JPS63152525A - Method of sterilizing vessel - 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 [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a method for sterilizing containers for aseptic filling and packaging of foods.

[Prior Art] Various types of aseptic filling and packaging for foods such as beverages have already been put into practical use, but in general, containers are sterilized, filled with beverages, etc. that have already been sterilized in a separate process, and then placed in a sterile atmosphere. This is known as asepdic filling and packaging, which uses an aseptic filling and packaging machine that seals inside.

Most of these sterilization methods utilize the combined effect of hydrogen peroxide (hereinafter referred to as 8202) and heat. Before filling, the container is formed, and 8202 at a concentration of approximately 35% is sprayed onto the packaging material sheet (paper, film, aluminum foil, etc.) used for forming the container, or onto the inside of the formed container. After spraying with 270-320
Sterilization is performed using sterile air with a high temperature of around ℃. H2O2 is usually used at a concentration of 25 to 35%, and it is known that its bactericidal effect is significantly enhanced at high temperatures.

Therefore, there is also a method of heating 35% concentration 1'202 to about 80°C and spraying it onto the container. H2O2 needs to be removed from the packaging material or container so that there is no residue after sterilization, but when drying with only heat such as heated sterile air, only the water evaporates, and because H2O2 has a high Q degree, the concentration becomes even higher. Is there a possibility that it will remain?

Ru. On the other hand, there are attempts to sterilize with heated saturated steam without using To-1202, but the
The problem is that it requires a high pressure of 5 atm) and takes a long time to sterilize.

Recently, a method has been proposed for sterilizing the surfaces of packaging materials, packaging machines and their ancillary equipment by means of a flow of a moist steam-air mixture having a temperature of 80-140°C and a moisture content of 5-50% (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 59-1999). 187525), and a method for manufacturing, sterilizing, and filling containers, especially dishes, in which heated steam is introduced from above as a sterilizing medium after forming (2) and discharged from the bottom of the dish (JP-A-Sho). 60-4512
No. 4) can also be seen. In addition, in order to reduce the residual amount of H2O2, attempts have been made to use 1% concentration of 11202 and heat, but this has a low bactericidal effect, and in reality, ultraviolet (UV) light is used to reduce the deficiency. The reality is that it makes up for it. Recently, as a method using this low temperature 11E (H2O2), a spray nozzle of 1120? with a concentration of 1 to 20% is inserted into a columnar container, and after it is evenly applied to the inner surface of the container, it is sterilized with sterile heated air and dried. A proposal to
No. 9-221227) can be seen.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] The present invention eliminates the residual H20e, which has been a problem in the past, in the container sterilization method for aseptic filling and packaging as described above, and can significantly shorten the sterilization time. The purpose is to provide an excellent method for sterilizing containers.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present inventor has discovered that in a conventional container sterilization method, 25 to 3
A sterilization method that uses 5% concentration of 8202 in combination with heat has the problem of residual residue, a method that uses 1% concentration of 11202 in combination with heat has a poor sterilization effect, and high-temperature pressurized saturated steam alone takes a long time to sterilize. As a result of extensive research into the problem, we have developed a container sterilization method that eliminates residual H2O2 and significantly shortens the sterilization time by treating with low-concentration H2O2 and using saturated steam under high pressure. This discovery led to the present invention.

Also, the present invention sterilizes the inner surface of the molded container, and then
In a method for sterilizing containers in aseptic filling packaging in which sterile food is filled in an aseptic atmosphere, low concentration H2O2 of 1 to 10% is attached to the inner surface of the container, the container is then brought into a pressurized saturated steam atmosphere for sterilization, and then subjected to constant drying. H20 exposed under constant EL?
There is a method for sterilizing containers that is characterized by instantaneous boiling and evaporation.

The l-1202 used in the present invention is used as 8202 water at a low concentration of 1 to 10%.

If the concentration of H202 is less than 1%, the sterilizing effect will be poor, and if it exceeds 10%, there is a risk that it will remain. Inside the container 11202
When sterilizing the container, the inside of the container is usually spray coated, and this method is also used in the present invention. H2
The amount of O2 applied varies depending on the concentration, but it is 05 to 2C1/m.
You can get the effect with 2.

Further, the pressurized saturated steam is generated in a pressurized chamber equipped with a pressurized steam generator, and it is preferable to use pressurized saturated steam at a temperature of 100 to 130° C. at a pressure of 1.5 to 3 kO/α2.

Here, we will outline the process from when the sterilization method of the present invention is applied to aseptic filling packaging, from internal sterilization of a molded container and aseptic filling of a liquid food beverage to sealing of the container. explain.

Spray water formed into a container from a sterilized packaging sheet, thoroughly coat the inside of the container, and then expose it to a pressurized saturated steam atmosphere in a pressurized chamber for 100 minutes.
The inside of the container is sterilized with H202 using heat of ~130°C, the container is filled with beverage using a filling device, and the lid is sealed to become a product.

As the container used in the container sterilization method of the present invention, any container molded from a single material or a composite material such as paper, plastic film, aluminum foil, etc. can be used. In addition, the sterilization method of the present invention can provide excellent sterilization effects when applied to packaging materials, filling and packaging machines, and auxiliary equipment in addition to containers.

[Example code] This will be explained below using examples.

(Containers used) Beverage containers made by Honshu Paper Industries and Plus Deck. 12 containers (250 m each) made of polypropylene were used for the circumference of the top and bottom and for the support that connects the top and bottom, and paperboard was used for the other parts. Sterilization) 10' Sterilization (Sterilization) Place the sample container in a retort tube and spray f-ho2 at the temperature shown in Table 1 for 1 second. Then the first
The product is placed in a pressurized chamber with a saturated steam atmosphere at the temperature shown in the table, and the H2O2 water is heated to a saturated steam temperature, sterilized for 1 minute each, and then taken out at room temperature and pressure. For comparison, as shown in Table 1, sterilization was similarly carried out using only pressurized saturated steam at 100° C. or higher, without using l'zo2.

(Bactericidal effect) The sterilizing effect of the containers that had been sterilized as described above was examined. The results are shown in Table 1.

From the results in Table 1, Examples 1-
Sample No. 4 has a better sterilizing effect than those using only heated saturated steam without using H2O2 (Comparative Examples 1 to 3).

Table 1 [Effect of Fe brightness] The container sterilization method of the present invention uses pressurized saturated steam in combination with low concentration To 1202 to sterilize containers, which conventionally used H202 and sterile dry heated air. The problem of residual residue caused by the use of high-concentration H2O2 was solved, and the synergistic effect of pressurized saturated steam and low-concentration H202 (for Jf) improved the sterilization effect and significantly shortened the sterilization time. This improves the sterilization efficiency of containers, so by incorporating it into aseptic filling and packaging machines for beverages and other foods, it can greatly contribute to improving the operating efficiency of aseptic filling and packaging machines that operate continuously. You can.Also,
The sterilization method of the present invention can provide excellent sterilization effects when applied to packaging materials, filling and packaging machines, and auxiliary equipment in addition to containers.

Claims (1)

[Claims] In a method for sterilizing containers in aseptic filling and packaging, in which the inner surface of the formed container is sterilized and then filled with sterile food in an aseptic atmosphere, 1 to 10% low concentration hydrogen peroxide is attached to the inner surface of the container, and then pressure is applied. A method for sterilizing a container, which comprises introducing the container into a saturated steam atmosphere, sterilizing it, and then exposing it to room temperature and pressure to instantly boil and evaporate hydrogen peroxide.