KR20110032998A

KR20110032998A - Food sterilizer

Info

Publication number: KR20110032998A
Application number: KR1020100020914A
Authority: KR
Inventors: 겐자부로우 가게야마
Original assignee: 가부시키가이샤 신와 기카이
Priority date: 2009-09-24
Filing date: 2010-03-09
Publication date: 2011-03-30
Also published as: KR101867630B1; JP5773602B2; JP2011087575A; KR20120089651A; KR101753390B1; WO2011037193A1

Abstract

The food ingredients in the container are selected and steam sterilized uniformly.
In the apparatus 10 for steam sterilizing the rice filling container supported by the retainer 11, the nozzle unit 20 is mounted in the upper chamber 13. The partition wall 22 provided on the base 21 in a predetermined closed shape at a predetermined height forms a vapor chamber 25 substantially blocked between the lower surface of the upper chamber. The waste block 24 provided at the bottom of the base substantially closes the container passage when the upper and lower chambers are in an intimate state. The steam nozzle 31, which penetrates the waste paper block and communicates with the inside of the vessel, opens at a position protruding to a predetermined height on the base, and at the same time, the lower end thereof protrudes below the waste paper block and enters the vicinity of the inside of the vessel. Steam introduced into the chamber is ejected from the nozzle into the vessel. Hot water entrained in the steam is drained through the opening 26 near the bottom of the partition 22.

Description

Food Sterilizer {FOOD STERILIZER}

The present invention relates to a food sterilization apparatus, and more particularly, to a food sterilization apparatus that can be suitably employed for producing a pack food, such as rice sterilized to allow room temperature storage.

The method for producing a sterile pack rice described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 09-172992 includes a step of sterilizing by intermittently flashing a high pressure, high temperature saturated steam as a sealed chamber to a rice filled in a container. This sterilization process is performed by repeating 6-8 times of high pressure high temperature saturated vapor flash for 1 cycle, for example for 5 to 10 second. This sterilization process also kills common and heat-resistant bacteria that may have adhered to the rice, and since the rice is alphaized to a certain degree, the rice is then watered and cooked. Cooking time can be shortened. After cooking, the pack rice which kept the sterile state can be manufactured by depositing and sealing a lid material to a container in a clean room or a clean booth.

The food sterilization apparatus of Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 10-099061 has the mounting board which mounts and supports the container filled with food, such as rice, and the upper and lower chambers, and the isolation | separation position which isolate | separated these upper and lower chambers from each other, and is closely connected therebetween. Means for moving relative to and from a close position forming an enclosed space, means for feeding the placement plate between the upper and lower chambers when the upper and lower chambers are in an isolated position, and formed therebetween when the upper and lower chambers are in the close position And means for introducing pressurized steam into the sealed space. The pressurized steam introduced into the sealed space between the upper and lower chambers is introduced into each container supported by the mounting plate to sterilize the food, which is the contents.

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 09-172992 Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 10-99061

In the method for producing a sterile pack rice described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 09-172992, sterilization can be performed using the apparatus described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-099061, whereby a fully sterilized pack rice can be produced. Done Aseptic pack rice produced in this way can be stored for a long time even at room temperature, consumers can easily eat the food taste and taste like freshly cooked rice by heating in a microwave oven after purchase, and stores such as convenience stores In this case, it is possible to eliminate discard losses due to over-purchase and sales chance losses due to under-purchase. In addition, such a manufacturing method is applicable not only to rice, but also to various foods such as pasta, noodles, and side dishes, and gives great prospects for expanding the market for sterile pack foods.

However, the sterilization apparatus of Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 10-99061 also had to improve further. That is, this sterilization apparatus has not yet been coated with a lid material, so that the sterilized steam is introduced by pressurizing steam from above with respect to the food-filled container in a state where the upper surface of the container is open. Since it is required to have gas impermeability to prevent secondary pollution, steam introduced into the inside of the container from above cannot pass through the container. For this reason, it was found that steam cannot enter the inside or the corner of the container due to the pressure of the steam to be introduced or the treatment time, and the whole of the contents could not be effectively sterilized. Although it is possible to solve this problem by increasing the vapor pressure or lengthening the treatment time, it is not preferable because it causes a decrease in treatment efficiency or an increase in cost.

In order to remedy this drawback, many conventional products are intended to maintain a quality by encapsulating a pH adjuster in a container, but when opened, a unique odor caused by the pH adjuster is felt. In the case of, it was not a preferable technique.

Accordingly, the problem to be solved by the present invention is to solve the above disadvantages of the conventional sterilization apparatus as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-99061 to solve the above disadvantages. It is to provide a food sterilization apparatus, and more specifically, to pressurized steam is also introduced smoothly to the food material contained in the inside or the corner of the container so that the contents can be evenly and uniformly and effectively sterilized.

In order to solve this problem, the invention according to claim 1 is provided with a container supporting means for supporting a container containing a food to be sterilized, an upper chamber having a vapor inlet, and an upper chamber disposed adjacent to the upper chamber. A lower chamber movable relative to the upper chamber and a nozzle unit, wherein the nozzle unit has a base mounted on the lower surface of the upper chamber, a partition wall provided in a predetermined closed shape at a predetermined height on the base, A steam guide forming a steam chamber substantially occluded therebetween, a waste paper block disposed in the lower portion of the base to substantially close the opening of the vessel supported by the vessel supporting means when the upper and lower chambers are in close contact; Has a steam nozzle through which the steam chamber communicates with the interior of the vessel supported by the vessel supporting means, the top of which is a steam chamber And at the same time as one wanted at a certain height position protrudes, its lower end is characterized by being provided so as to protrude from the lower surface of the inlet to the abolition block inside the vicinity of the container supported by the container holding means.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the food sterilization apparatus according to claim 1, a passage through which the inside and the outside of the steam chamber communicate with each other is formed in the partition wall.

In the food sterilization apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, the food sterilization apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the waste paper block has an upper end mounted on a flange of the container, and a lower end led into a food storage chamber of the container to a predetermined depth. It features.

The invention according to claim 4 is characterized in that the notch is provided on the lower surface of the upper end portion of the waste paper block in the food sterilization apparatus according to claim 3.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the food sterilization apparatus according to claim 1 to 4, the lower end of the steam nozzle is opened at the end thereof, and at the middle part extending from the lower surface to the end of the waste block toward the side. It is characterized by being.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the food sterilization apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 5, a part of the steam nozzle is opened at a lower surface of the waste block.

According to the present invention according to claim 1, a nozzle unit is installed in the upper chamber of the steam sterilization apparatus, and the high temperature and high pressure steam introduced from the steam inlet of the upper chamber is moved to the inner vicinity of the container supported by the container supporting means through the steam chamber. Since it is introduced into the container from the steam nozzle protruding to the depth to enter, by installing only the proper number of steam nozzles in the proper position, the high temperature and high pressure steam evenly spreads to every corner of the container, evenly and uniformly sterilizing the food in the container. There is.

In addition, since the upper end of the steam nozzle protrudes to a predetermined height on the base, even if hot water is included in the high temperature and high pressure steam introduced into the steam chamber from the steam inlet, the hot water gathers in the steam chamber, It is not introduced into a container. If hot water in liquid form is introduced into the container at the same time as the high temperature and high pressure steam, the food in the container may be excessively wetted, which may adversely affect later processing processes (eg, cooking), but the top of the steam nozzle may be By employing the configuration that is opened at the position, such a hazard is prevented.

According to the present invention according to claim 2, since an opening communicating with the inside and outside of the steam chamber is formed through the partition wall, hot water contained in the high temperature and high pressure steam introduced into the steam chamber from the steam inlet is discharged from the steam chamber through the opening. It can be discharged outwards so that the effect of excessive wetting of the food in the container is more pronounced.

According to the invention according to claim 3, it is possible to be particularly effective when a container having a food container containing food and a flange extending outward from the top thereof to provide an area for depositing a lid member are used.

According to the invention according to claim 4, a notch is provided on the lower surface of the waste paper block, and a steam discharge path for smoothly discharging the high temperature and high pressure steam introduced into the container from the steam inlet through the steam chamber and the steam nozzle outside the container. Can provide. The steam discharged from this notch is discharged outside the apparatus from the steam outlet formed in the upper chamber.

According to the invention according to claim 5, since the steam nozzle opens at the lower end and at the middle part outward, the steam nozzle can be ejected from inside the food at different height positions in the container to select food in the container. The effect of uniform sterilization can be further improved.

According to the invention according to claim 6, since a part of the steam nozzle is installed to open at the lower surface of the waste paper block, steam ejected from the steam nozzle effectively sterilizes the surface portion of the food in the container, and from the steam nozzle which protrudes into the container. Since the spouted steam enters the inside of the food in the container and sterilizes effectively, the effect of evenly and uniformly sterilizing the food in the container can be further improved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is sectional drawing seen from the front of the food sterilization apparatus by one Embodiment of this invention.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 1.
3 is a bottom view of the nozzle unit used in this food sterilization apparatus.
Fig. 4 is an enlarged front view of the main part of the nozzle unit used in this food sterilization apparatus.
Fig. 5 is a partially broken side view of a sterile packed rice paddy using this food sterilization apparatus and finally obtained as a product.
6 is a flowchart showing a series of manufacturing steps performed using this food sterilization apparatus.

1-4, the structure of the food sterilization apparatus 10 by one Embodiment of this invention is shown. Since this sterilization apparatus 10 is used for the pressurized steam sterilization process S3 in the series of manufacturing processes shown in FIG. 6 in order to finally manufacture the aseptic pack rice shown in FIG. 5, Prior to description of an apparatus, A series of manufacturing processes are demonstrated.

Rice is quantitatively filled in the container 1 (FIG. 5) (FIG. 6: S1). More specifically, the rice polished by a rice polisher (white rice) is stored in the storage, semi-immersed by a conventional method using degassed rice and adjusted to a water content of about 10 to 30%, and then the container (1 ) Fill a serving (eg 150-200 g) per serving.

The container 1 is heat-resistant that does not soften and heat deformation even when exposed to a high temperature of about 100 ° C. or higher, for example, about 130 ° C. to 150 ° C. in the sterilization treatment step (FIG. 6: S2) by the sterilization apparatus 10, The food storage chamber which has sufficient capacity and is necessary to accommodate a rice meal supplied to a consumer from the plastic material which has oxygen impermeability for substantially preventing the secondary pollution after water resistance and a sealing seal process (FIG. 6: S5). (1a) and the flange 1b which extends outward substantially horizontally from the upper end, are integrally shape | molded in substantially plate shape. Although polypropylene is mainly used for the plastic material of this container 1, Polypropylene laminated with polyvinylidene chloride or ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer resin as needed, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), front and back poly What laminated | stacked metal foil, such as a rolled aluminum foil, as a core layer between propylene layers, etc. can be used.

The container filled with the quantity of rice is sterilized by high temperature and high pressure steam (S2). This sterilization process is performed by the sterilization apparatus 10 described later, whereby the container 1 and the rice in the container 1 are sterilized simultaneously. In addition, as described later, the hot pressurized steam is evenly distributed to every corner in the food storage chamber 1a, evenly and uniformly sterilized throughout, thereby substantially killing not only normal bacteria but also heat resistant bacteria. At the same time, since the alpha is promoted by heating the rice in the storage chamber 1a, subsequent cooking S4 can be efficiently performed in a short time.

After several sterilization treatments (S2), water (water or hot water) to be quantified is poured into the food storage chamber 1a of the container 1 (S3). It is preferable to use degassed water for cooking rice to improve food taste and yield. As the water to be cooked, one that has been sterilized first is used, and one that has been previously adjusted to a predetermined pH value can be used. In addition, when manufacturing a pack product, such as mixed rice and adzuki bean rice, necessary seasoning liquid, a coloring liquid, old materials, etc. are added in this process or another process added before and after.

Next, it is put in a steam collector and steam-cooked by a conventional method (S4). In order to save space, it is preferable to use a multi-stage multi-stage gondola circulatingly driven in the steam cooker. That is, the shelf boards each capable of accommodating a plurality of rice filling containers 1, 1, ..., respectively, are spaced apart from each other in a plurality of stages (for example, seven stages) in a vertical direction. Multi-stage gondola formed by stacking them in parallel (for example, 8 to 70 units), and a multi-stage gondola is a conveying apparatus which is connected at equal intervals to a chain conveyor driven around a vertical plane. Install it. In the shelf board which accommodates the some rice filling container 1, the opening for fitting the food accommodation part 1a of the rice filling container 1 is formed by the number of container accommodations, and is flanged to the edge surface around the said opening. The thing which has a structure which hangs (1b) and accommodates the rice filling container 1 in a suspended state can be used.

When such a multi-stage multi-stage gondola is used, the rice filling container 1 filled with sterilized rice and water to be cooked (in some cases, seasoning liquid, etc.) is returned by an empty transfer stage device by any transfer device. Sent to each stage. And the gondola which accommodated the rice filling container 1 in all the stages is sent to the steam cooking machine, and steam cooking is carried out at the predetermined time (for example, 15-40 minutes) between moving the room.

The room of the steam cooker may be divided into a plurality of zones, and temperature control may be performed independently for each zone. Thereby, the optimum steam temperature can be set according to the cooking process.

The gondola which completed steam cooking S4 is lifted by the chain conveyor, and once sends the container 1 onto the conveyor. The empty gondola returns towards the inlet of the steam cooker and is ready for the next container accommodation.

After the steaming treatment is completed, the rice filling container 1 containing the cooked rice is sequentially put into the sealing apparatus, and the UV sterilized lid material 2 (FIG. 5) is deposited and sealed (S5). Although a sealing apparatus may be a well-known heat seal apparatus, trimming means which cut | disconnects the unnecessary part of the sealed lid material 2 is further provided as needed. In order to prevent secondary contamination after the sealing seal, it is preferable to use a film formed of a plastic material having oxygen impermeability as the material of the container 1 as the lid member 2, and to use polyethylene or polypropylene The one which has the easy-filling property as a subject is used suitably. In addition, injecting an inert gas such as nitrogen gas into the rice filling container 1 by flash-injecting the air in the container 1 to replace the inert gas and sealing the same, in order to prevent deterioration of quality due to secondary pollution, It is one of the preferable measures. Furthermore, if necessary, the deoxidation material is sealed and sealed.

Container conveyance from the outlet of the steam cooker to the sealing seal device is carried out by a conveyor or the like, but when exposed to the outside air in the meantime, various bacteria may enter and cause secondary pollution. For example, it is accommodated in a clean booth or a clean room having a clean degree of class 100 to 1000. As a result, since the sterile state by the pressurized steam sterilization S3 and the steam cooking S6 is maintained and sealed, it can be provided as a sterile pack product. The structure of a clean booth makes a tunnel-shaped booth between the exit of a steam cooker and the inlet of a sealing apparatus, for example, attaches a clean air generating apparatus to a booth center upper part, and sends clean air continuously. The inside of the clean booth is maintained at a positive pressure (for example, a pressure about 0.5 to 2 mmAq higher than the outside air pressure), and the clean air flows from the top to the bottom of the booth, from the center to the outer periphery, and on the conveying conveyor. By flowing in the opposite direction (from the sealing seal apparatus toward the steam collector), it is preferable to configure so as to prevent the ingress of contaminated outdoor air.

After sealing the rice filling container 1 with a sealing seal device, the steaming is carried out by a conventional method for a predetermined time (S6), and the uniformity of the amount of water in the upper and lower layers after cooking is promoted, and the promotion of alpha is promoted. Promote. If the sealed sealed container 1 is inverted up and down before the steaming treatment, it is effective for promoting the equalization of the amount of the up and down moisture.

Then, in order to remove the odor accompanying the steaming process (S6), the sealed sealed rice filling container 1 is passed through cold water tanks, such as cold water, and it cools to near normal temperature, for example, about 40 degreeC (S7). When the rice filling container 1 is inverted up and down and subjected to the steaming treatment, the upside down state is restored to its original state and the cooling treatment is performed. In the steaming treatment and the cooling treatment, it is preferable to improve the treatment efficiency by using a multistage multi-stage gondola such as the above-described steam cooker.

After cooling, the water is removed and dried to a predetermined moisture content (S8), and the post-treatment (S9) necessary for commercialization such as printing, pinhole inspection and weight check, such as the date of manufacture and expiration date (S9), and the desired aseptic Packed rice (Figure 5) is prepared.

Aseptic pack rice produced in this way, the shelf life is improved by sterilization (S2) and steam cooking (S4) by high-pressure, high-temperature steam, and the processing area which may come into contact with the outside air between a series of processing steps is a clean booth. Since the contents (rice 3) are blocked from the outside air by the oxygen impermeable container 1 and the lid member 2 and are prevented from secondary contamination, the substantial aseptic state is maintained and room temperature. Long term preservation is possible (6 months to 1 year or longer). Therefore, the consumer can easily eat rice with the same food taste and feel as freshly cooked by heating it for 1 to 3 minutes with a microwave after purchase. In addition, in stores such as convenience stores, there is no disposal loss due to over-purchase or sales chance loss due to under-purchase, and an extremely large cost advantage can be obtained.

With reference to FIGS. 1-4, the food sterilization apparatus 10 by one Embodiment of this invention used in order to implement a sterilization process (FIG. 6: S2) is explained in full detail below. This sterilization apparatus 10 makes the processing object the container 1 (the lid material 2 is in the state which opened the upper surface since it is not adhered yet) filled with rice by a high temperature and high pressure steam, While the container 1 itself is sterilized, the rice in the container 1 is also sterilized to substantially completely kill not only normal bacteria but also heat resistant bacteria.

The rice filling container 1 is conveyed by a conveyor (not shown) which is intermittently driven in a predetermined direction (Fig. 1 up-down direction / Fig. 2 surface vertical direction) by a driving means (not shown) such as a motor. The food container 1a is fitted into the opening of the retainer 11 to be supported. The flange 1b is caught by the opening edge of the retainer 11. The retainer 11 constitutes the "vessel support means" of the present invention.

Below the retainer 11, the container support plate 12 by punching metal etc. is provided in the height position which abuts against the bottom face of the container 1 in the state which caught the retainer 11. As shown in FIG. The container support plate 12 prevents the container 1 from swelling and deforming due to an increase in internal pressure when high temperature and high pressure steam is introduced into the container 1 during sterilization treatment. As mentioned later, since the container 1 is pressed by the nozzle unit 20 from above, it cannot swell in the state sandwiched between the nozzle unit 20 and the container support plate 12 at this time. Vapor entered into the container 1 is discharged out of the container from the notch 28 as described below to prevent excessive internal pressure rise.

This sterilization apparatus 10 has an upper chamber 13 and a lower chamber 14 which are arranged to face up and down. The upper and lower chambers 13 and 14 are moved relative by an appropriate driving means (not shown) between the standby position where they are isolated from each other and the closed position where they are close to each other to provide a substantially enclosed space therebetween. It is possible. In FIG. 1, the upper and lower chambers 13 and 14 are in close contact with each other and are in the closed position which provides the closed space 15 between them, and sterilization process is performed in this state.

The upper chamber 13 includes a steam inlet 16, a steam outlet 17, and steam passages 18 and 19 that are opened at the lower surface 13a of the upper chamber 13 in succession thereof. The high temperature and high pressure steam introduced from the steam inlet 16 enters the sealed space 15 in the upper and lower chambers 13 and 14 through the steam passage 18, and is supported by the retainer 11 in the sealed space 15. After sterilizing the food (rice) in the container 1, which is discharged out of the container 1 through the interval 28a described below, and is discharged from the steam outlet 17 through the steam passage 19 to sterilize once. The process ends. This basic function is the same as that of the conventional sterilization apparatus, but in this embodiment, it is characterized in that the steam is sprayed onto the food in the container 1 through the nozzle unit 20 described later.

The container support plate 12 mentioned above is attached to the lower chamber 14. One container of rice is contained in the container 1, but in the case of providing a packed rice with an increased capacity, a container having a deep depth is used with the same planar dimension, and in this case, a container supporting plate according to the depth of the container. It is preferable to be detachable and replaceable so that (12) can be installed in a lower position. In addition, in FIG. 1, the symbol 1c represents the rice filling level in the container 1.

The nozzle unit 20 which comprises the main feature of this invention is demonstrated. This nozzle unit 20 has a base 21, a steam guide 23 having a partition wall 22, a waste paper block 24, and a plurality of steam nozzles 30. The base 21 is fixed to the lower surface 13a of the upper chamber 13 by screws (not shown) passing through the four screw holes 21a, so that the entire nozzle unit 20 is the upper chamber 13. ) Is integrated with. The base 21 is a metal plate such as stainless steel and has substantially the same planar dimension as the sealed space 15 between the upper and lower chambers 13 and 14.

On the base 21, the partition 22 which has a predetermined closed shape according to the planar shape of the container 1 is provided in predetermined height, and the steam guide 23 is formed. The partition wall 22 is made of metal such as stainless steel, and is fixed on the base 21 by any number of screws 27. When the base 21 is attached to the upper chamber 13, the upper surface thereof is the upper chamber 13. It is formed at a height close to the lower surface of the. As a result, a vapor chamber 25 is formed as a substantially closed space between the upper chamber 13 and the base 21 and inside the partition 22.

As described above, the partition wall 22 has a shape corresponding to the planar shape of the container 1, but the vapor passage 18 leading to the vapor inlet 16 of the upper chamber 13 is the upper chamber lower surface 13a. Protruded portion 22a is formed by protruding in one direction (right side in Fig. 1) so as to surround a portion to be opened in Fig. 1). That is, the steam chamber 25 defined by the partition 22 includes an opening of the steam passage 18, and the steam introduced from the steam passage inlet 16 passes through the steam passage 18 (closed space ( 15) is entered into the vapor chamber 25. On the opposite side of the partition (left side in FIG. 1), an arc-shaped recess 22b is formed so as to avoid the steam passage 19 leading to the steam outlet 17 of the upper chamber 13.

Moreover, although the partition 22 defines the vapor chamber 25 as a substantially closed space as mentioned above, the opening 26 which penetrates the partition 22 on the base 21 is formed, and this opening 26 In and out of the vapor chamber 25 is partially communicated on the base 21. This means that the steam chamber 25 is expressed as a "substantially" closed space. In the illustrated example, four openings 26 are formed in total.

The closing block 24 provided below the base 21 substantially closes the opening of the container 1 supported by the retainer 11 when the upper and lower chambers 13 and 14 are in close closing positions. And an upper end portion 24a mounted on the container flange 1b, and a lower end portion 24b entering the food storage chamber 1a of the container 1 to a predetermined depth (not reaching the rice filling level 1c). It is molded integrally by plastic or the like.

The upper end part 24a has a planar dimension larger than the lower end part 24b, and the notch 28 is formed by cutting off the area | region which is outside the lower end part 24b by a little height in the lower surface. In the example of illustration, four notches 28 are formed in total. By the formation of the notch 28, the container block 1b and the waste block upper end portion 24a of the container flange 1b and the waste block block 24a are covered with the container 1 supported by the retainer 11 so as to substantially close the container opening. A slight gap 28a corresponding to the height of the notch 28 is formed between the lower surfaces. Moreover, the waste paper block lower end part 24b has a planar dimension a little larger than the food accommodation chamber 1a of the container 1, and has a slight clearance between the waste paper block lower end part 24b and the inner surface of the food accommodation chamber 1a. Since the space | interval remains, this space | interval and the space | interval 28a by the above-mentioned notch 28 continue. Therefore, even when the abolition block 24 is covered with the container 1, the inside of the food storage chamber 1a of the container 1 is not completely sealed, and the vapor | steam in a container is conveyed through the said space | interval. It is designed to be discharged out.

The plurality of steam nozzles 30 are resin molded integrally with the waste block 24 to penetrate the waste block 24 in the thickness direction. In the example of illustration, two types of steam nozzles 30 are provided, and the 1st type steam nozzle 31 passes through the through-hole 21b of the base 21 from the upper direction to the steam chamber in the partition 22. It protrudes and protrudes further downward from the waste paper block lower end part 24b below it. On the other hand, the steam nozzle 32 of the second type protrudes from the steam chamber in the partition 22 through the through-hole 21b of the base 21, similarly to the steam nozzle 31 of the first type. However, the lower end thereof is opened at the lower surface of the waste paper lower end portion 21b. In FIG. 3, which is a bottom view of the nozzle unit 20, the first type steam nozzle 31 is represented by a double circle, the outer circle of which represents the nozzle outer diameter, and the inner circle of which represents the opening. The steam nozzle is represented by one small circle representing the opening.

Also, the steam nozzle 30 of any type (a reference numeral 30 is used to generically refer to the nozzles 31 and 32 of the first and second types) also has a through hole 21b of the base 21 above. The upper end of the upper chamber 13 is opened at a height position not reaching the lower surface 13a of the upper chamber 13 though the upper chamber protrudes into the vapor chamber in the partition wall 22 through. That is, a slight gap remains between the upper end of the steam nozzle 30 and the lower surface 13a of the upper chamber 13.

The nozzle 31 of the first type further protrudes downward from the waste block lower end 24b and extends to the inner vicinity of the container 1 supported by the retainer 11. The nozzle 31 is opened at the lower end thereof, and is opened in an arbitrary direction at an arbitrary height position in the middle portion thereof. The side nozzle hole in this middle part is shown with the symbol 31a in FIG.

The operation of the sterilizing device 10 configured as described above will be described. When the upper and lower chambers 13 and 14 are in a stand-by position separated from each other, a conveyor (not shown) is driven so that the rice filling container 1 supported by the retainer 11 has a predetermined position between the upper and lower chambers 13 and 14. After the conveyor stops, the upper and lower chambers 13 and 14 are relatively moved to the close abutment position, and the state shown in FIG. 1 is obtained.

In this state, high temperature and high pressure steam is flash-injected from the steam inlet 16 of the upper chamber 13 for a predetermined time (for example, 5 to 10 seconds). The introduced steam enters the vapor chamber 25, through the vapor passage 16, formed as a space between the upper chamber 13 and the base 21 and substantially closed inside the partition 22. Since the steam introduced from the steam inlet 16 includes hot water in a liquid state, the hot water also enters the steam chamber 25 at the same time as the steam, but through the opening 26 formed at the bottom of the partition 22. It is discharged out of the seal 25. That is, the opening 26 functions as a drainage path, and prevents hot water contained in the steam from being injected into the rice in the container 1.

The introduced steam fills the steam chamber 25 and then enters the steam nozzle 30 from the top openings of the steam nozzles 30 (31, 32), and at the first steam nozzle 31 the bottom opening and the intermediate portion From the side nozzle hole 31a, the 2nd steam nozzle 32 blows out from the opening of the lower surface of the waste block lower end part 24b, respectively. Since the first steam nozzle 31 is inserted into the rice in the container 1, the first steam nozzle 31 directly enters the inside of the rice at various height positions in the container 1 to eject steam, and the second steam nozzle ( 32 ejects steam toward the surface of the food in the container 1. As a result, the rice in the container 1 is evenly and uniformly sterilized.

In addition, since the upper end of the steam nozzle 30 is located at a sufficiently higher position than the opening 26 functioning as a drainage path, hot water contained in the steam enters from the upper end opening of the steam nozzle 30 to be poured into the container 1. It doesn't happen.

The steam sterilizing the rice in the container 1 is thus formed between the container flange 1b and the lower surface of the waste paper block upper end 24a by a notch 28 formed at the periphery of the lower surface of the waste paper block upper end 24a. It is discharged out of the container 1 through the gap 28a and is discharged out of the device 10 from the steam outlet 17 through the vapor passage 19 and the closed space 15 between the upper and lower chambers 13, 14. As mentioned above, the container 1 supports the bottom surface by the container support plate 12 in the state supported by the retainer 11, and is combined with the smooth exhaust action by the above-mentioned method, and the container 1 is also introduced by steam introduction. ), The internal pressure does not increase excessively, and swelling deformation of the container 1 can be prevented.

In this way, while the container 1 is stopped at the sterilization position by the conveyor stop, a sterilization treatment is performed in which mold sealing → steam flash (about 5 to 10 seconds) → mold opening is made one cycle. By repeatedly performing this at several places of sterilization treatment, not only normal live bacteria but also heat resistant live bacteria are substantially completely killed. The number of repetitions can be adjusted by the type or amount of food to be sterilized, but is generally about 4 to 8 times.

In order to confirm the effect by the food sterilization apparatus 10 of illustration, the F value at the time of filling immersion rice in the container 1 of FIG. 5 and carrying out high temperature high pressure steam sterilization was measured. As rice, Aomori Kensan Mashigura (registered trademark) is used. After semi-finding, it is immersed in tap water of Hanyu-shi, Saitama, and drained well for 1 hour, and made of polypropylene having oxygen barrier properties. The container ("Lamicon" registered trademark) (1) was filled. This container accommodated 200 g of rice in the completion state after cooking, set the yield to 224.4%, and filled the container 1 with 112 g of immersion rice. The charged rice was 89.1g in uncooked state, and the dipping rate was 125.7. This was put into the sterilization apparatus 10, and the steam sterilization process which introduce | transduced 143 degreeC high temperature high pressure steam from the steam inlet 16 for 4.0 second and performed was repeated 8 times.

The test was repeated 12 times under the same conditions as described above, and the atmosphere temperature and the temperature (bottom part temperature) at the corners near the bottom of the container 1 were measured, and the atmosphere final F ₀ value and bottom part final F ₀ value were measured. Was measured. The results are shown in Table 1.

As shown in the above table, even in the corner near the bottom of the container where the temperature is hardest to rise, the temperature is raised to a temperature almost unchanged from the ambient temperature. As a result, the final F ₀ value is also at least 14.2 and an average of 18.1. It was confirmed that it is obtained. Also, the food was excellent.

As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described in detail with reference to an accompanying drawing, it is to be understood that this invention is not limited to this embodiment, It can take various forms within the range of the invention defined by the claim. There is no me. Although the retainer 11 which hold | maintains the single container 1 is shown by the example of illustration, when comprised as a retainer holding several containers, since several containers and the food in a container can be sterilized simultaneously, actual embodiment is carried out. It is very suitable as.

1 container
1a food chamber
1b flange
1c rice filling level
2 lid materials
3 Rice (Food)
10 food sterilization device
11 retainer (container support means)
12 vessel support plate
13 phase chamber
Bottom of chamber 13a
14 lower chamber
15 Enclosed space between upper and lower chamber
16 steam inlet
17 steam outlet
18, 19 steam passage
20 nozzle units
21 base
21a screw hole
22 bulkhead
22a protrusion
22b recess
23 Steam Guide
24 waste paper blocks
24a top
24b bottom
25 steam rooms
26 opening (drain)
27 screws
28 notches
28a interval where steam passes
30 steam nozzle
31 type 1 steam nozzle
31a side nozzle hole
32 2nd type steam nozzle

Claims

Container supporting means for supporting a container containing a food to be sterilized;
An upper chamber having a vapor inlet;
A lower chamber disposed opposite the upper chamber and movable relative to the upper chamber;
Nozzle unit; And
The nozzle unit,
A base attached to the lower surface of the upper chamber,
A steam guide having a partition wall provided in a predetermined closed shape at a predetermined height on a base and forming a substantially closed steam chamber between the lower surface of the upper chamber,
A closing block disposed below the base to substantially close the opening of the container supported by the container supporting means when the upper and lower chambers are in an intimate state;
A steam nozzle penetrates the waste paper block and communicates with the inside of the vessel supported by the vessel holding means, wherein an upper end of the steam nozzle protrudes into the steam chamber, and at the same time, the lower end is opened. And a food sterilizing device which protrudes from the lower surface of the waste paper block and enters the inner vicinity of the container supported by the container supporting means.

The method of claim 1,
Food compartment sterilization apparatus, characterized in that through the partition is formed through the opening for communicating the inside and outside of the steam chamber.

The method according to claim 1 or 2,
An upper end portion of the waste block disposed on a flange of the container;
Food sterilization apparatus characterized in that it has a lower end to enter a predetermined depth in the receiving portion of the container.

The method of claim 3, wherein
Food sterilization apparatus, characterized in that the notch is installed on the lower surface of the upper end of the waste paper block.

The method according to claim 1, wherein
A lower end portion of the steam nozzle is opened at the end thereof, and is opened toward the side at a midway portion from the lower surface of the waste block to the end.

The method according to claim 1, wherein
A part of the steam nozzle is open at the lower surface of the waste paper block, characterized in that the food sterilization device.