JPS6396006A - Vacuum packaging method - Google Patents

Abstract

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

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION <Industrial Application Field> The present invention relates to a vacuum packaging method, particularly to a vacuum packaging method suitable for vacuum packaging objects containing liquid.

<Prior art and its problems> Pickles and other foods that are packaged together with a large amount of liquid have a high efficiency vacuum device because the liquid may boil violently in a vacuum and jump out of the packaging bag. In addition, in the case of "air-containing foods" that contain many air bubbles in the packaged items, it is difficult to completely remove the air bubbles during vacuum packaging, making it impossible to perform a suitable vacuum packaging process. Furthermore, if heat-processed foods such as "fried tofu" and "ganmodoki" for inari sushi are vacuum-packed immediately after heat-processing, the temperature will be high, so the flavorings that are added to them will cause the liquid to boil, and once cooled. Vacuum packaging could only be done after cooling with a device. Therefore, the overall processing time will inevitably increase,
It was difficult to improve processing efficiency.

In addition, the vacuum packaging process is divided into primary vacuum and secondary vacuum,
Atmospheric air is temporarily introduced into the chamber during the primary vacuum,
A vacuum packaging method has been proposed in which the air bubbles in the liquid 11 in the packaging bag are drawn out to the water surface and ruptured by the impact at this time, thereby eliminating the air bubbles in the liquid and thereby shortening the vacuum processing time. However, the method of dealing with boiling has not been taken into account (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 33819), and it is said that there is no knowledge of how to handle heat-processed foods. There are still many issues left to be resolved.

This invention was made by focusing on the above-mentioned prior art, and includes packaged objects containing sap (liquid), packaged objects containing many air bubbles, and packaged objects containing sap (liquid) with high temperature. ,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a vacuum packaging method that can reliably and efficiently vacuum package such items.

<Means for Solving the Problems> In order to achieve the above object, the inventors of the present invention have conducted intensive research and have developed the following vacuum packaging method. That is, in the vacuum packaging method according to the first invention (the invention set forth in claim 1) in which vacuum packaging is performed using one vacuum chamber, a packaging bag filled with a liquid-containing object to be packaged is placed in a vacuum chamber. The container is placed in a vacuum chamber, performs preliminary deaeration by deaerating the air in the vacuum chamber to the boiling point, and stops the preliminary deaeration by sensing water vapor generated at the initial stage of boiling of the liquid in the packaging bag with a sensor,
Next, main degassing is performed to gently degas the air in the vacuum chamber for a time set in advance by a timer. After the main degassing is completed, the packaging bag is pressed and shaped using a shaping plate installed in the vacuum chamber, and then the packaging is completed. The opening of the packaging bag is heat-sealed while the bag remains pressed and shaped. and,
The vacuum packaging method according to the second invention (the invention set forth in claim 2) uses two chambers for vacuum packaging. Bags and packaging bags that have gone through the process in the first vacuum chamber can be transported and placed in the second vacuum chamber, respectively, and the process in the first vacuum chamber and the process in the second vacuum chamber are performed sequentially or simultaneously. The process in the first vacuum chamber includes performing preliminary deaeration to degas the air in the first vacuum chamber to the boiling point, and removing water vapor generated at the initial stage of boiling of the liquid in the packaging bag. is detected by a sensor and the preliminary deaeration is stopped, and then main deaeration is performed for a time set in advance by a timer in which the air in the first vacuum chamber is slowly degassed. In the process in the vacuum chamber, preliminary deaeration is performed by deaerating the air in the second vacuum chamber to the boiling point, and a sensor detects water vapor generated when the liquid in the packaging bag is boiling, and the preliminary deaeration is performed. Then, main deaeration is performed to slowly degas the air in the second vacuum chamber for a time set in advance by a timer, and after the main deaeration is completed, the packaging bag is removed using a shaping plate provided in the second vacuum chamber. The opening of the packaging bag is heat-sealed while the packaging bag remains pressed and shaped.

<Function> The first invention will be explained in detail. First, since preliminary degassing is performed to degas the air to its boiling point, the degassing process time in the vacuum chamber can be shortened. If preliminary deaeration is continued as it is, the liquid inside the packaging bag will gradually begin to boil, and eventually boil violently and jump out of the packaging bag, especially when vacuum packaging heated processed foods as they are. Because the temperature is high, the boiling point of the liquid inside the packaging bag also drops, making it more likely to boil and jump out. Therefore,
A sensor detects water vapor in the early stage of boiling, when the liquid has not yet boiled much, and the preliminary deaeration is stopped. Then, main deaeration is performed, in which deaeration is performed slowly to the extent that the liquid does not boil violently. Although the inside of the packaging bag is not in a vacuum because the moisture evaporates, the air remaining in the packaging bag comes out of the packaging bag together with water vapor, and the inside of the packaging bag becomes almost only water vapor. This main degassing will automatically stop when the time set in advance by the timer has elapsed. Then, the packaging bag is pressed and shaped using a shaping plate in the vacuum chamber while the bag is in a vacuum state during the main deaeration. At this time, if there is any thin air left inside the packaging bag, it is pushed out of the packaging bag, and by pressing and shaping, the opening of the packaging bag can be matched without wrinkles, and all that is left to do is heat seal the opening. This makes it possible to obtain a finish with almost no bubbles and no wrinkles.

Next, the second invention will be explained in detail. In this second invention, there are two vacuum chambers, namely a first vacuum chamber and a second vacuum chamber.
In the first vacuum chamber, only preliminary degassing and main degassing are performed, and in the second vacuum chamber, in addition to the preliminary degassing and main degassing, the packaging bag is pressed and shaped by a shaping plate, and the opening is It performs heat sealing. Then, the packaging bag is vacuum-treated in advance in a first vacuum chamber by preliminary degassing and main degassing similar to the first invention. The packaging bag that has undergone the process in the first vacuum chamber is then transferred to the second vacuum chamber.

At this time, the packaging bag is once exposed to the atmosphere, but since the inside of the packaging bag is evacuated, the opening is tightly tightened by atmospheric pressure, and the atmosphere hardly returns to the inside of the packaging bag. Also, the packaging bag is pushed by atmospheric pressure and air bubbles come out to a position where they can be easily removed. Then, in the second vacuum chamber, a process similar to the first invention is performed to obtain a final vacuum packaged product. In the second invention, the process in the first vacuum chamber and the process in the second vacuum chamber are performed simultaneously.

<Embodiments> Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.

1 to 3 are diagrams showing a vacuum packaging apparatus for performing a vacuum packaging method according to an embodiment of the first invention. Reference numeral 1 denotes a main body of the conveying device, in which a rotating belt 3 is wound around rollers 2 at both ends. The surface of this rotating belt 3 has a surface in the conveying direction (
A plurality of seal stands 4, which also serve as pillows, are fixed in a direction perpendicular to the direction indicated by arrow A in FIG. Of the several sealing stands 4, two rows of sealing stands 4 appear on the upper surface of this rotary belt 3, located in the preparation zone J and the processing zone S, respectively. Each opening 6 of three packaging bags 5 is placed on each stand 4. This packaging bag 5 is filled with high-temperature fried tofu (product to be packaged) XJ after heating processing together with a large amount of flavor soup (liquid) Y. And the rotating heald 3 is
By rotating with the packaging bag 5 placed thereon, the packaging bag 5 can be conveyed intermittently at a constant speed.

Further, the conveying device main body 1 itself can freely adjust the tilt angle along with the rotating heald 3, and the opening 6 side of the packaging bag 5 can be raised by an arbitrary angle to prevent the flavor juice Y inside the packaging bag 5 from spilling. It becomes. Therefore, although the device shown in Fig. 3 is often used in an upwardly inclined state to the left,
An arbitrary angle of inclination may be selected depending on the amount of Y, and of course, if the amount of flavor Y is small, it may be used in a horizontal position. In addition, 7 is an instrument part, which is tilted in advance in the opposite direction to the conveying apparatus main body 1 so that it can be easily seen due to the inclination of the conveying apparatus main body 1.

8 is a vacuum chamber, which can be moved up and down by a deaeration pipe 9 which also serves as a holding arm; and three packaging bags placed on a sealing stand 4 in a processing zone S on a rotating belt 3. 5 can be covered. When the vacuum chamber 8 is placed over the rotating belt 3 and brought into close contact with the rotary belt 3, the degassing pipe 9 is connected to the vacuum pump 11.
This is to evacuate the inside of the tank and create a vacuum in the internal space.

Also, inside this vacuum chamber 8, a heating plate that moves up and down with an air pillow 12 having a hollow structure formed of an elastic member is provided in order to heat-seal the opening 6 of the packaging bag 5 while sandwiching it with the sealing stand 4. 13 are provided. Similarly, a shaping plate 15 that is moved up and down by a shaping cylinder 14 is provided inside the vacuum chamber 8 . The shaping cylinder 14 and the air pillow 12 are both operated by an air supply mechanism (not shown).

In addition, as shown in FIG. An auxiliary deaeration valve 19 with a small ventilation opening is provided in the auxiliary deaeration valve 19.In addition, a sensor 20 using a phototube element is provided in the middle of the deaeration path 6, and a sensor 20 is provided in the middle of the deaeration path 6. It is designed to sense when water stem air passes through it.

A blow valve 21 takes in air when returning the inside of the vacuum chamber 8 to atmospheric pressure. Furthermore, 1
6a and 18a each indicate a throttle valve.

Next, the operation will be explained.

With the opening 6 placed on the seal stand 4 located in the preparation zone J on the entry side 22, the three packaging bags 5 are placed on the rotating belt 3.
Place it on top. This packaging bag 5 is filled with fried tofu (wrapping material) XJ, which has just been heat-processed and is at a high temperature, along with the flavored soup Y.

■ The rotating belt 3 is rotated to transport the packaging bags 5 placed in the preparation zone and ■ to the processing zone S. On the other hand, the next new packaging bag 5 is placed on the sealing stand 4 in the preparation zone (2).

(2) The vacuum chamber 8 is lowered and is covered from above onto the packaging bag 5 which has been transported to the processing zone S.

The air in the internal space formed in the vacuum chamber 8 is then degassed to the boiling point via the main deaeration valve 17 of the deaeration path 16. The air in the vacuum chamber 8 is removed in a short time, and the pressure inside the vacuum chamber 8 is immediately reduced.

Sensor installation■ If the above preliminary degassing is continued, the flavor juice inside the packaging bag 5 (
As the liquid (liquid) Y gradually approaches its boiling point and finally boils violently and jumps out of the packaging bag 5, the sensor 20 detects water vapor in the early stage of boiling, when the flavored soup Y has not yet boiled very much.
It is sensed by That is, as the degree of boiling increases, the amount of water vapor passing through the deaeration path 16 gradually increases, and by sensing this state with the sensor 20, the initial state of boiling can be determined.

■ When the initial state of boiling is detected by the sensor 20, the main deaeration valve 17 is closed, the auxiliary deaeration valve 19 is opened, and the deaeration path 16 is opened.
is switched to the bypass path 18.

Main deaeration is performed to remove the air inside. Because the ventilation opening of the auxiliary degassing valve 19 is small, the main degassing at this time is gradual degassing, and the naturalization of water is also slow, and violent boiling that causes the flavor soup Y to jump out does not occur, and the condition is good. Degassing within the vacuum chamber 8 can be continued.

(2) Main deaeration is performed for a time set in advance by a timer, and when that time has elapsed, the auxiliary deaeration valve 19 is closed.

■Poor■ When the main deaeration is completed, air is sent from the shaping cylinder 14 by an air supply mechanism (not shown), and the packaging bag 5 is pressed and shaped from above by the shaping plate 15.

■ At the time when the main degassing is finished, the packaging bag 5 is in a swollen state due to water vapor containing diluted air inside the packaging bag 5, but due to the suppression shaping by the shaping plate 15, the packaging bag 5
The shape of the packaging bag 5 is adjusted by suppressing the swelling, and at the same time, the thin air remaining inside is pushed out from the opening 6 into the vacuum chamber 8.

[Phase] The suppression shaping by the shaping plate 15 pushes out the diluted air inside the packaging bag 5 as described above, and also adjusts the shape of the packaging bag 5. Therefore, the wrinkles in the opening 6 of the sealing base 4'' are eliminated, and the opening 6 is straightened. The parts 6 can be fitted together without any gaps.

Heat Sealing■ Then, air is introduced into the air column 12 that supports the heating plate 13 while keeping it in the pressed and shaped state. The heating plate 13 is lowered and the opening 6 of the packaging bag 5 is sandwiched between the sealing stand 4 and heat sealing (welding) is performed. At this time,
Since the opening 6 is smoothed by the sealing base 4 by the above-described pressure shaping, a clean sealing state without wrinkles can be obtained.

0 After the heat sealing is completed, the blow valve 21 is opened, a large amount of air is introduced into the vacuum chamber 8, and the inside of the vacuum chamber 8 is returned to atmospheric pressure.

Then, the vacuum chamber 8 rises, the rotary heald 3 rotates, and the vacuum packaged product is sent out from the processing zone S to the exit side 10, and the next packaging bag 5 is positioned to be transferred to the processing zone S. .

By repeating the above steps, vacuum packaging processing can be performed one after another.

5 to 8 are diagrams showing an embodiment of the second invention.

In addition, the same reference numerals are given to the parts that are common to the conventional ones,
Duplicate explanations will be omitted.

This second invention uses two vacuum chambers 23.8,
The purpose is to improve the efficiency of vacuum packaging operations. The rotating belt 24 in this embodiment is arranged so that three rows of seal stands 4 appear on the upper side corresponding to the preparation zone J and the processing zones S1 and S2. Also provided are a second vacuum chamber 8, which is completely similar to the embodiment described above, which is placed over the packaging bag 5 in the processing zone S2, and a first vacuum chamber 23, which is placed over the packaging bag 5 in the processing zone S1. This first vacuum chamber 23 has the same structure as the second vacuum chamber 8 except that it does not include the shaping cylinder 14, the shaping plate 15, the air column 12, and the heating plate I3. and,
Both the first vacuum chamber 23 and the second vacuum chamber 8 are connected to the vacuum pump 11 via substantially the same vacuum system as in the embodiment B described above.

Next, the operation will be explained.

First, three packaging bags 5 are placed on the seal stand 4 located in the preparation zone J on the entry side 22. Then, the rotating belt 3 is sent, and the previously placed packaging bag 5 is transferred to the processing zone S1, where it is placed in the first vacuum chamber 23.

At this time, the seal stand 4 that appears in the preparation zone J
The next packaging bag 5 is newly arranged.

In the first vacuum chamber 23, preliminary degassing and main degassing are performed, which are controlled by the sensor 20 and the timer, as in the previous embodiment of the first invention. Since the shaping plate 15, the heating plate 13, etc. are not provided in the first vacuum chamber 23 as described above, only the above-described degassing is performed.

When the main deaeration in the first vacuum chamber 23 is completed, the pressure inside the first vacuum chamber 23 is returned to atmospheric pressure by opening the blow valve 21, and the first vacuum chamber 23 rises. Incidentally, the degassing in the first vacuum chamber 23b can be continued until the heat sealing of the second vacuum chamber 8 is completed.

Next, the rotating belt 3 is further fed by a certain amount, and the packaging bag 5 that was in the first vacuum chamber 23 is transferred to the next processing zone S2, where it is placed in the second vacuum chamber 8. At this time, the packaging bag 5 that was in the preparation zone J is also placed in the first vacuum chamber 23 of the processing zone S1. Also,
A new packaging bag 5 is placed in the preparation zone J.

When being transferred from the first vacuum chamber 23 to the second vacuum chamber 8, the packaging bag 5 is once exposed to the atmosphere, but the inside of the packaging bag 5 is evacuated by the vacuum process by the first vacuum chamber 23. Therefore, there is no possibility that the opening 6 will become tightly closed due to atmospheric pressure and the atmosphere will return to the inside of the packaging bag 5. Furthermore, the packaging bag 5 is pushed by the atmosphere and comes out to a position where air bubbles can be easily removed.

When the packaging bags 5 are placed in the first vacuum chamber 23 and the second vacuum chamber 8, the first vacuum chamber 23 undergoes preliminary degassing and main degassing as described above, and at the same time, the 2. In the vacuum chamber 8, all steps from preliminary degassing to heat sealing are performed as in the previous embodiment.

The degassing in the second vacuum chamber 8 is performed in advance in the packaging bag 5 in the first vacuum chamber 23, so
A short time of degassing is sufficient. After that, the steps described above are sequentially repeated, taking out the vacuum packaged product from the outlet side 10 and placing a new packaging bag 5 in the preparation zone J on the input side 22, and processing the packaging bags 5 one after another. I can go.

<Effects> The vacuum packaging method according to the first invention has the content as explained above, and compared to the normal method in which the degassing rate is unnecessarily restricted for fear of blowing out the liquid. Since preliminary degassing is performed to rapidly degas the air, the time required to create a vacuum in the vacuum chamber can be shortened, and the overall efficiency of the vacuum packaging operation can be improved.

In addition, this preliminary degassing is controlled by a sensor when the degassing ends, so the liquid inside the packaging bag will not boil too much and spill out, and the temperature will be high enough to prevent the liquid from spilling out. It is particularly suitable for vacuum packaging of heat-processed foods.

In other words, when vacuum packaging heat-processed foods, etc., the high-temperature liquid in the packaging bag tends to boil violently. However, in the case of the present invention, boiling and splashing of liquid is controlled and prevented by a sensor, so heated processed foods, etc. can be vacuum packaged immediately after processing. Therefore, the time required for a cooling device and a cooling process and the time required for 1ull transport are no longer required, and there are great advantages in terms of processing costs and work efficiency after heat processing. Furthermore, being able to quickly vacuum pack foods after heat processing is extremely important from the standpoint of preserving the quality, taste, and flavor of foods.

In addition, since the packaging bag is pressed and shaped by the shaping plate, the bulge of the packaging bag is suppressed and the shape of the packaging bag is adjusted.
The thin air inside the packaging bag can be pushed out through the opening.

Furthermore, adjusting the shape of the packaging bag by pressing makes it possible to stabilize the shape of the packaging bag, prevent wrinkles from forming at the opening, and obtain a clean heat-sealed state with almost no air bubbles and no wrinkles. can.

Moreover, in the vacuum packaging method according to the second invention, in addition to the effects shown in the first invention, since air bubbles are removed by degassing to some extent in advance in the first vacuum chamber, the second
This has the effect that degassing in a vacuum chamber can be done in a short time, vacuum packaging processing with even fewer bubbles can be performed, and the overall efficiency of vacuum packaging work can be improved.

Furthermore, when the packaging bag is transferred from the first vacuum chamber to the second vacuum chamber, it is once returned to atmospheric pressure, so the packaging bag is pushed by atmospheric pressure and comes out to a position where air bubbles can be easily removed. A side effect is that removal in the second vacuum chamber is facilitated.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a vacuum packaging apparatus for performing a vacuum packaging method according to an embodiment of the first invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view seen from the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. Arrow m- in figure 2
4 is an explanatory diagram showing a deaeration system of a vacuum chamber, and FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the NR line. FIG. 5 is equivalent to FIG. 6 is a plan view taken from the direction indicated by the arrow 1 in FIG. 2, FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along the line indicated by the arrow FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram corresponding to FIG. 4; 3.24 - Rotating belt 4 - Seal stand 5 - Packaging bag 6 - Sekiguchi section 8.23 - Vacuum chamber 13 - Heating plate 15 - Shaping plate 20 - Sensor

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) A packaging bag filled with a liquid-containing packaged item is placed in a vacuum chamber, the air in the vacuum chamber is degassed to the boiling point, and the liquid in the packaging bag is in the early stages of boiling. The preliminary deaeration is stopped by detecting the water vapor generated in the vacuum chamber, and then the main deaeration, in which the air in the vacuum chamber is slowly degassed, is performed for a time set in advance by a timer, and after the main deaeration is completed, the vacuum is A vacuum packaging method characterized by pressing and shaping a packaging bag with a shaping plate provided in a chamber, and heat-sealing the opening of the packaging bag while the packaging bag remains pressed and shaped. (2) A new packaging bag filled with a liquid-containing packaged object can be transported and placed in the first vacuum chamber, and a packaging bag that has gone through the process of the first vacuum chamber can be transported and placed in the second vacuum chamber. , and the process in the first vacuum chamber and the process in the second vacuum chamber are performed simultaneously, and the process in the first vacuum chamber includes a preliminary degassing process in which the air in the first vacuum chamber is degassed to the boiling point. Then, a sensor detects water vapor generated when the liquid in the packaging bag begins to boil, and stops the preliminary deaeration. Then, the main deaeration is performed in advance, in which the air in the first vacuum chamber is slowly degassed. The process is carried out for a time set by a timer, and the process in the second vacuum chamber is performed in the second vacuum chamber.
Preliminary deaeration is carried out by deaerating the air in the vacuum chamber to the boiling point, and a sensor detects water vapor generated when the liquid in the packaging bag boils to stop the preparatory deaeration, and then the second vacuum chamber is degassed. The main degassing process, which gently deaerates the air inside, is performed for a preset time using a timer.
After the main degassing is completed, the packaging bag is pressed and shaped by a shaping plate provided in the second vacuum chamber, and the opening of the packaging bag is heat-sealed while the packaging bag remains pressed and shaped. Packaging method.