JP2019144078A - Water absorption observation container, water absorption observation terminal, water absorption determination server of sake rice, and sake manufacturing method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a water absorption observation container of sake rice capable of achieving the management of an immersion process based on a quantitative index.SOLUTION: A container (1) is used in manufacturing sake including an immersion process of immersing rice grains (R) in water. The container includes: a container body (11) in which the rice grains (R) to be immersed in water (W) are disposed; a measurement unit (13) for measuring the shapes of the rice grains (R) disposed in the container body (11) and immersed in water; and an output unit (18) for outputting the measurement result by the measurement unit (13).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a water absorption observation container for sake rice, a water absorption observation terminal for sake rice, a water absorption determination server for sake rice, and a method for producing sake.

  Japanese sake is brewed from sake rice. The process of sake brewing (sake brewing) includes milled rice, washed rice, soaking, steamed rice, koji making, sake mother making, mash fermentation, sake squeezing, upper tank, burning, storage / ripening, blending, container filling . The characteristic of sake brewing lies in a method called parallel double fermentation, in which the decomposition of brewed rice starch into glucose (saccharification) by koji and the conversion of glucose to alcohol (fermentation) by yeast proceed simultaneously.

  Each step of brewing is appropriately controlled according to the hardness and softness of the sake rice and the components depending on the pattern of the sake rice as the main raw material. That is, for example, in each step of washing and dipping, the amount of water absorbed by sake rice is adjusted by adjusting the water supply time. Moreover, in the fermentation process of koji, the progress of fermentation is adjusted by temperature control. Each process in brewing in recent years is performed under thorough numerical control with computers, thermometers, refrigeration equipment, and other electronic devices. As a result, the quality of the brewed sake has been stabilized and improved year by year.

  The quality of the brewed liquor is particularly affected by the soaking process. That is, since the amount of water imparted in the steamed rice process is almost constant, the factor that influences the result of steaming is the amount of water absorbed by the sake rice in each process of washing rice and soaking (water absorption amount). Sake rice begins to soften when soaked in water, so it cannot stop softening on the way and cannot be soaked again. Therefore, in particular, the dipping process determines the state of steamed rice in the subsequent steamed rice process, and greatly affects the ease of subsequent steamed rice dissolution (rate decomposed by fermentation of koji). The dipping process also affects the balance between the yeast growth rate and the glucose consumption rate. Thus, the dipping process is an important process that affects the finish of sake taste in brewing.

  The amount of water absorbed by sake rice depends on a variety of factors, including the type of sake rice, the production area, the percentage of polished rice, and the degree of dryness in advance. The Mr. Tsuji decides the water supply time in each process while visually examining the sample sake rice in each process of washing and soaking. For example, the water supply time in the dipping process is determined so that the water absorption rate is in the range of about 30% to 35% in consideration of the subsequent processes.

  The water absorption rate of sake rice managed in the dipping process is generally calculated using the formula “Water absorption rate = (weight after water absorption−weight before water absorption) / weight before water absorption” before and after water absorption. The weight ratio is calculated.

  In the dipping process, it is known that sake rice whitens, liquor rice cracks occur, and sake rice expands. In particular, cracked sake rice is quickly decomposed (easily dissolved) by the enzyme.

  However, since it is difficult to visually evaluate cracking and expansion of sake rice, no quantitative evaluation has been made regarding cracking and expansion of sake rice at present. In other words, the immersion process is evaluated and managed only by the water absorption rate. Moreover, as described above, the water absorption is determined by the weight ratio of sake rice, and the amount of water contained in the sake rice before water absorption is not taken into consideration in the evaluation. That is, for example, even if the water absorption rate is the same 30%, if the water content of sake rice before water absorption is different, the water content of sake rice after water absorption is different. Thus, the quality of the brewed sake cannot be sufficiently controlled under the soaking process that is evaluated and managed only by the water absorption rate.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems of the prior art, and can realize the management of the immersion process based on a quantitative index, and a water absorption observation container for sake rice, and sake rice Water absorption observation terminal, a water absorption determination server for sake rice, and a method for producing sake.

  The present invention outputs a container main body in which rice grains to be immersed in water are arranged, a measurement unit for measuring the shape of rice grains arranged in the container main body and immersed in water, and a measurement result measured by the measurement unit. And an output unit.

  The present invention realizes management of an immersion process based on a quantitative index.

It is a schematic diagram which shows embodiment of the water absorption observation container of the sake rice concerning this invention, a water absorption observation terminal, and a water absorption determination server. It is a cross-sectional schematic diagram which shows embodiment of the water absorption observation container of sake rice of FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows the example of the information displayed on the display apparatus of the water absorption observation terminal of sake rice of FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows the time-dependent change of the shape of the sake rice arrange | positioned in the water absorption observation container of the sake rice of FIG. 1, and was immersed in water. It is a schematic diagram which shows the frequency distribution of the particle size of the rice grain of the sake rice which was arrange | positioned in the water absorption observation container of the sake rice of FIG. 1, and was immersed in water.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of a water absorption observation container for sake rice, a water absorption observation terminal for sake rice, a water absorption determination server for sake rice, and a method for producing sake will be described with reference to the drawings.

● Sake rice water absorption observation container, sake rice water absorption observation terminal and sake rice water absorption judgment server ●
FIG. 1 shows a water absorption observation container (hereinafter referred to as “container”) 1 for sake rice according to the present invention, a water absorption observation terminal (hereinafter referred to as “terminal”) 2 for sake rice, and a water absorption determination server for sake rice (hereinafter referred to as “terminal”). FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an embodiment of “server”) 3.

  The terminal 2 is connected to the container 1, the server 3, and the storage device 4 via a communication line.

  The server 3 is connected to the storage device 4 via a communication line.

  In addition, the terminal or server concerning this invention may be provided with the memory | storage device concerning this invention. The terminal according to the present invention may have the function of the server according to the present invention.

  The container 1 is a container used to determine the water supply time in the dipping process by immersing a sample of sake rice in water and observing a change in the shape of the rice grains of the sake rice prior to the dipping process of sake brewing. The container 1 images the rice grains soaked in water and outputs the captured image. The container 1 measures and outputs the water temperature of the water in the container 1.

  The terminal 2 is an information processing apparatus that displays a captured image of the rice grain captured by the container 1 and information on the change over time of the shape of the rice grain in the container 1 and allows the user of the terminal 2 such as Mr. Tsuji to browse. The terminal 2 is realized by a tablet terminal, for example.

  The server 3 is an information processing apparatus that calculates information about changes over time in the shape of rice grains in the container 1 and transmits the information to the terminal 2. The server 3 is realized by a personal computer, for example.

  The storage device 4 is a device that stores a captured image of rice grains imaged by the container 1 and information necessary for calculation performed by the server 3. The storage device 4 is a flash memory, a magnetic hard drive, a magnetic storage device such as a CD-ROM, an optical storage device, an electric storage device, or the like.

Container FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an embodiment of a container.
The container 1 includes a container body 11, a container cover 12, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) microscope 13, a water temperature meter 14, an LED (Light Emitting Diode) 15, an LED substrate 16, a translucent cover 17, and a control. And a substrate 18.

The container body 11 is a housing in which rice grains R into which water W is poured and immersed in the water are arranged. The shape of the container body 11 is a bottomed cylinder. The bottom surface of the container body 11 is horizontal when the container 1 is placed. The material of the container body 11 is an opaque material that hardly reflects light and is, for example, a resin. The capacity of the container main body 11 is a capacity such that the water injected into the container main body 11 is clouded by the rice grains and does not hinder the imaging of the rice grains, and is, for example, 300 ml.
The container may be provided with a filter device for preventing white turbidity of water injected into the container body.

  The bottom surface of the container main body may be inclined so that the rice grains are arranged in a shape suitable for imaging the rice grains arranged in the container main body, for example, in the imaging range of the imaging device.

  The container cover 12 covers the opening of the container body 11. The container cover 12 includes a USB microscope 13, a water thermometer 14, an LED 15, an LED substrate 16, a translucent cover 17, and a control substrate 18.

  The USB microscope 13 is a waterproof imaging device that images rice grains R immersed in water W in the container body 11. The USB microscope 13 is a measuring unit that measures the shape of rice grains in the present invention. The USB microscope 13 is disposed in the container 1 so that a part of the USB microscope 13 is located below the water surface of the container body 11. That is, the USB microscope 13 images the rice grains in the container body 11 in water, not from above the water surface, in order to capture the shape of the rice grains in the container body 11 more accurately. The container 1 transmits the captured image captured by the USB microscope 13 to the terminal 2.

  The water temperature gauge 14 measures the temperature of the water injected into the container body 11. The container 1 transmits water temperature data indicating the water temperature measured by the water thermometer 14 to the terminal 2.

The LED 15 is a light emitting device that emits illumination light that illuminates the rice grains disposed in the container body 11. The light source of the LED 15 is, for example, a full-color LED that emits light in a color that allows the server 3 to easily detect the shape of the rice grain from the captured image captured by the USB microscope 13.
In the present invention, the light source of the light emitting device provided in the container may be any light source that is suitable for imaging the shape of rice grains arranged in the container body by the imaging device provided in the container.

  The LED board 16 is a board on which the LEDs 15 are mounted. The number of LEDs 15 mounted on the LED substrate 16 is one or more.

  The translucent cover 17 protects the LED 15 from water injected into the container body 11. The translucent cover 17 diffuses the illumination light emitted from the LED 15 in the container body 11.

  The control board 18 transmits the captured image captured by the USB microscope 13 and the water temperature data measured by the water thermometer 14 to the terminal 2 via the USB. That is, the container 1 transmits information output from the USB microscope 13 and the water thermometer 14 to the terminal 2 using the control board 18. The control board 18 is an output unit that outputs the measurement result of the measurement unit in the present invention.

Terminal FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of information displayed on a display device (display device) which is a display unit included in the terminal 2.

  In the figure, the elapsed time from the start of water supply to the container main body 11 is “11 minutes 53 seconds”, and the expected time until the rice grains R arranged in the container main body 11 absorb the desired water absorption amount ( The time until completion of immersion: the expected completion time) is “18 minutes 34 seconds”.

  The figure shows that a captured image (monitor image) of the rice grain R arranged in the container body 11 is displayed. The terminal 2 receives the captured image from the container 1 and outputs it to the display device.

  The terminal 2 receives the captured image captured by the container 1 from the container 1 and stores it in the storage device 4. The terminal 2 receives the captured image from the server 3 that reads the captured image stored in the storage device 4. It may be displayed.

  The figure shows that a graph showing the particle size distribution of the rice grains R captured in the captured image captured by the container 1 is displayed. The graph includes the particle size distribution of the rice grains R before water supply and the current particle size distribution of the rice grains R in the water supply.

  The figure shows the information calculated by the server 3 based on the information output from the container 1, which is the recognized middle rice grain quantity, non-cracked rice expansion rate, relative weight water supply, 2 grain cracking rate, 3 grain cracking rate, absolute moisture Indicates that the quantity is displayed.

  The number of recognized rice grains is the number of rice grains detected by the server 3 recognizing the captured image captured by the container 1.

  The non-cracked rice expansion rate is an expansion rate of unbreaked rice grains (for example, a ratio of the volume after water supply to the volume before water supply) of the rice grains R captured in the captured image captured by the container 1.

  The relative weight water supply amount is a ratio of the current rice grain weight in the water supply to the weight of the rice grain before water supply (including the moisture content of the rice grain).

  The two-grain breakage rate is a ratio of the number of rice grains divided into two as a result of water absorption among the rice grains R captured in the captured image captured by the container 1.

  The three-grain breaking rate is a ratio of the number of rice grains divided into three as a result of water absorption in the rice grains R captured in the captured image captured by the container 1.

  The absolute water content is the ratio of the weight of rice grains in the water supply to the weight obtained by subtracting the moisture content of the rice grains from the weight of the rice grains before water supply.

  The figure shows that a water supply start button B1 and a water supply completion button B2 are displayed. The display device of the terminal 2 is a so-called touch panel display device. When a portion where the water supply start button B1 or the water supply completion button B2 is displayed is pressed (touch operation) on the display device of the terminal 2, the terminal 2 executes information processing set in each button. When the water supply start button B <b> 1 is pressed, the terminal 2 controls water supply means (not shown) to the container 1 and starts water supply into the container body 11. When the water supply completion button B2 is pressed, the terminal 2 controls the water supply means to the container 1 and stops the water supply into the container main body 11. Each button is pressed by the user of the terminal 2.

  The user of the terminal 2 grasps the water absorption status of the rice grains R arranged in the container 1 by browsing the information displayed in the figure, and determines the water supply time in the soaking process.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a change with time of the shape of the rice grain R placed in the container 1 and immersed in water.

  The figure shows that grid lines are superimposed on the captured image captured by the container 1 and displayed on the display device of the terminal 2. The interval between the grid lines is set to an interval at which the user can easily grasp the temporal change in the shape of the rice grains by visual observation.

  (A) is the start of water supply to the container 1, (b) is 5 minutes after the start of water supply to the container 1, and (c) is 20 minutes after the start of water supply to the container 1, respectively. This is a captured image.

  (A) shows that cracked rice grains R did not exist at the start of water supply, (b) shows that some rice grains R were cracked 5 minutes after the start of water supply, c) shows that the cracks become large 20 minutes after the start of water supply and the rice grains R are divided.

  The user of the terminal 2 grasps the water absorption status of the rice grain R arranged in the container 1 and the change over time of the shape of the rice grain R by browsing the figure. Since the grid line is superimposed on the captured image and displayed on the display device of the terminal 2, the user of the terminal 2 can easily grasp the temporal change in the shape of the rice grain R by visual observation.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the frequency distribution of the particle diameters of rice grains R placed in the container 1 and immersed in water.
The figure (a) is frequency distribution of the grain size of the rice grain at the time of the water supply start to the container main body 11 (before the water supply start), and the figure (b) is the particle diameter of the rice grain after the water supply to the container main body 11 is started. This is a frequency distribution.

  The frequency distribution shown in the figure is calculated based on the grain size of the rice grain calculated from the shape of the rice grain detected by the server 3 from the captured image captured by the container 1.

  The figure (a) shows that the particle size at the time of a water supply start has a dispersion | variation in a particle size resulting from a polishing process and raw rice. FIG. 4B shows that the grain size after the start of water supply is larger than the grain size of the absorbed rice grains, and that there are small grain diameter rice grains that have been absorbed and cracked.

Server The server 3 detects (identifies / recognizes) rice grains from the captured image captured by the container 1 using a discriminator generated based on teacher data for detecting rice grains. The teacher data is stored in the storage device 4.

  The server 3 is based on an image acquisition unit (not shown) that acquires a captured image in which rice grains immersed in water are captured, and a feature amount (for example, luminance for each pixel) extracted from the acquired captured image. , A discriminator (not shown) that detects the rice grains captured in the captured image, a shape specifying unit (not shown) that specifies the shape of the detected rice grains, and a storage unit (not shown) that stores the shape of the specified rice grains And a determination unit (not shown) for determining a change with time of the shape of the rice grain based on the stored shape of the rice grain.

  The server 3 estimates (calculates) the volume of the rice grain and the grain size of the rice grain from the projected area of the rice grain, assuming that the shape of the rice grain detected from the captured image captured by the container 1 is an oval. The server 3 uses the average volume of the plurality of rice grains arranged in the container 1 before the start of water supply to the container 1 as a reference value, and calculates the expansion rate of the volume of rice grains that expands as the water supply time elapses.

  During the water supply process, cracks occur in the rice grains in the container 1. The server 3 detects each of the rice grains that are broken and divided as rice grains, and calculates the cracking rate of the rice grains. The server 3 calculates the particle size distribution of the rice grains in the container 1 during the water supply process, and displays it on the display device of the terminal 2 as a histogram.

  The expansion rate of the rice grains and the particle size distribution of the rice grains calculated by the server 3 in the process of supplying water into the container 1 are indexes that quantitatively represent the ease of dissolution of the rice grains. The expansion rate of rice grains is an index related to the amount of water absorbed by the rice grains. The particle size distribution of the rice grain is an index related to the rate of saccharification in the step after the dipping step. The expansion rate and particle size distribution of rice grains in the water supply process are indicators that are not managed by conventional sake production methods.

  The server 3 uses the captured image captured by the container 1 or information indicating the past brewing results stored in the storage device 4 to determine the water supply time in the soaking process, Mr. Tsuji, etc. In this case, information that is useful as a reference is calculated and transmitted to the terminal 2. The information indicating the result of past brewing is, for example, information indicating the relationship between the water supply time in the dipping process, the amount of water absorbed by the rice grains, and the quality of the brewed sake. The information transmitted from the server 3 to the terminal 2 is, for example, information displayed on the display device of the terminal 2 described above.

Storage device The storage device 4 stores information received from the container 1, the terminal 2, other terminals not shown, and the like. The storage device 4 stores, for example, a captured image captured by the container 1 and water temperature data measured by the container 1. The storage device 4 stores information such as the production area, rice milling ratio, variety, and brewery of sake rice received from the terminal 2. The terminal 2 includes an input unit (not shown) that allows the user of the terminal 2 to input the production area of sake rice. The storage device 4 stores air temperature data indicating air temperature and humidity data indicating humidity received from a thermo-hygrometer (not shown).

  Note that the storage device 4 is information necessary for calculation such as the water supply time of the immersion process calculated by the server 3 and information that is useful for determining the water supply time of the immersion process that the server 3 allows the user of the terminal 2 to browse. As an example, information collected from Mr. Tsuji who does not use the container 1, the terminal 2, or the server 3 may be stored. That is, for example, by collecting information indicating the daily brewing status from Mr. Tsuji all over the country and storing it in the storage device 4, Mr. Tsuji who uses the container 1 etc. refers to the brewing status of other Mr. Tsuji. The water supply time calculated by the server 3 can be used.

● Sake production method ●
Next, a method for producing sake according to the present invention (hereinafter referred to as “the present method”) will be described.
This method is the same as before: polished rice, washed rice, soaking, steamed rice, making koji, making sake mothers, fermenting koji (moromi), sake squeezing, upper tank, burning, storage / ripening, blending, container filling. including. However, this method is different from the conventional method for producing sake in that the brewing step of immersing raw sake rice (rice grain) in water is determined based on the time-dependent change in the shape of the rice grain. .

  The immersion time in the immersion process of the present method is calculated by the server 3 based on the captured image captured by the container 1 or the use of the terminal 2 that has been calculated by the server 3 and viewed information displayed on the terminal 2 Determined by the person.

● Summary ●
According to the embodiment described above, the server 3 performs the soaking time (dipping process) based on the expansion rate of the grain size of the rice grain and the distribution of the grain size, which is the change with time of the shape of the rice grain imaged by the container 1. Water supply time) or information that serves as a reference for determining the water supply time in the dipping process. That is, the present invention realizes the management of the dipping process based on quantitative indicators such as the expansion rate of the grain size of the rice grains and the distribution of the grain size, unlike the conventional soaking process that Mr. Tsuji decided based on experience and intuition. .
In the embodiment described above, the time calculated by the server 3 and the reference information are related to the water supply time in the dipping process. Instead of this, in the present invention, the time calculated by the server and the time displayed on the terminal may be not only the dipping process but also the time from the start of the rice washing process to the end of the dipping process. That is, according to the present invention, the user is made aware of the end timing of the dipping process after taking into account the water absorption situation of the rice grains in the rice washing process.

● Features of the present invention ●
The features of the present invention described so far are summarized below.

(Feature 1)
A container body in which rice grains immersed in water are arranged;
A measuring unit for measuring the shape of the rice grains arranged in the container body and immersed in water;
An output unit for outputting a measurement result measured by the measurement unit;
Having
A water absorption observation container for sake rice.

(Feature 2)
The measuring unit is an imaging device that images the shape of the rice grain,
The output unit outputs a measurement result measured by the measurement unit;
The water absorption observation container for sake rice according to Feature 1.

(Feature 3)
A light-emitting device that emits illumination light that illuminates the rice grain in which the imaging device is disposed in the container body;
Comprising
The water absorption observation container for sake rice according to Feature 1.

(Feature 4)
Information indicating the change over time of the shape of rice grains immersed in water,
Information indicating the time to complete the immersion;
A display where
Having
A water absorption observation terminal for sake rice.

(Feature 5)
An image acquisition unit for acquiring a captured image of rice grains immersed in water;
A discriminator for detecting the rice grain captured in the captured image based on a feature amount extracted from the acquired captured image;
A shape specifying unit for specifying the shape of the detected rice grain;
A storage unit for storing the shape of the identified rice grain;
Based on the stored shape of the rice grain, a determination unit that determines a change over time in the shape of the rice grain;
Having
A water absorption judgment server for sake rice, which is characterized by that.

(Feature 6)
A method for producing sake comprising a dipping step of immersing rice grains in water,
The soaking time is determined based on the change over time of the shape of the rice grain,
A method for producing sake characterized by the above.

(Feature 7)
The soaking time is determined based on the change over time of the shape of the rice grain determined by the water absorption determination server for sake rice according to Feature 5.
A method for producing sake according to Feature 6.

(Feature 8)
The time-dependent change in the shape of the rice grain is the expansion rate of the grain size of the rice grain.
A method for producing sake according to Feature 7.

(Feature 9)
The time-dependent change in the shape of the rice grain is the distribution of the grain size of the rice grain.
A method for producing sake according to Feature 7.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Water absorption observation container of liquor rice 2 Water absorption observation terminal of liquor rice 3 Water absorption determination server of liquor rice 4 Storage device 11 Container main body 12 Container cover 13 USB microscope (imaging device)
14 Water temperature meter 15 LED (light emitting device)
16 LED board 17 Translucent cover 18 Control board

Claims (9)

A container body in which rice grains immersed in water are arranged;
A measuring unit for measuring the shape of the rice grains arranged in the container body and immersed in water;
An output unit for outputting a measurement result measured by the measurement unit;
Having
A water absorption observation container for sake rice. The measuring unit is an imaging device that images the shape of the rice grain,
The output unit outputs a captured image captured by the imaging device;
The water absorption observation container for sake rice according to claim 1. A light-emitting device that emits illumination light that illuminates the rice grain in which the imaging device is disposed in the container body;
Comprising
The water absorption observation container for sake rice according to claim 1. Information indicating the change over time of the shape of rice grains immersed in water,
Information indicating the time to complete the immersion;
A display where
Having
A water absorption observation terminal for sake rice. An image acquisition unit for acquiring a captured image of rice grains immersed in water;
A discriminator for detecting the rice grain captured in the captured image based on a feature amount extracted from the acquired captured image;
A shape specifying unit for specifying the shape of the detected rice grain;
A storage unit for storing the shape of the identified rice grain;
Based on the stored shape of the rice grain, a determination unit that determines a change over time in the shape of the rice grain;
Having
A water absorption judgment server for sake rice, which is characterized by that. A method for producing sake comprising a dipping step of immersing rice grains in water,
The soaking time is determined based on the change over time of the shape of the rice grain,
A method for producing sake characterized by the above. The time of the immersion is determined based on the change over time of the shape of the rice grains determined by the water absorption determination server for sake rice according to claim 5.
The method for producing sake according to claim 6. The time-dependent change in the shape of the rice grain is the expansion rate of the grain size of the rice grain.
The method for producing sake according to claim 7. The time-dependent change in the shape of the rice grain is the distribution of the grain size of the rice grain.
The method for producing sake according to claim 7.