JPH05227926A - High-pressure processing unit for food or the like - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide the subject processing unit having a specific structure, designed to maintain safety in terms of food hygiene through blocking contamination with foreign substances in e.g. sterilizing a liquid food, etc., by high-pressure treatment. CONSTITUTION:A high-pressure chamber 23 is internally formed using (A) a cylindrical high-pressure treatment vessel 20 with openings and (B) closure members 21, 22, and (1) a mobile cylindrical partition wall 26 dividing the high- pressure chamber 23 into a pressurizing chamber 29 and a treatment chamber 30 and (2) packings 27, 28 to seal between the chambers 29 and 30 are provided at the top and bottom of the partition wall 26, respectively. A food to be treated 32 packed in the treatment chamber 30 is pressurized through the elastic deformation of the partition wall 26 by the action of a pressurizing medium on the pressurizing chamber 29 and put to treatment such as sterilization without causing impulse; and the food treated is discharged via the second port 33 provided on the bottom closure member 22 with no treated food 32 left in the treatment chamber 30. Cleaning the inside of the treatment chamber 30 can also be made easily by removing the closure members 21, 22 and releasing the openings, etc., of the pressure vessel 20.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a high-pressure processing apparatus for foods and the like, and is used for sterilizing fruit juices, milky lotions, chemicals, etc., and for deactivating enzymes.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 5 (A) shows a technique for subjecting an object to be treated such as liquid food to high pressure to sterilize and deactivate enzyme.
The devices shown in (B) and (C) are conventionally known. Figure 5
(A) is a direct pressurization method and has a high pressure container having an opening.
1 is provided with the lower lid member 2 and the piston 4 having the packing 3 is slid to allow the workpiece 6 to be fed from the workpiece feeding means 15 to be fed.
Is subjected to a pressure treatment and collected in the collection tank 7. In addition, 8 is a sterile gas supply means.

FIG. 5B shows a free piston pressurization system in which the upper and lower openings of the high pressure vessel 1 are closed by upper and lower lid members 9 and 2, and a differential pressure piston 11 having a packing 10 in a processing chamber is slidable. The one to be processed is filled in one chamber isolated by the piston 11, and the pressure medium such as water is fed to the other chamber by the pressure medium supply means 12 for pressure treatment. , Others, Fig. 5
Portions common to (A) are indicated by common symbols.

FIG. 5 (C) shows a flexible wall pressurization system, which is a high pressure container.
The upper lid 9 of 1 is provided with a bottomed cylindrical partition wall 13 having flexibility to partition the high pressure processing chamber into a pressure chamber 14 and a treatment chamber 15.
The pressure medium from the pressure medium supply means 12 is fed to the processing chamber 15 and the object to be treated from the object supply means 5 is fed to the processing chamber 15 for pressure treatment. is there.

[0005]

In the direct pressurizing method described above, the high pressure packing 3 provided at the tip of the piston 4 is
Since the inner surface of the high-pressure container 1 slides under high pressure,
Abrasion powder generated from packing, etc.
) Is inevitable, and there is basically a safety and health problem.

The free piston pressurizing system is a differential pressure piston
Since the pressure difference between the upper and lower sides of the piston 11 is small because of the use of 11, the generation of abrasion powder and the like of the packing 10 is minimized as compared with the direct pressurization method, but the differential pressure piston 11 slides. Therefore, it is still impossible to completely prevent foreign matter from entering the liquid food. The flexible wall pressurization method uses the partition wall 13
Since it has no sliding parts, there is no risk of abrasion powder and the like being mixed into the liquid food, which is the best in terms of safety and hygiene.

However, in the flexible wall pressurization method, since the partition wall 13 having a bottomed cylindrical shape is used, food is likely to remain on the bottom of the partition wall 13, which causes food hygiene problems. Along with the induction, there is a problem in that it becomes a factor of mixing different kinds of foods, and there is a problem in quality, and cleaning is not easy. The present invention is a high-pressure processing apparatus for foods and the like, which is advantageous in terms of food hygiene and quality, by eliminating food residue, which is a problem of the flexible wall pressurization method, and enabling easy cleaning even if it remains. The purpose is to provide.

[0008]

The present invention takes the following technical means in order to achieve the above-mentioned object. That is, according to the present invention, a cylindrical high-pressure processing container 20 having an opening and lid members 21 and 22 that detachably close the opening form a high-pressure chamber 23 inside, and the high-pressure chamber 23 is outside. Pressurizing chamber
29 is provided with a flexible tubular partition wall 26 that divides the processing chamber 30 into the inner chamber 29, and packings 27 and 28 that seal between the pressure chamber 29 and the processing chamber 30 are provided above and below the partition body 26. Providing the pressure chamber
29 is provided with a first port 31 for sending and discharging a pressurized medium, and a second port 33 for sending and discharging liquid food and the like to the processing chamber 30 is provided in the lower lid member 22, and the processing chamber 30 is filled. The processed object 32 such as the liquid food is subjected to a pressure treatment by applying an isotropic pressure of the pressurized medium fed to the pressurizing chamber 29 in a state of being isolated by the partition wall body 26 through the partition wall body 26. It is characterized by doing.

[0009]

[Function] The object 32 filled in the processing chamber 30 in the partition 26 sealed by the upper and lower packings 27, 28 is elastically deformed by applying a pressure medium to the pressure chamber 29. The object 32 to be processed is pressurized by isotropic pressure through the slab to perform sterilization and other processing. At this time, since there is no sliding part such as a piston, foreign matter can be completely prevented from entering, which is extremely excellent in food hygiene.

After the pressure treatment, the object 32 to be processed is discharged from the second port 33. Since the second port 33 is provided in the lower lid member 22, the object 32 to be processed remains in the processing chamber 30. It is also excellent in food hygiene from this point as well. When necessary, the lid members 21 and 22 can be removed to open the opening of the high-pressure container 20 and the like, so that the inside of the processing chamber 30 can be easily washed.
From this point as well, it is excellent in food hygiene.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the present invention, in which a cylindrical high-pressure vessel 20 having upper and lower openings has a circular cross section, and upper and lower lid members 21 and 22 are inserted into and removed from the upper and lower openings, respectively. It is freely (detachably) fitted to close the opening, and the high-pressure container 20 and the upper and lower lid members 21, 22 define a high-pressure chamber 23 inside.

Steps 24 and 25 are formed in an annular shape on the outer periphery of the insertion parts of the lid members 21 and 22, and upper and lower packings 27 and 28 of a flexible tubular partition wall 26 are provided with step parts 24. , 25, and the partition wall 26 divides the high-pressure chamber 23 into an outer pressurizing chamber 29 and an inner processing chamber 30.
The high-pressure container 20 is provided with a first port 31 for pressurizing and discharging a pressure medium, such as water, to the pressurizing chamber 29,
The lower lid member 22 is formed with a second port 33 for feeding and discharging an object to be treated 32 made of a liquid food such as fruit juice, milky lotion, etc., and a liquid feeding pipe having a lower top valve 34 at the second port 33. 35 and a drain pipe 37 having a stop valve 36 are connected to each other.

The liquid supply pipe 35 is connected to the pretreatment process or the stock tank, and the drain pipe 37 is connected to the posttreatment process or the stock tank. The upper lid member 21 is formed with a third port 38, and a sterile tank 40 having a stop valve 39 is connected to this port 38. In the above-mentioned configuration, for example, an annular support made of metal may be provided on the outer periphery of the partition wall body 26 in order to enhance the shape retention thereof, and the stop valves 34, 36, 39 are all lid members 2.
May be built in 1,22.

The second port 33 may be a port dedicated to sending and discharging instead of being used as both sending and discharging, and the stop valve 29 may be opened to the atmosphere without providing the sterile tank 40 with this port. Further, the lower lid member 22 has a downwardly sloping funnel portion 22A formed toward the second port 33, which is effective in eliminating the residue of the object to be treated.

Next, the high-pressure processing according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 will be described. With the stop valves 36 and 39 closed, the stop valve 34 is opened to fill the object 32 in the processing chamber 30. .. At this time, if the upper lid member 21 is provided with an air vent valve, efficient filling is possible. After the completion of the filling of the object 32 to be processed, the stop valve 34 is closed and a high pressure pump (not shown) is driven to supply a high pressure pressure medium from the first port 31 to the pressure chamber 29 for pressurization.

From the viewpoint of food hygiene, it is desirable to use drinking water as the pressure medium in this case. When the pressure chamber 29 is pressurized, the partition wall body 26 is pushed inward by isotropic pressure and elastically deforms, and the object 32 to be processed is pressurized by isotropic pressure through the partition wall body 26. The axial force acting on the members 21 and 22 is
It is carried by a press frame or the like that engages with and disengages with 1, 22.

The pressurizing condition is selected according to the type of the object 32 to be treated, but usually a pressure of about 2000 to 4000 kgf / cm ² is used, and treatment such as sterilization and enzyme deactivation is performed. Time required,
When the pressure medium is removed through the first port 31 after the pressure is maintained and the pressure is reduced, the partition wall body 26 is restored to the old position. Therefore, after the pressure reduction is completed, the stop valve 39 and the stop valve 36 are opened.

As a result, the object 32 to be processed, which has been processed by the aseptic gas (air) supplied from the aseptic tank 40, is pushed down and discharged from the processing chamber 30 through the second port 33, and the port 33 is at the bottom. Since it is provided, the object to be processed 32 is placed in the processing chamber 30.
Does not remain. Further, when the inside of the processing chamber 30 is cleaned, for example, the cleaning liquid can be spirally flown from the port 38 to the inner peripheral surface of the partition body 26 while the lower lid member 22 is removed or attached, and It is also possible to remove the lid members 21 and 22.

2 to 4 show the second to fourth embodiments of the present invention, which are basically the same as those of the first embodiment described above, so that common parts are indicated by common reference numerals and the differences will be described below. Figure 2
In the second embodiment of the present invention, the stepped portions 24, 25 of the lid members 21, 22 are made into stepwise double stepped portions, and the upper and lower sides of the flexible second thick partition wall body 26A provided inside the partition wall body 26. Is fitted to the step, and
Sealed with packing 27A, 28B.

Therefore, according to the second embodiment, even if the partition wall body 26 is broken, the pressure medium in the pressurizing chamber 29 and the object to be treated are not mixed and the food hygiene safety is improved. Get higher Figure 3,
In the third and fourth embodiments of FIG. 4, the lower lid member 22A is a ring-shaped lower lid member 22A fixed to the container, and the lower inner lid member 22B is removably fitted to the lower outer lid member 22A. Since it is configured, it becomes more significant in the cleaning performance of the processing chamber 30.

[0021]

The present invention is as described above, and in the pressure treatment such as sterilization of an object to be treated, mixing of the object to be treated and the pressure medium is eliminated, and not the sliding of the packing but the elastic deformation of the partition wall is applied. Since it is pressure-treated, in addition to the basic effect that foreign substances are not mixed in and it is safe for food hygiene, there are few objects to be treated remaining in the processing chamber and it is easy to clean the processing chamber. Not only for hygiene but also for quality assurance.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view of a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view of a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

5A and 5B are sectional views showing three conventional examples, FIG. 5A is a sectional view of a conventional example 1, FIG. 5B is a sectional view of a conventional example 2, and FIG. 5C is a sectional view of a conventional example 3. is there.

[Explanation of symbols]

 20 High Pressure Container 21 Upper Lid Member 22 Lower Lid Member 23 High Pressure Chamber 26 Partition Wall 27 Packing 28 Packing 29 Pressurization Chamber 30 Processing Chamber 31 First Port 33 Second Port

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A cylindrical high-pressure processing container (20) having an opening.
And a lid member (21) (22) that removably closes the opening, forms a high-pressure chamber (23) inside, and the high-pressure chamber (23) is divided into an outer pressure chamber (29) and an inner pressure chamber (29). A partition wall (26) having flexibility and partitioning the processing chamber (30) is provided, and a space between the pressure chamber (29) and the processing chamber (30) is sealed above and below the partition wall (26). Packing (2
7) (28) is provided, the pressurizing chamber (29) is provided with a first port (31) for sending and discharging a pressurizing medium, and a liquid food or the like is sent and discharged to the processing chamber (30). The lower lid member (22) is provided with the second port (33), and an object to be treated such as a liquid food filled in the treatment chamber (30)
(32), in the state of being isolated by the partition wall (26) and in the pressurizing chamber (2
A high-pressure processing apparatus for foods, which is characterized in that the isotropic pressure of the pressurized medium fed to (9) is applied through the partition body (26) to perform pressure processing.