JP4316021B2 - Aseptic solid culture equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve a structure, especially internal structure or internal part of an aeration type solid culture apparatus capable of carrying out germ-free culture of microorganisms useful in brewing, food, enzyme, medicine industry, etc. SOLUTION: In this solid culture apparatus, the upper part of a culture apparatus body 1 comprises a structure having an openable canopy 4 and a culture bed 6 is provided in the interior of at least culture apparatus body 1 and the culture bed 6 is obtained by integrally installing a porous plate 8 and a circumferential side wall 9 detachable from the apparatus body, and feeding and taking out of the raw material can be carried out together with the culture bed 6.

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an aseptic solid culture apparatus, and the structure of an aeration solid culture apparatus capable of aseptic culture of microorganisms useful in brewing, food, enzyme, pharmaceutical industry, etc., particularly improvement of internal structure and internal parts. About.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, many proposals have been made for a pure culture apparatus such as a solid koji from which various bacteria are excluded. In order to perform pure solid culture by inoculating the necessary bacteria, it is generally necessary to ventilate conditioned and humidified sterile air from the bottom of the culture bed. Consideration is necessary. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-8283 describes that a medium raw material steaming device and a medium fermenter are directly connected, and further the water can be drowned (immersed) in a pressure can which can be further rotated. JP-A-7-107966 describes that various steps up to cooking, cooling, and koji making are carried out in the same can without moving the raw materials.
[0003]
Sterilization of air or water taken into the solid culture apparatus is also indispensable for pure culture, and the present inventors have also proposed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-154569. In addition, instead of the conventional air circulation method, the one-pass method is not used for the circulation. Only the outside air is introduced through a sterilization filter, which is adjusted by an air conditioner, sent to the culture chamber, and the culture substrate. We have also proposed a method that releases everything into the open air after passing through the air.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The present invention is based on such conventional techniques, and in order to develop a rational aseptic solid culture apparatus, the internal structure and internal parts of the culture apparatus are studied, and it is easy to input raw materials. Aseptic solid-state culture equipment that can be easily and completely sterilized, can be easily removed after culturing, and can be easily inoculated, hydrated, maintained, and sampled without invasion of germs, and can be easily cleaned and washed. Is considered for developing.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In other words, Abstract of the invention, connected sterilization or sterile gas from the air conditioner is be introduced, vented solid culture inside a sterilizable culture device body with steam or fungicides provided culture bed In the apparatus, the main body of the culture apparatus is composed of a container of a vertical cylindrical pressure type and a canopy that can be opened and closed on the container, and a porous plate and an outer peripheral side wall are integrally formed on a rotating shaft that penetrates the bottom of the container. This is a sterile solid culture apparatus equipped with a culture bed. The term “sterile” as used herein refers not only to the case where the number of germs is 0, but also to the case where the number of germs is small enough to be ignored for culture. Usually, if the number of miscellaneous bacteria after culture is about 10 ² cells / g or less, it can be said to be “sterile”.
[0006]
Here, the culture apparatus main body is preferably one that can be assembled to the main body with a clamp or the like so that the canopy portion can be divided at the upper part. Further, the culture bed provided inside the apparatus main body can be attached and the perforated plate and the peripheral side wall is integrally and when those detachable from the apparatus main body, a raw material from the joint between the perforated plate and the outer side wall into the culture There is no spillage, cleaning and sterilization are easy, and it is convenient that the raw material can be taken out together with the culture bed after culturing. Specifically, the culture apparatus main body is configured to be detachably attached to the rotation shaft by fitting the culture bed into the rotation shaft.
[0007]
If the culture device body has a canopy structure that can be opened and closed at the top, and the culture device body can be rotated with respect to a substantially horizontal axis and can be discharged from the inside, the canopy can be removed. Even if it is inconvenient to take out the raw material from above, it is possible to easily take out the raw material and to easily clean the inside of the apparatus main body.
[0008]
When the inside of the maintenance machine is a saddle type ribbon screw that can be detached from the main body of the culture apparatus, not only the stirring efficiency is good, but also because it is a ribbon screw, it can be used even if it is buried in the raw material during the cultivation. Since it does not affect the culture, a lifting device or the like is not required, and the structure is simplified. By removing the care machine, it is easy to discharge the raw material after culturing, and it is easy and safe to clean the inside of the device body. .
[0009]
The culture apparatus main body is provided with a steam injection port or a sterile gas injection port with respect to the gap between the rotation shaft penetrating the bottom and the main body wall surface , forming a closed space on the reciprocating shaft penetrating the culture apparatus main body wall surface, A steam inlet or a sterile gas inlet may be provided. The reciprocating axis is a vertical movement axis such as a temperature sensor or a sampling rod. Thereby , it is possible to prevent the invasion of germs due to the reciprocating motion of the penetrating shaft during the culture, and the shaft gap portion that is most difficult to clean and easily propagates germs is cleaned, contributing to sterilization.
[0010]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing the entire structure of the aseptic solid culture apparatus, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the rotating shaft penetrating portion, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the vertical moving shaft penetrating portion. The culture bed is not limited to a circle, but may be square. In the case of a square culture bed, the culture bed with the outer peripheral side wall may be fixed and the care machine may be moved.
[0011]
The overall structure of the aseptic solid culture apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The culture apparatus main body 1 includes a jacket wall 2 or a vertical cylindrical pressure type container 3 having a heat insulating wall shape, and a canopy 4 that can be opened and closed by a clamp 5 above the container 3. A culture bed 6 and a care machine 7 are accommodated in the culture apparatus main body 1. The culture bed 6 is formed by integrally forming a perforated plate 8 and an outer peripheral side wall 9 in a bucket shape on the floor surface. The culture bed 6 is rotatably mounted on a floor receiving edge 10 projecting inward from the inner wall of the culture apparatus body 1. The lower surface of the perforated plate 8 is detachably attached to a rotating shaft 12 that is rotated by a motor 11. The attachment and detachment of the culture bed 6 with respect to the rotating shaft 12 is realized by fitting the fitting groove 37 of the culture bed 6 into the pin 36 protruding in the radial direction of the rotating shaft 12. Although it rotates, it can be easily removed upward.
[0012]
Although not shown, if a horizontal bearing is provided outside the side wall of the jacket wall 2 of the culture apparatus body 1 in the diameter direction and the culture apparatus body 1 is supported so as to be rotatable with respect to the horizontal axis, the culture apparatus The tilting of the main body 1 eliminates the need for a complicated discharging mechanism such as a discharging device when discharging the raw materials inside. In addition, cleaning, repair, etc. can be easily performed.
[0013]
Since the culture bed 6 can be detached from the rotary shaft 12 and the canopy 4 and the care machine 7 can be removed, it is easy to put the raw material into the culture bed 6, and the culture bed 6 can be placed outside the culture apparatus body 1. It can also be used as a container for immersion, draining, steaming, etc., and the raw materials after these treatments can be set in the culture apparatus main body 1 without being transferred from the culture bed 6. The canopy 4 is attached and detached by the clamp 5 as described above, and by the fastening bands 38 and 39 for the care machine 7 and the inoculation nozzle 16 described later. A clamp may be used instead of the fastening band.
[0014]
The care machine 7 is a saddle-shaped ribbon screw, and can be stirred uniformly during inoculation and hydration during culture. Moreover, since it is a ribbon type, there exists an advantage which does not influence culture | cultivation even if the care machine 7 is inserted in a raw material during culture | cultivation. If this care machine 7 is also detachable from the culture apparatus main body 1, the culture bed 6 can be taken out from the culture apparatus main body 1 and the bottom can be easily cleaned and washed.
[0015]
The culture bed 6 is supported and rotated by a rotating shaft 12 that penetrates the bottom surface of the culture apparatus main body 1. The penetrating portion is provided with a steam inlet 14 so that steam can be blown into a gap 19 around the axis. Or switch to a sterile gas inlet by switching. Here, the wall surfaces that form the through shaft and the gap 19 include not only the wall surfaces of the main body but also the wall surfaces of nozzles, cylinders, and the like attached to these wall surfaces. Further, a drain outlet 15 is also provided in this portion, so that organic substances that cause contamination can be washed away. The inoculation nozzle 16 for the inoculum is also attached to the container 3, which is also detachably mounted because it is necessary to lift the culture bed 6 upward.
[0016]
FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the rotating shaft 12 penetrating the bottom of the container 3 and its seal portion. In this example, the seal portion protrudes downward from the bottom surface, and a steam inlet 14 and a drain port 15 are provided for the gap 19 around the rotary shaft 12. The gap 19 around the rotating shaft 12 must be formed structurally. In the present invention, by blowing steam or the like into the gap 19, the inside of the gap 19 is sterilized to prevent contamination, and the raw material remaining in the gap 19 is discharged to clean the inside of the gap 19. is there.
[0017]
In this apparatus, various parts are also attached to the canopy 4. That is, the temperature and humidity sensor 17 and the sampling rod 18 are attached through the canopy 4 and moved up and down by the cylinder. In this way, the portion where the shaft moves through the jacket wall 2 becomes a place where germs adhering to the shaft enter the device due to the movement of the shaft or cause breeding due to incomplete cleaning. It is necessary to avoid any harmful effects.
[0018]
Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of what the shaft portion is moved up and down as the temperature sensor and sampling grotesque head. In this example, there are seal rings 20 above and below the gap 19 to form a closed space. When the vertical movement shaft 21 moves downward, the shaft part touching the outside enters the closed space and contaminates this closed space, and when it moves up and down again, the shaft part that was in the dirty closed space moves into the main body. It may be possible to enter the body and allow germs to enter. Therefore, when steam or aseptic air is passed through this closed space, the dirt around the vertical movement shaft 21 can be wiped off and sterilized, and aseptic conditions can be maintained. Therefore, invasion and propagation of germs due to shaft rotation and vertical movement can be suppressed.
[0019]
The left side of FIG. 1 shows an air conditioner 35. A rough filter is provided at the air intake 31, a sterilization filter 33 is provided following the blower 32, and the culture apparatus body 1 from the bottom of the container 3 through the cooler 34 and the like. Vent inside. As the sterilization filter 33, a HEPA filter or a ULPA filter can be used. The introduced gas may be sterilized by ozone treatment or sterilized using a sterilizing agent such as hydrogen peroxide (see FIG. 1) in an apparatus including the air conditioner 35. This ventilation is discharged outside through the flow meter 23 from the discharge port 22 of the canopy 4 without circulating.
[0020]
【Example】
The entire apparatus shown in FIG. 1, that is, the culture apparatus main body 1 and the air conditioner 35 and the inside of these paths are first steam sterilized. Steam is also supplied to the steam supply port of the shaft penetrating portion to perform steam sterilization. The sterilization filter 33 sterilizes with hydrogen peroxide. Next, the bran adjusted to about 60% moisture was put on the culture bed 6, the canopy 4 was closed, and steam was pressurized to ² kg / cm ² G, and the raw material was sterilized for 40 minutes. Subsequently, the bran is cooled with sterilized air, and then, the seed bed suspended with sterile water is sprinkled on the bran through the inoculation nozzle 16 from the inoculum tank 24 while rotating the culture bed 6, and the cage-shaped ribbon screw care machine 7 And mixed with stirring.
[0021]
The care machine 7 was cultivated while being inserted in the bran deposited layer, and aseptic air was always ventilated to the gap 19 in the shaft penetration part during the culture. The sensor, through the inter always closed after vertically moving the sampling glow head was steam sterilized. When such an operation is performed, sampling during culture can be performed safely, and even if the number of bacteria in the sample is analyzed, it was always 0 / g. It was. After completion of the culture, the canopy was opened, the care machine 7 and the inoculation nozzle 16 were removed, and the culture raw material was taken out together with the culture bed 6.
[0022]
The above culture was performed 5 times continuously. Each time the culture bed 6 and the care machine 7 are removed from the container 3 and cleaned, and then assembled and steam sterilized, the number of germs in the raw material is always zero, and the quality of each batch is constant even if repeated. It was. Moreover, the yield of the enzyme became high as a whole, and the extraction efficiency was improved.
[0023]
【The invention's effect】
Since the aseptic solid culture apparatus of the present invention has the above-described structure, the washing property is improved and a high quality product can be produced by aseptic pure culture.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing the entire structure of a sterile solid culture apparatus.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a structure of a rotating shaft penetrating portion.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a structure of a vertically moving shaft penetrating portion.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Culture apparatus main body 2 Jacket wall 3 Container 4 Canopy 5 Canopy clamp 6 Culture floor 7 Care machine 8 Perforated plate 9 Outer peripheral side wall
10 Floor edge
11 Motor
12 Rotating shaft
13 Bearing
14 Steam inlet
15 Drainage port
16 Inoculation nozzle
17 Sensor
18 Sampling rod
19 gap
20 Seal ring
21 Vertical axis
22 Outlet
23 Flow meter
24 inoculum tank
31 Air intake
32 Blower
33 Sanitization filter
34 Cooling machine
35 Air conditioner
36 pin
37 Mating groove
38 Fastener fastening band
39 Inoculation nozzle fastening band

Claims (4)

In a ventilated solid culture apparatus in which a sterilized or sterilized gas can be introduced from a connected air conditioner and a culture bed is provided inside the culture apparatus body that can be sterilized with steam or a disinfectant, the culture apparatus body is vertically Characterized in that it comprises a container that is a cylindrical pressurizing type and a canopy that can be opened and closed to the container, and a culture bed in which a perforated plate and an outer peripheral side wall are integrated with a rotating shaft that penetrates the bottom of the container. Aseptic solid culture device. The aseptic solid state culture apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the culture apparatus main body is detachably mounted on the rotary shaft by fitting the culture bed on the rotary shaft. The sterilized solid culture apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the culture apparatus main body is detachable from a care machine that is a saddle-shaped ribbon screw that can be detached from the culture apparatus main body. The aseptic solid culture apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the culture apparatus main body is provided with a steam blowing port or a sterile gas blowing port with respect to a gap between the rotating shaft penetrating the bottom and the wall surface of the main body.

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