KR20200116356A - Method and Apparatus For Processing of Coffee Beans - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for processing coffee beans, and an apparatus thereof. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the method for processing coffee beans comprises: a first supply step of supplying coffee beans into a first chamber; a second supply step of supplying additives to be spread into the coffee beans into a second chamber; a first decompression step of depressurizing the first chamber such that the internal pressure of the first chamber is less than the internal pressure of the second chamber; a transfer step of opening a transfer control valve coupled to a flow path communicating the first chamber and the second camber with each other so as to transfer at least a part of the additives in the second chamber to the first chamber through the flow path; and an impregnation step in which in the first chamber, the transferred at least a part of the additives is spread into pores of the coffee beans. Accordingly, the coffee beans have flavor that can be maintained for a long distribution period.

Description

Method and Apparatus For Processing of Coffee Beans {Method and Apparatus For Processing of Coffee Beans}

The present invention relates to a coffee bean processing technology, and more particularly, to a coffee bean processing method and apparatus.

Coffee is a popular favorite food consumed all over the world, and the processed beverage market is developing mainly in western developed countries and expanding trend in developing countries as well. In recent years, the momentum of the coffee specialty store market is also expanding significantly.

Coffee is known to have been found in the Ethiopian Plateau, and it is said to have developed into a drink in Arabia. Currently, the main coffee producers are in Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia. Since green coffee beans, in which no coffee beans are processed, are not suitable for drinking as they are due to their fishy smell, they are mainly roasted and the coffee beans obtained by roasting are pulverized and immersed in hot water to brew or extracted by passing high pressure water. And have been drinking. By roasting coffee beans, the fishy taste or astringent taste of green beans is removed, and the flavor is increased as the characteristic burnt taste that occurs when the beans are roasted is generated.

The method of processing coffee so that it can be enjoyed in various ways has been developed in various ways, not just roasting. For example, a variation in which a coffee contains ingredients having its own taste and aroma so that a unique taste or flavor can be felt when drinking coffee is one of the popular coffee reforming methods.

In the conventional coffee reforming method, after grinding roasted coffee beans, the coffee is brewed and an additive is directly added to the liquid coffee. Since the method of directly adding the additive to the liquid coffee is simply mixing the additive into the liquid phase, it is difficult to obtain a homogeneous taste and flavor throughout the liquid when drinking. In addition, in the case of an insoluble additive to coffee, there is a problem in that the quality of the entire coffee flavor is deteriorated due to agglomeration phenomenon in the liquid phase or residue remaining.

As another coffee reforming method, the method of manually injecting the additives directly into liquid coffee after grinding by the consumer is cumbersome in that the user must directly add the additives to enjoy the variation, and after the producer, not the user, grinds When an additive is added, it is difficult to deteriorate the coffee beans during the distribution period before being delivered to the consumer, or to obtain an integrated flavor of the additive and coffee beans.

The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is that the taste or aroma of coffee is not degraded by modifying the coffee bean itself, and the flavor is maintained for a long distribution period, and the consumer enjoys the variation of coffee without further processing, and the unique taste of the additive and It is to provide a coffee bean processing method that integrates and maximizes aroma in the coffee bean.

In addition, another technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a coffee bean processing apparatus for solving the above-described problem.

A coffee bean processing method according to an embodiment of the present invention for solving the above problem includes: a first supply step of introducing coffee beans into a first chamber; A second supply step of introducing an additive to be impregnated into the coffee beans into the second chamber; A first decompression step of depressurizing the first chamber such that the internal pressure of the first chamber is less than the internal pressure of the second chamber; Opening a transfer control valve coupled to a transfer control flow path that communicates the first chamber and the second chamber to transfer all or part of the additive in the second chamber to the first chamber through the transfer control flow path. Delivery step; And an impregnation step in which at least some of the delivered additives are impregnated into the pores of the coffee beans in the first chamber.

A coffee bean processing method according to another embodiment of the present invention for solving the above problem includes: a first supply step of injecting coffee beans into a first chamber; A second supply step of introducing an additive to be impregnated into the coffee beans and a sublimable material in a solid state into the second chamber; An aerosolization step of sublimating the sublimable material into a gaseous state in the second chamber and causing the additive to aerosolize; A first decompression step of depressurizing the first chamber such that the internal pressure of the first chamber is less than the internal pressure of the second chamber; By opening a delivery control valve coupled to a delivery control flow path that communicates the first chamber and the second chamber, all or part of the aerosolized additive in the second chamber is transferred to the first chamber through the delivery control flow path. A delivery step of delivering to; And an impregnation step in which the at least part of the aerosolized additive is impregnated into the pores of the coffee bean in the first chamber.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the coffee beans may be green beans or roasted coffee beans. According to an embodiment of the present invention, by opening the transfer control valve, a recovery step of recovering at least a part of the additive remaining after the impregnation in the first chamber to the second chamber through the transfer control flow path is further performed. And, the recovery step may include a second decompression step of depressurizing the second chamber so that the internal pressure of the second chamber is less than the internal pressure of the first chamber. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the first depressurization step includes forming an open pore having an opening in the surface of the coffee bean by the internal pressure of the first chamber in the coffee bean. I can. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the sublimable material may be dry ice. According to an embodiment of the present invention, some or all of the additives may be in the form of nano powders. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the transferring step may include a drying step to facilitate the movement of the additive to the first chamber. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the impregnation step may include a heating step for promoting impregnation of the additive into the pores of the coffee bean. According to an embodiment of the present invention, in the aerosolization step, the second chamber may be unheated or insulated. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the additive may include a spice, a health supplement or a fortifying agent.

A roasted coffee bean processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention for solving the above problem includes: a first chamber for accommodating coffee beans to be processed; A second chamber for accommodating an additive to be impregnated into the coffee beans; A delivery control valve coupled to a flow path communicating the first chamber and the second chamber; And a pressure regulating pump communicating with one or more of the first chamber and the second chamber and depressurizing any one or more of the first chamber and the second chamber, wherein the transfer control valve is closed. , By reducing the pressure of the first chamber by the pressure control pump than the pressure of the second chamber, opening the transfer control valve to introduce the additive from the second chamber to the first chamber, the coffee bean The additive is impregnated into the material, and after the impregnation is completed, in a state in which the transfer control valve is closed, the pressure of the second chamber is reduced by the pressure control pump than the pressure of the first chamber, and the transfer control By opening the valve, additives remaining from the first chamber to the second chamber may be recovered.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the additive may be liquid. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the additive may be provided together with a sublimable material. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the pressure regulating pump communicates with the first chamber and the second chamber through different pressure regulating valves, respectively, and opening of each of the pressure regulating valves independently occurs. Decompression of the first chamber or the second chamber may occur independently. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the additive may include a spice, a health supplement or a fortifying agent. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the transfer control valve or the pressure control valve is a gate valve, a globe valve, an angle valve, a needle valve, a ball valve, and a butter. Butterfly valve. It may be one of a diaphragm valve, an electric motor valve, a pneumatic valve, a hydraulic valve, or a magnetic valve. According to an embodiment of the present invention, after the impregnation of the additive is completed, in a state in which the delivery control valve is closed, the pressure of the second chamber is reduced by the pressure control pump than the pressure of the first chamber, , By opening the delivery control valve, the additive remaining from the first chamber to the second chamber may be recovered.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, by reducing the pressure of the first chamber accommodating the coffee beans to the pressure of the second chamber accommodating the additive, the additive is introduced from the second chamber to the first chamber, and the additive is impregnated with the coffee bean. Provides a high-quality variation by enhancing the preservation power of flavor and improving the integrity of coffee beans and additives until consumers enjoy convenient coffee variations without any additional steps without deteriorating the original taste and aroma of coffee. A coffee bean processing method can be provided.

In addition, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the aerosolized additive from the second chamber to the first chamber is reduced by reducing the pressure of the first chamber containing the coffee beans than the pressure of the second chamber containing the additive and the sublimable material. By impregnating coffee beans with additives by inflow, it is caused by additives so that consumers can conveniently enjoy a variation of coffee without any additional steps, without deteriorating the original taste and aroma of coffee, or so that producers can provide a variation of coffee without quality change. A coffee bean processing method can be provided that maximizes a unique taste and aroma.

In addition, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the pressure of the first chamber accommodating the coffee beans is reduced to the pressure of the second chamber accommodating the additive, and the additive is introduced from the second chamber to the first chamber to impregnate the coffee bean. This maximizes the unique taste and aroma caused by additives so that the consumer can conveniently enjoy the variation of coffee without any additional steps without deteriorating the original taste and aroma of the coffee, or the producer can provide a coffee variation without quality change. A coffee bean processing device can be provided.

1A to 1D are schematic diagrams of a coffee bean processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a schematic diagram of a coffee bean processing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a flow chart of a coffee bean processing method according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a flow chart of a coffee bean processing method according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The embodiments of the present invention are provided to more completely describe the present invention to those of ordinary skill in the art, and the following examples may be modified in various other forms, and the scope of the present invention is as follows. It is not limited to the examples. Rather, these embodiments are provided to make the present disclosure more faithful and complete, and to completely convey the spirit of the present invention to those skilled in the art.

In addition, the thickness or size of each layer in the drawings is exaggerated for convenience and clarity of description, and the same reference numerals refer to the same elements in the drawings. As used herein, the term "and/or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the corresponding listed items.

The terms used herein are used to describe specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit the present invention. As used herein, the singular form may include the plural form unless the context clearly indicates another case. Further, as used herein, "comprise" and/or "comprising" specifies the presence of the mentioned shapes, numbers, steps, actions, members, elements and/or groups thereof. And does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other shapes, numbers, actions, members, elements, and/or groups.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings schematically showing ideal embodiments of the present invention. In the drawings, the size and shape of members shown in the drawings may be exaggerated for convenience and clarity of description, and in actual implementation, the illustrated shape may be modified.

Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention should not be construed as being limited to the specific shape of the member or region shown herein.

1A to 1D are schematic diagrams of a coffee bean processing apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1A to 1D, the coffee bean processing apparatus 10 may include a first chamber 200 and a second chamber 300. The first chamber 200 provides a space in which the added coffee beans 100 are impregnated with the additives 105. The second chamber 300 provides a space in which an additive 105 to be impregnated in the coffee bean 100 is prepared or stored. There may be one or a plurality of second chambers 300, and if there are multiple, the second chambers may prepare or store different additives, respectively.

The additive may be any spices, oils, waxes, fats, chocolates, organic acids, syrups, fruit acids, alcoholic beverages, and beverages capable of improving flavor or providing variations to coffee beans. The additive may be in a liquid state or a solid state in the form of a powder, and in the case of the solid state, the powder may be dispersed in a solvent such as distilled water to be provided in the second chamber 300. At the same time or at the same time, two or more kinds of additives 105 may be provided for the present invention. When added at the same time, the additive 105 may be a mixture containing a plurality of types of substances. The use of the additive 105 is not limited to adding taste or aroma to coffee beans or to enhance the taste or aroma of coffee beans. For example, the additive 105 may be a health supplement or a strengthening agent for health promotion. The health supplement or fortifier may include vitamins, minerals, or probiotics.

As a spice having a taste or aroma, the additive 105 may be tea leaves, honey, fruit, fragrance essence, herbs, and the like. Herb refers to a substance derived from a plant or plant part and an extract of the substance, and in particular, in the present invention, the herb refers to mint, aloe vera, basil, burdock, red pepper, mint, chicory, lasley, plantain, rosemary, spearmint, Substances derived from wild yam or saffron may be included.

Between the first chamber 200 and the second chamber 300, a transfer control passage 106_1 for communicating the first chamber 200 and the second chamber 300 may be provided. The additive 105 is transferred from the second chamber 300 to the first chamber 200 through the transfer control passage 106_1, or at least a part of the additive transferred to the first chamber 200 is the first chamber 200 It may be returned to the second chamber 300 from. The position at which the delivery control passage 106_1 is connected to the second chamber 300 may vary depending on the state of the additive 105 moving to the first chamber 200. When the additive 105 moving to the first chamber 200 is in a liquid state, the transfer control passage 106_1 may be connected to the lower side of the second chamber 300 as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, and the first chamber When the additive 105 moving to 200 is in an aerosol state, the delivery control passage 106_1 may be connected to the upper side of the second chamber 300 as shown in FIGS. 1C and 1D.

A first temperature control device 201 may be coupled inside or outside the first chamber 200. The first temperature control device 201 includes a heater (not shown), a temperature sensor (not shown) for measuring a temperature inside the first chamber 200, and a temperature measured from the temperature sensor to control the temperature of the heater. It may include a controller (not shown). By heating the reaction unit 102 or the roasting drum 102_1 in the roasting step of the coffee beans 100 through the first temperature control device 201, coffee beans may be formed. In the roasting step, by vacuumizing the inside of the first chamber 200 by the pressure regulating pump 401, the porosity of the coffee beans may be controlled. The porosity is controlled to adjust the degree of impregnation of the additive 105 to be described later. For example, in the roasting step, the inside of the first chamber 200 is heated at 120° C. by the heater, and the inside of the roasted beans is vacuumed to release moisture inside the roasted beans, thereby providing roasted beans having pores. The heating and vacuuming steps may be repeated at least once or more, and when the heating temperature and/or the number of repetitions of the roasting step is increased, the porosity of the beans may increase, and as a result, impregnation of additives in the beans The degree can be increased.

In one embodiment, the reaction unit 102 contains the coffee beans 100 before impregnation of the additive, and after the impregnation, the coffee beans 100 move together with the movement of the additive when the additive 105 is recovered. Do not let them escape. The shape of the reaction unit 102 may be a bowl, a barrel, or a drum shape. A plurality of openings (not shown) communicating the inside and outside of the reaction section 102 may be provided on the surface of the reaction section 102 so that the additive 105 can be easily transferred into the inside of the reaction section 102. have. When the diameter of the opening is smaller than the diameter of the coffee bean 100 after impregnation, when the additive is recovered after the impregnation reaction, the coffee bean 100 does not escape from the reaction unit 102 through the opening.

In one embodiment, a drying device 206 for drying the space in the first chamber may be further provided on one surface of the first chamber 200. A drying device is provided to facilitate the movement of the additive 105 to the first chamber 200 and to shorten the processing time. The pressure in the first chamber 200 may increase as the moisture contained in the coffee beans 100 or the additive 105 escapes, and the pressure difference between the first chamber 200 and the second chamber 300 decreases. can do. This may hinder the moving speed of the additives and the coffee bean processing process speed caused by the pressure difference between the two chambers, and reduce economic efficiency. Moisture in the first chamber is removed by the drying device 206, so that the moving speed of the additive and the coffee bean processing process speed are accelerated, and the economy of the reaction may be secured. The first chamber 200 may further include a coffee bean supply device 207 for automatically injecting coffee beans into the first chamber 200 at the start of the processing cycle of the coffee beans 100.

A second temperature control device 301 may be included inside or outside the second chamber 200. The second temperature control device 301 may increase the temperature of the additive 105 to induce a state change such as liquefaction, vaporization, or sublimation of the additive 105. The second chamber 300 automatically transfers the sublimable material 103 for the transfer of the additive 105 or the additive 105 to be described later to the first chamber 200 before the delivery control valve 106 is opened. A material supply device 208 for injecting into the second chamber 300 may be further included.

Materials may be transferred between the first chamber 200 and the second chamber 300 through the transfer control passage 106_1. The material may be an additive 105 or a sublimable material 103. A transfer control valve 106 may be provided at a cross section of the transfer control flow path 106_1. The transfer control valve 106 may control the movement of substances in the transfer control flow path 106_1 by the opening and closing action of the valve. The delivery control valve 106 may be a manual valve or an automatic valve. Manual valves can be one of a gate valve, globe valve, angle valve, needle valve, ball valve, butterfly valve, or diaphragm valve. have. The automatic valve may be any one of an electric motor valve, a pneumatic valve, a hydraulic valve, or a solenoid valve. The embodiments of the valve described above are exemplary, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

The coffee bean processing apparatus 10 may be provided with a pressure regulating pump 401 that decreases or increases the pressure in the first chamber 200 or the second chamber 300. The pressure regulating pump 401 may communicate with the first chamber 200 or the second chamber 300. According to an embodiment, the pressure control pump 401 communicates with the first chamber 200 or the second chamber 300 and the pressure control flow path 401_1, and is provided in the pressure control flow path 401_1. By opening the 401_3), the pressure of the first chamber 200 or the second chamber 300 may be adjusted. If the pressure regulating action of the pressure regulating pump 401 satisfies the driving conditions independently occurring in the first chamber 200 and the second chamber 300, the arrangement method is as shown in the above embodiment or the drawings. Not limited to that. The pressure control valve 401_3 may be a manual valve or an automatic valve, and for this, reference may be made to the example of the transfer control valve 106, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

According to an embodiment, the pressure regulating pump 401 is provided with the first chamber 200 and the second chamber 300 by a pressure regulating valve 401_3 different from the first chamber 200 and the second chamber 300. Pressure can be adjusted independently. For example, since each of the pressure control valves 401_3 is opened independently, depressurization of the first chamber 200 or the second chamber 300 may occur independently. According to another embodiment, there may be a plurality of pressure regulating pumps 401, and the first chamber 200 and the second chamber 300 may communicate with different pressure regulating pumps 401.

The coffee bean processing apparatus 10 may be provided with pressurization flow paths 402_1 and 402_2 for increasing the pressure in the first chamber 200 or the second chamber 300. The pressurization flow paths 402_1 and 402_2 communicate the inside and outside of the first chamber 200 and the second chamber 300, respectively, so that the pressure inside the chamber reaches the outside pressure without a separate power source. The pressure may be increased. A control valve 403_1 may be provided in the pressure passages 402_1 and 402_2. The control valve 403_1 may be the manual valve or the automatic valve like the pressure control valve 401_3.

2 is a schematic diagram of a coffee bean processing apparatus 10 according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, an internal device for the roasting process or impregnation of coffee beans 100, for example, a roasting drum 102_1, may be provided inside the first chamber 200. The roasting drum 102_1 has one or more openings (not shown) communicating inside and outside the drum 102, and thus may serve as a passage through which additives flow into or out of the drum. The roasting drum 102_1 may further be provided with a rotation motor 102_3 coupled with an axis passing through the center of the roasting drum 102_1. The rotation motor 102_3 serves to apply a rotational force to rotate the inside of the drum so that heat is evenly applied to the surface of the coffee beans during the roasting process inside the drum.

3 and 4 are flow charts of a coffee bean processing method according to embodiments of the present invention. The coffee bean processing method according to the present invention is not limited to the embodiments to be described later, and some steps may be omitted in other embodiments.

3, a coffee bean processing method according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a first supply step (S101) of injecting coffee beans into the first chamber 200, as shown in FIG. 1A, and the coffee The second supply step (S102) of introducing the additive 105 to be impregnated into the beans 100 into the second chamber 300 (S102), the internal pressure of the first chamber 200 is the internal pressure of the second chamber 300 A first decompression step (S103) of depressurizing the first chamber 200 to be smaller than that, a transfer control valve coupled to a transfer control flow path 106_1 communicating the first chamber 200 and the second chamber (Fig. A delivery step of opening 106 of 1a to transfer all or part of the additive in the second chamber 300 to the first chamber 200 through the delivery control flow path 106_1 as shown in FIG. 1B (S104), a delivery blocking step of closing the delivery control valve (S105), an impregnation step in which all or part of the delivered additive is impregnated in the pores of the coffee bean 100 in the first chamber 200 (S106), and a recovery step (S107) of opening the transfer control valve to recover the additive remaining after the impregnation in the first chamber 200 to the second chamber. In another embodiment, the delivery blocking step (S105) and the collection step (S107) may be omitted.

4, a coffee bean processing method according to another embodiment of the present invention, referring to FIG. 1C, a first supply step (S201) of injecting the coffee beans 100 into the first chamber 200, A second supply step (S202) of injecting a solid sublimable material 103 together with an additive 105 to be impregnated into the coffee bean 100, preferably a liquid additive, into the second chamber 300, the An aerosolization step (S203) in which the additive 105 is aerosolized while the sublimable material 103 sublimates to a gaseous state in the second chamber 300, and the internal pressure of the first chamber 200 A first decompression step (S204) of depressurizing the first chamber 200 so as to be less than the internal pressure of the chamber 300, and a transfer control passage communicating the first chamber 200 and the second chamber 300 ( By opening the delivery control valve 106 coupled to 106_1), as shown in FIG. 1D, all or part of the aerosolized additive in the second chamber 300 through the delivery control flow path 106_1 A delivery step (S205) of transferring to the first chamber 200, a delivery blocking step (S206) of closing the delivery control valve 106, the aerosolized additive delivered in the first chamber 200 It may include an impregnation step (S207) in which all or a part of is impregnated into the pores of the coffee bean. Since the amount of the additive delivered to the first chamber 200 in the form of an aerosol is small, it is less necessary to be recovered for recycling. However, in another embodiment, a recovery step of opening the delivery control valve 106 to recover the residual aerosolized additive in the first chamber 200 after the impregnation into the second chamber 300 (S208) May be performed. In another embodiment, the transfer blocking step (S206) may be omitted.

In the embodiment described above with reference to Figs. 3 and 4, the first supply step (S101, S202) does not necessarily precede the second supply step (S102, S202), and the second supply step (S102, It may be performed simultaneously with S202), or may be followed by the second supplying steps S102 and S202. The first supplying steps S101 and S201 and the second supplying steps S102 and S202 may be performed in a state in which the transfer control valve 106 of FIG. 1 is closed to block material movement between chambers.

The coffee beans 100 may be green coffee beans or coffee beans that have been roasted more than once. After a series of coffee bean processing steps including impregnation and recovery of additives are completed, additional roasting may be performed, and in particular, when a roasting drum (102_1 in FIG. 1D) is disposed in the first chamber of the coffee bean processing apparatus 10, The first supplying steps S101 and S201 may include inserting coffee beans into the first chamber 200 and then roasting them in the roasting drum 102_1.

According to an embodiment, the physical state of the additive 105 upon injection may be a gas, a liquid, a solid, or a mixed phase including at least two or more of them. The solid additive 105 may have a nano-powder shape that facilitates movement within or between chambers.

In order to change the state of the additive 105, a sublimable material in a solid state (103 in FIG. 1C) may be added. The sublimable material 103 is required to perform the aerosolization step S203 shown in FIG. 4. The sublimable material 103 refers to a material that converts a state from solid to gas under a condition of 1 atmosphere or less because the pressure condition of the triple point is higher than 1 atmosphere (760 Torr). In particular, dry ice may be used as the sublimable material 103. In the case of dry ice, since it does not react with additives and coffee beans due to its high chemical stability, it can prevent deterioration that is difficult to predict during the reaction process, and carbon dioxide remains in a gaseous state after the impregnation process. Is not difficult, so it is suitable for use in the impregnation process.

In the aerosolization step (S203), the sublimable material 103 absorbs the heat of sublimation and sublimates it into a gaseous state as shown in FIG. 1C, while taking heat from the additive 105 and rapidly cooling the additive 105 to aerosolize the additive 105. . Aerosol refers to an aerosol system in which small droplets of solid or liquid are dispersed in a gas.

In the aerosolization step, the second chamber 300 may react in an unheated state or an adiabatic state. Since the aerosolized additive 105_1 does not need to undergo a process of adding heat to change to a state that can be easily transferred to the first chamber 200, it may be aerosolized in an unheated state or an adiabatic state. In this case, as the additives in the second chamber 300 are exposed to high temperatures, the possibility of deteriorating the original material structure or function or losing a characteristic taste or aroma may decrease or disappear.

When the sublimable material 103 is dry ice, when the vapor pressure curve of CO ₂ is followed, dry ice at -40° C. sublimates under atmospheric pressure conditions at room temperature in the second chamber 300 to generate a large amount of gaseous carbon dioxide. do. Due to the heat of sublimation obtained from the surroundings during the sublimation of dry ice to carbon dioxide and the temperature difference between the carbon dioxide and the additive 105, the additive 105 in the second chamber 300 is caused by gaseous carbon dioxide bubbles and explosions of the bubbles. Can be aerosolized.

In the first decompression step (S103, S204), the pores of the coffee bean 100 are opened through a decompression process of converting the first chamber 200 into a low pressure state below atmospheric pressure. When the pressure control valve 401_3 is open, the pressure control pump 401 is depressurized through the pressure control flow path 401_1 communicated with the first chamber 200, thereby reducing the pressure reduction of the first chamber 200. Done. The first decompression step (S202) is not necessarily preceded by the aerosolization step (S203), and may be performed simultaneously with the aerosolization step (S203), or may be followed by the aerosolization step (S203).

In the atmospheric pressure environment, the coffee bean 100_2 is in a state in which the internal pores are closed. When converted to a low pressure state, open pores having an opening in the surface of the coffee bean 100 are formed in the process of evaporating or sublimating a part of the material remaining in the closed pores inside the coffee bean 100 to escape to the low pressure environment. do. According to an embodiment, by adjusting the degree of low pressure from a low vacuum in the range of 1 Torr to 760 Torr to a medium vacuum or high vacuum of 1 Torr or less, the degree of opening of the pores according to the pressure difference inside and outside the surface of the coffee bean 100 is controlled. It is possible. By controlling the degree of opening of the pores, the amount of impregnation of the impregnated additive 105 can be controlled. In particular, the low pressure environment in the first decompression steps S103 and S204 may be in a low vacuum state in the range of 1 Torr to 760 Torr. The formation of the low vacuum state can be implemented more easily and the cost is low compared to the formation of the medium vacuum or high vacuum state.

In the delivery steps (S104, S205), a delivery control valve (106 in FIG. 1) connecting between the first chamber 200 and the second chamber 300 is opened, and the first chamber 200 and the second chamber 300 are opened. All or part of the additive 105 is delivered to the first chamber 200 through a delivery control flow path (106_1 in FIG. 1) communicating with each other.

As described above, when the first chamber 200 is converted to a low pressure state in the first decompression step (S103, S204), and the second chamber is in a state of 1 atmosphere (760 Torr) equal to atmospheric pressure, or a sublimable material is introduced, Vapor pressure due to the gas generated by sublimation is added to the state to have an atmospheric pressure of 1 atmosphere (760 Torr) or more. When the delivery control valve 106 located in the passage connecting the first chamber and the second chamber is opened due to the pressure difference, the first chamber 200 in a relatively low pressure state is opened from the second chamber 300 in a relatively high pressure state. Gas flows into it. In this case, the state of the additive may be a gas, a liquid, or a fine powder state. As shown in FIG. 1B, the liquid additive without the aerosolization step (S203) has an influence of the gas flow toward the first chamber in addition to its own pressure due to the difference in water level between the second chamber and the first chamber. It is received and transferred to the first chamber, and as shown in FIG. 1D, the additive that has passed through the aerosolization step (S203) is introduced into an aerosolized state together with a gaseous sublimable material.

The delivery steps (S104, S205) are performed by the drying device 206 coupled to the first chamber 200, thereby reducing the pressure difference between the first chamber and the second chamber by removing moisture inside the first chamber 200. And a drying step to facilitate the movement of the additive 105 to the first chamber.

In the delivery blocking steps (S105, S206), after the inflow of the additive 105 into the second chamber 300 is finished, the delivery control valve (106 in FIG. 1A) is closed, and the second chamber 300 is again in the first chamber 200. Block the flow to prevent diffusion of the sublimable material and additive 105_1 to ). This is to prevent impregnation efficiency from decreasing due to a decrease in the concentration of the additive in the first chamber 200.

In the impregnation steps S106 and S207, the additive 105 delivered to the first chamber 200 is impregnated into the open pores of the coffee bean 100. The additive 105 moves into the open pores of the coffee beans located in the first chamber 200. When the additive 105 is a liquid, it moves into the pores by capillary pressure, and when the additive 105 is a gas or powder, it moves into the pores by diffusion. After moving into the pores, some of the additives 105 are adsorbed to the pore walls, and the remaining unadsorbed flows out of the pores again. As the time required for the impregnation steps S106 and S207 increases, the number of times of penetration and adsorption of the additive 105 into the pores increases. When the additive 105 is aerosolized using the sublimable material 103 and transferred to the first chamber 200, impregnation of the aerosolized additive into the pores of the coffee bean 100 may be more easily performed. In addition, compared to the case of using only the liquid additive, the consumption amount of the additive can be reduced, and there is also an advantage in that the recovery step can be omitted.

The impregnation step (S106, S207) is performed by a first temperature control device (201 in FIG. 1) coupled to the first chamber 200, and adsorption and drying of the additive 105 in the pores in the first chamber 200 It may include a heating step that promotes and a cooling step of restoring to an initial temperature state after the adsorption is completed.

In the recovery steps S107 and S208, the transfer control valve 106 is opened to recover the additive remaining after the impregnation occurring in the first chamber to the second chamber through the transfer control flow path 106_1. The recovered additive can be reused in the next repeated process cycle after the completion of one process cycle comprising a series of processing steps. When the aerosolization step (S203) is performed using the sublimable material 104, the additive 105_1 and carbon dioxide remaining in the first chamber can be easily removed outside the first chamber 300, and the inner wall of the chamber It is not easily attached to the product, so separate cleaning is not required.

The recovery steps S107 and S208 may include a second decompression step S107_1 and S208_1 of converting the second chamber 300 into a low pressure state by using the decompression action of the pressure regulating pump 401. The low pressure state refers to an atmospheric pressure state lower than that of the first chamber 200. By setting the second chamber 300 to a low pressure state, the additives remaining without being impregnated in the first chamber 200 can be returned. The second vacuum state 304 may be a low vacuum state in the range of 1 Torr to 760 Torr. The decompression action of the second decompression steps S107_1 and S208_1 may occur independently from the decompression action of the first decompression steps S103 and S204.

The present invention described above is not limited to the above-described embodiments and the accompanying drawings, and that various substitutions, modifications, and changes are possible within the scope of the technical spirit of the present invention. It will be obvious to those who have knowledge.

10: coffee bean processing device
100: coffee beans
102: reaction part
102_1: roasting drum
102_3: rotary motor
103: sublimable material
105: additive
105_1: aerosolized additive
106: transmission control valve
106_1: Transmission control flow path
200: first chamber
201: first thermostat
206: drying device
207: coffee bean supply device
208: material supply device
300: second chamber
301: second temperature control device
401: pressure regulating pump
401_1: Pressure regulating flow path
401_3: pressure regulating valve
402: pressure flow path
402_1: first pressurization flow path
402_2: second pressurization flow path
403_1: pressure valve

Claims (18)

A first supply step of injecting coffee beans into the first chamber;
A second supply step of introducing an additive to be impregnated into the coffee beans into the second chamber;
A first decompression step of depressurizing the first chamber such that the internal pressure of the first chamber is less than the internal pressure of the second chamber;
Opening a transfer control valve coupled to a transfer control flow path that communicates the first chamber and the second chamber to transfer all or part of the additive in the second chamber to the first chamber through the transfer control flow path. Delivery step; And
In the first chamber, a coffee bean processing method comprising an impregnation step in which the delivered at least part of the additive is impregnated into the pores of the coffee bean. A first supply step of injecting coffee beans into the first chamber;
A second supply step of introducing an additive to be impregnated into the coffee beans and a sublimable material in a solid state into the second chamber;
An aerosolization step of sublimating the sublimable material into a gaseous state in the second chamber and causing the additive to aerosolize;
A first decompression step of depressurizing the first chamber such that the internal pressure of the first chamber is less than the internal pressure of the second chamber;
By opening a delivery control valve coupled to a delivery control flow path that communicates the first chamber and the second chamber, all or part of the aerosolized additive in the second chamber is transferred to the first chamber through the delivery control flow path. A delivery step of delivering to; And
In the first chamber, a coffee bean processing method comprising an impregnation step in which the at least a portion of the aerosolized additive is impregnated into the pores of the coffee bean. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
The coffee beans are green or roasted coffee beans. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
A recovery step of opening the transfer control valve to recover at least a part of the additive remaining after the impregnation in the first chamber to the second chamber through the transfer control flow path,
The recovery step includes a second decompression step of depressurizing the second chamber so that the internal pressure of the second chamber is less than the internal pressure of the first chamber. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
The first depressurization step includes forming an open pore having an opening in the surface of the coffee bean by the internal pressure of the first chamber in the coffee bean. The method of claim 2,
The sublimable material is dry ice coffee bean processing method. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
Some or all of the additives are in the form of nano-powder coffee beans processing method. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
Wherein the transferring step comprises a drying step to facilitate the transfer of the additive to the first chamber. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
The impregnation step includes a heating step for promoting impregnation of the additive into the pores of the coffee bean. The method of claim 2,
In the aerosolization step, the second chamber is unheated or insulated coffee bean processing method. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
The additive is a coffee bean processing method comprising a spice, a dietary supplement or a fortifying agent. A first chamber for receiving coffee beans to be processed;
A second chamber for accommodating an additive to be impregnated into the coffee beans;
A transfer control valve coupled to a transfer control flow path communicating the first chamber and the second chamber; And
A pressure regulating pump communicating with at least one of the first chamber and the second chamber, and depressurizing at least one of the first chamber and the second chamber,
In a state in which the transfer control valve is closed, the pressure control pump reduces the pressure in the first chamber than the pressure in the second chamber, and opens the transfer control valve to open the first chamber from the second chamber. A coffee bean processing device for impregnating the coffee bean with the additive by introducing the additive into the furnace. The method of claim 12,
The additive is a liquid coffee bean processing device. The method of claim 13,
The coffee bean processing apparatus provided with the additive is a sublimable material. The method of claim 12,
Coffee bean processing apparatus further comprising a roasting drum for roasting the coffee beans in the first chamber. The method of claim 12,
The pressure control pump communicates with each of the first chamber and the second chamber to different pressure control valves, and the pressure control valve is independently opened, thereby depressurizing the first chamber or the second chamber. This independently occurs coffee bean processing device. The method of claim 12,
The additive is a coffee bean processing apparatus containing a spice, a dietary supplement or a strengthening agent. The method of claim 12,
The transfer control valve or the pressure control valve may be a gate valve, a globe valve, an angle valve, a needle valve, a ball valve, a butterfly valve. A coffee bean processing device that is one of a diaphragm valve, an electric motor valve, a pneumatic valve, a hydraulic valve, or a solenoid valve.

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