JP3146019U - Small capacity retort sterilizer - Google Patents

Abstract

A small-capacity retort sterilization apparatus having a novel configuration capable of suppressing an increase in internal pressure due to cooling after heat sterilization and preventing pouch rupture, can deformation, and the like.
SOLUTION: A pressure cooker 10, a cooling means 40 for lowering the internal temperature of the pressure cooker after heat-sterilizing the packaged food accommodated in the pressure cooker, and a pressurizing means 50 for raising the internal pressure of the pressure cooker. Is a small capacity retort sterilizer. When retort pack food is stored in a pressure cooker and sterilized by heating, and the inside of the pressure cooker is cooled with cooling means, the retort pack food in a high temperature state tends to expand as the internal pressure of the pressure cooker decreases. The movement is suppressed by the pressurizing means, and the tear and damage due to the expansion of the pouch (bag) are prevented.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a small-capacity retort sterilizer.

  Retort sterilization is widely used in food sterilization because it enables high-temperature sterilization at 100 ° C. or higher by heating while applying pressure and complete sterilization that kills heat-resistant bacteria.

  However, many of the conventional retort sterilizers are large-scale, and even a retort kettle for small lots is expensive at around 10 million yen. Furthermore, since a boiler is required as a heat source, a large space is required for installation.

  In recent years, there has been a tendency to provide local foods as part of town (village) promotion and regional brand establishment, but many of these foods are manufactured and sold at relatively small offices and shops. Therefore, it is practically extremely difficult to perform sterilization using a conventional retort sterilization apparatus that increases initial cost and installation space.

  Against this background, attempts have been made to develop a small-capacity retort sterilizer that can be provided at low cost and that is small in size and requires a small installation space.

  Retort food packaging is roughly classified into retort pouches (bags) and canned foods. The retort pouch has the advantage that the volume of food to be contained can be selected in various ways, and the cost can be reduced. There was a risk that the pressure of the retort pouch would decrease and the force to suppress the internal pressure of the retort pouch would be lost, causing the pouch to rupture or the pouch to swell and be damaged. In the case of canned foods, the pressure inside the retort sterilizer (retort kettle) decreases due to cooling after heat sterilization, and there is a risk that the ability to suppress the internal pressure of the canned food will be lost, causing the can to be deformed and the commercial value to be impaired there were.

  Therefore, the problem to be solved by the present invention is that the pressure inside the retort sterilizer (retort kettle) can be maintained above a certain level even by cooling after heat sterilization, and pouch rupture, can deformation, etc. can be prevented. It is to provide a small-capacity retort sterilizer having a novel configuration.

  As a result of intensive studies and experiments, the present inventor can solve the above problems by using a commercially available pressure cooker as a retort kettle and incorporating a pressurizing means and a cooling water injection means into a control operation. As a result, the present invention was completed.

  That is, as means for solving the above problems, a small-capacity retort sterilization apparatus according to the present invention according to claim 1 contains a pressure cooker used as a retort kettle for containing packaged food and sterilizing the retort, and accommodated in the pressure cooker. Packaging with a cooling means for lowering the internal temperature of the pressure cooker after heat sterilization of the packaged food, and a pressurizing means for increasing the internal pressure of the pressure cooker, the packaging accompanying a decrease in the internal pressure of the pressure cooker by the cooling means The expansion of the food is configured to be suppressed by the internal pressure increase of the pressure cooker by the pressurizing means.

  The present invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that, in the small-capacity retort sterilizer according to claim 1, the packaged food to be retort sterilized by being stored in a pressure cooker is a pouched food.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the small-capacity retort sterilization apparatus according to the first aspect, the packaged food contained in the pressure cooker and retort-sterilized is a canned food.

  The present invention according to claim 4 is the small-capacity retort sterilization apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the cooling means includes a tank for storing cooling water, a pump for sucking up cooling water in the tank, and a pump. It has a cooling water hose for injecting the sucked cooling water into the inside of the pressure cooker, and an open / close valve provided in the cooling water hose.

  The present invention according to claim 5 is the small-capacity retort sterilization apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the cooling means injects a predetermined amount of cooling water into the pressure cooker.

  The present invention according to claim 6 is the small-capacity retort sterilizer according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the pressurizing means feeds the air compressor and compressed air from the air compressor into the pressure cooker. And an open / close valve provided in the air hose.

  The present invention according to claim 7 is the small-capacity retort sterilizer according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a temperature sensor for measuring the internal temperature of the pressure cooker, wherein the internal temperature of the pressure cooker by the cooling means is a predetermined temperature. It is characterized in that the pressurization process by the pressurizing means is terminated by measuring the decrease to the following with a temperature sensor.

  According to the present invention, the cooling means and the pressurizing means are incorporated into a commercial business pressure cooker to constitute a small-capacity retort sterilizer, so that no large-scale facilities and installation space are required as in the prior art. . Therefore, it can be introduced at a low cost even in a small business entity.

  After the packaged food is stored in the pressure cooker and sterilized by heating, the inside of the pressure cooker is cooled by cooling means, but as the internal temperature of the pressure cooker decreases, the internal pressure of the pressure cooker also decreases. Since the temperature of the packaged food immediately after being sterilized by heating is not immediately lowered but is still maintained at a high temperature, the packaged food tends to expand due to a decrease in the internal pressure of the pressure cooker. However, according to the present invention, the inside of the pressure cooker is pressurized by the pressurizing means to suppress the decrease in the internal pressure, so that the movement of the packaged food can be suppressed. Therefore, when the package is a pouch (bag), it is possible to prevent tearing and damage due to expansion, and even when it is a canned food, deformation of the can can be prevented.

  This small-capacity retort sterilizer has a mechanism for injecting cooling water in order to rapidly cool the interior after heat sterilization. This cooling water injection mechanism has an advantage of avoiding the trouble that the cooling water overflows because the water intake port of the pump is arranged in a water storage tank having a predetermined capacity so that a predetermined amount or more of cooling water is not injected.

  FIG. 1 shows a small-capacity retort sterilizer according to an embodiment of the present invention. This small-capacity retort sterilizer uses a commercially available pressure cooker 10 and incorporates a temperature sensor 30 and a self-recording temperature recording unit 31 with some necessary modifications, and a characteristic configuration of the present invention. The cooling means 40 and the pressurizing means 50 as elements are incorporated.

  The self-recording temperature recording unit 31 uses “testo175-T3 data logger” (trade name), and a dedicated K thermocouple temperature probe (bendable sheath type, measuring range −200 to 1000 ° C.) is used as the temperature sensor 30. It was. This self-recording temperature recording unit 31 has a measurement range of −50 to 1000 ° C. when the K thermocouple temperature sensor 30 is used, can be measured at intervals of 10 seconds to 24 hours, and can store 16000 data. .

  The pressure cooker 10 includes a pan body 11 and a lid 12 that can substantially seal the pan body 11. The lid 12 includes two steam discharge ports 13 and 14, and a pressure adjusting weight 15 is placed on the steam discharge port 13. The steam discharge port 14 communicates with a steam discharge pipe 17 provided with an exhaust cock 16.

As such a pressure cooker 10, for example, a commercial pressure cooker commercially available as “Silver Arrow Aluminum Commercial Pressure Cooker” (trade name) can be used. This pressure cooker has a full water capacity of 40 to 50 liters, and the pressure adjustment value by the weight 15 is set to about 1.0 kg / cm ² G. The lid 12 of the pressure cooker 10 is provided with a safety device (not shown) to prevent the inside of the pressure cooker 10 from becoming overpressure (for example, about 1.7 kg / cm ² G). The internal pressure of the pressure cooker 10 is detected by a pressure sensor (not shown) and displayed on the pressure gauge 18.

  The steam outlet 14 of the commercial pressure cooker 10 is connected to the steam discharge pipe 17 through an L-shaped joint, and the residual pressure of the pressure cooker 10 is released to the outside by opening the exhaust cock 16. However, in this embodiment, instead of the L-shaped joint, a T-shaped joint 20 is attached to the steam discharge port 14, and the steam discharge pipe 17 is connected to the lateral branch pipe 21. The branch pipe 22 is used as a passage for the temperature sensor 30.

  More specifically, referring to FIG. 2, the insert pipe 23 is inserted from below into the steam outlet 14 of the lid 12 of the pressure cooker 10, and the outer peripheral male screw (not shown) protruding above the lid 12 is inserted. The nut 24 is screwed and fixed. An L-shaped joint is originally attached to the insert pipe 23, but the T-shaped joint 20 is attached instead of the L-shaped joint, and the steam discharge pipe 17 is connected to the lateral branch pipe 21.

  A branch pipe 22 directed upward of the T-shaped joint 20 includes a pair of upper and lower packing members 25 having a center hole having a diameter equal to or slightly larger than the outer diameter of the temperature sensor 30 (0.15 mm in this embodiment). 26 is placed. The center holes of these packing materials 25, 26, the holes penetrating up and down the T-shaped covert 20, and the upper and lower through-holes of the insert tube 23 are aligned in a substantially straight line and extend in the vertical direction. The passage is formed.

  A viscoelastic hermetic seal material 27 is filled between the packing materials 25 and 26 to keep the passage of the temperature sensor 30 airtight. After the lower packing material 25 is placed on the T-shaped joint 20 and passed through the temperature sensor 30, the hermetic seal material 27 is filled in the recess of the lower packing material 25, and then the upper packing material 26 is inserted into the recess. By being inserted into and pressed, it is deformed according to the shape of the recess, and at the same time, the gap between the center hole and the temperature sensor 30 is closed to maintain an airtight state. Since the upper branch pipe 22 of the T-shaped joint 20 is airtightly closed in this way, residual air in the pressure cooker 10 does not leak upward from the branch pipe 22, and the branch pipe 17 is opened by opening the exhaust cock 16. Is released to the outside.

  The temperature sensor 30 has a plug 32, which is inserted into a temperature sensor input port (not shown) of the self-recording temperature recording unit 31, whereby the temperature data inside the pressure cooker 10 detected by the temperature sensor 30 is recorded as a self-recording temperature. Input to the recording unit 31 is possible. Reference numeral 33 denotes a mounting plate for the self-recording temperature recording unit 31 and is fixed to the upper portion of the sheath tube 34 by any means such as welding or screwing. The sheath tube 34 is fixed by screwing a screw 36 between the upper and lower packing materials 25 and 26. The fixing method of the self-recording temperature recording unit 31 by the mounting plate 33, the sheath tube 34, and the screw 35 is an example, and if the self-recording temperature recording unit 31 can be stably mounted at a location that is a predetermined distance or more away from the pressure cooker 10. Regardless of the method for mounting. Since the probe of the temperature sensor 30 can be bent, the self-recording temperature recording unit 31 does not have to be located immediately above the steam outlet 14 and may be installed slightly deviated left and right. Therefore, in some cases, the self-recording temperature recording unit 31 can be fixed and attached to a wall or the like that is relatively close to the pressure cooker 10.

  The cooling means 40 includes an underwater pump 43 that sucks up water (cooling water) 42 from the water storage tank 41, a cooling water hose 44 for injecting the water 42 sucked up by the pump 43 into the pressure cooker 10, and a cooling water hose 44. And a cock 45 for operating an open / close valve (not shown).

  The pressurizing means 50 includes an air hose 52 for sending compressed air from the air compressor 51 into the pressure cooker 10 and a cock 53 for operating an open / close valve (not shown) provided in the air hose 52. And have.

  The usage of the small-capacity retort sterilization apparatus having the above configuration will be described by taking a pouch (bag) in a retort packed food as an example. First, the inside of the pouch used to enclose the food is washed well with boiling water and garbage or germs After removing the food, the food is put in a pouch and hermetically sealed with a sealer to make a retort pack food containing the pouch. The food should be boiled once during pre-cooking to enhance the sterilizing effect and at the same time reduce the air inside the food as much as possible. When the expansion pack comes out, increase the heating time at the time of pre-cooking. The food should be sealed with the top air minimized while the food is kept as hot as possible. It is preferable to ensure that the temperature during sealing is 80 ° C. or higher.

  The pouch-containing retort packed food produced in this way is put into the pressure cooker 10. A predetermined amount of water, for example, about 1/3 of the capacity, is put in the main body 11 of the pressure cooker 10 in advance. In order to prevent the retort pack food from floating, it may be placed in a basket or the like and stored in the pressure cooker 10, thereby ensuring a convection space for the heated water.

In a state where the retort pack food is accommodated, the lid 12 is closed according to the procedure for using the pressure cooker 10, and the pressure adjusting weight 16 is set straight on the steam outlet 13 and then heated on a gas stove. When water boils and becomes steam, the internal pressure of the pressure cooker 10 gradually increases, and when the set pressure of the pressure adjustment weight 16 (about 1.0 kg / cm ² G) is exceeded, the pressure adjustment weight 16 tilts to release the internal pressure. The pressure is adjusted automatically. Since the retort pack food is sterilized by heating in a state immersed in hot water, heat transfer is quicker than the heating method using steam, and the hot water naturally stays, so there is little variation in temperature in the pressure cooker 10. The temperature is adjusted by appropriately combining the dimensions of the steam outlet 13, the weight of the pressure adjusting weight 16, the heating power of the gas stove, and the like, although it varies depending on the contents of the retort pack food, generally 10 to 10 Perform heat sterilization for about 20 minutes.

  After a predetermined time has elapsed from when the above-mentioned pressure starts to blow out from the pressure cooker 10 and reaches a predetermined temperature, for example, 120 ° C., the gas stove is turned off and the cooling means 40 and the pressurizing means 50 are operated. A predetermined time from when the internal temperature of the pressure cooker 10 reaches a predetermined temperature to when the cooling / pressurizing process is started is experimentally determined in advance and measured by a timer (not shown).

  In the operation of the cooling means 40, the submersible pump 43 is turned on, the cock 45 provided in the cooling water hose 44 is operated to open the valve, and the water 42 previously stored in the water storage tank 41 is stored in the pressure cooker. 10 inside. A sufficient amount of water 42 may be accommodated in the water storage tank 41, and a fixed amount of water may be supplied by flow control means (not shown) provided in the cooling water hose 44.

  In the operation of the pressurizing means 50, the air compressor 51 is turned on and the cock 53 provided in the air hose 52 is operated to open the valve so that air is sent into the pressure cooker 10.

  When the cooling means 40 is operated, the internal pressure of the pressure cooker 10 also decreases as the internal temperature of the pressure cooker 10 decreases. At this time, the retort pack food in a state immediately after being stored in the pressure cooker 10 and sterilized by heating. Since the temperature does not decrease immediately but is still maintained at a high temperature, the retort pack food tends to expand due to a decrease in the internal pressure of the pressure cooker 10. However, the pressurizing means 50 suppresses the movement of the retort pack food to expand by sending air into the pressure cooker 10 to suppress the pressure drop, and the retort pack food packaging bag (pouch) is torn or damaged. Can be prevented. In order to realize such an action, it is preferable that the pressurization by the pressurizing unit 50 is performed before the internal temperature of the pressure cooker 10 is lowered by the cooling unit 40 at the latest. As an example of the processing, the submersible pump 43 of the cooling means 40 is turned on while the valve of the pressurizing means 50 is opened first to feed air into the pressure cooker 10, and the cooling valve is opened to open the pressure cooker 10. After pouring water and completing a predetermined amount of water, the cooling valve is closed, the power of the submersible pump 43 is turned off and the operation of the cooling means 40 is terminated, and then the retort pack food contained in the pressure cooker 10 is sufficiently cooled. Then, the valve of the pressurizing means 50 is closed. In order to sufficiently cool the retort packed food in the pressure cooker 10, for example, it is left for 5 to 10 minutes. Or you may wait for the detection that the internal temperature of the pressure cooker 10 detected with the temperature sensor 30 fell below to predetermined temperature (for example, 90 degreeC), and you may close the valve | bulb of the pressurization means 50. FIG.

  After closing the valve of the pressurizing means 50, the exhaust cock 16 is operated to discharge the pressure in the pressure cooker 10 to the outside through the steam discharge port 13 and the steam discharge pipe 17, the lid 12 is opened, and the retort pack food Take out. Thereafter, the retort pack food is further cooled as necessary, for example, by putting it into cold water. If the retort packed food is inflated when the lid 12 is opened, the cooling time in the pressure cooker 10 for the next processing is reset to be slightly longer than before.

  As described above, the pressurizing means 50 is preferably started at the latest before the internal temperature of the pressure cooker 10 is lowered by the cooling means 40. However, immediately before the cooling means 40 is started, the cock 53 is operated to start the pressurizing process. Instead of making it, pressurization processing may be started at an earlier stage. For example, immediately after the retort pack food containing pouch is put into the pressure cooker 10 and the gas range is ignited and the heat sterilization process is started, the cock 53 is operated to start the pressurization process. The inside of the pressure cooker 10 may be maintained in a pressurized state until it is sufficiently cooled. If it does in this way, since the movement which a retort pack food is going to expand at the time of the heat sterilization in the pressure cooker 10 can also be suppressed by pressurization, it is one of the preferable operation methods.

  The temperature in the pressure cooker 10 is always detected by the temperature sensor 30, and the data is input and stored in the self-recording temperature recording unit 31 every predetermined interval (for example, 10 seconds). The self-recording temperature recording unit 31 stores measurement data in which a measurement time every 10 seconds from the start to the end of the heat sterilization process and a measurement temperature at each measurement time are paired, and wired or It is transferred wirelessly to the computer. In this way, retort sterilization data as experimental values can be obtained and attached to a permission application document to be submitted to a health center.

  Although the low capacity retort sterilization apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and within the scope of the invention described in the claims of the utility model registration. A wide variety of embodiments are possible.

  For example, as long as the temperature sensor 30 can measure the temperature inside the pressure cooker 10, any type of temperature sensor other than a thermocouple can be used.

  As for the method for attaching the temperature sensor 30, in the illustrated embodiment, the temperature sensor 30 is inserted into the pressure cooker using the steam outlet 14 of the pressure cooker lid 12, so that the temperature sensor can be inserted. Although it is advantageous in that it does not require special processing, in some cases, a hole is made in the lid 12 or the side surface of the pressure cooker 10 and the temperature sensor 30 is inserted, and the hole is made viscoelastic to prevent internal pressure leakage. It is also possible to employ a method of sealing with a hermetic sealing material, thickening the middle of the temperature sensor to attach a male screw, and cutting a female screw on the lid or side of the pressure cooker and screwing it in.

  In addition, the specific configuration of the cooling unit 40 and the pressurizing unit 50 is not limited as long as each of the cooling unit 40 and the pressurizing unit 50 can achieve the intended action, and a configuration different from the above-described embodiment may be adopted. Is possible.

It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance structure of the small capacity | capacitance retort sterilizer by one Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the detailed structure of the self-recording-type temperature recording unit relevant part of the small capacity retort sterilizer of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Pressure cooker of small capacity retort sterilizer 11 Pressure cooker main body 12 Pressure cooker lid 30 Temperature sensor 31 Self-recording temperature recording unit 40 Cooling means 41 Water storage tank 42 Water (cooling water)
43 Submersible pump 44 Cooling water hose 45 Cock 50 Pressurizing means 51 Air compressor 52 Air hose 53 Cock

Claims (7)

A pressure cooker used as a retort kettle for containing packaged food and sterilizing the retort, cooling means for lowering the internal temperature of the pressure cooker after heat sterilizing the packaged food contained in the pressure cooker, and the pressure inside the pressure cooker A pressurizing means for increasing the pressure, and the expansion of the packaged food accompanying the decrease in the internal pressure of the pressure cooker by the cooling means is configured to be suppressed by the internal pressure increase of the pressure cooker by the pressurizing means. Capacity retort sterilizer. 2. The small-capacity retort sterilizer according to claim 1, wherein the packaged food contained in the pressure cooker and sterilized by retort is a pouched food. 2. The small-capacity retort sterilizer according to claim 1, wherein the packaged food contained in the pressure cooker and sterilized by retort is a canned food. The cooling means includes a tank for storing the cooling water, a pump for sucking up the cooling water in the tank, a cooling water hose for injecting the cooling water sucked up by the pump into the pressure cooker, and an opening / closing provided in the cooling water hose. The small-capacity retort sterilizer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a valve. 5. The small-capacity retort sterilizer according to claim 4, wherein the cooling means injects a predetermined amount of cooling water into the pressure cooker. The pressurizing means includes an air compressor, an air hose for sending compressed air from the air compressor into the inside of the pressure cooker, and an open / close valve provided in the air hose. The small-capacity retort sterilizer according to any one of 1 to 5. A temperature sensor that measures the internal temperature of the pressure cooker is provided, and the pressure sensor using the pressure means is terminated by measuring that the internal temperature of the pressure cooker by the cooling means has dropped below a predetermined temperature. The small-capacity retort sterilizer according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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