JP2009000081A - Method and apparatus for sterilizing oil - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for efficiently sterilizing oil such as cooking oil: and to provide an apparatus for efficiently sterilizing oil. <P>SOLUTION: The method for sterilizing oil includes reserving oil in a tank 3, pouring steam or boiling water in the tank to sterilize the oil in the tank, and thereafter cooling the oil. The method enables appropriate sterilization of the oil such as cooking oil so as to produce oil causing no deterioration even when mixed with water content. In the method, the sterilizing treatment includes batch treatment, and thereby causes slighter loss in oil than that in continuous treatment so as to be flexibly applicable not only to a large amount of oil to be used but also to a small amount of oil to be used. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for sterilizing oil such as edible oil.

  In general, microorganisms such as koji, yeast, and bacteria adhere to and mix with food, and when there is a lot of water, it causes spoilage.

  For example, a whipped cream composition, which is a mixed food such as edible fats and oils, is also sterilized and stored or transported. However, when trying to ultra-high temperature instantaneous sterilization treatment (UHT) of the whipped cream composition, it is thickened due to the ultra-high temperature and solidifies. Therefore, high temperature short time sterilization treatment (HTST) is performed to prevent this. Therefore, microorganisms remain and long-term storage is difficult (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  On the other hand, foods containing acids such as salad dressing can suppress the growth of microorganisms by keeping the pH low or storing it in a cool and dark place even if it contains oil, water, etc. Both can be stored for a long time.

Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 7-108201

  In recent years, there has been a demand for packaging, storing, using, or distributing almost neutral oil / water mixtures in which oil is mixed with water such as soup in ramen soup such as ramen soup. . The present inventor initially purchased a commercially available edible oil and tried to preserve it by adding a sterilized water to the oil, but the bacteria proliferated and it was difficult to preserve for a long time. The present inventor examined this point, the edible oil itself does not rot if it does not contain moisture even if bacteria are present, and can be stored for a long time without sterilization, When water is sterilized into freshly opened oil and injected, it does not seem to spoil at first glance, but there may be bacteria in the oil, and these bacteria will propagate due to the presence of water, It became clear that the oil / water mixture may rot. Then, when this inventor mixed the water and oil separately after heat-sterilizing, it was possible to preserve for a long time.

  The present invention has been made on the basis of such knowledge, and an object thereof is to provide a method and an apparatus capable of efficiently performing sterilization of oil, which has not been performed conventionally.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention employs the following configuration.

  That is, the invention according to claim 1 stores the oil (2) in the tank (3, 31), and injects steam or hot water into the tank (3, 31). The oil (2) is sterilized, and then the oil (2) is cooled.

  As described in claim 2, in the method of sterilizing oil according to claim 1, after the oil (2) is sterilized in the tank, the cooling water is supplied to the same tank (3) and the tank (3 The oil (2) in the parenthesis may be cooled.

  As described in claim 3, in the method of sterilizing oil according to claim 1, after sterilizing the oil (2) in the tank (31), the oil (2) is taken out from the tank (31). Then, it may be cooled and then stored in the surge tank (32).

  As described in claim 4, in the oil sterilization method according to claim 3, the oil (2) can be cooled by vacuum cooling.

  As described in claim 5, in the oil sterilization method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, the oil (2) can be stirred in the tank (3, 31).

  In the invention according to claim 6, the tank (3, 31) for storing the oil (2), and steam or hot water is injected into the tank (3, 31). An oil sterilization apparatus comprising a sterilization means (9) for sterilizing oil (2) and a cooling means (13, 34, 36) for cooling the sterilized oil (2). .

  As described in claim 7, in the oil sterilization apparatus according to claim 6, the cooling means may be a jacket (13) for circulating cooling water attached to the tank (3).

  8. The oil sterilization apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the cooling means is provided in the flow path (6) of the oil (2) connected to the tank (31). The oil (2) surge tank (32) is provided downstream of the cooler (34, 36) of the oil (2) flow path (6). Is also possible.

  As described in claim 9, in the oil sterilization apparatus according to claim 8, the cooler may be a vacuum cooler (36).

  As described in claim 10, the oil sterilizer according to any one of claims 6 to 9 includes stirring means (14) for stirring oil (2) in the tank (3, 31). It may be provided.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the oil (2) is stored in the tank (3, 31), and steam or hot water is injected into the tank (3, 31). Since the oil (2) is sterilized and then the oil (2) is cooled, the oil (2) such as edible oil can be appropriately sterilized. Therefore, oil (2) which does not rot even if moisture is mixed can be produced. Moreover, since the sterilization process is a batch process, the loss of the oil (2) is less than that of the continuous process, and it is possible to flexibly handle not only when using a large amount of oil but also when using a small amount. .

  As described in claim 2, in the method of sterilizing oil according to claim 1, after the oil (2) is sterilized in the tank, the cooling water is supplied to the same tank (3) and the tank (3 When the oil (2) is cooled, heating and cooling are performed in the same tank (3), so that the space of the sterilization system can be saved.

  As described in claim 3, in the method of sterilizing oil according to claim 1, after sterilizing the oil (2) in the tank (31), the oil (2) is taken out from the tank (31). When it is cooled and then stored in the surge tank (32), the cooling rate of the oil (2) can be increased to prevent the quality of the oil (2) from deteriorating. In addition, since the oil (2) is heated and cooled at different locations, the structure of the tank (31) and the coolers (34, 36) can be simplified.

  As described in claim 4, in the oil sterilization method according to claim 3, when the oil (2) is cooled by vacuum cooling, water mixed in the oil (2) during sterilization treatment is removed. It can be removed simultaneously with the cooling of the oil (2).

  As described in claim 5, when the oil (2) is stirred in the tank (3, 31) in the oil sterilization method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, Heating and cooling of the oil (2) can be performed quickly, and deterioration of the quality of the oil (2) can be prevented accordingly.

  In the invention according to claim 6, the tank (3, 31) for storing the oil (2), and steam or hot water is injected into the tank (3, 31). An oil sterilization apparatus comprising a sterilization means (9) for sterilizing oil (2) and a cooling means (13, 34, 36) for cooling the sterilized oil (2). Therefore, oil (2) such as edible oil can be appropriately sterilized, and therefore oil (2) that does not rot even if moisture is mixed can be produced. In addition, since the sterilization process is a batch process, the loss of oil (2) is less than that of continuous process, and it is flexible not only when using a large amount of oil (2) but also when using a small amount. be able to.

  In the oil sterilization apparatus according to claim 6, when the cooling means is a jacket (13) for circulating cooling water attached to the tank (3), the same tank ( Since heating and cooling are performed in 3), space saving of the sterilization system can be achieved.

  8. The oil sterilization apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the cooling means is provided in the flow path (6) of the oil (2) connected to the tank (31). (34, 36), where the oil (2) surge tank (32) is provided downstream of the cooler (34, 36) of the oil (2) flow path (6). Can increase the cooling rate of the oil (2) to prevent the quality of the oil (2) from deteriorating. In addition, since the oil (2) is heated and cooled at different locations, the structure of the tank (31) and the coolers (34, 36) can be simplified.

  As described in claim 9, in the oil sterilization apparatus according to claim 8, when the cooler is a vacuum cooler (36), the water mixed in the oil (2) during cooling is cooled. It can be removed at the same time.

  As described in claim 10, the oil sterilizer according to any one of claims 6 to 9 includes stirring means (14) for stirring oil (2) in the tank (3, 31). In the case where it is provided, the oil (2) can be heated and cooled quickly, and the deterioration of the quality of the oil (2) can be prevented accordingly.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<Embodiment 1>
This oil sterilization method is, for example, to sterilize oil extracted from plants. Examples of oils that can be sterilized by this oil sterilization method include soybean oil, cottonseed oil, rapeseed oil, corn oil, rice bran oil, safflower oil, sunflower seed oil, coconut oil, cocoa butter, peanut oil, and olive oil. And vegetable oils such as sesame oil, kapok oil, evening primrose oil, shea fat, monkey fat, coconut oil and palm kernel oil, or animal fats such as milk fat, beef fat, lard, fish oil and whale oil.

  The oil sterilization apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is for carrying out this sterilization method. The oil is sterilized by heating, cooled, drained, and packaged.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the oil sterilization apparatus includes a heating / cooling machine 1 as a sterilization processing means.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the heating / cooling machine 1 includes a tank 3 that stores oil 2, a sterilization treatment unit that sterilizes the oil 2 in the tank 3 by injecting steam or hot water into the tank 3, and A cooling means for cooling the sterilized oil 2 and a stirring means for stirring the oil 2 in the tank 3 are provided.

  The tank 3 includes a substantially cylindrical body portion 3a, a top portion 3b that closes the top of the body portion 3a, and a funnel-like hopper portion 3c that closes the bottom of the body portion 3a. A filling pipe 4 for injecting oil 2 into the tank 3 is connected to the body 3 a of the tank 3 through a valve 5. When the valve 5 is opened and a predetermined amount of oil 4 is filled from the filling pipe 4 into the tank 3, the valve 5 is closed. A take-out pipe 6 for taking out the sterilized oil 2 out of the tank 3 extends from the lower end of the hopper 3c to the filling machine 8 shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the sterilization means can be a nozzle device that ejects steam or hot water in the tank 3. Specifically, a conduit 9 that introduces steam or hot water into the center of the tank 3, a plurality of branch pipes 10 that radiate from the tip of the conduit 9 to the inner wall of the tank 3, and each branch pipe 10. An extension pipe 11 extending along the inner wall of the tank 3 from the front end of the tank. A plurality of ejection holes 12 are formed in the branch pipe 10 and the extension pipe 11.

  Steam or hot water supplied from a steam or hot water supply source such as a boiler (not shown) flows from the conduit 9 to the branch pipe 10 and the extension pipe 11, and a large number of the steam or hot water is indicated by arrows in FIG. From the injection hole 12 into the tank 3. The temperature at which the steam or hot water heats the oil 2 is preferably 120 ° C to 160 ° C, more preferably 135 ° C to 150 ° C.

  Such high-temperature steam or hot water heats the jetted oil 2 below the level of the oil 2 in the tank 3. Oil 2 is brought into direct contact with the steam so that a large amount of heat is given from the steam in a short time and sterilized quickly and reliably. The sterilized oil 2 is discharged out of the tank 3 in a state containing steam moisture from an extraction pipe 6 of the tank 3. Thereby, the oil 2 in the tank 3 is sterilized, and the oil 2 that does not rot even if moisture is mixed is produced.

  Moreover, since this oil sterilization process is a batch process performed in the tank 3, there is less oil loss compared to the continuous process, and it can be used not only when using a large amount of oil but also when using a small amount. Is possible.

  The cooling means is to sterilize the oil 2 in the tank 3 and then supply cooling water to the same tank 3 to cool the oil 2 in the tank 3. As shown in FIG. A jacket 13 attached to the outer wall surface extending from the middle of the trunk portion 3a to the hopper portion 3c is provided. A cooling water supply pipe 13 a and a discharge pipe 13 b are connected to the jacket 13. Thereby, heating and cooling can be performed in the same tank 3, and space saving of a sterilization system is attained.

  When the oil sterilization process is completed and the supply of steam or hot water is stopped, cooling water is supplied from the supply pipe 13a into the jacket 13 and discharged from the discharge pipe 13b. While the cooling water flows through the jacket 13, it cools by taking heat from the oil 2 in the tank 3 heated during the sterilization process through the wall of the tank 3. By this cooling, the temperature of the oil 2 in the tank 3 is preferably lowered from room temperature to 60 ° C, more preferably from 30 ° C to 50 ° C.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the stirring means includes a rotary blade 14 provided in the tank 3 and a motor 15 for applying a rotational force to the rotary blade 14. The rotor 15 is driven by the motor 15 when the oil 2 is sterilized and cooled in the tank 3. As the agitation means, it is possible to use means for rotating the branch pipe 10 and the extension pipe 11 in the tank 3 in place of or together with the rotary blade 14.

  Thus, by stirring the oil 2 in the tank 3, the oil 2 can be heated and cooled quickly, and the quality of the oil 2 can be prevented from deteriorating as much.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a drain pipe 17 provided with an on-off valve 16 is connected to the hopper 3c of the tank 3 as necessary. The water mixed in the oil 2 at the time of sterilization accumulates at the bottom of the tank 3, but the water is removed from the drain pipe 17 to the outside of the tank 3.

  The take-out pipe 6 connected to the hopper 3c of the tank 3 extends to a filling machine 8 for packaging as shown in FIG. When the valve 7 provided in the extraction pipe 6 is opened and the pump 18 provided in the extraction pipe 6 is driven, the oil 2 in the tank 3 is sent to the filling machine 8.

  The filling machine 8 includes a chamber 8a, and a bag making machine (not shown) is provided in the chamber 8a. The bag making machine closes the mouth of the bag 19 by heat sealing when each bag 19 is filled with a constant amount of oil 2 while heat sealing the resin film to make the bag 19. A nozzle (not shown) is attached to the tip of the take-out pipe 6 extending from the tank 3 into the chamber 8a, and this nozzle faces the mouth of the bag 19 made by the bag making machine. Inject oil 2. Since the oil 2 has been sterilized, even if water mixed during heating remains, it does not rot during storage.

  In addition, since a well-known thing is used for a filling machine and a bag making machine, those detailed description is abbreviate | omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a water sterilizer is provided in addition to the oil sterilizer, and the water is packaged together with the oil by the filling machine.

  The water sterilization apparatus is intended to sterilize water such as soup stock, and the heating, cooling, and storage processes are sequentially performed while flowing the water under pressure.

  This water sterilization apparatus includes a conduit 20 through which water flows in one direction, and a container tank 21, a pump 22, a heater 23, a cooler 24, A control valve 25, a surge tank 26, and a pump 27 are provided in this order.

  The container tank 21 is for storing water before sterilization, and the water in the container tank 21 is sent out to the conduit 20 by a pump 22. When the control valve 25 restricts the diameter of the conduit 20 on the downstream side of the conduit 20, water flows between the pump 22 and the control valve 25 while being pressurized to atmospheric pressure or higher.

  The heater 23 heats water having a temperature similar to room temperature, and when the water is, for example, soup stock, the temperature is increased to 120 ° C to 160 ° C. The heating time is desirably about 2 to 3 seconds.

  As the heater 23, for example, one having the structure shown in FIG. 3 can be used, and water can be sterilized by indirect heating using steam or hot water. Of course, it is also possible to employ a direct sterilization method such as the above oil sterilizer.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the heater 23 has a sealed pot 28. In the kettle 28, a water flow path 29 and a steam flow path 30 are stretched in a mesh shape by pipes or the like, and the flow paths 29 and 30 are blocked by a wall such as a pipe. Further, the pot 28 is provided with inlets 29a and 30a and outlets 29b and 30b for the water passage 29 and the steam passage 30, respectively. As water and steam flow through the flow paths 29 and 30, respectively, the heat of the steam is transmitted to the water through a wall such as a pipe to heat and sterilize the water. Sterilization by the heater 23 is performed as indirect heating in which the water and steam do not come into contact with each other, whereby the water is heated and sterilized. Of course, hot water may be used instead of steam.

  The cooler 24 has the same structure as the heater 23 shown in FIG. 3, and water is injected into the cooler 24 in the same manner as the heater 23, but is cooled instead of steam in the heater 23. Water is injected. By this cooling, the water is cooled from the sterilization temperature to about 30 ° C. to 50 ° C. and taken out from the cooler 24 through the outlet 29b.

  The surge tank 26 stores sterilized water that has exited the cooler 24 and passed through the control valve 25. The surge tank 26 functions to adjust the sterilization speed of the water and the filling speed of the next filling machine 8.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a conduit 20 extends from a surge tank 26 to a filling machine 8 for packaging, and water in the surge tank 26 is transferred to the above-described filling machine 8 by a pump 27 provided in the conduit 20. Sent to. A nozzle (not shown) is attached to the tip of the conduit 20 extending from the surge tank 26 into the filling machine 8, and this nozzle faces the mouth of the bag 19 made by the bag making machine 8. Spent water is injected. The oil that has already been poured into the bag 19 or later is sterilized, so that even if water is added, it will not rot during storage.

  The oil sterilizer, the water sterilizer, the filling machine, and the bag making machine are sterilized in advance and sterilized with a sterilizing agent such as hydrogen peroxide. Since the apparatus for sterilizing the inside of the apparatus is known, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

<Embodiment 2>
As shown in FIG. 4, in the second embodiment, after sterilizing the oil in the sterilization tank 31, the oil is taken out from the tank 31 and cooled, and then stored in the surge tank 32. ing. In this way, by cooling the oil immediately after sterilizing it while flowing it out of the tank 31, it is possible to increase the oil cooling rate and prevent deterioration of the oil quality. Further, since the oil can be batch-processed for sterilizing the oil by sending the oil from the sterilization tank 31 to the surge tank 32, the container tank 21 and the heating machine can be used as in the case of the sterilization of water. Compared with the case of using 23, oil waste can be prevented.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the sterilization apparatus for carrying out this oil sterilization method includes a heater as a sterilization means.

  The heating machine 33 has a structure in which the cooling means such as the jacket 13 is omitted from the heating and cooling machine 1 shown in FIG. 2, and a tank 31 for storing oil and steam or hot water are injected into the tank 31. Sterilization processing means for sterilizing oil in the tank 31 and stirring means for stirring oil in the tank 31 are provided.

  A certain amount of oil is heated and sterilized in the tank 31 in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

  An extraction pipe 6 extends from the tank 31 to the filling machine 8, and a valve 7, a cooler 34, a surge tank 32, and a pump 35 are provided in that order from the upstream side to the downstream side.

  The cooler 34 has the same structure as that of the heater 23 shown in FIG. 3, and oil is injected in the same manner as the heater 23. However, instead of steam, cooling water is injected at a location where steam is injected. The In FIG. 4, when the valve 31 on the tank 31 side is opened, sterilized oil is pumped into the take-out pipe 6 by a gas such as air supplied into the tank 31 and injected into the cooler 34. The The oil is cooled to about 40 ° C. to 60 ° C. by the cooler 34 and then sent out into the take-out pipe 6.

  In this way, the oil heated in the tank 31 is quickly sent to the cooler 34 and efficiently removed while continuously flowing in the cooler 34, so that deterioration of the quality of the oil is prevented. .

  In addition, since the heating and cooling of the oil are performed in different places as described above, the tank 31 and the cooler 34 are separated, and their structures are simplified.

  The surge tank 32 stores the sterilized oil that has passed through the cooler 34. A drain pipe 17 provided with an opening / closing valve 16 is connected to the surge tank 32. The water mixed in the heater 33 accumulates at the bottom of the surge tank 32, but this water is removed from the drain pipe 17 to the outside of the surge tank 32.

  The supply of oil from the surge tank 32 to the filling machine 8 and the supply of water to the filling machine 8 are performed in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

  In FIG. 4, the same portions as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

<Embodiment 3>
As shown in FIG. 5, in the third embodiment, a vacuum cooler 36 is provided in place of the cooler in the second embodiment.

  When the oil sterilized in the tank 31 of the heater 33 reaches the vacuum cooler 36, the water mixed in the oil in the heater 33 evaporates out of the oil by decompression, and the heat of vaporization is taken away from the oil. Is cooled. Moreover, unnecessary odor of oil is removed by evaporation of moisture.

  As shown in FIG. 5, since the water in the oil is removed by the vacuum cooling of the oil, the drain pipe 17 and the like as in the second embodiment are omitted from the surge tank 32.

  The supply of oil from the surge tank 32 to the filling machine 8 and the supply of water to the filling machine 8 are performed in the same manner as in the second embodiment.

  In FIG. 5, the same parts as those in the first and second embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

  Although the present invention is configured as described above, the present invention is not limited to the first to third embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the gist of the present invention.

It is a block diagram showing the sterilizer of the oil which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a vertical sectional view of a heating and cooling machine. It is a vertical sectional view showing a water heater. It is a block diagram showing the sterilizer of the oil which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a block diagram showing the sterilization apparatus of the oil which concerns on Embodiment 3 of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

2 ... Oil 3, 31 ... Tank 6 ... Extraction pipe 9 ... Conduit 13 ... Jacket 14 ... Rotor blade 32 ... Surge tank 34 ... Cooler 36 ... Vacuum cooler

Claims (10)

  An oil sterilization method comprising storing oil in a tank, injecting steam or hot water into the tank to sterilize the oil in the tank, and then cooling the oil.   2. The oil sterilization method according to claim 1, wherein after the oil is sterilized in the tank, cooling water is supplied to the same tank to cool the oil in the tank.   2. The oil sterilization method according to claim 1, wherein the oil is sterilized in a tank, the oil is taken out from the tank, cooled, and then stored in a surge tank.   4. The oil sterilization method according to claim 3, wherein the oil is cooled by vacuum cooling.   The oil sterilization method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the oil is stirred in a tank.   A tank for storing oil, sterilization processing means for sterilizing the oil in the tank by injecting steam or hot water into the tank, and cooling means for cooling the sterilized oil Oil sterilizer.   7. The oil sterilization apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the cooling means is a jacket for circulating cooling water attached to a tank.   7. The oil sterilization apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the cooling means is a cooler provided in an oil passage connected to a tank, and an oil surge is provided downstream of the cooler in the oil passage. An oil sterilizer characterized in that a tank is provided.   9. The oil sterilizer according to claim 8, wherein the cooler is a vacuum cooler.   10. The oil sterilization apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a stirring unit for stirring the oil in the tank.

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