In the method of producing aseptic packed rice cooked as described in Patent Document 1, the sterilization treatment can be performed using the apparatus described in Patent Document 2, thereby making it possible to produce fully sterilized packed rice. Aseptically packed rice cooked in this manner can be stored for a long period of time even at room temperature. If the cooked rice is cooked for a few minutes with a microwave oven after purchasing, the consumer can easily eat the food of the same taste and texture as the cooked rice. It is possible to eliminate waste loss due to excessive purchase or lost opportunity loss due to purchase of the excess. In addition, this manufacturing method can be applied not only to rice but also to multi-use foods such as noodles such as pasta and corroded products, and gives a great prospect to market expansion of aseptic packed foods.
However, the sterilization apparatus described in Patent Document 2 has a further improvement. That is, the sterilization apparatus does not yet have a lid attached thereto. Therefore, the food-filled container in which the upper surface of the container is opened is subjected to steam sterilization by introducing pressurized vapor from above. However, Since it is required to have gas impermeability in order to prevent contamination, the vapor introduced into the interior of the container from above can not pass through the container. Therefore, it has been found that steam may not be introduced into corners or corners of the vessel depending on the pressure of the introduced steam or the treatment time, and the entire contents can not be uniformly sterilized. This problem can be solved by increasing the vapor pressure or increasing the treatment time, but it is undesirable because it leads to a decrease in treatment efficiency and an increase in cost.
In order to improve these drawbacks, in many conventional products, the pH adjuster is enclosed in a container to maintain its quality. However, since a unique odor is felt by the pH adjuster when it is opened, It can not be said that this is a preferable method.
Therefore, a problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a novel food product which can sterilize packed foods such as rice cooked rice more effectively by solving the above-mentioned disadvantages of the conventional sterilizing device as described in Patent Document 2 And more particularly to a food sterilization apparatus and a food sterilization method using the food sterilization apparatus. More specifically, the present invention also provides a food sterilization method using a food sterilization apparatus, So that it can be effectively sterilized.
In order to solve this problem, the invention related to Claim 1 is a food sterilizing apparatus for sterilizing foods accommodated in a container having a top opening with high-temperature high-pressure steam, the food sterilizing apparatus comprising an upper chamber having a steam inlet and a steam outlet, A lower chamber opposed to the image chamber so as to be relatively movable with respect to the image chamber, and a lower chamber in which the upper and lower chambers are brought into close contact with each other, And the nozzle unit includes a nozzle base mounted on the image chamber and an upper end of the nozzle base opened in the vapor chamber between the image chamber and the nozzle base, And a nozzle unit having a steam nozzle penetrating and projecting further downward, wherein when the upper and lower chambers are in close contact with each other, Pressure steam introduced from the steam inlet of the image chamber is ejected from the steam chamber into the container through the vapor nozzle to move the food into the container by moving the vapor nozzle into the container through the container moving means, Is sterilized.
The invention related to claim 2 is characterized in that, in the food sterilizing apparatus according to claim 1, the steam nozzle has a lower end closed in a sharp shape, and is opened at the side near the lower end.
The invention related to claim 3 is characterized in that, in the food sterilizing apparatus according to claim 1, the vapor nozzle is opened only at the lower end thereof.
The invention related to claim 4 is characterized in that, in the food sterilizing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, the vapor nozzle has a micro concavity and convexity on its side at least in its lower portion.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the food sterilizing apparatus according to the first aspect, the nozzle unit is provided below the nozzle base, and when the closed space is formed between the upper and lower chambers, And the steam nozzle projects through the nozzle holder so as to be drawn into the food containing container from the lower surface thereof.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the food sterilizing apparatus according to the fifth aspect, the nozzle holder has an upper end mounted on a flange of the food containing container and a lower end inserted into a receiving portion of the food containing container to a predetermined depth .
According to claim 7 of the present invention, in the food sterilizing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, in order to evacuate the inside of the food containing container housed in the closed space between the upper and lower chambers, And means.
The invention relating to claim 8 is the food sterilizing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the nozzle unit is configured such that the food container housed in the closed space between the upper and lower chambers is moved by the container moving unit, And a pressing plate for closing the opening of the food containing container when the container is moved toward the food holding container.
According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the food sterilizing apparatus according to the eighth aspect of the invention, the pressure plate has a nozzle insertion hole having a diameter larger than the outer diameter of the steam nozzle, And a passage through which steam is discharged is provided in a state where the steam is discharged.
The invention related to claim 10 is characterized in that, in the food sterilizing apparatus according to claim 8 or 9, the presser plate is mounted with a slight upward and downward movement with respect to the nozzle base.
The invention relating to claim 11 is the food sterilizing apparatus according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein the pressure plate is capable of being held in a standby position, and the food container accommodated in the closed space between the upper and lower chambers When the container is moved toward the image chamber by the container moving means, moves to the raised position in contact with the flange of the food container, thereby closing the opening of the food container in close contact with the container flange.
The invention related to claim 12 is characterized in that, in the food sterilizing apparatus according to any one of claims 8 to 11, a plurality of pressure plates different in thickness are prepared as the pressure plate, and a pressure plate having a thickness corresponding to the depth of the container can be used And is mounted on the nozzle unit so as to be detachable and replaceable.
According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, in the food sterilizing apparatus according to any one of the first to twelfth aspects, a steam guide having a shape surrounding the upper surface opening of the food container is formed on the nozzle base And a steam chamber is formed as a substantially enclosed space surrounded by the steam guide when the upper and lower chambers are brought into close contact with each other. The steam inlet opens from the inside of the steam guide and the steam outlet opens from the outside of the steam guide do.
According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, in the food sterilizing apparatus according to any one of the first to thirteenth aspects, a steam exhaust hole is formed in the nozzle base at the outside of the steam guide, and is introduced from the steam inlet, Is discharged from the steam outlet through the steam outlet through the steam chamber.
The invention related to claim 15 is the food sterilizing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 14, further comprising a container holding means for holding the food containing container at a predetermined height position, The food containing container is lifted from the container holding means and raised from the standby position in which it does not interfere with the food containing container supported by the container holding means, And the steam nozzle is drawn to a predetermined depth in the food container.
The invention relating to claim 16 is characterized in that, in the food sterilizing apparatus according to claim 15, the container moving means has a push-up plate provided so as to be able to move up and down with respect to the lower chamber, And is in contact with the bottom surface of the food containing container supported by the container holding means.
The invention according to claim 17 is characterized in that the food sterilizing device according to claim 1 is installed at each sterilization position in order to sequentially perform a sterilization process at a predetermined number of sterilization positions in the process of transporting the food containing container, The food sterilizing apparatus to be installed is closed with a sharp tip at its lower end. A vapor nozzle having a shape opening at the side near the lower end thereof is used. In the food sterilizing apparatus installed at the second sterilizing position or later, Characterized in that a steam nozzle is used.
According to claim 18, there is provided a food sterilizing method using the food sterilizing apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 15, comprising the steps of: bringing the upper and lower chambers into close contact with each other to form a closed space therebetween; Pressure steam is introduced from the steam inlet of the phase chamber to the steam chamber through the steam chamber and is ejected into the vessel through the vapor chamber, so that the steam is injected into the vessel for a predetermined time And a step of returning the food containing container to its original position by the container moving means and releasing the close state of the upper and lower chambers in a sequential manner.
According to claim 19, there is provided a food sterilizing method using the food sterilizing apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 15, comprising the steps of: bringing the upper and lower chambers into close contact with each other to form a closed space therebetween; A step of making the inside of the food containing container accommodated in the closed space evacuated; a step of inserting the vapor nozzle into the container by moving the food containing container toward the image chamber by the container moving means in the depressurized closed space; Pressure steam from a vapor inlet of the chamber and blowing the high-temperature high-pressure vapor through the steam chamber into the vessel through the vapor chamber; and a step of returning the food container to its original position by the vessel moving means, And a step of releasing the close state of the chamber are sequentially performed And a gong.
According to claim 20, in the food sterilization method according to claim 18 or 19, the vessel moving step and the vapor introduction step are performed substantially simultaneously.
According to the present invention, since the nozzle unit is installed in the phase chamber of the steam sterilizer and the high-temperature high-pressure steam introduced from the steam inlet of the phase chamber is ejected from the steam chamber into the food container through the nozzle, The steam is widely spread to every corner of the container, and the food in the container can be uniformly sterilized without unevenness. At the same time, the container itself can be sterilized.
The upper end of the steam nozzle is open to the steam chamber between the phase chamber and the nozzle base so that even if the hot high-pressure steam introduced into the steam chamber from the steam inlet contains hot water, And is not introduced into the vessel from the vapor nozzle. When hot water in a liquid state is introduced into the vessel together with the high-temperature high-pressure steam, it is feared that the food in the vessel is excessively wetted to adversely affect the subsequent treatment process (for example, cooking) This configuration prevents the above-mentioned problems.
According to the invention related to claim 2, a first type of vapor nozzle having a shape with its lower end closed in a sharp-pointed shape and having a shape opened at a side near the lower end thereof is used, and in addition to the invention related to claim 3 A second type of vapor nozzle having a shape that opens only at the lower end thereof is used. In one embodiment of the present invention, when the food sterilizing device is installed at each sterilizing position so as to sequentially perform the sterilizing process at a predetermined number of sterilizing positions in the process of transporting the food containing container, A steam nozzle of the first type is used for the sterilizing apparatus, and a vapor nozzle of the second type is used for the food sterilizing apparatus installed at the second and later sterilizing positions. The food in the container conveyed to the first sterilization position may be in a hardened state. Even in such a case, however, the pointed lower end of the vapor nozzle of the first embodiment may not smoothly enter the food and cause clogging. In addition, an effect of releasing the hardened food by spraying the steam from the side is obtained. By using the second type of vapor nozzles at the second and subsequent sterilizing positions, steam is jetted vigorously toward the deep part of the container, spreading to every corner of the container without tilting, Sterilize it.
According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the side surface of the vapor nozzle has a micro concavity and convexity at least in the lower portion thereof, when the vapor nozzle is inserted into the food in the container and then pulled up, Can be prevented from adhering to the food.
According to the invention related to claim 5, the nozzle unit can be stably fixed by the nozzle holder. According to the invention related to Claim 6, the nozzle can jet the vapor into the container with the upper surface opening of the container being closed by the nozzle holder, and the food in the container is prevented from scattering by vapor spraying.
According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, since the steam is injected in the state that the interior of the food containing container is evacuated through the pressure reducing means, the amount of the vapor introduced into the container is increased and it is easy to spread to every corner of the container The sterilizing effect can be further improved.
According to the invention related to claim 8, the nozzle can be jetted into the container with the upper surface opening of the container being closed with the pressure plate, and the food in the container can be prevented from splashing by vapor injection. According to the invention related to claim 9, it is possible to secure a place where the steam injected into the vessel is escaped while exerting the above-described effect by using the pressure plate, thereby enabling smooth steam discharge.
According to the invention related to Claim 10, since the pressure plate is provided so as to be able to move up and down with respect to the nozzle base, it can be configured to move up and down between a position where the upper surface opening of the container is not removed and a position where the upper surface opening is canceled . According to the invention related to claim 11, when the container is retracted to the lower position, the pressure plate takes a standby position away from the upper surface opening of the container, and when the container is lifted by the container moving means, . Either way, the nozzle can be jetted into the container with the upper face opening of the container being abolished with this pressure plate, and the food in the container is prevented from scattering by the vapor jet.
According to the invention related to claim 12, it is possible to process the containers of different capacities (depths) with the food sterilizing apparatus basically having the same configuration, thereby making it possible to make the facilities compact, space-saving, and cost-saving.
According to claim 13, there is provided one highly suitable device design. Particularly, in a single food sterilizing apparatus, when a plurality of food containing containers are put in a closed space between upper and lower chambers and a plurality of containers are sterilized at one time, the upper openings of the plurality of containers are collected to form a single steam guide It is possible to adopt a configuration in which the surrounding is provided, thereby improving the processing efficiency. According to the invention related to Claim 14, a vapor discharge path for smoothly discharging the vapor is provided.
According to the invention related to Claim 15, a specific device configuration for moving the food containing container to the image chamber by the container moving means and drawing the vapor nozzle into the container is given. Thereby, the food containing container returned to the food sterilizing device while being supported by the container holding means is moved away from the container holding means to the position where the vapor nozzle is inserted, and after the sterilizing process is finished, The container can be supported on the container holding means again in the process of returning the food container to its original position, so that a series of sterilization processes can be carried out smoothly. According to the invention related to Claim 16, the pushing-up plate accomplishes the function of releasing the food containing container from the container holding means.
According to the seventeenth aspect of the present invention, the sterilization effect can be enhanced by repeating the sterilization treatment several times. Further, the food in the container conveyed to the first sterilization position may be in a hardened state, but even in such a case, the pointed lower end of the vapor nozzle of the first embodiment is smoothly introduced into the food and does not cause clogging. Also, the effect of releasing the hardened food by spraying the steam from the side is also obtained. By using the second type of vapor nozzles at the second and subsequent sterilizing positions, steam is jetted vigorously toward the deep part of the container, spreading to every corner of the container without tilting, Sterilize it.
According to the invention related to Claim 18, there is provided a food sterilization method suited for performing the food sterilization apparatus according to Claim 1 or Claim 15. By this series of treatments, the high-temperature and high-pressure steam spreads widely without deviating to every corner of the container, uniformly sterilizing the food in the container without unevenness, and at the same time, sterilizing the container itself. According to the invention of claim 19, since the nozzle is injected with the steam in the state where the interior of the food containing container is evacuated, the amount of the steam introduced into the container is increased, and it spreads widely to every corner of the container, Can be improved. According to the invention related to claim 20, since the container is moved to insert the vapor nozzle into the container and the nozzle is sprayed, the cycle time of the sterilization process can be shortened and the treatment efficiency is increased.
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
≪ Example 1 >
1 to 4 show the configuration of the food sterilizing apparatus 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Since the sterilization apparatus 10 is finally used in the pressurized steam sterilization step (S2) in the series of manufacturing steps shown in Fig. 6 to produce the sterilized packed rice as shown in Fig. 5, , A series of manufacturing steps will be described.
Rice is filled in the container 1 (Fig. 5) in a constant amount (Fig. 6: S1). More specifically, the rice (pure white rice) finely ground by a rice grit is stored in a storage tank, and the rice is semi-dipped in a conventional method by using a dripping method to adjust the water content to about 10 to 30% (For example, 150 to 200 g) of the meal portion is filled in the container.
The container 1 has a heat resistance that does not undergo hot rolling and thermal deformation even when it is exposed to a high temperature of 100 占 폚 or higher, for example, 130 to 150 占 폚 in the sterilization treatment process (FIG. 6: S2) And a plastic material having oxygen impermeability for substantially preventing water contamination and secondary contamination after the sealing sealing process (Fig. 6: S5), a sufficient and sufficient capacity for accommodating a meal of rice to be supplied to consumers Has a food storage portion 1a and a flange 1b that extends outward substantially horizontally from the upper end thereof, and is integrally formed in a substantially dish shape. As the plastic material of the container 1, polypropylene is mainly used. However, if necessary, the polypropylene may be laminated with polyvinylidene chloride or an ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer resin, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) And a metal foil such as rolled aluminum foil or the like laminated as a core layer may be used.
The container filled with a predetermined amount of rice is sterilized by high-temperature high-pressure steam (S2). This sterilization treatment is carried out in the sterilization apparatus 10 described later, whereby the container 1 and the rice in the container 1 are sterilized at the same time. In addition, as will be described later, the hot pressurized steam spreads widely to the corners of the food receiving portion 1a, uniformly sterilizing the whole without unevenness, and substantially completely kills not only normal live bacteria but also heat resistant live bacteria. At the same time, since the rice in the food accommodating portion 1a is heated, the alpha is promoted, so that the later cooking S4 can be efficiently performed in a short time.
A predetermined amount of rice (water or hot water) is injected into the food storage portion 1a of the container 1 after the sterilization process S2 is performed several times (S3). In order to improve texture and product yield, it is preferable to use deaeration water for cooking rice. It is possible to use rice which has been pre-sterilized in advance and which has been previously adjusted to a predetermined pH value. In the case of producing packaged products such as bibimbap or red beans, the required seasoning solution, coloring solution, and ingredients are added in this step or in a separate step added before and after this step.
Then, it is put into a steam cooker and steamed by a commercial method (S4). In order to save space, it is preferable to use a multistage multistage gondola which is circulatingly driven in the vapor collecting machine. That is, shelf plates capable of accommodating a plurality of (for example, four to ten) rice filling containers 1, 1, ... are arranged at a plurality of stages (for example, seven stages) A multi-stage gondola (for example, 8 to 70 units) in which a plurality of multi-stage gondolas are stacked in parallel and a multi-stage gondola do. An opening for fitting the food storing portion 1a of the rice filling container 1 is formed in the shelf board for housing the plurality of rice filling containers 1, And the flange 1b is engaged with the rice filling container 1 so as to house the rice filling container 1 in a state of being tied.
In the case of using such multi-stage multi-stage gondola, the rice filling container 1 filled with the sterilant rice and the rice stuff (and in some cases also the seasoning liquid etc.) is transported by an arbitrary transfer device, And is transported to each of the stages of the transport rollers. Then, the gondola which houses the rice filling container 1 at all stages is conveyed to the steam classifier, and the steam is cooked for a predetermined time (for example, 15 to 40 minutes) during the movement of the gondola.
The room of the steam absorption unit may be divided into a plurality of zones and the temperature may be independently controlled for each zone. Thus, the optimum steam temperature can be set according to the cooking process.
The gondola which has completed the steam cooking (S4) is pulled up by the chain conveyor, and the container (1) is once discharged onto the conveyor. Empty gondolas return to the entrance to the steam boiler and prepare for the next vessel reception.
After completing the steam wicking treatment, the rice filling container 1 for receiving the cooked rice is put into a sealing device in order to seal and seal the UV-sterilized lid 2 (FIG. 5) in advance (S5). The sealing device may be a known heat sealing device, but trimming means for cutting the unnecessary portion of the sealed lid 2 may be provided, if necessary. In order to prevent secondary contamination after the sealing seal, a film formed of a plastic material having oxygen-impermeability is preferably used as the cover material 2, similarly to the material of the above-mentioned container (1), and polyethylene or polypropylene It is very suitably used to have the ease of peeling as a main body. Further, in order to prevent deterioration of quality due to secondary contamination, it is also possible to carry out seal sealing after the inert gas such as nitrogen gas is injected into the rice filling container 1 by flushing the air in the container 1 and replacing the inert gas It is one of the preferred measures. If necessary, deoxidation material is sealed and sealed.
The container is conveyed from the outlet of the steam absorbing unit to the sealing and sealing apparatus by a conveyor or the like. However, when exposed to the outside air during this time, germs may be mixed into the vessel to cause secondary contamination. To prevent this, For example, in a clean booth or a clean room having a degree of cleanliness of about 100 to 1000 classes. As a result, the aseptic state by the pressurized steam sterilization (S2) and the steam cooking (S4) is maintained and sealed and thus it becomes possible to provide it as an aseptic pack product. In the structure of the clean booth, for example, a tunnel-like booth is provided between the outlet of the steam taking-out period and the entrance of the seal apparatus, and a clean air generating apparatus is mounted on the upper part of the booth center to continuously blow clean air. The inside of the clean booth is maintained at a positive pressure (for example, a pressure higher than the outside air pressure by about 0.5 to 2 mmAq), and purified air flows from the top to the bottom of the booth from the center to the outer periphery. On the carrying conveyor, (From the sealing seal device toward the vapor dispenser) so as to prevent the infiltration of the contaminated outside air.
After the rice filling container 1 is sealed by a sealing seal device, the rice is squeezed for a predetermined time by a commercial method (S6) to equalize the moisture content of the upper and lower layers after cooking and promote the promotion of alpha. Prior to the steam treatment, if the container 1 sealed and sealed is inverted up and down, it is effective to promote the equalization of the upper and lower water amounts.
Thereafter, in order to remove the smell caused by the steam treatment (S6), the sealed rice sealed vessel 1 is passed through a cold water bath such as chiller water and cooled to about room temperature, for example, about 40 캜 S7). In the case where the rice filling container 1 is inverted upside down and steamed, the cooling process is performed after returning the upside down state to the original state. In the steaming treatment and the cooling treatment, it is preferable to employ the same multi-stage multi-stage gondola as the above-mentioned steam cooker to improve the treatment efficiency.
After cooling, the water is removed and dried to a predetermined water content (S8). Further, post-processing (S9) necessary for commercialization such as printing, pinhole inspection, The desired aseptically packed rice (Fig. 5) is produced through this process.
The aseptically packed rice cooked in this way has high storage stability due to sterilization (S2) and steam cooking (S4) by high-pressure and high-temperature steam, and the processing area, which is likely to come into contact with the outside air during a series of processing steps, And the content (rice 3) is blocked from the outside air by the oxygen-impermeable container 1 and the lid material 2 to prevent secondary contamination, (6 months to 1 year or more) can be stored even at room temperature. Therefore, if a person is warmed by microwave oven for about 1 ~ 3 minutes after purchasing, he can easily eat the rice of the food taste and texture similar to that of the cooked rice. In addition, at a store such as a convenience store, there is no discard loss due to excessive purchase or opportunity loss due to under-purchase, which is a very large cost advantage.
1 to 4, a food sterilizing apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention used for performing a sterilization treatment process (Fig. 6: S2) will be described in detail below. The sterilization apparatus 10 is provided with a container 1 in which rice is filled in a predetermined amount (the upper surface is in an opened state because the lid 2 is not yet attached) (1) itself is sterilized and the rice in the container (1) is also sterilized, so that not only normal live bacteria but also heat-resistant live bacteria are substantially completely killed.
The rice filling container 1 is provided with a retainer (not shown) conveyed by a conveyor (not shown) intermittently driven in a predetermined direction (vertical direction in FIG. 1, vertical direction in FIG. 2) retainer 11 is fitted and received by the food receiving portion 1a. The flange 1b is engaged with the opening projection of the retainer 11. The retainer 11 is an example of the container holding means.
A container supporting plate 12 made of punching metal or the like is provided below the retainer 11 at a height position substantially abutting against the bottom surface of the container 1 held in the retainer 11. [ The container holding plate 12 prevents the container 1 from being inflated and deformed by an increase in the internal pressure when the high-temperature high-pressure steam is introduced into the container 1 during the sterilization process. The container 1 is pushed by the nozzle unit 20 from above and can not inflate in a state sandwiched between the nozzle unit 20 and the container holding plate 12. [ The vapor drawn into the vessel 1 is discharged from the notch 28 to the outside of the vessel as described later to prevent an excessive increase in internal pressure.
The sterilization apparatus 10 has an upper chamber 13 and a lower chamber 14 arranged upside down. The upper and lower chambers 13 and 14 are movable relative to each other by suitable driving means (not shown) between a standby position in which they are spaced apart from each other and a closed position in which they are in close contact with each other to provide a substantially closed space therebetween . 1 shows a state in which the upper and lower chambers 13 and 14 are in close contact with each other and are in a closed position where the closed space 15 is provided therebetween. In this state, the sterilization treatment is performed.
The phase chamber 13 has a steam inlet 16 and a steam outlet 17 and steam passages 18 and 19 opened to the lower face 13a of the phase chamber 13 successively. The high-temperature high-pressure steam introduced from the steam inlet 16 is introduced into the closed space 15 in the upper and lower chambers 13 and 14 through the steam passage 18, (Rice) in the supported container 1 and then discharged out of the container 1 through the gap 28a to be described later and discharged from the steam outlet 17 through the steam passage 19, The steam sterilization process is terminated. This basic operation is similar to that of the conventional sterilizing apparatus, but in this embodiment, it is characterized in that steam is sprayed onto the food in the container 1 through the nozzle unit 20 described later.
The above-described container supporting plate 12 is attached to the lower chamber 14. In the case of providing packed rice in which the capacity of the packed rice is increased, a container having a deep depth is used in the same plane. In this case, depending on the depth of the container It is preferable that the container supporting plate 12 is freely attachable and detachable so that it can be installed at a lower position. 1, reference numeral 1c denotes a rice filling level in the container 1. In Fig.
The nozzle unit 20 constituting the main feature of the present invention will be described. The nozzle unit 20 has a nozzle base 21, a steam guide 23 having a partition 22, a nozzle holder 24, and a plurality of steam nozzles 30. The nozzle base 21 is fixed to the lower surface 13a of the image chamber 13 with screws (not shown) passing through screw holes 21a at four corners, 13). The nozzle base 21 is a metal plate such as stainless steel and has substantially the same planar dimensions as the closed space 15 between the upper and lower chambers 13 and 14. [
On the nozzle base 21, a partition wall 22 having a predetermined closed shape corresponding to the plane shape of the container 1 is installed at a predetermined height to form a steam guide 23. The partition wall 22 is made of metal such as stainless steel and is fixed on the nozzle base 21 by an arbitrary number of screws 27. When the nozzle base 21 is mounted on the phase chamber 13, Is formed at a height close to the lower surface of the chamber (13). Thereby, a vapor chamber 25 is formed as a substantially closed space between the phase chamber 13 and the nozzle base 21 and inside the partition wall 22.
The partition wall 22 has a shape corresponding to the plane shape of the container 1 as described above but the vapor passage 18 communicating with the vapor inlet 16 of the phase chamber 13 is formed on the upper chamber bottom surface 13a (The right side in Fig. 1) so as to surround the opening portion, thereby forming the projecting portion 22a. That is, the steam chamber 25 defined by the partition wall 22 includes the opening of the steam passage 18, and the steam introduced from the steam inlet 16 passes through the steam passage 18 (the closed space 15 (Not shown) in the steam room 25. An arc-shaped concave portion 22b is formed on the opposite side of the partition wall (left side in Fig. 1) so as to escape from the steam passage 19 leading to the steam discharge port 17 of the phase chamber 13. [
The partition wall 22 defines the vapor chamber 25 as a substantially closed space as described above but an opening 26 penetrating the partition wall 22 is formed on the nozzle base 21, The inside and outside of the steam chamber 25 partially communicate with each other on the nozzle base 21. [ This means that the vapor chamber 25 is expressed as a " substantially " closed space. In the illustrated example, four openings 26 in total are formed.
The nozzle holder 24 provided below the nozzle base 21 serves as a means for mounting the vapor nozzle 30 and also serves as means for mounting the vapor nozzle 30 to the retainer 11 when the upper and lower chambers 13, (Rice filling level 1c) is formed in the upper end portion 24a placed on the container flange 1b and the food receiving portion 1a of the container 1 at a predetermined depth, And a lower end portion 24b which is extended to a depth not reaching the lower end portion 24b.
The upper end portion 24a has a larger planar dimension than the lower end portion 24b and a notch 28 is formed in the lower surface of the lower end portion 24b. In the illustrated example, a total of four notches 28 are formed. When the nozzle holder 24 is covered with the container 1 held by the retainer 11 and the container opening is substantially closed by the formation of the notch 28, the container flange 1b and the lower surface of the nozzle holder upper end 24a A slight gap 28a corresponding to the height of the notch 28 is formed. The nozzle holder lower end portion 24b has a slightly larger planar dimension than the food accommodation portion 1a of the container 1 and has a slightly larger width between the nozzle holder lower end portion 24b and the inner side surface of the food accommodation portion 1a The gap and the gap 28a formed by the notch 28 described above are continuous. Therefore, even when the nozzle holder 24 is covered with the container 1, the inside of the food storage portion 1a of the container 1 is not completely closed, It is possible to let it go out.
The plurality of vapor nozzles 30 are resin-molded integrally with the nozzle holder 24 and penetrate the nozzle holder 24 in the thickness direction. In the illustrated embodiment, two kinds of vapor nozzles 30 are provided. The vapor nozzle 31 of the first type passes through the through hole 21b of the nozzle base 21 above the vapor nozzle 31, And protrudes downward from the nozzle holder lower end portion 24b below the nozzle holder. The vapor nozzles 32 of the second embodiment are arranged above the steam nozzles 31 of the first type so as to pass through the through holes 21b of the nozzle base 21, But the lower end thereof opens at the lower surface of the nozzle holder lower end portion 24b. In Fig. 3, which is a bottom view of the nozzle unit 20, the vapor nozzles 31 of the first embodiment are represented by a double circle, the circles on the outside represent the nozzle diameters, the circles on the inside represent openings, The vapor nozzles of the form are represented by a small circle representing the opening.
The steam nozzle 30 of any form (the nozzles 31 and 32 of the first and second embodiments are denoted by reference numeral 30) is also passed above the through hole 21b of the nozzle base 21 And the upper end thereof is opened at a height position not touching the lower surface 13a of the phase chamber 13. In this case, That is, a slight gap remains between the upper end of the vapor nozzle 30 and the lower surface 13a of the phase chamber 13. [
The nozzle 31 of the first embodiment protrudes further downward from the nozzle holder lower end 24b and extends to the vicinity of the deep portion of the container 1 supported by the retainer 11. [ The nozzle 31 is open at its lower end, and opens in an optional direction at an arbitrary height position in its middle portion. The side-surface nozzle hole in this middle portion is indicated by reference numeral 31a in Fig.
The operation of the sterilizing apparatus 10 configured as described above will be described. When the rice filling container 1 supported by the retainer 11 is driven by a conveyor (not shown) when the upper and lower chambers 13 and 14 are at a standby position spaced apart from each other, Position, and after the conveyor is stopped, the upper and lower chambers 13 and 14 are relatively moved to the close disposal position, and the state shown in Fig. 1 is obtained.
In this state, the high-temperature high-pressure steam is flash-injected from the steam inlet 16 of the phase chamber 13 for a predetermined time (for example, 5 to 10 seconds). The introduced vapor enters the vapor chamber 25 formed as a substantially closed space between the phase chamber 13 and the nozzle base 21 through the vapor introduction port 16 and also inside the partition wall 22. Since the steam introduced from the steam inlet 16 contains hot water in the liquid state and is drawn into the steam chamber 25 together with the hot water vapor, the steam is introduced into the steam chamber 25 through the opening 26 formed in the bottom of the partition wall 22. However, (25). That is, the opening 26 functions as a drainage passage, and prevents the hot water contained in the steam from being introduced into the rice in the vessel 1.
The introduced vapor is filled in the vapor chamber 25 and then introduced into the vapor nozzle 30 from the upper opening of the vapor nozzles 30 and 31. In the first vapor nozzle 31, And the middle nozzle hole 31a in the middle portion and the lower opening of the nozzle holder lower end portion 24b in the second vapor nozzle 32, respectively. Since the first vapor nozzle 31 is inserted into the rice in the container 1, it is directly drawn into the inside of the rice at various height positions in the container 1 to jet the steam, (32) is steam jetted toward the surface of the food in the container (1). Thereby, the rice in the container 1 is uniformly sterilized without unevenness.
Since the upper end of the vapor nozzle 30 is located at a position sufficiently higher than the opening 26 functioning as a drainage passage, the hot water contained in the vapor is introduced into the container 1 from the upper opening of the vapor nozzle 30 none.
The steam sterilizing the rice in the container 1 in this way is supplied to the nozzle holder upper end portion 24a by the notch 28 formed in the peripheral edge portion of the lower surface of the nozzle holder upper portion 24a between the container flange 1b and the lower surface of the nozzle holder upper end portion 24a And the steam is discharged from the steam outlet 17 through the closed space 15 and the steam passage 19 between the upper and lower chambers 13 and 14 to the outside of the apparatus 10 through the gap 28a formed in the upper and lower chambers 13 and 14. [ . As described above, the container 1 is supported by the container supporting plate 12 in a state in which the container 1 is supported by the retainer 11, and also with the smooth exhausting action according to the above- The inner pressure of the container 1 does not become excessively high, so that the swelling of the container 1 can be prevented.
While the container 1 is stopped at the sterilizing treatment position by the conveyor stop in this way, the sterilization treatment in which the mold is closed, the steam flash (about 5 to 10 seconds), and the mold opening is set to one cycle And is repeatedly performed at the sterilizing treatment position of hydrogen, so that not only normal live bacteria but also thermostable live bacteria are substantially completely killed. The number of repetitions can be adjusted depending on the type and amount of the food to be sterilized, but is generally about 4 to 8 times.
In order to confirm the effect of the food sterilizing apparatus 10 of the present invention, the F value of the container 1 shown in Fig. 5 filled with the immersion medium and sterilized by high-temperature high-pressure steam was measured. The rice was used in "Matsushugara" (registered trademark) from Aomori in 2008, and the rice was immersed in tap water in Hansei City, Saitama Prefecture for one hour, and dehydrated well to have oxygen barrier properties (1) of a container made of polypropylene (registered trademark " Lamicon "). This container contained 200 g of rice in a finished state after cooking, and the product yield was set at 224.4%, and 112 g of the immersion medium was filled in the container 1. The rice was 89.1g in the uncooked state and the settling rate was 125.7. The steam sterilization treatment in which the high-temperature high-pressure steam at 143 占 폚 was introduced from the steam inlet 16 for 4.0 seconds and the nozzle was sprayed was repeated 8 times.
Also subjected to 12 times the test under the same conditions of the measurement temperature (a temperature lower surface portion) in the corners near the bottom portion of the atmospheric temperature and a container (1) and, at the same time, the atmosphere of the final F 0 value and the bottom portion end F 0 value Respectively. The results are shown in Table 1.
As shown in this table, even at the corner near the bottom of the container, where the temperature is the lowest, the temperature rises to a temperature that hardly changes with the ambient temperature. As a result, the final F 0 value is at least 14.2, We were able to confirm that it is being taken. In addition, the food taste was excellent.
≪ Example 2 >
The food sterilizing apparatus 40 according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to Figs. 7 to 14. Fig. This sterilizing device 40 is also used for performing a sterilization treatment process (Fig. 6: S2), similarly to the sterilizing device 10 described above. The container 1 (the lid 2 (See FIG. 5 in which the upper surface is not yet attached since the container 1 has not yet been adhered to the container 1, and the container used in this embodiment is circular, see FIG. 8) At the same time as the sterilization treatment, the rice in the container 1 is also sterilized, so that not only normal live bacteria but also heat-resistant live bacteria are substantially completely killed.
The sterilization apparatus 40 has a retainer 41 carried by a conveyor (not shown) that is intermittently driven in a predetermined direction (the vertical direction of the sheet surface in FIG. 7) by a driving means (not shown) such as a motor. A plurality of (five in the illustrated example) circular openings are formed in the retainer 41, and the food accommodation portion 1a of the container 1 is fitted and accommodated in each opening and the flange 1b is engaged with each opening projection The container 1 is supported. The constitution of the retainer 41 is substantially the same as that of the retainer 11 used in the sterilizing apparatus 10 of the embodiment described above, except that it has a plurality of openings, and the further description will be omitted.
The sterilization apparatus 40 has an upper chamber 42 and a lower chamber 43 arranged vertically opposite to each other. The upper and lower chambers 42 and 43 are relatively movable by an appropriate driving means 44 between a standby position in which they are spaced apart from each other and a closed position in which they are in close contact with each other to provide a substantially closed space therebetween . In this embodiment, the phase chamber 42 is fixed, and a driving means 44 such as a hydraulic cylinder is interposed between a standby position where the lower chamber 43 is spaced apart downward and a closed position close to the phase chamber 42 . 7 shows a state in which the upper and lower chambers 42 and 43 are in close proximity to each other and are in a closed position where the inside airtight space 45 is provided therebetween. In this state, the sterilization treatment is performed. The inner enclosed space 45 has a planar dimension sufficient to accommodate the retainers 11 for supporting the five containers 1 and has an inner space 45 for holding the container 1 from the retainer 41, (51) has a height sufficient for lifting and lowering. Reference numeral 46 denotes a packing for forming and holding the closed space 45. [
The phase chamber 42 has a steam inlet 47 and a steam outlet 48. The high-temperature high-pressure steam generated by a steam generator (not shown) is introduced into the closed space 45 from the vapor introduction port 47, and the container After sterilizing the food (rice) in the steam generator 1, the steam is discharged from the steam outlet 48 and the single steam sterilization process is terminated. 14, a steam introduction pipe 73 from a steam generator is connected to the steam introduction port 47, and a steam discharge pipe 74 is connected to the steam discharge port 48. These steam supply pipes 73 And the steam discharge pipe 74, respectively, to control the timings of introduction and discharge of the steam. Since the control method itself is known, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.
The pressure chamber (42) is further provided with a decompression means (72). It is preferable that the decompression means 72 is capable of decompressing the internal hermetically closed space 45 formed when the upper and lower chambers 42, 43 are brought into close contact with each other at a predetermined degree of vacuum for a predetermined period of time. That is, the steam discharge pipe 74 from the steam discharge port 48 is branched, the branch pipe 77 is connected to the vacuum pump 79 through the buffer tank 78, and the reduced pressure And the opening and closing timings of the steam discharge valve 76 and the pressure reducing electromagnetic valve 80 are controlled to perform the steam discharge and the depressurization to the common piping system.
The lower chamber (43) is provided with container moving means (50). The container moving means 50 includes a lift plate 51 horizontally installed above the bottom plate 43a of the lower chamber 43 and a support plate 52 positioned below the bottom plate 43a of the lower chamber 43 A leg 53 for connecting the lift plate 51 to the support plate 52 by vertically moving the bottom plate 43a of the lower chamber 43 and driving means for lifting the support plate 52 54). The lifting plate 51 is positioned in the inner closed space 45 formed when the upper and lower chambers 42 and 43 are brought into close contact with each other when the container 1 held by the retainer 41 The container 1 escapes downward and does not interfere with the container 1. When the container 1 is raised by the driving means 54, the container 1 is brought into contact with the bottom surface of the container 1 supported by the retainer 41 to lift the container 1 from the retainer 41 to a predetermined height (The state shown in Fig. 1). This operation will be described in detail later.
The nozzle unit 60 constituting the main feature of the present invention will be described. The nozzle unit 60 includes a nozzle base 61 and a nozzle base 61 for forming a substantially closed vapor chamber 62 between the lower surface 42a (FIG. 8) of the image chamber 42 and the nozzle base 61 A steam guide 63 provided on the nozzle base 61, a nozzle holder 64 fixed to the lower surface of the nozzle base 61, a plurality of steam nozzles 65 and a pressure plate 66. The nozzle base 61 is fixed to the lower surface of the end portion 42b of the corner of the image chamber 42 with a fastener such as a screw or the like so that the entire nozzle unit 60 is in contact with the image chamber 13 And is integrally formed. The nozzle base 61 is a metal plate such as stainless steel and has substantially the same planar dimensions as the closed space 45 between the upper and lower chambers 42 and 43 but has a plurality of notches 81 formed on the periphery thereof 9).
The steam guide 63 has a shape approximately the same height as the end portion 42b of the phase chamber 42 (Figs. 7 and 8) and a shape (Fig. 9) surrounding the opening of the five vessels 1 When the nozzle base 61 is mounted on the image chamber 42, the upper surface of the nozzle base 61 comes into close contact with the lower surface 42a of the image chamber 42 to form a vapor chamber 62 as a substantially closed space therebetween . The steam inlet 47 opens at the inside of the steam guide 63 formed by the steam guide 63 (i.e., in the steam chamber 62), so that the high-temperature and high-pressure steam introduced into the steam inlet 47 The outer side of the steam guide 63 (that is, the outer side of the steam chamber 62) after being drawn into the steam chamber 25 and ejected from the steam nozzle 65 into the food containing container 1, The steam exhaust hole 49 formed in the nozzle base 61 and the steam exhaust port 48 of the phase chamber 42 are discharged to the outside of the apparatus 40. [
The press plate 66 is a plate member such as stainless steel having a plane dimension sufficient to cover the flange 1b for each container 1 and is mounted to allow the upward and downward movement slightly below the nozzle holder 64. [ As an example of the mounting, in the illustrated embodiment, a guide post 68 having a stopper 68a at the lower end is mounted on a screw shaft 67 fixed to the nozzle holder 64, and the stopper 68a is fixed to the presser plate 66, Of the gap 82 between the pressing plate 66 and the nozzle holder 64 by engaging with and accommodating the concave portion 66a formed on the back surface side in the vicinity of the outer peripheral end of the nozzle holder 64 A configuration is adopted in which the push plate 66 is mounted in a state of being tilted while allowing movement.
The pressure plate 66 is formed with the same number of nozzle insertion holes 69 for inserting the vapor nozzles 65 corresponding to the positions of the vapor nozzles 65. The nozzle insertion hole 69 is formed to have a diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the steam nozzle 65. Therefore, even when the steam nozzle 65 is inserted, a steam passage 65 for passing (70) remains.
9) in which a total of thirteen steam nozzles 65 are provided in the center position, the inner circumferential position and the outer circumferential position with respect to one food containing container 1 in this embodiment) Molded integrally with the nozzle holder 64 and penetrates the nozzle holder 64 in the thickness direction. The upper end of the steam nozzle 64 penetrates the nozzle base 61 and protrudes to a predetermined height in the steam chamber 62. The nozzle insertion hole 69 of the pressure plate 66 is inserted below the steam nozzle 62, Respectively.
The shape of the vapor nozzle 65 used in the nozzle unit 60 in the sterilizing apparatus 40 shown in Figs. 7 to 9 is such that the lower end (tip end) 45a of the pointed shape And is open at the side by the opening 45b in the vicinity of the lower end. Therefore, the high-temperature high-pressure steam introduced from the steam inlet 47 is drawn into the steam nozzle 45 from the steam chamber 62, and then ejected laterally from the side opening 45b. The side surface of the lower region including the lower end 45a thereof is a minute uneven surface 45c. The concavo-convex shape is arbitrary, but in this example, a ring-shaped or screw-shaped concavoconvex surface 45c is formed.
As described above, in the present invention, various positions (for example, 4 to 8 positions) of the process of conveying the container 1 in a state of being retained in the retainer 41 are set as sterilization treatment positions, The sterilizing device 40 as shown in Figs. 7 to 9 is provided at each position, and the sterilization process in which the mold closing → the steam flash (for about 5 to 10 seconds) → the opening of the mold is changed into one cycle is repeated several times The sterilization apparatus 40 installed at the first sterilization treatment position uses the vapor nozzle 65 having the shape as shown in Fig. 10 and the sterilization apparatus 40 installed at the second sterilization position and thereafter, It is preferable to use a vapor nozzle 71 having a shape as shown in Fig. This vapor nozzle 71 has an opening 71b at the lower end 71a and no opening at the side. Like the vapor nozzle 65, the side surface of the lower region including the lower end 71a is a minute uneven surface 71c.
The container 1, which has been transported to the initial sterilization treatment position through the quantitative filling process (Fig. 6: S1), is often filled with rice in a hardened state. Therefore, in the sterilizing apparatus 40 installed at the first sterilization treatment position, the steam nozzle 65 having a shape as shown in Fig. 10 is used, so that even hardened rice can be easily inserted into deep corners. If the tip of the vapor nozzle used at this time is opened, rice may be drawn into the opening at the tip when the vapor nozzle is inserted, which may cause clogging. Therefore, the opening of the vapor nozzle 65 is formed on the side surface rather than the tip, thereby solving the problem of clogging. Spraying steam from the side opening 65b also has the effect of loosening the hardened rice.
On the other hand, in the sterilizing device 40 provided at the second sterilizing treatment position and thereafter, since the nozzle inserting passage is formed by inserting the vapor nozzle 65 at the first sterilizing treatment position, It does not cause clogging due to ease. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 11, the steam is ejected from the tip opening 71b toward the bottom of the vessel by using the vapor nozzle 71 having the opening 71b at the tip, thereby spreading the vapor to every corner of the vessel.
The operation of the sterilizing apparatus 40 constituted as described above will be described. When the rice filling container 1 supported by the retainer 41 is driven by a conveyor (not shown) when the upper and lower chambers 42 and 43 are at a standby position spaced apart from each other, After the conveyor is stopped, the lower chamber 43 is raised by the driving means 44 to come into close contact with the image chamber 42 to form a closed space 45 therebetween do.
At this time, the push-up plate 51 is stopped at the standby position (the imaginary line in Fig. 7) and is located lower than the bottom surface of each container 1 supported by the retainer 41. [ This state is shown in Fig. As already described, the container 1 has the food accommodating portion 1a fitted and received in the opening of the retainer 41, and the flange 1b is held in a state of being engaged with the respective opening projections. At this time, the presser plate 66 is held in a state in which the collar bulging portion 68 is engaged with the ceiling surface of the concave portion 66 and moves slightly below the position shown in Fig. 8, The container 1 is greatly lowered and moves to the position held by the retainer 41 and is therefore separated from the flange 1b of the container 1. [ The vapor nozzle 65 of the nozzle unit 60 fixed to the image chamber 42 is not introduced into the food accommodation portion 1a of the container 1. [
Then, the inside of the closed space (45) is decompressed by the decompression means (72). Although this decompression process is not necessarily required, it has been demonstrated that the decompression effect is improved by the decompression at this point as described later (details will be described later), and it is preferable to perform the decompression process. 14, for example, the cycle time of one sterilization process is set to 10 seconds, and the pressure reduction solenoid valve 80 (for example, And vacuum is applied to the buffer tank 78 from the sealed space 45 inside the chamber. The buffer tank 78 is evacuated by the vacuum pump 79 for the remaining 9.7 seconds so that the inside of the sealed space 45 is evacuated at once while the degree of vacuum in the buffer tank 78 is sufficiently raised. A sufficient effect can be obtained.
Then, the lifting plate 51 waiting at the position of Fig. 12 is lifted by the driving means 54. Then, The container 1 held by the retainer 41 is pushed up by the pushing plate 51 and after the flange 1b is brought into contact with the pushing plate 66, And the state shown in FIG. 8 is obtained. At this time, the container 1 is pulled into the opening of the retainer 41, the bottom of which is supported on the push-up plate 51, and the push plate 66 is in close contact with the flange 1b . The vaporizing nozzle 65 of the nozzle unit 60 fixed to the image chamber 42 is moved to the food accommodating portion 1a of the container 1 by moving the container 1 close to the image chamber 42, And is inserted into the filled food so that its tip end 65a reaches the vicinity of the bottom surface of the container 1. As described above, since the vapor nozzle 65 used at this time has a sharp closing end 65a, even if the food is in a hardened state, the vapor nozzle 65 is smoothly inserted and does not cause clogging.
High-temperature and high-pressure steam is introduced into the steam inlet 47 almost simultaneously with or immediately after the state shown in FIG. 8 is obtained. For example, a high temperature and high pressure steam of 145 캜 is flash injected for 5.5 seconds. The vapor introduced from the vapor introduction port 47 is filled in the vapor chamber 62 between the upper chamber bottom surface 42a and the nozzle base 61 and then flows into the vapor nozzle 62 65, and is ejected toward the food in the container 1 from the side opening 65b near the lower end thereof. Thereby, the inner surface of the container 1 and the food stuffed in the container 1 are sterilized, and the effect of releasing the hardened food is obtained. At this time, the opening of the container 1 is substantially closed by the action of the weight of the pressure plate 66 closely contacting the flange 1b, so that even if the food is sprayed out of the container by spraying the steam, There is no work.
After completion of the sterilization treatment by the steam flash for a predetermined time, the electromagnetic valve provided in the steam pipe from the steam discharge port 48 is opened. The steam drawn into the vessel 1 is introduced into the vessel 1 through the vapor passage 70 given by the difference in dimension between the diameter of the nozzle insertion hole 69 of the pressure plate 66 and the outer diameter of the vapor nozzle 65, And is discharged from the closed space 45 between the upper and lower chambers 42 and 43 through the vapor discharge hole 49 of the nozzle base 61 and the vapor outlet 48 of the phase chamber 42, . Then, the lower chamber 43 is lowered by the driving means 44, and the pushing plate 51 is lowered by the driving means 54 to return to the standby state shown in Fig. The container 1 is held in the retainer 41 and is transported to the next (second) sterilization treatment position by the conveyor.
Since the steam introduced from the steam inlet 47 contains hot water in the liquid state, the hot water is drawn into the steam chamber 62 together with the steam. However, the steam introduced into the steam chamber 63 through the opening formed in the bottom of the steam guide 63 (See FIG. 9) formed around the nozzle base 61, and then discharged from the vapor chamber 62 through the opening 26 (see the opening 26 in the first embodiment). These openings and notches 81 function as drainage ducts and prevent the hot water contained in the steam from being introduced into the rice in the vessel 1. Since the upper end of the vapor nozzle 65 is opened in the vapor chamber 62 at a position sufficiently higher than the opening serving as a drainage path, the hot water contained in the vapor is drawn from the upper opening of the vapor nozzle 65, 1).
While the container 1 is stopped at the sterilizing treatment position by the conveyor stop in this way, a sterilization process is performed in which the mold is closed, steam flash, and mold opening are performed in one cycle, and the sterilization process is repeated 7 and 9 is used at each sterilization treatment position. However, as described, the sterilization treatment device 40 installed at the second sterilization treatment position or later, The effect is enhanced by using the vapor nozzle 71 (Fig. 11) in place of the vapor nozzle 65 (Fig. 10).
In this sterilization treatment apparatus 40, sterilization treatment is performed in the process of producing a packed rice cooked with one rice cooked rice. However, there are various demands for a rice cooked rice. For example, rice cooked in a pack of 100 g, rice cooked in a pack of 200 g, Packed rice such as packed rice may be produced. In this case, it is common to cope with the increase or decrease in capacity by changing the depth without changing the plane dimension of the pack (container 1) greatly.
13 shows an example of the case where the container 1 'having a larger capacity (and hence a larger capacity) than the container 1 that has been used so far in the sterilizing apparatus 40 having the constitution described above is to be sterilized . In this case, too, the container 1 'is lifted from the retainer 41 by raising the lifting plate 51 to a predetermined height, and the vapor nozzle 65 (or the nozzle 71) Since the depth of the container 1 'is large, the push plate 66 used in the case of the container 1 can be used to push the push plate 51 up to a predetermined height The pressure plate 66 may interfere with the nozzle holder 64. In this case, In order to avoid this, in the application shown in Fig. 13, interference with the nozzle holder 64 is avoided by using a thinner pressure plate 66 '. The pushing plates 66 and 66 'are suspended from the stopper 68a of the guide post 68 and therefore the guide post 68 is removed from the screw shaft 67 or the screw shaft 67 is inserted into the nozzle holder 64, it is easily detachable and replaceable.
The pressure plate 66 serves to close the opening of the container 1, 1 'by its own weight to prevent scattering of food by jetting the vapor nozzle. However, in the thin pressure plate 66' as shown in FIG. 13, It may end up being injured, and the scatter prevention effect may be impaired. In such a case, a load (not shown) in the form of a ring can be placed on the pressing plate 66 'as necessary to increase the load. When a sufficient scattering prevention effect can be expected in the thin pressure plate 66 'in practice, even when the shallow container 1 is to be sterilized, if the same pressure plate 66' is used, It is possible to use the same pressing plate 66 'for the container of FIG.
In order to confirm the effect of the food sterilizing apparatus 40, the F value when the vessel 1 was filled with the immersion medium and sterilized by high-temperature high-pressure steam was measured. The rice was used as "Matsukura (registered trademark)" from Aomori Prefecture in 2008, and the rice was immersed in the tap water of Hansei City, Saitama Prefecture for 1 hour, dehydrated well, and made of polypropylene (1) < RTI ID = 0.0 > (R) < / RTI > This container contained 200 g of rice in a finished state after cooking, and the product yield was set at 224.4%, and 112 g of the immersion medium was filled in the container 1. The rice was 89.1g in the uncooked state and the settling rate was 125.7. This was put into the sterilizer 40, and the steam sterilization treatment in which the high-temperature high-pressure steam at 145 占 폚 was introduced in the steam inlet 47 for 5.5 seconds and the nozzle was sprayed was repeated eight times with one cycle for 10 seconds. In the first sterilization treatment, the vapor nozzle 65 of FIG. 9 is used, and in the second to eighth sterilization treatment, the vapor nozzle 71 of FIG. 10 is used.
After 15 tests under the same conditions as described above, the temperature (bottom surface temperature) in the corner near the bottom of the container 1 was measured. In the same manner as described above, when the vacuum is applied for 0.3 seconds by the decompression means 72 in the manner described above, 15 tests are conducted in the same manner, and then the temperature in the corner near the bottom of the container 1 Min temperature) was measured. Table 2 shows the maximum F 0 value, the minimum F 0 value, the average F 0 value, and the standard deviation.
As shown in this table, a sufficiently high value of 11.1 and 65.5 as the minimum value was obtained even when no vacuum was applied, but it was proved that the F 0 value rose by a larger width when vacuum was applied. The internal pressure of the closed space 45 between the upper and lower chambers 42 and 43 becomes smaller than 1 atmospheric pressure and becomes a negative pressure so that the amount of vapor drawn into the closed space 45 and hence into the container 1 And it is easy to spread to every corner in the container 1, whereby the sterilization effect is greatly increased. This means that when the F 0 value up to this point is not required, the sterilization treatment is performed a smaller number of times, which means that the facility is downsized, the space is saved, and the cost is reduced. In addition, in the above test, regardless of the presence or absence of vacuum, the rice in the container 1 is not scattered by the ejection of the vapor nozzle, and the sealing seal (Fig. 6: S5) The finally obtained rice was also excellent in taste.
Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to those embodiments, and various changes and modifications are possible within the scope of the invention defined in claims There is no need.
