JPH08164980A - Food-preserving device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To prevent moisture absorption of food without using an dehumidifying agent or the heat of a heater and prevent oxidation of food without using a deoxidizing agent. CONSTITUTION: In a hermetically sealable container 1 for storing food, an electrochemical element 4 holds a solid polymerelectrolyte film 7, which is used as a hydrogen ion exchange membrane, between a positive electrode 5 and a negative electrode 6, to both of which DC voltages are applied. This electrochemical element 4 is so disposed that the surface of one electrode (positive electrode 5 or negative electrode 6) faces the inside of the container 1 and the surface of the other electrode faces its outside.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a food storage device capable of preventing moisture absorption or oxidation of food and enabling long-term storage.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Nori, rice crackers, rice crackers, cookies, etc., which may significantly impair the flavor and texture even with a little humidity, and food products that may cause harmful insects such as mold and mites due to humidity are silica gel and anhydrous. Dehumidifying agent (desiccant) filled with calcium chloride in a small paper pack.
It is generally stored in a plastic film bag in a hermetically sealed manner or in a packaging container such as a tin can with a lid that can be sealed. In addition, industrially, a dehumidifying method in which food that tends to be damp is stored in a large container heated to 50 to 60 ° C. or higher and the moisture absorbed by the food or the moisture to be absorbed is evaporated and vaporized by the heat of the heater is also available. It is used. Coffee beans whose flavor is easily damaged by oxidation are stored in a closed container containing a deoxidizer (antioxidant) that adsorbs and removes oxygen in the air.

[0003]

However, the effectiveness of the dehumidifying agent and the deoxidizing agent gradually decreases with the lapse of time, so that the food cannot be stored for a long period of time. In particular, after the mouth of the bag of the hermetically sealed package is opened or when the lid of the packaging container is frequently opened and closed, the effects of the dehumidifying agent and the oxygen scavenger are lost in a short period of time. Also, heat the food by the heater to 50 to 6
When heated to 0 ° C or higher, there is no risk that the dehumidifying effect of food will decrease even after a long period of time, but there is a risk that food that is stored for a long time at high temperature will deteriorate due to heat and lose its original flavor. However, the entire apparatus becomes large-scaled and the heating cost of the heater increases, so it is not suitable for use in a general household. Then, this invention makes it a technical subject to enable food to be preserved for a long period of time at normal temperature.

[0004]

In order to solve this problem, a food preserving apparatus according to the present invention comprises a hermetically sealed container for containing food and an anode and a cathode to which a DC voltage is applied from a power source. And an electrochemical element in which a solid polymer electrolyte membrane to be a hydrogen ion exchange membrane is sandwiched, and the element is
It is characterized in that it is arranged such that one electrode surface serving as an anode or a cathode faces the inside of the container and the other electrode surface faces the outside of the container.

[0005]

When a DC voltage is applied between the anode and cathode of the electrochemical device, water is electrolyzed on the anode side and the reaction of the following formula (1) occurs. 2H ₂ O → O ₂ + 4H ⁺ + 4e ⁻ (1) Also, the protons (H ⁺ ) generated at this time pass through the solid polymer electrolyte membrane and move to the cathode side, and the electrons (e ⁻ ) are also supplied as power. By reaching the cathode side through the circuit, on the cathode side, the reaction of the following formula (2) that consumes oxygen in the air to generate water or water vapor occurs. O ₂ + 4H ⁺ + 4e ⁻ → 2H ₂ O (2)

[0006] Therefore, if the electrode surface of the anode is directed to the inside of the container for storing food, the moisture in the container is removed by the electrolysis of water occurring at the anode, so that the seaweed and the seaweed contained in the container are removed. The damage such as cracking of rice crackers and rice crackers, the texture of teeth, and the growth of mold will be reliably prevented. On the contrary, if the cathode electrode surface is directed to the inside of the container, the cathode consumes oxygen in the container, so that the food stored in the container is reliably prevented from being oxidized, and further, oxygen is contained. Since the inside of the container is humidified by water or steam generated by consuming the water, it is possible to prevent the drying of fresh food such as vegetables and fruits. Moreover, since the atmosphere in the container does not reach a high temperature, there is no possibility that the food contained in the container is deteriorated by heat and the original flavor is impaired.

[0007]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings. 1 is a sectional view showing an example of a food storage device according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a sectional view of an electrochemical element provided in the food storage device, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing another example of the food storage device according to the present invention. Is.

In the food storage device of FIG. 1, a container 1 for storing food is formed in a box shape having an open upper surface, and the inside is hermetically sealed by a lid 2 placed on the upper surface. The container 1 and its lid 2 are made of, for example, a metal material such as stainless steel, aluminum, or a tin-plated steel plate, a plastic material such as polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, styrene, polycarbonate, polyethylene, or glass or porcelain. There is.

On the side wall of the container 1, a solid polymer electrolyte membrane 7 serving as a hydrogen ion exchange membrane is provided between an anode 5 and a cathode 6 to which a DC voltage is applied from an external power source 3 using, for example, an AC adapter. The electrochemical element 4 sandwiched between is attached. This element 4, as shown in FIG.
The porous base materials 8 and 8 forming the anode 5 and the cathode 6 are formed of platinum-plated stainless fiber or titanium fiber, and each of them is partly bite into the surface of the solid polymer electrolyte membrane 7 (bite part 9, 9) structure, the electrode surface of the anode 5 that electrolyzes water to generate oxygen is directed to the inside of the container 1, and the electrode surface of the cathode 6 that consumes oxygen to generate water or water vapor is It is arranged so as to face the outside of the container 1.

As the solid polymer electrolyte membrane 7, for example, commercially available Nafion-117 (registered trademark of DuPont) is used. Further, on the front surface of the electrode surface of the anode 5 arranged toward the inside of the container 1, a dustproof filter for preventing dust, dust, powder adhering to food, etc. in the container 1 from adhering to the electrode surface. 10 are provided. Examples of the material of the dust filter 10 include those obtained by molding and sintering stainless fibers, mullite fibers, etc. into a non-woven fabric, porous nickel, mullite ceramics, etc. A tough material that is not likely to be damaged by coming into contact with the food to be stored is suitable, but if a net or a lattice for protecting the filter 10 is provided, it is made of plastic fiber, natural fiber, Japanese paper, or the like. Nonwoven filters can also be used.

[0011] Thus, a container 1 is filled with a food item such as seaweed, rice crackers, oysters, rice, tea leaves, dried noodles, spices and the like which does not like moisture, and the inside of the container 1 is sealed with a lid 2 to external power source 3 When a direct current voltage is applied between the anode 5 and the cathode 6 of the electrochemical device 4, the inside of the container 1 is dehumidified by the electrolysis of water occurring in the anode 5 with the electrode surface facing the inside of the container 1,
The flavor and texture of the food stored in the container 1 is maintained for a long period of time, and even if the food is a new-use food whose packaging bag is opened, the flavor and texture of the food are retained and mold is generated. The generation of harmful insects such as insects and mites is also reliably prevented.

Further, in the food storage device of FIG. 3, the power supply 3 is provided with a charging / discharging device 11 having a secondary battery function, and when the charging / discharging device 11 is charged, there is no outlet for inserting the AC adapter. Also, the container 1 can be carried and used. 1 and 3, the electrode surface of the anode 5 for electrolyzing water is directed to the inside of the container 1, but the present invention is not limited to this and consumes oxygen in the air. It also includes a case where the electrode surface of the cathode 6 for generating water or water vapor is directed to the inside of the container 1. When the electrode surface of the cathode 6 is directed to the inside of the container 1, oxygen in the container 1 is consumed, which is suitable for storing vegetables and fruits that have a property of not perishing with a small amount of oxygen. The freshness of vegetables and fruits is also retained by water or steam.

Further, according to the present invention, the power source 3 has an anode 5 and a cathode 6.
It also includes a device having a polarity switching function for reversing the polarity of, in this case, for example, when accommodating dry matter such as seaweed, soup kelp, tea leaves, and dried noodles, the electrode surface facing inside the container 1 The anode 5 is used, and the electrode surface facing the inside of the container 1 is set to the cathode 6 when storing fresh food such as vegetables and fruits. It can be used properly according to the type of food stored in the container 1. It is convenient for The container for storing the food is not limited to the container with a lid as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, and may be a container with a door, or a drawer type container that can be sealed without a lid or a door. In addition, it is not limited to a unit that exists as a single unit and can be carried, for example, a unit that serves as an underfloor storage device itself, a unit that is incorporated in a part of a refrigerator as a drawer that forms a vegetable compartment of a refrigerator, A cabinet with a door that forms a part of the cabinet is also included in the system furniture.

Further, the electrochemical device 4 shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 is used.
Is directly attached to the container 1, but the present invention is not limited to this and may be, for example, a case where an air passage such as a duct is connected to the container 1 and attached to the passage.

[0015]

The food preserving apparatus of the present invention is a food in which flavor or texture is damaged by moisture, mold or pests may be generated, or food in which the taste is deteriorated by oxidation or which is prone to decay by the action of oxygen. Has a very excellent effect that it can be reliably stored for a long period of time. Further, since the device has a simple structure and consumes less power, it also has an excellent effect that it is suitable for use in general households.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an example of a food storage device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of an electrochemical device.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing another example of the food storage device according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Container 3 ... Power supply 4 ... Electrochemical element 5 ... Anode 6 ... Cathode 7 ... Solid polymer electrolyte membrane 10 ... Dust filter

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Mitsuyuki Imaizumi 2-9 Hachiman-cho, Higashi-Kurume, Tokyo Metropolitan Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Shigetoshi Yoko Matsushi Tokyo 1-29 Hachiman-cho, Higashi-Kurume City Optec Diddy Melco Laboratories, Inc. (72) Inventor Shiro Yamauchi 8-1-1 Tsukaguchi Honcho, Amagasaki City Mitsubishi Electric Corporation Itami Works

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A sealable container (1) for storing food.
And an electrochemical device (4) in which a solid polymer electrolyte membrane (7) serving as a hydrogen ion exchange membrane is sandwiched between an anode (5) to which a DC voltage is applied from a power source (3) and a cathode (6). ) And the element (4) is an anode (5) or a cathode (6)
The food storage device is characterized in that one of the electrode surfaces is placed inside the container (1) and the other electrode surface is placed outside the container (1). 2. The food storage device according to claim 1, wherein the power source (3) has at least one of an electrode polarity switching function and a charge / discharge secondary battery function. 3. The food storage device according to claim 1, wherein a dustproof filter (10) is arranged on the front surface of the electrode surface facing the inside of the container (1).