JP2018093740A - Food material drying method and food material drying device used therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a novel food material drying method and a food material drying device, and a manufacturing method of a novel dried food material using them.SOLUTION: There is provided a food material drying method for contacting/permeating hydrogen gas with/into a food material F and removing moisture contained in the food material F, and a food material drying device 10 used for the food material drying method, having at least a hydrogen gas generator 20 for generating hydrogen gas, a food material drying container 30 for accommodating the food material and passing the hydrogen gas, and a moisture removal device 40 for removing steam from "hydrogen gas containing steam" passed inside of the food material drying container 30, a food material drying method thereof or a manufacturing method of the dried food material using the food material drying device 10.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a food drying method using a specific gas, a food drying device used for the food drying method, a method for producing a dry food using the food drying method and the food drying device.

  Food, food waste, and other foodstuffs must be dried for storage, to be tasty, to reduce volume, to have the desired shape, to concentrate nutrients, and to regenerate as other forms of foodstuffs, etc. Are known (patent documents 1 to 7).

Patent Documents 1 to 4 describe a method of drying a food material with air.
Patent Document 1 describes a method of drying food waste such as food processing residues with hot air, and Patent Document 2 discloses a method of drying with hot air while crushing food raw materials in a sealed container. Have been described.
Patent Document 3 describes a method for drying food that causes dehumidified cold air to collide with food on a conveyor having a large number of ventilation holes. Patent Document 4 describes dry air produced by a refrigerator. A cold-air drying device that blows air in a different direction is described.

Patent Documents 5 to 8 describe a method of drying a food material with a gas other than air.
Patent Document 5 describes an apparatus for processing foodstuffs, and a drying apparatus having a passage for guiding a gaseous medium such as superheated steam from a horizontal direction and a vertical direction of a spiral conveyor belt, Patent Document 6 describes a method of drying a food material with superheated steam at a low temperature (100 ° C. or less) under reduced pressure.

  Patent Document 7 describes a method for producing edible particles by contacting a supercritical medium made of carbon dioxide or nitrous oxide. Patent Document 8 circulates gas to dry the food. In the method, a method is described in which a gas having an oxygen concentration of 10% or less and nitrogen having a purity of 90% or more are used as the gas.

  As described above, the types of gases used for drying foods are extremely limited, and attention has been paid to the types of gases for drying, and there has been hardly known a drying method with extremely excellent drying efficiency.

JP 2003-284509 A JP 2006-314232 A JP 2009-213357 A JP 2012-241956 A JP 2007-502613 A JP 2011-144554 A Special table 2009-536020 gazette JP 2006-036307 A

  This invention is made | formed in view of the said background art, The subject exists in providing the novel foodstuff drying method and foodstuff drying apparatus, and also provides the manufacturing method of the novel dry foodstuff using them. There is.

  As a result of intensive studies to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present inventor has found an excellent effect such as efficient drying by using hydrogen gas as a medium used for drying foods. It came to complete.

  That is, the present invention provides a food drying method characterized by removing hydrogen contained in the food by bringing hydrogen gas into contact with and permeating the food.

  Further, the present invention is a food drying device used in the above-described food drying method, at least a hydrogen gas generation device that generates hydrogen gas, a food drying container that contains the food and allows hydrogen gas to pass through, and The present invention provides a food drying apparatus comprising a dehumidifying device that removes water vapor from “hydrogen gas containing water vapor” that has passed through the inside of the food drying container.

Moreover, this invention provides the manufacturing method of the dried foodstuff characterized by using said foodstuff drying method.
The present invention also provides a method for producing a dry food, characterized in that, using the above-described food drying apparatus, hydrogen gas is brought into contact with and permeated through the food to remove moisture contained in the food. Is.

  According to the present invention, the above-mentioned problems can be solved and the food can be dried in a short time without heating the food to a high temperature.

The thermal conductivity of hydrogen gas is much higher than that of air, nitrogen gas, water vapor, methane gas, fluorine gas, or the like. In addition, the thermal conductivity of hydrogen gas is higher than that of helium gas, which is known for its extremely high thermal conductivity.
Thus, since hydrogen gas has high thermal conductivity, heat is easily transferred to the food material, and the food material can be dried in a short time.

In addition, hydrogen gas has high permeability and permeability to objects. Therefore, it penetrates and permeates the inside of the object (foodstuff) with high gas barrier property, and the foodstuff is quickly dried.
Therefore, for example, potatoes such as potatoes and sweet potatoes (skins); fruits such as apples, strawberries and oranges (skins); mushrooms such as jellyfishes; marine products such as fish, abalone and sea cucumbers; etc. Suitable for drying.

  In addition, due to its high permeability, it is possible to efficiently dry in a short time without cutting a relatively large food such as seafood. Since it can be dried while keeping the shape of the food, the commercial value is increased.

Since hydrogen gas is used as the drying medium in the present invention, aerobic bacteria adhering to the food material during drying can be killed (or pushed to grow) in the absence of oxygen gas or air. Therefore, there is no growth of aerobic bacteria in the dried food material, and it is possible to further prevent the food material from rotting due to a synergistic effect with drying (the absence of moisture). Moreover, since it can dry in an antioxidant atmosphere, food oxidation can be prevented.
In addition, by sealing without drying the air as it is after drying, it is possible to store the dried food without oxidation and alteration without being exposed to oxygen during storage.

In addition, since hydrogen gas has high thermal conductivity and good drying efficiency, it becomes possible to dry foods at a relatively low temperature, which makes it easy to dry while suppressing inactivation of biological enzymes. It becomes easy to dry without decomposing vitamins mainly contained in foodstuffs such as vegetables and fruits, and starch can be easily dried as β starch without changing to α starch.
That is, it becomes easy to produce a dry food material having a concentrated nutritional value without altering the biological material contained in the food material as it is.
In addition to the free water of the ingredients, the water that is hydrogen-bonded to proteins, etc., can penetrate and permeate the (warmed) hydrogen gas, so that the internal moisture in the ingredients can be taken and dried quickly. .

The food drying method of the present invention can be applied to (a part of) edible organisms, non-standard vegetables, fruits, seafood, and secondary products generated during food processing. It can also be applied to objects.
Therefore, there is no waste of ingredients, and it is possible to provide ingredients with higher nutritional value.

It is a conceptual diagram which shows an example of the aspect of this invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a schematic whole figure which shows an example of a structure of the foodstuff drying apparatus of this invention, Comprising: It is the schematic which shows an example which has a foodstuff drying container and a foodstuff shelf. It is the schematic which shows an example of the structure of the "elongated and spiral food drying container" of the foodstuff drying apparatus of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the photograph of the dry foodstuff from which the water | moisture content was removed by the foodstuff drying method of this invention. (A) A photo of fish and dried food ingredients (b) A photo of fruit and dried fruits

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described, but the present invention is not limited to the following specific embodiments, and can be arbitrarily modified within the scope of the technical idea.

  The present invention is a method for drying a foodstuff, characterized in that hydrogen gas is brought into contact with and permeated through the foodstuff to remove moisture contained in the foodstuff. Here, “contact / transmission” means “contact and / or transmission”. In the case of thick foods and the like, the case where it does not penetrate is also included.

<Hydrogen gas>
The hydrogen gas to be used is not particularly limited, and it may be supplied enclosed in a cylinder, generated by a chemical reaction in the hydrogen gas generator attached to the food drying apparatus of the present invention, water, etc. However, it is preferable to use hydrogen gas obtained by a hydrogen gas generator.
Further, the reflux hydrogen gas from which the water vapor has been removed from the “hydrogen gas containing water vapor” once used as a drying medium may be heated and circulated again (closed cycle).

The temperature of the hydrogen gas immediately before contacting / permeating the food and the temperature of the hydrogen gas when contacting / permeating the food are not particularly limited, but are preferably 0 ° C. or higher and 100 ° C. or lower, more preferably 10 ° C. It is 60 ° C. or lower, particularly preferably 20 ° C. or higher and 40 ° C. or lower.
Further, the temperature of the food during drying is not particularly limited, but it is preferable to dry the food so as to be in the above temperature range.

If the temperature is equal to or higher than the above lower limit, it is not necessary to cool the hydrogen gas and a cooler is unnecessary, so that the water in the food does not freeze and it is difficult to remove the water. In addition, the partial pressure (relative humidity) of water vapor contained in the hydrogen gas can be sufficiently reduced.
The hydrogen gas is preferably heated by the hydrogen gas heating device 28 before being introduced into the food drying container (see FIGS. 1 to 3). Heating facilitates drying, and heating in a sealed environment is particularly preferable because the pressure increases.

  On the other hand, when the temperature is not more than the above upper limit, it becomes easy to dry without altering the “various substances derived from living organisms” contained in the foodstuff. For example, enzymes and vitamins should be 40 ° C. or lower, and preferably 38 ° C. or lower, so that decomposition and inactivation can be suppressed and drying can be facilitated. In addition, the starch should be kept at 55 ° C. or lower, preferably 50 ° C. or lower, so that it does not change to α starch in the presence of water remaining in the drying ingredients, and is dried as β starch. Becomes easier.

  Since the food is cooled by the heat of evaporation of water from the food, the hydrogen gas to be introduced can be higher than the temperature while keeping the temperature of the food in the above range.

The pressure of hydrogen gas immediately before contacting / permeating the food material and the pressure of hydrogen gas contacting / permeating the food material are not particularly limited, but the hydrogen gas pressure is sealed before being introduced into the food drying container. It is also achieved by heating in the state. If the temperature of the hydrogen gas is raised, the pressure will increase, and the flow rate of hydrogen with an increased temperature will inevitably become faster, thus promoting drying. Moreover, hydrogen gas circulates and refluxes quickly.
The hydrogen gas may be introduced into the food material drying container through the inside of the hydrogen gas introduction pipe, or may be injected from the hydrogen gas introduction nozzle into the food material drying container.

  The higher the purity of hydrogen gas, the better. Other element gases (gases) may be mixed, but the fact that only hydrogen gas is present is that the physical properties of the hydrogen gas described above, such as high thermal conductivity and high permeability to foodstuffs. It is preferable because it is easy to make the best use of.

<Food drying equipment>
The food drying apparatus 10 used in the food drying method of the present invention includes at least a hydrogen gas generator 20 that generates hydrogen gas, a food drying container 30 that contains the food F and allows the hydrogen gas to pass, and a food drying container 30. It is preferable to include a dehumidifying device 40 that removes the water vapor from the “hydrogen gas containing water vapor” that has passed through the inside of the water.
FIG.1 and FIG.2 shows an example of a structure of the foodstuff drying apparatus 10 used for this invention.

<< Hydrogen gas generation (device) >>
The hydrogen gas used for drying may be separately brought into a cylinder or the like at a location away from the food drying apparatus 10, but in the hydrogen gas generator 20 associated with the food drying apparatus 10 of the present invention, a chemical reaction ( Or the amount of hydrogen required for drying is sufficient; there is no cost such as a cylinder charge or electricity charge; the filtered water of the residual water 24 from which hydrogen gas is exhausted is used as a by-product. It is preferable from the point of obtaining.

The generation of hydrogen in the hydrogen gas generator 20 is preferably performed by bringing the alkaline water 22 into contact with the metal 21. That is, it is preferable that the hydrogen gas generator 20 in the present invention generates hydrogen gas by bringing the alkaline water 22 into contact with a metal.
The metal element is preferably a metal such as aluminum (Al), zinc (Zn), titanium (Ti), tin (Sn), etc., from the viewpoints of safety, cost (inexpensive), and useful products. Aluminum is particularly preferred. Particularly in the case of aluminum, the reaction product is particularly preferable because it can be used as a purification material after filtration. The metal 21 is preferably a metal 21 having a high ionization tendency.

The pH of the alkaline water is preferably 12 or more, more preferably 13 or more, and particularly preferably 13.5 or more and 14 or less.
For example, in the case of aluminum, aluminum hydroxide (Al (OH) ₃ ) produced on the surface of aluminum is insoluble in water, and therefore the reaction is less likely to occur inside the metal. However, in the case of (strong) alkaline water having the above pH, aluminum hydroxide is converted to aluminate ions and dissolved in water, the hydroxide film on the metal surface is dissolved, and the chemical reaction of the hydrogen gas activity is caused by the metal 21 Progress to the inside.

The final chemical reaction when aluminum is used as the metal element can be expressed in various ways, for example, as shown in the following reaction formula (1).
2Al + 6OH ⁻ → 2 (AlO ₃ ) ³ + 3H ₂ (1)

  The formed aluminate is preferably filtered off periodically. By such a method, stoichiometrically, 1130 L or more of hydrogen gas can be obtained from 1 L of alkaline water in a standard state, so that the amount of hydrogen gas introduced into the food drying container 30 is sufficient.

It is particularly preferable that the alkaline water 22 is obtained from natural products 27 such as natural stones (limestone, etc.), shells, meteorites, and the like because it is environmentally friendly. FIG. 3 shows an apparatus for obtaining alkaline water 22 by adding water to natural product 27. The aqueous sodium hydroxide solution generates heat and is not preferable as the alkaline water 22 used for drying the food.
In addition, after the hydrogen water is generated by bringing the alkaline water (for example, pH = 13 to 14) into contact with a metal 21 such as aluminum (Al), “filtered filtered water” is close to neutrality. Ingestion is also possible, and it is also environmentally friendly.

As the hydrogen gas introduced into the food drying container 30, the generated hydrogen gas generated by the hydrogen gas generator 20 and / or the inside of the food drying container 30 having the food F passes through “water vapor in the foodstuff”. The reflux hydrogen gas obtained by removing the water vapor from the “hydrogen gas containing” can be used. It is preferable to supplement the recirculated hydrogen gas in a shortage due to leakage with the generated hydrogen gas.
When the generated hydrogen gas and the reflux hydrogen gas are heated in a sealed container to 13.2 atm or higher, the critical temperature of hydrogen is 33K (−240 ° C.), so it becomes supercritical by definition.

2 and 3 are schematic views of the hydrogen gas generator 20. When the alkaline water 22 in the alkaline water tank 23 is put into a hydrogen gas generator 20 having a metal 21 therein, hydrogen gas is generated. The generated hydrogen gas generated by the hydrogen gas generator 20 is stored in the food drying container 30 using a generated hydrogen transfer pump 26 via a hydrogen gas heating device 28 and a dehumidifying filter 41 (not shown), if necessary. Introduced in. The hydrogen gas is preferably pressurized or heated while being introduced into the food drying container 30 (before).
In the food drying apparatus 10 of the present invention, it is preferable that the hydrogen gas before being introduced into the food drying container 30 is heated by the hydrogen gas heating apparatus 28 from the viewpoints of drying efficiency and pressure. .
The introduction of hydrogen gas into the food material drying container 30 may be injected using a nozzle, or may be introduced or injected from below, but is preferably introduced or injected from below.

  From the extraction pipe 25, the residual water 24 after the hydrogen gas generation can be extracted, or the generated aluminate and other substances can be removed. The filtered water of the residual water 24 can be orally used and can be effectively used for other purposes such as aquaculture water. Aluminic acid (salt) can also be effectively used as a purifier.

<< Ingredient drying container with ingredient shelf >>
FIG. 2 shows an example of the food drying container 30. The food drying container 30 of FIG. 2 has a “food shelf 31 that is net-like and holds the food from below”, allows hydrogen gas to pass through the food shelf 31, and the food F on the food shelf 31 Moisture contained in the food material F is removed by contacting and permeating hydrogen gas.
Although not limited, it is preferable that the food drying container 30 provided with the food shelf 31 is used for a relatively large dry food material as shown in FIG.

The food shelf 31 has a net-like shape so that the food F placed thereon does not fall down and allows hydrogen gas to pass from the bottom to the top. The mesh size is not particularly limited as long as the above conditions are satisfied, but is preferably 0.1 mm or more and 100 mm or less, more preferably 0.5 mm or more and 50 mm or less, and particularly preferably 1 mm or more and 20 mm or less. The “net-like” is also preferably “porous mesh-like”.
Moreover, the form which put the basket on this net-like foodstuff shelf 31 may be sufficient. However, if the obtained dried food is in the form of powder as shown in FIG. 4B (for example, if it is expected to become powder), the mesh is further refined or the basket is placed on the food shelf 31. It is also preferable to place it.

  The material of the net-like food shelf 31 is not particularly limited, and may be a net, a woven fabric, a perforated plate, or the like. The material shelf 31 is not limited to any particular material, but may be any of metals, polymers such as synthetic resins, natural products such as wood, and the like. This is particularly preferable because it does not easily occur and does not cause a problem of metal embrittlement.

The number of the food shelves 31 in one food drying container 30 is not particularly limited, but is preferably 1 or more and 20 or less, more preferably 2 or more and 15 or less, and 3 or more and 10 or less. Particularly preferred.
A plurality of food drying containers 30 may be connected in parallel or in series (not shown). The connection may be vertical or horizontal, but it is preferable to arrange them horizontally because they are easy to work.

First, the food material F is appropriately cut as necessary, and is loaded into the food material drying container 30 from the food material charging hopper 37. Next, the generated hydrogen gas generated from the hydrogen gas generator 20 is heated to an appropriate temperature, and then introduced into the food drying container 30 using the hydrogen gas introduction pipe 32. The injection position of the generated hydrogen gas to the food material drying container 30 may be anywhere, but as shown in FIG. 2, holes are made in the hydrogen gas introduction pipes 32 to hit the food material F, or particularly from below. It is particularly preferable from the viewpoint of drying efficiency.
In addition, it is possible to evacuate the food drying container 30 before introducing hydrogen gas, and then start introducing hydrogen gas in an oxygen-free state, from the viewpoints of improving drying efficiency, improving antibacterial properties, preventing oxidation, etc. preferable.

The gas composed of “water vapor and hydrogen gas” from which moisture has been removed from the food material F is taken out from the “primary outlet 36 for water vapor and recirculated hydrogen gas” and is passed through the recirculated hydrogen gas transfer pipe 33 by the recirculating hydrogen gas transfer pump 35. It is transferred and introduced or injected into the food drying container 30 from the reflux hydrogen gas introduction nozzle 34 (FIG. 2).
The position where the reflux hydrogen gas is injected into the food drying container 30 may be from any location, and in the same manner as in the case of the generated hydrogen gas, holes may be made in places in the introduction pipe and applied to the food F from the side (not shown). 2), as shown in FIG. 2, it may be injected from below toward the food F by the reflux hydrogen gas introduction nozzle 34 from below.

<< Elongated and spiral food drying container >>
As shown in FIG. 3, the food drying container 30 has a long and narrow spiral shape. By passing the food F through an air flow of hydrogen gas and passing through the inside thereof, moisture contained in the food F is contained. Those which are designed to be removed are also preferred.
Although not limited, as shown in FIG. 4 (a), the food drying container 30 that is elongated and spiral is preferably used in a form in which the dry food becomes powdery.

Also in this case, similarly to the above, the food F is appropriately cut as necessary, and is loaded into the food drying container 30 from the food charging hopper 37.
Next, the generated hydrogen gas generated from the hydrogen gas generator 20 is introduced into the food drying container 30 from the vicinity of the starting point of the spiral food drying container 30 using the hydrogen gas introduction pipe 32.
In addition, a gas composed of “water vapor and hydrogen gas” from which moisture has been removed from the food material F is taken out from the “primary outlet 36 of water vapor and reflux hydrogen gas” existing near the end point of the spiral food drying container 30, and is then refluxed hydrogen. The gas is transferred through the reflux hydrogen gas transfer pipe 33 by the gas transfer pump 35 and introduced into the food drying container 30 from the vicinity of the starting point of the spiral food drying container 30 (FIG. 3).

  It is preferable to provide a dehumidifying device 40 in the middle of the reflux hydrogen gas transfer pipe 33, remove water vapor there, and introduce the obtained dry hydrogen gas again into the food drying container 30 as reflux hydrogen gas.

Protrusions, baffles (buffers), etc. (not shown) are provided on the inner wall of the elongated and spiral food drying container 30 to create a turbulent flow of hydrogen gas and move the food F in a zigzag manner. In addition, it is preferable to efficiently remove moisture in the food material F by the turbulent flow of hydrogen gas.
Moreover, it is preferable to provide the dehumidification filter 41 in some places in the foodstuff drying container 30, and to remove the water | moisture content in hydrogen gas.

  Further, water drainage pipes 42 (drain) (not shown) for collecting and extracting water droplets condensed on the inner wall of the food drying container 30 may be provided at places on the lower surface of the spiral food drying container 30. preferable.

<< Dehumidification (Device) >>
The “gas consisting of water vapor and hydrogen gas” taken out from the “primary outlet 36 of water vapor and refluxing hydrogen gas” removes the water vapor by passing through the dehumidifying device 40, and the resulting dry hydrogen gas is refluxed. It is preferable to introduce or inject into the food drying container 30 as hydrogen gas.
Although the configuration of the dehumidifying device 40 is not particularly limited, it is preferable that the dehumidifying device 40 has a tank shape as shown in FIG. 2, and water droplets condensed in the tank are collected and extracted from the water drain pipe 42 (drain). Furthermore, it is preferable to provide a drain trap so that moisture is not entrained in the refluxing hydrogen gas.

  Further, it is preferable to install a dehumidifying filter 41 inside the dehumidifying device 40 to further remove water vapor. The dehumidifying filter 41 is not particularly limited, and a known filter is used.

  The dehumidifying device 40 is preferably a pipe having a built-in dehumidifying filter 41 because the dehumidifying effect is high.

<Ingredients>
Since hydrogen gas has high permeability to an object, it penetrates and permeates a substance / object having a high gas barrier property. Therefore, it is suitable for drying hard food.
For example, potatoes (skins) such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, Nagatoro, Yamatoimo, taro, etc .; root vegetables (skins) such as carrots, burdock, lotus roots; fruits (skins) such as apples, strawberries, oranges; jellyfish, shiitake, etc. Mushrooms such as fish, abalone, sea cucumber, etc .; especially suitable for drying foods with high moisture content, hard-to-dry foods, hard foods, large foods to keep the original shape and dry.

  The food F may be pre-dried before it is dried using the food drying apparatus 10 of the present invention (before using the food drying method of the present invention). It is also preferable to use the food F which has been pre-dried and which has been transported and stored. The preliminary drying may be performed by a normal food drying method or the food drying method of the present invention. If the water content is 50% by mass or less by preliminary drying, practical storage is possible.

<Dry food and its manufacturing method>
This invention is also a manufacturing method of the dried foodstuff characterized by using said foodstuff drying method.
Moreover, it is also a manufacturing method of the dry foodstuff characterized by removing the water | moisture content contained in this foodstuff F by making hydrogen gas contact and permeate | transmit the foodstuff F using said foodstuff drying apparatus 10. FIG.

<Dry ingredients>
Preferable examples of the dried food obtained using the food drying method and the food drying apparatus 10 of the present invention include fish powder, meat powder, starch powder, dried fruit, and vegetable powder. In addition, the obtained dried foods are supplements, dry powders, nutritional foods and health foods such as tablets; medical drugs such as powders (tablets); general foods such as sprinkles, dried fish and preserved foods; spices; It is useful as tea such as green tea and black tea; flour such as starch, rice flour, buckwheat flour and bread crumbs;
In addition, since hydrogen gas is highly permeable to objects, the dried food has a large volume such as sea cucumber, abalone, fish, etc. “Dry products in the form of marine products as they are (dry matter)” make use of the features of the present invention. As a thing, it is mentioned as a particularly preferable thing.

  The following can be considered as the action / principle showing the excellent drying effect (moisture removal effect) by the food drying method of the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to the scope of the following actions and principles.

The thermal conductivity of hydrogen gas at 1 atm 0 ° C. is 168 mW / (m · K), whereas the thermal conductivity of air is 24 mW / (m · K).
In addition, the thermal conductivity of hydrogen gas at 1 atm. 25 ° C. is 185 mW / (m · K), whereas the thermal conductivity of air is 26 mW / (m · K).
In addition, the thermal conductivity of hydrogen gas at 1 atmosphere and 50 ° C. is 192 mW / (m · K), whereas the thermal conductivity of air is 28 mW / (m · K).
Thus, the thermal conductivity of hydrogen gas at 1 atm is about 7 times at any temperature relative to the thermal conductivity of air at 1 atm.
Compared to helium gas, which is known for its high thermal conductivity, hydrogen gas has higher thermal conductivity at any temperature. Furthermore, helium gas is much more expensive than hydrogen gas.

In addition, since hydrogen molecules have low polarity, they are highly permeable and permeable to all solid substances.
For the reasons described above, it is considered that moisture can be removed in a short time under mild conditions (temperature, pressure, etc.).

An example of the embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 1, but the present invention is not limited to the embodiment shown in FIG. The description of FIG. 1 will be described below.
Water for generating 1 hydrogen is injected in an appropriate amount while leaving space in the 2 hydrogen gas generator. The injected alkaline water reacts with 15 metal catalysts and continuously generates hydrogen gas. The generated hydrogen enters the spiral heating tube in the microwave heating apparatus through the introduction tube and is heated to an appropriate temperature suitable for the nuclear food material. Furthermore, although the water vapor 6 is also generated from the microwave excitation heating device, the water vapor is also heated from the outer peripheral portion of the storage tank 7.

The heated hydrogen enters the primary storage tank 7, enters the injection holes 9 through the injection holes, permeates and permeates the food on the drying shelf in the drying furnace, and dries while circulating outside the deep part of the material.
Free water and combined water in the food material gradually evaporate together with hydrogen gas, but the hydrogen gas 12 refluxed from the upper part of the drying furnace adsorbs only its moisture to the dehumidifying material 20 set in the vertical part piping, and inside and outside As the temperature drops due to the temperature difference, the water drops and is guided to the drain trap 13, so that the hydrogen gas gas becomes dry and enters the heating tube 4 again through the circulation pipe and circulates to repeatedly dry the food. . (Closed cycle method)

  EXAMPLES Hereinafter, the present invention will be described more specifically with reference to examples and comparative examples. However, the present invention is not limited to these examples unless it exceeds the gist.

Example 1
The food material F was dried using the food material drying apparatus 10 schematically shown in FIG.
In hydrogen gas generation (apparatus) (see FIG. 3), alkaline water 22 adjusted to pH = 14 obtained by adding water to natural product 27 including natural stones and shells, aluminum as metal 21, and both of them are used. The hydrogen gas generated by mixing was heated by the hydrogen gas heating device 28 and then introduced to the food drying container 30 at 35 ° C.

Hydrogen gas was blown onto the food material F placed on the food material shelf 31 made of polypropylene having an opening of 1 cm × 1 cm provided in the food material drying container 30.
The food drying container 30 was formed by connecting five food storage shelves 31 in parallel to each other.

Ingredients F are all non-standard in size and shape, and are carrots, grated burdock, burdock, and potato cut in advance to about 3 cm x about 1 cm x about 1 cm. It was predried by the drying method.
A total of 5 kg of these was placed on the above-described 15-stage (3 stages × 5) food shelves 31, and hydrogen gas was blown onto them.

As the hydrogen gas, in addition to the generated hydrogen gas, a food drying container 30 having a “primary outlet 36 for water vapor and reflux hydrogen gas” and a “reflux hydrogen gas introduction nozzle 34” as shown in FIG. 2 is used. The reflux hydrogen gas once used for drying was also used.
The refluxed hydrogen gas was dehumidified by passing through a dehumidifying device 40 provided with a dehumidifying filter 41 therein, and was made 35 ° C. and jetted upward from the bottom of the food drying container 30.

The time required from the start of drying to the end of drying was 10 minutes.
In the dried vegetable chips, vitamins and enzymes were not decomposed (denatured) or inactivated and remained as they were. Also, the starch remained as beta starch.
The obtained vegetable chip was useful as a preserved food and a nutritional food.

Example 2
The foodstuff F was dried using the foodstuff drying apparatus 10 schematically shown in FIG. 3, and the same procedure as in Example 1 was used except that the fish preliminarily dried by a normal drying method was used until the water content reached 15% by mass. And dried.
Ingredient F is put in from the charging hopper, and hydrogen gas at 35 ° C. obtained in the same manner as in Example 1 is introduced into an “elongated and spirally shaped ingredient drying container 30” having an elliptical protrusion inside. Circulated.

The time required from the start of drying to the end of drying was 10 minutes.
The obtained fish meal was not decomposed (denatured) or inactivated, and remained as it was, and was useful as a preserved food, nutritional food, cooking additive, sprinkles and the like.

Comparative Example 1
In Example 1, drying was performed in the same manner as in Example 1 except that air was used instead of hydrogen gas, but 1 hour which was about 7 times as long as Example 1 from the start of drying to the end of drying. It took 10 minutes.

  The food drying method and the food drying apparatus 10 using the hydrogen gas of the present invention as a drying medium are particularly excellent in drying efficiency, etc., and the food F used as a raw material also covers non-standard products, waste products, etc. Difficult ingredients, large ingredients, etc. are also targeted. Moreover, since the dried food material obtained is used for various purposes, it is widely used not only in the food processing industry, household food industry, etc., but also in agriculture, fisheries, waste disposal industry, and the like.

Reference numerals other than those in FIG. 1 are as follows.
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Food drying apparatus 20 Hydrogen gas generator 21 Metal 22 Alkaline water 23 Alkaline water tank 24 Residual water 25 Extraction pipe 26 Generated hydrogen transfer pump 27 Natural products (natural stone, shell, shell, etc.)
28 Hydrogen gas heating device 30 Food material drying container 31 Food material shelf 32 Hydrogen gas introduction pipe 33 Reflux hydrogen gas transfer pipe 34 Reflux hydrogen gas introduction nozzle 35 Reflux hydrogen gas transfer pump 36 Primary outlet of steam and reflux hydrogen gas 37 Food hopper 40 Dehumidifier 41 Dehumidifier filter 42 Drain pipe H ₂ Hydrogen gas F Food

Reference numerals in FIG. 1 are as follows.
1: Ionized water with high hydrogen ion concentration 2: Hydrogen gas generator 3: Microwave excitation: Heating part 4: Hydrogen gas introduction heating tube 5: Water 6: Water vapor 7: Heated hydrogen gas primary storage double tank 8 : Preliminary drain 9: Heated hydrogen gas injection hole 10: Drying furnace 11: Shelf sliding mesh drying net 12: Recirculating hydrogen gas 13: Drain trap 14: Drain water 15: Metal catalyst 16: Filtration device 17: Filtration water 18: Catalyst mooring lid 19: Microwave unit 20: Dehumidifying material 21 in vertical pipe 21: Pipe 22: Process steam

Claims (9)

  A method for drying a food material, characterized by removing hydrogen contained in the food material by allowing hydrogen gas to contact and permeate the food material.   A food drying apparatus used in the food drying method according to claim 1, wherein at least a hydrogen gas generator that generates hydrogen gas, a food drying container that contains the food and allows hydrogen gas to pass through, and a food drying A food drying apparatus comprising a dehumidifier for removing water vapor from "hydrogen gas containing water vapor" that has passed through the inside of the container.   The food drying container has a food shelf that is net-like and holds the food from below, and is contained in the food by contacting and permeating hydrogen gas to the food shelf and the food on the food shelf. The food drying apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the moisture is removed.   3. The food drying container is elongated and spiral, and the food is placed on a hydrogen gas stream and allowed to pass through the interior, thereby removing moisture contained in the food. The food drying apparatus according to 1.   The food drying apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the hydrogen gas generator generates hydrogen gas by bringing alkali water into contact with a metal.   The food drying apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the hydrogen gas before being introduced into the food drying container is heated by a hydrogen gas heating apparatus.   The food drying device according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein the dehumidifying device is in the form of a pipe incorporating a dehumidifying filter.   A method for producing a dried food material, comprising using the food material drying method according to claim 1.   Using the food drying apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 7, hydrogen gas is brought into contact with and permeated through the food to remove moisture contained in the food. A method for producing dry ingredients.