JP2011217666A - Apparatus for manufacturing frozen cooked rice and method for the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an apparatus for manufacturing frozen cooked rice, capable of continuously freezing the cooked rice, while preventing the cooked rice to cling to a belt conveyer or the like, and by finely graining the cooked rice.SOLUTION: The apparatus for manufacturing the frozen cooked rice, that manufactures the frozen rice by supplying the cooked rice 13 on the belt conveyer 12 moving to an outlet 24 side in a cooling room 11, includes: a cooked rice supplier 14 that blows the unfrozen steamed rice 13 in the air of the cooling room 11, then spreads at the upper stream of the belt conveyer, thereby supplies the cooked rice 13 on the belt conveyer 12 by dropping the spread cooked rice 13 on the belt conveyer 12; a cooling device 17 for freezing surfaces of the rice, that sprays cool air for freezing the surfaces to the cooked rice 13 blown in the air of the cooling room 11.

Description

  The present invention relates to a frozen cooked rice production apparatus and a frozen cooked rice production method, and more particularly to a frozen cooked rice production apparatus and a frozen cooked rice production method that can be frozen in a state where the cooked rice is divided into grains.

  Conventionally, for example, a method described in Patent Document 1 is known as a method for producing frozen cooked rice. In the method for producing frozen cooked rice in Patent Document 1, the rice is washed with water, dipped in water for a predetermined time, drained, steamed and gelatinized, and then cooled while loosening the gelatinized rice. The frozen rice is frozen to obtain frozen rice.

  Conventionally, a frozen cooked rice production apparatus has been provided as a device for freezing a pre-gelatinized cooked rice. This device is a process of steaming (heat treatment) that makes the cooked rice into gelatin (gelatinized), and the sticky substance (so-called Neva) generated on the surface causes the rice grains to stick together to loosen the cooked rice in a lump. In this way, the rice cooked in the state of each grain is configured to be continuously frozen, so that the production efficiency is high and the apparatus is indispensable for the production of frozen cooked rice.

  FIG. 3 shows a schematic view of a conventional frozen cooked rice production apparatus. In the figure, a frozen cooked rice production apparatus 50 is mounted on a cooling chamber 51 having a granulation chamber 51 a and a freezing chamber 51 b, a belt conveyor 52 provided in the cooling chamber 51, and the belt conveyor 52. A loosening device 54 for loosening cooked rice 53 (see FIG. 4) one by one is provided. The granulation chamber 51a and the freezing chamber 51b are provided with coolers 55 and 55, respectively. Further, a slit plate 56 is disposed above the belt conveyor 52 so as to partition the coolers 55 and 55 from the belt conveyor 52.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the loosening device 54 rotates the paddle members 54a, 54a in the shape of two combs in opposite directions on the belt conveyor 52 to scrape the cooked rice 53 in order. The mass of cooked rice 53 is loosened by scraping.

  Next, the operation of the frozen cooked rice production apparatus 50 configured as described above will be described. First, on the inlet 57 side of the cooling chamber 51, the gelatinized cooked rice 53 is placed on the belt conveyor 52, and this is conveyed toward the outlet 58 side. The cooked rice 53 placed on the belt conveyor 52 on the inlet 57 side is sent into the granulation chamber 51a and is broken into small chunks by the operations of the plurality of loosening devices 54, and the cooler 55 The surface is frozen by the cool air from and then sent to the freezing chamber 51b. In the freezing chamber 51b, the inside of the cooked rice 53 is completely frozen by the cool air of the cooler 55 while further loosening the cooked rice 53 which is a small lump and the surface is frozen by the operation of the loosening device 54. And then discharge from the outlet 58.

JP-A-8-70800 (pages 1 to 5).

  However, in the conventional frozen cooked rice production apparatus 50 shown in FIG. 3, when the rice 53 is scraped up by the loosening device 54, if the gap between the paddle members 54a, 54a and the belt conveyor 52 becomes large, There was a problem that some of them became plate-like or block-like. Further, the cooked rice 53 in the form of a plate or block sticks onto the belt conveyor 52. For this reason, the work which removes the rice 53 needs to be performed frequently, and there existed a problem that workability | operativity was bad.

  Therefore, there is a technical problem to be solved in order to allow rice to be frozen in a continuous manner without sticking the cooked rice to a belt conveyor or the like, and the present invention solves this problem. The purpose is to do.

  The present invention has been proposed in order to achieve the above object, and the invention according to claim 1 supplies the cooked rice on a belt conveyor that moves in the cooling chamber toward the outlet side and continuously freezes cooked rice. In the frozen cooked rice production apparatus to be manufactured, the cooked rice is unfrozen on the belt conveyor by dropping the cooked rice before freezing into the cooling room space and dropping the loosened cooked rice on the belt conveyor. There is provided a frozen cooked rice production apparatus comprising: a cooked rice supply means for supplying to the cooked rice; and a surface freezing cooler for blowing cold air for freezing the surface of the cooked rice blown into the cooling chamber space.

  According to this configuration, the pre-gelatinized rice is blown into the cooling room space before being placed on the belt conveyor, is loosened, and the surface is frozen before being dropped onto the belt conveyor. The sticky substance (so-called “neva”) generated on the surface is removed. Accordingly, the rice that has been dropped onto the belt conveyor is frozen and granulated, and does not stick to the belt conveyor without a neva.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the configuration according to the first aspect, the surface freezing cooler is configured such that the pressure at which the cool air is blown out above the belt conveyor is higher than the pressure in the central zone of the cooling chamber. There is provided a frozen cooked rice production apparatus in which the pressure in the wall side zone of the cooling chamber is set to be large.

  According to this configuration, the pressure of the cold air blown out above the belt conveyor is set so that the pressure in the wall side zone of the cooling chamber is larger than the pressure in the central zone of the cooling chamber. Therefore, the cooked rice that has been blown into the cooling room space and directed toward the wall side is brought to the central zone of the cooling room, that is, the central zone where the belt conveyor is installed, due to the large blowing pressure generated in the wall side zone. It will fall on the belt conveyor as it is. At the same time, cooked rice adhering to the wall can be eliminated.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the configuration according to the first or second aspect, the cooling chamber includes a surface freezing cooling chamber in which the surface freezing cooler and an internal freezing cooler are disposed. The frozen rice cooker is provided so that the cooked rice can be conveyed from the surface freezing cooling chamber through the internal freezing cooling chamber toward the outlet side. Providing equipment.

  According to this configuration, the surface of the cooked rice can be quickly frozen in the surface freezing cooling chamber, and then the inside of the cooked rice can be completely frozen in the internal freezing cooling chamber.

  The invention according to claim 4 is a frozen cooked rice production method in which cooked rice is continuously produced by supplying cooked rice on a belt conveyor moving toward the outlet side in the cooling chamber. It is blown into the space, loosened above the belt conveyor, blown with cold air for freezing the surface of the cooked rice that has been blown into the cooling room space, and dropped on the conveyor the cooked rice by dropping the cooked rice on the surface Provided is a method for producing frozen rice which is supplied onto a conveyor and then frozen inside the rice on a belt conveyor.

  According to this method, the α-rice cooked rice is thrown into the cooling chamber space before being placed on the belt conveyor, loosened, and the surface is frozen before being dropped onto the belt conveyor, The sticky substance (so-called “neva”) generated on the surface is removed. Accordingly, the rice that has been dropped onto the belt conveyor is frozen and granulated, and does not stick to the belt conveyor without a neva.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the method according to the fourth aspect, an internal freezing cooling chamber is provided on the downstream side of the belt conveyor on which the rice having the surface frozen is moved, and the rice is frozen in the internal freezing cooling chamber. A method for producing frozen cooked rice in which the inside of the rice is frozen is provided.

  According to this method, the surface of the cooked rice can be quickly frozen in the surface freezing cooling chamber, and then the inside of the cooked rice can be completely frozen in the internal freezing cooling chamber.

  The invention according to claim 1 is that when the gelatinized rice is put on a belt conveyor, the sticky substance (so-called neva) generated on the surface is already removed and finely granulated. Can be frozen quickly and efficiently, without sticking to a belt conveyor or the like. That is, since the surface of the cooked rice can be quickly frozen and the umami component can be trapped inside the cooked rice without letting it escape, the frozen cooked rice can be continuously produced without deteriorating the taste. Moreover, since it is possible to prevent the rice from sticking to the belt conveyor or the like, the cleaning operation and the like are simplified and the workability is improved.

  In the invention according to the second aspect, the cooked rice blown into the cooling chamber can be brought down to the center side of the cooling chamber and properly dropped onto the belt conveyor. Moreover, the cooked rice adhering to the wall can be eliminated. Thereby, in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 1, the cleaning work and the like can be further simplified, and the workability is improved.

  In the invention according to claim 3, since the surface of the cooked rice is rapidly frozen in the cooling chamber for freezing the surface, and then the inside of the cooked rice is completely frozen in the cooling chamber for freezing the interior, so that the umami component does not escape to the inside of the cooked rice. Freezing treatment can be performed in a confined state. Thereby, in addition to the effect of the invention of Claim 1 or 2, the freezing process can be performed more efficiently.

  In the invention according to claim 4, when the pre-gelatinized rice is placed on a belt conveyor, the sticky substance (so-called neva) generated on the surface is already removed and finely granulated. Can be frozen quickly and efficiently, without sticking to a belt conveyor or the like. That is, since the surface of the cooked rice can be quickly frozen and the umami component can be trapped inside the cooked rice without letting it escape, the frozen cooked rice can be continuously produced without deteriorating the taste. Moreover, since it is possible to prevent the rice from sticking to the belt conveyor or the like, the cleaning operation and the like are simplified and the workability is improved.

  The invention according to claim 5 rapidly freezes the surface of the cooked rice in the surface freezing cooling chamber, and then completely freezes the cooked rice inside the cooling chamber for internal freezing, so that the umami component is not trapped inside the cooked rice. Freezing treatment can be performed in the state. Thereby, in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 4, the refrigeration process can be performed more efficiently.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Schematic of the frozen cooked rice manufacturing apparatus which concerns on one embodiment of this invention. Explanatory drawing explaining the cold air spraying pressure of a frozen cooked rice manufacturing apparatus same as the above. Schematic of the conventional frozen cooked rice manufacturing apparatus. Explanatory drawing of the unwinding apparatus in a conventional apparatus.

  The present invention relates to a belt conveyor that moves in a cooling chamber toward an outlet side in order to achieve the object of allowing rice to be frozen in a granular form without sticking the rice to a belt conveyor or the like. In the frozen cooked rice production apparatus for continuously producing frozen cooked rice by supplying the cooked rice to the top, the cooked rice before freezing is blown up into the cooling room space above the belt conveyor, and the loosened cooked rice is transported to the belt conveyor. A rice-free supply means for supplying the cooked rice onto the belt conveyor by dropping it on the surface, and a surface freezing cooler for blowing cold air for freezing the surface of the cooked rice that has been blown into the cooling chamber space. It was realized by doing.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the frozen cooked rice production apparatus and the frozen cooked rice production method of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a frozen cooked rice production apparatus according to the present invention. In the figure, the frozen cooked rice production apparatus 10 includes a cooling chamber 11 having a granulation chamber 11a and a freezing chamber 11b, an endless belt conveyor 12 that moves horizontally in the granulation chamber 11a and the freezing chamber 11b, The rice supply means 14 for supplying the cooked rice 13 onto the belt conveyor 12, the cooler 15 for cooling the surface provided in the granulating chamber 11a and the cool air blower 16, and the internal cooling provided in the freezing chamber 11b A cooler 17 and a cool air blower 18 are provided. Here, the cooked rice 13 includes white rice, pilaf obtained by mixing ingredients with white rice, fried rice, cooked rice, and the like.

  Between the granulation chamber 11 a and the freezing chamber 11 b of the cooling chamber 11, an upper communication port 19 a for allowing the belt conveyor 12 and the cooked rice 13 to pass therethrough and a lower communication for allowing the belt conveyor 12 to pass therethrough. It is partitioned off by a partition wall 20 provided with an opening 19b. A rice supply port 21 is provided at the upper part of the front wall surface of the granulation chamber 11a, and communication ports 22a and 22b for allowing the belt conveyor 12 to pass therethrough are provided at the lower part of the front wall surface. On the other hand, on the rear wall surface of the freezing chamber 11b, there is provided a discharge port 24 for discharging the frozen rice 13 that has been transported by the belt conveyor 12 and dropped onto the shooter 23 to the outside of the cooling chamber 11. It has been.

  The belt conveyor 12 is a net belt or a steel belt with a hole so that the cold air blown from the lower side of the belt passes through the upper side of the belt. The belt conveyor 12 moves endlessly from the granulation chamber 11a side to the freezing chamber 11b side by rotation of a roller 25 driven by a motor (not shown).

  The cooked rice supply means 14 includes a belt conveyor 26 and a loosening device 27 disposed outside the cooling chamber 11. The belt conveyor 26 can move endlessly toward the cooked rice supply port 21 of the cooling chamber 11 by rotation of a roller 28 driven by a motor (not shown). The cooked cooked rice 13 is placed on the outer side of the cooked rice, and the cooked rice 13 is conveyed toward the cooked rice supply port 21.

  The loosening device 27 corresponds to the cooked rice supply port 21 and is provided adjacent to the belt conveyor 26. In the unraveling device 27, the pre-freezing processed rice 13 that has been put on the belt conveyor 26 and carried to the cooked rice supply port 21 is blown into the space in the granulation chamber 11a. For example, a rotating pad-shaped paddle member is used.

  The cooler 15 and the cold air blower 16 provided in the granulation chamber 11a are blown into the space in the granulation chamber 11a by the loosening device 27 and the surface of the cooked rice 13 loosened one by one. It freezes instantaneously. Among them, the cooler 15 collects the warmed air in the granulation chamber 11a and cools it again, and the cool air blower 16 removes the air cooled by the cooler 15 below the belt conveyor 12. Cold air is sent into the granulating chamber 11a as if it is sprayed from the side. In this embodiment, the cooler 15 and the cool air blower 16 maintain the temperature in the granulation chamber 11a at about −45 ° C.

  Further, the cold air blowout of the cold air blower 16 is performed in an area close to the wall surfaces 29 and 29 arranged on both the left and right sides of the belt conveyor 12 as indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. The blowing pressure P1 is set to be larger than the blowing pressure P2 in the area on the center side of the granulation chamber 11a.

  That is, when the cold air blowing pressure by the cold air blowing device 16 is set as described above, the cooked rice 13 that has been blown into the granulation chamber 11a by the loosening device 27 and directed toward the wall surfaces 29 and 29 is blown out. The pressure P1 is received and collected inside the granulation chamber 11a, that is, above the belt conveyor 12, which falls onto the belt conveyor 12 and is dropped into the space in the granulation chamber 11a. The incoming cooked rice 13 can be automatically collected on the belt conveyor 12. Further, it is possible to prevent the cooked rice 13 blown into the granulating chamber 11a from adhering to the wall surfaces 29, 29.

  The cooler 17 and the cool air blower 18 provided in the freezing chamber 11b freeze the inside of the cooked rice 13 conveyed from the granulating chamber 11a to the freezing chamber 11b by the belt conveyor 12. . Among these, the cooler 17 collects the warmed air in the freezing chamber 11b and cools it again, and the cool air blower 18 removes the air cooled by the cooler 17 from the lower side. The cool air is sent into the freezing chamber 11b. And the said cooler 17 and the said cold air blower 18 in a present Example hold | maintain the temperature in the said freezing chamber 11b at about -35 degreeC.

  Next, the effect | action of the frozen cooked rice manufacturing apparatus 10 in the said Example is demonstrated. First, the gelatinized cooked rice 13 brought to the cooked rice supply port 21 of the cooling chamber 11 by the belt conveyor 26 of the cooked rice supply means 14 is transferred from the belt conveyor 26 by the loosening device 27. Through the cooked rice supply port 21, each grain or a small lump is loosened and blown into the space of the granulation chamber 11 a, and this is collected on the belt conveyor 12 of the cooling chamber 11 and dropped. In addition, the surface of the cooked rice 13 that has been blown into the space of the granulation chamber 11a is instantaneously frozen by the cold air of −45 ° C. As a result, the belt conveyor 12 is dropped in a state in which there is no neva on the surface, and the fine chunks of cooked rice 13 are further separated into individual grains by the impact at the time of dropping. That is, surface freezing treatment by primary flow is performed.

  Further, the cooked rice 13 whose surface has been frozen and dropped onto the belt conveyor 12 is sent into the freezing chamber 11b by the movement of the belt conveyor 12, and is brought to the inside by the cold air of −35 ° C. in the freezing chamber 11b. Freeze processed. That is, aeration freezing is performed. The cooked rice 13 frozen in this way is sent to the discharge port 24 side by the belt conveyor 12 and further dropped onto the shooter 23 and discharged to the outside of the cooling chamber 11. Thereby, frozen cooked rice can be manufactured continuously.

  Therefore, according to the frozen cooked rice production apparatus 10 according to the above embodiment, when the gelatinized cooked rice 13 is placed on the belt conveyor 12, the sticky substance (so-called “neva”) generated on the surface thereof is already removed. Since the rice is finely granulated, the cooked rice 13 can be finely granulated and quickly frozen efficiently without causing the rice 13 to stick to the belt conveyor 12 or the like. That is, since the surface of the cooked rice 13 can be quickly frozen and the umami component can be confined inside the cooked rice without letting it escape, the frozen cooked rice can be continuously produced without deteriorating the taste. In addition, since the cooked rice 13 can be prevented from sticking to the belt conveyor 12, the wall 29, etc., cleaning work and the like are simplified and workability is improved.

  It should be noted that the present invention can be variously modified without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and the present invention naturally extends to the modified ones.

  As described above, the present invention can be applied to a technique for freezing granular materials in addition to producing frozen cooked rice.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Frozen cooked rice production apparatus 11 Cooling chamber 11a Granulating chamber 11b Freezing chamber 12 Belt conveyor 13 Cooked rice 14 Cooked rice supply means 15 Cooler 16 Cooled air blower 17 Cooler 18 Cold air blower 20 Partition wall 21 Cooked rice supply port 23 Shooter 24 Discharge port 26 Belt conveyor 27 Unwinding device 28 Roller

Claims (5)

In the frozen cooked rice production apparatus for continuously producing frozen cooked rice by supplying cooked rice on a belt conveyor that moves toward the exit side in the cooling chamber,
The rice supply means for supplying the cooked rice on the belt conveyor by dropping the cooked rice before freezing into the cooling room space above the belt conveyor and unwinding it, and dropping the loosened rice on the belt conveyor;
A surface freezing cooler that blows cold air for freezing the surface of cooked rice that has been blown into the cooling room space;
A frozen cooked rice production apparatus comprising:   The surface freezing cooler is configured such that the pressure at which the cold air is blown out upward of the belt conveyor is set so that the pressure in the wall side zone of the cooling chamber is larger than the pressure in the central zone of the cooling chamber. The frozen cooked rice manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1.   The cooling chamber is partitioned into a surface freezing cooling chamber in which the surface freezing cooler is disposed and an internal freezing cooling chamber in which an internal freezing cooler is disposed, and the belt conveyor includes the cooked rice 3. The frozen cooked rice production apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rice cooker is transportable from the surface freezing cooling chamber through the internal freezing cooling chamber toward the outlet side. In the frozen cooked rice production method for continuously producing frozen cooked rice by supplying cooked rice on a belt conveyor moving toward the outlet side in the cooling chamber,
The uncooked cooked rice is blown into the cooling room space and loosened above the belt conveyor, and the rice cooked in the cooling room space is sprayed with cold air for surface freezing, and the cooked rice with the surface frozen is blown into the conveyor. A method for producing frozen rice, wherein the rice is dropped onto the belt conveyor and then the interior of the rice is frozen on the belt conveyor.   5. The internal freezing cooling chamber is provided on the downstream side of the belt conveyor on which the surface of the frozen rice is moved, and the inside of the cooked rice is frozen in the internal freezing cooling chamber. Frozen cooked rice production method.

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