JP2010252701A - Apparatus for producing dried fish and shellfish - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To perform the production of dried fish and shellfish at a low cost in a condition of less probability of apparatus trouble. <P>SOLUTION: The apparatus for producing the dried fish and shellfish includes a snow ice chamber 10 which stores a plurality of cooling containers 15 filling snow ice in a case body with air permeability, a drying chamber 20 where preliminarily processed fish and shellfish are arranged on a shelf part with air permeability, a vent duct 30 which makes the snow ice chamber and the drying chamber communicate with each other, and a fan device 31 which is arranged on the vent duct and sends air in the snow ice chamber to the drying chamber. Furthermore, an open air supply opening 32 is provided in the upper part of a wall defining the snow ice chamber, and one end of the vent duct is fixed to the lower part of the wall defining the snow ice chamber, and one end of the vent duct is fixed to the upper part of a wall defining the drying chamber, and a discharge opening 33 is provided in the lower part of the wall defining the drying chamber. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus for producing dried fishery products, and more particularly to an apparatus configuration using snow and ice cold heat.

  Various seafood such as horse mackerel, hockey, squid, and scallops can be dried to create a hard film on the surface of the body, enhance preservation and create a unique texture and taste. Unlike dry matter (kanbutsu) that completely drains moisture from the body, so-called overnight dried products (strings) often obtain products by drying treatment for several hours to half a day.

  Dried fish is produced throughout the country, but dried fish is delicious from late autumn to early spring when the air dries. During the rainy season and summer, the humidity of the air is high, so the manufacturer must forcibly dry the seafood to make a product.

  In this case, there are two ways of thinking. One is a warm air system. This uses a heater device or a boiler device to dehumidify the seafood with warm air. The other is a cold air system. In this method, cold air dehumidified using a cold air machine is given to the drying chamber to dehumidify the seafood.

  The drying process for seafood when making dried fish is closely related to the humidity of the drying room.

  In the warm air system, the room temperature is raised by heating air, and the relative humidity is lowered. Relative humidity is a so-called general concept of humidity, and represents the ratio between the amount of water vapor contained in the air and the amount of saturated water vapor at the same temperature as the air, expressed as a percentage. The lower the relative humidity, the easier the moisture in the solid escapes into the air.

  In the cold air method, the relative humidity and the absolute humidity in the drying chamber are lowered by using air-conditioned cold air using a so-called dehumidifying cooling device. Absolute humidity is the mass (g) of water vapor contained in a unit volume (1m3) of gas. Normally (if the pressure is constant), the absolute humidity decreases as the air temperature decreases. Since the dehumidifying and cooling device also performs forced dehumidification, the relative humidity is also reduced.

  Either method can produce dried fish by removing water from the seafood, but in general, many people prefer cold-air dried fish. This is because warm air dried fish has a characteristic odor (smell) that remains even when eaten, and when stored in a refrigerator, the odor moves to other foods. In the case of the cold air method, there is no problem of smell, and it is said that the original flavor of seafood does not escape.

  The problem is the cost of manufacturing dried fish.

  The heating device required for the hot air system requires heavy oil fuel for driving the boiler device in addition to the device cost, and an electric charge for driving the heater device.

  A dehumidifying and cooling device (such as an air conditioner) required for the cold air system requires an electric charge for driving the dehumidifying and cooling device in addition to the device cost.

  In addition to initial investment and maintenance costs for equipment introduction, there may be a serious image such as maintenance cost in the event of equipment failure, or production line stoppage in the event of equipment failure.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to enable production of dried fish for seafood under conditions that are low in cost and have a low probability of equipment failure.

  In order to achieve the above-mentioned object and solve the problem, a dried fish production apparatus for seafood according to the present invention includes a snow ice chamber in which a plurality of cooling containers filled with snow ice are stored in a case body having air permeability, and a pretreatment. A drying chamber in which the seafood subjected to the treatment is placed on a breathable shelf, a ventilation duct communicating the snow and ice chamber and the drying chamber, and a fan device for air supply arranged on the route of the ventilation duct On the other hand, an outside air supply opening is provided at the top of the snow and ice chamber, and an opening for supplying cold air from the snow and ice chamber that is sent through the ventilation duct and the fan device is provided at the top of the drying chamber. An exhaust opening for exhausting the air in the drying chamber to the outside air is provided in the lower part.

  According to the dried fish production apparatus for seafood according to the present invention, the snow and ice chamber and the drying chamber communicate with each other through the ventilation duct, and the air in the snow and ice chamber is sent to the drying chamber by the fan device, so that the cold air with reduced absolute humidity is obtained. Can produce dried fish. The source of heat to reduce absolute humidity is natural snow and ice, so if it is a cold region (for example, Hokkaido) where snow and ice can be stored and stored in large quantities, it can produce dried fish at low cost using snow and ice that can be obtained inexpensively even in summer. I can do it.

  Since no heating device such as a boiler device is used, the risk of increased manufacturing costs due to fuel surging can be reliably eliminated, and air conditioning dehumidification devices that use the heat of vaporization of the refrigerant are not used. Manufacturing risks such as line stoppage can be avoided. The only electrical device used in the device according to the present invention is the fan device. This is because the blades are only rotated by an electric motor, so the durability is high and the probability of failure is very low.

It is a figure which illustrates the dried fish manufacturing apparatus which concerns on embodiment. It is a figure which illustrates the freezing container which concerns on embodiment. It is a graph which illustrates the relationship between the relative humidity and absolute humidity which concern on embodiment. It is a graph which illustrates the removal progress of the moisture concerning an embodiment.

  FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a dried fish production apparatus for seafood according to the present invention. Reference numeral 10 denotes a snow and ice chamber, 20 denotes a drying chamber, and 30 denotes a ventilation duct that connects the snow and ice chamber 10 and the drying chamber 20. A fan device 31 is provided on the path of the ventilation duct 30.

  In addition, an outside air supply opening (intake opening) 32 is provided in the upper part of the wall 11 defining the snow and ice chamber 10, and an appropriate position, for example, a lower part of the wall 12 (for example, the wall facing the wall 11) defining the snow and ice chamber 10. While fixing one end 30-1 of the ventilation duct 30, the other end 30-2 of the ventilation duct 30 is fixed at an appropriate position, for example, the upper part of the wall 21 defining the drying chamber 20, thereby defining the drying chamber 20. An exhaust opening 33 is provided in a lower portion of a wall (for example, a wall facing the wall 21) 22.

  The outside air supply opening 32 and the exhaust opening 33 are preferably provided with sanitary holding means such as a net, a louver, and a filter in order to minimize the entry of dust and dirt from the outside. However, since the overnight drying of seafood was originally produced outdoors, a hygiene holding means is not necessarily required. Even if there is no hygiene holding means, it is possible to maintain the same level of hygiene as a net or a louver (lattice-like member) if the outside air supply opening 32 or the exhaust opening 33 is formed as a plurality of small holes. The outside air supply opening 32 or the exhaust opening 33 is not necessarily a single large opening.

  The fan device 31 provided on the path of the ventilation duct 30 may be any device that can send the air cooled in the snow ice chamber 10 into the drying chamber 20. For example, a simple device such as an axial fan or a multiblade fan may be used. When the distance of the ventilation duct 30 is long, a blower fan device can be used as necessary.

  A plurality of cooling containers 15 in which snow and ice are packed in a case body having air permeability are stored inside the snow and ice chamber 10. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the cooling container 15 is formed by packing an appropriate amount of snow and ice 17 in a case body 16 with a bottom and no lid having a side wall and a bottom made of a mesh-like (lattice-like) member. The case body 16 only needs to have a fine mesh or the like that prevents the snow and ice 17 from spilling in large quantities from the bottom or side walls when the snow and ice 17 is packed (stored). The case body 16 is not limited to a mesh member such as a metal net or a resin net, and is formed of a resin or metal plate material, and has a configuration in which a plurality of holes (through holes or lattices having an appropriate shape) are provided on the side wall and the bottom surface. Of course, it is also possible. It only has to guarantee the breathability.

  It is desirable that a plurality of cooling containers 15 in which the case body 16 is filled (filled) with snow ice 17 are arranged in the snow ice chamber 10 in accordance with the outside air temperature and the amount of seafood to be dried. This is because the absolute humidity of the drying chamber 20 cannot be sufficiently reduced if the number of the cooling containers 15 is small when the outside air temperature is high or the amount of seafood in the drying chamber 20 is large.

  For this reason, a plurality of cooling containers 15 are disposed on the front, rear, left and right of the floor surface (or the vicinity of the floor surface) of the snow and ice chamber 10, and it is desirable that the cooling containers 15 be stacked on the lowermost cooling container 15. . The number of cooling containers 15 to be stacked is not limited. What is necessary is just to be able to supply the drying chamber 20 with sufficient cold air with reduced absolute humidity.

  The snow and ice 17 to be packed in the case body 16 is made of natural material. This is to reduce the manufacturing cost of dried fish. In snowy areas such as Hokkaido and the Tohoku region, a large amount of snow is removed in winter, and this is piled up on riverbeds and idle land. Recently, this snow ice 17 is used as an air conditioning heat source for cooling buildings and the like. There are various attempts to utilize it. For example, if a thermal insulation sheet or thermal insulation balloon is put on snow and ice 17 stacked on a riverbed or idle land, a large amount of snow and ice 17 can be used from midsummer to late autumn. What is necessary is just to convey 17 to the manufacturing factory of dried fish. The cost of snow and ice 17 is zero. Although there is a slight cost required for transportation, the cost-effectiveness can be suppressed to a much lower cost than conventional fuel and electricity costs.

  In the drying chamber 20, the pre-processed seafood is placed on a breathable shelf. When making dried fish, the seafood is opened and washed, and an appropriate seasoning is applied as necessary, so a pretreatment according to the type of seafood is performed. For example, in the case of a hockey, you can open your body, take out the built-in, wash it and soak it in salt water.

  Placing the pre-treated seafood on a breathable shelf improves the flow of the air in the drying chamber 20 and the air around the seafood to be processed, and is preferable to remove moisture from the seafood. This is to do in When placing seafood on a shelf, for example, a tray 24 using a mesh (such as a resin net or a metal net) can be used. Further, for example, a cart with casters may be provided with a plurality of grid shelves, a mesh (resin net or metal net) may be provided on the grid shelves, and seafood may be arranged on the mesh. The shelves of the cart with casters may be meshed or netted and the seafood may be placed (arranged).

  It is desirable to arrange a stirrer 27 for agitating room air at an appropriate location of the drying chamber 20, for example, the ceiling 25. As the stirrer 27, for example, a motor device connected with a propeller fan, a so-called electric fan can be used. There are various types of fans. For example, ceiling fans (ceiling fans) placed on the ceiling, wall-mounted fans, auto fans (cycle fans; fans used in public baths, etc.) can be used. Since it is only necessary to flow the internal air of the drying chamber 20, it is only necessary to efficiently flow the wind from the ceiling 25 or the upper side of the side wall to the bottom (floor direction).

  Therefore, according to such a configuration, the snow ice chamber 10 and the drying chamber 20 are spatially communicated with each other via the ventilation duct 30 and the fan device 31 is provided on the path of the ventilation duct 30. The outside air that has flowed in through the outside air supply opening 32 flows through the snow and ice chamber 10 → the cooling container 15 → the one end 30-1 of the ventilation duct 30 → the ventilation duct 30 → the other end 30-2 of the ventilation duct 30 → the seafood (tray 24). Thus, the air is discharged from the exhaust opening 33 to the outside air.

  The air that has flowed into the snow and ice chamber 10 from the outside air supply opening 32 is cooled by the snow and ice 17 packed in the cooling container 15 so as to flow into the drying chamber 20 after the absolute humidity is reduced. Moisture (especially surface moisture) of the seafood is gradually dehumidified, and so-called overnight dried fish can be obtained by taking about a day and night (8-12 hours). Since the snow and ice 17 serving as a cooling heat source for the fluidized air can use natural ice and snow that has been removed, the manufacturing cost can be significantly reduced as compared to conventional dried fish production.

  Further, since the minimum necessary device is only the fan device 31 arranged on the route of the ventilation duct, the probability of failure can be minimized. Equipment costs are low and durability is high, so it is possible to promote not only mass production in large-scale factories but also small-scale production.

  FIG. 3 illustrates the relationship between relative humidity and absolute humidity when producing dried fish. This graph illustrates the humidity in dry seasoning production in summer in Wakkanai, Hokkaido. In Wakkanai, the outside air temperature is low during the summer (evening) when manufacturing dried fish. In addition, the humidity (relative humidity) of the outside air is low, but the humidity (relative humidity) increases during cloudy weather or rain.

  Under such conditions, for example, when the outside air temperature is 18 ° C. and the relative humidity is 77% (shown as black circle a), the temperature in the drying chamber 20 (dry bulb temperature) is as follows when using the dried fish production apparatus according to the present invention. 5 ° C. and relative humidity is about 90% (shown as black circle b).

  On the other hand, when the temperature in the drying chamber 20 (dry bulb temperature) is increased to 20 ° C. using the heating device under the same conditions, the relative humidity decreases to about 50% (shown as a black circle c). When it sees, when the dried fish production apparatus which concerns on this invention is used (black circle b) 0.005 (Kg / Kg), when the heating device is used (black circle c) becomes 0.0075 (Kg / Kg). In terms of absolute humidity, it can be seen that when the dried fish production apparatus according to the present invention is used (black circle b), the air is in a dry state. It is the same as in daily life that the winter air is perceived as dry.

  The lower the relative humidity, the greater the amount of moisture that can be dehumidified in a short time. However, when producing dried fish, short-time production is not important. Since the dehumidification is surely performed over a day and night, even if the absolute humidity is reduced using the snow and ice 17 of the cooling container 15, dehumidification comparable to the heating method is possible, and low temperature dehumidification is possible. Has the advantage that it does not escape the taste of seafood and can minimize the propagation of germs.

  FIG. 4 illustrates the dehumidification test progress of seafood (opening of a hook) when the cooling container 15 is used. When about 12 hours passed, the weight of more than 160 g was less than 145 g due to the decrease in moisture, and the result was that the product could be dried overnight (opening of a hockey). This is an example of the opening of the hook, but the same is true for other dried fish and shellfish, and the same water removal can be achieved with squid, scallops, and hokkito. Since the cold air cooled by the snow and ice 17 constantly passes through the surface of the seafood and is produced, it is possible to produce a dried fish with a taste similar to natural dried fish in the winter without breeding of various bacteria.

  The dried fish production apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to that described above. For example, although it has been described that the stirrer 27 that stirs the room air is disposed at an appropriate location in the drying chamber 20, for example, the ceiling 25, such a stirrer 27 is not necessarily required. If a fan device for forced exhaust is provided in the exhaust opening 33 provided in the lower part of the wall 22 defining the drying chamber 20, the upper portion of the wall 21 of the drying chamber 20 through the ventilation duct 30 due to negative pressure. This is because it is possible to suck and flow the cold air flowing in from the bottom.

  In the case of small-scale production, for example, a prefabricated assembly house can be used for the snow ice chamber 10 and the drying chamber 20. In this case, by defining the interior of a single assembly house with a partition wall, an independent snow and ice chamber 10 and a drying chamber 20 can be formed, and a ventilation duct and a fan device can be provided in the space between them. Moreover, you may comprise the snow ice chamber 10 and the drying chamber 20 by an independent house, respectively. In the case of large-scale production, the snow ice chamber 10 and the drying chamber 20 can be configured to be housed one by one or in a large house. When there is an existing facility (a simple house or the like) that can be used as a drying room or a snow and ice room, another simple house or the like may be provided adjacent to each other and communicated with each other through a ventilation duct.

  As described above, the outside air supply opening 32 provided in the upper part of the snow and ice chamber 10 is simplest provided in the upper part of the wall 11 defining the snow and ice chamber 10 (intake opening), but is not limited thereto. . The ceiling plate defining the snow and ice chamber 10 may be provided with an outside air supply opening 32, or an air intake opening is provided in the lower part of the wall 11 and connected to the air intake opening via a duct (or a ventilation partition wall). This is because the outside air may be guided to the upper part of the snow and ice chamber 10. In addition, an air intake opening may be provided on the floor of the snow and ice chamber 10, and the outside air may be guided to the upper portion of the snow and ice chamber 10 using a duct (or a partition wall for ventilation). Although the structure is complicated, the effect is the same in that the outside air is supplied to the upper part of the snow and ice chamber 10.

  In the above description, the ventilation duct 30 that connects the snow and ice chamber 10 and the drying chamber 20 is described as connecting the lower portion of the snow and ice chamber 10 and the upper portion of the drying chamber 20, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, even if the lower part of the snow and ice chamber 10 and the lower part of the drying chamber 20 are connected, the cooling air cooled in the snow and ice chamber 10 can be placed on the upper portion of the drying chamber 20 by providing a duct or a partition wall for ventilation on the drying chamber 20 side. Because it is possible to guide. Further, the upper part of the snow and ice chamber 10 and the upper part of the drying chamber 20 can be communicated with each other through the ventilation duct 30. In this case, a duct (or a partition wall for ventilation) having an opening is provided in the lower part of the snow and ice chamber 10, one end 30-1 of the ventilation duct 30 is fixed to the upper part of the snow and ice chamber 10, and the upper part of the drying chamber 20 is ventilated. The other end 30-2 of the duct 30 may be fixed. The effect of supplying the air cooled in the snow ice chamber 10 to the upper part of the drying chamber 20 is the same. In particular, when the snow and ice chamber 10 and the drying chamber 20 are short-circuited at the upper part, the ventilation duct 30 can be shortened, so that there is an advantage that thermal loss is small.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Snow ice chamber 11, 12 Wall (of snow ice chamber 10) 15 Cooling container 16 Case body 17 Snow ice 20 Drying chamber 21, 22 Wall (of drying chamber 20) 24 Tray 25 (Drying chamber 20) Ceiling 27 Stirrer 30 Ventilation duct 30 -1 One end (of the ventilation duct 30) 30-2 Other end (of the ventilation duct 30) 31 Fan device 32 Open air supply opening 33 Exhaust opening

Claims (1)

A snow and ice chamber in which a plurality of cooling containers filled with snow and ice are stored in a case body having air permeability;
A drying room in which pre-treated seafood is placed on a breathable shelf;
A ventilation duct that connects the snow and ice chamber and the drying chamber;
While having a fan device for air supply arranged on the route of this ventilation duct,
The upper part of the snow and ice chamber has an outside air supply opening,
In the upper part of the drying chamber, provided with a cold air supply opening for supplying cold air from the snow and ice chamber sent through the ventilation duct and the fan device,
An apparatus for producing dried fish for fishery products, characterized in that an exhaust opening for discharging the air in the drying chamber to the outside air is provided at the lower part of the drying chamber.

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