JPH02104249A - Gelatinization of starch and device therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To gelatinize starch by a simple process in a short time by irradiating grain, powder or granule thereof with far infrared rays while finely vibrating. CONSTITUTION:Grain, power or granule thereof is dropped from a hopper 1 on plural vibrating plates 2 inclined to a proper angle and zigzag set in the vertical direction, heated by far infrared rays belonging to a wavelength band of <=3mum irradiated from a far infrared generator 3 while being successively transferred to the vibrating plates and gelatinized. The irradiation time of far infrared rays is in a range not to reduce >=10% water content of the starchy material, e.g., sufficiently >=30 minutes in the case of ground polished rice having ordinary water content.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] (Purpose of the Invention) The present invention is directed to alcohol-fermenting grains such as rice and wheat, or powders and granules of grains such as milled rice, wheat flour, and buckwheat flour, or by fermenting them into instant rice or other products. The gelatinization of starch, which is necessary as a pretreatment means for making products such as bread, sweets, and rice cakes, is
The purpose of this project is to provide a new method and equipment for ideally achieving this goal.

(Prior art) Starch gelatinization methods that have been adopted so far include, for example,
There are two methods, such as the air flow method and batch method, in which hot air or steam permeates the entire raw material in the kettle over a long period of time, and a kiln method, in which the raw material is placed in a space filled with hot air or steam. Methods such as the method of flowing starch in a spiral shape all use hot air or steam as a heat source, and basically belong to methods of steaming starch under a specified moisture content.

However, with this conventional method, not only does gelatinization take a long time due to problems with thermal efficiency, but it also requires a long time.
The equipment itself has to be large or small,
These methods have major drawbacks, such as the complexity of the work process and the need for a large investment of capital, but so far there have been no alternatives to these conventional methods. There is no effective means to do so, and even now, most of us are stuck with the existing methods.

In view of these circumstances, the present invention attempts to eliminate the drawbacks of the conventional starch gelatinization method using a completely new idea, and the gist of its structure is as detailed below.

(Structure of the Invention) The method for gelatinizing starch of the present invention is based on the method of gelatinizing starch itself, or its powder or granular material (hereinafter simply referred to as starch material).
The α of starch is irradiated with far infrared rays belonging to a wavelength band of 30 μm or less while being vibrated and the water evaporation rate is within 10%, thereby gelatinizing the starch contained in the starch. It is a method of conversion.

The means for slightly vibrating the starchy material is to use a stage or belt on which the starchy material is placed, or an appropriate container with various known vibrators.
This is achieved by connecting the starchy material to the properties of the starchy material, i.e. its particle size, specific gravity, water content,
In order to obtain the optimum vibration according to conditions such as the degree of adhesion of the particle surface, it is desirable to select a vibrator that matches the vibration range in advance.

In addition, the far infrared rays to be irradiated are 30% in that wavelength band.
Far infrared rays in the range of ゜μm or less are effective, and there are no particular restrictions on the form as long as it is possible to generate far infrared rays in that range.For example, ceramic lining on the surface of a resistance heating element Known lamp-shaped and rod-shaped far-infrared radiators, such as lamp-shaped far-infrared radiators made of small rings, and rod-shaped far-infrared radiators formed by inserting nichrome wire into zirconium or titanium ceramic sintered tubes. Of course, there is no problem in generating it in an appropriate combination, but in order to uniformly irradiate the entire surface of the starch corpus luteum to be irradiated, a planar far-infrared radiator that is easy to arrange, for example, a nichrome wire on the back side of a flat ceramic plate. It is advantageous if the far-infrared rays are generated by a far-infrared emitter, such as one formed by an arrangement of a heater.

The above-mentioned far-infrared ray irradiation time is set within a range in which the water content of the starchy material to be irradiated does not decrease by 10% or more. For example, the irradiation time required for gelatinization for crushed and milled rice is for crushed and milled rice with a normal water content. , a time not exceeding 30 minutes is sufficient.

The gelatinization of starch achieved in this manner is achieved by the following device.

That is, a diaphragm 2 tilted at an appropriate angle is provided below a hopper 1 into which starch is fed, while far-infrared generators 3 and 3 are provided above the diaphragm 2 at an appropriate distance.
・Old... is juxtaposed to form the gelatinized qW of starch.

The diaphragm 2 has both sides along the longitudinal direction thereof bent upward as appropriate along the length thereof to form a rising edge 21.
It is constituted by a gutter-like member with a groove-shaped cross section of 21, and is set at an inclination angle determined according to the irradiation time of far infrared rays, and is connected to the vibrator 4 at appropriate points.

The far-infrared ray generator 3 is a unitized device so that far-infrared radiators that generate far-infrared rays belonging to a wavelength band of 30A1 m or less can be easily arranged in parallel at appropriate intervals above the diaphragm 2. is desirable.

Hereinafter, specific embodiments shown in the drawings will be described.

(Embodiment 1) The Q moving plate disposed below the hopper 1 may of course be formed by one long member, but it may be divided into a plurality of pieces as shown in the drawing. adopted,
They are arranged in a zigzag pattern in the vertical direction, and each diaphragm 2, 2... or 2 diaphragms as in the example shown in the figure.
A vibrator 4 is connected in common to each vibrator, and when the starchy material slowly flowing down on the diaphragm 2゜2... transfers to other diaphragms one after another, the A starch gelatinization device is provided which disturbs the state of accumulation of starchy substances formed on a diaphragm.

Vibration plates 2, 2 arranged in a zigzag pattern in the vertical direction
. . . are determined to have the optimum length and number depending on the far-infrared irradiation time required for gelatinization of the starchy material.

In the figure, 5 is a withdrawal conveyor for sending the starch material into the hopper 1, and 6 is a withdrawal conveyor for feeding the starch material that has fallen through the vibration plates 2, 2, etc. to a predetermined location. In some cases, far-infrared generators 3, 3, etc. are also arranged on these conveyors 5.6, as shown on the carry-out conveyor 6. You may also set it.

(Embodiment 2) The diaphragm 2 in this starch pregelatinization device focuses on the fact that far infrared rays have properties as light, and is made of aluminum plate to enhance the effect of irradiating far infrared rays on starchy substances. Alternatively, if the reflective plate is made of a material such as a stainless steel plate that also serves as a reflective plate, an extremely efficient device can be obtained.

(Operation and Effect) The starch gelatinization method of the present invention, which is constructed as described above, has the following characteristics.

First, far-infrared rays in a predetermined wavelength range are used to promote gelatinization of starch, and are limited to a short period of time in consideration of water content. In comparison, these five systems have the characteristics of being fairly efficient, and the necessary equipment can be made into a large number of cylinders, making the system extremely economical as a whole.

In particular, far-infrared rays used to irradiate starchy materials have often been used primarily as a means for heating, baking, and drying, so they are usually used without regard to the particular wavelength range. However, in this invention, by limited use of far infrared rays in a specific wavelength range, we found that the electromagnetic wave properties are very effective for gelatinization of starchy substances, By irradiating the starchy material under microvibration, it is possible to promote homogeneous and effective gelatinization (more than 80% of the mass) as a whole, and the effect should be highly praised. It is.

For example, when powdered starch is subjected to alcohol fermentation using a raw material treated with a far infrared ray generator with an output of 15.6 C/h at an efficiency of 120 hg/h, the alcohol yield per raw material processing is 400 to 420 liters. This is possible, and compared to the previous method of pregelatinization using steam, only eight people could obtain at most 360 liters of alcohol per raw material, compared to the pregelatinization method of this invention. This clearly demonstrates how the gelatinization of starch not only shortens the time required for starch gelatinization, but also leads to homogeneous and efficient starch gelatinization.

The above gelatinization method has an extremely simple structure including a hopper 1, a diaphragm 2, a far-infrared generator 3, and a vibrator.
Since it can be realized by simply combining 4, there is no need for large-scale pots, steam generators, piping, etc., which were required in the past, making it economical, safe, and easy to handle. It is highly regarded as a revolutionary device for the food processing industry that requires gelatinization of starch, such as the sake brewing industry, confectionery manufacturing industry, noodle manufacturing industry, etc. It is expected that.

In particular, when the diaphragm 2 is arranged in a zigzag pattern in the vertical direction, it is highly effective in uniformly gelatinizing the starchy body, and is also effective in terms of space efficiency for installing the device. Furthermore, if the diaphragm 2 is made of a material that also serves as a reflector, such as an aluminum plate or a stainless steel plate, the far-infrared irradiation efficiency can be greatly increased, and the -layer α It will be advantageous for the development.

As mentioned above, the starch gelatinization method and device for this purpose of the present invention achieve extremely high gelatinization efficiency compared to the conventional methods, and work very advantageously in terms of existing food processing. Rather, it not only includes the possibility of leading to the development of unprecedented products, but also simplifies and makes work processes safer, and the economic effects it brings are immeasurable. be able to.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings illustrate only the basic structural parts of an apparatus for realizing the starch gelatinization method of the present invention. 1...Popper, 2...Vibration plate, 3...Far-infrared generator, 4...Vibrator-0

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1 Far-infrared rays belonging to a wavelength band of 30 μm or less within a range where the moisture evaporation rate is within 10% to the grain itself or its powder or granule under microvibration. A method for gelatinizing starch, which gelatinizes starch contained in the grain itself, or its powder or granules. 2. A diaphragm tilted at an appropriate angle is installed below the hopper into which the grain itself, or its powder or granules are fed, while a far-infrared generator is placed above the diaphragm at an appropriate distance. A device for gelatinizing starch contained in the grain itself or its powder or granules. 3. A plurality of diaphragms according to claim 2 are arranged in a zigzag pattern in the vertical direction, and the grains themselves flowing down on the diaphragms, or their powders or granules, are not affected by other diaphragms. Contained in the grain itself, its powder, or granular material in such a way as to disturb the accumulated state of the grain itself, its powder, or granular material formed on the diaphragm before the migration when it is sequentially transferred. Starch gelatinization device. 4. The diaphragm according to claims 2 to 3 is formed from a material that also serves as a reflective plate, such as an aluminum plate or a stainless steel plate, and is made of grain itself, or the starch α contained in its powder or granule. conversion device.