JPH0445520Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] <Industrial application field> The present invention relates to a koji production device in the brewing industry for sake, shochu, miso, etc., and in particular improves the initial aging process of koji production. It is related to a device that can do this.

<Conventional technology> Conventionally, in the production of koji in the brewing process of sake, shochu, miso, etc., the koji substrate that has been pretreated and sprinkled with seed koji mold is allowed to sit until it reaches a predetermined temperature by generating heat. The so-called sleeping on the floor is being practiced.

Conventionally, this method of laying the koji on a bed simply involved depositing the koji substrate on the culture bed of an insulated koji room and leaving it there.

<Problem that the invention aims to solve> As described above, the general rule has been to wait for the koji substrate to heat up, but in order to obtain a high-quality koji product, it is necessary to It is necessary to keep the product temperature constant at this stage by means of gentle heating during the aging stage.

Therefore, when trying to warm the koji substrate using a conventional koji making device, if you use only a heater to heat the air inside the koji chamber, the water in the koji substrate will evaporate and take away the latent heat, causing the product temperature to rise. do not have. In addition, when the internal air heated by the hot water shower of an air conditioner is actively ventilated through the koji substrate, the relative humidity of the blown air reaches 100%, causing moisture to adhere to the surface of the koji substrate and resulting in poor seaming. Cause.

<Means for solving the problems> The present invention solves the above-mentioned difficulty in gently heating the koji substrate by dividing the koji chamber into an upper chamber 2 and a lower chamber 3 by using a culture bed 1.
In a ventilation type koji making apparatus in which a circulation duct 6 and an air conditioner 7 are provided between the return port 4 of the upper chamber and the ventilation port 5 of the lower chamber, there is a partition between the lower chamber 3 and the circulation duct 6. This problem was solved by providing a bypass duct 8.

<Function> With this structure, when the bypass duct 8 is opened to circulate air when lying on the floor, the koji matrix is not ventilated, and moisture is removed by adjusting the temperature or humidity of the lower chamber 3. The effect of heating from below can be obtained with almost no adhesion. This makes it possible to ideally sleep on the floor at an appropriate temperature and uniformity.

<Example> FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of the present invention.

In the figure, the koji chamber is divided into upper and lower parts by a culture bed 1 on which a koji substrate is placed, the upper part is an upper chamber 2, the lower part is a lower chamber 3, and the whole is surrounded by a heat insulating wall 11. An air conditioner 7 is provided in the circulation duct 6 system, so that the koji substrate in the koji chamber can be set to optimal koji production conditions. In this embodiment, the air conditioner 7 installed in the circulation duct 6 system includes a shower 12, an eliminator 13, a heater 14, and a cooler 15. It is connected in a closed system. The operation of the air conditioner and blower provided in this circulation duct 6 system is controlled by a temperature controller that conducts to a product temperature sensor 9 provided in the koji substrate 18 or a temperature sensor 10 provided in the lower chamber 3. This is done in

In such a koji making device, the present invention has a lower chamber 3.
A bypass duct 8 is provided between the circulation duct 6 and the circulation duct 6. On-off valves 16 and 17 are provided on the lower chamber 3 side and the return port 4 side of the upper chamber of the bypass duct 8, respectively, and during normal koji making, the on-off valve 16 on the bypass duct 8 side is closed. The on-off valve 17 on the return port 4 side is in an open state. However, as mentioned above, when laying on the bed, the on-off valve 16 on the side of the bypass duct 8 is opened, and when the bypass duct 8 is opened to circulate air, the koji substrate 18 is laid on the bed without ventilation. becomes possible.

<Effects of the invention> Since the present invention has the above-mentioned structure, the koji substrate can be kept constant during the laying stage, which has the effect of contributing to improving the efficiency of koji production and improving the quality of koji products. It was done.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an embodiment of the present invention. 1... Culture bed, 2... Upper chamber, 3... Lower chamber, 4...
... Return port, 5 ... Air outlet, 6 ... Circulation duct, 7 ... Air conditioner, 8 ... Bypass duct, 9 ... Product temperature sensor, 10 ... Temperature sensor, 1
1...Insulating wall, 16, 17...Opening/closing valve, 18...
Koji substrate.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] The koji chamber is divided into an upper chamber 2 and a lower chamber 3 by a culture bed 1, and a circulation duct 6 and an air conditioner 7 are installed between the return port 4 of the upper chamber and the ventilation port 5 of the lower chamber. A koji making apparatus characterized in that a bypass duct 8 is provided between the lower chamber 3 and the circulation duct 6.