JPH0256060B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a steaming machine for producing rice crackers, mochi confectioneries, etc., in particular, steaming raw material flour such as rice flour and mochi powder in a steamer and kneading it with a screwdriver to make rice cracker dough. , and other improvements in the production of rice crackers made into mochi dough.

Traditionally, in the steaming machine used to make rice crackers, the raw materials were mixed with water, steamed in a steamer, and then extruded forward while being kneaded by a screw in an extrusion chamber to make rice cracker dough. There are relatively few problems with granular raw materials, but powdered raw materials are difficult to handle, and powdered raw materials deposited in layers have a small porosity and it is difficult for steam to pass through the raw materials, resulting in insufficient steam penetration. In many cases, the steam pressure is higher than necessary, steaming takes time, and a large amount of steam is wasted, and it is difficult to produce a product of uniform quality.Also, with granular raw materials, it takes time to humidify. In addition, the conditions differ depending on the grade of the raw materials, and it is difficult to obtain a uniform product because it is impossible to adjust them, and the degree of steaming is complicated, which causes handling problems.

The present invention aims to accurately eliminate these conventional drawbacks, and it is possible to successfully produce rice crackers even with powdered raw materials, to improve steam penetration without increasing the steam pressure, and to improve the particle size of the raw materials. We provide a manufacturing method that enables uniform products without changing operating conditions due to grade differences, and mass-produced equipment that is easy to configure and inexpensive, and that can greatly improve workability with equipment that is easy to handle. It is intended to.

In the present invention, raw materials such as starch starch and starch starch are mixed and stirred from a storage part and supplied to a humidifying part, and the humidifying part sprays and mixes liquid and gas to the raw materials to continuously humidify and disperse them. At the same time, it is transferred by a conveyance section and put into a steaming tank, where it is leveled into layers and steam is supplied between the layers for stirring and steaming, and then stirred and kneaded from the steaming tank discharge section to continuously form a belt-shaped mochi dough. A method and apparatus for producing rice crackers characterized by squeezing them.

The present invention will be explained based on the drawings.

In Figures 1 and 2, powdered starch, top
Raw materials such as powder and small grains of glutinous rice are supplied from a supply mechanism 1 to a humidifying mechanism 3, humidified by the mechanism 3, and then fed into a steaming mechanism 4, where they are continuously delivered as mochi dough. .

The raw material storage and supply mechanism 1 includes a hopper 11 for charging the powder raw material, a tank 12 for storing the powder while stirring it, and a powder quantitative supply mechanism 13 interposed between the tank 12 and the humidifying mechanism 3. The raw material is fed from the hopper 11 installed on the level surface to the tank 12 connected above the humidifying mechanism 3 by a screw conveyor 15 built into the tube 14.

The hopper 11 is mounted on a frame or a caster equipped with wheels 16, and the tube 14 and screw conveyor 15 are made of flexible material and are arranged so as to be freely movable.

In addition, a rotating shaft (not shown) equipped with stirring blades is inserted into the tank 12, which is convenient for mixing various raw materials or eliminating lumps of powder. The uniformity of raw material granules, powder, etc. can be improved by intervening a vibrating sieve or a strainer in the process up to this step.

As the humidifying mechanism 3, various known mechanisms can be used, and one example shown in FIG. 4 is a hollow cylinder that partitions an annular liquid storage section 31 (hereinafter liquid is referred to as water) and a central cavity. The body is an overflow tube 32, and a mixing disk 33 is disposed below the overflow tube 32, supported by a rotating shaft 36 so as to be rotatable at high speed.

A conical projection 3 having an apex on the rotation axis is formed on the surface of the mixing disk 33 facing the overflow tube.
4 is provided, and a raw material supply pipe 35 connected to the quantitative supply mechanism 13 is inserted into the overflow tube 32 with an opening facing the projection 34. The container in which the mixing disk 33 is rotatably built is a funnel-shaped conical chute, and the humidified raw material once dropped to the bottom is scraped out by a blade 37 attached to a rotating shaft 36 and led out to a discharge port 38.

The steaming mechanism 4 consists of a steamer 41 and a material extrusion chamber 42 connected vertically in communication with each other, and a hollow rotary shaft 44 with a hollow portion as a steam passage 43 is vertically disposed in the steamer 41. A steam supply pipe 46 is connected to the end of a rotating shaft 44 protruding from the upper lid of the steam pot 41 via a rotary joint 45. This rotating shaft 44 is provided with stirring blades 47 in multiple stages in the vertical direction, the details of which are shown in FIGS. 9 and 10.
While directing the raw material downward and toward the center of the rotation axis using the arm 48 and the wing pieces 50 vertically installed on the arm 48,
Moreover, steam is supplied from a steam jet nozzle 52 of a tube 51 which is placed along the arm 48 in communication with the steam passage 43.

The steam pot 41 has an upper cylindrical body and a lower funnel body connected in a separable manner, and a steam outlet 53 is disposed on the outer wall of the lower half from approximately the center to face the center of the rotation axis to jet steam. It is designed to be supplied by the flow. In this case, it is effective to provide the stirring blades 47 in multiple stages at alternate heights.

The steam supply section further includes a member that serves as a stay for the rotating shaft 44 as a steam spray pipe 54 which is communicated with the steam passage 43 and is supplied from a steam spray hole 55. An exit 53 is provided.

The material extrusion chamber 42 has a screw 68 that extrudes the steamed raw materials toward the product outlet 67 while kneading them.
It is composed of a conical part 56 that squeezes out. In this case, the steamed raw material is separated and drawn out by a flow divider plate 57,
In the separating section 58, air is supplied from an air blowing port 59, taken in, and then merged and discharged again at the conical section 56. It is also possible to take in air by planting or separating it, or an air blowing port may be connected to the steamer 41 or the material extrusion chamber 42 as appropriate.

Note that when the steam jet nozzle 52 is installed along the stirring blade 47, it is best to open it in the opposite direction to the rotating direction to prevent the nozzle from being blocked by the raw material. Alternatively, the stirring blade itself may be used as the tube 51, or it may be provided in a protruding manner separately from the stirring blade 47.

A screw conveyor 61 is provided at the raw material input port 60 of the steamer 41 to input humidified raw materials, so that an exhaust pipe 6 opened at the top of the steamer 41 is provided.
2 is provided with an exhaust motor 63 for forcibly exhausting the air.

In this case, if the screw conveyor 61 is made of a material that is resistant to steam, natural exhaust may be used.

The humidified raw material is transferred from the humidifying mechanism 3 to the steaming mechanism 4 using a belt conveyor 66 in a casing equipped with a guide box 64 located below the outlet of the humidifying mechanism 3 and a chute 65 located above the humidified raw material input port 60.
Although the humidified raw material is continuously supplied by running the humidifying mechanism 3 endlessly, it is not limited to the belt conveyor 66, but an appropriate means such as a bucket conveyor or a screw conveyor may be selected. Of course, it is also possible to install it above 4 and introduce it directly.

In the figure, 70 is a screw conveyor provided at the bottom of the hopper 11, 71 is a drive mechanism for the screw conveyor 15, 72 is a drive mechanism for the screw conveyor 70, 73 is a bracket, 74 is a level gauge, 7
5 is a drive mechanism for stirring blades arranged in the tank 12, 76 is a water supply pipe, 77 is a water tank, 78 is a pump, 79 is a drive mechanism for the rotating shaft 36, 80 is a drive mechanism for the belt conveyor 66, 81 is a Boss part, 82
is a valve, and 83, 84, and 85 are each rotating shaft 4.
4. A drive mechanism for the screw 68 and the screw conveyor 61.

The raw material powder is supplied to the hopper 11, once stored while being stirred in the tank 12, and then enters the humidifying mechanism 3 via the quantitative supply mechanism 13, where it is effectively humidified and mixed with water and powder. Depending on the mixing ratio of the particles, the particles are granulated and then extracted. The raw material humidified in this way is supplied to the steaming mechanism 4 by the belt conveyor 66, where it is steamed and kneaded.
The final rice cake dough is continuously squeezed out from the product outlet 67.

In this case, when adding a mixture of coloring agent, sesame, beans, etc. to the raw materials, for example, if the additive is a liquid, it may be injected into the water reservoir 31, or if it is a powder or granule, it may be dissolved in water in advance. Alternatively, other parts can be mixed as appropriate. If the additive is a brittle substance that is easily crushed by kneading, a supply port may be provided on the downstream side of the material extrusion chamber 42 for mixing.

With the present invention, even raw materials such as powder and small-diameter particles, which have conventionally been difficult to make into high-quality mochi dough, can be effectively, efficiently, and continuously steamed and kneaded to produce an even and homogeneous product. It is possible to create a method and apparatus that can be processed, consume less steam, and work in an energy-saving manner, and have extremely large practical effects.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a front view, FIG. 2 is a plan view, and FIG. 3 is a side view of the humidifying section.
FIG. 4 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view taken along the line of FIG. 3, FIG. 5 is a side view of the steaming section, FIG. 6 is an enlarged partially cut-away side view thereof, and FIG. 7 is a cutaway plan view taken along the line of FIG.
8 is a front view thereof, FIG. 9 is a partial plan view of the stirring blade, and FIG. 10 is a side view cut along the line of FIG. 1... Storage supply mechanism, 11... Hopper, 12...
...tank, 13...quantitative supply mechanism, 15...screw conveyor, 3...humidification mechanism, 66...belt conveyor, 4...steaming mechanism, 41...steamer, 4
2... Material extrusion chamber, 44... Rotating shaft, 47... Stirring blade, 53... Steam spout.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1 Raw materials such as starch starch and starch flour are mixed and stirred from a storage part and supplied to a humidifying part, and the humidifying part sprays and mixes liquid and gas to the raw materials continuously. The rice cake is humidified and dispersed, then transferred to a steaming tank, leveled into layers, and steam is supplied between the layers for stirring and steaming, and then stirred and kneaded from the steaming tank discharge section to form a belt-shaped mochi dough. A method for producing rice crackers characterized by continuous squeezing. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the raw material storage step involves mixing two or more different kinds of powdered glutinous rice while transporting them on a screw conveyor. 3. Claim 1, wherein the humidification step involves uniformly humidifying the powder particles being dispersed by three-phase jet mixing of water and air while dispersing and expanding the starch powder into a film. Or the method described in paragraph 2. 4. Claim 4, wherein the humidification step involves continuously introducing powder and liquid into a rotating body at a predetermined ratio, injecting the powder and liquid while flowing them as an annular mixture, and continuously kneading and granulating the powder and liquid. The method described in Section 3. 5. The humidification step involves supplying powder and liquid to the center of a rotating cone, rolling them onto the rotating cone using centrifugal force, and swirling them along the inner wall of a cylindrical chute to mix and granulate the powder and liquid. Claim 2
3. The method described in Section 3, Section 3, or Section 4. 6. Claim 2, wherein the conveyance step is performed by a conveyor with a movable endless belt, and the humidified powder derived from the humidification section is continuously conveyed in a separated and scattered state. Items to 5th
How to describe any one of the sections. 7. The steaming step involves injecting steam into the humidified powder layer layered in the steaming tank in multiple stages from the center of the tank and the outer periphery of the tank to form a layer of humidified powder continuously from above to below. 7. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein the process is carried out by flowing the material through it. 8. Claims 2 to 7, wherein the steaming step is performed by pressurizing air into the humidified powder layer to be steamed and entraining it into the steamed material.
How to describe any one of the sections. 9. A patent in which the steaming process involves rotating and transporting the steamed material in a material extrusion chamber that includes a screw for stirring and extrusion, and then dividing it into a plurality of strips and drawing them out, integrating them while incorporating and entraining air, and extruding them as a mochi material. A method according to any one of claims 2 to 7. 10 The steaming step is performed by jetting a high-temperature steam jet stream into the steamer, and the steam is sprayed and kneaded into vertical positions of the humidified powder layer while stirring in multiple stages. Claims 2 to 7 are those that are continuously discharged from the throttle outlet.
How to describe any one of the sections. 11 A storage mechanism consisting of a hopper into which raw materials for mochi ingredients are introduced and a conveyor capable of continuously supplying the raw materials from the hopper, a supply mechanism consisting of a tank for storing the raw materials conveyed by the conveyor and a constant supply mechanism, A humidifying mechanism that mixes liquid and air and continuously discharges the mixture as a humidifying material, and a material input port and a product output port through which the humidifying material derived from the humidifying mechanism is continuously transported directly or via a conveyor. A material extrusion mechanism includes a steam tank having a rotatable stirring blade and a steam supply section, and a material extrusion mechanism including a steam spout for jetting steam from the steam supply section in a jet flow and a screw for stirring and extrusion. A rice cracker manufacturing device characterized by being equipped with a steaming mechanism. 12. Claim No. 1, wherein the raw material supply conveyor is a screw conveyor rotatably provided within a flexible tube and connected to a screw conveyor provided below the opening of the hopper. The device according to item 11. 13 Claim 1, wherein the storage mechanism is provided on a movable trolley or caster.
The device according to item 1 or item 12. 14. The humidification mechanism comprises a tank in the upper part into which the raw materials are introduced from the top, and a mixing and stirring chamber connected to the lower part via a quantitative supply mechanism, and a mixing plate that rotates at high speed in the mixing and stirring chamber. 14. An apparatus according to any one of claims 11 to 13, which comprises: 15. The humidifying mechanism includes a tank for storing liquid and an overflow cylinder in the tank, the raw material supply pipe is inserted through the overflow cylinder, and a rotating cone serving as a mixing plate is provided in a cylindrical chute. 15. The device according to claim 13 or 14, wherein the opening faces the center of the device. 16. The humidification mechanism is provided with a rotating body in a chute that continuously granulates the humidified powdery raw material, and a discharge port formed in the chute is connected to the conveyor via a hopper. An apparatus according to certain claims 13, 14, or 15. 17. Claims 14 to 16, wherein the conveyor for conveying the humidifying material is an endless belt conveyor and has guide receiving boxes for dispersing and placing the humidifying material on the belt. Apparatus described in any one of the paragraphs. 18. Claims 14 to 16, wherein the conveyor for conveying the humidifying material is a bucket conveyor that can be raised and lowered, and the humidifying material discharged from the humidifying mechanism is fed into the upper part of the steaming mechanism.
Apparatus described in any one of the paragraphs. 19 The steaming mechanism is one in which a steamer having a steam supply section and a material extrusion chamber are sequentially connected in the vertical direction, and the steam jetting port of the steam supply section is
19. The apparatus according to any one of claims 14 to 18, wherein the apparatus is provided in multiple stages at vertical positions approximately halfway down the steamer. 20 The steaming mechanism has steam jet ports for spouting a high-temperature steam jet stream into the steamer, which are arranged oppositely at equal angles on the outer wall of the steamer, and which are located approximately in the middle of the agitating blades, and are located at approximately the center of the steamer from the wall of the steamer. 20. The apparatus according to any one of claims 14 to 19, comprising a steam atomizing pipe having a large number of steam blowing holes at a position extending to the bottom. 21 A steamer in which the steaming mechanism has a funnel body with an inverted conical bottom, and the funnel body is configured to be separable from the steamer body, and the stirring blades are arranged on a rotating shaft in plural numbers. The device according to any one of claims 14 to 20, wherein the device is provided radially in stages and is provided after the intermediate portion of the rotating shaft and up to the funnel body portion. 22. Claim 21, wherein the material extrusion mechanism comprises a material extrusion chamber with a screw, which is disposed in communication with the bottom of the steamer, and the chamber has a steam outlet. The device described.