JPS63245637A - Storage device for distributing perishable food such as vegetable, fruit or flowering plant - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To maintain freshness of perishable foods well for a long time, by cooling perishable foods packed in a treating chamber in vacuum and treating the perishable foods with a gas. CONSTITUTION:A container 5 loaded with perishable foods such as vegetables, fruits and flowering plants immediately after harvesting is placed from a door 4a of a transporting chamber 4 on an interior conveyor 6, sent through a door 1a to a treating chamber 1, a vacuum cooling system 7 is operated to cool the perishable foods in vacuum in a state where the door of the container 5 is slightly open, then a gas is introduced from a substitution gas feed system 8 to the treating chamber 1 and the door of the container 5 is hermetically closed. Then the container 5 is transferred through the transporting chamber 4 to a cold reserving chamber 2 or a precooling chamber 3 by the conveyor 6 and stored. On the other hand brine in a brine tank 9 is fed to heat exchangers 7d, 2b, 3b an 4c by a pump 12. The surface temperature at a cold trap side of the heat exchanger 7d of a cold trap 7b, the temperature in the cold reserving chamber 2 and the precooling chamber 3 and the temperature in the transporting chamber 4 are controlled constant by valuable flow rate valves 18-22.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a storage device for distribution that can be used when transporting fresh produce such as vegetables, fruits, and flowers at low temperatures.

[Prior Art] Fresh produce such as vegetables, fruits, and flowers are shipped to the market after being harvested, and their freshness rapidly decreases before reaching consumers. For this reason, in the past, a method of shipping the harvest the next day was commonly used. In this case, the transportation method is to transport vegetables, fruits, flowers, etc. packed in cardboard boxes or plastic cases by means of transportation such as trucks, ships, airplanes, etc., or to transport vegetables, fruits, flowers, etc. in cardboard boxes or plastic cases. The method used has been to pack the food in plastic cases, store it in a refrigerated container or a container with a freezer, and transport it by means of transportation such as trucks, ships, and airplanes, but these methods have little effect on preserving freshness. For example, it is not possible to adjust the shipment amount to prevent price collapse, so recently, fresh vegetables, fruits, flowers, and other perishables are pre-cooled using ventilation cooling, differential pressure cooling, or vacuum cooling immediately after harvesting. They are stored in cold storage, C^ storage, vacuum storage, etc. at the harvest area, and when shipped to the market, they are transported using cold storage, oxygen absorbers, ethylene absorbers, etc., and then transported from the market. It is stored in a refrigerator or the like until it reaches the consumer.

The freshness preservation technology in the distribution process of such perishables is
■ Suppression of physiological effects that continue even after harvest by maintaining low temperatures,
This consists of: - suppressing physiological effects that continue even after harvest by changing the ambient gas concentration; and - suppressing aging and ripening by removing gases such as ethylene that are emitted by the fresh produce itself.・[Problems to be solved by the invention] By the way, among the three functions mentioned above necessary for maintaining the freshness of perishables during the distribution process, the function (■) has traditionally been called the cold chain concept. This process can be carried out continuously from the time fresh produce is harvested to the market, but maintaining low temperatures alone does not allow for sufficient exchange of surrounding gases, making it impossible to sufficiently suppress physiological effects. As the gas is emitted, the aging and ripening of fresh produce progresses. Therefore, at the time of harvesting, the concentration of surrounding gases has been controlled using CA storage methods, vacuum storage methods, etc., and gases such as ethylene have been removed using ethylene absorbents, etc. However, when shipping fresh produce to the market, The problem is that the effectiveness of perishables is lost when they are packed in cardboard boxes or airtight containers and transported, making it virtually difficult to maintain the freshness of perishables during the distribution process. Therefore, even if the freshness is maintained from the time of harvest to the time of shipment, the freshness is lost during the distribution stage, resulting in a decrease in product value and waste.

The present invention solves the problem of maintaining freshness during transportation of fresh produce such as vegetables, fruits, and flowers as described above. The purpose is to provide a storage device for distribution of perishables such as flowers.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the storage device for distribution of perishables such as vegetables, fruits, and flowers according to the present invention stores containers containing perishables such as vegetables, fruits, and flowers. a vacuum cooling system equipped with a vacuum pump that evacuates the processing chamber, a cold trap that captures water vapor generated from perishables, and a replacement gas supply system equipped with a gas source that replaces the gas inside the processing chamber. It is characterized by having the following.

In another form of the present invention, the distribution storage device further includes a cold storage for maintaining a uniform temperature of the perishables in the containers processed in the processing chamber, and It may have a pre-cooling cabinet for pre-chilling the perishables before vacuum cooling the perishables. In this case, preferably, there is a transfer chamber that communicates with the processing chamber and the cold storage or precooling storage or the processing chamber, the cold storage, and the precooling storage via a door, and is equipped with a transfer device for transferring the container between them. may be provided.

Containers containing fresh produce such as vegetables, fruits, flowers, etc. may preferably be equipped with selective gas permeable membranes to permit gas exchange to control gas concentrations within the container.

Further, in the apparatus of the present invention, the replacement gas supply system can be provided via a cooling device coupled to a cold trap in the vacuum cooling system.

Furthermore, in the apparatus according to the present invention, the cooling devices for the cold trap, cold storage, precooling storage, and transfer chamber in the vacuum cooling system may be provided in common or may be provided separately.

[Function] In the storage device for distribution of fresh produce such as vegetables, fruits, and flowers of the present invention constructed in this manner, the temperature of the fresh produce is lowered by vacuum cooling in the processing chamber, and gases such as ethylene are can be removed. In addition, by performing gas replacement when returning to the atmosphere after vacuum cooling, the required gas concentration can be adjusted to the desired concentration, allowing the gas to penetrate efficiently and uniformly even in vegetables, fruits, and flowers that have difficult to reach areas. Furthermore, the ethylene layer surrounding the surfaces of vegetables, fruits, etc. is removed, and the entire interior of the container can be replaced with gas at a desired gas concentration and with uniform gas distribution. After these treatments, when storing or transporting in a cold storage,
Containers equipped with selective gas permeable membranes that allow gas exchange to control internal gas concentrations can reduce fi during storage.
A suitable atmosphere can be easily maintained.

In addition, if necessary, before vacuum cooling treatment in the processing chamber,
By pre-cooling in the pre-cooling chamber, the vacuum cooling process in the processing chamber can be performed efficiently.

Furthermore, by using a liquefied gas source as a displacement gas source and providing a displacement gas supply system via a cooler connected to a cold trap in a vacuum cooling system, the liquefied gas changes from a liquid state to a gas state. The cold heat generated during this process can be effectively used as a cold source for a cooling device.

[Embodiments] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of an apparatus for storing and distributing perishables such as vegetables, fruits, and flowers according to the present invention, in which 1 is a vacuum container constituting a processing chamber, 2 is a cold storage box (the drawing shows two 3 is a pre-cooling storage, and 4 is a transfer chamber provided in common to each of these chambers. Processing chamber 1, each cold storage 2 and pre-cooling storage 3
Each door is provided with doors 1a, 2a, and 3a that communicate with the moving room 4, and the moving room 4 is provided with doors 4a and 4b at both ends.
, 4b are made of a heat insulating material and are configured to be sealed when opened. Processing chamber 1, each cold storage 2, pre-cooling storage 3
A heat insulating material is used for the wall members constituting the transfer room 4, and there is a transfer conveyor, etc. for moving containers 5 containing perishables such as vegetables, fruits, and flowers. A device 6 is provided, but in the drawing the transfer device 6 is only shown in the cold storage 2 and the transfer room 4 on the left.

In addition, the processing room 1, each cold storage 2, pre-cooling storage 3, and transfer room 4
The number and size of containers can be appropriately designed depending on the number and size of containers to be stored and processed. Further, the processing chamber 1 is naturally made of a pressure-resistant material so as to be able to withstand a vacuum state.

The processing chamber 1 is connected to a vacuum cooling system 7 and a replacement gas supply system 8 for replacing gas within the processing chamber. The vacuum cooling system 7 includes a vacuum pump 7a for evacuating the inside of the processing chamber 1 during vacuum cooling, and a cold trap for trapping water vapor generated from the perishables in the container 5 when the vacuum pump 7a evacuates the inside of the processing chamber 1. 7b, and the vacuum pump 7a is connected to the processing chamber 1 via a control valve 7C that can control the pressure inside the processing chamber 1 during vacuum cooling and a cold trap 7b.

The cold tanker 7b includes a heat exchanger 7d for condensing water vapor, and a drain valve 7e for draining the condensed water after vacuum cooling. The heat exchanger 7d is supplied with refrigerant from a brine tank 9 that constitutes a cooling device.

The replacement gas supply system 8 includes two different types of liquefied gas tanks 8a and 8b (for example, nitrogen and carbon dioxide). :
t6 E, the liquefied gases from these gas tanks 8a and 8b are vaporized through expansion valves 8C18d, respectively, and passed through heat exchangers 8e and 8f inserted in the brine tank 9, and gas introduction valves 8g and 8h to the processing chamber 1. be introduced within. Filters 81.8j for removing dust, bacteria, etc. from the introduced gas are provided between the gas introduction valves 8g, 8h and the processing chamber 1 in the replacement gas supply system 8, and the gas introduction valve 8g , 8h to the gas tanks 8a, 8b are provided with drain valves 8k, 81, respectively. Prepare a stand to remove any remaining moisture.

In the brine tank 9, the heat exchangers 8e and 8r are adapted to obtain the necessary thermal energy from the refrigerant when the gas is vaporized from the liquid, and the refrigerant in the brine tank 9 is
These heat exchangers 8e, 8f and the heat exchanger 11 introduced from the refrigerator 10 keep the temperature below a certain level.

The refrigerant in the brine tank 9 is pumped by the brine pump 12 to the heat exchanger 7d in the cold trap 7b, the heat exchanger 2b provided in each cold storage 2, the heat exchanger 3b in the pre-cooling storage 3, and the transfer room. In this case, the flow rate of the refrigerant, that is, brine, supplied to each heat exchanger is determined by the output from the thermometers 13 to 17 that measure the temperature inside each refrigerator and the room. It can be regulated by variable flow valves 18-22 on the inlet side of each heat exchanger, which are controlled by a signal. Fan devices 2c, 3c, and 4d that circulate air cooled on the surfaces of the respective heat exchangers 2b, 3b, and 4C are arranged in each of the cold storage warehouses 2, precooling warehouses 3, and transfer chambers 4.

As a result, the temperatures within each cold storage 2, pre-cooling storage 3, and transfer chamber 4 are made uniform and constant.

To explain the operation of the illustrated apparatus configured in this way, the container 5 loaded with fresh produce immediately after harvesting is placed on the internal conveyor 6 by opening W4a of the transfer chamber t1, and by opening the door 1a of the processing chamber 1. It is carried into the processing chamber 1. Processing room l
Inside, the vacuum cooling system 7 is operated with the door of the container 5 slightly open to perform vacuum cooling. After the vacuum cooling process, gas is introduced into the processing chamber 1 by the replacement gas supply system 8. After the gas replacement process, the door of the container 5 is sealed, and the container 5 is transferred from the processing chamber 1 to the cold storage 2 or the pre-cooling storage 3 via the transfer chamber 4 by the conveyor 6. Containers 5 that have been vacuum-cooled by such operations, replaced with gas, and stored are taken out from the cold storage 2 or pre-cooled storage 3 to the transfer room 4 by the conveyor 6, and passed through the door 4b of the transfer room 4, for example. It is loaded onto a refrigerated truck and transported to its destination. During these operations, the brine tank 9
The brine contained in the heat exchanger 7d, 2b, 3 installed in each chamber and Tama is pumped by the brine pump 12.
b, 4C, respectively, and the cold trap side surface temperature of the heat exchanger 7d in the cold trap 7b, the internal temperature of each cold storage 2, the internal temperature of the pre-cooling storage 3, and the indoor temperature of the transfer chamber 4 are kept constant. The fluid is circulated while being regulated by the variable flow valves 18-22 associated with each other so that the flow rate is maintained.

FIG. 2 shows an example of a preferred type of shipping container that can be used in the present invention. urethane material 25, openings 26 are provided in each of the opposing side wall portions, and selective gas permeable M27 is attached to these openings 26 in a sealed manner with metal fittings 28. ing. There are two outlets at the bottom of the container so that the container can be carried by a forklift, and although it is not shown in the drawings, there is a door for putting in and taking out fresh produce such as vegetables, fruits, and flowers. An outer frame may be provided as a reinforcing member if necessary.

Furthermore, instead of the container as shown in FIG. 2, any type of container can be used in the present invention, examples of which include Japanese Patent Application No. 61-76689 Mei ME Toku and Toku IAF @ 6'' Examples include those described in the specification of I-82328.

Incidentally, in the illustrated embodiment, one brine tank and refrigerator are used for the processing chamber, cold storage, precooling storage, and transfer room, but multiple brine tanks and refrigerators may be provided individually. It is also possible to configure the replacement gas supply system without passing through a brine tank.

Furthermore, although the illustrated device has been described as an example where the scale of the device is relatively large, in the case of a small-scale device, other transportation means such as a forklift can be used without providing a conveyor or the like. Further, there is no need to provide a moving room in particular.

Furthermore, some root vegetables have a small vacuum cooling effect, so when handling such stored items, it is necessary to cool them in a pre-cooling cabinet before vacuum cooling, or to store them in a pre-cooling cabinet after vacuum cooling. You can also use a device to keep it cool. In addition, if there is a risk of low-temperature damage occurring during storage, the temperature of the cold storage box can be adjusted appropriately for storage, and the temperature inside the cold storage box, pre-cooling box, and transfer room can also be adjusted depending on the location and storage location. It can be set as appropriate depending on the environment or the item being handled.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, the storage device for distribution of perishables such as vegetables, fruits, and flowers according to the present invention can be used not only for storage for the purpose of shipping adjustment at harvest areas but also for transportation. Through the so-called distribution stage up to the market, we can maintain the freshness of fresh produce such as vegetables, fruits, and flowers after harvesting, and even if it takes a relatively long time to transport, the freshness can be maintained. It is also possible to bring the product to market, thereby making it possible to use low-cost transportation methods.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the main parts of an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.
The figure is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of a container that can be used for the eyebrows of FIG. Figure Middle 1: Processing room 2: Cold storage 3: Pre-cooling floor 4: Transfer room 5: Container 7: Vacuum cooling system 8: Replacement gas supply system 9 Nib line tank 10: Freezer 11: Heat exchanger 12 Nib line pump Figure 2 Procedure Ne 11 official text (spontaneous)

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A processing chamber that accommodates containers containing perishables such as vegetables, fruits, and flowers, a vacuum equipped with a vacuum pump that evacuates the inside of the processing chamber, and a cold trap that captures water vapor generated from the perishables. A storage device for distribution of perishables such as vegetables, fruits, and flowers, characterized by having a cooling system and a replacement gas supply system equipped with a gas source for replacing gas in the processing chamber. 2. Vegetables according to claim 1, wherein the container for storing fresh produce such as vegetables, fruits, flowers, etc. is equipped with a selective gas permeable membrane capable of gas exchange in order to control the gas concentration inside the container. Storage equipment for distribution of perishables such as fruits and flowers. 3. The vegetables and fruits according to claim 1, wherein the gas source is a liquefied gas source, and a replacement gas supply system is provided via a cooling device coupled to a cold trap in a vacuum cooling system. , storage equipment for distribution of perishables such as flowers. 4. A processing chamber that accommodates containers containing perishables such as vegetables, fruits, and flowers; a vacuum cooling system equipped with a vacuum pump that evacuates the inside of the processing chamber; and a cold trap that captures water vapor generated from the perishables; and the above-mentioned processing chamber. Vegetables, fruits, flowers, etc., characterized by having a replacement gas supply system equipped with a gas source for replacing gas with gas, and a cold storage that maintains a uniform temperature of the perishables in the container processed in the processing chamber. Storage equipment for distribution of perishables. 5. Vegetables according to claim 4, wherein the container for storing fresh produce such as vegetables, fruits, and flowers is equipped with a selective gas permeable membrane that allows gas exchange to control the gas concentration inside the container. Storage equipment for distribution of perishables such as fruits and flowers. 6. Claim 4, wherein the cold storage that maintains a uniform temperature of the perishables in the container processed in the processing chamber is cooled with a refrigerant from a cooling device coupled to a cold trap in a vacuum cooling system. A storage device for distribution of perishables such as vegetables, fruits, and flowers as described in . 7. Vegetables, fruits, and flowers according to claim 4, wherein the cold storage that maintains a uniform temperature of the fresh produce in the container processed in the processing chamber is cooled with a refrigerant from a separate cooling device. storage equipment for distribution of perishables, etc. 8. A processing chamber that accommodates containers containing perishables such as vegetables, fruits, and flowers, a vacuum cooling system equipped with a vacuum pump that evacuates the processing chamber and a cold trap that captures water vapor generated from the perishables, and the processing chamber described above. Vegetables, fruits, characterized in that they have a replacement gas supply system equipped with a gas source for gas replacement, and a pre-cooling chamber for pre-cooling fresh food in the container before vacuum cooling the fresh food in the container in the processing chamber, Storage equipment for distribution of perishables such as flowers. 9. Vegetables according to claim 8, wherein the container for storing fresh produce such as vegetables, fruits, flowers, etc. is equipped with a selective gas permeable membrane that allows gas exchange to control the gas concentration inside the container. Storage equipment for distribution of perishables such as fruits and flowers. 10. Claim No. 1, wherein the pre-cooling chamber for pre-cooling the perishables in the container before vacuum-cooling the perishables in the container in the processing chamber is cooled with a refrigerant from a cooling device coupled to a cold trap in the vacuum cooling system. Storage device for distribution of perishables such as vegetables, fruits, and flowers according to item 8. 11. The vegetables according to claim 8, wherein the pre-cooling chamber for pre-cooling the fresh produce in the container before vacuum cooling the fresh produce in the container in the processing chamber is cooled with a refrigerant from a separate cooling device;
Storage equipment for distribution of perishables such as fruits and flowers. 12. A processing chamber that accommodates containers containing fresh produce such as vegetables, fruits, and flowers; a vacuum cooling system equipped with a vacuum pump that evacuates the processing chamber; and a cold trap that captures water vapor generated from the fresh produce; the processing chamber described above; A replacement gas supply system equipped with a gas source to replace gas, a cold storage to maintain a uniform temperature of the perishables in the containers processed in the processing chamber, and a vacuum cooling system for the perishables in the containers in the processing chamber. A storage device for distribution of perishables such as vegetables, fruits, and flowers, characterized by having a pre-cooling chamber for pre-cooling perishables before storing them. 13. A processing chamber that accommodates containers containing fresh produce such as vegetables, fruits, and flowers; a vacuum cooling system equipped with a vacuum pump that evacuates the processing chamber; and a cold trap that captures water vapor generated from the fresh produce; A replacement gas supply system equipped with a gas source to replace gas, a cold storage to maintain a uniform temperature of the perishables in the containers processed in the processing chamber, and a vacuum cooling of the perishables in the containers in the processing chamber. Perishables such as vegetables, fruits, and flowers, characterized by having a pre-cooling chamber for pre-cooling the fresh produce, and a transfer chamber equipped with a transfer device for transferring containers between the processing chamber, the cold storage chamber and the pre-cooling chamber. Storage equipment for distribution of goods.