JP4456239B2 - Packaged food heat sterilization apparatus and method - Google Patents

Description

【０１４３】
表１から判るように、下部電極板１４にのみ敷設体１７を敷いて上部電極板１３には敷設体１７を用いなかった場合（ケース３）には、通常は温度の低い包装食品Ｆの下部の方が高温になっており、このことから敷設体１７を使用することにより顕著な保温効果の得られることが確認された。
【０１４４】
ついで、上下において同一種類のシリコンゴムを用いた場合（ケース１）では、上部および下部の第１シリコンゴムの厚さ寸法を１．５ｍｍおよび５．０ｍｍにすることにより、包装食品Ｆの上下の温度差が非常に小さくなることが確認された。
【０１４５】
さらに、上下でシリコンゴムの種類を変えた場合（ケース２、ケース４およびケース５）について試験結果を見てみると、上部に０．５ｍｍ厚の第３シリコンゴムを用いるとともに、下部に１．５ｍｍ厚の第１シリコンゴムを用いたケース４の温度ばらつきが４．４℃と最も低く、この組み合わせでシリコンゴムを敷設体１７として使用すれば、誘電加熱時の包装食品Ｆの温度分布が均一になることを見出した。
【０１４６】
ついで、上記ケース４のシリコンゴムの組み合わせによる均一加熱に再現性が存在するか否かを確認するために、以下の再現性確認テストを４回（ケース１′〜ケース４′）行った。
【０１４７】
シリコンゴムについては、上部のものとして０．５ｍｍ厚のものを採用するとともに、下部のものとして１．５ｍｍ厚のものを採用した。包装食品の種類、高周波の印加条件および温度測定位置については、先の試験と同様とした。試験結果は表に２示す通りである。
【０１４８】
【表２】

【０１４９】
表２から判る通り、包装食品Ｆの上、中、下の温度分布のばらつき（標準偏差）は、０．４℃〜３．１℃と極めて低い値になっており、先の試験結果が再現性のあることを確認することができた。
【０１５０】
【発明の効果】
請求項１記載の発明によれば、包装食品は、対向配置される電極間に挟まれることにより、少なくとも一方の内面側の全接触面に敷設された敷設体に当接した状態になるため、この敷設体の存在でたとえ対向電極間の距離が包装食品の厚み寸法より大きいときでも、包装食品を敷設体を介して電極に当接させることが可能になり、これによって包装食品を適切かつ効率的に誘電加熱することができる。
【０１５１】
また、包装食品は、銘柄によって厚み寸法が異なるもあるが、このような場合、銘柄毎に装置の仕様を変更しなくても、敷設体をその包装食品に合ったものに交換するだけで対応することが可能であり、加熱殺菌装置の汎用性を向上させることができる。さらに、敷設体として誘電加熱が可能な材料を採用しているため、包装食品の誘電加熱時に敷設体も発熱し、加熱された敷設体からの包装食品への伝熱による加熱効率の向上が実現した上で、包装食品に確実な殺菌処理を施すことができる。
【図面の簡単な説明】
【図１】 本発明に係る加熱殺菌容器の一実施形態を示す斜視図であり、加熱殺菌容器が開放された状態を示している。
【図２】 本発明に係る加熱殺菌容器の一実施形態を示す斜視図であり、閉止された加熱殺菌容器が起立姿勢に姿勢設定された状態を示している。
【図３】 本発明に係る加熱殺菌容器の一実施形態を示す斜視図であり、閉止された加熱殺菌容器が横臥姿勢に姿勢設定された状態を示している。
【図４】 横臥姿勢に設定された状態の殺菌容器の断面図である。
【図５】 本発明に係る殺菌容器の使用を前提とした包装食品の製造工程を説明するための工程図である。
【図６】 殺菌ラインにおける殺菌処理を実行するための加熱殺菌装置の一実施形態を示す側面視の説明図である。
【図７】 本発明に係る敷設体が適用された殺菌容器の他の実施形態を示す側面視の説明図であり、（イ）は、容器が開放された状態、（ロ）は、容器が閉止された状態をそれぞれ示している。
【図８】 本発明の敷設体が適用される加熱殺菌装置の他の実施形態を示す側面視の断面図である。
【図９】 殺菌容器のさらに他の実施形態を示す一部切欠き斜視図である。
【図１０】 包装食品の誘電加熱による温度分布を調べる試験を説明するための説明図である。
【符号の説明】
１，１ａ，１ｂ 殺菌容器
１１ 容器本体
１１ａ 収納室
１２ 金属板
１３ 上部電極板
１４ 下部電極板
１５ 挟持部材
１６ 連結部材
１７ 敷設体
１８ 流体継手
１９ 受電フィン
３，３ａ 加熱殺菌装置
３１ 搬送手段
３２ 食品投入手段
３３ 閉止手段
３４ 容器横転手段
３４０ 高圧空気導入手段
３５ 高周波供給手段
３５ａ 高周波発振器
３５ｂ 給電フィン
３６ 反転手段
３７ 測温手段
３８ 起立手段
３９ 開放手段
３９０ 食品取出し手段
４ 四辺形リンク構造
５ 耐圧容器
Ｆ 包装食品[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a technique for heat sterilizing so-called packaged food sealed in a packaging container.
[0002]
[Prior art]
The spread of so-called sealed packaged foods in which various kinds of foods are sealed in packaging containers such as plastic bags and trays is remarkable, and now such packaged foods play a considerable part in the diet. Such packaged food is generally subjected to heat sterilization treatment at the final stage after sealing the predetermined food in a packaging container. Depending on the type of food, heat cooking (thermal aging treatment) is performed to improve the flavor of the food by this heating.
[0003]
Conventionally, such heat sterilization at the final stage was generally performed by boiling or retort, but there was a large temperature difference between the surface and the center of the packaged food, and the center at the lowest temperature In order to completely sterilize, the processing time becomes longer and at the same time the surface part is overheated, the color, flavor and texture of that part deteriorate, and the smell of the packaging container moves to the food surface. Had. Therefore, with the aim of shortening the sterilization time, the applicant firstly configured a high-frequency heating apparatus configured such that a large number of packaged foods are loaded in a flat annular container and the container is disposed between high-frequency counter electrodes. (Patent No. 2875198).
[0004]
According to such a high-frequency heating device, the inside of the container loaded with the packaged food is sealed by the counter electrode in contact with the edge of the container, and therefore the packaged food is sealed in the container (food storage chamber). Thus, it is possible to heat to 100 ° C. or higher, which makes it possible to perform a reliable sterilization process in a short time.
[0005]
However, in the apparatus of Japanese Patent No. 2875198, since a large number of packaged foods are loaded in the food storage chamber, the temperature to be heated tends to vary among the packaged foods, so that all of the loaded packaged foods can be reliably ensured. In order to perform the sterilization treatment, it was necessary to control the temperature so that the lower limit temperature of the variation became the sterilization temperature. However, this raises the problem that more heat energy for heating is required and the energy cost increases.
[0006]
In addition, although not as much as boiling or retort, the upper limit of the variation is overheated, resulting in a problem of deterioration in color, flavor, and texture.
[0007]
Therefore, the applicant prepares many sterilization containers that can be loaded with only one of the packaged foods as an improved type that solves such problems, and loads each packaged food one by one, Proposals have been made for sterilizing apparatuses configured to subject dielectric food by applying high frequency to packaged food in each sterilization container (Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 10-304855, 10-304856, and 11-9243). ).
[0008]
In this improved sterilization apparatus, the packaged foods are dielectrically heated one by one, so that the variation in the heating temperature between the packaged foods becomes extremely small, and the heating temperature is increased more than necessary due to the reduced variation. It becomes unnecessary, and it becomes possible to contribute to reduction of energy cost after ensuring a reliable sterilization treatment.
[0009]
In addition, there is no overheated portion in the packaged food, and as a result, the deterioration of color, flavor, and texture is greatly reduced over the entire packaged food.
[0010]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, packaged foods are usually sealed with a packaged or semi-cooked food made of a synthetic resin bag or tray. In order to supply the food, high frequency must be efficiently applied to the food inside through the packaging container.
[0011]
However, even if a high frequency is uniformly and efficiently applied to the packaged food, the packaged food with a large dielectric loss is surely dielectrically heated when a high frequency is being applied to the packaged food sandwiched between the counter electrodes. On the other hand, since the counter electrode made of a conductor has good thermal conductivity and is not dielectrically heated, the heat of the heated packaged food is dissipated through these counter electrodes, thereby the counter electrode of the packaged food. Inconvenience occurs in that the temperature of the portion in contact with the temperature is lower than the temperature of the central portion. And when such non-uniform temperature distribution occurs, there arises a problem that reliable sterilization cannot be performed efficiently over the entire packaged food.
[0012]
This is a problem raised even when the improved dielectric heating method described in JP-A-10-304855, JP-A-10-304856, and JP-A-11-9243 is adopted. .
[0013]
In addition, when processing a large number of packaged foods, it is difficult to precisely match the thickness dimensions between the packaged foods even if they are the same type. Some variation will occur between the two. Even in an individual packaged food, the surface in contact with the electrode is not always an accurate flat surface, and variations in thickness dimensions due to some unevenness and portions occur. When such irregularities and variations exist, an air layer exists between the electrode and the surface of the packaged food, and the high-frequency distribution in that portion is biased, making uniform heating difficult.
[0014]
The present invention has been made in view of the above situation, and can ensure a uniform and reliable sterilization treatment to obtain a good quality sterilized food and energy required for sterilization. It aims at providing the heat sterilization apparatus and heat sterilization method of the packaged food which can aim at reduction of cost.
[0015]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The invention described in claim 1 is a heat sterilization apparatus for packaged food that performs heat sterilization treatment on packaged food by applying high frequency to the packaged food interposed between the inner surfaces of the electrodes arranged opposite to each other. In addition, on the inner surface side of at least one of the electrodes, a laying body formed of a material capable of dielectric heating is provided on all contact surfaces with the packaged food.
[0016]
According to the present invention, the packaged food comes into contact with the laying body laid on all the contact surfaces on at least one inner surface side by being sandwiched between the electrodes arranged opposite to each other. Even when the distance between the counter electrodes is larger than the thickness dimension of the packaged food, the packaged food can be brought into contact with the electrode through the laying body, thereby appropriately heating the packaged food. . In addition, since a material capable of dielectric heating is used as the laying body, the laying body also generates heat during the dielectric heating of the packaged food, and the heat from the packaged food to the electrode is replenished by replenishing the heat lost by the heat dissipation of the electrode. By preventing the migration, uneven heating of the packaged food is reliably prevented.
[0017]
Furthermore, in the invention according to claim 2, since the laying body further has at least one of heat insulation and elasticity, the packaged food can receive at least one of the heat insulation and elasticity at the same time. Thus, the sterilization treatment is more reliably performed by these additive actions.
[0018]
A third aspect of the invention is characterized in that, in the first or second aspect of the invention, the laying body is formed of a plate-like body having a predetermined thickness.
[0019]
According to this invention, since the laying body is a plate-like body, one or both of the upper surface and the lower surface of the packaged food are in full contact with the laying body. The packaged food is reliably heated uniformly.
[0020]
The invention described in claim 4 is the invention described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the laying body is integrally attached to the inner surface of the electrode.
[0021]
According to the present invention, when the packaged food is loaded between the electrodes, the packaged food is sandwiched between the laid bodies without performing the operation of sandwiching the laid body between the packaged food and the electrodes.
[0022]
The invention according to claim 5 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a container main body made of an insulating material is interposed between the electrodes arranged opposite to each other, and the container main body has a space between the electrodes. The packaged food is stored in a through hole formed so as to penetrate, and the laying body is integrally attached to the inner surface of the electrode so as to close an end of the through hole. Is.
[0023]
According to the present invention, the packaged food is loaded into the cylinder, and the laying body is sandwiched between the packaged food and the electrode by sandwiching the cylinder between both electrodes. The packaged food comes into contact with the laying body without performing the work of sandwiching each one.
[0024]
The invention according to claim 6 is the claim 5 In the described invention, a plurality of packaged foods are stored in series in the through hole, and a metal plate is interposed between the packaged foods stored in series.
[0025]
According to this invention, for example, when packaged foods are arranged in series vertically, a metal plate is interposed between the packaged foods adjacent to each other in the upper and lower sides, so that the potential between the upper and lower packaged foods is constant by the metal plate. Therefore, an equal electric field distribution can be secured for the upper and lower packaged foods, and each packaged food is uniformly heated.
[0026]
Therefore, when a plurality of packaged foods are loaded in the storage room in the absence of a metal plate, the heating temperature of each packaged food varies due to uneven electric field distribution between the upper and lower packaged foods, and all packaged foods On the other hand, the conventional inconvenience that it is difficult to perform a reliable sterilization process in a short time is solved, and a reliable and efficient sterilization process for a plurality of packaged foods becomes a reality.
[0027]
And since the multiple packaged foods in the storage room via the metal plate are always heated uniformly with very little variation between the packaged foods, the occurrence of overheated parts is prevented and reliable sterilization treatment is performed. This contributes to the reduction of energy costs.
[0028]
The invention according to claim 7 is the invention according to claim 6, wherein the metal plate is attached to a sheet body formed of a material having at least one of a heat insulating property, an elastic property and a dielectric heating property on the plate surface. It is characterized by being.
[0029]
The invention according to claim 8 is a heat sterilization method for packaged food, wherein the packaged food is subjected to heat sterilization using the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the inner surfaces of the electrodes arranged opposite to each other are provided. After the packaged food is loaded in between, a high frequency is applied to the packaged food via both electrodes to perform a heat sterilization treatment.
[0030]
According to this invention, the packaged food is appropriately heat-sterilized by dielectric heating after ensuring the effects of claims 1-7.
[0031]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
1 to 3 are perspective views showing an embodiment of a heat sterilization container according to the present invention, FIG. 1 is a state in which the heat sterilization container is opened, and FIG. 2 is a standing view of the closed heat sterilization container. FIG. 3 shows a state in which the posture is set to the posture, and FIG. 3 shows a state in which the closed heat sterilization container is set in the lying posture.
[0032]
As shown in these drawings, the sterilization container 1 includes a pair of container main bodies (first and second surrounding bodies) 11 that are stored so as to surround the packaged food F, and a metal interposed between the container main bodies 11. An upper electrode plate 13 that closes the opening of the upper container body 11 in the pair of container bodies 11 with the metal plate 12 sandwiched therebetween, and a lower electrode that closes the opening of the lower container body 11 A plate 14, a sandwiching member 15 that sandwiches a pair of container main bodies 11 including the electrode plates 13 and 14, and a connecting member 16 that connects the pair of container main bodies 11 through the sandwiching member 15 so as to be openable and closable. It has a configuration. The upper electrode plate 13 and the lower electrode plate 14 are electrodes arranged opposite to each other in the present invention.
[0033]
The container body 11 is formed in an oblong shape with an insulating material such as a synthetic resin, and has four through-holes penetrating in series for loading the packaged food F. Each container body 11 is divided into two so as to cross each through-hole in the longitudinal direction, and the upper electrode plate 13 is sandwiched between one container body 11 (left container body 11 in the state shown in FIG. 1). While being fixed by screwing, the lower electrode plate 14 is sandwiched between the other container body 11 (the right container body 11 in the state shown in FIG. 1). And the storage chamber 11a which accommodates the packaged food F is formed above each electrode plate 13 and 14 of the said through-hole closed by each electrode plate 13 and 14 of each container main body 11 in the state shown in FIG. Yes.
[0034]
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the sterilization container 1 in a state where the recumbent posture is set. As shown in this figure, the storage chamber 11a of the present embodiment is set to a three-dimensional shape suitable for storing the tray-shaped packaged food F, and the inner diameter dimension is set equal to the maximum outer diameter dimension of the packaged food F. In addition, an annular notch groove 11b corresponding to the annular ear portion F1 of the packaged food F is provided on the peripheral portion on the entrance side of the storage chamber 11a (peripheral peripheral portions of the storage chambers 11a opposed vertically). With the packaged food F stored in the storage chamber 11a, the annular ear F1 is fitted into the annular notch groove 11b, and the annular ear F1 is annularly notched with the metal plate 12 laminated on the container body 11. 11b is sandwiched between the bottom of the metal plate 12 and the metal plate 12, so that the state of the packaged food F mounted in the storage chamber 11a is stabilized, and the opposed surface of the packaged food F to the metal plate 12 is securely attached to the metal plate 12. Come into contact That.
[0035]
In addition, a sheet-like laying body 17 having a predetermined thickness is laminated in the inner part of the storage chamber 11a so as to be in contact with the electrode plates 13 and 14. As the laying body 17, any one of a heat insulating material, an elastic material, and a material capable of dielectric heating, or any of those materials (heat insulating property, elastic property, dielectric heating property) is combined. A material having the above properties, or a material having all of heat insulation properties, elasticity, and dielectric heating properties is employed.
[0036]
A heat insulating material is used as the laying body 17 to prevent heat from being radiated from the packaged food F that is dielectrically heated through the electrode plates 13 and 14 that do not generate heat, thereby increasing the heating efficiency of the packaged food F. This is to prevent the decrease. As a heat insulating material, a material containing a lot of bubbles in the material, for example, a material in which powder particles such as pearlite, diatomaceous earth, alumina powder, carbon balun are formed into a plate shape, or a fiber piece such as asbestos or cut paper is used as a plate. And molded products of glass, fiber products such as silica / alumina fiber, cotton, and various synthetic resin foams (urethane foam, polypropylene foam, silicon rubber foam, etc.) it can.
[0037]
Further, the elastic material is adopted as the laying body 17 by setting the laying body 17 to be slightly thicker than the standard thickness dimension, so that the distance between the electrode plates 13 and 14 and the packaged food F Even if there is a variation in the thickness dimension, the variation is absorbed by the compressive elastic deformation of the laying body 17, thereby reliably forming a gap between each electrode plate 13, 14 and the packaged food F. This can prevent the decrease in the dielectric heating efficiency due to the presence of the gap. As such an elastic material, except for a molded product of powder particles, it overlaps with the heat insulating material, but besides these, a rubber material can be mentioned as a suitable product.
[0038]
In addition, a material capable of dielectric heating is adopted as the laying body 17 because the laying body 17 also generates heat during the dielectric heating of the packaged food F, and the packaging is performed by heat conduction from the heated laying body 17 to the packaged food F. This is because the heating efficiency of the food F can be improved. Examples of such materials include silicon rubber, polyvinyl chloride, polyurethane resin and the like.
[0039]
In the present embodiment, the laying body 17 is made of silicon rubber that can be dielectrically heated and can be flexibly and elastically deformed, and has excellent heat insulation properties. Therefore, in a state where the packaged food F in the storage chamber 11a is sandwiched between the electrode plates 13, 14 and the metal plate 12, the laying body 17 is pressed against the bottom of the packaged food F and is compressed and elastically deformed. The bottom of the packaged food F comes into contact with the electrode plates 13 and 14 via the laying body 17 without interposing an air layer between the electrode plates 13 and 14.
[0040]
When the packaged food F loaded in the storage chamber 11a in this state is applied with a high frequency from the electrode plates 13 and 14, an air layer is formed between the bottom of the packaged food F and the electrode plates 13 and 14. Since the high frequency is effectively supplied into the packaged food F and the dielectric heating efficiency is improved, the laying body 17 is dielectrically heated to a high temperature, so that the heat radiation through the electrode plates 13 and 14 is dissipated. Besides being blocked, the packaged food F is also heated by the heat transfer from the laying body 17, thereby further improving the dielectric heating efficiency. Incidentally, in this embodiment, silicon rubber is employed as the material of the laying body 17.
[0041]
Further, as shown in FIG. 1, an O-ring 11c made of an elastic material such as silicon rubber is attached to the surface of each container body 11 facing the metal plate 12 so as to surround each storage chamber 11a. Then, the O-ring 11c is elastically deformed as shown in FIG. 4 in a state where the container body 11 is laminated on the metal plate 12, so that the airtightness of the storage chamber 11a is ensured.
[0042]
Moreover, the container main body 11 has a fluid coupling 18 attached to the side surface and capable of a one-touch operation. The fluid coupling 18 is for introducing a high-pressure fluid (high-pressure air is used in the present embodiment) into the storage chamber 11a. For this purpose, the container body 11 has a fluid as shown in FIG. A fluid passage 11d for guiding the high-pressure air from the joint 18 into each storage chamber 11a is provided.
[0043]
Therefore, in a state where the packaged food F in the storage chamber 11a is being dielectrically heated, high-pressure air is introduced into the storage chamber 11a from the outside through the fluid coupling 18 and the fluid passage 11d, whereby the packaged food F is 100 ° C. Even if it is heated as described above, the internal moisture does not boil, thereby preventing the packaged food F from being broken.
[0044]
Furthermore, the electrode plates 13 and 14 are provided with power receiving fins 19 corresponding to power supply fins 35b for supplying high frequency from the high frequency oscillator 35a. The power receiving fins 19 are elongated from the electrode plates 13 and 14 outward in the longitudinal direction, and are formed by bending the distal end portions of the elongated metal plates at right angles in opposite directions.
[0045]
On the other hand, the power supply fins 35b are formed in a U shape in a cross-sectional view and are arranged to face each other, and the power reception fins 19 are loosely fitted in the U-shaped gaps of the corresponding power supply fins 35b, so Are received by the power receiving fins 19 through the power supply fins 35b.
[0046]
The connecting member 16 connects the pair of container main bodies 11 to each other so that the pair of container main bodies 11 can be opened and closed, and connects the container main bodies 11 via a pair of clamping plates 150 described later. A pair in the longitudinal direction is provided. The connecting member 16 has a T-shape, and a connecting member main body 16a installed between the end edges of each holding plate 150, and an intermediate electrode plate support projecting in an orthogonal direction from the center of the connecting member main body 16a. It consists of a bag 16b.
[0047]
Both end portions of the connecting member main body 16a are connected to the respective holding plates 150 so as to be rotatable relative to each other around the connecting shaft 16c, and the electrode plates 13 and 14 are rotated forward and backward around the connecting shaft 16c. 1 shows the closed state shown in FIG. 2 in which the container main bodies 11 are stacked with each other via the metal plate 12, and the container chambers 11 are separated and the storage chamber 11 a is opened upward in FIG. 1. It can be opened and closed between the open state shown.
[0048]
Each of the intermediate electrode plate support rods 16b has support grooves 16d that are recessed in the opposing surfaces so as to extend in the longitudinal direction. By pressing the opposite edge portions of the metal plate 12 into the support grooves 16d, the metal plate 12 is mounted on the connecting member 16.
[0049]
Further, on the outer surface side of the front end portion of each intermediate electrode plate support rod 16b, a posture changing shaft 16e is provided, which protrudes in the longitudinal direction of the sterilization vessel 1 and changes the posture of the sterilization vessel 1. Yes. These posture changing shafts 16e are used as the center of rotation at the time of reversing operation of the sterilization container 1 described later or when changing the posture between the standing posture and the lying posture.
[0050]
Inversion of the sterilization container 1 is performed in order to make the temperature distribution of the packaged food F uniform. That is, in a state where the packaged food F is being dielectrically heated, a convection phenomenon occurs in the packaged food F, and a high-temperature fluid moves upward, and the upper part of the packaged food F becomes higher than the lower part. The above-mentioned temperature non-uniformity is eliminated by forced stirring by inverting the sterilization container 1.
[0051]
The metal plate 12 is provided in order to make the electric field density uniform in the packaged food F. For example, the metal plate 12 is formed of an aluminum alloy, extends along the longitudinal center line, and corresponds to each packaged food F. A temperature sensor 12a is embedded at the position where the temperature sensor 12a is embedded, and a connection terminal 12b is provided at one end in the longitudinal direction. The temperature in the metal plate 12 detected by the temperature sensor 12a is not shown via the connection terminal 12b. It is detected by the detecting device. In the present embodiment, four temperature sensors 12 a are embedded in the metal plate 12 corresponding to the number of storage chambers 11 a provided in each container body 11, that is, four chambers.
[0052]
And the temperature detection by the temperature sensor 12a is performed in a state in which the sterilization container 1 is set in the recumbent posture (FIG. 3) and is being dielectrically heated, whereby the representative temperature of each packaged food F is known. The reason why the temperature of the metal plate 12 is detected in order to know the heating temperature of the packaged food F is as follows.
[0053]
That is, in the state where each storage chamber 11a in which packaged food F is stored is closed by the metal plate 12, the metal plate 12 is sandwiched between the upper and lower container bodies 11 as shown in FIG. Therefore, the heat of the upper and lower packaged food F heated by dielectric heating is transmitted to the central portion of the metal plate 12, and the metal plate 12 is packaged by the diffusion of heat in the metal plate 12 during this heat transfer. Since the local temperature variation of the food F is offset, the overall representative temperature of the packaged food F can be detected more accurately than when the temperature of one point of the packaged food F is directly detected. It is.
[0054]
The sandwiching member 15 is used to make the sterilization container 1 structurally strong and to securely lock the closed state of the sterilization container 1 (FIGS. 2 and 3), and sandwich the pair of container main bodies 11. The holding plate 150 and the lock arm 15a that locks the holding plates 150 in a state of holding the container main body 11 so as not to be separated from each other are formed.
[0055]
The sandwich plate 150 is formed of a metal plate having a predetermined thickness and has a slightly larger planar dimension than the container body 11. Each edge of the holding plate 150 is pivotally supported at the end of the connecting member main body 16a so as to be rotatable around the connecting shaft 16c. Each sandwiching plate 150 is provided with four water filling holes 150a along the center line extending in the longitudinal direction and corresponding to each storage chamber 11a, and these water filling holes 150a are formed in the cooling process. The packaged food F in the storage chamber 11a is effectively cooled via the metal plate 12 by the cooling water entering from the inside.
[0056]
The lock arm 15a is provided in a pair at the edge of each clamping plate 150 opposite to the position where it is connected to the connecting member 16. The lock arm 15a includes a female locking arm 15b fixed to the upper electrode plate 13 with screws and a male locking arm 15c fixed to the lower electrode plate 14 with screws corresponding to the female locking arms 15b. It is composed of.
[0057]
The female locking arm 15b is formed in an L shape, and is screwed in a state in which its base end side (upper part in FIG. 3) is hooked on one clamping plate 150. Similarly to the female locking arm 15b, the male locking arm 15c is formed in an L shape and is fixed to the other holding plate 150 so as to correspond to the female locking arm 15b.
[0058]
The female locking arm 15b is provided with a fitting recess 15d formed by recessing the central portion thereof, while the male locking arm 15c is provided with a fitting recess 15d. As shown in FIG. 3, in the state in which the fitting convex portion 15e to be fitted into the projection protrudes and the sterilization container 1 is closed, each locking projection piece is fitted so that the fitting convex portion 15e fits into the fitting concave portion 15d. The shapes and dimensions of 16a and 16b are set.
[0059]
As shown in FIG. 1, lock holes 15 f corresponding to each other are formed at the distal ends of the locking protrusions 16 a and 16 b, and the protrusions 15 e are inserted into the insertion recesses 15 d. By inserting the lock pin 15g into each lock hole 15f, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the respective locking protrusions 16a and 16b are locked to each other so that the closed state of the sterilization container 1 is maintained. It has become.
[0060]
According to such a configuration of the sterilization container 1, first, the sterilization container 1 is opened as shown in FIG. 1, and in this state, the packaged food F is loaded into the storage chamber 11 a of each container body 11 with the opening facing upward. Then, after each clamping plate 150 is pushed upward from below to rotate in the opposite direction around the connecting shaft 16c, the lock pin 15g is inserted into the lock hole 15f of each locking protrusion 16a, 16b. By inserting, the sterilization container 1 is set in the standing posture as shown in FIG.
[0061]
The sterilization container 1 once set in the standing posture (FIG. 2) is changed in posture to the recumbent posture shown in FIG. The packaged food F is supplied to the packaged food F in the storage chamber 11a via the power receiving fin 19 and the electrode plates 13 and 14, and the packaged food F is sterilized by dielectric heating.
[0062]
As shown in FIG. 2, such a sterilization container 1 is attached to a pair of timing belts 31c of a heat sterilization apparatus 3 to be described later. The timing belt 31c is provided in a pair in the width direction so as to sandwich the sandwiching member 15 of the sterilization container 1. Each timing belt 31c is fixed with a bearing member 310c facing in the width direction (only one bearing member 310c is shown in FIG. 2 for the sake of illustration), and each of the posture changing shafts 16e has these The sterilization container 1 can be rotated in both the forward and reverse directions around the attitude changing shaft 16e and is moved along with the movement of the timing belt 31c. It has become.
[0063]
A pinion 160e is concentrically fixed to the tip of each of the posture changing shafts 16e, while a rack 311c is fixed to a machine frame 31a (FIG. 6) at an appropriate position on the conveyance path of the sterilization container 1, and a timing belt The pinion 160e meshes with the rack 311c by the movement of the sterilization container 1 by the forward movement of 31c, so that the pinion 160e rotates clockwise around the attitude changing shaft 16e, and thereby the attitude of the sterilization container 1 can be changed. It has become.
[0064]
The number of teeth of the rack 311c is set according to the required degree of posture change of the sterilization container 1. For example, when the sterilization container 1 in the standing posture shown in FIG. 2 is rotated 90 ° to change the posture to the lying posture shown in FIG. 3, the fraction of the rack 311c is set to ¼ of the number of teeth of the pinion 160e, When the sterilization container 1 in the recumbent posture shown in FIG. 3 is inverted 180 degrees up and down, the number of teeth of the rack 311c is set to ½ of the number of teeth of the pinion 160e. By providing the pinion 160e and the rack 311c, it becomes possible to change the attitude of the sterilization container 1 by a necessary amount at a desired position in the conveyance path.
[0065]
Further, a pair of guide rails 312c for maintaining the set posture of the sterilization container 1 is laid between the pair of timing belts 31c at the front and rear positions of the rack 311c in the conveyance path, and the sterilization set in a predetermined posture. The setting posture of the sterilization container 1 being conveyed is maintained by the lower surface portion of the container 1 being in sliding contact with these guide rails 312c.
[0066]
FIG. 5 is a process diagram for explaining a packaged food manufacturing process based on the use of the sterilization container 1 according to the present invention. As shown in this process diagram, the packaged food F is sterilized into a food filling line P1 for filling a predetermined tray with the contents (food) of the packaged food F and the packaged food F obtained by the food filling line R1. Is manufactured through the sterilization line P2 for performing the sterilization, and the packaging line P3 for packaging the packaged food F that has been sterilized by the sterilization line R2, and is subsequently shipped via the packaging line P3.
[0067]
The food filling line P1 includes a tray forming step P11 for forming a tray F0 for filling food, a food filling step P12 for loading a predetermined food into the formed tray F0, and a cover on the tray F0 loaded with food. And a sealing process P13 for sealing, and a die cutting process P14 for punching out a plurality of continuous packaged foods F and separating them separately.
[0068]
In the tray forming step P11, the synthetic resin tray sheet 21 used as the raw material of the tray F0 is sequentially drawn from the raw material roll 20 and supplied between the predetermined dies 22, and the air at the bottom of the dies 22 is sucked. The tray F0 is continuously formed on the softened tray sheet 21 by so-called blow molding.
[0069]
In the food filling step P12, the liquid food is first supplied from the liquid food filling device 23 and then the solid food is supplied from the solid food filling device 24 to the tray F0 sent continuously by the movement of the tray sheet 21. I am doing so.
[0070]
In the sealing step P13, the synthetic resin lid sheet 26 which is the lid of the tray F0 is sequentially pulled out from the lid roll 25 and stacked on the upper surface of the moving tray sheet 21, thereby loading the food. The upper surface opening of the tray F0 is closed sequentially. Subsequently, the lid 26 is welded to the tray sheet 21 by driving a so-called sealer 27, which is used for the thermal welding of the synthetic resin sheet, so that the food is sealed in the tray F0.
[0071]
In the die cutting process P14, the tray sheet 21 and the lid sheet 26 in a state where the food is sealed in the tray F0 that has been successively transferred in succession are sequentially cut by driving the press machine 28, and the packaged food F A so-called die-cutting operation for separating the pieces into pieces is performed, and thereby the packaged food F is obtained in pieces. These packaged foods F are aligned and then sent to the next sterilization line P2 to be subjected to a predetermined sterilization treatment.
[0072]
The sterilization line P2 sequentially sterilizes the packaged food F fed from the food filling line P1 conveyed along the circulation conveyance path. The sterilization process P21, the container closing process P22, the container It comprises a tipping process P23, a high-pressure air introduction process P24, a dielectric heating process P25, a temperature measurement process P26, a cooling process P27, a container opening process P28, and a packaged food take-out process P29.
[0073]
The charging step P21 is a step of charging (loading) the packaged food F sent from the food filling line P1 into the storage chamber 11a of the container body 11 of the opened sterilization container 1 (FIG. 1).
[0074]
The container closing process P22 closes the sterilization container 1 in a state in which the packaged food F is loaded in the storage chamber 11a of the container body 11 in the charging process P21, sets the posture to the standing posture (FIG. 2), and sets the lock hole 15f. This is a step of locking the closed state of the sterilization container 1 by inserting the lock pin 15g (FIG. 2) into (FIG. 1).
[0075]
The container overturning step P23 is a step of causing the sterilization container 1 in the standing posture shown in FIG. 2 to roll over and lying on the conveyance path (that is, on the guide rail 312c shown in FIG. 2) as shown in FIG. The reason why such a container overturning process P23 is necessary is that the sterilization container 1 is placed opposite to the electrode plates 13 and 14 while the sterilization container 1 is moved while the sterilization container 1 is set in the standing posture (the state shown in FIG. 2). This is because the power receiving fin 19 cannot receive the high frequency from the power feeding fin 35b (FIG. 3).
[0076]
The high-pressure air introduction process P24 is a process for introducing high-pressure air into the storage chamber 11a through the fluid coupling 18. The high-pressure air whose pressure has been increased to about 1.4 atm in this high-pressure air introduction process P24 is introduced into the storage chamber 11a via the fluid coupling 18, whereby the packaged food F in the storage chamber 11a is then fed in the next dielectric heating process P25. Even if heated to 130 ° C. or higher, the boiling of the moisture in the packaged food F is prevented, thereby preventing the packaged food F from being broken.
[0077]
In the dielectric heating step P25, the packaged food F in the storage chamber 11a is dielectrically heated by applying a high frequency to the electrode plates 13 and 14 of the sterilization container 1 (FIG. 3) set in a recumbent posture, In this way, the packaged food F is sterilized. This process is further divided into a power feeding process P251 and a reversing process P252. In the power feeding process P251, high-frequency application to the electrode plates 13 and 14 is executed for a predetermined time, and the sterilization container 1 is turned upside down in the reversing process P252. In addition, the nonuniformity of the temperature distribution in the packaged food F is eliminated by the stirring effect by the reversing operation. The power feeding process P251 and the inversion process P252 are repeated a predetermined number of times in the dielectric heating process P25, thereby achieving uniform heating of the packaged food F.
[0078]
The temperature measuring step P26 is a step of detecting whether or not the sterilization process has been normally executed by detecting the temperature of the packaged food F that has been sterilized in the dielectric heating process P25. In this step, it is checked whether or not the packaged food F is higher than a preset sterilization temperature, and those lower than the sterilization temperature are discharged out of the system as defective products in the subsequent packaged food take-out process P29.
[0079]
The cooling step P27 is a step of forcibly cooling the packaged food F after the temperature measurement step P26 is executed by immersing the sterilized container 1 together with the water in the water tank. By performing this cooling process P27, the packaged food F that has been 130 ° C. or higher is cooled to approximately 60 ° C.
[0080]
The container opening process P28 is a process of opening the sterilization container 1 after the cooling process P27. The sterilization container 1 is opened after the lock pin 15g is pulled out from the lock arm 15a, and thereby the storage chamber 11a (FIG. 1). The packaged food F in the parenthesis is exposed to the outside.
[0081]
The packaged food take-out process P29 is a process of taking out the packaged food F in the storage chamber 11a of the container body 11 exposed to the outside when the sterilization container 1 is opened. Further, in this step, the packaged food F that is defective in the temperature measurement step P26 is excluded.
[0082]
Each process in such a sterilization line P2 is performed by a heat sterilizer, and this heat sterilizer will be described in detail later with reference to FIG.
[0083]
The packing line P3 is for packing and shipping the sterilized packaged food F sent from the sterilization line P2, and cooling the sprayed water F to room temperature by spraying cooling water. A process P31, a drying process P32 for removing water droplets adhering to the outer peripheral surface by watering in the secondary cooling process P31, and a packing process P33 for packing a predetermined number of packaged food F after drying in a cardboard box It is made up of. Then, the packaged food F packed in the cardboard box in the packing process P33 is shipped.
[0084]
FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a side view showing an embodiment of the heat sterilization apparatus used for executing the sterilization line P2. As shown in this figure, the heat sterilizer 3 keeps the sterilization container 1 clockwise while maintaining a posture that extends in a horizontal direction in a direction perpendicular to a conveyance path that circulates along a vertical plane with respect to the sterilization container 1. It has the conveyance means 31 to carry around.
[0085]
And this conveyance means 31 has the below-mentioned timing belt 31c driven around in a vertical plane, and the packaged food F is put in the storage chamber 11a of the sterilization container 1 being conveyed along this timing belt 31c. Food closing means 32 for closing the container, closing means 33 for closing the sterilization container 1 in which the packaged food F is charged in the storage chamber 11a, and the sterilization container 1 in which the packaged food F is charged and set in the standing posture. The container rollover means 34 that rolls over and changes its posture to the recumbent posture, and the high-pressure air introduction means 340 that introduces high-pressure air into the storage chamber 11a (FIG. 1) of the sterilization container 1 that is set in the recumbent posture by the container rollover device 34. And are provided.
[0086]
In addition, on the downstream side of the high-pressure air introducing means 340 (around direction of the conveying means 31), a high-frequency supplying means 35 for supplying a high frequency to the electrode plates 13 and 14 of the sterilization container 1 whose posture has been changed to the lying position, Inversion means 36 for turning the sterilization container 1 in the middle of heating up and down, a temperature measurement means 37 for detecting the temperature of the packaged food F after dielectric heating, and a cooling water tank 30 for cooling the packaged food F after temperature detection together with the sterilization container 1 And standing means 38 for changing the posture of the sterilized container 1 after cooling, which is set to the lying posture, to the standing posture, and opening the sterilizing container 1 in the standing posture to expose the packaged food F in the storage chamber 11a to the outside. And a food take-out means 390 for taking out the packaged food F from the sterilization container 1. The food take-out means 390 is followed by the first food input means 32.
[0087]
The conveying means 31 includes a long machine casing 31a extending in the front-rear direction, four pairs of sprockets 31b rotatably provided around the four corners of the machine casing 31a, and stretched between the sprockets 31b. A pair of widthwise timing belts 31c made of an insulating material made of, for example, polytetrafluoroethylene (a belt in which teeth meshing with the sprocket 31b are formed on the inner surface side), and a drive motor that rotates one of the sprockets 31b 31d. The timing belt 31c is rotated clockwise by the rotation of the sprocket 31b in the clockwise direction driven by the drive motor 31d, and thereby the sterilization mounted on the timing belt 31c via the bearing member 310c and the attitude changing shaft 16e. A predetermined process is sequentially performed on the packaged food F inside while the container 1 circulates.
[0088]
The food input means 32 is provided slightly upstream (leftward in FIG. 6) from the center of the forward belt of the timing belt 31c (belt stretched between the upper sprocket 31b). This food input means 32 has, for example, a robot arm, and the operation of this robot arm causes the packaged food F fed and stocked from the food filling line P1 to be stocked and aligned in the storage chamber 11a (FIG. 1). It is designed to be introduced one by one.
[0089]
The closing means 33 is provided immediately downstream of the food input means 32, and is provided at a position below the timing belt 31c by one pitch. The closing means 33 pushes up the pair of container main bodies 11 of the opened sterilization container 1 by, for example, the upward movement of a push rod that can be driven up and down, thereby opposing the pair of container main bodies 11 with the metal plate 12 interposed therebetween. By doing so, the sterilization container 1 is closed.
[0090]
Further, the closing means 33 has a lock mechanism (not shown) that locks the closed state of the sterilization container 1, and is locked in the lock hole 15f (FIG. 1) of the lock arm 15a (FIG. 2) by driving the lock mechanism. A pin 15g is inserted so that the closed state of the sterilization container 1 is maintained.
[0091]
The container roll-over means 34 is provided on the immediately downstream side of the closing means 33 with one pitch separation. The container rollover means 34 is formed by fixing a rack 311c shown in FIG. 2 to the machine casing 31a so as to correspond to the pinion 160e. The number of teeth of the rack 311c is set to ¼ of the number of teeth of the pinion 160e. Thus, when the sterilization container 1 reaches the rack 311c around the timing belt 31c, the pinion 160e meshed with the rack 311c is 90 °. As a result, the sterilization container 1 that has been in the standing posture is changed to the recumbent posture by rotating clockwise around the posture changing shaft 16e. Since the sterilization container 1 whose posture has been changed is brought into a sliding contact state on the guide rail 312c (FIG. 2), the sterilization container 1 moves forward with the recumbent posture maintained thereafter. As a result of the rollover, the electrode plates 13 and 14 face each other in the vertical direction in the sterilization container 1 and are prepared for subsequent dielectric heating.
[0092]
The high-pressure air introducing means 340 includes a compression pump, a pipe for sending high-pressure air from the compression pump toward the sterilization container 1, and a connection mechanism provided at the tip of the pipe. Then, in a state where the sterilization container 1 is set in the recumbent posture, the tip of the pipe is connected to the fluid coupling 18 (FIG. 3) provided in each container body 11 by the operation of the connection mechanism, and the high pressure air is fluidized. 18 and the fluid passage 11d (FIG. 4) are introduced into the storage chamber 11a. By introducing this high-pressure air, even if the packaged food F is heated to 100 ° C. or more by dielectric heating, the boiling of the moisture is suppressed and the packaged food F is prevented from being broken.
[0093]
The high-frequency supply means 35 includes a high-frequency oscillator 35 a and power supply fins 35 b that supply high-frequency from the high-frequency oscillator 35 a to the power receiving fins 19 of the sterilization container 1. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the power supply fin 35 b is formed in a U shape when viewed from the end surface, and a pair of upper and lower sides is provided with the openings facing each other along the timing belt 31 c. The upper power supply fin 35 b corresponds to the power reception fin 19 of the upper electrode plate 13, and the lower power supply fin 35 b corresponds to the power reception fin 19 of the lower electrode plate 14.
[0094]
Then, the tip of each power receiving fin 19 is fitted in the U-shaped gap of the corresponding power feeding fin 35 b in a non-contact state, so that a high frequency from the high frequency oscillator 35 a is passed through the power receiving fin 19 to each electrode plate 13, 14. The packaged food F stored in the storage chamber 11a is dielectrically heated.
[0095]
A plurality of sets of the power supply fins 35b having a length of one pitch toward the downstream side are provided with one pitch separated. In FIG. 6, for convenience of illustration, only two pairs of power supply fins 35b are shown and the others are omitted.
[0096]
When the sterilization container 1 reaches the power supply fin 35b around the timing belt 31c, the tip of the upper and lower power reception fins 19 bent at a right angle is fitted into the gap between the upper and lower power supply fins 35b, and the power reception fin 19 is supplied with power. Until the fin 35b passes, the packaged food F in the sterilization container 1 is in a state where a high frequency from the high frequency oscillator 35a is applied, and is sterilized by dielectric heating at this time.
[0097]
The inversion means 36 is provided between the power supply fins 35b, and vertically inverts the sterilization container 1 immediately after the power reception fins 19 are pulled out of the power supply fins 35b. The reversing means 36 is the same as the container rollover means 34 in that the rack 311c shown in FIG. 2 is fixed to the machine frame 31a so as to correspond to the pinion 160e. In the case of the reversing means 36, the number of teeth of the rack 311c is set to ½ of the number of teeth of the pinion 160e. Thus, when the sterilization container 1 reaches the rack 311c around the timing belt 31c, the rack 311c meshes with the rack 311c. The pinion 160e rotated clockwise around the attitude changing shaft 16e by 180 ° is turned upside down. Also in this case, the inverted sterilization container 1 is slidably placed on the guide rail 312c (FIG. 2), and thereafter advances while the inverted state is maintained and proceeds to the next power supply fin 35b.
[0098]
The above reversal operation is performed because the contents in the upper and lower packaged foods F tend to be hotter on the upper side than on the lower side. This is used as a new upper electrode plate 13 so that the contents that have been in the lower position of each packaged food up to now are moved to the upper part to be easily heated, and the temperature of the contents of each packaged food F is made uniform. It is for aiming at. Furthermore, it is expected that the stirring effect of the contents by turning the packaged food F upside down contributes to uniform temperature.
[0099]
And the sterilization container 1 turned upside down reaches the next power supply fin 35b by the circular movement of the timing belt 31c, and a high frequency is applied to the packaged food F in the sterilization container 1 turned upside down by receiving power from the power supply fin 35b. Will be.
[0100]
The temperature measuring means 37 measures the temperature of the metal plate 12 of the sterilization container 1 that has passed through the power supply fin 35b on the most downstream side, and a movable connection terminal that is detachably connected to the connection terminal 12b of the metal plate 12. In addition, a detection signal from the temperature sensor 12a (FIG. 1) input through the movable connection terminal is converted into a temperature signal, and a thermometer for displaying the temperature is provided.
[0101]
The temperature signal of the metal plate 12 obtained by the temperature measuring means 37 is input to a control device (not shown) to determine whether or not it exceeds a preset sterilization temperature (for example, 130 ° C.). If the sterilization container 1 reaches the food take-out means 390, the control device sends a signal indicating that the packaged food F in the sterilization container 1 is a defective product to the food take-out means 390. The food take-out means 390 excludes defective products based on this signal.
[0102]
The cooling water tank 30 is for cooling the packaged food F dielectrically heated by the high-frequency supply means 35 to a predetermined temperature (for example, 60 ° C.) before taking it out of the sterilization container 1 and is filled with cooling water. Has been. The cooling water tank 30 has a capacity sufficient for the substantially lower half of the timing belt 31c to be immersed in the cooling water, and the bottom surface and the inner walls on the upstream side and the downstream side have a predetermined interval (of the sterilization container 1). The shape is set so as to be along the timing belt 31c while maintaining a gap slightly larger than the thickness dimension, so that the sterilization container 1 can pass through the cooling water tank 30 while being guided by the timing belt 31c.
[0103]
A guide hood 30 a extending upward is provided at the inner wall surface positions on the upstream side and the downstream side of the cooling water tank 30. These guide hoods 30a have a predetermined interval (interval slightly larger than the thickness of the sterilization container 1) and are set to be parallel to the timing belt 31c. Due to the presence of the guide hood 30a, the sterilization container 1 is guided into the cooling water tank 30 in a stable state and led out from the cooling water tank 30 in a stable state.
[0104]
The standing means 38 is for changing the position of the sterilization container 1 in the lying position that has come out of the cooling water tank 30 and returned onto the forward belt to the standing position, and is a pressing force that is configured to be movable up and down. The sterilization container 1 is raised by pushing up the rod from a position below the timing belt 31c through a gap formed at the center of the timing belt 31c.
[0105]
The opening means 39 is for opening the closed sterilization container 1, and includes a pin extraction mechanism for pulling out the lock pin 15g attached to the lock arm 15a, and a pair of pins after the lock pin 15g is pulled out. And a rotation mechanism that rotates the container body 11 around the connecting shaft 16c in a direction away from each other. By the driving of the opening means 39, the sterilization container 1 whose closed state is locked is opened, so that the packaged food F in the storage chamber 11a is exposed to the outside.
[0106]
The food take-out means 390 is for taking out the sterilized packaged food F from the opened storage chamber 11a of the sterilization container 1, and has a suction means (not shown) provided with a suction cup at the tip of the robot arm. The packaged food F in the storage chamber 11a is sucked and taken out by the suction cup by the suction air flow by the driving of the suction means. The extracted packaged food F is sent out toward the packaging line P3.
[0107]
As described above, when the sterilization container 1 having the packaged food F determined to be defective based on the temperature measurement result by the temperature measurement means 37 reaches the food take-out means 390, the defective product is packed. Instead of being sent to the line P3, it is excluded from the system.
[0108]
According to the configuration of the heat sterilization apparatus 3, the food input means 32 first has the storage chamber 11a of the sterilization container 1 by rotating the plurality of sterilization containers 1 along with the rotation of the timing belt 31c driven by the drive motor 31d. Packaged food F is put in, and then the sterilization container 1 opened by the closing means 33 is closed, whereby the packaged food F stored in the storage chambers 11a of the pair of container bodies 11 holds the metal plate 12 between them. The sterilization container 1 in this state is turned over by the container overturning means 34 and set in a recumbent posture. Subsequently, the container overturning means 34 introduces high-pressure air into each storage chamber 11a, Subsequently, the packaged food F in the storage chamber 11a is dielectrically heated by the application of high frequency by the high frequency supply means 35, and the upper and lower sides are moved by the inversion means 36 during the dielectric heating. The temperature distribution of the packaged food F is made uniform and the temperature of the packaged food F is checked by the temperature measuring means 37 when the dielectric heating is completed, and then the sterilization container 1 is introduced into the cooling water tank 30. Then, the sterilization container 1 that has been closed by the opening means 39 is opened, and finally the food take-out means 390 wraps the packaging in the storage chamber 11a. The food F is taken out and sent out toward the next packing line P3.
[0109]
Since a series of such sterilization processes by dielectric heating are automatically executed one after another in synchronization with the rotation of the timing belt 31c, the packaged food F is sterilized very efficiently without human intervention. be able to.
[0110]
And the sterilization container 1 which concerns on this invention is with respect to the packaged food F by applying a high frequency via the electrode plates 13 and 14 to the packaged food F interposed between the inner surfaces of the electrode plates 13 and 14 opposingly arranged. The packaged food F is used in the heat sterilization apparatus 3 for the packaged food F to be subjected to the heat sterilization process, and is provided with the laying body 17 on the inner surface side of each electrode plate 13, 14. By being sandwiched between the electrode plates 13 and 14, the at least one inner surface is brought into contact with the laying body 17, so that the presence of the laying body 17 makes it even between the counter electrode plates 13 and 14. Even when the distance is larger than the thickness dimension of the packaged food F, the packaged food F can be brought into contact with the electrode plates 13 and 14 via the laying body 17, whereby dielectric heating of the packaged food F is performed appropriately. Is called.
[0111]
In addition, the packaged food F may vary in thickness depending on the brand. In such a case, the laying body 17 is replaced with one that matches the packaged food F without changing the specifications of the apparatus for each brand. It is possible to cope with this, and the versatility of the heat sterilizer is improved.
[0112]
And by forming the laying body 17 with a heat insulating material, it is possible to prevent heat dissipation of the packaged food F that is dielectrically heated through the electrode plates 13 and 14, and the packaged food F is heated by dielectric heating in a state where the heating efficiency is improved. A reliable sterilization treatment is applied.
[0113]
Further, by adopting an elastic material as the laying body 17, the laying body 17 is set to be slightly thicker than the standard thickness dimension, so that the distance between the electrode plates 13 and 14 and the thickness dimension of the packaged food F Even if there is a variation between the two, the variation is absorbed by the compression elastic deformation of the laying body 17, thereby reliably preventing the formation of an air layer between the electrode plates 13 and 14 and the packaged food F. A decrease in dielectric heating efficiency due to the presence of the layer is suppressed.
[0114]
Further, if a material capable of dielectric heating is adopted as the laying body 17, the laying body 17 also generates heat during the dielectric heating of the packaged food F, and the packaged food F is transferred by heat transfer from the heated laying body 17 to the packaged food F. The heating efficiency can be improved.
[0115]
Furthermore, by forming the laying body 17 with a material having at least two properties of heat insulation, elasticity, and dielectric heating, it is possible to simultaneously receive the two actions of the laying body 17 and add these actions. Thus, the packaged food F can be further sterilized more reliably.
[0116]
FIG. 7 is an explanatory view in a side view showing another embodiment of the sterilization container to which the laying body 17 according to the present invention is applied. (A) is a state in which the container is opened, and (B) is a container. Each indicates a closed state. In the sterilization container 1a of this embodiment, a pair of container main bodies 110 are opposed to each other in the vertical direction with the openings facing each other, and the metal plate 120 is a quadrilateral link between the pair of container main bodies 110 disposed to face each other. It has a basic structure sandwiched via structure 4. The quadrilateral link structure 4 is formed by connecting four link arms 41 having the same length dimension so as to be relatively rotatable at each end.
[0117]
The upper electrode plate 13 is laminated and fixed on the upper surface of the upper container body 110, and the lower electrode plate 14 is laminated and fixed on the bottom surface of the lower container body 110. An upper pin 42 is attached to the central position of the upper electrode plate 13, and a lower pin 43 is fixed to the central position of the lower electrode plate 14, and two link arms 41 are relative to each pin 42, 43. It is connected so that it can rotate.
[0118]
Each of the two link arms 41 pivotally supported by the upper pin 42 and the lower pin 43 is connected to each other via an intermediate pin 44 so as to be relatively rotatable, while the metal plate 120. Has a pair of guide long holes 121 drilled so as to extend in the longitudinal direction on the end face, and each intermediate pin 44 is fitted into these guide long holes 121, so that the metal plate 120 is a quadrilateral link. It is disposed between the pair of container main bodies 110 while being supported by the structure 4.
[0119]
A laying body 17 is laid on the opposite surface of each of the electrode plates 13 and 14 at the bottom of the container body 110 with an adhesive, and the laying body 17 is also bonded to the front and back surfaces of the metal plate 120. It is laid through the agent.
[0120]
According to the configuration of the sterilization container 1a, the intermediate pin 44 approaches the inside of the guide long hole 121 by the link movement of the quadrilateral link structure 4 by moving the upper electrode plate 13 and the lower electrode plate 14 away from each other. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 7A, each container body 110 is opened while the metal plate 120 is maintained in a horizontal state. In this state, the packaged food F is loaded into the storage chamber 11a of each container body 110. The packaged food F is loaded from the side using a predetermined jig. In FIG. 7A, for convenience of illustration, a state in which the packaged food F is loaded upside down in the storage chamber 11a of the upper container body 110 is depicted. The packaged food F is placed upside down.
[0121]
Next, by moving the electrode plates 13 and 14 in a direction approaching each other (specifically, by pressing the electrode plates 13 and 14 in opposite directions, respectively), the intermediate pin 44 is moved into the guide slot 121. Thus, the upper and lower container bodies 110 abut against the metal plate 120 while the horizontal state of the metal plate 120 is maintained, and the storage chamber 11a is closed.
[0122]
According to the sterilization container 1a of this embodiment, the adoption of the quadrilateral link structure 4 makes it possible to dispose the pair of container main bodies 110 facing each other with the metal plate 120 sandwiched between them while having a simple structure. This is effective in reducing the cost of the container 1a.
[0123]
In addition, the packaged food F is in close contact with the laying body 17 in a state in which the bottom portion presses the laying body 17 laminated on the opposing surfaces of the electrode plates 13 and 14 with the storage chamber 11a closed. In addition, the entrance side of each container body 110 is in a state in which the edge portion is pressed and elastically deformed by pressing the laying body 17 laminated on the front and back of the metal plate 120, so that the packaged food F and each electrode There is no gap between the plates 13 and 14 and the metal plate 120, thereby realizing an efficient heat treatment for the packaged food F.
[0124]
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional side view showing another embodiment of the heat sterilization apparatus to which the laying body 17 of the present invention is applied. The heat sterilizer 3a of this embodiment includes a pressure vessel 5, a top electrode plate 13 and a bottom electrode plate 14 that are opposed to each other in the pressure vessel 5 and a high frequency that applies a high frequency to each of the electrode plates 13 and 14. The basic configuration includes an oscillator 35 a and a compression pump 6 that feeds compressed air into the pressure-resistant container 5. Laying bodies 17 are laid on the opposing surfaces of the electrode plates 13 and 14, respectively. Further, in this embodiment, the metal plate 12 is not interposed between the packaged foods F.
[0125]
A lead wire 350 a that electrically connects the high-frequency oscillator 35 a and the electrode plates 13 and 14 is wired through the side wall of the pressure-resistant container 5. An insulator 50 is disposed in a portion of the side wall through which the lead wire 350a passes, and the presence of the insulator 50 allows the pressure-resistant container 5 and the lead wire 350a to be electrically insulated.
[0126]
An opening / closing door 51 is provided on one side wall of the pressure-resistant container 5, and the packaged food F is loaded between the electrode plates 13, 14 in the pressure-resistant container 5 via the metal plate 12 with the opening / closing door 51 opened. In addition, by closing the open / close door 51, the inside of the pressure vessel 5 can be maintained in a sealed state.
[0127]
The upper electrode plate 13 is fixed to the ceiling surface in the pressure resistant container 5 via a pressing means 52 (for example, a pressing means such as a spring or hydraulic pressure), and the packaged food F is sandwiched between the electrode plates 13 and 14. Thus, the packaged food F is configured to be pressed and sandwiched between the electrode plates 13 and 14 by the pressing force of the pressing means 52.
[0128]
According to the heat sterilizer 3a, the high frequency from the high frequency oscillator 35a is applied to the packaged food F through the electrode plates 13 and 14 in a state where the pressure vessel 5 is set to a predetermined high pressure by driving the compression pump 6. As a result, the packaged food F sandwiched between the upper and lower electrode plates 13 and 14 with the metal plate 12 interposed therebetween is dielectrically heated, whereby the packaged food F is sterilized.
[0129]
And since the pressure vessel 5 is set to a pressure higher than the normal pressure by driving the compression pump 6, even if the packaged food F is heated to 100 ° C. or higher, the water inside does not boil, Therefore, the packaged food F is prevented from being broken. Moreover, since the metal plate 12 is interposed between the pair of packaged foods F, as described above, uniform heating is realized for the upper and lower packaged foods F, respectively. FIG. 8 illustrates a diagram in which two packaged foods F are loaded in the pressure resistant container 5, but the pressure resistant container 5 is a large pressure resistant chamber, and many packaged foods F are heated at once in the pressure resistant chamber. You may make it process.
[0130]
Furthermore, the laying body 17 is laminated on each of the opposing surfaces of the electrode plates 13 and 14 via an adhesive, and the laying body 17 is elastically deformed along the unevenness of the contact surface of the packaged food F. There is no gap between the packaged food F and each of the electrode plates 13, 14, and the packaged food F can be efficiently subjected to dielectric heating.
[0131]
FIG. 9 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing still another embodiment of the sterilization container 1b. In this embodiment, the sterilization container 1b is formed by a cylindrical container 1c made of synthetic resin. And the laying body 17 cut | disconnected circularly so that a bottom part opening may be closed is laid in the bottom part of this cylindrical container 1c via the adhesive agent.
[0132]
According to the sterilization container 1b, after the packaged food is loaded into a pair of the sterilization containers 1b, the pair of sterilization containers 1b are placed between the counter electrodes in a state where the edges on the opening side of the respective sterilization containers 1b are in contact with each other. By sandwiching, the two packaged foods are sandwiched between the electrodes via the laying body 17.
[0133]
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and includes the following contents.
[0134]
(1) In the above embodiment, the packaged food F is opposed to each other via the metal plate 12 in a state of being accommodated in the storage chamber 11a of the pair of container main bodies 11, but the packaged food F is a pressure-resistant container. In the case where the container body 11 is stored, or the sterilization temperature is set to 100 ° C. or lower, so-called pasteurization is employed, the presence of the container body 11 is not essential, and the packaged food F sandwiches the metal plate 12. It is only necessary to sandwich the upper and lower packaged food F between the upper electrode plate 13 and the lower electrode plate 14, and in particular, the packaged food F may be broken by dielectric heating without storing the packaged food F in the container body 11. It can be avoided. Examples of the pressure vessel include trays and bags using plastic.
[0135]
(2) In the above embodiment, the sterilization container 1 has a total of eight storage chambers 11a by providing four storage chambers 11a per one container body 11, but the present invention provides one storage chamber 11a. It is not limited to providing four storage chambers 11a per container body 11, and may be 3 or less, or 5 or more.
[0136]
(3) In the above embodiment, the metal plate 12 is sandwiched between the pair of container main bodies 11, but instead of this, only one deeper one is adopted as the container main body. After one packaged food F is loaded, the intermediate electrode plate is stacked on the packaged food F in the container body, and the upper and lower electrode plates 13 and 14 are stacked with the packaged food F superimposed on the intermediate electrode plate. The container body may be sandwiched between. By doing so, the packaged food F, the intermediate electrode plate, and the packaged food F are placed in the container body without performing the troublesome task of loading the packaged food F into the storage chamber 11a while stacking the container body 11 via the metal plate 12. The packaged food F can be loaded into the sterilization container simply by sequentially stacking the packaged food F, and the loading operation is facilitated, and the configuration of the sterilization container is simplified.
[0137]
(4) In the above embodiment, high frequency is applied to the upper electrode plate 13 and the lower electrode plate 14, but no high frequency is applied to the metal plate 12. While connecting to one line of a high frequency output, you may make it connect the other line to each electrode board 13 and 14. FIG. For example, the electrode plates 13 and 14 may be grounded.
[0138]
(5) In the sterilization container 1 according to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, one circular water filling hole 150 a is formed at a position corresponding to the storage chamber 11 a of the holding plate 150. However, in place of the circular water filling hole 150a, a large number of small holes or a large number of slits may be provided.
[0139]
(6) In the above embodiment, the packaged food F has been described by taking the tray type as an example, but the present invention is not limited to the packaged food F being of the tray type, Any material may be used as long as the upper surface and the lower surface are formed in parallel, such as a food stored in a synthetic resin bag. Moreover, the content of the packaged food F will not be ask | required if dielectric heating is possible.
[0140]
【Example】
In order to examine how the material and the thickness of the laying body 17 affect the temperature distribution of the packaged food F, the laying body in a state where two packaged foods F are stacked one above the other as shown in FIG. The test was conducted by measuring the temperature distribution by measuring the temperature at a predetermined fixed point of the packaged food F by being sandwiched between the electrode plates 13 and 14 via 17. The test conditions are as follows.
(1) Types of laid bodies Silicon rubber (3 types)
・ First silicone rubber (red)
・ Second silicone rubber (brick color)
・ 3rd silicone rubber (milky white)
(2) Laying body thickness dimension
・ Case 1: Upper → 1st silicon rubber 1.5mm
: Bottom → 1st silicon rubber 5.0mm
・ Case 2: Upper part → 1st silicon rubber 1.5mm
: Bottom → 2nd silicon rubber 5.0mm
→ 1st silicon rubber 3.0mm
・ Case 3: Upper part → Do not use laying body
: Bottom → 1st silicon rubber 2.0mm
・ Case 4: Top → 3rd silicon rubber 0.5mm
: Bottom → 1st silicon rubber 1.5mm
・ Case 5: Top → 3rd silicon rubber 0.5mm
: Bottom → 1st silicon rubber 1.0mm
(3) Types of packaged food
・ Appearance shape: Pillow type
・ Contents: Soft cream mix
・ (200ml / piece)
・ Number of samples: 2
(4) Application conditions of high frequency
・ High frequency output: 1.8 kW to 1.0 kW
-Application method: intermittent application at intervals of 10 seconds (apply 10 seconds and pause for 10 seconds. However, if the high frequency of 1.8 kw is continuously applied even if intermittent, the packaged food may break the bag, When the maximum temperature of the packaged food exceeded 140 ° C., the output was reduced to 1.0 kW.)
(5) Temperature measurement position As shown by “x” in FIG. 10, the center of the position where the upper packaged food F is in contact with the upper laying body 17 and the center of the position where the upper and lower packaged food F are in contact The center part of the position where the lower part and the lower packaged food F are in contact with the lower laying body 17 was selected, and the temperature distribution in the upper, middle, and lower vertical directions was measured.
[0141]
The measurement results are shown in Table 1. In Table 1, the average temperatures of the upper, middle, and lower temperatures in each case are shown, and the variation (standard deviation) of the upper, middle, and lower temperatures is shown.
[0142]
[Table 1]

[0143]
As can be seen from Table 1, when the laying body 17 is laid only on the lower electrode plate 14 and the laying body 17 is not used on the upper electrode plate 13 (case 3), the lower portion of the packaged food F, which is usually low in temperature, is used. It was confirmed that a remarkable heat retention effect was obtained by using the laying body 17 from this.
[0144]
Next, in the case where the same type of silicon rubber is used in the upper and lower sides (case 1), the thickness of the upper and lower first silicon rubbers is set to 1.5 mm and 5.0 mm, so that It was confirmed that the temperature difference was very small.
[0145]
Further, when the test results are seen for the case where the type of silicon rubber is changed up and down (case 2, case 4 and case 5), a third silicon rubber having a thickness of 0.5 mm is used in the upper part and 1. Case 4 using 5 mm thick first silicone rubber has the lowest temperature variation of 4.4 ° C., and if this combination is used as the laying body 17, the temperature distribution of the packaged food F during dielectric heating is uniform. I found out that
[0146]
Subsequently, the following reproducibility confirmation test was performed four times (case 1 ′ to case 4 ′) in order to confirm whether or not there is reproducibility in the uniform heating by the combination of the silicone rubber in case 4.
[0147]
About silicon rubber, the thing of 0.5 mm thickness was employ | adopted as an upper part, and a 1.5 mm thickness was employ | adopted as a lower part. The type of packaged food, high-frequency application conditions, and temperature measurement position were the same as in the previous test. The test results are as shown in Table 2.
[0148]
[Table 2]

[0149]
As can be seen from Table 2, the variation (standard deviation) in the upper, middle, and lower temperature of the packaged food F is as low as 0.4 ° C to 3.1 ° C, and the previous test results are reproduced. We were able to confirm that there is sex.
[0150]
【The invention's effect】
According to the invention described in claim 1, since the packaged food is sandwiched between the electrodes arranged to face each other, the packaged food comes into contact with a laying body laid on all contact surfaces on at least one inner surface side. Even if the distance between the counter electrodes is larger than the thickness of the packaged food due to the presence of this laying body, it becomes possible to bring the packaged food into contact with the electrode through the laying body, which makes the packaged food suitable and efficient. Can be dielectrically heated.
[0151]
In addition, the thickness of packaged food may vary depending on the brand, but in such cases, it is possible to replace the laying body with one that matches the packaged food without changing the equipment specifications for each brand. It is possible to improve the versatility of the heat sterilizer. In addition, since the material that can be heated by dielectric is used for the laying body, the laying body also generates heat during the dielectric heating of the packaged food, and the heating efficiency is improved by heat transfer from the heated laying body to the packaged food. In addition, the packaged food can be reliably sterilized.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a heat sterilization container according to the present invention, showing a state in which the heat sterilization container is opened.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the heat sterilization container according to the present invention, and shows a state where the closed heat sterilization container is set in a standing posture.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the heat sterilization container according to the present invention, and shows a state where the closed heat sterilization container is set in a lying posture.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the sterilization container in a recumbent posture.
FIG. 5 is a process diagram for explaining a packaged food manufacturing process based on the use of the sterilization container according to the present invention.
FIG. 6 is an explanatory view in a side view showing an embodiment of a heat sterilization apparatus for executing a sterilization process in a sterilization line.
FIG. 7 is a side view illustrating another embodiment of the sterilization container to which the laying body according to the present invention is applied. (A) is a state in which the container is opened, and (B) is a state in which the container is opened. Each closed state is shown.
FIG. 8 is a side sectional view showing another embodiment of the heat sterilization apparatus to which the laying body of the present invention is applied.
FIG. 9 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing still another embodiment of the sterilization container.
FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a test for examining a temperature distribution by dielectric heating of packaged food.
[Explanation of symbols]
1,1a, 1b Sterilization container
11 Container body
11a storage room
12 Metal plate
13 Upper electrode plate
14 Lower electrode plate
15 Clamping member
16 Connecting member
17 Laying body
18 Fluid coupling
19 Power receiving fin
3,3a Heat sterilizer
31 Conveying means
32 Food input means
33 Closing means
34 Container rollover means
340 High-pressure air introduction means
35 High frequency supply means
35a high frequency oscillator
35b Feeding fin
36 Reversing means
37 Temperature measuring means
38 Standing means
39 Opening means
390 Food removal means
4 Quadrilateral link structure
5 Pressure vessel
F Packaged food

Claims (8)

  A packaged food heat sterilization apparatus for applying heat sterilization to packaged food by applying high frequency to the packaged food interposed between the inner surfaces of the electrodes disposed opposite to each other, the inner surface of at least one of the electrodes A packaged food heat sterilization apparatus comprising a laying body formed of a material capable of dielectric heating on all contact surfaces with the packaged food.   The packaged food heat sterilizer according to claim 1, wherein the laying body further has at least one of heat insulation and elasticity.   The packaged food heat sterilization apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the laying body is formed of a plate-like body having a predetermined thickness.   The packaged food heat sterilization apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the laying body is integrally attached to an inner surface of the electrode.   A container body made of an insulating material is interposed between the opposed electrodes, and the packaged food is stored in a through-hole formed in the container body so as to penetrate between the electrodes. The packaged food heat sterilization device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the device is integrally attached to an inner surface of the electrode so as to close an end portion of the through hole. 6. The packaged food heat sterilization according to claim 5, wherein a plurality of packaged foods are stored in series in the through hole, and a metal plate is interposed between the packaged foods stored in series. apparatus.   7. The packaged food product according to claim 6, wherein the metal plate is attached to a sheet body formed of a material having at least one of a heat insulating property, an elastic property and a dielectric heating property on the plate surface. Heat sterilizer.   A heat sterilization method for packaged food, wherein the packaged food is subjected to a heat sterilization process using the heat sterilization apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the packaged food is loaded between the inner surfaces of the electrodes arranged opposite to each other. Then, a heat sterilization method for packaged foods, which comprises subjecting the packaged foods to a high frequency via both electrodes to perform a heat sterilization treatment.

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