JP2009207456A - Method and apparatus for sterilizing mushroom medium - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method and apparatus for sterilizing a mushroom medium, which is capable of shortening a time of sterilizing a mushroom medium, and greatly reducing energy consumption. <P>SOLUTION: This apparatus for sterilizing a mushroom medium includes heat-sterilizing a medium for mushroom bed cultivation by steam. The apparatus has a circulation vent passage 13, a blower 14 which is provided in the circulation vent passage 13 and circulates steam, a heat-sterilizing boiler 15 which is provided in the circulation vent passage 13, and stores a mushroom cultivation bottle filled with a mushroom medium for heat-sterilizing by steam, a steam boiler 11 which is connected to the circulation vent passage 13 and/or the heat-sterilizing boiler 15, and supplies saturated steam, and a superheated steam generator 12 which is provided in the circulation vent passage 13, and superheats saturated steam to generate superheated steam. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for sterilizing a mushroom medium and an apparatus for sterilizing a mushroom medium in cultivation of an artificial fungus bed of mushrooms. Examples of the types of mushrooms that are subject to fungus bed cultivation include enoki, shimeji mushrooms, nameko, maitake, and biling.

Conventionally, in order to produce a mushroom medium, each material is mixed and water is added, and raw materials prepared such as moisture are packed in bottles or bags, and then put in a steam pot and sterilized by heating.
Heat sterilization using a conventional steam kettle takes a long time. This is considered to be because it is necessary to sterilize by raising the temperature to the inside of a bottle or the like, and it is also necessary to heat the adjusted moisture to a high temperature. In addition, cold steam is exhausted and a large amount of heat escapes.
Furthermore, since the heat-sterilized mushroom medium is cooled to an appropriate temperature for inoculation with the inoculum, it is cooled by, for example, a cooler device.
According to this, a large amount of heat (energy) is consumed, and the energy cost is high.

In order to improve the efficiency of heat sterilization, it has been proposed to use a high-pressure steam kettle. According to this, it is possible to raise the temperature in a pot to 100 degreeC or more, and can shorten sterilization time. Therefore, the mushroom medium can be sterilized more efficiently than in the past.
However, even with this, the cooled steam was exhausted, and still consumed a large amount of heat, and the sterilization time was not sufficiently shortened.

  By the way, the method of artificially cultivating mushrooms using a cultivation bottle or the like is generally based on the following steps. First, the culture bottle is filled with a medium mainly composed of vegetative materials such as sawdust and pulverized corn cob. Then, the mycelium is spread in the culture medium by culturing in the culture room, and after the culture, the fruit body is grown in the generation room to harvest the fruit body of the mushroom grown outward from the bottle opening of the cultivation bottle. Moreover, in order to promote the growth of mushrooms, inoculation with inoculum can be performed using a liquid inoculum.

In addition, as a method of spraying hot air or steam in connection with the artificial cultivation of mushrooms, “a method for regenerating a waste culture medium for culturing mushroom beds” has been disclosed (see Patent Document 1). In this method, the raw material is dried and regenerated. When the dried regenerated raw material is used, it is considered that the sterilization is carried out by heating in a steam kettle after bottling as in the above mushroom cultivation process.
JP-A-6-7030 (Claims)

The problem to be solved regarding the mushroom medium sterilization method and its sterilization apparatus is that it takes a long time to sterilize the mushroom medium, consumes a large amount of energy, and is inefficient.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an efficient method for sterilizing a mushroom medium and a sterilization apparatus thereof that can shorten the processing time and greatly reduce energy consumption.

The present invention has the following configuration in order to achieve the above object.
According to one aspect of the method for sterilizing a mushroom medium according to the present invention, a mushroom medium sterilization method for heat-sterilizing a medium for mushroom fungus bed cultivation with steam, the saturated steam generated and introduced by a steam boiler or the like. Heating to generate superheated steam, supplying the superheated steam to a heat sterilization pot accommodated in a mushroom cultivation bottle filled with a mushroom medium, and circulating the heat sterilization pot and the superheated steam generation unit connected thereto Steam is circulated by an air passage.

  Further, according to one embodiment of the mushroom medium sterilization apparatus according to the present invention, there is provided a mushroom medium sterilization apparatus for heating and sterilizing a medium for mushroom bed cultivation with steam, the circulation aeration path, and the circulation aeration path A blower that circulates steam, a heat sterilization pot that is provided in the circulation aeration path and stores a mushroom cultivation bottle filled with the mushroom medium for heat sterilization by steam, the circulation aeration path, and And / or a steam boiler connected to the heat sterilization kettle for supplying saturated steam, and a superheated steam generator that is provided in the circulation vent and generates saturated superheated steam by heating the saturated steam.

  Moreover, according to the form of the mushroom medium sterilization apparatus according to the present invention, the superheated steam generator can be a high-frequency heater.

  According to the mushroom medium sterilization method and the sterilization apparatus according to the present invention, the processing time can be shortened and the energy consumption can be greatly reduced.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The best mode of the mushroom medium sterilizing apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings (FIG. 1).
FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing an embodiment of a mushroom medium sterilizer according to the present invention. According to this mushroom medium sterilization apparatus, a mushroom medium sterilization method can be performed in which a mushroom fungus bed cultivation medium is heated and sterilized with steam.
According to this mushroom medium sterilization method, the saturated steam generated and introduced by a steam boiler or the like is heated to generate superheated steam, and the superheated steam is stored in a mushroom cultivation bottle filled with the mushroom medium. While being supplied to the kettle, the steam is circulated through a circulation ventilation path to which the heat sterilization kettle and the superheated steam generation unit are connected.

Reference numeral 13 denotes a circulation ventilation path. As shown in FIG. 1, a closed ventilation circuit is connected to each component so that steam circulates as shown by arrows.
A blower 14 is connected to the circulation air passage 13 and is provided so as to send a saturated steam or a superheated steam for forced circulation. In this embodiment, the intake port is connected to the exhaust port side of the heat sterilization pot 15 to be described later via the circulation vent 13. The connection position of the blower 14 is not particularly limited, but the superheated steam can be efficiently supplied to the heating sterilization pot 15 by being connected upstream of the superheated steam generator 12 described later.
In addition, it is also possible to circulate a vapor | steam by a convection phenomenon via the circulation ventilation path 13 without relying on the air blower 14. FIG.

  Reference numeral 15 denotes a heat sterilization pot, which is connected to the circulation vent 13 and stores a mushroom cultivation bottle 70 filled with a mushroom medium for heat sterilization with steam. In the heat sterilization pot 15, a large number of mushroom cultivation bottles 70 are stacked and stored in a state where they are in a container as shown in FIG. This heat sterilization pot 15 is a container chamber in which the mushroom cultivation bottle 70 is heat sterilized batchwise.

In the present embodiment, the blower 14 is connected to the exhaust port side of the heat sterilization pot 15 via the circulation vent 13, and the superheated steam generator 12 described later is connected to the steam inlet side via the circulation vent 13. ing.
A safety valve 15a is provided to release pressure when the inside of the heat sterilization pot 15 becomes high pressure. Reference numeral 15b denotes a drain which serves as a drain for condensed water.

A steam boiler 11 is connected to the circulation ventilation path 13 and / or the heat sterilization pot 15 and supplies saturated steam.
The steam boiler 11 according to the present embodiment is connected to a circulation air passage 13 corresponding to the upstream side of the superheated steam generator 12 described later on the downstream side of the steam flow of the blower 14. That is, it is connected to the circulation ventilation path 13 between the blower 14 and the superheated steam generator 12. According to this, superheated steam can be efficiently supplied to the heat sterilization pot 15. In addition, the connection position of the steam boiler 11 is not limited to this, For example, you may connect directly to the heat sterilization pot 15.

  Reference numeral 11a denotes an open / close adjusting valve, which is provided so that the supply amount of saturated steam generated in the steam boiler 11 can be adjusted. When the steam is sufficiently filled in the heat sterilization pot 15 or the circulation vent 13, the supply of steam from the steam boiler 11 is shut off, and when the amount of steam decreases, the steam sterilization pot 15 and the circulation vent 13 are opened appropriately.

Reference numeral 12 denotes a superheated steam generator which is connected to the circulation vent 13 and heats the saturated steam to generate superheated steam.
The superheated steam generator 12 may be a high frequency heater, for example. High-frequency induction heating is non-contact, but has an advantage that the temperature can be increased rapidly and efficiently, and control can be easily performed by an inverter.
Note that the heating method is not limited to this, and it is needless to say that a heating wire appropriately coated, a combustion apparatus such as a gas, or other existing technology can be used as appropriate.

According to the mushroom medium sterilization apparatus having the above configuration, the steam is circulated and used, so that energy efficiency can be improved.
Moreover, according to the superheated steam generator 12, the high temperature steam exceeding 100 degreeC can be obtained in a normal pressure state. Since the mushroom medium can be sterilized with high-temperature steam, the sterilization efficiency can be improved and the sterilization time can be shortened. This also increases energy efficiency, improves production efficiency, and reduces operating costs.
In addition, although the temperature of superheated steam is restrict | limited by the heat-resistant temperature of the mushroom cultivation bottle 70, for example, it can be heated easily to about 120 degreeC, for example.

And since it can operate | move in a normal-pressure state, each structure including the heat sterilization pot 15 does not need to be equipped with the structure which endures high pressure, and can reduce cost also in terms of equipment.
Further, the superheated steam is less likely to cause condensation than the saturated steam, and the heat transfer efficiency is good. Furthermore, superheated steam retains a larger amount of heat than ordinary dry hot air and has high heat transfer properties, and can be heated in an oxygen-deficient state by filling with water vapor. Therefore, the mushroom medium can be sterilized efficiently without being oxidized. Furthermore, the occurrence of condensation is small, and the moisture adjustment of the mushroom medium is made stable and suitable.

  By the way, the control of this embodiment can be performed by detecting the temperature and humidity of the superheated steam supplied to the heat sterilization pot 15 and the temperature and humidity of the steam discharged from the heat sterilization pot 15. What is necessary is just to perform the output adjustment of the superheated steam generator 12, the output adjustment of the steam boiler 11, or the adjustment of the on-off adjusting valve 11a so as to satisfy the set condition.

  As described above, the present invention has been described in various ways with preferred embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and many modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. That's it.

It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of the form of the disinfection apparatus of the mushroom culture medium concerning this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Steam boiler 12 Superheated steam generator 13 Circulation ventilation path 14 Blower 15 Heat sterilization pot 70 Mushroom cultivation bottle

Claims (3)

A mushroom medium sterilization method in which a medium for mushroom fungus bed cultivation is heated and sterilized with steam,
Saturated steam generated / introduced by a steam boiler or the like is heated to generate superheated steam, and the superheated steam is supplied to the heat sterilization pot stored in the mushroom cultivation bottle filled with the mushroom medium, and the heat sterilization pot And a method for sterilizing a mushroom medium, wherein the steam is circulated through a circulation vent passage to which the superheated steam generation section is connected. A mushroom medium sterilizer for heating and sterilizing mushroom bed culture medium with steam,
A circulation vent,
A blower provided in the circulation vent and circulating the steam;
A heat sterilization pot for storing a mushroom cultivation bottle that is provided in the circulation vent and is filled with the mushroom medium for heat sterilization by steam;
A steam boiler connected to the circulation vent and / or the heat sterilization kettle to supply saturated steam;
An apparatus for sterilizing a mushroom medium, comprising a superheated steam generator that is provided in the circulation ventilation path and generates saturated steam by heating saturated steam.   The mushroom medium sterilizer according to claim 2, wherein the superheated steam generator is a high-frequency heater.

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