JP2587780Y2 - Hardness detection device for whipped food and continuous production device for whipped food using the same - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for detecting the hardness of whipped food such as whipped cream used as a material for Western confectionery, and a continuous apparatus for producing whipped food using the apparatus. More specifically, the present invention provides a means for detecting the flow rate of a liquid phase raw material, a means for detecting a flow rate of a gas phase raw material, a means for detecting the product of the viscosity and density of a whipped food placed in a discharge pipe, and a discharge pipe. Means for detecting the internal pressure, and the flow rate of the liquid phase raw material, the flow rate of the gas phase raw material,
A device for detecting the hardness of whipped food, comprising means for calculating the hardness of the whipped food from the product of the pressure of the whipped food, the product of the viscosity and the density of the whipped food, and a continuous type of the whipped food using the detection device It relates to a manufacturing device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Whipped foods having an overrun such as whipped cream are used as materials for various Western confectionery products from high-end products to popular products. Due to reasons such as mass production, product quality, problems in food hygiene, and demand for uniformity, continuous production apparatuses are frequently used.

FIG. 3 shows an example of a conventional continuous production apparatus for whipped food. FIG. 3 is a process diagram and configuration diagram showing a continuous production apparatus of a whipped cream. The raw material cream is transferred from a tank 1 by a supply pump 2, and compressed air, which has been sterilized and purified in advance, is continuously mixed in through an air dispersion device 3 and fed to a rotary stirrer 4. A rotor 5 is disposed inside the rotary stirrer 4, and a multi-stage protruding blade is provided on the inner wall of the rotary stirrer 4, and the rotor 5 has the blade. The blades are provided so as to be alternate with the rotor (not shown), so that the rotor
When 5 rotates, the shearing force of these blades causes a high shear to be applied to the raw material cream into which air is mixed, so that fine bubbles and agglomeration of particles (fat globules) are advanced, the viscosity is increased, and a suitable hardness is obtained. Changes to whipped cream.

In general, important physical properties for evaluating the quality of whipped foods include flavor, overrun, texture (hereinafter, texture may be referred to as "hardness") and the like. Among these physical properties, hardness is particularly important,
For example, in the case of the whipped cream, it is important when topping (artificial flower) on the upper surface of the cake, a beautiful artificial flower can be obtained only when the hardness is appropriate, and the shape retention of the artificial flower is maintained. Is done.

[0005] The hardness of such a whip cream by the continuous manufacturing apparatus has the following problems. That is, even if each device is operated under the same operating conditions, the hardness of the obtained whipped cream depends on the type and temperature of the raw material cream, the aging conditions at the time of manufacturing the raw material cream, and the like. Is not constant. Therefore, from the viewpoint of quality control, it is necessary to constantly monitor the hardness of the whipped cream. If the hardness of the whipped cream deviates from the target value, it is necessary to adjust each operating factor and change the hardness promptly. However, in the above-mentioned continuous manufacturing apparatus, this operation relies exclusively on the experience of the operator and the can.

As described above, in general, there is a high need to detect the hardness of whipped food and to automatically control the hardness in a continuous whipped food manufacturing apparatus, and various techniques for this purpose have been disclosed. For example,
2-60053, JP-B-63-65286, JP-A-3-27276, JP-A-3-39
040, JP-A-3-47036 and the like.

The technique described above is characterized by detecting the hardness of the whipped food. An object (strain gauge sensor) which receives the drag of the whipped food discharged is interposed, and the drag which the object receives from the whipped food. Is a method of detecting the hardness of the whipped food by detecting the hardness of the whipped food by detecting a friction loss in a discharge pipe through which the whipped food flows by a pressure sensor. In addition,
Is characterized by means for controlling the hardness of the whipped food.

Further, in recent years, an on-line rotary viscometer which can be directly installed on a pipe has been marketed, and the use of the viscometer for detecting the hardness of whipped foods has been studied.

[0009]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] In a continuous whipped food production system, in order to accurately and automatically control the hardness of the whipped food, it is necessary to accurately detect the hardness of the whipped food. Control. Accordingly, there has been a long-awaited need for a technique for detecting hardness with higher accuracy in the above-mentioned items, but there are limitations on the accuracy of the above-mentioned items and the respective items. That is, if the speed of the whipped food flowing through the discharge pipe changes, the detection result is affected, and similarly, the speed is also affected. If the hardness cannot be detected, there is a limit to obtaining higher accuracy, such as a slow response speed to fluctuation.

[0010] After all, hitherto, a more accurate whipped food hardness detection device has not been put into practical use, and therefore, a continuous production device for automatically controlling the whipped food hardness with higher accuracy has not been realized. .

Further, the above-mentioned on-line type rotary viscometer comprises:
The pressure loss in the sensor part is large, and there is a possibility that the rotational shear of the rotor may affect the physical properties (hardness) of the whipped food, and it is not preferable to use the whipped food for detecting the hardness.

In view of the state of the prior art, the present inventors have conducted intensive studies on a device for detecting the hardness of whipped food with higher accuracy and a manufacturing device for automatically controlling the hardness of the whipped food. Fluctuated due to an extremely large number of factors, and found that they can be detected with high accuracy by combining those factors under specific conditions, and completed the present invention.

An object of the present invention is to provide a high-precision whipped food hardness detection device which is not affected by the flow velocity in a whipped food production line, has a quick detection response, and does not affect the physical properties of the obtained whipped food. It is to be.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a device for continuously producing whipped food by automatically controlling the hardness of the whipped food accurately.

[0015]

Next, the configuration of the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems will be described. The elements of the present invention facilitate the correspondence with the elements of the embodiments or test examples described later. For this reason, the reference numerals in parentheses for the elements of the examples or test examples are added.

The reason why the present invention is described in correspondence with the reference numerals of the following embodiments or test examples is to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is limited to the following embodiments or test examples. Not to do.

FIG. 1 is a process diagram and a configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a whipped food hardness detecting device according to the present invention, and FIG.
FIG. 2 is a process diagram and a configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a continuous whipped food production device of the present invention.

A first device of the present invention for solving the above problems is a means (8) for detecting a flow rate of a liquid phase raw material, a means (9) for detecting a flow rate of a gas phase raw material, and a discharge pipe (14). Means (11) for detecting the product of the viscosity and density of the whipped food placed in the vessel, means (10) for detecting the pressure inside the discharge pipe (14), and the flow rate of the liquid-phase raw material, Means for calculating the hardness of whipped food from the product of flow rate, whipped food pressure, whipped food viscosity and density (1
2) A whipped food hardness detection device, comprising:

A second invention of the present invention for solving the above problems is a means (8) for detecting a flow rate of a liquid phase raw material, a means (9) for detecting a flow rate of a gas phase raw material, and a discharge pipe (14). Means (11) for detecting the product of the viscosity and density of the whipped food placed in the vessel, means (10) for detecting the pressure inside the discharge pipe (14), and the flow rate of the liquid-phase raw material, Means for calculating the hardness of whipped food from the product of flow rate, whipped food pressure, whipped food viscosity and density (1
2) and whipped meal according to the calculation result of the already calculated means
An apparatus for continuously producing whipped food, comprising means (7, 15) for controlling the hardness of a product to a target value .

Furthermore, the present invention also has a desirable mode in which the means (11) for detecting the product of the viscosity and the density of the whipped food is an ultrasonic vibration viscometer.

Next, the configuration of the present invention will be described in detail.

In the hardness detecting device according to the first invention of the present invention, means (8) for detecting the flow rate of the liquid-phase raw material for whipped food, means (9) for detecting the flow rate of the gas-phase raw material for the whipped food, Means (11) for detecting the product of the viscosity and density of the whipped food, means (1) for detecting the pressure of the whipped food
0) and a means (12) for calculating the hardness of the whipped food from each value detected by the above means.

As means (8) for detecting the flow rate of the liquid phase raw material for whipped food, there are various flow meters such as a differential pressure type, an area type, an electromagnetic type, an ultrasonic type, a turbine type and a positive displacement type. Preferably, an electromagnetic flow meter is provided in the supply line (13) for the liquid phase raw material for whipped food.

Means (9) for detecting the flow rate of the gas phase raw material for whipped foods include a differential pressure type, an area type, a volume type, etc., and a thermal mass flow meter. Desirably, it is provided in a supply line (16) for a gas phase raw material for whipped food.

Means for detecting pressure of whipped food (1)
0) includes force balance type, inductance type, capacity type,
Although there are strain gauge type pressure gauges and vibration type pressure gauges, strain gauge type pressure gauges are desirable, and are disposed in the whip food discharge pipe (14). When a pressure sensor is used as a means for detecting pressure, an amplifier is required, but is not shown in FIG.

As means (11) for detecting the product of the viscosity and the density of the whipped food, a commercially available ultrasonic vibration viscometer (edited by Kunio Yamauchi et al., “Milk Dictionary”, pages 418 to 418).
20 pages, Asakura Shoten, 1992), which is disposed in the whip food discharge pipe (14).

Means for calculating the hardness of whipped food (1)
2) A commercially available personal computer may be used.
Any form such as a desktop type or a note type may be used.

The whipped food hardness detecting device of the present invention is constructed by combining these means as shown in FIG. 1, for example.

A continuous production apparatus for whipped food, which is a second invention of the present invention, has the hardness of the first invention of the present invention in addition to the components of the conventional continuous production apparatus illustrated in FIG. with each components of the detection device, furthermore, it is detected
The hardness of the whipped food according to the hardness of the whipped food
A means (7, 15) for controlling to a preset target value is provided.
ing. Such means include a control means (15) and a wheel.
Means for adjusting the hardness of the food, such as a rotary stirrer
(4) Variable to change the rotation speed of the internal rotor (5)
Speed motor (7). As the control means (15), a commercially available controller can be used, and a continuous PID type (analog output) is desirable.

The control means (15) is provided with the calculation means (12)
Can be integrated into one calculation output means, and conversely, a plurality of control means (15) can be used.

The operating factors to be controlled include, besides the rotation speed of the rotor (5), the internal pressure of the rotary stirring device (4) and the components inside the rotary stirring device (4). Warm,
Any factor that can control the hardness of the whipped food, such as the overrun of the whipped food, may be selected, and a plurality of these may be used in combination. However, in consideration of simplicity, it is most desirable to use the rotation speed of the rotor (5) as an operation factor.

In the present invention, whipped foods are all foods containing fine bubbles formed by mixing and stirring gas-phase and liquid-phase raw materials, and include whipped cream, whipped butter, whipped yogurt, and whipped jelly. -, Mousse, marshmallow, etc. can be exemplified, and in particular, it is particularly desirable to apply the present invention to a whipped cream because the whipped cream is an important evaluation index for hardness.

[0033]

Next, the operation of the present invention will be described based on the configuration of the present invention.

The values detected by the means (8) for detecting the flow rate of the liquid-phase raw material and the means (9) for detecting the flow rate of the gas-phase raw material are output values (A) and (B) as calculation means (12). Is input to Similarly, the detected value of the product of the viscosity and the density is input to the calculating means (12) as an output value (C), and the detected value of the means for detecting the pressure of the whipped food (10) is similarly set as (D). Is entered.

In the calculating means (12), the density of the whipped food is obtained from the input values (A), (B) and (D) (Kikuchi Motokazu et al., The 24th Autumn Meeting of the Chemical Engineering Society of Japan). Abstracts, 216 pages, Society of Chemical Engineers, 199
1 year), and from the input value (C) and the value of the density, the apparent viscosity of the whipped food is determined by the following equation.

Μ _a = R · (P + P ₀ · F _G / F _L ) / (ρ _c · P) [where, in the above equation, μ _a is the apparent viscosity of the whipped food, and R is the product of the viscosity and density of the whipped food. , P is the pressure of the whipped food, P ₀ is the standard pressure, F _L is the liquid raw material flow rate, F _G is the gas phase material flow, [rho _c is the value of the 'apparent viscosity mu _a represents the density of the liquid phase feedstock , because it correlates with the hardness P _E whipped food as described in the following test example 1, by sequential calculation by creating in advance a regression equation to be continuously output as hardness P _E whipped food it can.

Since the whipped cream is a non-Newtonian fluid, the value of the apparent viscosity generally differs depending on the shear rate when measuring the apparent viscosity. For example, when an ultrasonic viscometer is used as the means (11) for detecting the product of viscosity and density, the shear rate is about 1
4000sec is ^-1, the value of the apparent viscosity mu _a, not necessarily coincide with the measured value measured at a slower general viscometer with a shear rate than this (e.g. B-type viscometer).

Next, the operation of the continuous manufacturing apparatus of the present invention will be described in the same manner.

The result calculated by the calculation means (12) is output to the control means (15). In the control means (15), the control condition is calculated such that the hardness value output from the calculation means (12) is a target hardness value, and the calculation result is expressed as a wheel.
Means for adjusting the hardness of the whipped food , for example , output to the variable speed motor (7) of the rotary stirrer (4) to adjust the rotation speed of the rotor (5), and feedback-control the hardness of the whipped food as a whole. Thereby, the hardness of the whipped food is accurately controlled to a target hardness value.

Next, the present invention will be described in more detail by showing examples, test examples and comparative examples of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to the following examples and test examples.

[0041]

Embodiment 1 FIG. 1 schematically shows an embodiment in which the detection device of the present invention is applied to a whipped cream.

Rotary stirrer 4 (Morinaga Milk Co., Ltd., M
A supply pipe 13 and a discharge pipe 14 are connected to the (−6 type), and a gas phase raw material supply pipe 16 is connected to the supply pipe 13 via the air dispersion device 3.

The supply pipe 13 is provided with a cream flow meter 8 (manufactured by Yokogawa Electric Corporation, AM202DH), and the gas-phase raw material supply pipe 16 is provided with an air flow meter 9 (manufactured by Brook Instruments Co., Ltd., 5878A). Pressure gauge 1 on the discharge pipe 14
0 (manufactured by Minebea Co., Ltd., PR110S) and an ultrasonic viscometer 11 (manufactured by Fuji Industry Co., Ltd., FUV-1). Each of these instruments is a cable and a computer 12 (NE).
C9801VX).

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

The flow rate of the raw material cream is detected by the cream flow meter 8, and the result is input to the computer 1 as an input signal A.
2 is input. Further, the flow rate of the compressed air is detected by the air flow meter 9, and the
Is input to Similarly, the product of viscosity and density is detected by an ultrasonic vibration viscometer 11 (FUV-1 manufactured by Fuji Kogyo), and the pressure is detected by a pressure gauge 10 and input to the computer 12 as input signals C and D, respectively. .

The computer 12 determines the hardness of the whipped cream from the input signals A to D and the regression equation of the apparent viscosity and the hardness of the whipped cream, outputs the result, and outputs the result to a display device (not shown). ).

Embodiment 2 FIG. 2 schematically shows an embodiment in which the continuous manufacturing apparatus of the present invention is applied to a whipped cream.

A tank 1 for holding a raw material cream (manufactured by Yasuda Iron Works, with a 200-liter cooling function) and a rotary stirrer 4
(M-6 type, manufactured by Morinaga Milk Industry Co., Ltd.) are connected by a supply pipe 13, and the supply pump 13 is provided with a supply pump 2 and an air distribution device 3 in this order. The rotary stirrer 4 is provided with a discharge pipe 14 for discharging the whipped cream, and the number of rotations of the supply pump 2 and the rotor 5 is as follows.
These can be freely changed by the variable speed motors 6 and 7, respectively.

The supply pipe 13 is provided with a cream flow meter 8 (manufactured by Yokogawa Electric Corporation, AM202DH), and the gas-phase raw material supply pipe 16 is provided with an air flow meter 9 (manufactured by Brook Instruments, 5878A). Pressure gauge 1 on the discharge pipe 14
0 (manufactured by Minebea Co., Ltd., PR110S) and an ultrasonic viscometer 11 (manufactured by Fuji Industry Co., Ltd., FUV-1). Each of these instruments is a cable and a computer 12 (NE).
C9801VX). Further, a controller 15 (manufactured by Yamatake Honeywell, SDC
200) is connected, and the controller 15
It is connected to a variable speed motor 7 for rotating the motor 5 by a cable.

The hardness of the whipped food is calculated by the calculator 12 in the same manner as in the first embodiment.
Is a PID calculation of a condition under which the hardness converges to a target value from the result obtained by the computer 12, outputs the result to the variable speed motor 7 as an output signal E, and outputs the rotation speed of the rotor 5 Is feedback-controlled.

Next, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to test examples. Test Example 1 Using the apparatus of Example 2 (see FIG. 2), the relationship between the apparent viscosity detected by the ultrasonic viscometer (FUV-1 manufactured by Fuji Industry Co., Ltd.) and the hardness of the whipped cream. An experiment was performed to measure

(1) Experimental device and raw material whipping device Device of Example 2 Cup (made of cylindrical acrylic) Inner diameter 46.5 mm x Inner height 59.0 mm Raw material cream Fat content 45.0% (Morinaga Milk Industry Co., Ltd.) (2) Experimental method The raw material cream was continuously whipped by the continuous production apparatus of Example 2, and a part of the discharged whipped cream was collected and placed in a cup. At the time of collection, the apparent viscosity value of the whipped cream calculated by the calculating means 12 was recorded.

The surface of the collected whipped cream was smoothed by rubbing the upper end of the cup, and then the hardness of the whipped cream was measured by a penetration test.
ion test: The Society of Polymer Science, Rheology Committee,
"Rheology measurement method", pages 130-131
J., 2nd edition, Kyoritsu Shuppan, Showa 43). In detail, a penetration penetrometer (cone penet)
with a cone angle of 40 degrees and a weight of 12 g
Cone of the Hoippudokuri - was 5 seconds penetrate into arm, cones Hoippudokuri - Read the depth intruded into arm in 1mm units, which was used as a penetration P _E. Thus as the value of P _E is greater Hoippudokuri - it indicates that beam is soft.

[0054] The above procedure, continuous repeated while variously changed whipping conditions of the manufacturing apparatus, the actual Hoippudokuri the apparent viscosity mu _a calculated by the present invention -
It led the relationship between the hardness P _E of the arm.

(3) Test Results The results of this test are as shown in FIG. FIG.
The relationship between the hardness of the whipped cream and the apparent viscosity is shown. The horizontal axis and the vertical axis in the figure are the whipped cream hardness P _E (unit: millimeter) and the apparent viscosity μ _{a, respectively.}
(Unit: millipascal second). This result Hoippudokuri - hardness P _E and apparent viscosity mu _a free is perfectly correlated, has been found to be capable of expressing a single regression equation.

Test Example 2 A continuous production test of whipped cream was carried out using the apparatus of Example 2 (see FIG. 2).

1. Equipment, raw materials, operating conditions, etc. 1) Rotary stirrer specifications Stirring chamber inner diameter 120mm Rotor outer diameter 116mm Rotor length 430mm 2) Raw material cream specifications High whip extra with 45.0% fat content (Morinaga Milk Industry) 3) Operating conditions Raw material cream flow rate 80l / h Rotary stirrer inlet temperature 6 ° C Rotary stirrer outlet temperature 10 ° C Compressed air flow rate 96Nl / h

2. Test method 1. Rotor rotation speed is 400 rpm under condition 3).
In fixed and operated, and the target value of hardness P _E and 17mm Fi - Switch to Dobakku control, after the hardness has been stabilized, the raw material chestnut - the arm flow rate and the compressed air flow rate, respectively 100l
/ H and 120 Nl / h were deliberately varied to test the responsiveness of the control. At the same time, a sample (test sample) manufactured by the apparatus of the present invention was measured over time from the time of operation by the same penetration test as in Test Example 1.

3. Test Results The results of this test are as shown in FIG. FIG. 5 shows the relationship between the operating time and the hardness of the whipped cream,
The abscissa and ordinate, respectively operating at a time (minutes) and Hoippudokuri - beam hardness P _E (unit: Mirime - Torr) shows a. The solid line in the figure indicates the continuous output value obtained by the hardness detector of the present invention, and ○ indicates the value measured by the penetration test of the sample.

As apparent from FIG. 5, about 4 minutes after the start of the automatic control, the hardness of the whipped cream reaches the target value, and the stability is maintained even against intentional fluctuations of the raw material cream flow rate and the compressed air flow rate. Admitted. The measured value of the sample by automatic control is
It was in good agreement with that of the penetration test shown by ○, and it was found that there was no effect of the flow velocity in the piping due to the change in flow rate.

Therefore, when a whipped cream is manufactured by using the apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the operator from being erroneous due to a change in the flow rate (that is, a change in the production amount). This indicates that in actual production, the incidence of defective products is extremely low, and the yield is remarkably excellent.

From the above results, it was proved that the effect when the present invention was applied to automatic control of product hardness was remarkable.

[0063]

[Effect of the Invention] (1) The hardness of whipped food can be accurately measured online without being affected by the flow rate in the piping. (2) Responsiveness to fluctuations is fast, and therefore, when the hardness is automatically controlled, the fluctuations in manufacturing conditions follow very well. (3) The sensor itself does not affect the physical properties of the whipped food, and is excellent in safety and stability. (4) The ultrasonic vibration type sensor has a simple structure and has no moving parts, so that it is excellent in maintenance and inspection, cleaning and hygiene.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a process diagram and a configuration diagram showing one embodiment of a hardness detecting device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a process diagram and configuration diagram showing another embodiment of the continuous manufacturing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a process diagram and configuration diagram showing a conventional continuous production method of a whipped cream.

FIG. 4 shows the relationship between apparent viscosity and hardness of a whipped cream.

FIG. 5 shows a temporal change of hardness when the continuous apparatus of the present invention is used.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Tank 2 Supply pump 3 Air dispersion device 4 Rotary stirrer 5 Rotor 6 Variable speed motor 7 Variable speed motor 8 Cream flow meter 9 Air flow meter 10 Pressure gauge 11 Viscometer 12 Computer 13 supply piping 14 discharge piping 15 controller 16 gas-phase raw material supply piping

Continuation of front page (56) References JP-A-61-92528 (JP, A) JP-A-3-27276 (JP, A) JP-A-3-47036 (JP, A) JP-A-3-39040 (JP) JP-A-2-42937 (JP, A) JP-B-63-65286 (JP, B2) JP-B-62-60053 (JP, B2) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB Name) A23C 1/00-23/00 A23P 1/16

Claims (4)

(57) [Scope of request for utility model registration] 1. A means for detecting a flow rate of a liquid-phase raw material, a means for detecting a flow rate of a gas-phase raw material, a means for detecting a product of viscosity and density of a whipped food placed in a discharge pipe, Means for detecting pressure, and means for calculating the hardness of the whipped food from the product of the flow rate of the liquid-phase raw material, the flow rate of the gas-phase raw material, the pressure of the whipped food, and the viscosity and density of the whipped food. Hardness detector for whipped food. 2. The whipped food hardness detecting device according to claim 1, wherein the means for detecting the product of the viscosity and the density of the whipped food is an ultrasonic viscometer. 3. A means for detecting a flow rate of a liquid-phase raw material, a means for detecting a flow rate of a gas-phase raw material, a means for detecting a product of viscosity and density of a whipped food placed in a discharge pipe, Means for detecting pressure, and the flow rate of the liquid-phase raw material, the flow rate of the gas-phase raw material, the pressure of the whipped food, the means for calculating the hardness of the whipped food from the product of the viscosity and the density of the whipped food, and the calculation result of the previously calculated means According to whip
An apparatus for continuously producing whipped food, comprising means for controlling the hardness of food to a target value . 4. The continuous whipped food manufacturing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the means for detecting the product of the viscosity and the density of the whipped food is an ultrasonic vibration viscometer.