and wrapped by the ingredients molding apparatus. The purpose is to produce rice balls by wrapping method. Such a rice ball has a problem that when it is formed into a final shape of the rice ball and then cooled, the thickness increases, so that it is difficult to uniformly cool the inside and it takes a long cooling time. Moreover, not only is the rice bran to be cooled thick, but it is already compressed and the density of the food is high, so it is difficult to pass cooling air through the inside. In order to allow the cooling air to pass through the inside of the food, it is necessary to forcibly suck the cooling air downstream by evacuation of the cooling air, which causes a problem that the food becomes hard. Furthermore, when vacuuming is performed, ambient air may be sucked together, and there is a risk of attracting fungi and the like contained in the ambient air.

  On the other hand, in the foodstuff cooling device 10 by this embodiment, the said problem is solved by spraying clean cooling air from the bottom face of foodstuffs together with temporarily forming a foodstuff in a sheet form.

  That is, the food material cooling device 10 of this embodiment includes a cooling air unit 12 and a cooling unit 214. The cooling unit 214 includes a plate material 232 as a food material holding body and a concave pocket as a cooling air spraying portion. 234. A large number of circular openings are formed in the plate member 232. The number and area of the openings, that is, the opening area ratio can be changed as appropriate. Further, the plate member 232 can be placed on a flange portion 234 a formed in the concave pocket 234. Then, the sheet-like food material R is placed on the plate material 232.

  A cooling air inlet 234b is formed on the wall surface of the recessed pocket 234 and communicates with the supply path 32d through a coupler attached to the cooling air inlet 234a. The supply path 32 d is connected to the filter unit 26 of the cooling air unit 12 through the electromagnetic valve 33.

  In the food cooling device 10 configured as described above, when the food material R temporarily formed into a sheet shape by the food material temporary forming device 70 is placed on the plate material 232, the cooling air from the cooling air unit 12 becomes the concave pocket 234. Introduced in. Then, cooling air is uniformly blown to the bottom surface of the food material R from a large number of holes in the plate material 232. Since the cooling air is supplied from below the food material, the cooling air smoothly flows in accordance with the flow of the steam and reliably reaches the upper part of the food material. And since cooling air can disperse | distribute and flow uniformly in a foodstuff, a foodstuff can be cooled uniformly. Moreover, cooling air can be included in the whole foodstuff, and the cooled foodstuff can be kept in a soft state. Thus, the cooling efficiency can be increased, the cooling time can be shortened, the amount of water evaporated from the food can be reduced, and the yield can be improved.

  In each of the above embodiments, the pressure of the cooling air supplied from the cooling air unit 12 may be 0.2 MPa or more, but is not limited thereto. For example, when cooling a sheet-like food as shown in the third embodiment, it is not always necessary to use a high pressure, and the pressure should be approximately the same as the atmospheric pressure (about 0.1 MPa). In that case, noise can be reduced and the amount of air used can be saved.

  Moreover, in each above embodiment, since a nozzle is not inserted in foodstuffs, it is hygienic without leaving a nozzle trace in foodstuffs, Furthermore, the possibility of the failure | damage of a nozzle can be excluded.

It is a whole lineblock diagram showing the foodstuff cooling device concerning the embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing of the cooling container and cover used for the foodstuff cooling device which concerns on embodiment of this invention, and the figure of a controller. It is a figure showing the relationship between the pressure in closed space, and a cooling process. It is a top view mainly showing a cooling unit of the foodstuff cooling device concerning a 2nd embodiment of the present invention. It is the figure seen along the 5-5 line of FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view showing the foodstuff holding body, the cooling air spraying part, and foodstuff which are used for the foodstuff cooling device concerning 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing containing sectional drawing and the controller of the foodstuff holding body used for the foodstuff cooling device concerning 3rd Embodiment of this invention, a cooling air spraying part, and a foodstuff. It is explanatory drawing showing the manufacturing line containing a foodstuff cooling device.

Explanation of symbols

10 Food Cooling Device 12 Cooling Air Unit (Cooling Air Supply Unit)
31, 131 Circulation type conveying means (conveying means)
32a Food material container (food material holder)
32b Pocket part (cooling air spraying part)
32c Cooling air inlet 32e Opening (hole)
34 Lid 34a Exhaust path (exhaust section)
35 Flow control valve (adjustment means)
36, 136 Cleaning unit 38 Sterilization drying unit 132 Food container (food holder)
134 Cooling air sprayer (cooling air spraying part)
134a Concave pocket 134c Opening (cooling air inlet)
232 Plate (Food material holder)
234 Concave pocket 234b Cooling air inlet R

Claims (16)

A food cooling device for cooling food,
A cooling air supply unit for supplying cooling air;
An ingredient holder for holding ingredients;
A cooling air blowing unit that blows cooling air supplied from the cooling air supply unit to the bottom or side surface of the food held by the food holding body and sends the cooling air into the food;
A food material cooling device comprising:   2. The food cooling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the food holding body is conveyed by a conveying means, and cooling air is sent into the food held at a plurality of positions determined along the conveyance path.   3. The food cooling apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the flow rate of the cooling air fed in at the plurality of positions is set so as not to be the same at all positions. A lid that can be opened and closed from the top of the food holder;
2. The food material cooling according to claim 1, further comprising an exhaust section for discharging cooling air that has cooled the food material in the closed space formed by the food material holding body and the lid to the outside of the closed space. apparatus.   The food cooling apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the exhaust part is connected to the lid.   The food cooling device according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the exhaust section is provided with an adjusting means for adjusting a pressure in the closed space or an exhaust amount from the closed space.   The food carrier is transported by a transport means and covered with corresponding lids at a plurality of positions determined along the transport path to form a closed space together with the lid, and cooling air is sent into the closed space The food cooling device according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the food cooling device is provided.   In the plurality of positions, at least one of the conditions in the closed space including the corresponding lid and the food material holding body, the flow rate of the cooling air flowing through the closed space, or the exhaust amount of the cooling air discharged from the closed space is all The food cooling device according to claim 7, wherein the food cooling device is set so as not to be the same at the positions.   The food cooling device according to claim 2, 3, 7, or 8, further comprising a unit that performs cleaning, sterilization, or drying of the food holding body at another position determined along the conveyance path.   The food cooling apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the cooling air is sterilized.   The said foodstuff holding body is removable from an apparatus, The foodstuff cooling apparatus of any one of Claim 1 thru | or 10 characterized by the above-mentioned.   The said foodstuff holding body is a foodstuff container which has a recessed part which receives a foodstuff, The several opening part through which cooling air passes is provided in the wall surface of a recessed part, The Claim 1 thru | or 11 characterized by the above-mentioned. Food cooling equipment.   The cooling air spraying portion has a concave pocket surrounding at least a part of the bottom surface and side surface of the food container, and cooling air from the cooling air supply portion is placed in the pocket on the wall surface of the pocket. 13. The food cooling device according to claim 12, wherein a cooling air inflow port is formed.   The said foodstuff holding body is a board | plate material on which a foodstuff is mounted, The board | plate material is provided with the several opening part through which cooling air passes, The one of Claim 1 thru | or 11 characterized by the above-mentioned. Food cooling equipment.   The cooling air blowing part has a concave pocket on which a plate material is placed, and a cooling air inlet for sending cooling air from the cooling air supply part into the pocket on the wall surface of the pocket The food material cooling device according to claim 14, wherein:   The food cooling apparatus according to claim 14 or 15, wherein the food is temporarily formed into a sheet shape.

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