JPH01240132A - Application of coating material on food and unit therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide the title application so designed that ionized air is made to impinge on liquid coating material particles emitting through a nozzle to impart said particles with electric charge and the resultant particles are oriented by a control section electrified with the same kind of electric charge as that of the above, thereby forming a uniform, accurate coating material pattern on the surface of foods. CONSTITUTION:In an ionizing means 6, corona discharge is generated in an air forcedly blown by a blower 5 to ionize the air. This ionized air is then made to impinge on liquid coating material particles 14 emitted successively through a nozzle 1 in a misty fashion to electrify the particles 14. Thence, the particles 14 are controlled by a control section 8 electrified with the same kind of electric charge as that of said particles 14, and emitted only through the patter-forming outlet 9 of the control section 8, thus applying said particles 14 on the surface of foods electrified with the different kind of electric charge from that of said particles 14 in a desired pattern according to the shape pattern of said outlet 9. Application of a controlling magnetic field through an electromagnetic coil 13 enables coating pattern on the surface of foods 10 to be regulated.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for applying a coating material to food, and more specifically, it relates to a method and an apparatus for applying a coating material to food. , oil, and other liquid coating materials in a desired coating pattern, and a device therefor.

[Prior art]

As is well known, it has been widely practiced to apply egg, oil, or other liquid coating materials to the surface of confectionery such as bread, cakes, meat, and other foods, or the dough of these foods, and to apply them in a desired pattern. Coating is widely practiced.

In the past, several pattern-forming coating methods and machines have been used for this purpose, and attempts at automation have also been made.
As a practical machine in a mass production factory, there are many parts that have not yet been completed, and the methods that are typically used in actual food processing sites are methods that use a coating amount such as a brush or a mop. That is, it is a method in which a liquid coating material is applied in a predetermined pattern using a brush or the like onto the surfaces of breads or the like that are sequentially conveyed by a belt conveyor or the like.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

The above-mentioned conventional techniques are extremely practical as long as the workers are skilled and the working environment is sufficiently sanitary. There are challenges.

That is, (1) the coating pattern is often not uniform, and there are many difficulties in making the quality uniform. ■The particle size, coating thickness, and coating of the coating material in each part of the formed coating pattern are often not uniform. ■The surrounding work environment and the food to be coated are likely to become contaminated, and great care must be taken to maintain hygiene. . ■ 0 etc. that tend to produce a large amount of odor in the work environment.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide (1) an automatic coating material application method and apparatus that can uniformize the coating pattern of the coating material formed on the surface of food products and make uniform quality possible; Another object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus capable of making uniform the coating material particle size, coating thickness, and coating of each part of the formed coating pattern, and also making it variable. Furthermore, the automatic coating material application method is superior in terms of hygiene with less dirt and odors, and is also superior in durability because it can be automated without requiring many moving mechanical parts. and provide its equipment. Particularly, (1) To provide a means for easily and simply changing the coating pattern of the coating material according to processing requirements, coating objects, etc., and forming the pattern accurately.

[Means to solve problems]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has the following technical means.

That is, this will be explained using the reference numerals in the accompanying drawings that correspond to the embodiments.The method of the present invention applies egg, oil, or other liquid coating material 14 to the surface of confectionery such as bread or cake, meat, or other food 10. In this method, corona discharge is generated in the forcibly blown air to ionize the air, and this ionized air is sequentially discharged from the nozzle 1 in the form of a mist. The liquid coating material particles are collided with the liquid coating material particles! 4 is electrically charged, and then controlled by a control section 8 charged to the same type of charge as the charged liquid coating material particles 14, the charged liquid coating material particles 14 are charged only from the pattern forming outlet 9 of the control section 8. can be applied to the surface of the food product 10 charged with a charge different from that of the charged liquid coating material particles 14 in a desired application pattern according to the shape pattern of the pattern forming outlet 9; Moreover, in the above process, by applying a control magnetic field around the pattern forming outlet 9, it is possible to adjust the coating pattern of the liquid coating material particles discharged from the pattern forming outlet 9 on the surface of the food 10. This is a method of applying a coating material to the food that is to be treated.

Further, the device of the present invention for carrying out this operation includes an ionizing means 6 for producing a corona discharge in the air forcedly blown by the blowing device 5 to ionize the air, and an ionizing means 6 located downstream of the ionized air flow. A nozzle 1 is opened and connected to a variable metering feeder 3 for sequentially discharging the liquid coating material 14 into the ionized air, and a nozzle 1 is discharged from the nozzle 1 and is charged by collision contact with the ionized air. A control section 8 charged with the same type of charge as the charged liquid coating material particles is used to control and guide the liquid coating material particles only toward a predetermined pattern forming outlet 9, and a control section 8 that controls and guides the liquid coating material particles only toward a predetermined pattern forming outlet 9; The food product 10 is provided with a conveying means 11 on which charged liquid particles are applied to the surface in a pattern corresponding to the pattern, and the charged liquid particles are located around the pattern forming outlet 9 and are sprayed from the pattern forming outlet 9. It has a protective cover 12 for preventing scattering of paint particles, and an electromagnetic coil 13 is arranged around the protective cover 12, and the electromagnetic coil 13 generates a control magnetic field around the pattern forming outlet 9,
This control magnetic field has a function of adjusting the application pattern of the liquid coating material particles discharged from the pattern forming outlet 9 onto the surface of the food 10, which is the device for coating the food.

[Effect]

Based on the configuration described above, first, a corona discharge is generated to ionize the air. Then, the ionized air is forcibly blown toward the nozzle 1, and is brought into contact with and collides with the liquid coating material particles 14 that are sequentially discharged from the nozzle 1 in the form of a mist.

As a result, the liquid coating material particles 14 are further homogenized and made into a mist, and the liquid coating material particles 14 are charged with an electric charge of the opposite sign. The food 10 moves toward the surface of the food 10. Specifically, it scatters when discharged from nozzle l,
The liquid coating material particles 14 flow out from the pattern forming outlet 9 formed in the control part 8 while being directed by the control part 8 without adhering to the same charge as the charge of the liquid coating material particles 14 . It is applied to the correspondingly positioned surface of the food product 10. In this case, the liquid flows out according to the desired pattern or shape of the pattern forming outlet 9, and a corresponding pattern is formed. This creates a uniform and accurate coating pattern on the food surface. In addition, the coating thickness, coating area, particle size, etc. of each part of the coating material pattern are made uniform. In addition, the discharge speed from the nozzle, the discharge amount per unit time, the control unit 8
By controlling the magnitude of control static electricity, etc., the above specifications such as coating thickness can be changed arbitrarily. Furthermore, by controlling the control magnetic field around the pattern forming outlet 9, it is possible to control the accidental diffusion of the liquid coating material discharged from the pattern forming outlet 9 toward the surface of the food product 10, and in this sense, more accurate pattern formation can be achieved. In addition, by changing the magnitude of this control magnetic field, the size of the formed pattern can be controlled. Furthermore, the pattern itself can be made variable by changing the shape of the pattern forming outlet 9 and the strength of the control magnetic field.

〔Example〕

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

Food here refers to all so-called foods such as bread, cakes, meat, etc., and includes all forms of food such as dough and baked goods.Furthermore, in the case of liquid coating materials, eggs, oil, etc. , refers to all other liquid foods.

In the figure, reference numeral 1 indicates a nozzle, and this nozzle 1 is connected to a liquid coating material tank 2 via a metering feed device 3 and a feed pipe 4. The quantitative feeding device 3 is a cylinder,
A piston type or other type can be used, and by making the feed rate etc. variable, variable fixed amount feeding is possible.

A blower device 5 for forcibly blowing air toward the nozzle l is provided above the nozzle l, and this blower device 5
An air ionization means 6 is provided between the nozzle 1 and the nozzle l. That is, it is a corona discharge section electrically connected to the DC high voltage generator 7. A cylindrical control section 8 is provided below the nozzle l. This control section 8 is
The particles are charged with the same type of charge as the charged liquid coating material particles discharged from the nozzle l.

Next, a pattern forming outlet 9 is formed at the lower end of the control section 8 to form a desired pattern such as a circular hole, a square hole, a triangular hole, a slit, a pattern hole, etc. according to the processing requirements of the product. It is formed into a shape corresponding to that. Food products 10 are sequentially conveyed and positioned below this pattern forming outlet 9. As means for conveying the food 10, a driving spread plate, a belt conveyor 11, etc. are used.

Thus, the food item E 10 is charged with a polarity different from that of the charged liquid coating material particles.

Further, a protective cover 12 is provided surrounding the cylindrical control part 8, and also surrounding the pattern forming outlet 9, and an electromagnetic coil 13 is wound around this, so that a protective cover 12 is provided to surround the pattern forming outlet 9 and the surface of the food 10. A magnetic field is generated in the space, and the strength of this magnetic field can be controlled.

Based on the above configuration, how to use this will be explained.

First, air is forcibly blown toward the air ionization means 6 and the nozzle 1 by the blower 5. Corona discharge occurs in the ionization means 6, which ionizes and ionizes the air.

On the other hand, the liquid coating material 14 is discharged and scattered in the form of a mist from the nozzle l. Ionized air therefore impinges on and comes into contact with the liquid coating particles. Therefore, the liquid coating material particles become even more mist-like and dispersed, and each particle is evenly charged to become charged liquid coating material particles.

Thereafter, the TrL liquid coating material particles pass only through the pattern forming outlet 9 and are applied to the surface of the food product 10. That is, since the particles of the liquid coating material are dispersed from the nozzle 1 in the form of a mist, and are further dispersed by the ionized air flow, the particles of the liquid coating material are homogenized and uniformly charged, but due to their scattering nature, the plate surface of the surrounding control unit 8 is However, since the control part 8 is charged with the same kind of charge, it is repelled, so it does not adhere to the control part 8 and is instead directed and ejected only from the pattern forming outlet 9.

Since the shape of the pattern forming outlet 9 is set to a shape for forming a desired coating pattern on the surface of the food product 10, a desired coating pattern is formed on the surface of the food product 10. However, a uniform pattern is formed. Therefore, the discharge speed of the liquid coating material from the nozzle 1,
By changing the discharge amount per unit time and the magnitude of the control charge of the control section 8, the coating thickness and coating position of the formed coating pattern on the food surface can be adjusted as appropriate. In addition, no matter what pattern is formed, the coating thickness, coating area, coating material particle size, etc. of each part of the pattern can be made uniform.

What is unique about this is that the charged liquid coating material particles flying out from the pattern forming outlet 9 are not only prevented from accidentally scattering outward due to the protective cover 12, but also prevented by the electromagnetic coil 13. Since the control magnetic field is applied, the charged liquid coating material particles are controlled, and by this control, a coating pattern is accurately formed on the surface of the food product 10, and the coating pattern can also be changed.

Since there are few mechanically moving parts in these operating processes, durability is high, there is almost no dirt or odor, and the process can be carried out in an energy-saving manner. Moreover, these controls can also be controlled in conjunction with a computer.

〔effect〕

As described in detail above, according to the present invention, a desired coating material application pattern can be automatically formed on the surface of a food product. Furthermore, each coating pattern can be made uniform in each coating operation, greatly contributing to uniform quality. In addition, specifications such as the coating thickness of each part of the coating pattern can be changed as required, and the coating thickness of each part can be made uniform. Furthermore, it is hygienic and durable. In particular, the control section 8 serves as the primary control for electrostatic control.
In addition, since magnetic field control is performed as secondary control using the electromagnetic coil 13, the coating pattern can be changed arbitrarily, which has considerable practical advantages.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings shows an embodiment of the present invention, in which 1 is a nozzle, 2 is a liquid coating material tank, 3 is a metering feeder,
4 is a feeding pipe, 5 is an X-feeding device, 6 is an air ionization means, 7
1 is a DC high pressure generator, 8 is a control unit, 9 is a pattern forming outlet, 10 is food, 11 is a conveyor such as a conveyor, 12 is a protective cover, 13 is an electromagnetic coil, and 14 is a liquid coating material.

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) Bread, cakes and other sweets, meat, and other foods 10
In this method, egg, oil, or other liquid coating material 14 is applied in a desired coating pattern to the surface of The liquid coating particles 14 are charged by colliding air with the liquid coating particles that are sequentially discharged from the nozzle 1 in the form of a mist, and then the same type of charge as that of the charged liquid coating particles 14 is generated. By controlling the charged control section 8, the charged liquid coating material particles 14 are discharged only from the pattern forming outlet 9 of the control section 8, and the charged liquid coating material particles 14 are
It is possible to apply a desired coating pattern to the surface of the food 10 charged with a charge different from that of the food 10 in a desired coating pattern according to the shape pattern of the pattern forming outlet 9, and in the above process, the pattern forming outlet 9 A method for applying a coating material to a food product, characterized in that the coating pattern of the liquid coating material particles discharged from the pattern forming outlet 9 on the surface of the food product 10 can be adjusted by applying a control magnetic field around the food product. (2) an ionizing means 6 for ionizing the air by causing a corona discharge in the air forcedly blown by the blower 5; and an ionizing means 6 located downstream of the ionized air flow to ionize the liquid coating material 14; A nozzle 1 connected to a variable metering feeder 3 for discharging sequentially into the air, and a predetermined pattern-forming outlet for discharging liquid coating material particles discharged from the nozzle 1 and charged by collision contact with the ionized air. A control section 8 charged with the same kind of charge as the charged liquid coating material particles for controlling and guiding only toward the pattern forming outlet 9 and a control section 8 charged with the same type of charge as the charged liquid coating material particles, and the charged liquid coating material particles discharged from the pattern forming outlet 9 form the pattern. Food 1 applied to the surface in a corresponding pattern
0 conveyance means 11, and further includes the pattern forming outlet 9.
The electromagnetic coil 13 has a protective cover 12 located around the pattern forming outlet 9 to prevent scattering of charged liquid coating material particles flying out from the pattern forming outlet 9, and an electromagnetic coil 13 arranged around the protective cover 12. A control magnetic field is generated around the pattern forming outlet 9, and this control magnetic field has a function of adjusting the application pattern of the liquid coating material particles discharged from the pattern forming outlet 9 onto the surface of the food 10. A device that applies materials.