KR20230172145A - high voltage pulsed electric field treatment apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention can secure a PEF treatment passage with a larger area, and even when raw materials with local viscosity differences are input, it can spread them to destroy the non-uniformity of the raw materials due to viscosity, and reduce the pressure in the PEF treatment passage. It relates to a high-voltage pulse electric field treatment device with a new structure that can increase the efficiency of electroporation using an. The second electrode is in the form of a cone or truncated cone that is narrow on one side and wide on the other side, and is inserted into the expanded through-hole for forming the passage of the first electrode, maintaining the same electrode spacing between the first electrode and forming a flow path from one side to the other. It is characterized by comprising a second electrode body forming a PEF processing passage with an expanded cross-sectional area.

Description

High voltage pulsed electric field treatment apparatus

The present invention relates to a high-voltage pulse electric field treatment device for treating raw materials passing between a first electrode and a second electrode with a high-voltage pulse electric field.

As the aging society and the increase in chronic diseases demand increased prevention and safety of medicinal products, medicinal plants have expanded from being used through simple processing to being used as materials for pharmaceuticals, health functional foods, cosmetics, etc. through extraction of pharmacological ingredients and ingredient research. Utilization is increasing.

In particular, in Korea, various medicinal plants exhibit unique pharmacological effects depending on various climates and soil conditions, and research and standardization studies on new effects are being conducted, and various medicinal products are being studied using these.

In particular, many studies are being conducted to identify new efficacy using new native plants, and research is being actively conducted to identify and utilize the effective ingredients of these medicinal plants, whether by using native plants alone or composite materials. .

As the industrialization of medicines and health functional foods made from natural ingredients using medicinal plants accelerates, the global health food market increases from $233.94 billion in 2016 to an average annual growth rate of 6.03%, reaching $313.56 billion in 2021. It is expected that this will happen, and approximately 50% of domestic and foreign pharmaceuticals in functional foods are reported to be single substances derived from natural products.

Domestic medicinal plants are being actively studied based on long-standing experience in use. Due to the diversity of climate and terrain, there are 8,458 species of native plants and 438 species of exotic plants, and 1,253 species of plants that can be used as medicinal resources include 826 species for medicinal purposes and 826 species for food. A total of 2,104 species are known to be growing naturally, and all chemicals naturally produced by these plants are major components of natural products. These organic compounds are collectively referred to as phytochemicals, and plants contain a wide variety of chemicals. Secondary metabolites are abundant, and can be classified into carotenoids, phenols, alkaloids, nitrogen-containing compounds, and organosulfur compounds based on their biosynthetic origin.

In the conventional method of extracting medicinal ingredients, the dried raw material is first pulverized and immersed in a solvent, causing expansion and hydration, followed by diffusion and osmotic pressure in which the soluble components in the raw material move into the solvent, that is, the soluble components contained in the plant cell structure are extracted. A mass transfer phenomenon occurs in which components move into the solvent and eventually maintain equilibrium, which is called extraction.

Active ingredients, secondary metabolites, or bioactive ingredients are synthesized in the cytoplasm and ultimately stored in an insoluble structure surrounded by the vacuole or lipoprotein bilayer of plant cells. It is not easy to extract because it is contained.

Therefore, in order to increase the extraction yield of a certain ingredient from a herbal medicine, it is important to increase the mass transfer rate of that ingredient. As the mass transfer rate increases, cell permeability and diffusion of secondary metabolites increase, and this mass transfer can be improved by changes in the concentration of components, heating or high pressure, ultrasound, and pulsed magnetic fields.

Pulsed Electric Field (PEF)

The innovative potential in the field of PEF is the widespread implementation of this technology for the processing of pumpable fresh food products.

While traditional heat sterilization destroys health-promoting ingredients such as vitamins and causes loss of fresh taste, PEF allows heat-sensitive products such as juices and smoothies, where fresh taste is a key quality parameter, to be preserved for long periods of time without detrimental effects on quality. can do. PEF processing technology can be easily implemented into existing production lines with continuous operation and simple equipment design with various capacity options.

For PEF treatment, micro high-voltage pulses of approximately 10 to 60 kV are applied. The applied high-voltage pulse induces micropores in the cell membrane (and cell wall), causing loss of barrier function, leakage of intracellular contents, and loss of vitality.

Liquid or semi-viscous liquids that can be pumped through a PEF treatment device or solid products that must be transported are exposed to high voltage pulses. The required processing time is less than 1 second and pulses are applied at a repetition rate of up to 500 or more times per second to sufficiently process all volume elements. In addition to electrical parameters such as electric field strength and specific energy input, product temperature and product recipe also affect processing intensity.

electroporation

PEF treatment is an effective process for preserving liquid products in the food and biotechnology fields at low temperatures by causing electroporation of biological or microbial cell membranes (and cell walls).

Similar or improved levels of microbial inactivation compared to thermal processes may contribute to increased retention of heat labile components.

However, continuous PEF processing in particular can lead to non-uniform processing conditions, and since PEF is generally highest on the inner wall of the chamber where the flow rate of the product being processed is lowest, the non-uniformity of PEF within the processing chamber and the associated non-uniform temperature conditions. appears.

For this reason, PEF processing chambers should be designed to increase processing homogeneity by achieving more homogeneous flow characteristics and reducing local temperature peaks within the processing chamber.

loss of cell membrane function

The cytoplasm is surrounded by a thin semipermeable membrane, the cell membrane, which serves as a semipermeable barrier for intracellular and extracellular transport of ions and macromolecules. This cell membrane is a phospholipid bilayer with a thickness of 5 nanometers (nm). When a cell is exposed to PEF, small holes of 50 to 100 nanometers (nm) are created in the cell membrane, which is called electroporation. , which is the loss of the cell membrane barrier function that allows access to the cell's valuable contents. This electroporation occurs in 1 microsecond (μs), and the process is fast, flexible, energy efficient, and requires minimal heat, so products processed this way can be stored longer while maintaining better nutritional value than conventional food processing techniques. There will be a period.

Cell sizes can be 20 to 100 micrometers (μm), bacterial dimensions can be 2 to 10 micrometers (μm), and pores can each be 50 to 100 nanometers (nm) in size.

These small pores (perforations) become more stable irreversible pores when the cell membrane receives more pulses. The required processing time for pulses is less than 1 second, up to 500 pulses per second (pulse repetition rate of up to 500 Hz) to sufficiently process all volume components.

Loss of cell membrane barrier function results in the disappearance of microorganisms, but despite this perforating effect on cell membranes, PEF treatment has no effect on vitamins, flavors or proteins, maintaining the organoleptic quality and functional value of heat-sensitive liquids. Enables decontamination.

Membrane disruption occurs when the induced membrane potential exceeds a threshold of 1 V in many cellular systems, corresponding to an external electric field of approximately 10 kV/cm for E. coli. A threshold of at least about 10 kV/cm is required to kill E. coli and reduce the microbial load of a liquid, and electroporation becomes irreversible above the minimum threshold (1 V).

It is known that the factor most closely related to treatment efficiency in PEF technology is the strength of the electric field. Here, the intensity of the electric field varies depending on the voltage and electrode spacing, as shown in the following equation (1).

E = V/d -------------Equation (1)

E : electric fields (V/cm)

V : applied voltage (V)

d: electrode gap distance (cm)

Looking at the relationship between voltage (V) and electrode spacing (d), it was confirmed that the magnitude of the externally applied voltage (V) has a greater effect than the spacing (d) between electrodes.

In other words, it was confirmed that increasing the intensity of the electric field by increasing the applied voltage or reducing the electrode gap was more effective in increasing extraction efficiency.

PEF, or electroporation, is a processor that punctures cell membranes regardless of cell size. It dramatically increases production, preserves pigments, antioxidants, and vitamins, and makes products fresh and healthy for a long time. It can also be applied at relatively low temperatures for pasteurization of food with minimal impact on freshness characteristics such as color, taste and nutrients of the food, and the process itself has limited effect on the deactivation of enzymes.

Meanwhile, in a conventional PEF processing device, a pair of electrodes is arranged in the form of a pair of plates facing each other to maintain the same electrode spacing, or a second electrode is arranged along the axial center of the first electrode in the form of a tube. It is being developed in a deployed form.

In this conventional technology, when raw materials with local viscosity differences are introduced into the PEF processing device, non-uniform PEF is generated between a pair of electrodes, and the related non-uniform temperature condition appears, thereby reducing PEF processing efficiency. becomes a factor.

In addition, in the conventional technology, the PEF treatment device relies only on PEF to destroy the cell membrane (and cell wall), so there is a limit to the increase in PEF treatment efficiency.

In addition, the conventional technology has the problem that the overall device must be enlarged in order to secure a large area of the PEF treatment passage.

Republic of Korea Patent No. 10-1733060 “Method for sterilizing milk using high-voltage pulse electric field treatment and low-temperature heat sterilization and milk sterilized thereby” (registered on April 27, 2017) Republic of Korea Patent No. 10-1729913 “Method for producing broccoli with increased sulforaphane content and use of broccoli produced therefrom” (registered on April 19, 2017) Republic of Korea Patent No. 10-1056352 “Method of extracting angelica root using high voltage pulse electric field” (registered on August 5, 2011) Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-2018-0016991 “Chamber for generating pulse electric field” (published on February 20, 2018) Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-2017-0116741 “Method for sterilizing milk using high-voltage pulse electric field and low-temperature long-term sterilization” (published on October 20, 2017)

Recent Advances and Applications of Pulsed Electric Fields (PEF) to Improve Polyphenol Extraction and Color Release during Red Winemaking(Published: 1 March 2018) Industrial Pulsed Electric Field Systems (Michael Kempkes, Diversified Technologies, Inc) Critical Electric Field Strengths of Onion Tissues Treated by Pulsed Electric Fields Article in Journal of Food Science (Published: September 2010) ELECTROPORATION OF BIOLOGICAL CELLS EMBEDDED IN A POLYCARBONATE FILTER William A. Hercules, James Lindesay, Anna Coble Computational Physics Laboratory Howard University, Washington, D.C. 20059 Cell Fragmentation and Permeabilization by a 1 ns Pulse Driven Triple-Point Electrode (Published: 18 March 2018) Molecular Mechanism Underlying Anti-Inflammatory and Anti-Allergic Activities of Phytochemicals: An Update (Published: 27 December 2012) Phytochemicals as a potential source for anti-microbial, anti-oxidant and wound healing - a review (Published: March 15, 2018)

The present invention was developed to solve the problems of the prior art as described above. It is possible to secure a PEF treatment passage with a larger area, and even when raw materials with local viscosity differences are input, they are diffused to produce raw materials according to viscosity. The aim is to provide a high-voltage pulse electric field treatment device with a new structure that can destroy the non-uniformity of and increase the efficiency of electroporation by using the pressure drop in the PEF treatment passage.

In order to solve the above problem, the present invention provides a first electrode and a second electrode inside a processing chamber where an inlet is formed on one side and an outlet is formed on the other side, and the raw material passing between the first electrode and the second electrode is provided. In the high-voltage pulse electric field processing device for pulse electric field processing, the first electrode has an expanded through-hole formed in the center to form a truncated cone-shaped passage that is narrow on one side and wide on the other side, and the second electrode is narrow on one side and wide on the other side. It is in the form of a cone or truncated cone and is inserted into the expanded through-hole for forming the passage of the first electrode to form a PEF treatment passage in which the cross-sectional area of the flow path is expanded from one side to the other while maintaining the same electrode spacing between the first electrode and the first electrode. It is characterized in that it includes a second electrode body.

In the above, the second electrode is screwed to a bolt support having a plurality of outlets formed at the edges and a female threaded hole in the center, and the female threaded hole of the bolt support, and one end is integrally coupled to the other side of the second electrode body. and further includes an adjustment bolt provided with a handle for rotation at the other end, and it is preferable that the electrode spacing can be adjusted by rotating the adjustment bolt.

In the above, it is more preferable that the processing chamber is provided with an electrode spacing display board displaying the electrode spacing value, and an electrode spacing indicator indicating the electrode spacing value displayed on the electrode spacing display plate is coupled to the adjustment bolt.

As described above, the present invention can secure a PEF treatment passage with a larger area, and even when raw materials with local viscosity differences are input, it can spread them to destroy the non-uniformity of the raw materials due to viscosity, and the PEF treatment passage A high-voltage pulse electric field treatment device with a new structure that can increase the efficiency of electroporation by using the pressure drop in is provided.

1 is a conceptual cross-sectional view of a high-voltage pulse electric field processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of Figure 1;
Figure 3 is an exploded cross-sectional view of Figure 1;
Figure 4 is a side view of Figure 1;
Figure 5 is a conceptual cross-sectional view of a high-voltage pulse electric field processing device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Below, with reference to the attached drawings, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail so that those skilled in the art can easily implement the present invention. However, the present invention may be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. In order to clearly explain the present invention in the drawings, parts that are not related to the description are omitted, and similar parts are given similar reference numerals throughout the specification.

Throughout the specification, when a part is said to “include” a certain element, this means that it may further include other elements rather than excluding other elements, unless specifically stated to the contrary.

FIG. 1 is a conceptual cross-sectional view of a high-voltage pulse electric field processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view based on A-A of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is an separated cross-sectional view of FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is a side view of FIG. 1. .

This high-voltage pulse electric field processing device largely consists of a processing chamber 110, a first electrode 121, and a second electrode 122.

The processing chamber 110 has a tube shape, and an inlet 111 is formed on one side and an outlet 112 is formed on the other side of the processing chamber 110.

An upstream connection pipe 114 for introducing raw materials is bolted to the inlet 111 of the processing chamber 110.

In the drawings, etc., bolts for bolt connection are omitted.

An insulator 113 is provided on the inner side of the processing chamber 110, and the first electrode 121 and the second electrode 122 are disposed on the inner side of the insulator 113 in a separated state.

The first electrode 121 is disposed on the inlet 111 side of the processing chamber 110.

The outer peripheral surface of the first electrode 121 has a cylindrical shape in contact with the insulator 113, and an expanded through hole 121a for forming a truncated cone-shaped passage is formed in the center of the first electrode 121, with one side narrow and the other side wide. there is.

A first electrode connection terminal 121b that penetrates the processing chamber 110 and protrudes to the outside is connected to the first electrode 121.

The second electrode 122 is disposed on the outlet 112 side of the processing chamber 110.

The second electrode 122 includes a second electrode body 122a, a bolt support 122b, and an adjustment bolt 122c.

The second electrode body 122a has a cone or truncated cone shape that is narrow on one side and wide on the other side.

In this embodiment, the second electrode body 122a has a cone shape, but depending on the embodiment, it may have a truncated cone shape.

The second electrode body 122a is inserted into the expanded tube-shaped through hole 121a for forming a passage of the first electrode 121, and the same electrode spacing d is maintained between the first electrode 121 and the second electrode body 122a is inserted from one side to the other side. It forms a PEF processing passage 123 whose cross-sectional area is expanded while heading toward.

That is, the PEF processing passage 123 is formed between the first electrode 121 and the second electrode body 122a and the space where the first electrode 121 and the second electrode body 122a face each other, and thus the PEF processing passage 123 is formed between the first electrode 121 and the second electrode body 122a. The processing passage 123 has a narrow flow path cross-sectional area on one side, which is the inlet side, and a wide cross-sectional flow path area in a ring shape, on the other side, which is the outlet side.

In addition, the diameter of the ring-shaped flow path of the PEF processing passage 123 gradually increases as it moves from the inlet side to the outlet side.

The bolt support 122b is disposed on the other side of the second electrode body 122a.

The bolt support 122b is in the form of a disk standing vertically, and its outer peripheral surface is fixed to the insulator 113.

In addition, the bolt support 122b has a plurality of outlets 122b-1 that communicate with the PEF processing passage 123 at the edge and a female threaded hole 122b-2 at the center.

In addition, a connection terminal 122d for a second electrode that penetrates the processing chamber 110 and protrudes to the outside is connected to the bolt support 122b.

An adjustment bolt 122c is formed integrally with the other side of the second electrode body 122a.

The adjustment bolt (122c) is screwed to the female thread hole (122b-2) of the bolt support (122b).

A handle 122c-1 for rotating the adjustment bolt 122c is formed on the other end of the adjustment bolt 122c.

Therefore, when the handle (122c-1) is held and turned, the adjustment bolt (122c) rotates and moves forward or backward due to the screw connection between the adjustment bolt (122c) and the female threaded hole (122b-2).

When the adjustment bolt 122c moves forward or backward, the second electrode body 122a connected to one side moves forward or backward, so that the electrode gap d can be adjusted to narrow or widen.

In other words, the electrode spacing (d) can be adjusted depending on the raw material being PEF treated.

An electrode gap display plate 115 may be further coupled to the other side of the processing chamber 110 to externally display the electrode gap d according to the rotation of the adjustment bolt 122c.

The electrode gap value is displayed on the electrode gap display panel 115.

In addition, an electrode spacing indicator 124 is coupled to the handle 122c-1 of the adjustment bolt 122c.

The electrode gap indicator 124 rotates with the adjustment bolt 122c and indicates the electrode gap value displayed on the electrode gap display panel 115, thereby informing the outside world of the current electrode gap d.

Like the prior art, this high-voltage pulse electric field processing device further includes a pulse generator (not shown) capable of generating a predetermined pulse.

The operation of this device as described above will be explained.

Raw materials to be treated (pulverized plants, etc.) are mixed with high-pressure (about 7.4 MPa) liquid carbon dioxide and flow into the inlet 111 of the processing chamber 110.

Raw materials, etc. flow into one side of the PEF processing passage 123 with a narrow passage cross-sectional area between the first electrode 121 and the second electrode body 122a and flow out into the other side of the PEF processing passage 123 with a wide passage cross-sectional area. Then, it passes through the outlet (122b-1) of the bolt support (122b) and is input into another device.

In the PEF processing passage 123, PEF of 10 to 60 kV/cm, preferably 25 to 50 kV/cm, is generated between the first electrode 121 and the second electrode body 122a.

In addition, the PEF treatment passage 123 has a ring-shaped flow path whose diameter gradually expands gradually from the inlet side to the outlet side, so a relatively very large PEF effective treatment area (surface area of the electrode) can be secured. .

In addition, the raw materials passing through the PEF treatment passage 123 spread from a narrow flow path cross-sectional area to a wide flow path cross-sectional area as they move from the inlet side to the outlet side, destroying the non-uniformity of the raw materials due to viscosity. In other words, more homogeneous flow characteristics can be obtained and local temperature peaks can be reduced to increase the homogeneity of the raw material, thereby increasing the overall PEF processing efficiency.

In addition, the pressure of the raw material mixed with high-pressure liquid carbon dioxide decreases rapidly as it passes through the PEF treatment passage 123, thereby increasing the efficiency of electroporation.

That is, the cell membrane (and cell wall) of raw materials (animals and plants) mixed with high-pressure liquid carbon dioxide and compressed (contracted) to a subcritical state are electroporated while passing through the PEF treatment passage 123, forming reversible and irreversible micropores. , when water solvents and carbon dioxide from fresh animals and plants themselves penetrate through these micropores, the reversible micropores change into irreversible micropores and the cell walls (and cell walls) are destroyed.

In addition, cells in which reversible micropores are formed by electroporation while passing through the PEF treatment passage 123 undergo a rapid drop in pressure due to the passage cross-sectional area that widens as they pass through the PEF treatment passage 123, causing the cells to expand rapidly. As reversible micropores change into irreversible micropores, the cell membrane (and cell wall) destroys itself, spilling out cell fluid, thereby increasing the efficiency of electroporation (or extraction).

In this way, the PEF-treated mixed raw material may be further subjected to a separate extraction process to extract the active ingredient by a carbon dioxide extraction method, a separation process to separate the active ingredient, etc.

As described above, this high-voltage pulse electric field treatment device selectively destroys cell membranes (and cell walls) without destroying the active ingredient by administering electric energy for a short period of time, thereby increasing the productivity of the desired active ingredient (or active material) and enhancing other useful activities. Not only is this possible, but because the extraction is performed at low temperatures, there is no risk of destruction of the active ingredients of fresh animals or plants, so extracts can be obtained stably.

Figure 5 is a conceptual cross-sectional view of a high-voltage pulse electric field processing device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 5 has a somewhat different form compared to Figure 1, but includes elements that perform the same functions as the elements in Figure 1.

The description of FIG. 5 refers to the description of FIG. 1 and detailed description is omitted.

The description of the present invention described above is for illustrative purposes, and those skilled in the art will understand that the present invention can be easily modified into other specific forms without changing the technical idea or essential features of the present invention. will be. Therefore, the embodiments described above should be understood in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. For example, each component described as unitary may be implemented in a distributed manner, and similarly, components described as distributed may also be implemented in a combined form.

The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims described below rather than the detailed description above, and all changes or modified forms derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalent concepts should be construed as being included in the scope of the present invention. do.

110: processing chamber
111: entrance 112: exit
113: insulator 114: upstream connector
115: Electrode gap indicator plate
121: First electrode 121a: Expanded through hole for forming a passage
121b: Connection terminal for first electrode
122: second electrode 122a: second electrode body
122b: bolt support 122b-1: outlet
122b-2: Female thread hole 122c: Adjustment bolt
122c-1: Handle 122d: Connection terminal for second electrode
123: PEF processing passage
124: Electrode spacing indicator

Claims (3)

A high-voltage pulse electric field processing device in which a first electrode and a second electrode are provided inside a processing chamber having an inlet on one side and an outlet on the other side, and the raw material passing between the first electrode and the second electrode is treated with a pulse electric field. ,
The first electrode has an expanded through-hole formed in the center to form a truncated cone-shaped passage that is narrow on one side and wide on the other side,
The second electrode has the shape of a cone or truncated cone that is narrow on one side and wide on the other side, and is inserted into the expanded through-hole for forming a passage of the first electrode and faces from one side to the other while maintaining the same electrode spacing between the first electrode and the first electrode. A high-voltage pulse electric field treatment device comprising a second electrode body forming a PEF treatment passage whose cross-sectional area is expanded.
According to claim 1,
The second electrode is screwed to a bolt support having a plurality of outlets at the edges and a female thread hole in the center, and to the female thread hole of the bolt support, one end of which is integrally coupled to the other side of the second electrode body, and the other end rotates. It further includes an adjustment bolt with a handle for,
A high-voltage pulse electric field processing device, characterized in that the electrode gap can be adjusted by rotating the adjustment bolt.
According to claim 2,
An electrode gap display board displaying electrode gap values is provided in the processing chamber,
A high-voltage pulse electric field processing device, characterized in that an electrode gap indicator indicating the electrode gap value displayed on the electrode gap display plate is coupled to the adjustment bolt.