JPH034740A - Preserving device for fresh food - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To preserve fresh fish, etc., keeping freshness without freezing by enclosing water and fresh fish, etc., in pressurized vessel and pressurizing water using a pressurizing means with cooling water below 0 deg.C using a cooling means. CONSTITUTION:Fresh foods such as fresh fish 5, etc., is reserved in a pressurized vessel 1 and the vessel is filled with water W, then the water is cooled to a preserving temperature fixed below 0 deg.C. Then a rod 6 is inserted into the pressurized vessel by a pressurizing means 2 to keep pressure of the water at a pressure not freezing at the preserving temperature.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION "Field of Industrial Application" The present invention relates to a storage device for storing perishable foods such as fresh fish.

``Traditional cooking techniques and their challenges'' As is well known, fresh fish as a perishable food can be kept fresh for a long time by keeping it at a temperature below -5℃.
Therefore, conventionally, fresh fish is frozen and stored.

However, freezing and storing fresh fish not only requires refrigeration equipment, but also consumes a large amount of energy. Thawing takes time and effort, and if it is not thawed properly, the flavor may change.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its object is to provide a storage device that can store fresh foods, especially fresh fish, while maintaining their freshness without freezing them.

"Means for Solving the Problems" In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a pressure vessel in which fresh foods such as fresh fish are stored and filled with water for cooling the fresh foods; a cooling means for cooling the perishable food by cooling water in the pressure vessel to a storage temperature set at 0° C. or lower; and a cooling means for filling the pressure vessel by inserting a rod into the pressure vessel. The apparatus is characterized by comprising a pressurizing means for pressurizing the water to a pressure at which it cannot freeze even at the storage temperature.

"Function" The present invention takes advantage of the property that water freezes at 0°C under normal pressure, but remains in a liquid state without freezing even at temperatures below 0°C under high pressure. A pressure vessel is stored with perishable food and filled with water, and the water is cooled to a storage end temperature set at 0°C or less, and a rod is inserted into the pressure vessel to remove the volume. By compressing the water, the pressure of the water is maintained at a pressure that does not freeze at the storage temperature, and the fresh food is cooled and stored using the water.

"Embodiment" An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the storage device of this embodiment, and this storage device is composed of a pressure vessel 1, a pressurizing means 2, and a cooling means 3.

The pressure vessel 1 is provided with an inlet/outlet on its side and has a door 4 for opening and closing it, and fresh foods 5 to be stored (for example, fresh fish such as tuna) are stored inside the pressure vessel 1. along with water W to cool the foodstuffs.
is now fulfilled. Note that this water W needs to be clean, such as drinking water, since the food product 5 is directly immersed therein.

The water W filled in the pressure volume 2g is compressed and pressurized by the pressurizing means 2.

The pressurizing means 2 is composed of a rod 6 whose tip end is inserted into the pressure vessel 1 and a hydraulic cylinder 7 that drives the rod 6. The water W filled in the rod 6 is compressed by the volume of the rod 6, and the pressure of the water W is increased to a high pressure, for example, 1
, 000 Kg/am'. Note that water W is an incompressible fluid, and as shown in Figure 3, when its volume is compressed by only a few percent, the pressure increases to about 1°000 Kg/am. The volume of the rod 6 may be approximately several percent of the internal volume of the pressure vessel 1.

Further, the water W in the pressure vessel 1 is cooled by the cooling means 3 described above. The cooling means 3 includes a cooling coil 8 built into the pressure vessel 1 and the cooling coil 8.
The cooling source device 11 is removably connected to the cooling coil 8 through a valve 9 and a joint 10. By supplying refrigerant from the cooling source device 11 to the cooling coil 8, the pressure vessel 1
The water W inside can be cooled to a temperature below the freezing point suitable for storing food products 5, for example, about -5°C.

In the storage device having the above configuration, the food products 5 to be stored can be stored at a temperature of 0° C. or lower, for example, about 15° C., which is suitable for maintaining freshness, without freezing them. .

In other words, as is clear from the water phase diagram shown in Figure 2, water W freezes to ice at approximately 0°C under normal pressure, but can also freeze at temperatures below 0°C under high pressure. (For example, water at a temperature of 15°C becomes water I under normal pressure, but when the pressure is increased to about 1,000 kg/cm', it becomes water. The pressure is increased to 5.00 ml.
When the temperature is increased to about 0 Kg/cm'', the state becomes water V.

Therefore, the water in the pressure vessel 1 is cooled to below 00C using the storage device described above, and the pressure of the water W is reduced to 1.
, 000 Kg/cm', water W
will maintain its liquid state without freezing, and as a result, the food item 5 to be stored will not freeze and will remain at 0°C.
It can be stored at the following temperatures.

To explain how to use the above-mentioned storage device, first, the pressure vessel L is filled with water W, and the food item 5 to be stored is stored in the pressure vessel 1 from the loading/unloading port and immersed in the water W. , close M4.

At this time, the temperature of the water W is preferably about +4 to 56C.

Then, the hydraulic cylinder 7 is driven to move the rod 6 into the pressure volume 1.
While gradually inserting the water into the pressure vessel 1, the water W in the pressure vessel 1 is cooled by the cooling means 3, and the pressure of the water W is maintained at a pressure of about several hundred kg/cm', and Water W
It is sufficient to maintain the temperature at a storage temperature of 0°C or less for one period. In addition, when taking out the food product 5 from the pressure vessel 1,
The procedure is the reverse of the above, that is, the temperature of the water W in the pressure vessel 1 is returned to 0° C. or higher while pulling out the rod 6 to return it to atmospheric pressure, and then the lid 4 may be opened.

According to the above-mentioned storage device, the food products 5 are stored at a temperature of 0° C. or lower, so it is possible to maintain their freshness for a long time. There is no need for large-scale refrigeration equipment like in the case of storage, which saves energy and eliminates the time and effort of defrosting.Furthermore, it eliminates the flavor that would otherwise occur during defrosting. There is no change in the product value, so there is no loss of product value.

In addition, when the food product 5 is fresh fish as in the above embodiment, the water W in the pressure vessel 1 also enters the body of the fresh fish, so the same pressure is applied inside and outside the fresh fish. , the fresh fish will not be crushed and deformed by the pressure of the water W. Moreover, as mentioned above, water is 1
Even if the food product 5 is pressurized to about ,000 kg/ci, the volume change will be only about 4%. be.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications and applications as described below are possible.

For example, in the above embodiment, the rod 6 is connected to the hydraulic cylinder 7.
The rod 6 is formed of a threaded rod and is screwed into the pressure vessel 1, and by rotating the rod 6 relative to the pressure vessel 1, the pressure is reduced. It is also possible to configure it so that it can be inserted into the container 1 by screwing. In that case, as the screw feeding mechanism for the rod 6, an appropriate drive source such as an electric motor or a hydraulic motor and an appropriate power transmission mechanism can be employed.

In addition, in the above embodiment, fresh fish is exemplified as the stored item,
Although this was designed to be directly immersed in water W, it goes without saying that the items to be stored are not limited to fresh fish;
It can be applied to general fresh foods that are preferably stored at a temperature of C or below and are not preferably frozen.

When storing foodstuffs that should not be immersed directly in water, such as vegetables,
It can be vacuum packed and then stored in a pressure vessel.

Moreover, the storage device of the above embodiment can be used as a storage and transportation device that can transport foodstuffs while storing them in an optimal condition by being mounted on a fishing boat or a truck.

Then, after storing the food products 5 in the pressure vessel 1, if the cooling source device 11 and the hydraulic cylinder 7 (or motor) are removed from the pressure capacity l, it is possible to transport only the pressure vessel l. In that case, it is sufficient to store the pressure vessel 1 in a refrigerator or the like during transportation to prevent the temperature of the water from rising, and also prepare a similar cooling source device or hydraulic cylinder (or motor) at the destination. Then, they can be reconnected to the pressure vessel I that has been transported, and further stored there, and the foodstuffs can be taken out as needed.

Furthermore, the shape of the pressure vessel 1 can be changed to a vertical shape or other appropriate shapes, and the cooling means can be of various forms other than the cooling coil.

"Effects of the Invention" As explained in detail above, the storage device of the present invention cools the water filled in the pressure vessel to a storage temperature set to below o'c, and at the same time, the storage device cools the water filled in the pressure vessel to a storage temperature set to below o'c, and By inserting the water, the pressure of the water is increased to a pressure that does not freeze at the storage temperature, and the water cools and stores the perishable food, so it is possible to store the perishable food without freezing. Therefore, not only can it maintain its freshness for a long time, but it also eliminates the need for large-scale refrigeration equipment like conventional storage equipment, saving energy and reducing the time and effort of thawing. This has an excellent effect in that it does not require much time and does not cause any change in flavor that may occur during thawing.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 to 3 are diagrams for explaining one embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a storage device of this embodiment, FIG. 2 is a state diagram of water, and FIG. The figure is a diagram showing the relationship between water pressure and volume change. W...Water, ■...Pressure vessel, 2...
...pressurizing means, 3... cooling means, 5...
Food products, 6...Rondo, 7...Hydraulic cylinder, 8...Cooling fan 11...Cooling source device. Illu, I book Fl event (%) ('C

Claims (1)

[Claims] a pressure vessel in which fresh foods such as fresh fish are stored and filled with water for cooling the fresh foods;
a cooling means for cooling the perishable food by cooling the water in the pressure vessel to a storage humidity set at 0° C. or lower; and a cooling means for cooling the perishable food by inserting a rod into the pressure vessel to fill the pressure vessel. 1. A storage device for fresh foods, comprising: pressurizing means for pressurizing the water to a pressure that does not allow it to freeze even at the storage temperature.