JPS6249036B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to the treatment of seeds and cereals to promote natural germination.

More particularly, the present invention provides a method for promoting the natural germination of seeds prior to planting or dowing in a horticultural or agricultural process, and for bringing substantial quantities of grains, such as barley, to a state of natural germination. A bulk treatment method for the above-mentioned grains and malted barley (malted barley)
This invention relates to a method of sprouting for the purpose of producing barley.

The present invention relates to the production of malted barley, particularly but not exclusively for use in the brewing of malted banerages.

During the several day long process necessary for organic, enzymatic and chemical changes to occur during the germination period, the grains are exposed to humidity, temperature, pressure and PH (hydrogen ion concentration), both in bulk and individually. ) and the surrounding atmosphere are advantageously kept under control so that the proper rate, conversion efficiency, product quality and uniformity of germination are achieved within the germination container, vessel or plant. .

To condition seeds and grains to a dry state and a state ready for natural germination so that they can be later stored and planted or moistened and planted without severe degeneration of the seeds or grains. In addition, it is necessary to prevent decomposition of seeds or grains before planting.

It has previously been proposed to condition the seeds for germination by covering them with a layer of water and circulating a stream of air or pure oxygen over the surface of the layer. The soaked seeds absorb oxygen dissolved in the water from this air or pure oxygen atmosphere, and the oxygen content of the water quickly decreases to a state that does not allow eventual germination. When the water is agitated to replace the dissolved oxygen consumed by the seeds, the seeds germinate without difficulty.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved method for promoting the natural germination of seeds, especially cereals.

According to the present invention, there is provided a method of treating seeds or grains to promote natural germination, comprising steeping a bed of seeds or grains in a body of oxygenated water and maintaining the steeping period. A method is provided which comprises controlling the temperature of the bed, flushing the water from the bed and pregerminating the seeds or grains in a germination-promoting atmosphere of oxygenated air. The term oxygenated air means air containing more than 33% oxygen and pure oxygen.

The invention can be used to treat plant, grass and cereal seeds prior to planting or sowing.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Although pure oxygen is passed through the seed or grain bed in the process described herein, it is possible to use oxygenated air. This process is a
It can be applied to seeds or plants to be planted or sown, and these can consist, for example, of plant seeds, grass seeds or grains, or the treatment can be applied to b-cereals, for example for the brewing of malt drinks. It can be applied to barley in the production of malted barley.

A means is provided for soaking the seed (or grain) bed in water and drying the seed after oxygen treatment is complete. For the above treatment a, plant seeds or grains
0.02 lb. of pure oxygen per hour is uniformly applied to 100 lb., while for treatment b
It is suggested that 0.05 pounds is applied to 100 pounds of grain per hour.

FIG. 1 shows an apparatus in basic or pilot form showing a preferred layout of the apparatus for pre-germination of barley for process b described above according to the invention.

The device consists of a container 1 containing an upper part 2 housing a bed 3 of barley and a lower sump 4. Part 2 comprises a plate 5 with a lower opening supporting a floor 3, which part 2 can be made of glass or of metal or enamelled lined metal. A removable lid 6 is fitted to the container 1 and the reservoir 4 is fitted to the part 2 by attachment means 7 so that the apertured plate 5 can be removed and the germinated barley bed 3 can flow out of the container 1. can.

Pure oxygen from a suitable source such as an oxygen cylinder 8 is introduced into the vessel 1 below the plate 5 by a supply pipe 9. Cylinder 8 contains means for controlling the flow of oxygen, which is bubbled through water holder 10 by line 11 prior to supply to tube 9. The oxygen passes upward through the bed 3 and a recirculation pipeline 12 with a recirculation fan 13 recirculates the exhaust gas to the base of the vessel 1 below the plate 5. A vacuum is created in the container by suitable means, such as a vacuum pump (not shown). Pipeline 12 includes a sampling branch 14 for orthostatic and chromatographic sampling of the gas. A recording thermocouple 15 is provided in branch 14 to sense the gas temperature. Line 9 (or other additional lines)
serves to supply an inert gas, for example CO ₂ or nitrogen, to the vessel 1 instead of oxygen at the process stage where pre-germination of the barley has been completed and it is necessary to prevent further germination. Recirculation pipeline 12 includes cooler 12A.

Water from reservoir 16 is delivered to spray head 17 by a conduit system including pump 19;
It is then sprayed on the floor to soak the barley and to cool the floor.

The water flows down into the sump 4 and the overflow water is returned to the reservoir 16 by the pipeline 20: L ₁ and L ₂ indicate the two possible controlled water levels in the sump 4. container 1 floor 3
A blowing agent is supplied to the water in the reservoir 16 so as to form a foam layer lower down, and the turned end of the pipeline 12 is connected to the porous ventilator head 33.
, which acts to form a foam layer.

It is usually essential that the barley in bed 3 is dried after pregermination has been completed, preferably to a moisture content of 8% or more by weight, and for this purpose a kilning system 21 is provided, which A heat exchanger 22 having a heating coil 23 supplied with a heating medium such as steam, and an air blower 25
and an air supply line 2 which includes an air conditioning device 26 at the inlet end and delivers air to the heat exchanger 22 for heating.
Consists of 4. A discharge line 27 with a closure valve 28 supplies heated air to the reservoir 4.
For drying the barley, the water is first drained from the sump 4 and then the valve 28 is opened to allow heated air to enter the sump 4 and permeate upwards through the bed 3: the air plugs It can be discharged from the container 1 via a cover hole closed by 29. Bed temperature is normally maintained at steady state by circulating oxygen through or over the bed. The temperature of the circulating and temperature controlled oxygen atmosphere is then increased to make the barley ready for rapid malting if necessary.

However, if the equipment for carrying out the method is integrated into a brewery, for example,
It is not necessary to dry the barley. In this case, water is drained from the reservoir 4 and oxygen enters the container 1 through the supply pipe 9, passes through the barley bed and penetrates into the barley until it is ready for malting. .

A thermometer 30 measures the bed temperature and can be provided with a scale 31 for checking the depth of the bed: the pipelines 18, 20 are connected to a closure valve 32;
including.

By way of example, the vessel 1 can contain a bed of between 10 and 100 tons.

In operation of the apparatus, a vacuum is created in the container, after which the barley bed 3 is soaked with water from the spray head 17, and a foam layer is then formed below the bed 3. Pure oxygen from lease 8 is permeated upward through bed 3 and the oxygen exhausted from the bed is recycled via pipeline 12 and the oxygen and bed temperature are checked. Oxygen feed rates of about 0.2 pounds per hour per ton of barley can be used. The barley is thereby pre-germinated and once the pre-germination is completed the bed is normally dried by a kilning system 21.

With the above treatment, barley can be malted in about 48 hours (including 12 hours of soaking), compared to the 7 days currently required for malting. Further improved germination efficiency and less malting loss than before is obtained.

Similar equipment can be used for oxygen treatment of plant, grass and cereal seeds for planting or sowing.

A modified apparatus for malting barley according to the invention is shown in FIG. 2 and has an open top container 50 with side walls 51 arranged in a rectangular manner and a bottom 52 closed. A container or vessel for use in pre-germinating barley grain for malting, the vessel 50 containing 450 barley grains,
It can house a grain bed of 500 quarters (each quarter equals approximately 445 pounds).
The container 50 is made of dense concrete or metal and can have tiled or coated walls, and the false bottom 53 has triangular cross-section ribs 54 (fourth section) for extracting gas and moisture during drying. (see figure). A discharge section 55 from the container 50 is provided below the temporary bottom 53.
is provided. The container 50 has two
% can be made of compressed concrete walls with a better liquid absorption rate. Open top 5 of container 50
6 is closed by a removable cover or diaphragm 57 made of a flexible material such as natural or synthetic rubber. The diaphragm 57 is fitted to the container 50 in a gas-tight manner, and this can be accomplished by providing an inwardly facing bead 58 (see FIG. 3) on the skirt portion 59 of the diaphragm. The bead 58 is attached to the side wall 51
It can be spring-fitted into leak-tight engagement with a correspondingly shaped peripheral groove 60 on the outer surface of. Conveniently, the diaphragm 57 can be attached to one edge 61 of the container 50 and rolled into position for container closure, so that the bead is spring-fitted into its mating groove: the second In the figure, the diaphragm in a rolled state is shown by a chain line. Soft screen or cloth 62 with openings (third
) is located just below the diaphragm 57 and is pressed against the grain bed 3 by the soft diaphragm 57 when a vacuum is created in the container 50 . a series of parallel longitudinal grooves 6;
3 is arranged on the lower surface of the diaphragm 57 and cooperates with the apertured sheet 62 to form a duct for fluid passage to or from the bed 3 during grain pressing. These longitudinal grooves 63 can be connected by transverse grooves (not shown). An inlet 64 to the duct is provided in the container.

The grain in bed 3 can be lifted and turned using conventional screw or auger equipment. Preferably, however, the airlift comprises an open-ended tube 65 for positioning in the grain bed 3 and a discharge inlet (or inlets) 66 for pressurized air discharging into one of the open ends of the tube 65. A diverter (Figures 5 and 6) is used.
In this air diversion device, the grains will be transported through the tubes by an air stream, so that recirculation of the grains will be achieved. A similar converter is used as the first
It can be used on floor 3 of the apparatus shown.

Furthermore, means are provided for reoxygenation of the grain bed 3, which means include porous silica pots 67 (see FIG. 7) immersed in an aqueous solution pumped through the grain bed 3; It may consist of a pressurized oxygen line 68 to a pot 67.

The apparatus of FIG. 2 operates in substantially the same manner as the apparatus of FIG. Specifically, the barley kernels are soaked for a suitable period of time and then pregerminated (e.g.
3 days of soaking and 4-6 days of pre-germination). Additives such as gibberellic acid can be used. Again, pure oxygen is passed through the grain bed 3 during the pre-germination period instead of normal air. In particular, oxygen is supplied from a dripping source to inlet 64, duct 63 and false bottom 53.
is drawn through the bed 3 by the suction effect of the outlet 55 , thereby creating a vacuum in the container 50 and forcing the apertured cloth 62 against the grain bed 3 by means of the diaphragm 57 . The use of pure oxygen facilitates the pre-germination process, and the consumption of pure oxygen appears to be on the order of 12.8 pounds of oxygen per quarter of barley to achieve fully denatured malted barley.

The use of a diaphragm 57 with screens 62 and ducts 63 allows for a more efficient delivery of oxygen to the bed 3 and the closure of large areas of malting streets without having to resort to expensive and cumbersome rigid structures. Make it easier. Furthermore,
It acts to squeeze and dehydrate the grain bed at the end of the malting process prior to drying.

Additionally, a control device may be provided to maintain or control the pressure and/or temperature within the vessel, and the oxygen within the vessel may conveniently be changed or replaced by an inert gas such as nitrogen or carbon dioxide. I can do it,
Acidic and alkaline solutions, additives and inhibitor solutions (eg gibberellic acid) can then be added and under low pressure and compression.

Furthermore, a device similar to that of FIG. 2 can be used to oxygenate seeds or grains prior to planting or sowing in agriculture and horticulture. The apparatus of Figures 1 and 2 can be advantageously used for the following malting processes: a. Steam sterilization at elevated temperatures; b. Circulation of dry, heated or moist oxygen by means of a fan as required. and the use of chilled cooling systems, c. watering with atomizers or spraying foam systems, d. chlorinated water circulation for sterilization, e. for enclosed fumigation to eradicate enzymes, bacteria and nematodes. methyl disulfide (or similar) gas circulation, f. continuous oxygenation of the aqueous solution by means of a porous pot device, g. degassing by pressure/vacuum, h. oxygen blowing to dry-displace the water with oxygen, i. the use of potassium cyanide to inoculate the respiratory function of the grain; and j the use of oxidizing agents.

A further feature of the device is that a sudden pressure release (occurring upon vacuum break) causes grain cake breakage due to explosive expansion.

Although pure oxygen is mentioned as being used in the above embodiments, as previously stated, oxygenated air can be used in place of pure air to obtain substantially the same pregermination results for seeds or grains. be able to.

An advantage of the present invention is that when the seeds or grains do not need to be used immediately, the seeds or grains can be soaked in oxygenated water to achieve the desired moisture content and circulated with oxygen or oxygenated air. Seeds or grains are dried by maintaining a steady temperature, draining the water, and then drying the seeds or grains in an atmosphere of circulating and temperature-controlled pure oxygen or oxygenated air at elevated temperatures. In the case of planting grain, it is ready for rapid germination or, in the case of barley, for rapid malting. If the seeds or grains need to be used immediately and the drying step is omitted, the seeds or grains can be used immediately or as the case may be by infiltrating the seeds or grains with oxygen or oxygenated air. Make it ready for rapid germination or malting.

The stage at which the process needs to be stopped is when substantially all of the necessary enzymes and other organic substances suitable for the growth of the root root and fluff have been produced and the water barrier of the outer seed coat has been reduced; This is before growth actually emerges from the outer seed coat. At this stage, the growth points of the roots of the seed or grain can be clearly seen within the outer seed coat, all of which are facilitated by the action of oxygen on the moist seed or grain, and the presence of oxygen inhibits anaerobic bacteria and rot. Prevent the growth of other organisms that cause Another notable or important feature is that the presence of pure oxygen or oxygenated air increases the rate of respiration within the structure of the seed or grain itself. The chemical changes associated with respiration are exothermic, and the heat generated increases the internal temperature of the seed or grain and creates a temperature gradient outward from the center of the seed or grain. As a result of this, seeds or grains in the presence of oxygen progressively dry themselves at a rapid rate even if the atmosphere surrounding them is sufficiently saturated with water vapor.

The process thus promotes a natural pre-germination stage due to the internal release of heat and the treated seeds or grains, when planted, are grown at temperatures lower than those normally required for the natural germination of untreated seeds or grains. It was found that germination occurs in Therefore, a drying step in which dry pure oxygen or oxygenated air is passed through the seeds or grains at elevated temperatures will, if used, provide an aerobic effect before irreversible seed or grain deterioration can occur. Rapid drying can be achieved in atmosphere. If a drying step is not used, the seeds or grains are of course used before their deterioration occurs.

Modification is possible. For example, in the apparatus of FIG. 1, it may be arranged so that oxygen flows downwardly through the bed, as in the apparatus of FIG.

In horticulture or agriculture, pre-treatment of seeds or grains with oxygen before planting or sowing allows the seeds or grains to germinate within 24 hours. Furthermore, once planted, the seeds are able to grow immediately due to proper water uptake, and even during germination and the original growth phase.
is uniformly and actively promoted by the oxygen reaction. The present invention will provide the following advantages in agriculture and horticulture: 1. Uniform and immediate seeding after planting or sowing even under adverse weather conditions, temperature conditions, soil humidity or wetness. growth.

2 More efficient use of land due to higher harvest per year.

3. There is no lower dormancy or dormancy of the seeds or grains due to oxygen action.

4. Less damage by insects or birds due to rapid root growth, thus reducing the period of vulnerability to damage.

5. The pregerminated seeds or grains can be stored for an indefinite period of time.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of one form of apparatus for carrying out the invention; FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of a second form of apparatus for carrying out the invention; and FIG. 3 shows a portion of the top cover of the apparatus of FIG. FIG. 4 is a detailed view of further parts of the apparatus of FIG. 2; FIG. 5 is a detailed view of the means for directing the grain or grains to the apparatus of FIG.
6 shows details of an alternative means for directing grain or grain into the apparatus of FIG. 2, and FIG. 7 shows details of a reventilation device of the apparatus of FIG. In the figure, 1... Container, 3... Floor, 4... Reservoir, 5... Plate with opening, 8... Oxygen cylinder, 9... Oxygen supply pipe, 10... Water holder,
12...Recirculation pipeline, 12A...Cooler, 16...Water storage, 17...Spray head.

Claims (1)

Claims: 1. A method of treating seeds or grains to promote natural germination, comprising soaking a bed of seeds or grains in oxygenated water and controlling the temperature of the bed during this soaking period. A method characterized in that, after draining the soaked water from the seeds or grains, the seeds or grains are exposed to an atmosphere containing a higher proportion of oxygen than atmospheric air. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the atmosphere consists of substantially pure oxygen. 3 Seed or grain beds with an oxygen content of at least 33
3. A method according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that drying is carried out by passing through a gas maintained at ~100% oxygen by volume, and the temperature of the bed is controlled during drying.