JP7244023B2 - roasting equipment - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a roasting apparatus for heating and roasting an object to be roasted, such as coffee beans, other grains, or tea leaves.

2. Description of the Related Art A roasting apparatus is known in which objects to be roasted, such as coffee beans, are placed in a drum, and the objects to be roasted are heated and roasted while rotating the drum (see, for example, the following patent documents).

JP 2019-083716 A

In existing roasting equipment, hot or hot air hits and heats the object to be roasted. The air that hits the object to be roasted is released to the atmosphere through the duct. The released air contains components that control the aroma and flavor of the roasting object. In other words, during the roasting process, part of the aroma and flavor of the object to be roasted escapes and is damaged.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention, which has been made in view of the above problems, is intended to realize a roasting apparatus that prevents the components of the roasted object from escaping as much as possible.

In the present invention, an object to be roasted such as coffee beans, other grains, or tea leaves is heated and roasted. a container that can be sealed so as to prevent the internal atmosphere from flowing in and out, and a heating mechanism that is disposed inside the container and heats the object to be roasted that is housed inside the sealed container. During the entire period of heating and roasting the object to be roasted, the atmosphere in the container is prevented from leaking to the outside while the container is sealed, and the pressure in the container is kept at a high pressure of 0.5 MPa or more. The roasting device is configured to hold the object and to obtain the object roasted in the container in that state .

In addition, a gas injection mechanism for injecting an inert gas into the inside of the container is provided, and the inside of the container is sealed in a state in which part or all of the air inside the container is replaced with the inert gas. It is preferable that the object to be roasted is heated and roasted by the heating mechanism.

Further, it is more preferable if the pressure inside the storage container and the temperature of the heating mechanism can be flexibly controlled when the object to be roasted is heated and roasted.

According to the present invention, it is possible to realize a roasting apparatus that does not allow the components of the object to be roasted to escape as much as possible.

1 is a front cross-sectional view of a roasting device according to one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of the roasting device of the same embodiment;

One embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a front sectional view of the roasting apparatus of this embodiment, and FIG. 2 shows a side sectional view of the roasting apparatus of the same embodiment. The roasting apparatus of this embodiment accommodates the object 4 to be roasted, particularly coffee beans, and is sealed so that the internal atmosphere can be kept from flowing in and out while maintaining the internal atmosphere at a pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure. It comprises a storage container 1, a gas injection mechanism 2 for injecting an inert gas, especially nitrogen gas, into the storage container 1, and a heating mechanism 3 for heating an object 4 to be roasted inside the closed storage container 1. It becomes

The container 1 includes a main body 11 surrounding an internal space and a door 12 opening and closing the front side of the main body 11. - 特許庁By opening the door 12, the internal space can be opened to the outside. By closing the door 12, the internal space can be isolated from the outside and closed. The storage container 1 has pressure resistance performance capable of keeping the pressure of the atmosphere in its internal space at a pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure. For example, the container 1 can have a maximum working pressure of 0.5 MPa, and the pressure of the atmosphere in the internal space can be increased up to 0.5 MPa. The storage container 1 may have a pressure resistance performance capable of maintaining the pressure of the atmosphere in its internal space at a high pressure of at least 0.5 MPa or higher, 1 MPa or higher, or 1.5 MPa or higher.

A heat insulating material 13 is arranged on each of the main body 11 and the door 12 of the container 1 to suppress heat transfer between the internal space of the container 1 and the outside. Incidentally, as shown in FIG. 2, the door 12 is provided with a sight hole 14 so that the internal space can be seen from the outside when the door is closed.

As shown in FIG. 1, the gas injection mechanism 2 includes a cylinder or the like (not shown) serving as a supply source of inert gas having a pressure higher than atmospheric pressure, and one side of the main body 11 of the container 1 connected to the cylinder or the like. The introduction path 21 for introducing the inert gas into the internal space from the side, the discharge path 22 for discharging the atmosphere of the internal space to the outside from the other side of the main body 11 of the container 1, and the introduction path 21 and the discharge path 22 are opened and closed. Each valve 23, 24 is used as an element.

If both the valves 23 and 24 on the introduction path 21 and the discharge path 22 are opened with the door 12 of the storage container 1 closed, the inert gas supplied from a cylinder or the like will cause the air in the interior space of the storage container 1 to rise. can be replaced. Furthermore, the valve 23 on the introduction path 21 can be closed while the valve 24 on the discharge path 22 is open, and the internal space of the container 1 can be filled with the high-pressure inert gas. By closing both the valves 23 and 24, the atmosphere can be prevented from flowing in and out through the introduction path 21 and the discharge path 22, and the internal space of the container 1 can be kept airtight.

The heating mechanism 3 includes a rotatable drum (roasting basket) 31 in which the objects 4 to be roasted are stored, and a heater 32 for heating the objects 4 to be roasted in the drum 31 . The drum 31 is a cylindrical metal member made of copper, iron, stainless steel, or the like, which is open on the front side and closed on the back side. . As shown in FIG. 1, the drum 31 is supported from below by a drive roller 33 and a driven roller 34 extending substantially parallel to the central axis A of the drum 31 . The outer peripheral surfaces of the rollers 33 and 34 are in contact with the outer peripheral wall of the drum 31 respectively. The drive roller 33 is connected to a drive motor 36 via a transmission mechanism 35, and rotates on its own axis upon being supplied with a rotational driving force from the drive motor 36 to roll the outer peripheral wall of the drum 31 to rotate the drum 31. . The driven roller 34 rotates following the drum 31 while supporting the outer peripheral wall of the drum 31 . It should be noted that the outer peripheral wall of the drum 31 may be perforated with a large number of small holes.

The heater 32 is located directly under the drum 31 and between the drive roller 33 and the driven roller 34 and heats the drum 31 and the roasting objects 4 contained in the drum 31 . The heater 32 is, for example, a cartridge heater that generates heat when energized, and can raise the temperature of the atmosphere inside the container 1 and the drum 31 to 250° C. or higher.

As shown in FIG. 1, a temperature sensor and a pressure sensor 15 are installed inside the container 1 . The temperature sensor 15 detects the current temperature of the internal space of the container 1 and the pressure sensor 15 detects the current pressure of the internal space of the container 1 . A controller (not shown) that controls the roasting apparatus of the present embodiment activates the drive motor 36 to rotate the drum 31 , and energizes the heater 32 to heat the heater 32 . The object 4 to be roasted is heated and roasted. At that time, the internal temperature of the container 1 is measured via the temperature sensor 15, and the output of the heater 32, in other words, the current and/or voltage applied to the heater 32 is adjusted so that the temperature follows a desired target value. Increase or decrease the size. In addition, the same controller measures the internal pressure of the container 1 via the pressure sensor 15, and opens and closes the valve 23 on the introduction path 21 or expands and contracts the opening so that the pressure follows a desired target value. and/or the valve 24 on the discharge passage 22 is opened or closed or expanded or reduced.

In this embodiment, an object 4 to be roasted, such as coffee beans, other grains, or tea leaves, is heated and roasted. A container 1 which can be sealed so as to prevent the internal atmosphere from flowing in and out while maintaining a high pressure; A roasting device including a heating mechanism 3 for heating is configured.

In the roasting apparatus of this embodiment, the atmosphere inside the container 1 is maintained at a high pressure and airtightly for at least a period of time or the entire period during the heating and roasting of the object 4 to be roasted. do not leak to the outside. As a result, in the process of roasting the object 4 to be roasted, components such as aroma and flavor can be confined in the object 4 to be roasted without escaping them as much as possible. It is possible to produce coffee or the like.

In addition, for example, smoked chips and other additives that emit some component such as aroma and flavor when heated are put into the container 1 (the drum 31 thereof) together with the object 4 to be roasted, and these are heated at the same time. , By roasting, the component released from the additive is pressed into the roasting object 4 and impregnated, and the roasting object 4 itself is roasted with a different scent, flavor, etc. It is also possible to create something like flavored coffee or flavored tea that is newly added to the object 4 .

In addition, the roasting apparatus of this embodiment has a gas injection mechanism 2 for injecting an inert gas into the container 1 . Then, when heating and roasting the roasting object 4 (and the additive), the air inside the container 1 is partially or wholly replaced with an inert gas, and the container 1 is sealed. An object 4 to be roasted inside is heated by the heating mechanism 3 . The proportion (partial pressure) of the inert gas in the atmosphere inside the container 1 during heating can be arbitrarily adjusted. According to this embodiment, it is possible to effectively prevent oxidation of the roasting object 4 during heating, and suppress deterioration of its aroma and flavor.

The roasting apparatus of this embodiment can flexibly control the internal pressure of the container 1 when heating and roasting the roasting target 4 . Therefore, by adjusting the pressure of the atmosphere during roasting, it is possible to produce roasting objects 4 with various aromas and tastes.

In addition, the roasting apparatus of this embodiment can flexibly control the temperature of the heating mechanism 3 when heating and roasting the roasting target 4 . Therefore, by adjusting the temperature during roasting, it is possible to produce roasted objects 4 with various aromas and tastes.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments detailed above. The specific configuration of each part can be modified without departing from the gist of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Storage container 2... Gas injection mechanism 21... Introduction path 22... Discharge path 23, 24... Valve 3... Heating mechanism 31... Drum 32... Heater 4... Object to be roasted

Claims (4)

For heating and roasting objects to be roasted, such as coffee beans, other grains, or tea leaves,
A sealable housing container capable of housing an object to be roasted therein and keeping the internal atmosphere from flowing in and out while keeping the internal atmosphere at a pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure;
a heating mechanism disposed inside the container for heating the object to be roasted inside the sealed container;
Over the entire period of heating and roasting the object to be roasted, the atmosphere inside the container is prevented from leaking to the outside while the container is sealed, and the pressure inside the container is maintained at a high pressure of 0.5 MPa or more. , a roasting device for obtaining roasted objects in a container in that state . Equipped with a gas injection mechanism for injecting an inert gas into the container,
2. The roasting according to claim 1, wherein the heating mechanism heats and roasts the object to be roasted inside the sealed container in a state in which part or all of the air inside the container is replaced with the inert gas. Device. 3. The roasting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pressure inside the container can be controlled when the object to be roasted is heated and roasted. 4. The roasting apparatus according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the temperature of said heating mechanism can be controlled when heating and roasting an object to be roasted.

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