JP2021014313A - Deodorization method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a deodorization method by which flavors remaining in a content filling system can be removed with good efficiency.SOLUTION: A deodorization method comprising: a first rinsing process in which first rinsing water for first circulatory system is supplied to the first circulatory system 25a which includes at least a heat sterilizer 3 for heating beverage; an agent circulation process in which an agent for first circulatory system is supplied to the first circulatory system 25a and is circulated; and a second rinsing process in which second rinsing water for first circulatory system is supplied to the first circulatory system 25a. In the agent circulation process, the agent for first circulatory system is heated to a temperature of 70°C or more and 150°C or less in the first circulatory system 25a.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a deodorizing method for deodorizing a content filling system by CIP.

Conventionally, as a system for filling a container such as a bottle with a beverage, a content filling system for sterilizing the beverage itself and sterilizing a surge tank, a pipe, a filling nozzle, or the like to make it sterile has been known. In such a content filling system, for example, when switching the type of beverage, CIP (Cleaning in Place) processing is performed, and further, SIP (Sterilizing in Place) processing is performed (for example, Patent Document 1).

The CIP is for removing the residue of the previous beverage adhering to the flow path of the beverage or the tank, and after flowing a cleaning liquid in which an alkaline agent such as caustic soda is added to water, for example, the flow path of the beverage. , It is carried out by flowing a cleaning solution in which an acidic chemical is added to water.

SIP is for sterilizing the flow path or tank of a beverage to make it sterile, and is performed, for example, by flowing heated steam or hot water in the flow path washed with CIP.

However, in recent years, such content filling systems have used, for example, mineral waters, carbonated beverages, tea beverages, fruit beverages, coffee beverages, dairy beverages, functional beverages, alcoholic beverages, so-called energy drinks containing caffeine and arginine. It is designed to be filled with various beverages such as. In addition, there are beverages containing many flavors in such various beverages. Further, next to the flavor-rich beverage, a flavor-free beverage such as mineral water may be filled. Therefore, if the flavor remains in the flow path of the beverage after CIP and SIP, there is a problem that the remaining flavor enters the next beverage and the aroma of the previous beverage adheres to the next beverage. If the aroma of the previous beverage is attached to the next beverage, it is necessary to perform CIP and SIP again, and the productivity is significantly deteriorated.

JP-A-2007-22600

The present invention has been made in consideration of such a point, and an object of the present invention is to provide a deodorizing method capable of efficiently removing flavors remaining in a content filling system.

The present invention relates to a deodorizing method for deodorizing a content filling system by CIP, wherein the first circulatory system including at least a heat sterilizer for heating a beverage is supplied with the first rinse water for the first circulatory system. A drug circulation step of supplying a drug for a first circulatory system to the first circulatory system to circulate the drug, and a second rinsing step of supplying a second rinse water for the first circulatory system to the first circulatory system are provided. In the drug circulation step, the drug for the first circulatory system is a deodorizing method in which the drug is heated to a temperature of 70 ° C. or higher and 150 ° C. or lower in the first circulatory system.

The present invention is a deodorizing method in which, in the drug circulation step, the time for supplying the drug for the first circulatory system into the first circulatory system and circulating it is 5 minutes or more and 60 minutes or less.

The present invention is a deodorizing method in which in the second rinsing step, the second rinsing water for the first circulatory system is heated to a temperature of 70 ° C. or higher and 150 ° C. or lower in the first circulatory system.

The present invention is a deodorizing method in which, in the second rinsing step, the time for supplying the second rinsing water for the first circulatory system to the first circulatory system is 5 minutes or more and 60 minutes or less.

The present invention is a deodorizing method in which in the first rinsing step, the first rinsing water for the first circulatory system is heated to a temperature of 30 ° C. or higher and 100 ° C. or lower in the first circulatory system.

The present invention is a deodorizing method in which, in the first rinsing step, the time for supplying the first rinsing water for the first circulatory system to the first circulatory system is 5 minutes or more and 30 minutes or less.

The present invention further includes a third rinsing step of supplying the first circulatory system with the third rinsing water for the first circulatory system. In the third rinsing step, the third rinsing water for the first circulatory system is described. This is a deodorizing method in which the material is heated to a temperature of 30 ° C. or higher and 100 ° C. or lower in the first circulation system.

The present invention is a deodorizing method in which, in the third rinsing step, the time for supplying the third rinsing water for the first circulatory system to the first circulatory system is 5 minutes or more and 120 minutes or less.

According to the present invention, in a deodorizing method for deodorizing a content filling system by CIP, a first rinse for supplying a first rinse water for a second circulation system to a second circulation system including at least a filling device for filling a container with contents. A step, a drug circulation step of supplying a drug for the second circulatory system to the second circulatory system and circulating the drug, and a second rinsing step of supplying the second circulatory system with the second rinse water for the second circulatory system. In the second circulatory system, the second circulatory system second rinse water is a deodorizing method in which the second circulatory system is heated to a temperature of 40 ° C. or higher and 100 ° C. or lower.

The present invention is a deodorizing method in which, in the second rinsing step, the time for supplying the second rinsing water for the second circulatory system to the second circulatory system is 5 minutes or more and 60 minutes or less.

The present invention is a deodorizing method in which in the first rinsing step, the first rinsing water for the second circulatory system is heated to a temperature of 40 ° C. or higher and 100 ° C. or lower in the second circulatory system.

The present invention is a deodorizing method in which, in the first rinsing step, the time for supplying the first rinsing water for the second circulatory system to the second circulatory system is 5 minutes or more and 30 minutes or less.

The present invention further includes a third rinsing step of supplying the second circulatory system with the third rinsing water for the second circulatory system, and in the third circulatory system, the third circulatory water for the second circulatory system is described. This is a deodorizing method in which the material is heated to a temperature of 40 ° C. or higher and 100 ° C. or lower in the second circulation system.

The present invention is a deodorizing method in which, in the third rinsing step, the time for supplying the third rinsing water for the second circulatory system to the second circulatory system is 5 minutes or more and 120 minutes or less.

The present invention is a deodorizing method in which, in the drug circulation step, the drug for the second circulatory system is heated to a temperature of 70 ° C. or higher and 150 ° C. or lower in the second circulatory system.

The present invention is a deodorizing method in which, in the drug circulation step, the time for supplying the drug for the second circulatory system into the second circulatory system and circulating it is 5 minutes or more and 60 minutes or less.

According to the present invention, flavors remaining in the content filling system can be efficiently removed.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a content filling system to which the deodorizing method according to the embodiment of the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a deodorizing method according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a deodorizing method according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a deodorizing method according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a deodorizing method according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a modified example of the content filling system to which the deodorizing method according to the embodiment of the present invention is applied.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 to 5 are diagrams showing an embodiment of the present invention.

First, with reference to FIG. 1, the outline of the content filling system to which the deodorizing method according to the present embodiment is applied will be described.

As shown in FIG. 1, the content filling system 100 includes a compounding device 1, a balance tank 2, a heat sterilizer (Ultra High-temperature, hereinafter referred to as UHT) 3, a surge tank 4, and a head tank 5. , A filling device (filler) 6 is provided. The blending device 1, the balance tank 2, the UHT 3, the surge tank 4, the head tank 5, and the filling device 6 are arranged in this order from the upstream side to the downstream side along the beverage transport direction. Further, the blending device 1, the balance tank 2, the UHT 3, the surge tank 4, the head tank 5, and the filling device 6 are each connected by a product supply system pipe 20 through which a beverage passes, as will be described later. It is sufficient that at least one of the surge tank 4 and the head tank 5 is provided.

Of these, the blending device 1 blends the product beverage in a desired blending ratio. Examples of products include mineral water, carbonated beverages, tea-based beverages, fruit beverages, coffee beverages, dairy beverages, functional beverages, alcoholic beverages, so-called energy drinks containing caffeine and arginine, and the like.

The balance tank 2 smoothes the flow of the beverage by storing the beverage prepared by the blending device 1. As shown in FIG. 1, a heater H1 is provided on the downstream side of the balance tank 2, and the heater H1 heats the drug at the time of CIP described later.

The UHT 3 heats and sterilizes the beverage supplied from the balance tank 2. The UHT 3 has a first-stage heating unit 31, a second-stage heating unit 32, a holding tube 33, a first-stage cooling unit 34, and a second-stage cooling unit 35. The beverage supplied to the UHT 3 is gradually heated by the first-stage heating unit 31 and the second-stage heating unit 32, and is heated to the target temperature in the holding tube 33. In this case, for example, the beverage is heated to 60 ° C. or higher and 80 ° C. or lower by the first stage heating unit 31, and 60 ° C. or higher and 150 ° C. or lower by the second stage heating unit 32. Further, the temperature is maintained in the holding tube 33 for a certain period of time. The beverage that has passed through the holding tube 33 is gradually cooled by the first-stage cooling unit 34 and the second-stage cooling unit 35. The number of stages of the heating unit and the cooling unit is increased or decreased as necessary.

The surge tank 4 stores beverages sterilized by UHT3.

The head tank 5 stores the sterilized beverage to be supplied to the filling device 6.

The filling device 6 fills the container 9 with the contents sterilized in advance from the mouth of the container 9. In this filling device 6, the contents are filled in the empty container 9. In this filling device 6, the contents are filled into the inside of the container 9 while the plurality of containers 9 are rotated (revolved) together with the filling nozzle 6a. This content may be filled in the container 9 at room temperature. The contents are sterilized in advance by heating or the like, cooled to room temperature of 3 ° C. or higher and 40 ° C. or lower, and then filled in the container 9.

In addition, the content filling system 100 has an aseptic chamber 10. The filling device 6 described above is housed inside the aseptic chamber 10. In this case, the inside of the sterile chamber 10 is kept sterile.

The above-mentioned compounding device 1, balance tank 2, UHT 3, surge tank 4, head tank 5, and filling device 6 are each connected by a product supply system pipe 20 through which a beverage passes. The product supply system piping 20 includes an upstream supply piping 20a located on the upstream side of the manifold valve 21 arranged between the UHT 3 and the surge tank 4, and a downstream supply piping 20b located on the downstream side of the manifold valve 21. And is included. Here, the manifold valve 21 is for switching the flow path. As shown by the thick line in FIG. 1, the manifold valve 21 communicates the upstream side supply pipe 20a and the downstream side supply pipe 20b when filling the container 9 with a beverage. On the other hand, when performing CIP, the manifold valve 21 communicates the upstream side supply pipe 20a with the upstream side return pipe 22a described later (see FIGS. 2 and 3), and the downstream side supply pipe 20b and the downstream side described later. It communicates with the return pipe 22b (see FIGS. 4 and 5).

An upstream side return pipe 22a is connected to the manifold valve 21, and a bypass pipe 23a connecting the upstream side return pipe 22a and the balance tank 2 is connected to the downstream side of the upstream side return pipe 22a. .. Further, of the upstream side return pipe 22a, an upstream side supply mechanism 24a for supplying a chemical or the like when performing CIP is provided on the downstream side of the bypass pipe 23a. An upstream side introduction pipe 26a connecting the upstream side supply mechanism 24a and the bypass pipe 23a is connected to the upstream side supply mechanism 24a, and chemicals and the like are supplied to the bypass pipe 23a via the upstream side introduction pipe 26a. It is configured to do. With such a configuration, the upstream side supply pipe 20a, the upstream side return pipe 22a, and the bypass pipe 23a form an upstream side circulation system (first circulation system) 25a for performing CIP. In the upstream circulatory system 25a, for example, a seal member made of packing is provided at each pipe and a connection point of each member so that beverages and the like do not leak out. In this case, in the upstream circulation system 25a, for example, fluororesin (PTFE), EPDM, NBR, H-NBR, silicone, fluororubber packing, or various rubbers coated with PTFE can be used as the sealing member. ..

At the time of CIP, an alkaline cleaning liquid can be used as the chemical supplied to the bypass pipe 23a by the upstream side supply mechanism 24a described above. The alkaline cleaning solution contains a desired alkaline component such as chlorinated alkali such as sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide and sodium hypochlorite. The alkaline cleaning solution is an organic acid such as citric acid, succinic acid or gluconic acid, or a hydroxycarboxylic acid such as phosphoric acid and an alkali metal salt thereof, an alkaline earth metal salt, an ammonium salt or an alkanolamine salt such as ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid. Metal ion sequestering agents such as acid compounds, anionic surfactants, cationic surfactants, nonionic surfactants such as polyoxyethylene alkylphenyl ethers, solubilizers such as sodium cumene sulfonate, polyacrylic acid Such acid-based polymers or metal salts thereof, corrosion inhibitors, preservatives, antioxidants, dispersants, antifoaming agents and the like may be contained. Pure water, ion-exchanged water, distilled water, tap water, etc. are used as the water for dissolving these. In addition, the alkaline cleaning solution may contain various bleaching agents such as hypochlorite, hydrogen peroxide, peracetic acid, sodium percarbonate, and thiourea dioxide.

As such an alkaline cleaning solution, for example, sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide may be contained in an amount of 0.1% by mass or more and 10% by mass or less. Further, the alkaline cleaning solution may contain sodium hypochlorite having a chlorine concentration of 100 to 3,000 ppm. When a cleaning solution containing sodium hypochlorite having a chlorine concentration of 100 to 3,000 ppm is used as the alkaline cleaning solution, the bactericidal property can be improved as compared with the case where a cleaning solution containing sodium hydroxide is used.

Further, a downstream return pipe 22b provided with a heater H2 for heating a chemical during CIP, which will be described later, is connected to the manifold valve 21. A downstream supply mechanism 24b for supplying chemicals and the like when performing CIP is provided upstream of the downstream return pipe 22b. A downstream side introduction pipe 26b that connects the downstream side supply mechanism 24b and the downstream side return pipe 22b is connected to the downstream side supply mechanism 24b, and is connected to the downstream side return pipe 22b via the downstream side introduction pipe 26b. It is configured to supply drugs and the like. Further, a drain pipe 27b for receiving a drug or the like that has passed through the filling nozzle 6a of the filling device 6 described above at the time of CIP is connected to the downstream return pipe 22b. A cup 11 configured to be removable for each filling nozzle 6a is attached to the drain pipe 27b. The cup 11 is covered with the filling nozzle 6a by an actuator (not shown) when performing CIP. As a result, the drain pipe 27b is connected to the filling nozzle 6a. With such a configuration, the downstream side supply pipe 20b, the downstream side return pipe 22b, and the drain pipe 27b form a downstream side circulation system (second circulation system) 25b for performing CIP. Also in the downstream circulatory system 25b, for example, a seal member made of packing is provided at a connection point of each pipe and each member so that beverages and the like do not leak out. In this case, also in the downstream circulation system 25b, for example, fluororesin (PTFE), EPDM, NBR, H-NBR, silicone, fluororubber packing, or various rubbers coated with PTFE can be used as the sealing member. ..

At the time of CIP, as the chemical supplied to the downstream return pipe 22b by the downstream supply mechanism 24b described above, the same alkaline cleaning liquid as the chemical supplied to the bypass pipe 23a by the upstream supply mechanism 24a should be used. Can be done.

Further, the temperature sensor 12 is connected to the upstream side supply pipe 20a, the upstream side return pipe 22a, the downstream side supply pipe 20b, the downstream side return pipe 22b, and the drain pipe 27b described above. The temperature sensor 12 may be arranged, for example, in a place where the temperature does not easily rise when hot water or the like is supplied therein. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the temperature sensor 12 is arranged between the holding tube 33 of the UHT 3 and the first stage cooling unit 34 or the like. The temperature sensor 12 may be provided at a location other than the upstream side supply pipe 20a, the upstream side return pipe 22a, the downstream side supply pipe 20b, the downstream side return pipe 22b, and the drain pipe 27b. For example, the temperature sensor 12 may be provided in the filling nozzle 6a of the filling device 6. The temperature information measured by these temperature sensors 12 is transmitted to a control device (not shown).

The product supply system piping 20 and the like described above are provided with a manifold valve 21, an actuator (not shown), various switching valves, a pump, and the like, which are also controlled by signals from a control device (not shown). ..

The content filling system 100 described above may be a high temperature filling system that fills the contents at a high temperature of 85 ° C. or higher and lower than 100 ° C. Further, a medium temperature filling system for filling the contents at a medium temperature of 55 ° C. or higher and lower than 85 ° C. may be used.

Next, the operation according to the present embodiment will be described. Here, a deodorizing method for deodorizing the content filling system 100 by CIP will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5. In FIGS. 2 to 5, the pipes through which water and chemicals pass are shown by thick lines.

First, after the filling of the beverage in the content filling system 100 is completed, the operation buttons of the control device (not shown) are operated. As a result, as will be described later, in the upstream circulatory system 25a and the downstream circulatory system 25b, CIP is executed in a predetermined procedure, respectively (see FIGS. 2 to 5). At this time, the manifold valve 21 is switched, the upstream side supply pipe 20a and the upstream side return pipe 22a communicate with each other (see FIGS. 2 and 3), and the downstream side supply pipe 20b and the downstream side return pipe 22b communicate with each other (see FIGS. 2 and 3). (See FIGS. 4 and 5). The CIP of the upstream circulatory system 25a and the CIP of the downstream circulatory system 25b may be performed in order or in parallel with each other. Here, first, the CIP of the upstream circulatory system 25a will be described.

(1st rinse process)
First, as shown in FIG. 2, water (first rinse water for the first circulation system) is supplied to the upstream circulation system 25a. At this time, first, water is supplied from the upstream side supply mechanism 24a into the balance tank 2 via the upstream side introduction pipe 26a. The water supplied to the balance tank 2 is sent to the UHT 3 through the upstream supply pipe 20a and is heated by the UHT 3. At this time, the water is heated to, for example, a temperature of 30 ° C. or higher and 100 ° C. or lower, for example, 50 ° C. By heating the water to a temperature of 30 ° C. or higher, the previous beverage remaining in the upstream circulatory system 25a can be efficiently washed away. As a result, in the drug circulation step described later, the flavor remaining in the upstream circulatory system 25a can be efficiently removed. Further, by setting the temperature of water to 100 ° C. or lower, energy saving and cost reduction can be achieved. At this time, water may be supplied into the balance tank 2 from a pipe or the like (not shown) without using the upstream circulation system 25a.

Next, the water heated by the UHT 3 passes through the upstream supply pipe 20a and the manifold valve 21. Subsequently, the heated water is supplied to the upstream side return pipe 22a, passes through the upstream side return pipe 22a, and is discharged to the outside as a waste liquid from the upstream side supply mechanism 24a. At this time, in the upstream supply mechanism 24a, heat exchange may be performed between the water to be supplied and the water discharged to the outside.

When water is supplied to the upstream circulatory system 25a as described above, the time for supplying water to the upstream circulatory system 25a may be 5 minutes or more and 30 minutes or less, for example, 5 minutes. By setting the time for supplying water to the upstream circulatory system 25a to 5 minutes or more, the previous beverage remaining in the upstream circulatory system 25a can be effectively washed away. Further, by setting the time for supplying water to the upstream circulatory system 25a to 30 minutes or less, downtime can be shortened and energy saving can be achieved.

(Drug circulation process)
Next, as shown in FIG. 3, a drug (drug for the first circulatory system) is supplied to the upstream circulatory system 25a and circulated. At this time, first, the drug is supplied from the upstream side supply mechanism 24a into the balance tank 2 via the upstream side introduction pipe 26a. In this case, as the chemical, an alkaline cleaning solution containing 0.1 to 10% by mass of sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide or an alkaline cleaning solution containing sodium hypochlorite having a chlorine concentration of 100 to 3000 ppm can be used. .. At this time, the drug may be supplied into the balance tank 2 from a pipe or the like (not shown) without using the upstream side supply mechanism 24a.

The chemicals supplied to the balance tank 2 pass through the balance tank 2 and are heated by the heater H1 provided on the downstream side of the balance tank 2. Further, the chemical heated by the heater H1 is sent to the UHT 3 through the upstream supply pipe 20a, and is further heated by the UHT 3. At this time, the drug is heated to, for example, a temperature of 70 ° C. or higher and 150 ° C. or lower, preferably a temperature of 90 ° C. or higher and 145 ° C. or lower, for example, 140 ° C. By heating the drug to a temperature of 70 ° C. or higher, the flavor remaining in the upstream circulatory system 25a can be efficiently removed, and by heating the drug to a temperature of 90 ° C. or higher, the upstream circulatory system 25a can be removed. The remaining flavor can be removed more efficiently. Further, by setting the temperature of the drug to 150 ° C. or lower, energy saving can be achieved, and by setting the temperature of the drug to 145 ° C. or lower, further energy saving can be achieved, and the upstream circulatory system 25a can be further saved. It is possible to reduce heat damage to each pipe, each member and a seal member. The drug supplied to the balance tank 2 may be sent to the UHT 3 and heated by the UHT 3 without being heated by the heater H1.

Next, the heated drug passes through the upstream supply pipe 20a and passes through the UHT 3 and the manifold valve 21. At this time, the heated chemical is supplied to the upstream side return pipe 22a and is supplied to the bypass pipe 23a connected to the upstream side return pipe 22a. Then, the drug is supplied into the balance tank 2 via the bypass pipe 23a. In this way, the drug circulates in the upstream circulatory system 25a. The drug may be supplied to the heater H1 via a bypass pipe 23a and circulated in the upstream circulation system 25a by a pipe or the like (not shown). After that, the drug is circulated in the upstream circulatory system 25a for a predetermined time, and then discharged to the outside as a waste liquid from the upstream supply mechanism 24a (see FIG. 2). In this case, the time for supplying the drug into the upstream circulatory system 25a and circulating it may be 5 minutes or more and 60 minutes or less, for example, 15 minutes. By setting the time for supplying the drug into the upstream circulatory system 25a and circulating it for 5 minutes or more, the flavor remaining in the upstream circulatory system 25a can be effectively removed. Further, by setting the time for supplying and circulating the drug in the first circulatory system 25a to 60 minutes or less, downtime can be shortened and energy saving can be achieved.

By the way, as described above, in the blending device 1, for example, a fruit beverage or the like is blended as a beverage. Some such beverages contain many flavors. Examples of the flavor include ethyl butyrate, ethyl 2-methylbutyrate, isoamyl acetate, limonene, ethyl caproate, isoamyl butyrate, hexyl acetate, allyl caproate, octylaldehyde, decylaldehyde and the like. In particular, typical flavors include ethyl butyrate, ethyl 2-methylbutyrate and limonene. In addition, next time the beverage containing a large amount of such a flavor may be filled with a beverage containing no flavor such as mineral water or green tea. At this time, if the flavor remains in the upstream circulatory system 25a, there is a problem that the remaining flavor enters the next beverage and the aroma of the previous beverage adheres to the next beverage.

In particular, as described above, in the upstream circulatory system 25a, for example, a packing made of fluororesin is provided as a sealing member at each pipe and the connection portion of each member. Further, as described above, when the beverage is filled in the container 9 (see FIG. 1), the beverage is heated to a temperature of about 60 ° C. or higher and 150 ° C. or lower by UHT3. At this time, for example, the packing provided at the connection point of each pipe may thermally expand, and a gap may be formed between each pipe and the packing.
If a gap is created between each pipe and the packing in this way, the flavor may enter the gap. In this case, when the packing is cooled and contracted, the flavor that has entered the gap may intervene between each pipe and the packing in a state of being attached to the packing. Further, regarding the flavor interposed between each pipe and the packing, it may be difficult to remove the flavor even if the chemical is supplied to the upstream circulatory system 25a and circulated. Then, the flavor that has entered such a gap may enter the next beverage through the gap between each pipe and the packing, which is caused by the thermal expansion of the packing at the time of filling the beverage next time.

On the other hand, according to the present embodiment, by heating the drug to a temperature of 70 ° C. or higher, the flavor remaining in the upstream circulatory system 25a can be efficiently removed. That is, by heating the chemical to a temperature of 70 ° C. or higher, it is possible to cause the packing to have a thermal expansion similar to that of the packing that occurs when the beverage is filled. As a result, the flavor that has entered the gap generated when the packing is thermally expanded can be effectively removed. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the problem that the scent of the previous beverage adheres to the next beverage. In this case, in order to obtain a higher deodorizing effect, it is effective to rinse with water having a temperature equal to or higher than the sterilization temperature of the previous product. Further, by heating the drug to a temperature of 70 ° C. or higher and setting the time for supplying the drug into the upstream circulatory system 25a to circulate for 5 minutes or more, each pipe and each member of the upstream circulatory system 25a can be provided. Can be sterilized. This makes it possible to omit the SIP that is normally performed after the CIP. Therefore, downtime can be shortened.

If necessary, cleaning with an acidic cleaning solution may be performed before and after purification with an alkaline cleaning solution. Further, for example, after purification with an acidic cleaning liquid, purification with an alkaline cleaning liquid may be performed, and then further purification with an acidic cleaning liquid may be performed. Further, after purification with an alkaline cleaning solution, purification with an acidic cleaning solution may be performed, and then purification with an alkaline cleaning solution may be further performed.

(Second rinse process)
Next, as shown in FIG. 2, water (second rinse water for the first circulation system) is supplied to the upstream circulation system 25a. At this time, water is supplied to the upstream circulatory system 25a in the same manner as in the first rinsing step described above. In this case, the water is heated in the upstream circulatory system 25a to, for example, a temperature of 70 ° C. or higher and 150 ° C. or lower, for example, 140 ° C. By heating the water to a temperature of 70 ° C. or higher, the flavor remaining in the upstream circulatory system 25a can be efficiently removed. That is, the above-mentioned flavors include water-soluble flavors such as ethyl butyrate and ethyl 2-methylbutyrate. In this case, by heating the water to a temperature of 70 ° C. or higher, the water-soluble flavor remaining in the upstream circulatory system 25a can be efficiently removed.
Therefore, the deodorizing effect can be improved. Further, in this case, by heating the water to a temperature of 70 ° C. or higher, it is possible to remove the flavor that has entered the gap generated when the packing is thermally expanded, as described in the drug circulation step. Further, energy saving can be achieved by setting the temperature of water to 150 ° C. or lower. Even in this case, water may be supplied into the balance tank 2 from a pipe or the like (not shown) without using the upstream side supply mechanism 24a.

The time for supplying water to the upstream circulatory system 25a may be 5 minutes or more and 60 minutes or less, for example, 10 minutes. By setting the time for supplying water to the upstream circulatory system 25a to 5 minutes or more, the flavor remaining in the upstream circulatory system 25a can be effectively removed. Further, by setting the time for supplying water to the upstream circulatory system 25a to 60 minutes or less, downtime can be shortened and energy saving can be achieved.

(Third rinse process)
Further, if necessary, water (third rinse water for the first circulation system) may be supplied to the upstream circulation system 25a after the second rinse step described above. At this time, water is supplied to the upstream circulatory system 25a in the same manner as in the first rinse step and the second rinse step described above. In this case, the water is heated in the upstream circulation system 25a to, for example, a temperature of 30 ° C. or higher and 100 ° C. or lower, for example, 40 ° C. By heating the water to a temperature of 30 ° C. or higher, the water-soluble flavor remaining in the upstream circulatory system 25a can be removed more efficiently, and the deodorizing effect can be improved. Further, by setting the temperature of water to 100 ° C. or lower, energy saving and cost reduction can be achieved. Even in this case, water may be supplied into the balance tank 2 from a pipe or the like (not shown) without using the upstream side supply mechanism 24a.

Further, the time for supplying water to the upstream circulatory system 25a may be 5 minutes or more and 120 minutes or less, for example, 10 minutes. By setting the time for supplying water to the upstream circulatory system 25a to 5 minutes or more, the flavor remaining in the upstream circulatory system 25a can be more effectively removed, and the deodorizing effect can be improved. Further, by setting the time for supplying water to the upstream circulatory system 25a to 120 minutes or less, downtime can be shortened and energy saving can be achieved.

In this way, the CIP of the upstream circulatory system 25a is performed, the flavor remaining in the upstream circulatory system 25a is removed by the CIP, and the upstream circulatory system 25a is deodorized.

Next, the CIP of the downstream circulatory system 25b will be described.

First, as shown in FIG. 4, the cup 11 is put on the filling nozzle 6a. As a result, the drain pipe 27b is connected to the filling nozzle 6a.

(1st rinse process)
Next, water (first rinse water for the second circulatory system) is supplied to the downstream circulatory system 25b. At this time, first, water is supplied from the downstream side supply mechanism 24b to the downstream side return pipe 22b via the downstream side introduction pipe 26b. The water supplied to the downstream return pipe 22b is heated by the heater H2. At this time, the water is heated to, for example, a temperature of 40 ° C. or higher and 100 ° C. or lower, for example, 40 ° C. By heating the water to a temperature of 40 ° C. or higher, the previous beverage remaining in the downstream circulatory system 25b can be efficiently washed away. As a result, in the drug circulation step described later, the flavor remaining in the downstream circulatory system 25b can be efficiently removed. Further, by setting the temperature of water to 100 ° C. or lower, energy saving and cost reduction can be achieved.

Next, the heated water passes through the downstream return pipe 22b and the manifold valve 21. At this time, the heated water is supplied to the downstream side supply pipe 20b, passes through the downstream side supply pipe 20b, the surge tank 4, the head tank 5, the filling device 6 and the drain pipe 27b, and is used as waste liquid from the downstream side supply mechanism 24b. It is discharged to the outside.

When water is supplied to the downstream circulatory system 25b as described above, the time for supplying water to the downstream circulatory system 25b may be 5 minutes or more and 30 minutes or less, for example, 5 minutes. By setting the time for supplying water to the downstream circulatory system 25b to 5 minutes or more, the previous beverage remaining in the downstream circulatory system 25b can be effectively washed away. Further, by setting the time for supplying water to the downstream circulatory system 25b to 30 minutes or less, downtime can be shortened and energy saving can be achieved.

(Drug circulation process)
Next, as shown in FIG. 5, a drug (drug for the second circulatory system) is supplied to the downstream circulatory system 25b and circulated. At this time, first, the drug is supplied from the downstream side supply mechanism 24b to the downstream side return pipe 22b via the downstream side introduction pipe 26b. As the drug, an alkaline cleaning solution similar to the drug used when CIPing the upstream circulatory system 25a can be used. The chemical supplied to the downstream return pipe 22b is heated by the heater H2. At this time, the drug is heated to, for example, a temperature of 70 ° C. or higher and 100 ° C. or lower, for example, 80 ° C. By heating the drug to a temperature of 70 ° C. or higher, the flavor remaining in the downstream circulatory system 25b can be removed.
Further, by setting the temperature of the drug to 100 ° C. or lower, energy saving and cost reduction can be achieved. Further, in this case, as in the case of the upstream circulatory system 25a described above, by heating the chemical to a temperature of 70 ° C. or higher, the flavor that has entered the gap generated when the packing is thermally expanded is effectively removed. This makes it possible to suppress the problem that the scent of the previous beverage adheres to the next beverage. In particular, in the downstream circulation system 25b, packing made of ethylene propylene diene rubber (EPDM) can be used. Flavors tend to adhere to the ethylene propylene diene rubber, and the flavors tend to remain in the downstream circulatory system 25b. On the other hand, by heating the drug to a temperature of 70 ° C. or higher, the flavor adhering to the packing can be effectively removed. Further, by heating the drug to a temperature of 70 ° C. or higher and setting the time for supplying and circulating the drug into the downstream circulatory system 25b to 5 minutes or longer, SIP can be omitted and downtime can be shortened. can do.

The heated drug then passes through the manifold valve 21 and then through the downstream supply pipe 20b, the surge tank 4, the head tank 5 and the filling device 6. Then, it is supplied to the downstream return pipe 22b via the drain pipe 27b. In this way, the drug circulates in the downstream circulatory system 25b. Then, the drug is circulated in the downstream circulatory system 25b for a predetermined time, and then discharged to the outside as a waste liquid from the downstream supply mechanism 24b (see FIG. 4). In this case, the time for supplying the drug into the downstream circulatory system 25b and circulating it may be 5 minutes or more and 60 minutes or less, for example, 15 minutes. By setting the time for supplying the drug into the downstream circulatory system 25b and circulating it for 5 minutes or more, the flavor remaining in the downstream circulatory system 25b can be effectively removed. Further, by setting the time for supplying and circulating the drug in the downstream circulatory system 25b to 60 minutes or less, downtime can be shortened and energy saving can be achieved.

If necessary, similar to the upstream circulatory system 25a, cleaning with an acidic cleaning solution may be performed before and after purification with an alkaline cleaning solution. Further, for example, after purification with an acidic cleaning liquid, purification with an alkaline cleaning liquid may be performed, and then further purification with an acidic cleaning liquid may be performed. Further, after purification with an alkaline cleaning solution, purification with an acidic cleaning solution may be performed, and then purification with an alkaline cleaning solution may be further performed.

(Second rinse process)
Next, as shown in FIG. 4, water (second rinse water for the second circulatory system) is supplied to the downstream circulatory system 25b. At this time, water is supplied to the downstream circulatory system 25b as in the second rinsing step in the downstream circulatory system 25b described above. In this case, the water is heated in the downstream circulatory system 25b to, for example, a temperature of 40 ° C. or higher and 100 ° C. or lower, for example, 90 ° C. By heating the water to a temperature of 40 ° C. or higher, the water-soluble flavor remaining in the downstream circulatory system 25b can be efficiently removed as in the case of the upstream circulatory system 25a. Therefore, the deodorizing effect can be improved. Further, by setting the temperature of water to 100 ° C. or lower, the surge tank 4 and the like can be handled as a type 2 pressure vessel instead of a type 1 pressure vessel, so that the deodorizing treatment step can be carried out at low cost. it can.

Further, the time for supplying water to the downstream circulatory system 25b may be 5 minutes or more and 60 minutes or less, for example, 10 minutes. By setting the time for supplying water to the downstream circulatory system 25b to 5 minutes or more, the flavor remaining in the downstream circulatory system 25b can be effectively removed. Further, by setting the time for supplying water to the downstream circulatory system 25b to 60 minutes or less, downtime can be shortened and energy saving can be achieved.

(Third rinse process)
Further, if necessary, water (third rinse water for the second circulation system) may be supplied to the downstream circulation system 25b after the second rinse step in the downstream circulation system 25b described above. At this time, water is supplied to the downstream circulatory system 25b in the same manner as in the first rinsing step and the second rinsing step in the downstream circulatory system 25b described above. In this case, the water is heated in the downstream circulation system 25b to, for example, a temperature of 40 ° C. or higher and 100 ° C. or lower, for example, 40 ° C. By heating the water to a temperature of 40 ° C. or higher, the water-soluble flavor remaining in the downstream circulatory system 25b can be removed more efficiently, and the deodorizing effect can be improved. Further, energy saving can be achieved by setting the temperature of water to 100 ° C. or lower.

Further, the time for supplying water to the downstream circulatory system 25b may be 5 minutes or more and 120 minutes or less, for example, 10 minutes. By setting the time for supplying water to the downstream circulatory system 25b to 5 minutes or more, the flavor remaining in the downstream circulatory system 25b can be more effectively removed, and the deodorizing effect can be improved. Further, by setting the time for supplying water to the downstream circulatory system 25b to 120 minutes or less, downtime can be shortened and energy saving can be achieved.

In this way, the CIP of the downstream circulatory system 25b is performed, the flavor remaining in the downstream circulatory system 25b is removed by the CIP, and the downstream circulatory system 25b is deodorized.

( Deodorization confirmation process )
Further, a deodorization confirmation step may be provided to confirm that the deodorization effect is sufficient. In this deodorization confirmation step, first, water is sent to the content filling system 100. At this time, the water is sent in a state where the temperature at the outlet of the UHT3 is lowered from the temperature during the second rinsing step (for example, 140 ° C.) in the upstream circulatory system 25a to about 80 ° C. or higher and 90 ° C. or lower. Then, water is sampled from the drain pipe 27b at the outlet of the filling device 6 and it is confirmed whether or not the odor is removed. At this time, a sensor capable of separating odors may be provided. Alternatively, the container may be filled with water by the filling device 6 and the odor may be confirmed. Then, if the result is NG in this deodorization confirmation step, CIP is performed again. The deodorization confirmation step may be performed individually in the upstream circulatory system 25a and the downstream circulatory system 25b.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, in the drug circulation step in the upstream circulatory system 25a, the drug is heated to a temperature of 70 ° C. or higher in the upstream circulatory system 25a. As a result, the flavor remaining in the upstream circulatory system 25a can be efficiently removed. Further, the temperature of the drug is 150 ° C. or lower in the upstream circulatory system 25a. As a result, energy saving can be achieved. It should be noted that the fact that the flavor remaining in the upstream circulatory system 25a can be efficiently removed in this way will be described with reference to Examples described later.

Further, according to the present embodiment, in the drug circulation step, the time for supplying the drug into the upstream circulatory system 25a or the downstream circulatory system 25b and circulating the drug is 5 minutes or more. Thereby, the flavor remaining in the upstream circulatory system 25a or the downstream circulatory system 25b can be effectively removed. Further, the time for supplying the drug into the upstream circulatory system 25a or the downstream circulatory system 25b and circulating the drug is 60 minutes or less. As a result, downtime can be shortened and energy saving can be achieved.

Further, according to the present embodiment, in the second rinsing step, the water is heated to a temperature of 70 ° C. or higher in the upstream circulatory system 25a. Further, the water is heated to a temperature of 40 ° C. or higher in the downstream circulatory system 25b. As a result, the water-soluble flavor remaining in the upstream circulatory system 25a or the downstream circulatory system 25b can be efficiently removed. Further, the temperature of water is 150 ° C. or lower in the upstream circulatory system 25a. Further, the temperature of water is 100 ° C. or lower in the downstream circulatory system 25b. As a result, energy saving can be achieved. It should be noted that the ability to efficiently remove the water-soluble flavor remaining in the upstream circulatory system 25a in this way will be described with reference to Examples described later.

Further, according to the present embodiment, in the second rinsing step, the time for supplying water to the upstream circulatory system 25a or the downstream circulatory system 25b is 5 minutes or more. Thereby, the flavor remaining in the upstream circulatory system 25a or the downstream circulatory system 25b can be effectively removed.
The time for supplying water to the upstream circulatory system 25a or the downstream circulatory system 25b is 60 minutes or less. As a result, downtime can be shortened and energy saving can be achieved.

In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the drug is heated to a temperature of 70 ° C. or higher and 100 ° C. or lower in the drug circulation step in the downstream circulatory system 25b has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, in the above-described embodiment, assuming that the surge tank 4 or the like of the downstream circulation system 25b is handled as a type 2 pressure vessel, the case where the drug is heated to a temperature of 70 ° C. or higher and 100 ° C. or lower. explained. On the other hand, when the surge tank 4 or the like of the downstream circulatory system 25b is handled as a first-class pressure vessel, in the drug circulation step of the downstream circulatory system 25b, the temperature of the drug is, for example, 70 ° C. or higher and 150 ° C. or lower, for example, 130 ° C. It may be heated. Even in this case, by heating the drug to a temperature of 70 ° C. or higher, the flavor remaining in the downstream circulatory system 25b can be efficiently removed, and by setting the drug temperature to 150 ° C. or lower, energy saving can be achieved. Can be planned. Further, by heating the drug to a high temperature of 130 ° C. as an example, the flavor remaining in the downstream circulatory system 25b can be removed more efficiently.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which the manifold valve 21 is provided in the content filling system 100 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, CIP from the UHT 3 to the filling device 6 may be performed at the same time without providing the manifold valve 21.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the content filling system 100 may further include a carbonic acid line 40 provided with a carbonic acid addition device 41 for adding carbonic acid to the beverage. In this case, the carbonic acid line 40 is connected to the downstream supply pipe 20b via a manifold valve 21b provided between the surge tank 4 and the head tank 5. As a result, as shown by the thick line in FIG. 6, the beverage is supplied to the carbonic acid line 40 through the downstream supply pipe 20b, and carbonic acid is added by the carbonic acid addition device 41. Then, the carbonated beverage is supplied from the carbonic acid line 40 through the manifold valve 21b to the downstream supply pipe 20b and the head tank 5, and is filled in the container 9 by the filling device 6.

In the content filling system 100, when only the head tank 5 is provided without the surge tank 4, the manifold valve 21b described above may be provided on the downstream side of the head tank 5.

In CIP, the heating device for heating water may be, for example, an aseptic water sterilizer used in an aseptic filling machine for bottle rinse, cap rinse, or the like, or another product heat sterilizer.

Further, the UHT3 may be an injection type or an infusion type, and the heat exchanger used for heat exchange in the content filling system 100 such as the heat exchanger of the UHT3 may be a plate type or a shell & tube type.

Next, specific examples of the present invention will be described.

(Example)
First, the fruit beverage was supplied to the upstream circulatory system 25a of the content filling system 100 having the configuration shown in FIG. 1, and the upstream circulatory system 25a was circulated for 4 hours.

At this time, the supply temperature of the fruit beverage is 20 ° C., the temperature of the fruit beverage heated by the holding tube 33 of the UHT3 is 115 ° C., and the temperature of the fruit beverage that has passed through the second stage cooling unit 35 is 30 ° C. there were.

Next, the fruit beverage was discharged to the outside from the upstream supply mechanism 24a, and CIP of the upstream circulatory system 25a was performed. At this time, first, as the first rinsing step, water at 15 ° C. was supplied to the upstream circulatory system 25a for 5 minutes.

Next, as a drug circulation step, the drug was supplied to the upstream circulatory system 25a and circulated. At this time, the time for supplying the drug to the upstream circulatory system 25a and circulating it was 15 minutes. At this time, an alkaline cleaning solution containing 2% by mass of sodium hydroxide was used as a drug. The temperature of the drug heated by the holding tube 33 of UHT3 was 140 ° C.

Next, as a second rinsing step, water was supplied to the upstream circulatory system 25a for 10 minutes. At this time, the temperature of the water heated by the holding tube 33 of UHT3 was 140 ° C.

Then, as a third rinsing step, water at 15 ° C. was supplied to the upstream circulatory system 25a for 10 minutes. In addition, the water used in the third rinsing step was recovered to obtain sample data.

Then, as typical flavors, the contents of ethyl butyrate, ethyl 2-methylbutyrate and limonene contained in the obtained sample data were measured (Table 1).

(Comparison example)
In the drug circulation step, the temperature of the drug heated by the holding tube 33 of UHT3 was 80 ° C., and as the second rinse step, water at 15 ° C. was supplied to the upstream circulation system 25a for 20 minutes. The upstream circulatory system 25a was CIPed in the same manner as in the examples except that the water used in the second rinsing step was recovered to obtain sample data and the third rinsing step was not performed. In addition, the contents of ethyl butyrate, ethyl 2-methylbutyrate and limonene contained in the obtained sample data were measured (Table 1).

Here, Table 1 shows the contents of ethyl butyrate, 2-methylbutyrate and limonene contained in the sample data obtained in the comparative example, and ethyl butyrate and 2-methyl butyrate contained in the sample data obtained in the example. The ratio of the content of ethyl butyrate and limonene is shown.

As shown in Table 1, in the examples, the content of ethyl butyrate contained in the rinse water could be 19% as compared with the comparative example. Moreover, in the example, the content of ethyl 2-methylbutyrate contained in the rinse water could be 33% as compared with the comparative example. Furthermore, the content of limonene contained in the rinse water could be 75% as compared with the comparative example.

As described above, in the embodiment, the flavor remaining in the upstream circulatory system 25a can be efficiently removed. In particular, in the second rinsing step, by heating the water to a temperature of 140 ° C., the water-soluble flavor remaining in the upstream circulatory system 25a can be efficiently removed.

It is also possible to appropriately combine a plurality of components disclosed in the above-described embodiments and modifications as necessary. Alternatively, some components may be removed from all the components shown in the above embodiments and modifications.

3 UHT
6 Filling device 25a 1st circulation system 25b 2nd circulation system 100 Contents filling system

Claims (1)

In the deodorizing method of deodorizing the content filling system by CIP,
The first rinsing step of supplying the first circulatory system for the first circulatory system to the first circulatory system including at least a heat sterilizer for heating the beverage.
A drug circulation step of supplying and circulating a drug for the first circulatory system to the first circulatory system,
It is provided with a second rinsing step of supplying the first circulatory system with the second rinsing water for the first circulatory system.
A deodorization method in which, in the drug circulation step, the drug for the first circulatory system is heated to a temperature of 70 ° C. or higher and 150 ° C. or lower in the first circulatory system.

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