JPS61213051A - Heating sterilization under pressure - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention <Industrial Field of Application> The present invention uses a package consisting of a sealed container made of a polyolefin resin or the like in which a microporous filter is used at least in part, and is used to store pressurized and heated ethanol vapor. The present invention relates to a pressure and heat sterilization method for sterilization.

<Prior Art> Conventionally, packaging products that have been sterilized by heat sterilization include canned and bottled foods, as well as retort foods using so-called retort pouches made of a composite material of heat-resistant film and aluminum foil. In the case of medical supplies, there are sterilization packages made of gas-permeable films that are sterilized using ethylene oxide gas or pressurized heated steam. The sterilization method for obtaining these sterilization packages has been limited to sterilization using pressurized heated steam for foods1, and sterilization using pressurized heated steam or ethylene oxide gas for medical products.

<Problems to be Solved by the Invention> In the sterilization process using the conventional pressurized heat sterilization method, deformation and damage of the container could not be avoided because high pressure was applied during the sterilization process. Moreover, when heating, heat is transmitted to the inside of the food, so the outside undergoes a long thermal history, which causes food deterioration, and especially starchy foods, which may turn brown or change in taste. There were drawbacks to overcome.

Furthermore, when sterilizing medical supplies with ethylene oxide gas, ethylene oxide gas remains in the object to be sterilized, and its toxicity poses a problem. Furthermore, when pressurized steam sterilization of medical supplies is used, the objects to be sterilized may discolor, and as a result of moisture remaining inside the package, the objects to be sterilized may rust, especially if they are metal products, reducing the product value. There was a problem.

<Means for Solving the Problems> The present invention is a pressure and heat sterilization method that solves the above-mentioned conventional problems. That is, the present invention uses a package consisting of a sealed container that uses a microporous filter at least in part, and utilizes the gas permeability of the package to sterilize medical supplies, foods, etc. with pressurized and heated ethanol vapor. This is a pressure and heat sterilization method characterized by the following.

To explain the present invention in more detail, it is the following energization process. Microporous filters used in the present invention include resin microporous membranes, high-density woven fabrics, fiber-coated fabrics, filter fabrics, and polyolefin-based woven fabrics. There is also a film with microscopic holes made and laminated with paper or non-woven fabric, commonly known as Kamirami. Polyolefin resins are usually used as materials for these microporous filters. These multi-porous filters are made of materials that normally have voids that cannot pass through, such as cutworms, molds, and spores, and that can withstand pressurized heat sterilization temperatures and ethanol, and are also permeable to ethanol vapor. Ethanol is normally used for various disinfections, but it was previously said that it had no bactericidal effect on spore bacteria, which are highly heat resistant.However, the present inventor has developed a method to convert ethanol into pressurized heated steam. As a result of using the gas permeability of microporous filters to act on bacteria, including spore-forming bacteria, attached to objects to be sterilized inside the package, as shown in the examples below, heat-resistant spore-forming bacteria were It has been confirmed that it has a sufficient bactericidal effect against bacteria.

Example 1 150g of cooked rice, 150g of soybeans, 150g of Uma Reishiyo, and 150g of boiled noodles were stored separately in 500CQ containers made of polypropylene, and a portion of the polypropylene film was notched into a millimeter square, and a polypropylene high-density fabric was cut out. A film cut into 30 mm squares and heat-sealed so as to overlap by 5 mm was heat-sealed to each of the large food containers described above to produce a sealed package. Meanwhile, ethanol is placed in a heat-resistant container, a throw-in electric heater is placed inside the container, and the container is stored in a pressurized tank. Furthermore, the above-mentioned white board or other food-containing packaging is similarly placed and the pressurizable tank is sealed. For pressurized tires, a valve is installed to reduce the pressure, and a vacuum pump is used to evacuate the tank to nearly 7603ffB9, removing the air inside the pressurized tank and the air inside the package.
The electric heater is energized to raise the temperature and vaporize the ethanol. The depressurization operation is performed in order to allow sufficient ethanol vapor to permeate into the package described above, and in the case of a mixed gas of air and ethanol, to prevent the pressure in the tank from increasing more than necessary due to heating. After the temperature inside the tank reached 105 t, it was maintained for 10 minutes, and the pressure inside the tank at that time was 2-2#/cd.

Then, the electricity was turned off and the pressurized tank was left at room temperature to cool naturally, and after the inside of the pressurized tank reached near room temperature, the package was removed. The sterilized sealed package has no deformation or damage3.
Even after being left at 7°C for 2 weeks, the contents remained sterile without any deterioration. The above-mentioned cooked rice, soybeans, and boiled noodles usually contain heat-resistant spore-forming bacteria such as Bacillus subtilis, but the reason why none of them deteriorate is because the heat-resistant spore-forming bacteria were killed by the ethanol vapor. This proves this.O Example Z As in Example 1 above, a plain heart is placed in a polypropylene container! Add 150 g of Infuho-Zikon medium and add the heat-resistant bacterium Bacillus stearothermophilus No. IAM 1 for testing.
Prepare 5 containers containing 3 pellets of approximately 6II2Fφ made by planting 1062 on P paper, and heat-seal a polypropylene film made by partially heat-sealing the same high-density polypropylene fabric as in Example 1. I made a package with this.

The O sterilization method sealed package, which was sterilized under the same conditions as in Example 1, was not deformed or damaged, and no growth of the heat-resistant spore bacteria was observed even after being left at 55"C for 2 weeks. It was also confirmed that it has a bactericidal effect.

Example 5 Medical gauze and medical scissors are housed in a medical sterilization pack made of a porous material made of a polypropylene film with micropores made and paper laminated, and the heat-resistant bacterium Bacillus stearotherm for the test is also stored. Filth No. AM 11
Three pellets of approximately 6 MNφ in which 062 was planted on filter paper were stored in a layered manner with medical gauze, and a sterilization bag was heat-sealed to make a hermetically sealed package.

Then, sterilization treatment was performed under the same conditions as in Example 1.

The sterilization method package was a good sterilization method package with no deformation or damage, no wetting of the medical gauze, and no rust on the scissors. Furthermore, to prove sterility, the package was opened, the pellet of filter paper inoculated with the heat-resistant bacteria described above was taken out, and the sterile medium Pren Heart Ink, which had been prepared in advance, was placed in a petri dish.
-Put the pellet in the diethylene and heat at 55"C.
I left it for two weeks. However, no growth of the heat-resistant bacteria was observed, confirming that ethanol vapor has a reliable bactericidal effect.

<Effects of the Invention> As described above, the present invention has the following effects.

For food, the heating temperature for sterilization may be 110υ or less, and the heating temperature for sterilization is 120~130t, which is required for conventional retort sterilization.
Since high sterilization temperatures are not required, food deterioration, discoloration, taste changes, etc. due to heating are significantly reduced. Furthermore, it is possible to provide safe sterilized foods without the influence of moisture on the objects to be sterilized, and because a small amount of ethanol is dissolved in the food, even if the package is damaged during transportation, it will be temporarily removed. It can suppress the growth of bacteria such as mold and further improve the shelf life of food.

In the case of medical supplies, because ethanol is volatile, it is easy to create a dry state inside gauze and cotton, so there is no problem of discoloration or residual toxicity of the sterilized material, and medical supplies are always dry and clean. can be provided. Furthermore, metal products such as knives and scissors can be kept dry at all times, which has the great effect of eliminating the risk of discoloration or rust.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1) A package consisting of a sealed container that uses a microporous filter at least in part is used to sterilize medical supplies, foods, etc. with pressurized and heated ethanol vapor by utilizing the gas permeability of the package. Pressure and heat sterilization method.