JP6836533B2 - Aging warehouse - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an aging chamber.

Conventionally, by storing various foodstuffs such as meat in a refrigerator for a certain period of time, aging is widely performed in which the taste is increased by the action of enzymes and the foodstuffs are softened. As one of such aging methods, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, unpackaged foodstuffs are stored in a aging chamber, and the foodstuffs are aged while being exposed to air-conditioned air whose temperature and humidity are adjusted. A method called aging is known.

Patent Document 1 discloses an aging chamber used for dry aging. This aging cabinet has a storage room for storing meat, a cooling device that adjusts the temperature of the air conditioning air to a low temperature of 0 to 1 ° C, a humidity control device that adjusts the humidity of the air conditioning air to 80 to 85%, and air conditioning. It is equipped with an air conditioner that sends wind to the food side.

JP-A-2007-6820

In the ripening warehouse, there is a problem that the sterilization work at the time of switching of the ingredients is not simple.

The present invention has been made in view of this problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide an aging chamber capable of simplifying a sterilization operation when switching foodstuffs in the aging chamber.

The aging chamber according to one aspect of the present invention includes an aging chamber for accommodating foodstuffs to be aged, and an air conditioning unit for adjusting the temperature and humidity of the air conditioning air sent to the aging chamber. The air-conditioning unit includes a heater that heats the air-conditioning air, a control unit that executes a sterilization mode that controls the operation of the heater so that the temperature of the air-conditioning air becomes a temperature at which the aging chamber can be sterilized. including.

According to this aging chamber, by sending high-temperature air-conditioned air into the aging room before switching the type of food, it is possible to switch to the next aging after surely killing the microorganisms used for aging the previous food. Can be done. This makes it possible to simplify the sterilization work when switching the foodstuffs in the aging chamber.

The aging chamber may include an air-conditioning chamber that is partitioned from the aging chamber and generates the air-conditioned air that is sent to the aging chamber. The air-conditioning chamber may be provided with an outlet for blowing the air-conditioning air into the aging chamber and a suction port for sucking the air-conditioning air from the aging chamber into the air-conditioning chamber. The air outlet and the suction port generate an air flow in which the air-conditioning air blown from the air outlet flows to the suction port along the inner surface of the aging chamber while avoiding the foodstuff contained in the aging chamber. In addition, they may be provided at intervals in the aging chamber.

In this aging chamber, the temperature and humidity are adjusted by the air-conditioning unit, and the air-conditioned air blown out from the outlet flows to the suction port along the inner surface of the aging chamber while avoiding the foodstuffs stored in the aging chamber. As a result, an air-conditioning air flow is formed along the inner surface of the aging chamber from the air outlet to the suction port, and the temperature and humidity are uniform inside the air flow, and the air-conditioning air flow is slight or air-conditioned air. An air layer with no flow is formed. According to the above configuration, by storing the foodstuff in this air layer, the whole foodstuff is uniformly temperature and humidity in the air layer without directly hitting the foodstuff with the airflow of the air conditioning air flowing from the air outlet to the suction port. It can be aged while exposed to the environment.

The aging chamber may further include a food material holding portion that holds the food material inside the region where the air flow is generated in the aging chamber.

According to this configuration, it is possible to more reliably prevent the air flow of the air-conditioning wind from directly hitting the aging foodstuff.

In the aging chamber, the air outlet and the suction port are positioned so as to face each other in one direction and extend along the inner surface of the aging chamber in a direction orthogonal to the one direction. Good.

According to this configuration, air conditioning air can be blown out over the entire width direction of the inner surface of the aging chamber in which the air outlet is formed. Therefore, it is possible to generate an air flow of air-conditioning air flowing in one direction over the entire inner surface of the aging chamber. As a result, an air layer region having a uniform temperature and humidity environment can be widely formed in the aging chamber, so that the yield in aging of the food material can be improved.

The aging chamber may further include a temperature detection unit that detects the temperature of the air conditioner air. The air-conditioning unit may include a refrigerator that cools the air-conditioning air through heat exchange with a refrigerant. The control unit may control the operation of the heater and the refrigerator based on the detection result by the temperature detection unit.

According to this configuration, the temperature of the air-conditioning air can be easily adjusted by feedback control using the detection result by the temperature detection unit. That is, the detected temperature can be compared with the set temperature, and the operation of the heater or the refrigerator can be appropriately controlled so that the difference becomes small.

In the aging chamber, the control unit may be configured to perform control to change the heating capacity of the heater while keeping the cooling capacity of the refrigerator constant.

According to this configuration, the thermal responsiveness is improved as compared with the case where the temperature of the air conditioning air is adjusted by controlling the refrigerator, and the temperature of the air conditioning air can be adjusted more precisely.

In the aging chamber, the air-conditioning unit may include a blower including a centrifugal fan that boosts the air-conditioning air and sends it to the air outlet.

According to this configuration, by using a centrifugal fan having a larger static pressure than an axial fan, it is possible to increase the pressure for sending the air conditioning air toward the aging chamber. As a result, it becomes possible to more reliably form an air flow of air-conditioning air along the entire inner surface of the aging chamber, and a uniform temperature and humidity environment can be formed in the aging chamber.

As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an aging chamber that can simplify the sterilization work at the time of switching foodstuffs in the aging chamber.

It is a schematic diagram which shows the appearance structure of the aging chamber which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the cross section of the said aging chamber along the line segment II-II in FIG. It is a top view of the air-conditioning chamber of the aging chamber. It is a figure which shows typically the air flow and the air layer of the air-conditioning wind in the aging chamber. It is a schematic diagram which shows the cross section of the aging chamber which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the structure of the aging chamber which concerns on other embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the structure of the aging chamber which concerns on other embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the structure of the aging chamber which concerns on other embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1)
First, the aging chamber 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing the external structure of the aging chamber 1. FIG. 2 schematically shows a cross section of the aging chamber 1 along the line segments II-II in FIG. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the air conditioning chamber of the aging chamber 1. It should be noted that FIGS. 1 to 3 show only the main components in the aging chamber 1, and the aging chamber 1 may include any other components not shown in FIGS. 1 to 3.

The aging chamber 1 is used for aging in which the food material 100 is stored for a certain period of time in a chamber in which the temperature and humidity are adjusted within predetermined set ranges. By this aging, the taste of the foodstuff 100 can be increased by the action of the enzyme contained in the foodstuff 100, the foodstuff 100 can be softened, and the quality of the foodstuff 100 can be improved. The foodstuff 100 in the present embodiment is, for example, prosciutto, salami, sausage, or the like, but the type of foodstuff is not limited to these.

As shown in FIG. 1, the aging chamber 1 has, for example, a rectangular parallelepiped box shape, and has an upper wall 11 and a bottom wall 14 that faces the upper wall 11 in the vertical direction and has the same size as the upper wall 11. , The front wall 12, the rear wall 15 facing the front wall 12 in the front-rear direction and the same size as the front wall 12, the right side wall 13, and the right side wall facing the right side wall 13 in the left-right direction. It has a left side wall 16 having the same size as 13. Each wall has a rectangular shape in a plan view and is a heat insulating wall. A door is provided on the front wall 12, and the food material 100 can be taken in and out of the aging chamber 1 from the front side. Hereinafter, the "vertical direction", "front-back direction", and "left-right direction" in the aging chamber 1 shall be in accordance with the directions shown in FIG. The aging chamber of the present invention is not limited to a rectangular parallelepiped box shape, and may have an arbitrary box shape such as a cubic box shape.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the aging chamber 1 contains a aging chamber 10 for accommodating the foodstuff 100 to be aged, and an air-conditioning air 110 located below the aging chamber 10 and sent into the aging chamber 10. It mainly includes an air conditioning chamber 40 to be generated, a food material holding unit 20 for holding the food material 100, and an air conditioning unit 50 for adjusting the temperature and humidity of the air conditioning air 110. Hereinafter, each of these components will be described.

The aging chamber 10 is composed of an upper wall 11, an upper part of the front wall 12, an upper part of the rear wall 15, an upper part of the right side wall 13, an upper part of the left side wall 16, and a partition plate 30 described later, and the aging space S1 surrounded by these walls. Is provided inside. The food material 100 is stored in this aging space S1. The air conditioning chamber 40 is composed of a bottom wall 14, a lower part of the front wall 12, a lower part of the rear wall 15, a lower part of the right side wall 13, a lower part of the left side wall 16, and a partition plate 30 described later, and the air conditioning space S2 surrounded by these walls. Is provided inside. As shown in FIG. 1, the aging chamber 10 and the air conditioning chamber 40 form one rectangular parallelepiped box. The air conditioning chamber 40 is smaller than the aging chamber 10, but the sizes of both chambers are not particularly limited.

As shown in FIG. 2, the aging chamber 1 is vertically partitioned into an aging space S1 and an air-conditioning space S2 by a partition plate 30. The partition plate 30 is a plate having a rectangular shape in a plan view and no holes, and is horizontally arranged below the center in the vertical direction in the aging chamber 1. The partition plate 30 has a width smaller in the left-right direction than the upper wall 11 and the bottom wall 14. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, a gap is formed between the right end of the partition plate 30 and the inner surface of the right side wall 13, and between the left end of the partition plate 30 and the inner surface of the left side wall 16. There is also a gap formed.

The gap on the left side is the air outlet 61 for blowing the air conditioning air 110 from the air conditioning chamber 40 into the aging room 10, and the gap on the right side is the suction port 62 for sucking the conditioned air 110 from the aging room 10 into the aging room 40. Is. The aging space S1 and the air-conditioning space S2 communicate with each other via the air outlet 61 and the suction port 62. The partition plate 30 is not limited to the case where it is arranged in a horizontal state, and may be arranged in a state where it is slightly inclined with respect to the horizontal direction.

As shown in FIG. 3, outlet 61 and inlet 62, Ru positions near opposite in the state where the rectangular bottom surface of the aging space S1 spaced in one direction (lateral direction). More specifically, the air outlet 61 and the suction port 62 are provided at both ends of the rectangular bottom surface in the left-right direction. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the air outlet 61 and the suction port 62 are provided at intervals in one plane (reference numeral 120 in FIG. 2) in the box shape of the aging chamber 1.

The air outlet 61 extends over the entire inner surface of the left side wall 16 in a direction orthogonal to the air-conditioning wind 110 blowing direction (front direction of the paper surface in FIG. 3) and in a direction orthogonal to the above one direction (front-rear direction). It is formed. Further, the suction port 62 extends over the entire inner surface of the right side wall 13 in a direction orthogonal to the suction direction of the air conditioning air 110 (the depth direction of the paper surface in FIG. 3) and in a direction orthogonal to the above one direction (front-rear direction). Is formed in. The shapes of the air outlet 61 and the suction port 62 are not limited to this, and may be provided only on a part of the inner surfaces of the left side wall 16 and the right side wall 13.

The air outlet 61 and the suction port 62 generate an air flow in which the air-conditioning air 110 blown out from the air outlet 61 flows to the suction port 62 along the inner surface of the aging chamber 10 while avoiding the food material 100 housed in the aging chamber 10. .. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the air-conditioning air 110 blown out from the air outlet 61 after the temperature and humidity are adjusted in the air-conditioning chamber 40 rises along the inner surface of the left side wall 16. , Collides with the corner where the left side wall 16 and the upper wall 11 are connected, and then flows from left to right along the inner surface of the upper wall 11. Then, the air conditioner wind 110 collides with the corner portion where the upper wall 11 and the right side wall 13 are connected, and descends along the inner surface of the right side wall 13. After that, the air conditioning air 110 is sucked into the air conditioning chamber 40 from the suction port 62. In this way, an air flow of the air-conditioning air 110 that circulates between the aging chamber 10 and the air-conditioning chamber 40 and flows along the entire inner surface of the aging chamber 10 is generated. The airflow of the air conditioner air 110 is laminar.

FIG. 4 schematically shows the flow of the air conditioner air 110 in the aging chamber 1. As shown in FIG. 4, in the aging chamber 10, an airflow generation region A1 in which the conditioned air 110 continuously flows from the outlet 61 to the suction port 62 along the entire inner surface of the aging chamber 10 and the airflow generation region. An air layer region A2, which is a region surrounded by A1 and in which the flow rate of the air conditioning air 110 is small or the air conditioning air 110 does not flow, is formed, respectively. The flow velocity of the air conditioner air 110 in the air layer region A2 is, for example, 1 m / s or less, whereas the flow velocity of the air conditioner air 110 in the air flow generation region A1 is larger than 1 m / s. In the aging chamber 1 according to the present embodiment, since the aging food material 100 can be stored in the air layer region A2, the air-conditioning air 110 does not directly hit the food material 100, and the food material 100 is kept at a uniform temperature. It can be aged in a humid environment.

The positions of the air outlet 61 and the suction port 62 are not limited to the positions shown in FIG. 2, and for example, the positional relationship between the air outlet 61 and the suction port 62 in FIG. 2 may be reversed. Further, the air outlet 61 and the suction port 62 are not limited to the case where they are provided on both sides in the left-right direction, and may be provided on both sides in the front-rear direction. Specifically, the air outlet 61 is a gap between the front end of the partition plate 30 and the inner surface of the front wall 12, and the suction port 62 is a gap between the rear end of the partition plate 30 and the inner surface of the rear wall 15. May be good. On the contrary, the suction port 62 may be a gap between the front end of the partition plate 30 and the inner surface of the front wall 12, and the air outlet 61 may be a gap between the rear end of the partition plate 30 and the inner surface of the rear wall 15. ..

The food material holding unit 20 is for holding the food material 100 inside the airflow generation region A1 (that is, the air layer region A2) in the aging chamber 10. As shown in FIG. 2, the food material holding portion 20 has a support frame 70, a plurality of support metal fittings 73, and a plurality of hanging rods 21.

As shown in FIG. 2, the support frame 70 includes a right frame 72 extending in the vertical direction and projecting inward from the inner surface of the right wall 13, and a left frame 71 extending in the vertical direction and projecting inward from the inner surface of the left wall 16. And a central frame 74 extending in the vertical direction substantially at the center in the horizontal direction. The right frame 72 is located above the suction port 62, and the left frame 71 is located above the air outlet 61. Further, the lower end portion of the central frame 74 is fixed to the upper surface (floor surface) of the partition plate 30, and the upper end portion is fixed to the inner surface of the upper wall 11. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of frames are provided in the front-rear direction.

The support metal fitting 73 is for supporting the hanging rod 21 with respect to the support frame 70. As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of support metal fittings 73 have an L-shape when viewed from the front, and a plurality of support metal fittings 73 are attached vertically at intervals on the inner surfaces of the right side frame 72 and the left side frame 71. Further, a plurality of support metal fittings 73 are attached on the left side surface of the central frame 74 (the surface facing the left side frame 71 side) at intervals of the top and bottom, and also on the right side surface of the central frame 74 (the surface facing the right side frame 72 side). Multiple are installed at intervals above and below. The number and mounting positions of the support metal fittings 73 are not particularly limited.

The hanging rod 21 is for hanging the food material 100 in the aging space S1. As shown in FIG. 2, the hanging rods 21 are arranged between the right side frame 72 and the central frame 74 and between the left side frame 71 and the central frame 74. Each of the hanging rods 21 is arranged in a state where both ends are hung on the upper surface of the support metal fittings 73 attached at the same height position, so that the hanging rods 21 are in a posture along the horizontal direction. The food material 100 is hung on a hanging rod 21 via, for example, a hook 22. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the hanging rod 21 is arranged at a position where it does not overlap with the air outlet 61 and the suction port 62 in a plan view. As a result, it is possible to prevent the air flow of the air-conditioning air 110 flowing from the air outlet 61 toward the suction port 62 along the inner surface of the aging chamber 10 from directly hitting the food material 100 suspended from the hanging rod 21.

The air conditioning unit 50 is for adjusting the temperature and humidity of the air conditioning air 110 to a temperature and humidity suitable for aging the food material 100. The air conditioner 50 includes a heater 51 that heats the air conditioner air 110, a cooler 52 of a refrigerator that cools the air conditioner air 110, a humidifier 53 that humidifies the air conditioner air 110, and an air conditioner air whose temperature and humidity are adjusted. It has a blower 54 that boosts 110 and sends it out to an outlet 61, and a control unit 80 that controls each operation of a heater 51, a refrigerator, and a blower 54.

As shown in FIG. 2, in the air conditioning space S2, the heater 51, the cooler 52, the humidifier 53, and the blower 54 are arranged in this order from the upstream to the downstream of the flow of the air conditioning air 110. Further, a temperature detection unit 81 for detecting the temperature of the air conditioner air 110 and a humidity detection unit 82 for detecting the humidity of the air conditioner air 110 are arranged on the downstream side of the blower 54, respectively. The temperature detection unit 81 and the humidity detection unit 82 are not limited to the case where they are arranged in the air conditioning space S2, and may be arranged in the aging space S1 (air flow generation region A1 or air layer region A2).

The heater 51 is, for example, a sheathed heater, and is arranged in the vicinity of the suction port 62. As shown in FIG. 2, the heater 51 is arranged in a plurality of upper and lower stages (for example, two stages). As a result, even if frost formation occurs in one of the heaters 51 and maintenance is required, the air conditioning unit 50 can be continuously operated by using the other heater 51. The heater 51 may be any heater as long as it can heat the air conditioner air 110, and other types of heaters can also be used.

The refrigerator constitutes a refrigerating cycle including an evaporator 52A, a condenser, a compressor, and an expansion mechanism, and cools the conditioned air 110 by exchanging heat with the refrigerant in the evaporator 52A. In FIG. 2, only the evaporator 52A arranged in the air conditioning space S2 is shown, and other devices (condenser, compressor and expansion mechanism) may be arranged outside the air conditioning space S2. The evaporator 52A is, for example, a fin and tube heat exchanger, but is not particularly limited. Further, the evaporator 52A is also arranged in a plurality of upper and lower stages (for example, two stages) for the same reason as in the case of the heater 51. The case where the evaporator 52A is arranged on the downstream side of the heater 51 is not limited, and the evaporator 52A may be arranged on the upstream side of the heater 51.

The humidifier 53 is, for example, a steam humidifier, and supplies steam generated by evaporating water by a heater (not shown) toward the air conditioning air 110 after temperature control. By using this steam humidifier, a high humidifying capacity can be ensured. However, the humidifier 53 is not limited to the steam humidifier, and may be, for example, an ultrasonic humidifier.

The blower 54 is composed of a centrifugal fan such as a sirocco fan, and is rotationally driven by a motor 55 arranged outside the air conditioning chamber 40. As shown in FIG. 2, the blower 54 is arranged so that the rotation axis is along the vertical direction, and is partitioned from the humidifier 53, the evaporator 52A, and the heater 51 by a partition wall 31. A ventilation hole (not shown) is formed in the partition wall 31 at a position facing the suction port of the blower 54. As a result, the air conditioner air 110 that has passed through the heater 51, the evaporator 52A, and the humidifier 53 in this order can be guided to the suction port of the blower 54 through the ventilation holes of the partition wall 31. The air conditioner air 110 boosted by the blower 54 is blown to the left in FIG. 2 and flows toward the air outlet 61.

The blower 54 is not limited to the sirocco fan, and may be a turbo fan. Further, the blower 54 is not limited to the centrifugal fan, and other types of fans can be adopted.

The control unit 80 is composed of, for example, a personal computer, and receives an input unit 83 for inputting a set temperature and a set humidity suitable for aging of the food material 100, and a detection result by the temperature detection unit 81 and the humidity detection unit 82. It has a reception unit 84, and an operation control unit 85 that controls each operation of the heater 51, the refrigerator, and the humidifier 53. Each of the input unit 83, the reception unit 84, and the operation control unit 85 is a function of a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The control unit 80 controls the operation of the heater 51 and the refrigerator by the operation control unit 85 based on the detected temperature of the air conditioner air 110 transmitted to the reception unit 84. Further, the control unit 80 controls the operation of the humidifier 53 by the operation control unit 85 based on the detected humidity of the air conditioner air 110 transmitted to the reception unit 84.

The control unit 80 is configured to execute control for varying the heating capacity of the heater 51 while maintaining a constant cooling capacity of the refrigerator. Specifically, when the detection temperature transmitted to the reception unit 84 is lower than the set temperature, the operation control unit 85 operates the heater 51 so as to increase the heater output while keeping the refrigerant circulation amount in the refrigerator constant. To control. On the other hand, when the detection temperature transmitted to the reception unit 84 is higher than the set temperature, the operation control unit 85 controls the operation of the heater 51 so as to reduce the heater output while keeping the refrigerant circulation amount in the refrigerator constant. .. As a result, the temperature of the air conditioner air 110 can be brought close to the set temperature while keeping the cooling capacity of the refrigerator constant.

If the temperature cannot be controlled while the cooling capacity of the refrigerator is kept constant, for example, if the heater output of the heater 51 is the minimum but the temperature of the air conditioner air 110 is higher than the set temperature, the control unit After increasing the cooling capacity of the refrigerator by one step according to 80, the temperature can be adjusted only by the heater 51 in the same manner. If the temperature of the air conditioner air 110 is still lower than the set temperature even when the heater output of the heater 51 is maximum, the cooling capacity of the refrigerator is lowered by one step, and then the temperature is adjusted only by the heater 51 in the same manner. Can be done.

Further, the control unit 80 is not limited to one that controls to fluctuate the heating capacity of the heater 51 while keeping the cooling capacity of the refrigerator constant. The control unit 80 may control to change the cooling capacity of the refrigerator while keeping the heating capacity of the heater 51 constant, or change both the heating capacity of the heater 51 and the cooling capacity of the refrigerator. Control may be performed.

When the detected humidity transmitted to the reception unit 84 is lower than the set humidity, the operation control unit 85 controls the operation of the humidifier 53 so as to increase the amount of steam supplied to the air conditioning air 110. On the other hand, when the detected humidity transmitted to the reception unit 84 is higher than the set humidity, the operation control unit 85 controls the operation of the humidifier 53 so as to reduce the amount of steam supplied to the air conditioning air 110. As a result, the humidity of the air conditioner air 110 can be brought close to the set humidity.

In addition to the aging mode in which the temperature and humidity of the air conditioning air 110 are adjusted to the set temperature and humidity suitable for aging, the control unit 80 sets the temperature of the air conditioning air 110 to a temperature at which the inside of the aging chamber 10 can be sterilized. It is configured to be able to execute a sterilization mode that controls the operation of the heater 51. This "sterilizable temperature" is a temperature different from the set temperature in the aging mode (a temperature higher than the set temperature), for example, about 85 ° C. That is, by controlling the heater output of the heater 51 so that the temperature of the air conditioning air 110 is about 85 ° C., the air conditioning air 110 having a sufficient sterilization temperature can be sent into the aging chamber 10.

Next, the aging procedure of the food material 100 using the aging chamber 1 will be described.

First, the foodstuff 100 such as prosciutto, salami or sausage is prepared, the door of the front wall 12 is opened, and the foodstuff 100 is put into the aging space S1. Then, as shown in FIG. 2, the food material 100 is hung on the hanging rod 21 via the hook 22 or the like, and the door is closed.

Next, the set temperature and the set humidity suitable for the aging of the food material 100 are input to the input unit 83 of the control unit 80, respectively. In this embodiment, for example, a set temperature of 0 to 30 ° C. and a set humidity of 60 to 95% (relative humidity) are input.

Then, the operation control unit 85 operates the heater 51, the refrigerator, the humidifier 53, and the blower 54, respectively. The temperature of the air conditioner air 110 is adjusted by the heater 51 and the cooler 52 of the refrigerator, and the humidity is adjusted by the humidifier 53. Then, the air-conditioning air 110 whose temperature and humidity are adjusted is boosted by the blower 54 and then blown out from the air outlet 61 toward the inside of the aging chamber 10. The air-conditioning air 110 blown out flows along the entire inner surface of the aging chamber 10 to the suction port 62 as described above. As a result, the airflow generation region A1 and the air layer region A2 shown in FIG. 4 are formed in the aging chamber 10, respectively, and the food material 100 is aged in a state of being stored in the air layer region A2.

During aging, the temperature and humidity of the air conditioner air 110 are constantly or at predetermined intervals by the temperature detection unit 81 and the humidity detection unit 82. Then, by appropriately controlling each operation of the heater 51, the refrigerator, and the humidifier 53 by the control unit 80 as described above, the detected temperature and the detected humidity are adjusted to approach the set temperature and the set humidity, respectively. .. After the predetermined aging time has elapsed, the door of the front wall 12 is opened, the food material 100 is taken out from the refrigerator, and the aging is completed.

Here, the features and effects of the aging chamber 1 according to the first embodiment described above will be described.

The aging chamber 1 has a box shape, and generates an air-conditioning air 110 that is partitioned from the aging chamber 10 and the aging chamber 10 for accommodating the foodstuff 100 to be aged and sent into the aging chamber 10. It includes an air-conditioning chamber 40 and an air-conditioning unit 50 that adjusts the temperature and humidity of the air-conditioning air 110. The air conditioning chamber 40 is provided with an air outlet 61 for blowing the air conditioning air 110 into the aging chamber 10 and a suction port 62 for sucking the air conditioning air 110 from the aging chamber 10 into the air conditioning chamber 40. The air outlet 61 and the suction port 62 generate an air flow in which the air-conditioning air 110 blown out from the air outlet 61 flows to the suction port 62 along the inner surface of the aging chamber 10 while avoiding the food material 100 housed in the aging chamber 10. As described above, they are provided at intervals in the aging chamber 1.

In the aging chamber 1, the temperature and humidity are adjusted by the air-conditioning unit 50, and the air-conditioned air 110 blown out from the outlet 61 is along the inner surface of the aging chamber 10 while avoiding the foodstuff 100 housed in the aging chamber 10. It flows to the suction port 62. As a result, an air flow of the conditioned air 110 is formed from the air outlet 61 to the suction port 62 along the inner surface of the aging chamber 10, and the temperature and humidity are uniform inside the air flow and the flow of the conditioned air 110. However, an air layer region A2 is formed in which there is little or no flow of air conditioning air 110. According to the aging chamber 1, by storing the food material 100 in the air layer region A2, the air flow of the air conditioning air 110 flowing from the air outlet 61 toward the suction port 62 is not directly applied to the food material 100. In the layer region A2, the entire food material 100 can be aged in a state of being exposed to a uniform temperature and humidity environment.

The aging chamber 1 includes a food material holding unit 20 that holds the food material 100 inside the airflow generation region (air layer region A2) in the aging chamber 10. As a result, it is possible to more reliably prevent the air flow of the air conditioner air 110 from directly hitting the food material 100 during aging.

In the aging chamber 1, the air outlet 61 and the suction port 62 are located at positions facing each other in one direction (left-right direction) and along the inner surface of the aging chamber 10 in a direction orthogonal to the one direction (front-back direction). Each is provided so as to extend. As a result, the air-conditioning air 110 can be blown out over the entire width direction of the inner surface (inner surface of the left side wall 16) of the aging chamber 10 in which the air outlet 61 is formed. Therefore, it is possible to generate an air flow of the air conditioner air 110 flowing in one direction over the entire inner surface of the aging chamber 10. As a result, the air layer region A2 having a uniform temperature and humidity environment can be widely formed in the aging chamber 10, so that the yield in aging of the food material 100 can be improved.

The aging chamber 1 includes a temperature detection unit 81 that detects the temperature of the air conditioning air 110. The air-conditioning unit 50 includes a heater 51 that heats the air-conditioning air 110, a cooler 52 of a refrigerator that cools the air-conditioning air 110 through heat exchange with the refrigerant, and a heater based on the detection result by the temperature detection unit 81. It includes 51 and a control unit 80 that controls the operation of the refrigerator. Thereby, the temperature in the aging chamber 10 can be easily adjusted by the feedback control using the detection result by the temperature detection unit 81. That is, the detection result by the temperature detection unit 81 can be compared with the set temperature, and the operation of the heater 51 can be appropriately controlled so that the difference becomes small.

In the aging chamber 1, the control unit 80 executes control to change the heating capacity of the heater 51 while keeping the cooling capacity of the refrigerator constant. As a result, the thermal responsiveness is improved as compared with the case where the temperature of the air conditioner air 110 is adjusted by controlling the refrigerator, and the temperature of the air conditioner air 110 can be adjusted more precisely.

In the aging chamber 1, the control unit 80 is configured to be able to execute a sterilization mode that controls the operation of the heater 51 so that the temperature of the air conditioning air 110 becomes a temperature at which the inside of the aging chamber 10 can be sterilized. As a result, before switching the type of the food material 100, the air-conditioning air 110 adjusted to the sterilization temperature (for example, 85 ° C.) is flowed into the aging chamber 10 to ensure that the microorganisms and the like used for aging the previous food material 100 are surely It can be switched to the next aging after being killed.

In the aging chamber 1, the air conditioning unit 50 includes a blower 54 including a centrifugal fan that boosts the air conditioning air 110 and sends it to the outlet 61. As described above, by using the centrifugal fan whose static pressure is larger than that of the axial fan, the pressure for sending the air conditioning air 110 toward the aging chamber 10 can be increased. As a result, the flow of the air-conditioning air 110 along the entire inner surface of the aging chamber 10 can be more reliably formed, and the temperature and humidity in the aging chamber 10 can be uniformly controlled.

(Embodiment 2)
Next, the aging chamber 2 according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The aging chamber 2 according to the second embodiment basically has the same configuration as the aging chamber 1 according to the first embodiment and has the same effect, but is different from the first embodiment in the configuration of the food material holding unit 20. Hereinafter, only the points different from the first embodiment will be described.

As shown in FIG. 5, the aging chamber 2 according to the second embodiment includes a mounting plate 21A having an upper surface on which the food material 100 is placed, instead of the hanging rod 21 (FIG. 2). The mounting plate 21A is, for example, a net plate having a rectangular shape in a plan view, and both ends are hung on a support metal fitting 73 at the same height position as in the hanging rod 21. Further, the mounting plate 21A is arranged at a position where it does not overlap with the air outlet 61 and the suction port 62 in a plan view, similarly to the hanging rod 21.

By providing the mounting plate 21A, the aging chamber 2 can be suitably used for aging the food material 100 such as block meat. In this case, the set temperature of the air conditioner air 110 is, for example, 0 to 4 ° C., and the set humidity is, for example, 60 to 95% (relative humidity) as in the first embodiment. In this aging chamber 2, as in the aging chamber 1 according to the first embodiment, the entire food material 100 can be aged in the air layer region A2 in a state of being exposed to a uniform temperature and humidity environment. The aging chamber of the present invention can also be applied to a vessel provided with both a hanging rod 21 and a mounting plate 21A.

(Other embodiments)
Finally, other embodiments of the present invention will be described.

In the first embodiment, only the case where the air conditioning chamber 40 is provided under the aging chamber 10 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. As shown in FIG. 6, the air conditioning chamber 40 may be provided above the aging chamber 10. In this case, the partition plate 30 is located above the center in the vertical direction in the aging chamber 3. In FIG. 6, the positional relationship between the air outlet 61 and the suction port 62 may be reversed. Further, when the air conditioning chamber 40 is provided above the aging chamber 10, the air outlet 61 and the suction port 62 may be provided at intervals in the front-rear direction.

Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the air conditioning chamber 40 may be provided on the right side of the aging chamber 10. In this case, the partition plate 30 is arranged along the vertical direction and is located on the right side of the center in the horizontal direction in the aging chamber 4. Further, the air conditioning chamber 40 may be provided on the left side of the aging chamber 10. Further, the air conditioning chamber 40 and the aging chamber 10 may be provided so as to be adjacent to each other in the front-rear direction.

FIG. 8 schematically shows the configuration of the aging chamber 5 according to another embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 8, the elements having the same reference numerals as those in FIGS. 1 to 7 have the same configuration, and thus the description thereof will be omitted. As shown in FIG. 8, in the aging chamber 5, an air conditioning unit 50 is provided on the inner surface of the upper wall 11, and the air flow of the air conditioning air 110 directly hits the food material 100 from the air conditioning unit 50. .. That is, the aging chamber 5 does not generate an air flow in which the conditioned air 110 flows along the inner surface of the aging chamber 10 while avoiding the food material 100 housed in the aging chamber 10.

In the aging chamber 5, the control unit of the air conditioning unit 50 is configured to be able to execute a sterilization mode that controls the operation of the heater so that the temperature of the air conditioning air 110 becomes a temperature at which the inside of the aging chamber 10 can be sterilized. ing. That is, the aging chamber 5 according to the other embodiment of the present invention has the following constituent requirements.

An aging room that houses the ingredients to be aged,
It is provided with an air conditioning unit that adjusts the temperature and humidity of the air conditioning air sent into the aging chamber.
The air-conditioning unit includes a heater that heats the air-conditioning air, a control unit that executes a sterilization mode that controls the operation of the heater so that the temperature of the air-conditioning air becomes a temperature at which the aging chamber can be sterilized. Including, aging warehouse.

According to the above configuration, by sending a high-temperature air-conditioned air into the aging room before switching the type of food, the microorganisms used for aging the previous food are surely killed before switching to the next aging. Can be done. This solves the problem of simplifying the sterilization work when switching foodstuffs in the aging chamber.

It should be understood that the embodiments disclosed this time are exemplary in all respects and are not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is shown by the scope of claims rather than the above description, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the scope of claims.

1, 2, 3, 4 Aging chamber 10 Aging room 20 Food holding unit 40 Air conditioning room 50 Air conditioning unit 51 Heater 52 Cooler 52A Evaporator 54 Blower 61 Air outlet 62 Suction port 70 Support frame 80 Control unit 81 Temperature detector 100 Ingredients 110 Air conditioning wind A1 Air flow generation area A2 Air layer area

Claims (8)

It is a aging warehouse that matures ingredients using microorganisms.
An aging room that houses the above-mentioned ingredients to be aged,
It is provided with an air conditioning unit that adjusts the temperature and humidity of the air conditioning air sent into the aging chamber.
The air-conditioning unit includes a heater that heats the air-conditioning air, a aging mode that adjusts the temperature and humidity of the air-conditioning air to a set temperature and humidity suitable for aging, and the microorganisms in the aging chamber where the temperature of the air-conditioning air is adjusted to the set temperature and humidity. Includes a control unit that executes a sterilization mode that controls the operation of the heater so that it reaches a temperature at which it can be sterilized.
The control unit executes the sterilization mode at a timing before switching from one aging mode to the next aging mode. An air-conditioning chamber that is partitioned from the aging chamber and generates the air-conditioning air that is sent to the aging chamber is provided.
The air-conditioning chamber is provided with an outlet for blowing the air-conditioning air into the aging chamber and a suction port for sucking the air-conditioning air from the aging chamber into the air-conditioning chamber.
The air outlet and the suction port generate an air flow in which the air-conditioning air blown from the air outlet flows to the suction port along the inner surface of the aging chamber while avoiding the foodstuff contained in the aging chamber. The aging chamber according to claim 1, wherein the aging chambers are provided at intervals from each other. The aging chamber according to claim 2, further comprising a foodstuff holding portion for holding the foodstuff inside the region where the airflow is generated in the aging chamber. The air outlet and the suction port are located at positions facing each other in one direction, and are provided so as to extend along the inner surface of the aging chamber in a direction orthogonal to the one direction. The aging chamber according to claim 2 or 3. Further equipped with a temperature detection unit that detects the temperature of the air conditioner wind,
The air conditioning unit includes a refrigerator that cools the air conditioning air through heat exchange with a refrigerant.
The aging chamber according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the control unit controls the operation of the heater and the refrigerator based on the detection result by the temperature detection unit. The aging chamber according to claim 5, wherein the control unit executes control for varying the heating capacity of the heater while maintaining the cooling capacity of the refrigerator at a constant level. The aging chamber according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the air conditioning unit includes a blower including a centrifugal fan that boosts and sends out the air conditioning air. The ingredients are stored in the aging room and the ingredients are aged using microorganisms.
After the predetermined aging time has elapsed, the foodstuff is taken out from the aging room, and
Before switching the type of the food material, an air-conditioning air adjusted to a temperature capable of sterilizing the microorganisms in the aging chamber is blown into the aging chamber.
A aging method including sterilizing the aging chamber and then switching the type of the food material for aging.