JPH0956373A - Taking out of finished koji according to amount of dehumidification and apparatus therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To precisely judge the completion period or a process for producing a koji (a malted rice, etc.) used for mainly brewing sake. SOLUTION: This method for taking out a finished koji according to the amount of dehumidification comprises determining the completion period of a process for producing the koji according to the amount of generated condensed water produced from a device for cooling and dehumidifying air in a koji production chamber A per unit time and the koji production time and taking out the finished koji in the process for producing the koji while controlling the temperature and humidity in the koji production chamber. Furthermore, the apparatus is obtained by installing a device capable of measuring the amount of generated condensed water produced from the device for cooling and dehumidifying the interior of the koji production chamber with time and further installing a means for informing the completion period of the process for producing the koji when both conditions of the set generation rate of the condensed water and conditions of the set koji production time are attained and/or a means for automatically taking out the finished koji in the apparatus equipped with the air conditioner for controlling the temperature and humidity in the koji production chamber where the method is to be carried out and the means for taking out the finished koji.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to determination of the end time of a koji-making process mainly used for sake brewing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In the sake-making of sake koji, it is important to stably produce koji that matches the desired quality of sake. However, even if high-quality koji is made in the koji-making process, if the wrong koji-making time is determined, the koji-quality will deteriorate. Therefore, a koji-making technician determines koji-making time based on experience and intuition, or performs koji-making based solely on the koji-making time. Therefore, it was difficult to stably obtain high-quality koji.

[0003]

A method and a device for improving and stabilizing koji quality by incorporating the koji-making judgment of an excellent koji technician into the control of the koji-making device to judge an appropriate koji-making time. It is an object of the invention to provide

[0004]

According to the first aspect of the invention, the amount of dew condensation water generated from a device for cooling and dehumidifying room air per unit time is measured, and the dew condensation water generation rate is determined. When it reaches within the range of the set value and reaches the range of the set koji-making time, the end of the koji-making process is determined, and then a predetermined koji-making operation is performed. That is, the amount of dew condensation water generated from a device for cooling and dehumidifying room air per unit time is measured. When the koji mold is actively growing, the temperature of the koji substrate rises and the room temperature also rises.
Also, with the heat released from the koji substrate, the water content of the koji substrate evaporates,
Indoor humidity also rises. Therefore, by controlling the koji temperature, the room temperature and the room humidity to be set values, the room air is cooled and dehumidified by the air conditioning, and condensed water is generated. Therefore, the amount of condensed water changes depending on the growth state of Aspergillus oryzae. Therefore, a skilled koji maker determines the dew-condensation time and compares the dew-condensation water generation rate with each other to set the dew-condensation water generation rate indicating the optimum de-condensation time within a certain range. Also, set the range of time for koji start to be empirically judged to be appropriate. The end of the koji making process is determined when both the generation rate of dew condensation water and the time of koji making reach the set values. Then, a predetermined koji operation is performed.

In the invention described in claim 2, after the completion of the koji making step is determined by the means of claim 1, a killing step for cooling the koji is carried out, and then a predetermined koji is started. That is, when both the generation rate of dew condensation water and the malted time reach the set values, a killing step of cooling the malted rice is carried out, and then a predetermined malted malt starts. After determining the koji start time, it is necessary to rapidly reduce the temperature and water content of the koji for the purpose of stopping the growth of koji mold. This is because if the growth of koji mold proceeds after the koji start time, the same result as when the koji start time is delayed and stable koji quality cannot be maintained. Therefore, after determining the time of koji start, the koji is cooled to prevent the growth of koji mold.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, in the koji-making device provided with an air conditioner for controlling the temperature and humidity in the koji-making room and the koji-making means, dew condensation generated from a device for cooling and dehumidifying room air. A device that measures the amount of water generated over time is provided, and it is determined whether the measured rate of dew condensation water has reached the set rate of dew condensation water and has reached the set range of koji-making time. A controller such as a light or a buzzer for notifying the end time of the koji making process is provided according to an instruction of the controller, and / or an automatic koji device for performing koji is provided according to an instruction of the controller. That is, by providing a device that measures the amount of dew condensation water generated from a device that cools and dehumidifies indoor air over time,
The growth state of Aspergillus oryzae can be grasped. In addition, workability can be ensured by limiting the malting time to a certain range. When both the measured generation rate of dew condensation water and the koji making time reach within the set range, the operator is notified of the koji making time by notifying the end time of the koji making process. Then, the koji operation is performed at the operator's discretion, or the koji is automatically performed.

In the invention described in claim 4, after the end of the koji making process is determined by the means of claim 3, the room temperature is lowered by cooling the room temperature by introducing the outside air or cooling the room air by the air conditioner. Or, the koji is cooled by ventilating the koji layer, and after the koji is cooled, the koji is discharged. That is, by cooling the koji mold, the growth of koji mold is stopped, and excellent koji quality is maintained. After that, the koji quality at the time of malting is maintained for a long time by moving to a storage tank or the like.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a koji-making method and apparatus according to the dehumidification amount of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view. In the koji making room A constituted by the heat insulating wall 1, a circular permeable culture bed 3 which rotates about the central cylinder 2 as a rotation axis is provided. The koji making chamber A is divided into an upper chamber 8 and a lower chamber 9 by the circular culture bed 3 and the upper chamber floor plate 7 connecting the jacket plate 6 and the heat insulating wall 1. Steamed rice as a koji substrate is put on the circular culture bed 3 by the feeding and kneading device 4 at a constant deposition thickness, and is agitated and mixed by the care device 5 as necessary. The room temperature and room humidity of the upper chamber 8 are adjusted by the dehumidifying device 11 and the heating device 12 by sucking indoor air from the suction duct 10, and then returned to the upper chamber 8 from the blowing duct 14 by the upper chamber blowing fan 13. .

The dehumidifying device 11 condenses the moisture emanating from the koji substrate to maintain the humidity set value of the upper chamber 8. At the bottom of the dehumidifier 11, there is a solenoid valve 15 that opens and closes every set time.
And a flow meter 16 are provided. The flow meter 16 measures the amount of dew condensation water generated by dew condensation and transmits the measured value to the control device 21. The control device 21 determines whether both the generation rate of dew condensation water and the koji-making time have reached the set ranges, and if both have reached the range, the process proceeds to the koji-killing step.

In the dying step, the outside air is taken in from the outside air introduction port 17 by the blower fan 18 to remove the temperature and moisture of the koji layer on the circular culture bed 3, and then the hot and humid air is exhausted through the exhaust port 19. To do. As another dehumidifying method, the dehumidifying device 11 or the upper chamber outside air inlet 22 is used, and the air in the upper chamber 8 dried at low temperature is ventilated through the koji layer by the blower fan 18 while lowering the indoor temperature of the upper chamber 8. You may. Although not shown, heaters may be provided at the outside air introduction port 17 and the upper room outside air introduction port 22 to introduce the outside air at a constant temperature. After completion of the dying process, the circular culture bed 3 is rotated and the koji-koji device 4 is used to carry out koji-making from the koji-koguchi 20.

Although the illustrated embodiment is a rotary disk type koji making device, the present invention is applied to a koji making method or device for dehumidifying the koji making chamber by an air conditioner provided with a dehumidifying device. It is not limited to the example device.

[0012]

EFFECT OF THE INVENTION According to the method and apparatus for malt dewatering according to the dehumidification amount of the present invention, the amount of dehumidification and the time for koji making are used for determining the time of malting, thereby making it possible to improve the quality of malt without requiring a skilled engineer. It is possible to stably and automatically carry out koji while maintaining a high level. In particular, the fact that the dying step can be automatically performed prior to the koji-making step makes the present invention more beneficial and useful.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a transverse cross-sectional view of an apparatus for carrying out a dekojiko method according to the dehumidification amount of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 A Koji chamber 1 Insulation wall 2 Center cylinder 3 Circular culture bed 4 Koji-koji device 5 Maintenance device 6 Jacket plate 7 Upper chamber floor plate 8 Upper chamber 9 Lower chamber 10 Suction duct 11 Dehumidifying device 12 Heating device 13 Upper chamber ventilation Fan 14 Blow-in duct 15 Solenoid valve 16 Flow meter 17 Outside air inlet 18 Lower chamber blower fan 19 Exhaust port 20 Kojiko 21 Control device 22 Upper chamber outside air inlet

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. In the step of performing koji making while controlling the temperature and humidity in the koji making room, the amount of dew condensation water generated from a device for cooling and dehumidifying room air per unit time and the koji making time are A method of dekoji by determining the end time of the koji making process and dehumidifying the koji. 2. The method of dekozing with a dehumidifying amount according to claim 1, wherein after deciding the end time of the koji making step, the demolding step of cooling the koji is carried out to start the malting. 3. An amount of dew condensation water generated from a device for cooling and dehumidifying room air in a koji making device provided with an air conditioner for controlling temperature and humidity in the koji making chamber and a koji making means, A device for measuring the dew condensation water is provided, and a means for notifying the end time of the koji making process is provided when both the set dew condensation water generation rate condition and the set koji making time condition are reached, and / or automatically. A koji-making device with a dehumidifying amount provided with means for performing koji-making. 4. The koji-making apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising means for cooling the koji before carrying out the koji-making.