JP2010193829A - Method and apparatus for food sterilization and storage - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method and an apparatus for food sterilization and storage, in which dehydration and oxidation of food to be sterilized are prevented and the food in the storage house is evenly sterilized. <P>SOLUTION: The method for food sterilization and storage is to expose stored food to oxygen ion radicals and air-containing moisture, preferably to expose intermittently, in which the oxygen ion radicals are generated by the ultraviolet irradiation of a photoelectron material to which a voltage of negative polarity is applied, and particularly the voltage around the irradiation surface is adjusted so that the electric line of force may be in the ultraviolet irradiation surface. The apparatus for food sterilization and storage includes: an indirect type storage house 1 with a storage space (between 5 and 6) cooled by cooling the peripheral walls; a cooler 4 which cools the peripheral walls 5 and 6; an oxygen ion radical generation device 2 which generates oxygen ion radicals and releases with air; and an evaporative humidifiers 3. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to a food sterilization storage method and apparatus that can store various foods while sterilizing them using oxygen ion radicals.

As a conventional food sterilization storage device, there is a microbial growth prevention device equipped with an ionization chamber.
For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 09-119657 (Patent Document 1) proposes a refrigeration / air-conditioning apparatus that generates ozone together with ions in cold air supplied by a blower and supplies it as cold air to microbial propagation objects such as food. Has been.

Moreover, in Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 2004-298070 (patent document 2), by cooling a wall, the indirect storage which can cool the space enclosed by the said wall, and the cooling which cools the said indirect storage A food sterilization and storage device has been proposed that includes a machine, an active particle generator capable of releasing air containing negative ions and ozone, and a hollow membrane humidifier equipped with a hollow membrane.
The active particle generating device generates ozone and ions at the same time, and supplies these active particles so as to be sprayed on food.

JP-A-9-119657 (page 10, right column, lines 12 to 23, FIG. 23) JP 2004-298070 A (page 3, right column 10 to page 4, right column 16 lines, FIG. 1)

However, in the food sterilization storage apparatus according to Patent Document 1, when cold air containing ions and ozone is simply supplied to a space containing microbial propagation objects, the ion concentration is attenuated in the space.
As a result, there is a problem that ions having a predetermined concentration cannot be sprayed on the microbial propagation object, and the propagation of the microorganism cannot be reliably prevented.
Furthermore, since ions and ozone are generated in the cold air, the moisture containing the ions and ozone has a low water content, and when this cold air is supplied to the microbial propagation object, the moisture in the microbial propagation object is reduced. There was also a problem that the microbial propagation object was dried.

On the other hand, in the food sterilization storage device according to Patent Document 2, when air containing ions and ozone is sprayed on an object on which microorganisms such as foods propagate, ozone is accumulated in the storage device, and the storage device The ozone concentration in the inside will increase, and the oxidation of food will be promoted.
Therefore, although the propagation of microorganisms can be prevented on the surface of an object on which microorganisms propagate, there is a problem that food is oxidized.
Furthermore, when an ozone concentration meter is provided in the storage device to control the ozone concentration in the storage device, there is a problem that the equipment cost of the storage device increases and the storage device becomes expensive.

This invention aims at providing the food sterilization storage method and apparatus which can prevent the drying and oxidation of the food which should be sterilized, and can sterilize the foodstuff in a store | warehouse | chamber uniformly, in view of this present condition. .

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 of the present invention provides:
A food sterilization storage method characterized by exposing a stored food to oxygen ion radicals generated by irradiating an optoelectronic material with ultraviolet rays and air containing moisture.

The invention according to claim 2 of the present invention is
In the food sterilization storage method according to claim 1,
The oxygen ion radical is
The voltage around the irradiated surface is adjusted so that the lines of electric force enter the ultraviolet irradiated surface, and the photoelectron material to which the negative voltage is applied is generated by the ultraviolet irradiation. is there.

The invention according to claim 3 of the present invention is
In the food sterilization storage method according to claim 1 or 2,
The exposure is
It is characterized by being performed intermittently.

The invention according to claim 4 of the present invention is
In the food sterilization storage method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The moisture-containing air is
It is characterized by having a saturated or equivalent vapor pressure.

Further, the invention according to claim 5 of the present invention is
An indirect storage where the storage space is cooled by cooling the peripheral wall,
A cooler for cooling the peripheral wall;
A food sterilization storage device comprising an oxygen ion radical generating device that generates oxygen ion radicals and releases them together with air, and a vaporizing humidifier.

The invention according to claim 6 of the present invention provides
The food sterilization storage device according to claim 5,
The oxygen ion radical generator is
An ultraviolet lamp, a photoelectron material that generates oxygen ion radicals upon receiving ultraviolet light from the ultraviolet lamp, an electrode that allows electric lines of force to enter the photoelectron material, and a negative DC voltage to the photoelectron material A power supply, a blower for supplying air, an air converging means for restricting the blowing direction of the supplied air to one place, and a wind direction changing means capable of changing the blowing direction of the air, It is.

The invention according to claim 7 of the present invention provides
The food sterilization storage device according to claim 6,
The oxygen ion radical generator is
It has a dimmer for adjusting the light emission intensity of the ultraviolet lamp inside.

The invention according to claim 8 of the present invention provides
In the food sterilization storage device according to any one of claims 5 to 7,
The oxygen ion radical generator is
The air extraction portion has a light shielding plate for preventing leakage of ultraviolet rays.

The invention according to claim 9 of the present invention provides
In the food sterilization storage device according to any one of claims 5 to 8,
The indirect storage is
The chamber has a human sensor for recognizing the presence or absence of a person, and has a control means for stopping the operation of the oxygen ion radical generator upon receiving a signal from the human sensor.

The invention according to claim 10 of the present invention provides
In the food sterilization storage device according to any one of claims 5 to 9,
The indirect storage is
The chamber has a wind speed sensor for recognizing the presence or absence of air flow, and has control means for controlling the operation of the wind direction changing means in response to a signal from the wind speed sensor.

  According to the food sterilization storage method and the food sterilization storage apparatus of the present invention, food can be sterilized uniformly and uniformly without drying the food.

  In particular, according to the present invention, oxygen ion radicals can be efficiently generated without causing ultraviolet rays to leak out of the apparatus, and air containing oxygen ions radicals with high moisture and high concentration is exhausted in every corner of the indirect storage. Can be uniformly sterilized without altering the food.

  Also, by controlling the air direction using a timer, etc., and increasing the blowing time at a position far from the oxygen ion radical generator, the variation in the supply amount of oxygen ion radicals can be reduced. Thus, the effect of preserving food more uniformly can be obtained.

  In addition, since air containing high moisture and high concentration oxygen ion radicals can be supplied to every corner of the indirect storage, it is possible to suppress moisture transpiration from food stored in the space in the indirect storage. In addition, microorganisms such as molds can be prevented from growing on the food surface.

Furthermore, the cost of equipment can be reduced, and the oxygen ion radicals can be blown out toward the part where the oxygen ion radical concentration is reduced by contact with food, so that food sterilization with high cost performance can be realized. effective.
In addition, when a human invades the food sterilization storage device, the generation of oxygen ion radicals can be stopped, so that it is possible to provide a highly safe food sterilization storage device.

It is a schematic explanatory drawing of the food sterilization storage apparatus concerning Example 1 of this invention. It is a cross-sectional explanatory drawing of the oxygen ion radical production | generation apparatus shown by FIG. It is a figure showing the influence which an electric field strength and an applied voltage exert on oxygen ion radical generation amount. It is a figure showing the influence which an ultraviolet lamp wavelength has on an oxygen ion radical and ozone generation amount. It is a figure showing the influence which a gas flow rate has on the amount of oxygen ion radical generation. It is a figure showing the influence which oxygen ion radical concentration has on sterilization performance. It is sectional explanatory drawing of the oxygen ion radical production | generation apparatus of the food sterilization storage apparatus concerning Example 2. FIG. It is sectional explanatory drawing of the oxygen ion radical production | generation apparatus of the food sterilization storage apparatus concerning Example 3. FIG. It is sectional explanatory drawing of the oxygen ion radical production | generation apparatus of the food sterilization storage apparatus concerning Example 4. FIG. It is sectional explanatory drawing of the oxygen ion radical production | generation apparatus of the food sterilization storage apparatus concerning Example 5. FIG. It is sectional explanatory drawing of the oxygen ion radical production | generation apparatus of the food sterilization storage apparatus concerning Example 6. FIG. It is sectional explanatory drawing of the oxygen ion radical production | generation apparatus of the food sterilization storage apparatus concerning Example 7. FIG. It is a schematic explanatory drawing of the food sterilization storage apparatus concerning Example 8. FIG. It is a schematic explanatory drawing of the food sterilization storage apparatus concerning Example 9. FIG. It is a schematic explanatory drawing of the food sterilization storage apparatus concerning Example 10. FIG. It is a schematic explanatory drawing of the food sterilization storage apparatus concerning Example 11. FIG.

  The food sterilization storage method of the present invention is characterized in that the sterilization of food to be stored is exposed to air containing oxygen ion radicals and moisture, particularly intermittently.

  The food sterilization storage device according to the present invention includes an indirect storage in which a storage space is cooled by cooling a peripheral wall, a cooler that cools the peripheral wall, and oxygen ions that can release air containing oxygen ion radicals. It is characterized by comprising a radical generator and a vaporizing humidifier that can be naturally vaporized by airflow.

The oxygen ion radicals in these inventions are those in which electrons are attached to oxygen molecules such as O ₂ ^— or those in which water is clustered on the radicals, that is, have a molecular structure of O ₂ ⁻ (H ₂ O) n. It means a material that is generated by irradiating an optoelectronic material with ultraviolet rays.

  The photoelectron material that generates oxygen ion radicals upon irradiation with ultraviolet rays is not particularly limited as long as it emits photoelectrons upon irradiation with ultraviolet rays, but a material having a small photoelectric work function is preferable. .

As the material of these photoelectrons, Ba, Sr, Ca, Y, Gd, La, Ce, Nd, Th, Pr, Be, Zr, Fe, Ni, Zn, Cu, Ag, and Pt are used from the viewpoint of effect and economy. , Cd, Pb, Al, C, Mg, Au, In, Bi, Nb, Si, Ti, Ta, U, B, Eu, Sn, P, W, or a compound or alloy or a mixture thereof is preferable.
These materials are used alone or in combination of two or more.

  As the composite material, a physical composite material such as amalgam can also be used.

  Next, in the food sterilization storage method of the present invention, the oxygen ion radical generation amount has a great influence on food storage, and therefore, each parameter of the oxygen ion radical generation device is implemented in consideration of the oxygen ion radical generation amount. Is desirable.

  For example, FIG. 3 shows the effect of the voltage applied to the optoelectronic material and the electric field strength between the optoelectronic material and the mesh lamp support on the amount of oxygen ion radicals generated. 4, the amount of oxygen ion radicals generated is shown.

<Case 1>
A case where a negative voltage is applied to the optoelectronic material and the mesh of the mesh-type lamp support is set to zero potential, and lines of electric force enter the optoelectronic material.
<Case 2>
An example in which the optoelectronic material is set to zero potential, a positive voltage is applied to the mesh of the mesh-type lamp support, and lines of electric force enter the optoelectronic material.
<Case 3>
An example in which a positive voltage is applied to the optoelectronic material and the mesh of the mesh-type lamp support is set to zero potential, and lines of electric force are generated from the optoelectronic material.
<Case 4>
An example in which the optoelectronic material is set to zero potential and a negative voltage is applied to the mesh of the mesh-type lamp support so that electric lines of force emerge from the optoelectronic material.

  As shown in FIG. 3, in case 3 and case 4 where electric lines of force emerge from the optoelectronic material, even when the electric field strength is changed, the generation of oxygen ion radicals hardly changes and the generation amount is very small. confirmed.

  This is considered to be because, in the case where the lines of electric force appear in the optoelectronic material, the electrons are negative, and thus electrons cannot jump out of the optoelectronic material.

  Also in Example 2 where the lines of electric force enter the optoelectronic material, it was confirmed that even when the electric field strength was changed, the generation of oxygen ion radicals hardly changed and the generation amount was very small.

However, in Case 1, the amount of oxygen ion radicals generated increases as the electric field strength increases, and becomes maximum when the electric field strength is 50 V / cm. However, even if the electric field strength is increased further, It was confirmed that the generation amount decreased.
This is considered to be because if the electric field strength becomes too strong, the moving speed of the electrons jumping out of the photoelectron material increases, so that it cannot adhere to oxygen in the air, and collides with the mesh and disappears. .

  Therefore, in the present invention, it is preferable to apply a negative voltage to the optoelectronic material and to set the mesh of the mesh-type lamp support part to zero potential so that the lines of electric force enter the optoelectronic material. Many oxygen ion radicals can be supplied to the sterilizer, and sterilization can be performed with high efficiency.

  Further, the electric field strength of the optoelectronic material and the mesh-type lamp support at this time can secure a value reduced by about 20% from the maximum generation amount capable of maintaining the sterilizing ability, that is, in the range of 20 V / cm to 80 V / cm. It is desirable to set.

FIG. 4 shows the effect of the emission wavelength of the ultraviolet lamp on the oxygen ion radicals and the amount of ozone generated. A comparison between an ultraviolet lamp that does not adjust the wavelength and an ultraviolet lamp that cuts the wavelength of 240 nm or less. It is.
The detection limit concentration of the ozone concentration meter is 0.0001 ppm, and the ozone generation amount calculated from this concentration is 8 μg / h.

In the figure, “oxygen ion radical” is simply referred to as “O ₂ ion radical”.

  As shown in FIG. 4, in the ultraviolet lamp with a wavelength of 240 nm or less cut, the generation amount of oxygen ion radicals decreased to 1/6 as compared with the ultraviolet lamp without adjusting the wavelength, but the generation amount of ozone was 1 / 1000, i.e. down to the detection limit concentration level.

Therefore, in the present invention, it is preferable to use an ultraviolet lamp with a wavelength of 240 nm or less, and by using the cut ultraviolet lamp, it is possible to prevent the food from being oxidized with ozone, while using oxygen ion radicals. Can sterilize food.
In addition, since there is almost no generation of ozone, it is not necessary to manage the ozone concentration inside the sterilization storage device, and it is not necessary to provide an expensive ozone concentration meter or a control device for controlling the ozone concentration, making the sterilization storage device inexpensive. can do.

  In addition, since the ultraviolet rays emitted from the ultraviolet lamp have the possibility of altering food and the like, a light shielding plate is provided at the bottom of the mesh-type lamp support part to prevent leakage of ultraviolet rays from the oxygen ion radical generator, It is preferable to prevent the food from being altered by ultraviolet rays.

Furthermore, the result of investigating the influence of the flow rate of gas flowing between the optoelectronic material and the mesh-type lamp support on the amount of oxygen ion radicals generated is shown in FIG.
As is apparent from FIG. 5, it was found that the amount of oxygen ion radicals generated hardly changed regardless of the gas flow rate.

It was also found that the oxygen ion radical concentration decreased as the gas flow rate increased.
From this, it was confirmed that the amount of oxygen ion radicals generated was not affected by the gas flow rate, and it became clear that the gas flow rate should be reduced as much as possible in order to increase the oxygen ion radical concentration.

The influence of oxygen ion radicals, which is a feature of the present invention, on sterilization is shown in FIG.
In FIG. 6, the black triangle indicates the case where the processing time is 5 minutes, and the circle indicates the case where the processing time is 30 minutes.

Thus, at 5 minutes and 10 minutes, when the oxygen ion radical concentration is 2,000 particles / cm ³ or more, the survival rate of bacteria decreases proportionally with the increase in concentration, but 1,000 particles / cm ^3. Then, it turned out that survival rate becomes high.
This is considered to be because microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi can metabolize at a concentration of 1,000 particles / cm ³ .
Also in this invention, in order to sterilize and kill fungi with oxygen ion radicals, it is desirable to supply oxygen ion radicals at a concentration of 2,000 particles / cm ³ or more, thereby efficiently sterilizing food. There is an effect that can be done.

In the food sterilization storage method of the present invention, the stored food is exposed to air containing oxygen ion radicals and moisture, so that the moisture in the air can be adjusted by using a humidifier.
Moreover, after passing the air taken into the indirect storage through the humidifier, that is, in a humidified state, it is sent to the oxygen ion radical generator, and the generated oxygen ion radical is added to be used for sterilization. .

According to such a configuration, the indirect storage is in a cooled state, and the air used for the exposure contains water having a saturated water vapor pressure or a water vapor pressure close to a state equivalent thereto. It is supplied to every corner of the indirect storage storage as air containing moisture and high-concentration oxygen ion radicals.
Therefore, moisture evaporation from food can be suppressed, and microorganisms such as bacteria and mold can be prevented from growing on the food surface.

  In such a case, by changing and controlling the direction of the air to be exposed using a timer or the like, the blowing time at a position far from the oxygen ion radical generator is lengthened, and further, the oxygen ion radical is further increased. The variation in the supply amount is small and can be supplied to every corner, so that food can be stored more uniformly.

In addition, it is preferable to supply the water | moisture content in air through a oxygen ion radical production | generation apparatus from a humidifier.
In some cases, a part of the air released from the humidifier is released directly into the sterilization storage device so as to increase the humidity inside the sterilization storage device, and oxygen ion radicals are also generated from the oxygen ion radical generator. It goes without saying that the same effect can be obtained even if it is supplied.

Hereinafter, it demonstrates in detail based on an Example.
FIG. 1 is a schematic explanatory view of a food sterilization storage apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.
The indirect storage 1 constituting the food sterilization storage device of the present invention has a double wall structure of an outer wall 5 and an inner wall 6 and is cooled by a cooler 4 between the outer wall 5 and the inner wall 6. Heat medium is flowing.
As this heat medium, for example, a gas such as air or a liquid such as antifreeze is used.

  In the indirect storage 1, an oxygen ion radical generating device 2 is provided on the ceiling surface of the inner wall 6, and a vaporizing humidifier 3 is attached to the oxygen ion radical generating device 2 through an air passage.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional explanatory view of the oxygen ion radical generator 2.
The oxygen ion radical generator 2 is discharged from the blower 12 between the blower 12 and the oxygen ion radical generator 2 for blowing out air containing oxygen ion radicals therein. A wind converging machine 10 that restricts the direction of the wind in one direction is provided.

In addition, a wind direction change machine 11 that changes the direction of air blown from the wind convergence machine 10 is arranged.
In addition, this wind direction change machine 11 is
In FIG. 2, the rocking motion indicated by the arrow a is performed.

  In addition to these configurations, the optoelectronic material 16 for generating oxygen ion radicals is disposed so as to face the mesh-type lamp support 14 in which the ultraviolet lamp 13 is incorporated, and from the DC power source 17, The material 16 is configured to be supplied with a negative voltage.

The mesh portion of the mesh type lamp support portion 14 is a ground electrode.
An electric field from the mesh lamp support 14 to the optoelectronic material 16 is formed between the optoelectronic material 16 and the mesh lamp support 14.

  Therefore, by applying a negative voltage to the photoelectron material 16 and forming an electric field in the direction in which electrons are emitted from the photoelectron material 16, oxygen ion radicals can be generated efficiently.

In addition, the mesh of the mesh part which covers the ultraviolet lamp 13 should just be a mesh size of the grade which can permeate | transmit, without attenuating an ultraviolet-ray, and should just be 10 mesh or less.
At that time, if the mesh size is too large, the electric field distribution is deteriorated. Therefore, the mesh size is desirably 1 mesh or more.

In addition, since the ultraviolet rays emitted from the ultraviolet lamp 13 may change the quality of food and the like, a light shielding plate 15 is provided at the lowermost part of the mesh-type lamp support portion 14.
The light shielding plate 15 prevents the ultraviolet rays from leaking out of the oxygen ion radical generator 2, so that the food is not altered by the ultraviolet rays.

  In FIG. 2, the air that flows in from the right side is air that has passed through the vaporizing humidifier 3 and flows into the oxygen ion radical generator 2 in a humidified state.

According to such a configuration, it is possible to supply air containing moisture close to the saturated water vapor pressure to the air path formed by the optoelectronic material 16 and the mesh-type lamp support portion 14 while maintaining a cooled state. it can.
Therefore, air containing high moisture and high concentration oxygen ion radicals can be supplied to every corner of the indirect storage 1.

  At that time, although not shown, by controlling the wind direction changer 11 using a timer or the like and lengthening the blowing time at a position far from the oxygen ion radical generator 2, the variation in the supply amount of oxygen ion radicals can be further reduced. Since it can be made small, the effect that food can be preserved more uniformly can be obtained.

In this way, by providing the vaporizing humidifier 3 on the windward side of the oxygen ion radical generating device 2 that can change the blowing angle, air containing high moisture and high concentration oxygen ion radicals is stored in the indirect storage 1. Can be supplied to every corner.
In addition, it is possible to suppress moisture transpiration from the food stored in the space in the indirect storage 1 and to prevent the growth of microorganisms such as bacteria and mold on the food surface.

  In Example 1, although the case where the optoelectronic material 16 and the mesh-type lamp support part 14 used the oxygen ion radical production | generation apparatus 2 with which the vertical direction was equipped was shown, as FIG. 7 shows, an optoelectronic material is shown. 16 and the mesh-type lamp support part 14 may be mounted while being tilted while maintaining a certain distance, and a sloped mesh-type lamp support part 21 may be disposed between them so that the wind spreads to the leeward side.

According to this configuration, when the blowing direction is swung at a certain angle with respect to the vertical direction, the air inflow direction and the air blowing direction are made to coincide with the space between the optoelectronic material 16 and the mesh-type lamp support portion 14. Can do.
Therefore, it is possible to preferentially supply air containing oxygen ion radicals to the food placed near the wall surface of the indirect storage 1 so that the food can be efficiently sterilized and stored.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional explanatory view of the oxygen ion radical generating device of the food sterilization storage device according to the third embodiment, and the center portion is lowered while maintaining the distance between the photoelectron material 16 and the mesh-type lamp support portion 14. It is configured.
That is, the optoelectronic material 16 and the mesh-type lamp support portion 14 are provided while maintaining a certain distance so that the mounting position of the central portion is the lowest and the mounting positions of both ends are higher than the mounting positions of the central portion. You may do it.

According to this configuration, when the blowing direction is swung at a certain angle with respect to the vertical direction, the air inflow direction and the air blowing direction are made to coincide with the space between the optoelectronic material 16 and the mesh-type lamp support portion 14. Can do.
Therefore, it is possible to preferentially supply air containing oxygen ion radicals to the food placed near the wall surface of the indirect storage 1 so that the food can be efficiently sterilized and stored.

  FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the oxygen ion radical generator of the food sterilization storage device according to the fourth embodiment. The ultraviolet lamp 13 is a plate material lamp support 31 having a hole so that it can be installed in the center. The plate lamp support portion is grounded.

Even with such a configuration, air containing high moisture and high-concentration oxygen ion radicals can be supplied to every corner of the indirect storage 1, so that the food from the food stored in the space in the indirect storage 1 can be used. It becomes possible to suppress moisture transpiration.
Moreover, it is possible to prevent the growth of microorganisms such as bacteria and molds on the food surface.

  Instead of the apparatus of the first embodiment, an ultraviolet lamp 13 may be provided at the center position between the two optoelectronic materials 16 and 16 as shown in FIG.

  In this case, the direction of the electric field is changed by providing a light shielding cover 32 at the portion of the ultraviolet lamp 13 and grounding it so that the ultraviolet rays do not leak, but it is equivalent to the first embodiment by creating a predetermined electric field strength. Can generate oxygen ion radicals.

Even in such a configuration, since air containing high moisture and high concentration oxygen ion radicals can be supplied to every corner of the indirect storage 1, it is possible to remove from the food stored in the space in the indirect storage 1. Moisture transpiration can be suppressed, and microorganisms such as bacteria and mold can be prevented from growing on the food surface.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the oxygen ion radical generator of the food sterilization storage apparatus according to the sixth embodiment, in which a dimmer 41 that adjusts the emission intensity of the ultraviolet lamp 13 is arranged.
At the initial stage when the emission intensity of the ultraviolet lamp 13 is high, the light intensity is suppressed by the dimmer 41. When the emission intensity of the ultraviolet lamp 13 decreases with time, a timer (not shown) or the like is used. Thus, the light intensity may be increased by the dimmer 41 over time.

  With such a configuration, it is possible to prevent a decrease in the amount of oxygen ion radicals generated due to a decrease in the emission intensity of the ultraviolet lamp 13, and to stably supply air containing high moisture and a high concentration of oxygen ion radicals. Since it can supply to every corner of the indirect storage 1, microorganisms such as bacteria and mold can be stably prevented from growing on the food surface.

In addition, a decrease in ultraviolet light emission intensity can be suppressed by turning on the ultraviolet lamp 13 only when air is supplied between the optoelectronic material 16 and the mesh-type lamp support 14 by the dimmer 41. .
That is, by turning on the ultraviolet lamp 13 in synchronism with the air blowing direction of the wind direction changer 11, the input energy can be reduced and the generation of oxygen ion radicals with high energy efficiency can be realized.

By realizing such an operation, not only the energy supply to the ultraviolet lamp 13 that does not contribute to the generation of oxygen ion radicals can be eliminated, but also a decrease in the emission intensity of the ultraviolet lamp 13 can be suppressed, On the food surface, the growth of microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi can be prevented more effectively and stably.

  In the sixth embodiment, the case where the dimmer 41 is adjusted using a timer or the like and the emission intensity of the ultraviolet lamp 13 is temporally controlled has been described. However, as shown in FIG. 2, an illuminance sensor 42 is provided, and a signal from the illuminance sensor 42 is received by the control setting machine 43 to operate the dimmer 41 so that the emission intensity of the ultraviolet lamp 13 is controlled to be constant. Good.

With such a configuration, it is possible to prevent a decrease in the amount of oxygen ion radicals generated due to a decrease in the emission intensity of the ultraviolet lamp 13, and to stably supply air containing high moisture and a high concentration of oxygen ion radicals. Since it can supply to every corner of the indirect storage 1, the growth of microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi can be stably prevented on the food surface.
Further, it is possible to know the replacement time of the ultraviolet lamp 13 and to obtain a sterilization storage device with high maintainability.

FIG. 13 is a schematic explanatory diagram of a food sterilization storage device according to the eighth embodiment.
As in the eighth embodiment, an oxygen ion radical concentration sensor 52 is provided in the indirect storage 1, and a signal output from the oxygen ion radical concentration sensor 52 is sent to the control setting device 51. With this signal, the blowing angle of the air containing oxygen ion radicals from the oxygen ion radical generator 2 may be controlled.
Usually, as the oxygen ion radical concentration control sensor 52, a sensor that collects electric charges held by the oxygen ion radical and measures a current value generated at that time is used.

According to this configuration, since the oxygen ion radicals can be blown out toward the portion where the oxygen ion radical concentration is lowered by contact with the food, there is an effect that the food can be sterilized efficiently.

FIG. 14 is a schematic explanatory diagram of a food sterilization storage apparatus according to the ninth embodiment.
As in the ninth embodiment, the wind speed sensor 53 is arranged in the indirect storage 1, and the oxygen ion radical from the oxygen ion radical generator 2 is included based on the signal output from the wind speed control setter 51. You may make it control the blowing angle of air.
Usually, a hot-wire anemometer or the like is used as the wind speed sensor 53.

Since oxygen ion radicals have a relatively short lifetime, it was found that the portion where no wind is supplied disappears halfway before reaching.
Therefore, the amount of oxygen ion radicals reached can be determined by measuring the flow rate of the supplied air.

According to this configuration, it is possible to blow out the oxygen ion radicals toward the part where the oxygen ion radical concentration is reduced due to contact with food while suppressing the equipment cost, thereby realizing food sterilization with high cost performance. There is an effect that can be.

FIG. 15 is a schematic explanatory diagram of a food sterilization storage device according to the tenth embodiment.
As in the tenth embodiment, the human sensor 54 is arranged in the indirect storage 1 and, based on the signal output from the human sensor 54, the generation of oxygen ion radicals from the oxygen ion radical generator 2 is performed. You may make it stop.

  As the human sensor 54, a temperature detection device using an infrared camera or the like, an image analysis device using a CCD camera, or the like is used.

According to this configuration, since the generation of oxygen ion radicals can be stopped when a human enters the food sterilization storage device (indirect storage 1), an effect of providing a highly safe food sterilization storage device can be provided. There is.

FIG. 16 is a schematic explanatory diagram of a food sterilization storage device according to an eleventh embodiment.
As in Example 11, the duct 61 may be provided on the upstream side of the vaporizing humidifier 3 so that the air in the indirect storage 1 is largely convected.

  According to this configuration, there is an effect that oxygen ion radicals can be efficiently sent to the entire indirect storage 1.

Even if a filter (not shown) is provided at the wind inlet of the duct 61, the same effect can be obtained.
Further, a fan (not shown) may be provided at the wind inlet of the duct 61.

The food sterilization storage method and apparatus according to the present invention can sterilize food uniformly and uniformly without drying the food, so that it is widely used in the industry where food is stored, transported, sold and used. Available. It is also widely used in the electrical industry that supplies food storage devices to them.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Indirect storage 2 Oxygen ion radical generator 3 Vaporizing humidifier 4 Cooler 5 Outer wall 6 Inner wall 10 Wind converging machine 11 Wind direction change machine 12 Fan 13 Ultraviolet lamp 14 Mesh type lamp support part 15 Light-shield plate 16 Photoelectron material 17 DC power supply DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 21 Mesh type | mold lamp support part 31 inclined plate support part 41 Dimmer 42 Illuminance sensor 43 Control setting machine 51 Control setting machine 52 Oxygen ion radical concentration sensor 53 Wind speed sensor 54 Human sensor 61 Duct

Claims (10)

A food sterilization storage method comprising exposing a stored food to air containing oxygen ion radicals generated by irradiating an optoelectronic material with ultraviolet rays and moisture. The oxygen ion radical is
The voltage generated around the irradiated surface is adjusted so that the lines of electric force enter the ultraviolet irradiated surface, and the photoelectron material to which a negative voltage is applied is generated by irradiation of ultraviolet light. The food sterilization storage method according to 1. The exposure is
The food sterilization storage method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the food sterilization storage method is performed intermittently. The moisture-containing air is
4. The food sterilization storage method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the food sterilization storage method has a saturated or equivalent vapor pressure. An indirect storage where the storage space is cooled by cooling the peripheral wall,
A cooler for cooling the peripheral wall;
A food sterilization storage device comprising an oxygen ion radical generator that generates oxygen ion radicals and releases them together with air, and a vaporizing humidifier. The oxygen ion radical generator is
An ultraviolet lamp, a photoelectron material that generates oxygen ion radicals upon receiving ultraviolet light from the ultraviolet lamp, an electrode that allows electric lines of force to enter the photoelectron material, and a negative DC voltage to the photoelectron material A power supply, a blower for supplying air, an air converging means for restricting the blowing direction of the supplied air to one place, and a wind direction changing means capable of changing the blowing direction of the air, Item 6. The food sterilization storage device according to Item 5. The oxygen ion radical generator is
The food sterilization storage device according to claim 6, further comprising a dimmer for adjusting the light emission intensity of the ultraviolet lamp. The oxygen ion radical generator is
The food sterilization storage device according to any one of claims 5 to 7, further comprising a light shielding plate for preventing leakage of ultraviolet rays at the air extraction portion. The indirect storage is
6. A human sensor for recognizing the presence or absence of a person in the cabinet, and a control means for stopping the operation of the oxygen ion radical generator upon receipt of a signal from the human sensor. The food sterilization storage device according to any one of 8. The indirect storage is
6. A chamber having a wind speed sensor for recognizing the presence or absence of air flow, and having a control means for controlling the operation of the wind direction changing means in response to a signal from the wind speed sensor. The food sterilization storage device according to any one of 9.

Images