JPH07315345A - Sterilization for beverage liquid container or beverage liquid filling device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a sterilization method for beverage liquid containers or beverage liquid filling devices, wherein a sterilization is performed by applying hydrogen peroxide, the thermal energy of hot air is effectively utilized for the activation of hydrogen peroxide in the process of heating/drying, and the wettability on the surface of a container or device is increased in a spraying process of the hydrogen peroxide liquid, and a high sterilization effect can be obtained. CONSTITUTION:Hydrogen peroxide liquid 3 is sprayed on an objective surface to be sterilized, and the hydrogen peroxide liquid 3 is dried with hot air to sterilize a beverage liquid container or beverage liquid filling device. For such a sterilization method, the hydrogen peroxide liquid 3 is prepared in such a manner that a hydrogen peroxide solution 1 of 50wt.% is diluted with ethanol 2 of 100% concentration with approx. the same weight as the hydrogen peroxide solution 1.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for sterilizing a liquid container for drinks or a liquid filling device for drinks, which is sterilized using a hydrogen peroxide solution. In particular, in the heating and drying process, the thermal energy of hot air is effectively used to activate hydrogen peroxide, and in the process of spraying the hydrogen peroxide solution, the wettability of the surface of the container or the device is enhanced, and a high sterilization effect can be obtained. To improve.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In order to fill and seal a liquid for drink such as milk and juice for sale, a box-shaped liquid container for drink whose main material is paper whose front and back surfaces are coated with plastic is used. When a beverage liquid is sealed in this container, the container is usually sterilized with hydrogen peroxide before sealing.
The method is completed after a spraying step of spraying a hydrogen peroxide solution obtained by adding 65% by weight of pure water to 35% by weight of hydrogen peroxide to a container, and then a drying step of blowing sterile hot air.
Sterilization is performed by oxygen generated by heat activation of hydrogen peroxide solution in this drying step.

Sterilization is not only performed on the liquid container for beverages, but also on the filling device for sealing the beverages in the liquid container for beverages, sterilization with hydrogen peroxide is performed to sterilize and clean the surface of the machine. To keep the liquid beverage container sterile.

[0004]

By the way, in the sterilization method of the liquid container for beverages or the liquid filling apparatus for beverages according to the prior art, most of the thermal energy of the hot air in the drying step is due to the evaporation of water in the hydrogen peroxide solution. A large amount of hot air is required because the percentage of energy consumed for activating the essential hydrogen peroxide solution is reduced. Further, when the hydrogen peroxide solution was sprayed in the spraying process, the adhesiveness to the surface of the beverage liquid container or the aseptic filling device was not sufficient, and there was a disadvantage that a large amount of hydrogen peroxide solution was required and thus it was not effective. .

An object of the present invention is to solve these problems, the thermal energy of hot air works effectively for the activation of hydrogen peroxide solution, and the wettability of the surface to be sterilized is improved. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for sterilizing a liquid container for beverages or a liquid filling apparatus for beverages, which can improve the liquid containing hydrogen peroxide to adhere well and obtain a higher sterilization effect than before.

[0006]

The above object is to provide a liquid container for beverages or a liquid filling apparatus for beverages, which sprays a hydrogen peroxide solution (3) onto a surface to be sterilized and sterilizes by drying with hot air. In the sterilization method, the hydrogen peroxide solution (3)
Is a liquid obtained by diluting 50% by weight hydrogen peroxide solution (1) with 100% concentration of ethanol (2) having almost the same weight as hydrogen peroxide. To be achieved.

[0007]

The sterilization method of the liquid container for beverages or the liquid filling device for beverages according to the present invention is carried out with a hydrogen peroxide solution of 50% by weight.
100% of hydrogen peroxide water 1 has the same concentration as hydrogen peroxide
The hydrogen peroxide solution 3 obtained by diluting the ethanol 2 of is used. Since ethanol 2 is highly volatile, it does not require heat energy for evaporation as much as water, so that the heat energy of hot air in the drying step is effectively spent for activating hydrogen peroxide. Furthermore, the surface tension of the hydrogen peroxide solution 3 is reduced by the ethanol 2 and the wettability on the surface to be sterilized is improved, so that the adhesion of the hydrogen peroxide solution 3 is increased. Therefore, a higher sterilization effect than before can be obtained.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A sterilizing method for a liquid container for beverages or a liquid filling device for beverages according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the drawings.

See FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an apparatus for spraying a hydrogen peroxide solution used in a spraying process. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 11 is a hydrogen peroxide solution tank in which hydrogen peroxide solution 1 in which 50% by weight of pure water is added to 50% by weight of hydrogen peroxide is stored, and 12
Is an ethanol tank in which 100% concentration of ethanol 2 is stored. The hydrogen peroxide solution 1 or ethanol 2 stored in the hydrogen peroxide solution tank 11 or the ethanol tank 12 is stored in the hydrogen peroxide solution pressure tank 15 shown via the metering pump 13 and the valve 14, respectively. It

At this time, the weight of ethanol 2 supplied to the hydrogen peroxide solution pressure tank 15 is controlled via a metering pump so that the weight of ethanol 2 becomes almost the same as the hydrogen peroxide in the hydrogen peroxide solution 1 supplied. Has been done. As a result, the liquid stored in the hydrogen peroxide solution pressure tank 15 becomes the hydrogen peroxide solution 3 in which the weight ratio of hydrogen peroxide, pure water and ethanol 2 is approximately 1: 1: 1. The weight% is about 33%. That is, the value is close to 35%, which is the weight% of hydrogen peroxide used in the sterilization method in the aseptic filling apparatus according to the prior art.

Compressed air is supplied from the compressed air source 16 to the hydrogen peroxide solution pressure tank 15 to increase the internal pressure of the tank. Reference numeral 17 is a nozzle for spraying two fluids, and the pressurized hydrogen peroxide solution 3 in the hydrogen peroxide solution pressure tank 15 and the compressed air directly supplied from the compressed air source 16 are conducted to each other to eject the compressed air. By utilizing the above, it has a function of spraying the pressurized hydrogen peroxide solution 3 supplied from the hydrogen peroxide solution pressure tank 15 in the form of mist.

In the spraying process, the surface of the beverage liquid container or the beverage liquid filling device to be sterilized is sprayed with the hydrogen peroxide solution 3. At this time, since the hydrogen peroxide solution 3 contains ethanol and has the function of lowering the surface tension, the wettability of the target surface is improved and the entire surface is easily wetted. The adhesiveness of is increased.

The spraying process is followed by a drying process. In the drying step, aseptic hot air is blown to the place where the hydrogen peroxide solution 3 is attached to evaporate the solution, and the hydrogen peroxide is activated and decomposed into water and oxygen. The surface of the subject is sterilized. Since ethanol requires less energy for evaporation than water, the energy for evaporation is reduced by the amount of reduced water content, and the thermal energy of hot air is effectively consumed for activating hydrogen peroxide.

Since ethanol 2 improves the wettability and reduces the energy required for evaporation, a higher sterilization effect can be obtained in this embodiment.

[0015]

As described above, according to the sterilizing method of the liquid container for beverages or the liquid filling apparatus for beverages according to the present invention, the hydrogen peroxide solution used in the spraying step is 50% by weight of hydrogen peroxide. Concentration of this hydrogen peroxide in water equal to 1
It is a liquid diluted with 00% ethanol, and a part of water is replaced with ethanol as compared with the conventional technique.
Therefore, in the drying process subsequent to the spraying process, the thermal energy of the hot air is consumed more for the activation of hydrogen peroxide due to the good volatility of ethanol, and the thermal energy is effectively used. In addition, in the spraying process, the low surface tension of ethanol enhances the wettability of the surface to be sterilized and enhances the adhesiveness of the hydrogen peroxide solution. With these, a highly effective sterilization effect can be obtained.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an apparatus for spraying a hydrogen peroxide solution used in a spraying step of a sterilization method of a liquid container for beverages or a liquid filling apparatus for beverages according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 50 wt% hydrogen peroxide solution 2 Ethanol 3 Hydrogen peroxide solution 11 Hydrogen peroxide solution tank 12 Ethanol tank 13 Metering pump 14 Valve 15 Hydrogen peroxide solution pressure tank 16 Compressed air source 17 2 Fluid atomizing nozzle

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (72) Inventor Yukio Ohno 1-5-1 Taito, Taito-ku, Tokyo Toppan Printing Co., Ltd.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A method for sterilizing a liquid container for beverages or a liquid filling apparatus for beverages, which comprises spraying a hydrogen peroxide solution (3) on a surface to be sterilized, drying it with hot air, and sterilizing it. The liquid (3) is a liquid for drinking which is diluted with 50% by weight of hydrogen peroxide solution (1) with 100% concentration of ethanol (2) having almost the same weight as hydrogen peroxide, or A method for sterilizing a liquid filling device for beverages.