JP6594232B2 - Instant fried noodle manufacturing equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus for producing instant fried noodles that are less dense and fried uniformly.

  Instant noodles are excellent processed foods that can be stored for a long time at room temperature, are easy to cook, and are provided at low cost. In particular, instant noodles in containers are used in various situations because they can be eaten simply by pouring hot water into the containers.

  Many of the instant noodles in cup-type containers are generally in a state where the upper surface of the noodle mass is flat and dense, and the lower part is sparse (Patent Document 1).

  In the method for producing a snack noodle with a container disclosed in Patent Document 1, a metal cup-shaped mold (retainer) having a small hole on the side surface and a bottom formed in a mesh is filled with noodle strings and covered, In order to immerse this in frying oil, the noodle strings rise due to the evaporation of water in the noodle strings, and the upper surface of the noodle strings is in close contact with the lid to be flat, and the upper portion is dense and the lower portion is sparse. be able to.

  In this way, the top surface of the noodle mass is flat and dense, so when ingredients such as dried vegetables are added, the ingredients do not enter the noodle mass and are restored at the top of the noodle body when eating, Has the effect of improving.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 50-38693

  However, when the entire retainer filled with the noodle strings and dipped is immersed in the frying oil, the noodle strings will rise and concentrate near the lid due to the rising of the frying oil due to the evaporation of moisture in the noodle strings. There is a problem that the convection of the oil is worsened and the friedness is insufficient at the portion where the density of the noodle strings is high.

  The inventors of the present invention have intensively studied how to efficiently and uniformly dry the noodle strings in the retainer while conveying the retainer. As a result, (1) the retainer is partially immersed in the frying oil (hereinafter referred to as “retainer”). , Referred to as “half-fried”), the noodle string group immersed in the frying oil adheres to the bottom of the retainer, and the frying oil blows up due to the evaporation of moisture in the noodle string, so that the entire noodle string group expands upward ( 2) The noodle strings that have been expanded upward are partially fried by the blowing oil that is blown up. (3) When the entire retainer is immersed in the frying oil (hereinafter referred to as “deep frying”), it becomes bulky due to expansion. As the noodle mass shape is fixed, it is found that the frying oil between the noodle strings is improved, and the noodle mass can be fried and dried uniformly and efficiently. Machine production And it has completed the present invention which is a feasible production equipment.

  That is, the first invention of the present application includes a frying oil tank, a noodle string supply mechanism that is arranged upstream of the frying oil tank and feeds the noodle string group into the retainer, and the retainer is part of the frying oil in the first region of the frying oil tank. And a fried noodle string group transfer mechanism for transferring the retainer in a state where the retainer is immersed below the oil level of the frying oil in the second region of the frying oil tank. The present invention relates to a fried noodle mass production apparatus.

  The second invention of the present application relates to the fried noodle mass production apparatus according to the first invention of the present application, further comprising a sensor for measuring the oil level of the frying oil in the first region.

  The third invention of the present application collects the frying oil in the frying oil tank and supplies the reheated frying oil to the frying oil tank, and based on the oil level measured by the sensor, to the frying oil circulation mechanism. And a new oil supply mechanism for controlling a supply amount of the new oil to be supplied.

  The fourth invention of the present application is characterized in that the frying oil tank includes a suction port for collecting the frying oil to the frying oil circulation mechanism and a plurality of ejection ports for receiving the supply of the frying oil from the frying oil circulation mechanism. The present invention relates to a fried noodle mass production apparatus according to a third invention.

  The fifth invention of the present application further includes a frying oil flow rate control mechanism for controlling the flow rate of the frying oil supplied from each ejection port, and the flow rate of the frying oil supplied from the ejection port provided upstream of the frying oil tank. Relates to a fried noodle mass production apparatus according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, which is controlled so as to be smaller than the flow rate of frying oil supplied from an outlet provided downstream.

  The sixth invention of the present application is provided with an extension plate having a plurality of holes in at least one of the outlets provided at the upstream bottom of the fly oil tank, and the fly oil supplied from the fly oil circulation mechanism is The present invention relates to a fried noodle mass manufacturing apparatus according to the fifth invention of the present application, which is capable of flowing into the frying oil tank from the left and right, the front surface, and a plurality of holes.

It is a side surface schematic diagram of the fried noodle mass manufacturing apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is an upper surface schematic diagram of a frying oil tank and a frying oil circulation mechanism according to the present invention.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.

  1 is a retainer body 31 having a frying oil tank 1, a frying oil 2 poured into the frying oil tank 1, and a plurality of cup-shaped containers capable of storing noodle strings 9. And the endless conveyor 3 (retainer main body conveyor) to which the retainer main body 31 is mounted and the noodle string group 9 to be fried are stored in the cup-shaped container of the retainer main body 31 by the noodle string supply mechanism 5. An endless transfer conveyor 4 (retainer cover conveyor) mounted with a retainer lid 41 (not shown) that is covered from above before entering the frying oil, and a transfer chain (32, 32) so that each conveyor can be transferred 42) a sprocket (33, 34, 43, 44) wound around, a drive motor (not shown) for transmitting the drive to the sprocket, and oil of the fly oil 2 in the fly oil tank 1 Oil level sensor 7 for measuring the level, a frying oil circulation mechanism 8 for collecting the frying oil 2 in the frying oil tank 1 and supplying the reheated frying oil to the frying oil tank 1, and a new oil to be supplied to the frying oil circulation mechanism The new oil supply mechanism for controlling the supply amount of the oil, the fly oil flow control mechanism for controlling the flow rate of the fly oil supplied from each outlet, and the old oil tank.

―Retainer body conveyor―
As shown in FIG. 1, the retainer main body conveyor 3 of the present invention is composed of an endless transport chain 32 in which a retainer main body 31 is continuously arranged, and is configured so that the noodle string group 9 can be fried in two stages. The The transport chain 32 is wound between the first sprocket 33 and the second sprocket 34 and is driven by a drive motor (not shown). Further, the vehicle travels in a clockwise direction with the upper travel path of the transport chain as the transport forward path and the lower travel path as the transport return path.

  The transport chain 32 and the sprockets 33 and 34 are provided as a pair separated in the width direction of the retainer body conveyor 3, and a plurality of retainer bodies 31 are bridged between the pair of transport chains 32. Yes. Each retainer body 31 is provided with a plurality of liquid-permeable cup-shaped containers.

  In the fried noodle mass production apparatus according to the present invention, the retainer body 31 in which the noodle string group 9 is housed in the cup-shaped container by the noodle string supply mechanism 5 is conveyed obliquely downward in the transport forward path, and is not shown in the figure. After 41 covers the opening of the cup-shaped container, it enters the frying oil tank 1 filled with frying oil. Then, the noodle strings 9 housed in each cup-shaped container are run so as to pass horizontally through the frying oil in the frying oil tank 1 while being immersed in the frying oil in the frying oil tank at a constant dipping rate. This process is called “half fly” in the present application. Here, the soaking rate of the noodle strings is a value obtained by dividing the height from the bottom of the retainer to the oil level by the height of the noodle strings, and the soaking rate of the retainer is the oil from the bottom of the retainer to the oil. The value obtained by dividing the height to the surface by the height of the retainer is expressed as a percentage. In the state where the entire retainer or the entire noodle strings group is immersed in the frying oil, the immersion ratio is 100%.

  After half-flying, the retainer main body 31 further moves obliquely downward, and passes horizontally through the fly oil in the fly oil tank 1 in a state where the retainer main body 31 is completely immersed in the fly oil. This process is called “deep fly” in the present application. Here, it is preferable that the inclination of the retainer main body conveyor 3 when shifting from the half fly to the deep fly is 7 ° to 9 °.

  After deep frying, the retainer main body 31 is pulled up obliquely upward from the frying oil tank 1, and after taking out the noodle mass from the cup-shaped container, it is reversed and travels on the return path. Since the conveyance chain 31 is arranged so as to surround the frying oil tank 1, the conveyance chain 31 travels using the lower part of the frying oil tank 1 as a conveyance return path.

  In addition, the fly time in a half fly and a deep fly is determined by the distance in the longitudinal direction of the frying oil tank in which each process is performed and the conveyance speed of the retainer main body 31.

-Retainer lid conveyor-
As shown in FIG. 1, the retainer lid conveyor 4 according to the present invention covers the opening of each cup-shaped container with the retainer lid 41 after the noodle strings to be fried are stored in the cup-shaped container of the retainer body 31. Configured as follows.

  In the retainer lid conveyor 4, a plurality of retainer lids 41 are disposed on an endless transport chain 42. The transport chain 42 is wound between the third sprocket 43 and the fourth sprocket 44 and is driven by a drive motor (not shown) of the retainer main body conveyor 3 so as to synchronize with the retainer main body conveyor 3. Further, the vehicle travels in a counterclockwise direction with the lower travel path of the transport chain 42 as the transport forward path and the upper travel path as the transport return path.

  The retainer lid 41 is provided with a plurality of holes to ensure liquid permeability.

―Fry oil tank―
As shown in FIG. 1, a suction port 11 for collecting the frying oil to the frying oil circulation mechanism 8 is provided at the center bottom in the longitudinal direction of the frying oil tank 1, and an upstream side (retainer main body) across the suction port 11. There are 2 outlets for supplying heated fly oil from the fly oil circulation mechanism 8 on the side where 31 is introduced into the fly oil and on the downstream side (the side where the retainer body 31 is pulled up from the fly oil). There are places. In order to prevent the fried noodle mass from being fried, it is desirable to provide at least one outlet on the upstream and downstream sides. In addition, in the fried noodle mass production apparatus according to the present invention, each outlet has eight openings as shown in FIG. 2, but the number can be selected as appropriate.

  The suction port 11 has a tapered shape in which the opening width gradually becomes narrower in the suction direction. Thereby, it becomes possible to suck in the frying oil without causing unnecessary vortex flow in the frying oil tank 1. Further, since the suction port 11 extends in the width direction of the frying oil tank 1, the fly oil supplied from the downstream ejection ports 14 and 15 flows into the upstream side beyond the suction port 11, and the retainer is caused by the resistance. It is possible to prevent the noodle chunks fixed to the bottom from being peeled off and the noodle chunk shape not fixed to be broken.

―Fry oil circulation mechanism―
The frying oil circulation mechanism 8 collects the frying oil from the suction port 11 and removes foreign matter, and a heat exchanger 81 that heats the frying oil flowing from the strainer 84 through the heat exchanger frying oil collecting pipe 86. And a heat exchanger frying oil supply pipe 87 for supplying heated frying oil from the heat exchanger 81 to each outlet, a common frying oil supply pipe 83, and a common frying oil supply pipe 83 to each outlet. A valve 89 that controls the flow rate of the supplied fly oil, a new oil tank 82 that stores new oil, and a new oil supply pipe 85 that supplies new oil to the heat exchanger 81 via a strainer 84 are configured. The new oil is mixed with the recovered frying oil and heated in the heat exchanger 81. Further, the supply amount of the new oil is controlled by the proportional valve 80.

  In the fried noodle mass manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, at least one oil level sensor 7 is provided in the first region where half frying is performed in order to control the supply amount of the frying oil to the frying oil tank 1. The oil level sensor 7 may be any liquid level sensor that can measure the oil level fluctuation, but preferably has a function of detecting the oil level fluctuation with an accuracy of mm, for example, a guide pulse type. Level sensors can be used.

  Since part of the frying oil is absorbed by the noodle mass, the frying oil in the frying oil tank 1 decreases as production continues. In the production of conventional fried noodles, fluctuations in the oil level of the frying oil were not a major problem, but the soaking rate of the noodle strands in the frying oil in the half fry greatly affected the frying efficiency and the shape of the noodle mass. Effect. Therefore, in the fried noodle mass manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, the oil level sensor 7 is provided in the first region where the half-fried operation is performed, so that the fluctuation of the oil level is within a predetermined range from the new oil tank 82 to the strainer 84. A new oil supply mechanism is provided for feedback control of the amount of new oil supplied by a proportional valve. From the viewpoint of the stability of the noodle mass shape, the fluctuation range of the oil level is ± 5 mm or less, preferably ± 3 mm or less.

  As described above, the oil level is measured in the first region where the half fly is performed, and the supply amount of the new oil is controlled by the proportional valve 80 according to the measurement result, so that the first region where the half fly is performed. It is possible to stably obtain the soaking rate of the noodle mass group suitable for obtaining a good frying efficiency by minimizing the fluctuation of the oil level in the machine production.

  In addition, the fried noodle mass production apparatus according to the present invention controls the opening ratio of each valve 89 by a frying oil flow rate control mechanism (not shown), whereby the flow rate of the frying oil supplied from each outlet to the frying oil tank 1. Is configured to be changeable.

  At this time, it is desirable to control the opening ratio of each valve 89 so that the flow rate of the frying oil supplied to the upstream of the frying oil tank is smaller than that of the downstream. When mechanically producing fried noodle masses, the noodle strings are easily subjected to the resistance of the frying oil because they are immersed in the frying oil while conveying the retainer body containing the noodle strings. The retainer is controlled by controlling the aperture ratio of each valve 89 so that the flow rate of the frying oil from the outlet provided upstream of the frying oil tank is smaller than the flow rate from the outlet provided downstream. It is possible to prevent the noodle masses fixed to the bottom from being peeled off and floating, and the shape of the noodles from collapsing. Specifically, when the total flow rate per unit time of the frying oil supplied from the outlet provided downstream to the frying oil tank is 1, the total amount per unit time from the outlet provided upstream is The flow rate is desirably 0.9 or less, more preferably 0.85 or less.

  In addition, when the flow volume of the frying oil supplied to the upstream of a frying oil tank is made small compared with the downstream, even in the same frying oil tank, an upstream oil surface level becomes low compared with the downstream. Therefore, in order to control the immersion rate of the noodle strings in the frying oil in the half fly to a predetermined range, it is necessary to measure the oil level in the first region where the half frying is performed.

―Extension plate―
In the fried noodle mass manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, the extension plate 6 having a plurality of holes 61 is provided in the second ejection port 13. When the frying oil heated from the ejection port rises toward the retainer main body 31 by convection, the noodle mass fixed to the bottom of the cup-shaped container of the retainer main body 31 may be peeled off and floated, and the noodle mass shape may collapse. This is likely to occur immediately after the noodle mass shape is not fixed and the distance between the retainer main body 31 and the outlet is close to the deep fry. Therefore, in the fried noodle mass manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, the extension plate 6 is provided in the second ejection port 13 provided in the region immediately after the transition from the half fry to the deep fry, and the heated frying oil is directly retained by the retainer main body. It is preventing hitting 31 directly.

  In addition, the frying oil supplied from the frying oil circulation mechanism contains a large number of bubbles, and if the bubbles are large, the noodle mass is peeled off from the bottom of the cup-shaped container and floats. Since the extension plate 6 is provided with a plurality of holes 61, it is possible to reduce the diameter of the bubbles and avoid the large bubbles from hitting the retainer body 31 directly.

  Furthermore, in the fried noodle mass manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, a certain gap is provided between the left and right side surfaces of the extension plate 6 and the inner side surface of the frying oil tank. Each gap desirably has a width of 5 cm to 15 cm. The flow of the fly oil supplied from the second outlet 13 is concentrated on the retainer body 31 by providing gaps through which the fly oil can flow on the left and right sides of the extension plate 6 where the cup-shaped container does not exist in the retainer body 31. Can be prevented.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Fly oil tank 11 Suction port 12 1st ejection port 13 2nd ejection port 14 3rd ejection port 15 4th ejection port 16a, 16b Fly oil 1st supply pipe 17a, 17b Fly oil 2nd supply pipe 18a, 18b Fry oil third supply pipe 19a, 19b Fry oil fourth supply pipe 2 Fly oil 21 Oil level 3 Retainer main body conveyor 31 Retainer main body 32 Conveying chain (for retainer main body conveyor)
33 Sprocket (for retainer body conveyor)
34 Sprocket (for retainer body conveyor)
4 Retainer lid conveyor 41 Retainer lid 42 Transfer chain (for retainer lid conveyor)
43 Sprocket (for retainer lid conveyor)
44 Sprocket (for retainer lid conveyor)
5 Noodle Cord Supply Mechanism 6 Extension Plate 61 Hole 7 Oil Level Sensor 8 Fly Oil Circulation Mechanism 80 Proportional Valve 81 Heat Exchanger 82 New Oil Tank 83 Fly Oil Common Supply Pipe 84 Strainer 85 New Oil Supply Pipe 86 Heat Exchanger Fly Oil Recovery pipe 87 Heat exchanger frying oil supply pipe 88 Pump device 89 Valve 9 Noodle strings

Claims (4)

A frying oil tank,
A noodle string supply mechanism that is disposed upstream of the frying oil tank and that introduces a group of noodle strings into a retainer;
In the first region of the frying oil tank, the retainer is horizontally transferred in a state of being partially immersed in the frying oil, and continuously, the retainer is moved to the frying oil in the second region of the frying oil tank. Fried noodle strings group transfer mechanism that transfers horizontally in a state immersed below the oil level,
A frying oil circulation mechanism that collects frying oil from a suction port provided at the bottom of the frying oil tank and supplies reheated frying oil to the frying oil tank from a plurality of outlets provided at the bottom of the frying oil tank; ,
An extension plate for preventing the inflowing frying oil from directly hitting the retainer at at least one of the outlets provided at the upstream bottom of the frying oil tank;
The extension plate has a plurality of holes,
The frying noodle mass producing apparatus , wherein the frying oil supplied from the frying oil circulation mechanism can flow into the frying oil tank from the left and right sides, the front surface, and a plurality of holes of the extension plate .   The apparatus for producing fried noodle chunks according to claim 1, further comprising a sensor for measuring an oil level of the frying oil in the first region. A new oil supply mechanism for controlling a supply amount of new oil to be supplied to the fly oil circulation mechanism based on the oil level measured by the sensor;
Further comprising
The fluctuation range of the oil level is ± 5 mm or less.
The apparatus for producing fried noodle chunks according to claim 2, wherein: A frying oil flow rate control mechanism for controlling the flow rate of the frying oil supplied from each of the ejection ports is further provided, and the flow rate of the frying oil supplied from the ejection port provided upstream of the frying oil tank is provided downstream. The apparatus for producing fried noodle masses according to claim 3 , which is controlled so as to be smaller than a flow rate of the frying oil supplied from the blowout port.

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