JP5303070B1 - Avocado ripening method - Google Patents

Abstract

An avocado ripening method that can be provided to a user at a so-called eating time is proposed.
SOLUTION: A spontaneous breathing start step for starting spontaneous breathing of avocado held in the chamber by setting the chamber temperature T1, and a temperature of the chamber is lowered from a temperature T1 of the spontaneous breathing start step to a ripening temperature T2 and held. A ripening progressing step for advancing ripening of the avocado, and a ripening suppressing step for lowering the temperature of the chamber and setting the temperature of the avocado to a temperature T3 or less that suppresses ripening. The maturation temperature T2 is varied from the standard set temperature according to the maturity of the avocado, the period until shipment, and / or the season.
[Selection] Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for ripening avocado.

  Conventionally, avocado has been imported using, for example, a CA container by starting ripening immediately after harvesting. Here, the CA container is a container having a temperature adjustment function for managing temperature, a humidity adjustment function for managing humidity, and an atmosphere adjustment function for managing oxygen and carbon dioxide concentrations and removing volatile organic substances. By carrying by this CA container, the avocado can be stored for a long time with good freshness, and as a result, over-ripening during transportation is prevented. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-050027 proposes a device for such a CA container. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-135669 proposes a device for harvesting avocado.

  In addition, the avocado thus transported by the CA container or the like is artificially ripened by heating and shipped to a store in Japan.

JP 2008-050027 A JP 2002-330625 A

  By the way, it is naturally desirable that the avocado imported and shipped in this way can be provided to the user in so-called eating time. However, conventionally, avocado has a problem that the degree of ripening greatly varies when it is provided to a user, and it has been necessary for the user to ripen the vocabulary again.

  An object of the present invention is to propose an avocado ripening method that can be provided to a user in a so-called eating season.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention comprises the following configuration.

(1) A method for ripening avocado carried into a room,
A spontaneous respiration start step of starting spontaneous respiration of avocado held in the chamber by setting the temperature of the chamber;
A ripening progressing step for advancing ripening of the avocado by maintaining the temperature of the chamber at a ripening temperature lower than the temperature of the spontaneous breathing start step, and
Ripening suppression step of lowering the temperature of the chamber and setting the temperature of the avocado to a temperature that suppresses ripening, and
The ripening temperature is varied from a standard set temperature depending on the maturity of the avocado, the period until shipment, and / or the season.

  According to (1), by changing the ripening temperature from the standard set temperature according to the maturity of the avocado, the period until shipment, and / or the season, the avocado is more appropriately given to the user by the so-called eating time. Can be provided.

(2) In (1),
The temperature of the spontaneous breath start process is varied from a standard set temperature according to the maturity of the avocado, the period until shipment, and / or the season.

  According to (2), the speed of ripening can be further varied, and avocado can be provided more appropriately at so-called eating time.

(3) In (1) or (2),
The step of starting spontaneous breathing includes:
A temperature sensor inserted into a sample set in the avocado carried into the chamber detects a rise in the temperature of the pulp with respect to the surrounding temperature, thereby detecting spontaneous respiration of the avocado.

  According to (3), the start of ripening can be reliably detected, and ripening can be managed appropriately.

(4) In (1), (2) or (3),
The ripening progress step is
The ripening temperature is varied according to the progress of ripening in the avocado carried into the chamber.

  According to (4), the ripening temperature can be varied depending on the progress of ripening, and ripening can be achieved more appropriately.

(5) In (1), (2), (3) or (4),
The ripening progress step is
The chamber is ventilated by monitoring the carbon dioxide concentration in the chamber.

  According to (5), the ripening can be prevented from being hindered by the decrease in the oxygen concentration accompanying the increase in the carbon dioxide concentration, whereby the ripening can be appropriately achieved.

  According to the present invention, the avocado can be provided to the user at the time of eating.

It is a figure which shows the ripening system in one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the profile of the ripening system of FIG.

[First Embodiment]
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a ripening system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The ripening system 1 stores the avocado to be processed in a so-called chamber that is a sealed space capable of storing a large amount of avocado packed in a box, and ripens the avocado.

  For this reason, in this ripening system 1, an ethylene gas input mechanism 2, a ventilation mechanism 3, a room temperature adjustment mechanism 4, a temperature detection mechanism 5, and a carbon dioxide concentration detection mechanism 6 are provided in this chamber. Here, the ethylene gas input mechanism 2 is a mechanism for supplying ethylene gas into the chamber under the control of the controller 7, and is constituted by a pipe for introducing ethylene gas into the chamber from an ethylene gas tank, a valve for controlling the introduction, and the like. . The ventilation mechanism 3 is a mechanism that exhausts indoor air and introduces outside air under the control of the same controller 7, and includes an exhaust fan that exhausts indoor air, an outside air introduction fan that introduces outside air, It is composed of a drive control circuit and the like. The room temperature adjustment mechanism 4 is a mechanism that adjusts the room temperature of the room under the control of the controller 7, and includes a heating mechanism that raises the room temperature, a cooling mechanism that lowers the room temperature, a control mechanism that controls these mechanisms, and the like.

  The temperature detection mechanism 5 is a mechanism that measures the internal temperature of the chamber and the internal temperature of the sample avocado and notifies the controller 16 of the temperature, and the target temperature detection unit 5A for detecting the pulp temperature that is the internal temperature of the processing target. A room temperature detection unit 5B for detecting the room temperature is provided.

  Here, in this embodiment, the start of spontaneous breathing of the avocado is detected based on the pulp temperature of the avocado relative to the room temperature, thereby detecting the start of ripening. For this reason, in this embodiment, from the avocado carried into the chamber, select a plurality of samples for measuring the pulp temperature, insert a temperature sensor such as a thermocouple into each sample, and place each sample at a location suitable for measuring the pulp temperature. Deploy. In addition, the location suitable for the measurement of the pulp temperature is a temperature measurement location that can be confirmed by sufficiently representing the ripening of the avocado carried into the chamber. Therefore, even in this sample, an expert who selects the avocado that is put into this room and that is suitable for measurement of the degree of ripening is selected. The temperature detection mechanism 5 notifies the controller 7 of the measurement result of the temperature sensor related to the avocado pulp temperature measurement by the target temperature detection unit 5A. Similarly, the room temperature detection unit 5B notifies the controller 7 of the indoor temperature measurement result by the temperature sensor disposed in the room.

  The carbon dioxide concentration detection mechanism 6 measures the carbon dioxide concentration in the room under the control of the controller 7 and notifies the controller 7 of the measurement result.

  The controller 7 is a computer related to the control of the ethylene gas input mechanism 2, the ventilation mechanism 3, the room temperature adjustment mechanism 4, the temperature detection mechanism 5, and the carbon dioxide concentration detection mechanism 6. While monitoring the target, the ripening process is executed based on the profile according to the preset setting and further according to the change of the profile.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a profile of the ripening process by the controller 7. In this ripening system 1, first, avocado for ripening is carried into the room. Here, the avocado is set in a so-called dormant state in which ripening is started immediately after harvesting, so that the avocado is maintained in a low temperature environment below a certain temperature immediately after harvesting, and thus ripening is stopped. Further, during transportation, the container is held in a low temperature environment by a CA container or the like, and is thereby held so as not to start ripening (so as not to take a sleep state). As a result, the avocado carried into the room is held in a dormant state that does not ripen, and it is necessary to escape from the dormant state and ripen.

  In this embodiment, the above-described sample for detecting the pulp temperature is selected by inspection of the avocado carried into the chamber, and a temperature sensor is provided. In addition, the avocado is visually inspected for maturity and the like, and is arranged indoors according to the arrangement according to the maturity.

  When the avocado is brought into the room, the controller 7 starts the ripening process using this profile by the operation of the operator, and the room temperature adjusting mechanism 4 controls the internal temperature of the room to the temperature T1 at which the ripening starts. This raises, thereby starting spontaneous breathing and starting ripening. At this time, if it is determined in the prior maturity inspection that the maturity is low, or if it is further determined that the oil component is low, the ethylene gas input mechanism 2 is controlled by the operator's instruction, and the ethylene gas is placed in the chamber. Is introduced, and then the introduction of ethylene gas is stopped. The temperature T1 is, for example, 20 to 22 degrees, and is a temperature that is equal to or higher than the temperature at which spontaneous breathing is started, and is naturally a temperature within the avocado safe temperature zone where the quality of the avocado does not deteriorate. Regardless of whether ethylene gas is introduced or not, the interior of the room is kept from being ventilated by the control of the ventilation mechanism 3.

  If the chamber temperature is maintained at the constant temperature T1, the avocado flesh temperature also increases following the room temperature, thereby starting spontaneous breathing and starting ripening. When ripening is started in this manner, the avocado has a pulp temperature that rises about 1 degree with respect to the room temperature. The controller 7 measures the indoor temperature and the avocado pulp temperature based on the temperature detection result by the temperature detection mechanism 5, detects the temperature rise of the avocado pulp relative to the indoor temperature, and detects the start of ripening.

  When the operator determines that the ripening is insufficient depending on the change of the ripening temperature T2, which will be described later, in addition to the ripening temperature T2, the ripening start temperature T1 is further varied in accordance with the instruction from the operator. It is set to a temperature higher than More specifically, the temperature T1 at the start of ripening is varied depending on the maturity of the avocado carried into the room, the period until shipment, and the conditions (temperature) until delivery to the user's hand that changes according to the season.

  That is, when the maturity of the avocado carried into the room is low, and the ripening time is not in time for the target shipping time depending on the variation of the ripening temperature T2, the temperature T1 is set to a temperature higher than the standard set temperature. As a result, ripening is started in a short time and fully ripened in the room. Further, when the period until shipment is short and the ripening temperature T2 is not in time due to the change, the temperature T1 is set to a temperature higher than the standard set temperature. Further, in the winter season, when the outside air temperature is low during the transportation to the store and the ripening temperature T2 cannot be provided depending on the time of eating, the temperature T1 is set higher than the standard set temperature. .

  When the controller 7 detects the start of ripening in all the samples (generally, the room temperature is kept at the temperature T1 and after about 24 to 26 hours have elapsed), the controller 7 changes the room temperature to the ripening temperature T2. Hold down. Here, the ripening temperature T2 is a temperature in the safe temperature zone of the avocado and a temperature at which the avocado ripens, and is, for example, 18 degrees. Thus, in this embodiment, the avocado is ripened while effectively avoiding a decrease in taste.

  Further, when the temperature T1 is changed to the ripening temperature T2 in this manner, almost all avocados start spontaneous breathing and the indoor oxygen concentration gradually decreases. Thereby, the controller 7 measures the carbon dioxide concentration in the room under the control of the carbon dioxide concentration detection mechanism 6, and executes ventilation of the room under the control of the ventilation mechanism 3 when the carbon dioxide concentration rises to the ventilation reference value. Ventilation of the room varies depending on the increase rate of the carbon dioxide concentration, which varies depending on the volume of the room and the amount of avocado carried into the room, but is, for example, a time interval of about 6 hours.

  This ripening temperature T2 is set in advance by increasing or decreasing the standard set temperature depending on the maturity of the avocado brought into the room, the period until shipment, and the condition (temperature) until it reaches the user's hand that changes according to the season. The That is, when the avocado carried into the room has a high maturity, the ripening temperature T2 is set to a temperature lower than the standard set temperature, thereby suppressing the degree of ripening in the room. In addition, when the period from the start of ripening to the shipment is long, the ripening temperature T2 is set to a temperature lower than the standard set temperature, thereby suppressing the ripening speed in the room. In addition, for example, in the summer season, when the outside air temperature is high during the transport process to the store, ripening progresses during the transport process, and in this case, the ripening temperature T2 is set to a temperature lower than the standard set temperature.

  On the other hand, when the avocado carried into the chamber has a low maturity, the ripening temperature T2 is set to a temperature higher than the standard set temperature, whereby the ripening is sufficiently ripened in the chamber. In addition, when the period from the start of ripening to the shipment is short, the ripening temperature T2 is set to a temperature higher than the standard set temperature. Further, in the winter season, when the outside air temperature is low during the transport process to the store, ripening does not proceed during the transport process, and in this case, the ripening temperature T2 is set to a temperature higher than the standard set temperature.

  In this embodiment, the operator regularly enters the room to confirm the ripening in the avocado. If the ripening has progressed more than planned due to this confirmation, the ripening temperature T2 is lowered, and vice versa. When the ripening is delayed from the schedule, the ripening temperature T2 is raised. The ripening temperature that can be varied in this way is approximately 18 ° C. ± 2 ° C.

  In this way, when the ripening temperature T2 is maintained and a certain period of time before shipment, the controller 7 reduces the temperature of the chamber to the temperature T3 and holds it for a sufficient time. Thereafter, in this embodiment, the avocado is Shipped. Here, this temperature T3 is, for example, a temperature of about 5 degrees, is a temperature in the safe temperature zone of the avocado, is a temperature that sufficiently suppresses the ripening of the avocado, and further makes the avocado pulp a certain degree of hardness. This is the temperature that improves shelf life. Thus, after the avocado is raised to the temperature T1 and spontaneous breathing is started, the avocado ripens indoors during the period T until the temperature is set to the temperature T3. After that, it gradually ripens, albeit very slowly.

  Instead of gradually lowering the chamber temperature to the temperature T3 in this way, for example, when shipping suddenly, the temperature may be suddenly lowered.

  According to the above configuration, after the spontaneous breathing is started, the ripening temperature is decreased to the ripening temperature and the ripening temperature is changed. Thus, the avocado can be provided to the user more reliably at the time of eating.

[Other Embodiments]
As mentioned above, although the specific structure suitable for implementation of this invention was explained in full detail, this invention can change the structure of the above-mentioned embodiment variously in the range which does not deviate from the meaning of this invention.

  That is, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the ripening temperature is increased or decreased from the standard set temperature according to the maturity of the avocado, the period until shipment, and the season has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. It may be increased or decreased according to one condition or two conditions, and may be increased or decreased according to other conditions.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where the temperature rise of about 1 ° C. is detected to detect the start of ripening is described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the temperature rise is detected with higher accuracy. The start may be detected.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the ripening temperature T2 is changed and the temperature T1 at which the ripening is started when it is insufficient is described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and is practically sufficient. In this case, only the ripening temperature T2 may be changed.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Recipe system 2 Ethylene gas injection mechanism 3 Ventilation mechanism 4 Room temperature adjustment mechanism 5 Temperature detection mechanism 5A Target temperature detection part 5B Room temperature detection part 6 Carbon dioxide concentration detection mechanism 7 Controller

Claims (5)

A ripening method of avocado carried into the room,
A spontaneous respiration start step of starting spontaneous respiration of avocado held in the chamber by setting the temperature of the chamber;
Following the spontaneous breath start step, the ripening progress step of proceeding the ripening of the avocado by holding the temperature of the chamber lower than the temperature of the spontaneous breath start step to the ripening temperature, and
Subsequent to the ripening progressing step, the ripening suppressing step of lowering the temperature of the chamber from the ripening temperature and setting the temperature of the avocado to a temperature that suppresses ripening, and
The temperature of the room related to the spontaneous breath start process is 20 degrees or more and 22 degrees or less,
The ripening temperature is in the range of 16 degrees or more and 20 degrees or less,
A method for ripening avocado, wherein the ripening temperature is varied from a standard set temperature according to the maturity of the avocado, the period until shipment, and / or the season. The temperature of the spontaneous breath start process is varied from a standard set temperature within a range of 20 degrees or more and 22 degrees or less, depending on the maturity of the avocado, the period until shipment, and / or the season. Avocado ripening method. The temperature sensor is inserted in the sample set in the avocados were carried before Symbol chamber to detect the temperature rise of the pulp to the surrounding temperature, according to claim 1 or claim 2 for detecting the spontaneous respiration of the avocado Avocado ripening method. The ripening progress step is
The method for ripening avocado according to any one of claims 1, 2 and 3, wherein the ripening temperature is varied according to the progress of ripening in the avocado carried into the chamber. The ripening progress step is
The method for ripening avocado according to any one of claims 1, 2, 3, and 4, wherein the chamber is ventilated by monitoring a carbon dioxide concentration in the chamber.

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