JPH07100071B2 - Dry sterilizer and method thereof - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a dry sterilization apparatus for aseptic filling (asset boutique) containers and a method therefor, and more particularly to a dry sterilization apparatus using high concentration ozone-containing gas and Regarding the method.

[Prior Art] Conventionally, in the production of hermetically-sealed foods, after the contents are filled in the container, the container is hermetically sealed and the hermetically-sealed package is heat-sterilized in an apparatus called a retort, or the contents are heated in the container. It is widely used as a method of filling and sealing in between (hot pack), but these methods cause destruction of tissues due to overheating of contents, such as disintegration of vitamins and pigments, deterioration such as browning There's a problem.

As a solution to this problem, the contents are sterilized outside the packaging container by means such as heat exchange at high temperature for a short time, and the sterilized contents are filled in a sterilized or sterilized packaging container and sealed. It has been known.

An aqueous solution containing hydrogen peroxide or peracetic acid is commercially used for the sterilization treatment of the Ace Boutique container, but in this case, there is a problem that a large amount of sterile water must be used for rinsing and the like.

Conventionally, various methods of dry sterilization of containers have been proposed, for example, a method of using a combination of hot air and a germicidal lamp (Jitsuko Sho-39-
No. 35867), a method using high-frequency induction heating (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Sho 5)
No. 0-13183), or a method using ultraviolet irradiation and high frequency induction heating (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 59-15027) is known, but it has not been put to practical use yet.

Also, it is already known that ozone-containing gas has a sterilizing ability, but since it recently takes a long time to process, it is practically used for sterilization in refrigerators and air conditioning equipment. There is no example of using this for sterilization.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] In the method using ultraviolet rays for sterilization, sterilization is not carried out in a portion shaded by light rays, and it is difficult to uniformly irradiate the inside of the container. Further, the method using high-frequency induction heating has a problem that it is limited in application to a metal container such as a can and it is difficult to uniformly heat a three-dimensional container.

As a result of repeated studies by the present inventors to apply ozone to dry sterilization of aseptic filling containers, the ozone concentration of the gas used for sterilization of aseptic filling containers is a very important factor, It has been found that sterilization can be performed reliably in a short time by keeping a gas containing ozone at a critical concentration or higher in a container.

It was also found that there is a thin air layer on the inner wall surface of the container and the like, and the microorganisms are protected by the air boundary film, so that sterilization cannot be completed completely as expected.

[Means for Solving Problems] According to the present invention, an aseptic filling container or a dry sterilizer for a lid is connected to an ozone generator that generates an ozone concentration gas of 4000 ppm or more. And a nozzle for blowing ozone-containing gas into the aseptic filling container or the lid, and a brushing material that is planted in the nozzle and has a tip contacting the aseptic filling container or the inner wall surface of the lid. However, the present invention also provides a dry sterilizer, which is rotatably attached to the nozzle, the aseptic filling container, or the lid.

Further, according to the present invention, in a dry sterilizer for a container for aseptic filling or a lid, a gas generator for generating a gas having an ozone concentration of 4000 ppm or more, and a container for aseptic filling or for connecting to the ozone generator. Comprises an ozone-containing gas blowing nozzle that is inserted into the lid, and the nozzle is an expandable film material that can be expanded by introducing ozone gas and that can discharge ozone gas from the expansion surface. A dry sterilizer is provided.

According to the present invention, a container or lid for aseptic filling filled with a liquid is supplied with an ozone-containing gas having an ozone concentration of 4000 ppm or more to replace the liquid in the container or the lid with the ozone-containing gas. A method for dry sterilization of an aseptic filling container or lid is provided by sterilizing the sterilization treatment by holding the sterilizing agent in the aseptic filling container or lid.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, an ozone-containing gas having an ozone concentration of 4000 ppm or more is blown into a container or lid for aseptic filling while brushing to destroy the air film layer on the inner wall surface of the container or lid, A method for dry sterilization of a container for aseptic filling or a lid, characterized in that the sterilization treatment is completed by replacing the air in the container or the lid and holding the air.

[Operation] According to the present invention, when the ozone-containing gas having a high ozone concentration of 4000 ppm or more is used to replace the internal air of the container and keep the ozone-containing gas in the container, it takes an extremely short time, generally within 2 minutes. It is based on the finding that the sterilization process is completed.

Conventionally, what is used as an ozone-containing gas is generally one that utilizes ozone generation by high voltage discharge (silent discharge or creeping discharge), but the ozone concentration of this gas is at most 2000 ppm order, 30 for sterilization in the container
It requires a long time from one minute to one hour or more, and it cannot be used for the dry sterilization method of the aseptic filling container. The reason for this is that microorganisms to be sterilized adhere to the surface of the container wall, and there is an extremely thin air layer (film layer) that is difficult to remove on the surface. Caused by the fact that it exists in a state of being protected by a membrane layer, and that it takes time to replace this boundary layer with an ozone-containing gas, and the probability and number of contact between ozone and microorganisms are not sufficiently high. I think that the.

According to the present invention, by using a high-concentration ozone-containing gas of 4000 ppm or more, the probability and number of contact between ozone and microorganisms to be sterilized is increased, and the internal air of the container is filled with this high-concentration ozone-containing gas. By replacing and holding it in the container, it is possible to prevent the concentration of ozone from being diluted, and it is easy to replace the air boundary layer with a gas containing a high concentration of ozone, so that sterilization can be performed in a short time and reliably. It will be.

Further, according to the present invention, various solutions have been found in order to completely solve the problem of the air barrier layer. Primarily,
The container is filled with a liquid such as water in advance, the liquid is replaced with the high-concentration ozone-containing gas, and the container is completely filled with the ozone-containing gas. As a result, it is not necessary to take into consideration such things as an air barrier layer, and sterilization can be performed reliably in a short time.

Secondly, when the high-concentration ozone-containing gas is blown into the container, the inner wall surface of the container is brushed to destroy the air film layer. As a result, the probability that ozone will come into contact with the microorganisms and the like on the inner wall surface of the container increases, and sterilization can be ensured in a short time. Further, in this case, if the high-concentration ozone-containing gas is blown out from the tip of the brushing material for brushing, the probability of contact between the high-concentration ozone-containing gas and microorganisms is further increased, and sterilization can be performed in a short time. .

The above method can achieve the action only when ozone is at a high concentration, and by combining such methods, sterilization of the aseptic filling container or lid can be surely performed in a short time. It is a thing.

Also, after replacing the air inside the container with ozone-containing gas,
If the ozone-containing gas is sealed in the container, the half-life of ozone decomposition is about 10 hours. It is possible to surely sterilize the inside of the container with the amount used.

[Preferred Embodiment of the Invention] In the present invention, an ozone-containing gas having an ozone concentration of 4000 ppm or more, particularly 5000 ppm or more is used. As such a high-concentration ozone gas generator, an ozone generator by a pulse discharge method, for example, a pulse streamer discharge ozone generator manufactured by Ishikawajima Harima Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. can be used. This type of ozone generator has a remarkable advantage that it can generate a large amount of highly concentrated ozone-containing gas per unit time.

Aseptic filling containers include metal cans, glass bottles, plastic containers, various film containers, pouches, caps, can lids and the like. INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention is particularly effective for dry sterilization of plastic containers and various film containers which are easily thermally deformed by heat sterilization. The shape of the container is preferably a narrow-mouthed container, particularly various bottle-shaped ones, so that the ozone-containing gas can be effectively held in the container.

Dry sterilization of an aseptic filling container is preferably performed prior to aseptic filling of the contents, and preferably immediately before aseptic filling. That is, the replacement of the ozone-containing gas in the air inside the container and the holding of the ozone-containing gas in the container can be performed continuously or intermittently in the supply line to the aseptic filling process of the container, preferably a tunnel type or A rotary type device can be used.

1 and 2 are a horizontal sectional view and a vertical partial sectional view of a rotary type dry sterilizer. In the figure,
The inner peripheral wall 1 and the upper wall 2 are provided integrally with the turntable 3 so that the sterilization area 5 is locally divided by the U-shaped cross section, the rotary wall, and the fixed outer peripheral wall 4. The outer peripheral wall 4 is made detachable, and a minute gap 6 is provided between the rotating wall and the outer peripheral wall 4 to facilitate rotation with the rotating wall and to blow out a small amount of ozone-containing gas. ing. In the sterilization area 5, a large number of container seats 7, 7 ... Are installed on the rotary table in a ring shape and are arranged on the respective container supports 8. A container 9 is placed on each container seat 7, and an ozone-containing gas supply nozzle 10 is installed on the container 9 through the upper wall 2. Nozzle 10
A nozzle elevating drive mechanism 11 and an opening / closing valve 12 are laid in the above, and are connected to an ozone-containing gas storage tank 14 through a pipe 13. A high-concentration ozone-containing gas from an ozone generator 15 is supplied to the ozone-containing gas storage tank 14 via a pipe 16 and a rotary joint 17.

3 (a) to 3 (c) are views showing the shape of the nozzle 10 according to the present invention and the step of inserting the nozzle into the container. As shown in FIG. , 30 ... Are planted, and the brushing material 30 is made of flexible silicon or Teflon. The tip of the brushing material 30 is formed to have a length that can contact the inner wall surface of the aseptic filling container 9 when the nozzle is inserted, and the inner wall surface can be brushed. Further, as shown in FIG. 4 (a), the nozzle 10 is driven by the driving means 32.
Is rotatably provided by a, or FIG. 4 (b)
The container seat 7 is rotatably provided by the drive means 32b as shown in FIG.

In such a configuration, a high-concentration ozone-containing gas is blown out from the lower end of the nozzle 10, and the brushing materials 30, 30 ...
The inner wall surface of the aseptic filling container 9 is brushed by the rotation of. The air film layer is destroyed by brushing, and the blown out high-concentration ozone-containing gas has a high probability of colliding with the inner wall surface, and sterilization can be ensured in a short time.

According to the present invention, when the nozzle is inserted, the bending-deformed intermediate portion of each brushing material comes into contact with the container mouth and the inner surface of the shoulder portion, so that the microorganisms that have not yet been killed are in the middle of the brushing material 30. May adhere to parts. If microorganisms and the like in the adhered state do not die during the sterilization process of the aseptic filling container 9, there is a possibility that the shoulder and the inner surface of the mouth will be re-contaminated at the time of extraction. Therefore, as shown in FIG.
It is also possible to provide an overcap 34 on 30 and cover the brushing materials 30, 30 ... With the overcap 34 when the nozzle 10 is inserted and withdrawn so as not to be in contact with the inner wall surface.

FIG. 6 is a view showing a further preferable embodiment of the nozzle portion according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 6, the brushing material 30 is formed of an ultrafine tube having an inner diameter of about 0.5 mm and an outer diameter of about 1.0 mm, and has a hollow portion. 30a communicates with the inside 10a of the nozzle. Therefore, a high-concentration ozone-containing gas is blown out from the tip of the brushing material 30.

This is because in the structure, the tip of the brushing material 30 not only brushes the aseptic filling container 9 but also directly blows the ozone-containing gas directly on the inner wall surface of the container. Sterilizes the wall surface efficiently and in a short time without fail. Incidentally, also in the present invention, the overcap 34 can be attached.

Further, in the present sterilization method, the aseptic filling container may be turned over.

FIG. 7 is a view showing another embodiment of the nozzle portion according to the present invention, and as shown in FIG. 7, the aseptic filling container 9 is filled with water 36. Next, high-concentration ozone-containing gas is replaced and filled into the aseptic filling container 9 from the nozzle 10. Therefore, it is not necessary to consider the air boundary layer, and the high-concentration ozone-containing gas is not diluted by the external air. Further, in such a state, the high-concentration ozone-containing gas may be sealed in a container for aseptic filling, and the container storage and transportation time may be utilized to ensure the sterilization of the container.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing another aspect of the nozzle portion according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 8, the nozzle is a film material 38 such as a special diaphragm, and this film material 38 is an ozone-containing gas. Is introduced, it can be expanded in the aseptic filling container 9. Further, the film material 38 has numerous pores formed therein,
The ozone-containing gas is blown out from the surface of the film material 38. The film material 38 may be a cloth material having a predetermined air permeability.

In such a configuration, the gap between the inner wall surface of the aseptic filling container and the blowing nozzle (blowing surface) is small or eliminated, and the formation of the air film layer is not considered, and the high-concentration ozone is directly applied to the inner wall surface. The containing gas is sprayed. Therefore, even in such a case, the microorganisms are efficiently sterilized.

Next, the setting environment of the nozzle 10 and the supply of the high-concentration ozone-containing gas from the nozzle 10 will be described.

The rotary type dry sterilizer shown in FIG.
The carry-in portion 19 and the carry-out portion 20 are provided along the outer wall 21, the outer upper wall (not shown), and the star wheel 22 which are fixed.
It is partitioned by a table and the like (not shown) underneath and a rotating wall (not shown).

The container 9 is placed on the container seat 7 of the turntable from the carry-in section 19, and the elevating drive mechanism 11 is driven to insert the nozzle 10 into the container 9. Next, the on-off valve 12 is opened and the ozone-containing gas storage tank
The high-concentration ozone-containing gas from 14 is discharged into the container 9. As a result, the inside of the container 9 and the air are replaced with ozone-containing air, and the inside of the container 9 is held. The pressure of the ozone-containing gas is set to be slightly higher than atmospheric pressure, so that the container 9
Not only the inside but also the sterilization area 5 is filled with the ozone-containing gas ejected from the container opening, and the contaminated air is prevented from flowing into the sterilization area 5.

In the specific example shown in the drawings, a minute gap 6 is provided between the rotating wall and the outer peripheral wall, but in order to prevent the ozone-containing gas from leaking into the working environment, this portion has a tight seal structure, or Local exhaust equipment can also be provided in this part.

The sterilization operation is completed by keeping the ozone-containing gas inside the container 9 for a predetermined time. The required holding time is generally in the range of 0.5 minutes to 2 minutes. After the sterilization operation is completed, the on-off valve 12 is closed and the lift drive mechanism 11 moves the nozzle 10 upward. The sterilized container 9 is carried out to the container supply line 18 via the carry-out section 20 and supplied to the aseptic filling process (not shown).

Instead of providing the opening / closing valve 12, the ozone-containing gas can be continuously flowed through the nozzle 10, and the opening / closing valve 12 can be used as a switching valve to switch between the ozone-containing gas and aseptic air so that the inside of the container 9 can be sterilized. It is also possible to discharge sterile air into the container and replace the ozone-containing gas in the container with sterile air. The amount of ozone-containing gas used is 0.5 to 5 based on the container volume.
The capacity is preferably doubled (standard state), and particularly preferably 1 to 3 times the capacity.

Although the aseptic filling container is used in the above-mentioned embodiment, the container is not limited to this and may be used for sterilizing the lid of the container.

[Effect of the invention] As described above, in the present invention, the internal air of the aseptic filling container was replaced with a high-concentration ozone-containing gas of 4000 ppm or more, and the container was held in the container, so that the sterilization process was compared to the conventional one. Since the nozzle type of the dry sterilizer is optimized for use of high concentration ozone-containing gas, it is formed on the inner wall of the aseptic filling container which has been an obstacle to sterilization. It is possible to easily destroy the air barrier film, complete the sterilization of the container, shorten the sterilization time, and provide an excellent dry sterilization process.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a horizontal sectional view of a dry sterilizer according to the present invention, FIG.
The figure is a vertical partial cross-sectional view of the main part of the sterilization apparatus of FIG. 1, FIGS. 3 (a) to 3 (c) are explanatory views of the nozzle section of the apparatus for dry sterilization according to the present invention, and FIGS. ) Is an explanatory view of the nozzle mechanism in FIG. 3, FIGS. 5 (a) to (c) are explanatory views when the overcap is attached to the brushing material in FIG. 3, and FIG. 6 is a nozzle portion in FIG. FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 are partial cross-sectional views obtained by improving the above, and FIG. 7 ... Container seat, 9 ... Aseptic filling container 10 ... Ozone-containing gas blowing nozzle 15 ... Ozone generator, 30 ... Brushing material

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A dry sterilizer for an aseptic filling container or lid, which comprises an ozone generator for producing a gas having an ozone concentration of 4000 ppm or more, and the aseptic filling container or lid connected to the ozone generator. An ozone-containing gas blowing nozzle to be inserted into the nozzle, and a brushing material that is planted in the nozzle and has a tip contacting the aseptic filling container or the inner wall surface of the lid. Is a dry sterilizer with a lid rotatably attached. 2. The dry sterilizer according to claim 1, wherein the brushing material is formed hollow, the hollow portion is communicated with the inside of the nozzle, and the ozone-containing gas is blown out from the tip of the brushing material. 3. A dry sterilizer for an aseptic filling container or lid, an ozone generator for generating an ozone concentration gas of 4000 ppm or more, and the aseptic filling container or lid connected to the ozone generator. And an ozone-containing gas blowing nozzle to be inserted therein, wherein the nozzle is inflatable by introducing ozone gas, and is an expansive film material capable of ejecting ozone gas from an expansive surface. Dry sterilizer. 4. An aseptic filling container or lid filled with a liquid,
The ozone-containing gas having an ozone concentration of 00 ppm or more is supplied to replace the liquid in the container or the lid, and the ozone-containing gas is held in the aseptic filling container or the lid to complete the sterilization treatment. A method for dry sterilization of an aseptic filling container or lid. 5. An ozone-containing gas having an ozone concentration of 4000 ppm or more is blown into a container for aseptic filling or a lid while brushing to destroy an air film layer on the inner wall surface of the container or the lid, and thereby the container. Alternatively, a method for dry sterilization of a container for aseptic filling or a lid, characterized in that the sterilization treatment is completed by replacing the air in the lid and holding it. 6. The dry sterilization method according to claim 5, wherein ozone-containing gas is blown out from the tip of the brushing material in the brushing for destroying the air barrier film on the inner wall surface of the aseptic filling container or the lid.