JP2815089B2 - Solid sterilizer - 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 sterilizing solids used for pre-sterilization of retort foods, for example, at a previous stage.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, retort foods are prepared by mixing non-sterilized foods, for example, solids and liquids, filling plastic or aluminum bags, sealing, applying a retort apparatus, and heat sterilizing. ing.

[0003]

In the conventional sterilization method, since the solid material and the liquid are heated at the same time through a sealed bag or the like, it is possible to separately perform the treatment suitable for the solid material and the treatment suitable for the liquid. However, the processing time tends to be as long as tens of minutes to several hours, and the longer the bag, the longer the time. For this reason, foods have been exposed to high temperatures for a long time, and there have been problems such as deterioration of quality and deterioration of flavor.

[0004] Conventionally, when only a solid material is sterilized, a large amount of the solid material is sterilized over a long period of time using a single large pressure cooker or the like. It is necessary to measure and distribute for filling into bags etc. after processing, it is easy to lose shape, and in addition, sap such as drip oozing out of solids during sterilization treatment collects at the bottom of a large pressure cooker, It is very difficult to dispense each bag with solids in each bag,
The current situation is that drip containing umami ingredients is discarded.

Accordingly, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-45778 discloses that solids are separated and sterilized, and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-237745 discloses that foods are put into a retainer and sterilized. Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Sho 57 (1995) discloses that the processing tank is reciprocated horizontally to sterilize the object.
Although it is disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 5678, etc., it cannot be said that it is sufficient to efficiently sterilize the solid matter in a short time in a state where the solid matter is subdivided into one pack. The present invention has been proposed in view of these problems.
An object of the present invention is to provide a sterilizer for a solid which can prevent deterioration in quality and flavor and can sterilize efficiently in a short time.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention relates to a retainer for storing a solid material by dividing it into small pieces of one pack each, wherein the shape of the retainer is open at the top and the inner peripheral surface is round, polygonal or convex. It has a bottomed cylindrical shape having, and has an opening and closing valve at the inlet and outlet, and supports the retainer in the sterilization processing tank partitioned into a plurality of processing chambers in the process order, between the inlet and the outlet of the sterilization processing tank. From the first processing chamber to the last processing chamber, the retainer is slightly inclined with the open part facing upward by a plurality of guide rails arranged in parallel along the longitudinal direction of this processing tank inside the processing chamber. Rolling rotatably aligned and supported, as a means to impart rotation to the retainer in the sterilization processing tank, the sterilization processing tank is swingably supported up and down in a seesaw shape, and this is rocked up and down by a rocking device The dynamic is allowed is supported on the guide rail retainer is obtained using means for rolling by its own weight to the lower inclination.

[0007]

[0008]

[0009] The plurality of processing chambers are three chambers of a vacuum raising / heating chamber, a heat sterilization chamber, and a vacuum cooling chamber.

[0010]

[0011]

[0012]

[0013]

According to the present invention, since the present invention has the above-described structure, individual retainers for storing solids in small portions of one pack at a time by a self-rotating action utilizing inclination by a common swinging device in a sterilization tank. By rotating the solid in the retainer forward and backward, a stirring action is given to the solid matter in the retainer, and the entire surface is sequentially converted and exposed, so that the sterilizing action can be efficiently received in a short time.
In addition, the retainer is supported in the sterilization tank by a plurality of guide rails arranged in parallel along the longitudinal direction of the sterilization tank, and the retainer is inclined at a slight angle in a lateral direction orthogonal to the alignment direction with respect to the alignment direction. By supporting it rotatably and rotatably in the state where it was made, just by swinging the sterilization treatment tank up and down with a rocking device in a seesaw shape, the retainer is moved from high to low by its own weight, , The retainer can be moved while rolling by the frictional force between the guide rail and the retainer, thereby ensuring rotation.
The entire apparatus is simple, has few failures, and can be implemented at low cost.

When the sterilization tank is swung up and down by a swinging device in a seesaw shape, the retainer moves while rolling from the higher position to the lower position in the sterilization tank. By alternately repeating, the retainer can be alternately rotated in the opposite direction with a simple configuration, and a stop shock can be applied each time.

The cycle time of batch processing can be shortened by partitioning the sterilizing tank into a plurality of processing chambers in the order of steps and performing the sterilizing processing through a plurality of stages. Since the plurality of processing chambers are a vacuum raising / heating chamber, a heat sterilization chamber, and a vacuum cooling chamber, the processing efficiency in each processing chamber can be increased.

In the sterilization tank, a plurality of guide rails arranged in parallel along the longitudinal direction of the processing tank tilt the retainer at a slight angle in the horizontal direction perpendicular to the alignment direction. By rolling and supporting the retainer, the action of moving the retainer from high to low due to the swinging of the sterilization tank is reliably converted to the action of rotating the retainer by the frictional force between the guide rail and the retainer. be able to.

Further, by forming the inner peripheral surface of the retainer into a circular shape, a polygonal shape, or a shape having projections,
When the retainer is rotated, the solid matter contained in the retainer can be reliably stirred. by this,
The solid matter in the retainer can be converted and exposed on the entire surface in order, so that the sterilizing action can be efficiently received in a short time.

[0018]

[0019]

[0020]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 1A and 1B are a schematic plan view and a schematic side view showing the configuration of a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2A is a schematic side view of a product to which the present invention is applied. Figure, (B)
FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of a retainer, (C) is a front view of a solid material pushing device, and (D) is a longitudinal sectional front view showing an example of a sterilization tank. In the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the solid (a) is loaded into a sterilization tank (2) by a solid indentation device (1), and the solid (a) is placed in the sterilization tank (2). a)
Is sterilized, sterilized, discharged from the sterilizing tank (2) by the discharging device (3), and filled into the bag (c) together with the liquid material (b) that has been sterilized separately by the filling machine and the packaging machine (4). And sealed and taken out as an intermediate or final product,
Thereafter, retort processing or refrigeration / freezing processing is performed.

Solids (a) to be put into the sterilization tank (2)
As shown in FIG. 2 (B), is weighed in advance to a retainer (d) one pack at a time, stored in small portions, and in this state, as shown in FIG. It is charged into the sterilization tank (2). This retainer (d)
Is made of heat-resistant plastic or metal, and has a cup shape having a cylindrical outer peripheral surface with an open upper part, a polygonal inner peripheral surface, and a bottom surface. Instead of the polygon, a round shape or a projection may be provided on the inner circumferential surface of the round shape.

The solid material pushing device (1) is for sequentially loading the solid material (a) contained in the retainer (d) into the sterilization tank (2). Although the case where the retainers (d) are sandwiched one by one from both sides by the conveyors (1a) and (1a) and moved on the support plate (1b) and fed are shown, other configurations such as a belt conveyor system are used. A known method such as a pusher method or the like can be adopted.

The sterilization tank (2) is divided into a plurality of processing chambers in the order of steps in order to reduce the batch processing cycle time. In the present embodiment, the vacuum-up / heat-up chamber (2
a), a sterilization chamber (2b), and a vacuum cooling chamber (2c). These vacuum-up and heating chambers (2a)
And the sterilizing chamber (2b) and the vacuum cooling chamber (2c) are constituted by a long pressure cooker having a pressure-resistant cylindrical or polygonal cylindrical shape, and both ends of each of the sterilizing tank (2). An inlet valve (2d), an outlet valve (2e), and a partition valve (2f) (2g) at an intermediate portion are provided between the processing chambers. The inlet valve (2d), the outlet valve (2e), and the intermediate partition valves (2f) (2g) exemplify the case of a ball valve type.
d '), (2e'), (2f '), and (2g'). However, various types of valves such as a slide valve type can be adopted. When the solid (a) stored in the retainer (d) is loaded into the vacuum-up and temperature-raising chamber (2a) of the sterilization tank (2) by the solid pusher (1), the inlet valve (2d) is opened. Open,
In addition, from the vacuum-up / heat-up room (2a) to the sterilization room (2b)
When transferring the solid matter (a) stored in the heritage (d), the partition valve (2f) is opened and the sterilization chamber (2b) is opened.
When transferring the solid matter (a) stored in the retainer (d) from the vacuum cooling chamber (2c) to the vacuum cooling chamber (2c), the partition valve (2g) is opened, and the solid substance (a) is further stored in the retainer (d) from the vacuum cooling chamber (2c). When removing the solid (a), the outlet valve (2e) is opened. When the solid (a) contained in the retainer (d) is processed in each processing chamber of the sterilization tank (2), the valves (2d) to (2g) are used.
Is closed airtight.

The interior of the vacuum-up and temperature-raising chamber (2a) receives the solids (a) contained in the retainer (d) in a single row in a pressed state, and performs a vacuum-up and temperature-raising process to sterilize. It is configured to be able to discharge to the chamber (2b). As shown best in FIG. 2 (D), the vacuum-up / heat-up chamber (2a) is made of a corrosion-resistant metal such as stainless steel and has a cylindrical shape that is advantageous for pressure resistance. (2h) and (2h) are mounted over the entire length. And a vacuum-up and temperature-raising chamber (2a)
A plurality (at least four) of guide rails (2i)... Are installed in parallel to support the retainer (d) so as to be able to roll and rotate while being slightly inclined from the upright state over the entire length of the inside. It is. This guide rail (2i) ...
Is formed in a round bar shape, in order to minimize the frictional area on the retainer (d) to facilitate rolling rotation and stably support the retainer (d). This is disposed, one is disposed on the upper side surface on the inclined upper surface side, and one is disposed on the bottom surface biased toward the inclined upper surface side. (2j) is a pressure distribution chamber formed in the upper part of the inner surface of the vacuum-up / heat-up chamber (2a). The internal configurations of the sterilization chamber (2b) and the vacuum cooling chamber (2c) are the same as described above.

As shown in FIG. 1B, the vacuum-up / heating chamber (2a) is provided with a pressure regulating valve (6) and an electromagnetic on-off valve (7), and a vacuum pump (not shown). A steam supply pipe (11) connected to a steam generation source (not shown), and a pressure reducing pipe (8) connected to a steam supply pipe (8), a supply amount regulating valve (9), and an electromagnetic on-off valve (10). 12)
And an exhaust / air introduction pipe (13) for opening to the atmosphere is connected via a flexible pipe (14). The sterilization chamber (2b) includes a supply amount adjusting valve (15) and an electromagnetic on-off valve (16). A steam supply pipe (17) connected to a steam generation source (not shown) and an electromagnetic on-off valve ( 18), and an exhaust / air introduction pipe (19) opening to the atmosphere is connected via a flexible pipe (20). Further, the vacuum cooling chamber (2c) includes a pressure regulating valve (21) and an electromagnetic on-off valve (22), and a pressure reducing pipe (23) connected to a vacuum pump (not shown) and an electromagnetic on-off valve (24). And an air introduction pipe (25) that opens to the atmosphere is a flexible pipe (2).
6). In each of the above processing chambers,
A drain pipe (29) comprising a drain valve (27) and a trap (28) is connected.

Although the discharge device (3) is illustrated as a belt conveyor in the illustrated example, it may be a screw conveyor similar to the solid material pushing device (1) other than this configuration.

The filling machine and the packaging machine (4) are sterilized and discharged from the outlet valve (2e) of the sterilization tank (2) by the discharging device (3) while being stored in the retainer (d). The solid (a) is transferred from the retainer (d) into the bag (c) and filled, and the liquid (b) sterilized separately from the solid (a) is also filled into the bag (c), It is configured to be sealed and sent out as an intermediate product or final product, after which retort processing or refrigeration / freezing processing is performed. The filling machine and the packaging machine (4) are installed in a clean booth (sterile room) together with the outlet valve (2e) of the sterilization tank (2).

The retainer (d) emptied by filling the bag (c) with the solid (a) by the filling machine and the packaging machine (4) is recovered and fed to the solid pressing device (1). Returned and reused. In this case, depending on the degree of contamination of the retainer (d), the retainer (d) may be reused after being washed through a washing machine.

As shown in FIG. 3 (A), the sterilization tank (2) has a central portion supported on a fulcrum shaft (31) of a column (30) so as to be vertically swingable in a seesaw shape. The swinging device (32) swings up and down in an angle range of 10 ° to 20 ° with respect to the horizontal direction. This rocking device (3
2) illustrates the case of an air cylinder, but may have another configuration.

The embodiment of the present invention has the above-described configuration. Next, the overall operation will be described. First, the solids (a) are charged into the retainer (d) one pack at a time. Then, the retainer (d) charged with the solid (a) is opened by the solid pusher (1) into the vacuum-up / heating chamber (2a) of the sterilization tank (2), and the inlet valve (2d) is opened for a predetermined time. The number is sequentially charged. In this case, the retainer (d) is not fully packed in the vacuum-increase and temperature-raising chamber (2a), but is loaded with a gap for several pieces, for example, three pieces. After loading, the inlet valve (2d) is closed, and the partition valves (2f) (2g) and the outlet valve (2e) are also closed. In this state, the solenoid on-off valve (7) of the pressure reducing pipe (8)
, And a vacuum pump (not shown) is driven to depressurize and deaerate the inside of the vacuum-up / heating chamber (2a) (−700 mmH).
gG or more is desirable). After the decompression and deaeration, the solenoid on-off valve (7) of the decompression pipe (8) is closed, and the steam supply pipe (1) is closed.
The electromagnetic on-off valve (1) of 1) is opened, and steam (saturated steam) is injected from a steam supply source (not shown) into the vacuum-up / heating chamber (2a) to increase the temperature. In this case, the amount of steam injected into the vacuum-up and temperature-raising chamber (2a) is adjusted by the supply amount adjusting valve (9). Thereafter, the partition valve (2f) is opened, and the sterilizing tank (2) is tilted by the rocking device (32), and the solid (a) in the vacuum-up / heating chamber (2a) is retained by the retainer (d). Together with the disinfection chamber (2b). After the transfer, the sterilizing tank (2) is returned to a horizontal position, the partition valve (2f) is closed, and the vacuum-up / heating chamber (2a) is provided with the retainer (d) containing the following solid (a). Loaded in the manner. Then, in the sterilization chamber (2b), the electromagnetic on-off valve (16) is opened, and the steam supply pipe (1) is opened.
From 7), a saturated steam is supplied into the sterilization chamber (2b) and is held at a fixed temperature for a fixed time (for example, 2 kg / cm 2,
133 [deg.] C, 30 seconds to 10 minutes). Thus, the solid (a) contained in each retainer (d) is uniformly heat-sterilized. Thus, by injecting steam while reducing the pressure in the sterilization chamber (2a), air bubbles in the tissue of the solid (a) such as vegetables can be degassed, and boiling during heating and sterilization can be prevented. At the same time, the boiling point of the water contained in the solid (a) is lowered, sterilization can be achieved in a short time, and the heat damage of the solid (a) can be reduced. During this time, the sterilization tank (2) is slowly rocked up and down in a seesaw shape by the rocking device (20). For example, at a pitch of 30 to 60 sec.
Rock for 5 minutes. By this swing, the sterilization tank (2)
In each processing chamber, the retainer (d) reciprocates while rolling on the guide rails (2i)... From the higher position to the lower position by the gap previously left. It will be repeated alternately. That is, the retainer (d) alternately repeats clockwise rotation and counterclockwise rotation, each time a stop shock is applied, and the solid matter (a) inside is mixed and stirred by the polygon inner peripheral surface,
The entire peripheral surface is brought into contact with the heated steam one after another and is evenly sterilized.

After the hold at the fixed temperature and the fixed time in the sterilizing chamber (2b) is completed, the solenoid on-off valve (18) is opened, and the steam in the sterilizing chamber (2b) is exhausted by the exhaust / air introducing pipe (19). The air is discharged and air is introduced, and then the gate valve (2
g) is opened, and the sterilizing tank (2) is tilted by the rocking device (32) to move the solid (a) in the sterilizing chamber (2b) together with the retainer (d) to the vacuum cooling chamber (2c). . After the transfer, the sterilization tank (2) is returned to a horizontal position, and the partition valve (2)
g) Close. Then, the solenoid on-off valve (22) is opened,
The inside of the vacuum cooling chamber (2c) is degassed under reduced pressure by a vacuum pump via a decompression pipe (23) to be evacuated. Thus, the solid (a) is vacuum-cooled to an appropriate temperature at an appropriate speed (for example, cooled from 100 ° C. to room temperature). After cooling, the electromagnetic on-off valve (22) of the pressure reducing pipe (23) is closed, the electromagnetic on-off valve (24) of the air introduction pipe (25) is opened, and the air sterilized by a filter (not shown) is evacuated to a vacuum cooling chamber ( 2c). Thereafter, the outlet valve (2e) is opened,
The sterilizing tank (2) is tilted by the rocking device (32), and the sterilized solid (a) is taken out together with the retainer (d), taken out into the clean booth by the discharging device (3),
Using a filling machine and a packaging machine (4), the bag (c) is filled together with the separately sterilized liquid (b) and sealed. The retainer (d) is subsequently reused. The product taken out of the filling machine and the packaging machine (4) is used as an intermediate product or a final product, and the intermediate product is subjected to retort processing, refrigeration / freezing processing. Into the vacuum-up / heating chamber (2a), the following solid material (a) is charged and charged as described above, sterilized, and taken out. Thereafter, this process is repeated, and the solids (a) are sterilized by a batch method in each processing chamber of the sterilization tank (2) in a state of being packed one by one in the retainer (d) in a predetermined number. The number of retainers (d) accommodated in each of the processing chambers is not fully packed, leaving a gap for rolling rotation, and movement of the retainer (d) between the processing chambers. The timing is set to be simultaneous, and in this case, the liquid is discharged in order from the front, that is, from the vacuum cooling chamber (2c).

In the above embodiment, the case where the solid (a) and the liquid (b) are filled in the bag (c) and sealed is exemplified. However, in the present invention, only the solid (a) is filled in the bag (c). ) May be applied when filling and sealing. In addition, sterilization treatment tank (2)
In each of the processing chambers, the retainers (d) containing the solids (a) may be loaded in a plurality of rows.

Further, an end pipe is provided at a position opposite to the plurality of retainers (d) accommodated in the sterilization tank (2), and steam is directly blown from the end pipe to the solid (a) in the retainer (d). And sterilization can be performed in a short time.

[0035]

According to the present invention, the individual retainers for storing the solids divided into small portions by one pack are simultaneously rotated in the sterilization tank by the common swinging device by the self-rotation action utilizing the inclination. By rotating, the solid matter in the retainer is given a stirring action, and the entire surface thereof is sequentially converted and exposed, so that the sterilizing action can be efficiently received in a short time. In addition, the retainer is supported in the sterilization tank by a plurality of guide rails arranged in parallel along the longitudinal direction of the sterilization tank, and the retainer is inclined at a slight angle in a lateral direction orthogonal to the alignment direction with respect to the alignment direction. By supporting it rotatably and rotatably in the state where it was made, just by swinging the sterilization treatment tank up and down with a rocking device in a seesaw shape, the retainer is moved from high to low by its own weight, The rotation of the retainer can be ensured by rolling and moving the retainer by the frictional force between the guide rail and the retainer, so that the entire apparatus is simple, the number of failures is small, and the apparatus can be implemented at low cost.

When the sterilization tank is swung up and down by a rocking device in a seesaw shape, the retainer moves from the higher position to the lower position in the sterilization tank while rolling. By repeating the alternation alternately, the retainer can be alternately rotated in the opposite direction with a simple configuration, and a stop shock can be applied each time, thereby improving the stirring effect.

The cycle time of batch processing can be shortened by partitioning the sterilizing tank into a plurality of processing chambers in the order of the steps and performing the sterilizing processing through a plurality of stages. And the plurality of processing chambers are a vacuum-up and heating chamber,
Since the heat sterilizing chamber and the vacuum cooling chamber are used, the processing efficiency in each processing chamber can be improved.

Also, a state in which the retainer is slightly inclined in the horizontal direction perpendicular to the alignment direction by a plurality of guide rails arranged in parallel in the sterilization processing tank along the longitudinal direction of the processing tank. By rolling and supporting the retainer, the action of moving the retainer from high to low due to the swinging of the sterilization tank is reliably converted to the action of rotating the retainer by the frictional force between the guide rail and the retainer. be able to.

Further, by making the inner peripheral surface of the retainer round or polygonal or having a projection,
When the retainer is rotated, the solid matter contained in the retainer can be reliably stirred. by this,
The solid matter in the retainer can be converted and exposed on the entire surface in order, so that the sterilizing action can be efficiently received in a short time.

[0040]

[0041]

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1A is a schematic plan view showing a configuration of a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a schematic side view thereof.

2A is a side view showing an example of a target product of the present invention, FIG. 2B is a schematic perspective view showing an example of a retainer used in the present invention, and FIG. The front view which shows an example of an apparatus, (D) is the longitudinal front view which shows an example of the sterilization processing tank used by this invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic side view showing an example of a device for rocking a sterilization tank according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS 1 solid material pushing device 2 sterilizing treatment tank 2a vacuum-up / heating chamber 2b sterilizing room 2c vacuum cooling room 3 discharging device 4 filling machine and packing machine d retainer a solid material b liquid material c bag 2d inlet valve 2e outlet valve 2f, 2g Gate valve 2i Guide rail 32 Swinging device

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Tsutomu Yamamoto 807-3 Kaminaka, Kashiba City, Nara Prefecture (72) Megumi Imamura 1-7-38, Nakakonoike-cho, Higashi-Osaka City, Osaka (56) References JP JP-A-4-45778 (JP, A) JP-A-6-237745 (JP, A) JP-A-64-51069 (JP, A) JP-A-57-5678 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int) .Cl. ⁶ , DB name) A23L 3/02 A23L 3/015

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A shape of a retainer for storing a solid material by dividing it into small pieces by one pack, wherein the shape of the retainer is a bottomed cylindrical shape having a round or polygonal shape or a projection with an open upper part, and opening and closing valves at an inlet and an outlet. The support of the retainer in the sterilization processing tank partitioned into a plurality of processing chambers in the order of the processes, from the first processing chamber to the last processing chamber between the inlet and the outlet of the sterilization processing tank. With a plurality of guide rails arranged in parallel along the longitudinal direction of the processing tank, the retainer is slightly inclined at an angle with the open part facing upward, and is rolled and rotatably aligned and supported, and the retainer in the sterilization processing tank is As means for imparting rotation, the sterilization tank is vertically swingably supported in a seesaw shape, and this is vertically rocked in a seesaw shape by a rocking device to tilt the retainer supported by the guide rail. An apparatus for sterilizing solids, characterized by using means for rolling by its own weight toward a lower slope. 2. The sterilization of solids according to claim 1, wherein the processing chamber divided into a plurality of sterilization processing tanks is a vacuum-up / heating chamber, a heating sterilization chamber, and a vacuum cooling chamber. apparatus.