JP2779341B2 - Rotary spray type retort sterilization method and apparatus - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a heat sterilization treatment of a product in which contents such as food and medicine are sealed in a container (pouch, can, bottle, etc.) by a retort cycle process of heating, heating and cooling. The present invention relates to a rotating spray type retort sterilizing method and apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a spray type retort sterilizer has been provided for this type of heat sterilization. This spray-type retort sterilizer stacks a plurality of trays on which products are placed and stores them in a sterilization tank. After sterilization, cooling water is sprayed from a spray nozzle to cool the product (Japanese Utility Model Publication 3-319).
No. 7).

[0003]

The conventional spray-type retort sterilizer heats and sterilizes the product by standing the product horizontally in a sterilization tank, and thus has an effect of promoting heat transfer to the contents in the container. Is low. In particular, when a highly viscous liquid is contained in a large container, the temperature change in the central portion is significantly slowed down. In such a case, since the heat sterilization treatment needs to be performed on the entire contents, it is necessary to continuously spray hot water or the like from the spray nozzle until the temperature in the central portion reaches the target value, which increases the processing time. I was

An object of the present invention is to provide a rotary spray retort sterilization method and apparatus capable of enhancing the effect of promoting heat transfer to the contents in a container and shortening the sterilization processing time.

[0005]

According to the method of the present invention, in order to achieve the above-mentioned object, trays on which products are placed are stacked in a plurality of stages, accommodated in a sterilization tank, and arranged toward a gap between the trays. The product is heated and sterilized by spraying hot water or steam from the spray nozzle that has been sprayed, and then cooled by spraying cooling water from the spray nozzle to cool the product. The tray and the spray nozzle on which are placed are rotated in the sterilization tank to enhance the effect of promoting heat transfer to the contents in the container for sterilization.

In the apparatus of the present invention, a plurality of trays on which products are placed are stacked and accommodated in a sterilization tank, and hot water or steam is sprayed from a spray nozzle disposed toward a gap between the trays. In a spray-type retort sterilizer that cools products by spraying cooling water from spray nozzles after heating and sterilizing the products, a rotating body that holds the trays stacked in multiple stages rotatably in the sterilization tank, A spray pipe that sprays hot water, steam, and cooling water toward the gap between the header pipe and the header pipe that is arranged to rotate together with the rotating body, and a rotary drive that rotates the rotating body and the header pipe in the sterilization tank During the heat sterilization and cooling treatment of the product, the tray on which the product is placed and the header pipe are rotated in the sterilization tank by the rotation drive means to transfer the product to the contents in the container. It is obtained without to sterilization increase the promoting effect.

[0007]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional front view showing a schematic structure of a main part of a sterilization apparatus used for carrying out the method of the present invention.
3A and 3B are explanatory views of an operation state showing a state in the middle of rotation, FIG. 3A is a perspective view showing a schematic structure of a rotating body,
4B is a schematic perspective view of the tray, FIG. 4A is a schematic side view showing a first embodiment of the rotary drive unit, FIG. 4B is a schematic side view showing a second embodiment of the rotary drive unit, C) shows a longitudinal front view thereof.

1 to 4, reference numeral 1 denotes a sterilization tank, 2 denotes a rotating body, 3 denotes a tray, 4 denotes a header pipe, 5 denotes a rotation driving means, and a denotes a product.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the sterilization tank 1
It has a cylindrical shape fixed and supported on a base 6 in a horizontal state, and lid members 1a and 1b are hermetically attached to both ends thereof. The front lid member 1a carries a tray 3 on which a product a is placed.
It is installed to be able to open and close to carry it out.

As best shown in FIG. 3A, the rotating body 2 comprises a plurality of disks 2a, a plurality of connecting bars 2b for connecting the disks 2a at appropriate intervals, and a tray 3. The trays 3 are stacked between substantially rectangular openings 2c formed in the respective disks 2a for storing the stacked carts 3a and substantially rectangular openings 2c of the respective disks 2a. It has a bottom guide rail 2d for holding the carriage 3a so that it can be carried in and out, a side guide roll 2e, and a tray pressing member 2f for pressing the uppermost one of the trays 3 stacked on the carriage 3a from above. The lid member 1 is rotatably supported in the tank 1 via a support roller 2g, or the front end side is supported by the support roller 2g, and the rear end side is a rear end side lid member 1 of the sterilization tank 1 by a rotating shaft 5e described later.
It is rotatably supported at the center of b through a bearing.
The bottom guide rail 2d is formed of a roller conveyor to facilitate loading and unloading of the carriage 3a, but may be simply a rail structure. In addition, the side guide roll 2e is a cart 3a.
For guiding and holding the entirety of the trays 3 stacked on both sides from one side to the other, and is installed in one or more rows between the discs 2a. Further, the tray holding member 2f is provided with an air cylinder or other appropriate means 2 on the upper portion between the disks 2a.
h so that it can be operated up and down, and is made of punching metal or the like. In addition, the supporting roller 2g is
Corresponding to each disk 2a, or corresponding to an appropriate disk 2a, rotatably installed in a part of the sterilization tank 1, and
Are arranged so as to be supported at a plurality of points including the lower two points on the circumference of.

As best shown in FIG. 3B, the tray 3 can be stacked on a truck 3a, and a plurality of products a do not overlap with each other and do not move.
b for positioning and holding, and for allowing hot water or the like to be sprayed from around each of the stacked trays 3.
c is formed, and an appropriate drainage structure such as punching metal is employed to enable drainage from the bottom.

As best shown in FIG. 1, the header pipe 4 has a large number of spray nozzles 4a, and a product a through a window 3c between the trays 3 stacked in the rotating body 2 and stacked. For spraying hot water or the like toward the surface of the rotating body 2, which is arranged vertically or horizontally between the disks 2 a of the rotating body 2, and is integrated with the tray 3 in a stacked state carried into the rotating body 2. It is configured to rotate.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 3A, and 4A, the main pipes disposed on both sides of the rotating body 2 supply hot water or cooling water to the header pipe 4. The main pipes 4b on both sides are joined at a rear end of the rotating body 2 on a central axis of the rotating body 2 by a merging pipe 4d, and the rear end of the sterilizing tank 1 is provided. It is connected via a rotary joint 4f to a supply port tube 4e arranged at the center of the side lid member 1b. As shown in FIG. 1, a circulating supply pipe 9 provided with a circulation pump 7 and a heat exchanger 8 is connected to the supply port pipe 4e. The suction pipe 9a of the circulation pump 7 is connected to the bottom of the sterilization tank 1, the discharge pipe 9b of the circulation pump 7 is connected to the inlet of the heat exchanger 8, and the outlet of the heat exchanger 8 is connected to a circulation supply pipe. 9 is connected to the supply port tube 4e. The heat exchanger 8 heats or cools (heat exchanges) water or other appropriate liquid staying at the bottom of the sterilization tank 1 with the heating steam s or the cooling water c to produce hot water or cooling water. Heated steam for heat exchange and cooling water are switched and supplied from pipes 10 and 11 via switching valves 12 and 13, and a cooling water outlet pipe 14 and a steam drain pipe 15 are connected to switching valves 16 and 1.
7 are switchably connected. In addition, sterilization tank 1
Is connected to a vacuum degassing means 18 and a hot air supply and exhaust means 19 for drying as required (see FIG. 1). The supply of the hot water or the cooling water to the header pipe 4 is directly performed without passing through the heat exchanger 8 as in the embodiment of FIG.
The heating steam or the cooling water may be switched and supplied.

The rotation driving means 5 has two embodiments.
One of them is, as shown in FIG. 4 (A), a motor 5a installed on a base 6 outside one end of the sterilizing tank 1 and a speed reducer 5 mounted on the base 6.
b, the rotating shaft 5e fixed to one end of the rotating body 2 via the gears 5c and 5d is configured to rotate. In this case, the rotating shaft 5e is a hollow shaft through which hot water or cooling water is supplied to the header pipe 4 of the rotating body 2 through its center. The rotating shaft 5e is rotatably supported by the lid member 1b on the rear end side of the sterilization tank 1.

Another embodiment is shown in FIGS. 4B and 4C.
As shown in FIG. 5, a motor 5f is installed on a part of the outer periphery of the sterilizing tank 1, an annular gear 5g is fixed to a part of the rotating body 2, and the motor 5f is rotated by meshing the annular gear 5g via a pinion 5h. The rotating body 2 is rotated.

The present invention is configured as described above, and the operation will be described next. First, the lid member 1a on the front side of the sterilization tank 1 is opened, and the trays 3 on which the products a are placed are sequentially stored in the rotating body 2 by a carry-in conveyor (not shown) in a state of being stacked on the carriage 3a. The member 1a is closed. Then, the tray holding member 2f is moved down to press and hold the uppermost tray 3. Thereby, the stacked body of each tray 3 is held in the rotating body 2 by the tray pressing member 2f and the bottom guide rail 2d in the vertical direction, and by the side guide rolls 2e in the both sides. In this state, heated steam is supplied to the heat exchanger 8, and the circulation pump 7 is operated to supply hot water to the header pipe 4 in the sterilization tank 1. At the same time, the rotation driving means 5 is driven to rotate the rotating body 2 at a predetermined number of rotations, for example, at 5 to 30 rpm, most often at 20 rpm in consideration of the viscosity of the liquid contained in the product a. FIG. 2A shows the rotating body 2 at 45 ° counterclockwise.
FIG. 2B shows the state of movement of the contents of the product a in the container when rotated, and FIG. 2B shows the contents of the product a in the container when the rotating body 2 is further rotated 270 ° counterclockwise. Shows the moving state of.

By rotating the rotator 2 in the sterilization tank 1 by the rotation driving means 5 as described above, the product a placed on each tray 3 is rotated with the tray 3 by a large number of header pipes 4. Is heated by hot water sprayed from the spray nozzle 4a. In this case, the liquid contained in the product a is rotated by the above-described rotation, so that the liquid components shown in FIGS.
As shown in (1), the container moves left and right in the container, the contents in the center of the container are constantly replaced with the container peripheral portion, and the entire contents in the container are heated quickly and uniformly. In the cooling step after the heat treatment, each part can be uniformly cooled in a short period of time by rotating and treating in the same manner as described above.

FIGS. 5A to 5D are explanatory views of an experimental apparatus manufactured to confirm the effect of the present invention, and show a processing tank 20 as a substitute for a sterilizing tank and this processing tank 20. A product mounting table 21 serving as a substitute for a rotating body accommodated therein, and a pouch 22 serving as a product substitute on the product mounting table 21 are sandwiched from above and below by punching plates 23, 23, and the periphery thereof is fixed by bolts 24. A spray nozzle 25 is provided in the upper part of the tank 20, and the stagnant water in the bottom part of the processing tank 20 is supplied from the circulation pump 26 to the spray nozzle 25 while increasing the temperature while being heated. The product mounting table 21 is rotated at a rotation speed of 6 rpm as shown in FIG. 5E, and the temperature rise state of the solid matter contained in the solution in the pouch 22 is measured. did. In FIG. 5 (A), reference numeral 27 denotes a collection stop valve, which is closed during the above processing. In this case, the temperature sensors 28 are set at substantially equal intervals at three places on the pouch 22 (see (B), (C), and (D) in FIG. 5), and the detected temperatures are displayed as T2, T3, and T4. , The solid matter temperature of each part in the pouch 22 is set to a predetermined temperature (120
C)). The inside of the processing tank 20 is sealed, and the internal temperature T1 is measured by another temperature sensor (not shown).
And the change in pressure P1 was measured with a pressure gauge (not shown). When the temperature of the solution is measured, the temperature sensor 28 is set on the pouch 22 as shown in FIG.
As shown in (G), the sensor holding member 29 made of a heat-resistant material such as silicone rubber or the like and having a conical plug shape is penetrated through the center hole to expose and hold the temperature-sensitive portion at the tip in the liquid. Avoid contact. When measuring the temperature change of the solid matter contained in the solution, FIG.
(I) As shown in (J), a dummy solid 3 is formed by a cube (other shapes are also possible) made of a heat-resistant material such as silicon rubber.
0 into the temperature sensing part at the tip of the temperature sensor 28,
The temperature rise state inside the dummy solid 30 is measured. The dimensions of the pouch 22 are as shown in the numerical values (mm) shown in FIG. The solution in the pouch 22 is CMC
A solution (1.5 wt%) is used. The viscosity characteristics of this solution are shown in the detection data table of FIG. 6A and the rotor data of FIG. The trend shown in the graph was used.

FIG. 7 shows a case where a product containing a solid-containing solution such as retort curry as a content is processed by the experimental apparatus in a state where the product mounting table 21 is left stationary (A). , The temperature change (T2, T2) inside the solid in the case where the processing is performed by rotating the product mounting table 21 (B).
3, T4) and comparative experimental data showing the distribution (F2, F3, F4) of the F value (a numerical value indicating the degree of sterilization, botulinum kills at 4 or more) obtained based on this temperature change. ing.

In the case of stationary processing: see FIG. 7A. F2 = 16.9 F3 = 8.2 F4 = 13.4 In the case of static processing shown in FIG. Temperature rise curve T of each part in the pouch compared to curve T1
2, T3 and T4 are moderate and uneven, and before the whole reaches a predetermined temperature (about 120 ° C.) (11
At about 8 ° C.), the F value clears the target value, and the heating is completed. From the end of the heating (approximately 1 hour and 35 minutes after the start of the processing), the process immediately shifts to the cooling step, and the temperature T in the processing tank is reduced.
1 rapidly drops to about 30 ° C. (with a time lag of 2 to 3 minutes during this period), and cooling is started. In this cooling step, in the case of still processing, each part in the pouch is compared with the cooling temperature curve T1 in the processing tank. The cooling temperature curves T2, T3, and T4 are gradual and varied, and the temperature T2 at approximately 60 ° C.
3 ≒ 70 ° C., T4 ≒ 72 ° C., about 20 ° C. to 32 ° C., high temperature, and from the start of cooling (about 1 hour and 38 minutes after the start of processing) to the end of cooling (about 1 hour and 58 minutes after the start of processing) It takes about 20 minutes to cool down to (2). As a result, the F value is F2 = 16.9, F3 = 8.2, F4
= 13.4. in short,
In the case of the stationary treatment, the heating time is about 1 hour and 35 minutes, the cooling time is about 20 minutes, and the entire processing time is about 1 hour and 58 minutes, and the variation of the heat transfer action to each part in the pouch is varied. Is large, and as a result, the variation of the F value is also large.

In the case of rotation processing: see FIG. 7 (B) F2 = 13.9 F3 = 12.9 F4 = 13.7 In the case of rotation processing shown in FIG. 7 (B), the temperature rise curve T1 in the processing tank On the other hand, the temperature rise curves T2, T3, and T4 of each part in the pouch are sharp, and the entire temperature has reached a predetermined temperature (about 120 ° C.) about 33 minutes after the start of the processing. Immediately after the heating is completed (about 43 minutes have elapsed since the start of the treatment = the required heating time), the process immediately proceeds to the cooling step, and the temperature in the treatment tank is reduced to about 30 minutes.
℃, and the cooling is started (there is a time lag of 2 to 3 minutes during this period). In this cooling process, the cooling temperature curves T2, T3, T4 of each part are rapidly lowered by the rotation process. (Approximately 48 minutes have passed since the start of processing)
The required time from the start to the end of cooling (approximately 58 minutes after the start of processing) is about 10 minutes. In contrast to the temperature T1 in the processing tank at the end of cooling of about 40 ° C. The temperature difference between T2、53 ° C., T3 ≒ 55 ° C. and T4 ≒ 54 ° C. is as small as 13 ° C. to 15 ° C. As described above, in the case of the rotation processing, the heat transfer action to each part in the pouch is improved, the dispersion is small, the heating time is reduced to about 43 minutes, and the cooling time is also reduced to about 10 minutes, and The processing time was reduced to about 58 minutes, and the F value was also F2 = 13.9,
F3 = 12.9 and F4 = 13.7, which are small variations.
In FIGS. 7A and 7B, the temperature T1 in the processing tank 20 is set to about 120 ° C., and the pressure P1 is set to about 2 kg / cm ² .

As is clear from the comparative experiment data shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, in the case of the stationary treatment (A), the temperature change (T2, T3, T4) and the distribution of the F value in each part in the pouch. There is a large variation in (F2, F3, F4) and a long processing time, but in the case of the rotation processing (B), the temperature change (T2, T3, T4) of each part in the pouch and the distribution of the F value The dispersion of (F2, F3, F4) is small and the processing time is short.

[0023]

According to the present invention, during the heating / cooling process of a product, the product is rotated and the hot water or the cooling water is sprayed on the product, so that the contents in the container are constantly moved, Heat is uniformly and quickly transferred to the center of the container,
The effect of promoting heat transfer to the contents in the container can be enhanced, and the sterilization time can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional front view showing a schematic structure of a main part of a sterilization apparatus used for carrying out the method of the present invention.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are explanatory diagrams of a moving state of contents showing a state in which a rotating body is rotated.

FIG. 3A is a perspective view showing a schematic structure of a rotating body,
(B) is a schematic perspective view of a tray.

FIG. 4A is a schematic side view showing a first embodiment of the rotary drive unit, FIG. 4B is a schematic side view showing a second embodiment of the rotary drive unit, and FIG. ing.

5A is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the entire experimental apparatus of the present invention, FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional plan view showing the relationship between a processing tank, a product mounting table and a pouch in the experimental apparatus, and FIG. (D) is a vertical sectional front view, (E) is an explanatory view of a rotation processing condition of a product mounting table, (F) is a schematic explanatory view of a liquid temperature measuring procedure in a pouch used for an experiment, and (G) is a schematic explanatory view. Perspective view of a temperature sensor holding member, (H) is a schematic explanatory view when measuring the temperature of a solid in a pouch, (I) is a perspective view of a dummy solid,
(J) is a side view of a dummy solid, and (K) is an explanatory view of a pouch size used in an experiment.

FIG. 6 (A) shows a CMC solution filled in a pouch (1.
5B is a detection data chart of viscosity characteristics of the JIS-B type viscometer (5 wt%) with respect to the rotor rotation speed and the temperature.
Is a graph showing the tendency.

FIG. 7 (A) is a processing characteristic diagram of a product in which the contents include a solid material in a stationary processing state, and FIG. 7 (B) is a processing characteristic diagram of a rotation processing state of the same product.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Sterilization tank 2 Rotating body 3 Tray 4 Header pipe 4a Spray nozzle 5 Rotation drive means a Product

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁶ , DB name) A61L 2/04-2/06 A23L 3/10

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. After stacking a plurality of trays on which products are placed and storing them in a sterilization tank, the product is heated and sterilized by spraying hot water or steam from a spray nozzle arranged toward a gap between the trays. The spray retort sterilization method of spraying cooling water from a spray nozzle to cool the product, wherein during the heat sterilization and cooling of the product, the tray on which the product is placed and the spray nozzle are rotated in the sterilization tank to perform the processing. A rotary spray type retort sterilization method characterized by the above-mentioned. 2. After stacking a plurality of trays on which the products are placed and storing them in a sterilization tank, the products are heated and sterilized by spraying hot water or steam from a spray nozzle arranged toward a gap between the trays. In a spray-type retort sterilizer that cools products by spraying cooling water from spray nozzles, a rotating body that holds multiple stacked trays rotatably in a sterilization tank and heat toward a gap between the trays It has a spray pipe for spraying water, steam and cooling water, and includes a header pipe arranged to rotate together with the rotating body, and a rotation drive means for rotating the rotating body and the header pipe in the sterilization tank. A rotary spray type retort sterilizer, characterized in that: