JP2008301739A - Method and device for sterilizing retort packed product - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for sterilizing a retort product facilitating one-way transfer of a retort packed product, when carrying it in or carrying out of a retort pot, enabling adoption of a mechanism whose shaft-sealing mechanism is simple, coming off with a small space occupied by a driving part of a movable table exposed toward the outside of the retort pot, and enabling homogeneous heat sterilization free from temperature irregularity in a short time, and to provide a device for sterilizing a retort packed product. <P>SOLUTION: The method for sterilizing a retort packed product comprises transmitting rotary motion of a rotary driving source 16, disposed on the outer side part of the retort pot 3 to a cum mechanism in the retort pot via the shaft-sealing mechanism 13 to be exchanged into reciprocating motion via the cum mechanism and transmitted to a movable table 7, on which a retort packed product 4 is placed so as to subject the retort product to heat sterilization, while the movable table is moved in the lengthwise direction and the transverse direction. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for sterilizing a retort product containing a solid or a fluid food having a high viscosity and wrapped in a heat-resistant packaging bag.

  Sterilization of retort products with the contents of fluid foods sealed in packaging bags such as heat-resistant resin films is performed by heating the packaging bags with steam or hot water in the retort kettle. For retort products that are large or thick, or have high viscosity or mixed solids, heat transfer is poor during heating in the retort kettle, and the product temperature in the center It takes a long time to reach the set temperature, and in the part close to the bag surface, the product temperature rises quickly and the time of exposure to high temperature becomes long, and the contents may be burnt or burnt.

  Therefore, in order to solve such problems, the present applicant sterilizes the retort food, and sterilizes the retort food while sliding in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction, and then performs a cooling process. The sterilization method and apparatus are proposed (refer patent document 1). As shown in FIG. 10, the sterilizing apparatus for carrying out this sterilization method has a movable base A4 supported on a support base A2 such as a rail provided inside the retort pot main body A1 via a wheel A3. A tray A6 containing a large number of retort foods A5 arranged side by side is stacked and supported on the table A4.

The movable base A4 is connected via a shaft sealing mechanism A10 provided on a drive shaft A9 trait hook main body A1 of a crank mechanism A8 driven by a motor A7, and when the motor A7 is driven to rotate, In conjunction with this, the drive shaft A9 of the crank mechanism A8 reciprocates in the longitudinal direction of the retort pot main body A1, and the movable table A4 connected to the drive shaft A9 accommodates the retort food A5 and is stacked in multiple stages. Along with A6, a sliding motion is performed in the retort pot main body A1 in the longitudinal direction. As described above, sterilization and subsequent cooling treatment while sliding the retort food improves heat transfer and prevents sterilization during sterilization by using large bags for business use and high viscosity retort food. The time can be greatly shortened.
Japanese Patent Publication No.58-2666

  However, in the sterilization apparatus described in Patent Document 1 described above, the motor and the crank mechanism for sliding the movable base are provided in the vicinity of one end in the longitudinal direction of the retort pot main body. The tray can be carried into and out of the body only from the other end side, and the tray containing untreated retort food is carried from one end side of the retort pot body, and after the sterilization is finished, the other The unidirectional conveyance which carries out from the edge part side of this can not be performed, but the arrangement | positioning of the production line of a retort food was restricted. The drive shaft of the crank mechanism is connected to a movable base inside the retort hook body via a shaft seal mechanism provided in the retort hook body. The shaft seal mechanism is driven to reciprocate in the axial direction. Since the structure is such that the shaft is slidably contacted with the shaft, the shaft sealing mechanism for maintaining the sealing performance is complicated. Further, since the drive shaft reciprocates back and forth in the axial direction when the motor rotates, the crank mechanism needs to secure a space for the advance / retreat stroke of the drive shaft in the vicinity of the retort hook main body.

  Therefore, the present invention solves the problems in the prior art, as described above, without temperature unevenness inside the packaging bag, without causing a portion where the sufficient sterilizing effect cannot be obtained or the contents are burnt. Efficient and uniform sterilization, easy one-way transport of retort products to and from the retort kettle, high degree of freedom in production line placement, and easy shaft seal mechanism It is an object of the present invention to provide a sterilization method and sterilization apparatus for retort products that can be configured and require less space occupied by the drive part of the movable table exposed to the outside of the retort.

  The retort product sterilization method of the present invention that achieves the above-described object is a method for sterilizing a retort product in which the retort product is heated and sterilized while sliding a movable table on which the retort product is placed in a retort pot. The rotary motion of the rotational drive source installed on the outer side of the retort pot is converted into a reciprocating motion by a cam mechanism and transmitted to the movable base, and the movable base is slid in the front-rear direction or the left-right direction of the retort pot. It is characterized by making it.

  In the method for sterilizing a retort product according to the present invention, all the movable bases in the retort pot may be slid in the same phase, and a plurality of reciprocations in which the rotational movements of the rotational driving source are different from each other via the cam mechanism. It may be converted into motion and individually transmitted to a plurality of movable platforms, and these movable platforms may be slid in the same direction and with different phases. In the method for sterilizing a retort product according to the present invention, the sliding frequency of the movable table during the retort process can be controlled so that the sliding pattern can be changed according to the type of the object to be sterilized. .

  Further, the retort product sterilization apparatus of the present invention that achieves the above object is characterized in that the retort product is heat sterilized while sliding the movable table on which the retort product is placed in the retort pot. In the apparatus, a rotational drive shaft driven by a rotational drive source installed on the outer side of the retort pot is rotatably passed through a retort pot wall surface via a shaft seal mechanism, and the rotary drive shaft is inserted into the retort pot. Is connected to the cam mechanism, and the cam mechanism converts the rotational motion of the rotary drive shaft into a reciprocating motion and transmits it to the movable base, and the movable base is slid in the front-rear direction or the left-right direction of the retort pot. It is characterized by doing so.

  The retort product sterilization apparatus according to the present invention has a plurality of sets of movable bases slidable in the same direction, which may be slid in the same phase, and each movable base is driven and connected to a rotational drive source. The individual cam mechanisms may be slid at different phases. Moreover, in the retort product sterilizing apparatus according to the present invention, it is desirable that the cam mechanism is composed of an eccentric cam that is rotationally driven by a rotational drive source, and a cam follower that is attached to a movable base. Furthermore, in the retort product sterilization apparatus according to the present invention, the rotational drive source can be controlled on and off during the retort process, and the shift control is possible, and the sliding frequency of the movable table during the retort process is controlled to be sterilized. The sliding pattern can be changed according to the object.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the rotation drive mechanism for sliding the movable base is installed on the outer side of the retort pot, the doors are provided on the front and rear sides of the retort pot to carry in and out the retort product. It can be performed in one direction and has a high degree of freedom in arranging the production line including the retort sterilization process. As a result, the untreated retort product can be carried in from one end side of the retort and can be easily transported out from the other end side after sterilization, and the unsterilized product to the packaging process can be easily While preventing mixing, the cycle time of a sterilization treatment process can be shortened. In addition, the rotational motion of a rotational drive source such as a motor installed on the outer side of the retort hook is converted into a reciprocating motion by a cam mechanism and transmitted to the movable base, and the movable base is slid. Compared with the case where a mechanism is used, only the rotational drive source needs to be installed outside the retort, and the installation space of the entire apparatus can be reduced, and noise and vibration generated during operation of the apparatus can be reduced. Further, by using the cam mechanism, the degree of freedom in selecting the installation position of the rotational drive source can be increased. And according to this invention, since sterilization time can be shortened, while improving productivity, the utility of steam, hot water, water, and electricity can be reduced, and running cost can be reduced. In addition, since the time for which the product is exposed to high temperature is shortened, the contents are prevented from being thermally deteriorated, and the hue and taste after retort are improved.

  Further, according to the invention described in claim 2, in addition to the above effects, the resonance of the entire sterilizing apparatus can be suppressed by making the sliding phases of the plurality of movable bases different from each other, and this affects the surroundings of the sterilizing apparatus. Vibration and noise can be reduced. Furthermore, according to the invention of claim 3, the sliding frequency of the movable table during the retort process can be controlled, and the sliding pattern can be arbitrarily changed according to the article to be sterilized. The pattern can be selected. For example, the product temperature is controlled by sliding at the maximum frequency when the ambient temperature reaches the sterilization temperature by changing the sliding frequency during temperature increase, sterilization, or temperature decrease. Therefore, the retort treatment can always be performed in the sliding state under the optimum conditions depending on the contents such as contents and size of the article to be sterilized. Further, since the movable table can be slid to the minimum necessary, the life of the retort device itself is extended.

  Furthermore, according to invention of Claim 4, the sterilizer which can implement the sterilization method of the retort product of Claim 1 can be provided. Further, a rotary drive shaft driven by a rotary drive source installed on the outer side of the retort pot is rotatably penetrated through the wall of the retort pot via a shaft seal mechanism, and the rotary drive shaft is moved inside the retort pot. Because the cam drive mechanism is connected to the drive mechanism, the rotary drive shaft only rotates relative to the shaft seal mechanism and does not slide in the axial direction. In addition, the life of the shaft sealing mechanism can be extended, and maintenance is easy.

  Moreover, according to invention of Claim 5, the sterilizer which can implement the sterilization method of Claim 2 can be provided. Further, according to the invention described in claim 6, since the cam shape is simple, the cam mechanism can be easily manufactured and adjusted. According to invention of Claim 7, the apparatus which can implement the sterilization method of Claim 3 can be provided. By selecting an optimum pattern in advance for each object to be sterilized and setting it in the apparatus, the sliding pattern can be easily changed according to the type of the object to be sterilized.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a schematic structure of a sterilization apparatus used for carrying out the method for sterilizing a retort product of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 1, and FIG. It is a fragmentary sectional view in a BB line position, Comprising: As shown in these figures, sterilizer 1 has retort pot 3 held by support leg 2 on the floor.

  The retort pot 3 is composed of a cylindrical retort pot main body 3A and lids 3B and 3C attached to front and rear end surfaces in the longitudinal direction. In this embodiment, the sterilization apparatus 1 is installed in the middle of the conveyance line in the factory comprised with the conveyor which is not shown in figure with the longitudinal direction of the retort pot 3 facing the conveyance direction of this conveyance line. .

Although not shown in detail, the front and rear lids 3B and 3C are openable and closable, and retort products that have been transported from the previous process in the transport line and have not yet been sterilized, The retort pot main body 3A can be loaded by opening the lid 3B on the rear side (upstream in the conveying direction, that is, the loading side).
Further, by opening the front cover 3C (downstream in the transport direction, that is, the carry-out side), the retort product that has been sterilized by the sterilizer 1 is transported to the downstream side of the transport line. It is to be transferred to the next process.

  Therefore, the untreated retort product is carried into the retort pot body 3A of the sterilizer 1 and the treated retort product is carried out from the retort pot body 3A simultaneously with the lid 3B and the lid 3C being opened. When all the unprocessed retort products are brought into the retort pot main body 3A, the lids 3B and 3C are closed and the sterilizer 1 sterilizes the retort products.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a large number of retort products 4 carried into the retort pot main body 3 </ b> A by the conveyor of the transfer line are accommodated side by side in a plurality of stacked trays 5. The trays 5 are detachably connected and fixed by a fixture (not shown) so that the stack does not collapse. In FIG. 1, these trays 5 are not shown.

  These retort products 4 are those in which the contents are enclosed in a packaging bag in which a synthetic resin having heat resistance and aluminum foil are laminated, and one of the retort products 4 is provided between a number of partitions provided in the tray 5. Even if the trays 5 are vibrated, they are arranged so that the accommodation position does not shift or fall out of the trays 5 even if the trays 5 vibrate.

  In the inside of the retort pot main body 3A, the lowermost one of the trays 5 stacked in a plurality of stages is arranged in two rows on the left and right sides near the side edge portions on the lower side in the retort pot main body 3A. It is supported on a plurality of tray receiving rollers 6 provided. These tray receiving rollers 6 are rotatably supported at both ends by a roller support frame 7A constituting a part of a movable base 7 provided at the lower portion of the retort pot main body 3A. By rotating the receiving roller 6, the trays 5 stacked in a plurality of stages can be moved in the longitudinal direction in the retort pot main body 3A.

  Also, as shown in FIG. 3, the length of each of these roller support frames 7A is set to be approximately equal to the length of one side of the tray 5 along the longitudinal direction of the retort hook body 3A. A group of trays 5 stacked in a plurality of stages over the roller support frame 7A is placed. Although not shown, a stopper mechanism for restricting the movement of the group of trays 5 placed on the tray receiving roller 6 is provided in the vicinity of the longitudinally opposing end surfaces of the left and right roller support frames 7A. When the retort product 4 is sterilized, the tray 5 group can be positioned and fixed on the pair of left and right roller support frames 7A.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the roller support frame 7 </ b> A constituting the movable base 7 is rotatable to a pair of left and right roller support frames 8, the lower surface of which is fixed to the inner bottom of the retort hook body 3. The movable table 7 is supported in the longitudinal direction of the retort pot main body 3A by being supported on a row of a plurality of movable table receiving rollers 9 supported by bearings, and these movable table receiving rollers 8 can freely rotate. It can move freely within a predetermined range.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, a pair of left and right cam followers 10 are attached to the movable base 7. As shown in FIG. 3, each of the cam followers 10 is formed with a pair of cam guide surfaces 10A that are parallel to the front and rear in the vertical direction, and an eccentric cam 11 is disposed between the cam guide surfaces 10A. Has been. These eccentric cams 11 are fixed to a rotary drive shaft 12 rotatably supported by bearings at the lower part of the retort pot main body 3A in a direction transverse to the left and right in the longitudinal direction of the retort pot main body 3A. The shaft 12 penetrates the inside of the shaft sealing mechanism 13 and protrudes to the outside of the retort hook main body 3A. Further, the shaft 12 is fixed on the mounting bracket 15 provided on the side surface of the support leg 2 by the shaft joint 14. It is connected to a rotational drive shaft of a motor 16 as a source.

  The shaft seal mechanism 13 has a structure in which the periphery of the rotary drive shaft 12 is rotatably sealed by a gasket seal member so that the high-temperature and high-pressure steam in the retort pot main body 3A does not leak outside during the sterilization process. . In this embodiment, the cam follower 10 and the eccentric cam 11 constitute a cam mechanism in the present invention.

Next, operation | movement of the sterilizer 1 comprised as mentioned above is demonstrated.
The retort product 4 that has not been sterilized is accommodated in trays 5 stacked in a plurality of stages, is transported to the front of the retort kettle 3 by a conveyor of a conveyance line (not shown), and stops and waits. Here, the retort kettle Then, the three lids 3B are opened, and then a group of trays 5 stacked in a plurality of stages are transferred from the conveyor of the transfer line onto the tray receiving roller 6 in the retort pot main body 3A. In the present embodiment, the trays 5 stacked on the tray receiving roller 6 are moved forward in the retort pot main body 3A by simply rotating the tray receiving roller 6 and pressing it from the outside. However, the tray receiving rollers 6 may be synchronously driven simultaneously for each pair of the left and right roller support frames 7A by a driving source such as a motor (not shown).

  The means for moving the trays 5 stacked in the retort pot main body 3A is not limited to the tray receiving rollers 6 driven by a motor or the like, for example, between the rows of the tray receiving rollers 6 on the left and right sides. The pusher mechanism using a pusher dog driven by a cylinder device or the like can be used, and the pusher dog is engaged with the lowermost tray 5 so that a group of trays 5 stacked in a plurality of stages are moved forward in a predetermined manner. You may make it push forward stroke by stroke.

  In this way, when the plurality of trays 5 are fed in order from the top to the end of each roller support frame 7A arranged in series in left and right pairs, the detection means (not shown) The lowermost trays 5 are positioned and held by a stopper mechanism (not shown) so as not to move in the front-rear direction (longitudinal direction of the retort hook 3).

  In this way, after all the trays 5 having the retort product 4 to be sterilized are loaded into the retort pot main body 3A, the rear lid 3B is closed, and the retort product 4 is heated and sterilized. Is done. At the same time as the sterilization process is started, the motor 16 provided outside the retort pot 3 is driven.

  When the rotational drive shaft of the motor 16 rotates, the rotational drive shaft 12 connected integrally with the motor 16 via the shaft coupling 14 rotates. As described above, the rotary drive shaft 12 passes through the peripheral wall of the retort pot main body 3A via the shaft sealing mechanism 13 of the retort pot main body 3A, and an eccentric cam 11 is formed on the inner portion thereof as shown in FIG. The eccentric cam is rotationally driven by the drive of the motor 16. As a result, the cam follower 10 having a pair of cam guide surfaces 10A opposed to the outer peripheral surface of the eccentric cam 11 from both sides reciprocates in the front-rear direction (longitudinal direction) of the retort hook body 3A as the eccentric cam 11 rotates. To do. As the cam follower 10 reciprocates, the movable base 7 on which the cam follower 10 is fixed also slides in the front-rear direction of the retort pot main body 3A.

  The trays 5 stacked in a plurality of stages mounted on the movable table 7 are slid together with the movable table 7 because the movement on the movable table 7 is regulated by the stopper mechanism described above during the sterilization process. The As the tray 5 slides, the contents of the retort product 4 contained therein slide inside the packaging bag. As a result, the stirring effect of the contents arises, and the temperature is kept inside the packaging bag. In this case, the temperature unevenness at the surface is reduced, so that the sterilization can be performed in a short time, and the sterilization is partially incomplete or overheating is avoided.

  Even after the heat sterilization process in the retort pot 3 is completed, the retort product 4 is cooled while continuing to drive the motor 16 and sliding the tray 5 group. Thus, the time required for cooling can be shortened by cooling the tray 5 group while sliding. When the cooling process is completed, the lid 3B and the lid 3C provided at the front and rear ends of the retort pot main body 3A are opened, and the processed retort product in the retort pot main body 3A is opened from the front lid 3C side. The group of each tray 5 containing 4 is sent out on the conveyor of the conveyance line which is not illustrated in order from the head tray 5 group, and is conveyed to the next process.

  At the same time, a plurality of stacked trays in which unprocessed retort products 4 that have been transported from the previous process and have been waiting on the conveyor of the transport line are accommodated from the rear lid 3B side. (Not shown) are sequentially loaded into the retort pot main body 3A, and when all of these tray groups are loaded into the retort pot main body 3A, the front and rear lids 3B and 3C are sealed, and the process described above again. repeat.

  In the present embodiment, the front and rear lids 3B, 3C of the retort pot main body 3A are simultaneously opened to carry out the treated tray group 5 from the retort pot main body 3A, while the untreated tray group Can be carried in at the same time, so that the cycle time of the sterilization treatment process can be shortened.

Next, FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the retort sterilizer according to the present invention. In the sterilizer 1 ′ shown in FIG. it's shown.
In the sterilizing apparatus 1 'shown in the figure, a rotational drive shaft 12A of a motor 16A attached to the outside of the retort pot main body 3A is provided at the upper end of the support leg 2A supporting the retort pot main body 3A. Is connected to a rotary drive shaft 12B extending along the longitudinal direction of the retort hook main body 3A through a gear box 17 and a gear box 18 provided at the upper end of the adjacent support leg 2A. The rotary drive shaft 12B is connected to a rotary drive shaft 12C whose rotational axis is perpendicular to the rotary drive shaft 12B.

  Therefore, when the rotation drive shaft 12A of the motor 16A rotates, the rotation is transmitted to the rotation drive shaft 12B and further to the rotation drive shaft 12C. An eccentric cam 11 is fixed to the rotary drive shaft 12C. When the eccentric cam 11 rotates, the cam follower 10 reciprocates, and at the same time, the roller support frame 7A slides. .

  Although not shown, the gear box 18 is provided at a plurality of locations along the front-rear direction (longitudinal direction) of the retort hook main body 3A, and the rotational drive in which the eccentric cam 11 is attached corresponding to each gear box 18. The shaft 12C is provided at a plurality of locations.

  A pair of left and right roller support frames 7A on which the tray receiving rollers 6 are arranged are provided in series in the longitudinal direction of the retort pot main body 3A, although not shown, as in FIG. The pair of left and right pair of roller support frames 7A is slid in the front-rear direction of the retort pot main body 3A all at once by the eccentric cams 11 fixed to the corresponding rotary drive shafts 12C. ing.

  In the sterilizing apparatus 1 ′ of the present embodiment, the tray receiving roller 6 is a freely rotating roller that does not have a drive source, and left and right rollers are used for loading and unloading the multi-stacked tray 5 group. Between the support frames 7A, a relay carriage 21 is used in which travel guide wheels 20 are guided by a pair of left and right guide rails 19 provided at the inner bottom of the retort pot main body 3A. The relay carriage 21 includes a pair of dogs 22 that hold the front and rear ends of the lowermost trays of the group of trays 5 stacked in the vicinity of both front and rear ends on the upper surface of the relay carriage 21 from the front and rear directions so as to be freely disengaged. The main body 3A reciprocates between the inside of the main body 3A and the roller conveyor 23 installed outside the retort pot main body 3A.

  The trays 5 stacked in multiple stages are sequentially supported by the left and right rollers 23A, the relay rollers 24, and the tray receiving rollers 6 provided on the roller conveyor 23, and are pushed by the relay carriage 21 and are accommodated in the retort pot main body 3A. . Note that the pair of dogs 22 are configured to be erected and laid down by a driving means (not shown) mounted on the relay carriage 21.

  The tray 5 group housed in the retort pot main body 3A has a roller support frame 7A by a stopper 27 which is driven forward and backward from both sides above the tray receiving roller 6 by an actuator 26 attached to the roller support frame 7A side in the front and rear. Is positioned and held at a predetermined position in a state where the back and forth movement is restricted.

Although only a part of the stopper 27 and the actuator 26 that moves forward and backward is shown, they are provided at the front and rear ends of the pair of left and right roller support frames 7A. Although the detailed illustration is omitted, when the relay carriage 21 is on the roller conveyor 23 side, a pair of guide rails 19 having a structure similar to that of the guide rails 19 provided respectively inside the left and right transport rollers 23A. The travel is guided by the guide rail, and when entering and exiting the retort hook main body 3A, it is guided by the guide portions having the same cross-sectional shape as the guide rail 19 respectively formed on the pair of left and right relay frames 25. Thus, it can be transferred to the guide rail 19 side.
The reciprocating driving of the relay carriage 21 can be performed by using an endless body such as a chain or a timing belt, or a fluid cylinder device, or by a well-known driving means having a drive source mounted on the relay carriage 21 side.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of the sterilizer of the retort product which concerns on this invention was described, this invention is not restricted to the said embodiment, A various design change is possible within the range of the technical idea. For example, if gear boxes 17 that are drivingly connected to the motor 16A are arranged at a plurality of locations and the common rotary drive shaft 12B is driven in cooperation with the plurality of motors 16A, a load is applied to each motor 16A. Since it is distributed, a small motor can be used as a rotational drive source.

  Furthermore, a set of roller support frames 7A in which each pair of left and right pairs slide integrally is used as an independent movable base, and a plurality of such movable bases are arranged in series in the retort pot main body 3A and individually slid. The resonance of the entire sterilization apparatus can be suppressed by supporting each other and sliding the movable bases at different phases by changing the rotational angle phases of the eccentric cams 11 that drive the respective movable bases. It is possible to reduce vibration and noise exerted around the sterilizer.

  In the embodiment described above, an eccentric cam mechanism is used as the cam mechanism to slide the movable base in the front-rear direction of the retort hook. However, as the cam mechanism, for example, a cylindrical cam mechanism is used as a cylinder. The cam follower is guided in the cam groove formed on the peripheral surface of the cam, and the cam follower is reciprocated in the axial direction of the cylindrical cam, and the movable base is supported so as to be movable in the left-right direction of the retort hook body. Thus, the retort product can be sterilized while sliding in the left-right direction with respect to the retort pot main body.

  In order to confirm the effect of the retort sterilization method using the apparatus of the present invention, the retort product was slid at various frequencies to conduct a sterilization test. The results are shown in FIGS. FIG. 5 to FIG. 8 are graphs showing measurement results when the retort product is slid at various frequencies to perform a sterilization test, and the retort product used for the measurement is a 1 kg soup curry, The sterilization temperature in the retort pot was 120 ° C., the cam-up was 12 minutes, the sterilization value was Fo value = 5, and the sliding stroke of the retort product was 75 mm.

  Here, “cam-up” means the time until the ambient temperature in the retort kettle reaches the sterilization temperature, and the cam-up 12 minutes means that the ambient temperature in the retort kettle is 120 ° C. from the start of processing. It means that the time to reach is 12 minutes. “Incremental” means to proceed from the sterilization process of the retort product to the cooling process. Here, when “Fo value = 5” and “Fo value” of the product reaches 5, the cooling process It means to move to.

  The graph shown in FIG. 5 shows the result of sterilization treatment while sliding the retort product at a sliding frequency of 30 Hz. In this example, the time until the Fo value reaches 5 is the time when the treatment starts. 31 minutes and 10 seconds from the beginning of the treatment, the product temperature was 50 minutes and 12 seconds from the start of the treatment, and the final F0 value was 8.19.

  In addition, the graph shown in FIG. 6 shows the result of sterilization processing while sliding the retort product at a sliding frequency of 35 Hz. In this example, the time until the Fo value reaches 5 is the processing time. 28 minutes and 01 seconds from the start time, the time from the start of the treatment until the product temperature was lowered to 50 ° C. after the heating was 45 minutes and 46 seconds, and the final F0 value was 7.77.

  Moreover, the graph shown in FIG. 7 shows the result of sterilization treatment while sliding the retort product at a sliding frequency of 40 Hz. In this example, the time until the Fo value reaches 5 is the processing time. 23 minutes and 52 seconds from the start time, the time from when the product temperature was heated to the cooling step until it decreased to 50 ° C. was 36 minutes and 20 seconds from the start of the treatment, and the final F0 value was 6.82.

  Further, the graph shown in FIG. 8 shows the result of sterilization processing while sliding the retort product at a sliding frequency of 45 Hz. In this example, the time until the Fo value reaches 5 is the processing time. 22 minutes and 42 seconds from the start time, the time from when the product temperature was heated to the cooling step until it was lowered to 50 ° C. was 34 minutes and 17 seconds from the start of the treatment, and the final F0 value was 6.75.

Although not shown, if made in a state of standing without sliding the movable table as a comparative example, the time to F ₀ value reaches 5, 110 minutes from the beginning of treatment, the product temperature After heating, the time from the start of the cooling process until the temperature decreased to 50 ° C. was 2 hours 45 minutes from the start of the treatment, and the final F0 value was 7. Moreover, in that case, when the state after retort sterilization was observed, a portion where the contents were partially burned, that is, a portion where so-called retort burn occurred was observed.
From the above results, it was confirmed that according to the sterilization method of the present invention, the sterilization time can be shortened particularly compared to the conventional method, and the content can be uniformly sterilized without the occurrence of a portion that burns or a portion of sterilization leakage. It was.

  In the above embodiment, the movable table is slid at the same frequency from the start to the end of the process. However, in the retort sterilizer of the present invention, the on / off control and the rotation speed of the motor that is the rotation drive source during the retort operation are controlled. It can be freely controlled, and the sliding frequency of the movable table can be freely controlled during the retort process by controlling the on / off control of the motor and the rotational speed. Depending on the material to be sterilized, it may be desirable not to rock as much as possible, for example, in the case of contents that are easily separated from oil or contents that are easily foamed. It becomes possible to sterilize efficiently and uniformly without affecting.

  For example, FIG. 9 shows an example of changing the sliding pattern by controlling the sliding frequency of the movable table during retort operation to the optimum frequency according to the ambient temperature. In this example, the ambient temperature is 80 ° C. from the start of processing. The slide is not slid until it becomes (that is, the motor is off and the frequency is 0 Hz), is slid at 30 Hz until the sterilization temperature reaches 120 ° C. from the sterilization temperature, and slides at 45 Hz during sterilization. After the sterilization, the sterilization process is performed in such a pattern that the temperature is lowered to 35 Hz until the temperature is lowered to 80 ° C. in the cooling step, and the sliding is stopped when the atmospheric temperature is lowered to 80 ° C. In this way, since the product temperature can be controlled by arbitrarily changing the sliding pattern during the process, an optimal sliding pattern must be obtained in advance for each type and size of the item to be sterilized. If it is stored as a program in the controller, it can be always retorted under optimum conditions without being excessively slid by simply presetting according to the type of the sterilized product. Moreover, there is also an advantage that the life of the retort device itself is extended by sliding the movable table to the minimum necessary level. In the above example, the sliding pattern is changed according to the ambient temperature. However, for example, the product temperature of the article to be sterilized can be monitored, and the sliding frequency can be changed by changing the product temperature.

  The method and apparatus for sterilizing a retort product according to the present invention can be used for sterilization of a retort product enclosing food or medicine, and in particular, a retort in which a solid or high-viscosity content is enclosed in a packaging bag. It is particularly suitable for a product having a large packaging bag or having a large thickness.

It is a top view which shows schematic structure of the retort sterilizer used in order to implement the retort sterilization method of this invention. It is a cross-sectional view in the AA line position of FIG. It is a fragmentary sectional view in the BB line position of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows another embodiment of the retort sterilizer used in order to implement the retort sterilization method of this invention. It is a graph which shows the measurement result at the time of performing a sterilization treatment test, sliding a retort product at 30 Hz by the retort sterilization method of this invention. It is a graph which shows the measurement result at the time of performing a sterilization test while sliding a retort product at 35 Hz by the retort sterilization method of the present invention. It is a graph which shows the measurement result at the time of performing a sterilization test while sliding a retort product at 40 Hz by the retort sterilization method of the present invention. It is a graph which shows the measurement result at the time of performing a sterilization treatment test, sliding a retort product at 45 Hz by the retort sterilization method of this invention. It is a graph which shows an example at the time of changing the sliding frequency of a movable stand during the retort operation | movement by the retort sterilization method of this invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the retort sterilizer proposed conventionally.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 1 'sterilizer 2 Support leg part 3 Retort hook 3A Retort hook main body 3B, 3C Lid 4 Retort product 5 Tray 6 Tray receiving roller 7 Movable stand 7A, 8 Roller support frame 9 Movable stand receiving roller 10 Cam follower 10A Cam guide Surface 11 Eccentric cams 12, 12A, 12B, 12C Rotation drive shaft 13 Shaft seal mechanism 14 Shaft coupling 15 Mounting bracket 16, 16A Motor (rotation drive source)
17, 18 Gear box 19 Guide rail 20 Traveling guide wheel 21 Relay carriage 22 Dog 23 Roller conveyor 23A Conveying roller 24 Relay roller 25 Relay frame 26 Actuator 27 Stopper

Claims (7)

In the retort product sterilization method in which the retort product is heated and sterilized while sliding the movable table on which the retort product is placed in the retort pot,
The rotational motion of the rotational drive source installed on the outer side of the retort pot is converted into a reciprocating motion by a cam mechanism and transmitted to the movable base, and the movable base is slid in the front-rear direction or the left-right direction of the retort pot. A method for sterilizing a retort product.   The rotational motion of the rotational drive source is converted into a plurality of reciprocating motions having different phases from each other via a cam mechanism and individually transmitted to the plurality of movable bases, and these movable bases are phased in the same direction and relative to each other. The method for sterilizing a retort product according to claim 1, wherein the sterilization method is performed by making the slide different.   The method for sterilizing a retort product according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a sliding pattern can be changed in accordance with an object to be sterilized by controlling a sliding frequency of the movable table during a retort process. In the retort product sterilization apparatus that heats and sterilizes the retort product while sliding the movable table on which the retort product is placed in the retort pot,
A rotary drive shaft driven by a rotary drive source installed on the outer side of the retort pot is rotatably penetrated through the retort pot wall surface via a shaft seal mechanism, and the rotary drive shaft is cammed inside the retort pot. Connected to the drive,
The cam mechanism converts the rotational motion of the rotary drive shaft into a reciprocating motion and transmits the reciprocating motion to the movable base, and the movable base is slid in the front-rear direction or the left-right direction of the retort hook. Sterilizer for retort products.   It has a plurality of sets of movable bases slidable in the same direction, and each movable base is slid at different phases by individual cam mechanisms that are drivingly connected to the rotational drive source. The retort product sterilizer according to claim 4.   6. The retort product sterilizing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the cam mechanism includes an eccentric cam that is rotationally driven by the rotational drive source, and a cam follower attached to a movable base.   The rotational drive source is variable, and the sliding pattern can be changed according to the article to be sterilized by controlling the sliding frequency of the movable table during the retort process. The retort product sterilizer described in 1.

Images