TWI808826B - Liquid food dispensing system and method - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention discloses a liquid food dispensing system and method. The system includes: a liquid food supply apparatus for providing a liquid food; a food additive system, which includes a sterile filtration system for filtering food additives, is for supplying food additives to the liquid food supply apparatus; and a dispenser connected to the liquid food supply apparatus for dispensing the mixture of liquid food and the food additives. The method includes: mixing an ultra-high temperature sterilized liquid food and sterile-filtered food additives; and dispensing the mixture.

Description

Fluid food dispensing system and method

The present disclosure relates to a dispensing system and method, in particular to a fluid food dispensing system and method.

In recent years, the market size of consumer beverages has been increasing year by year, among which tea drinks, vegetable juices and dairy products are the main products. On the other hand, with the advent of an aging society, people's demand for health food or food containing effective nutrients is increasing day by day.

In the existing beverage processing process, ultra-high temperature (UHT) sterilization process or membrane filtration technology is mostly used for sterilization treatment, that is, fluid food is packaged into food packaging after ultra-high temperature sterilization, or fluid food is packaged into food packaging after membrane filtration. The finished product made by ultra-high temperature sterilization has highly reliable food hygiene and safety, but during the sterilization process, the flavor components and heat-sensitive functional components including various vitamins will be destroyed at the same time, and the nutritional value of the food will be reduced. In order to solve the above-mentioned problems of UHT-treated foods, the conventional technology adds heat-sensitive functional components in excess during the manufacturing process, so as to maintain the required heat-sensitive functional components after part of them are lost. The disadvantage is that it will increase the cost.

Membrane filtration technology uses natural or synthetic polymer membranes to use pressure difference as the driving force to separate the solution from the target, or to concentrate it, instead of the traditional methods such as rectification, evaporation, extraction, crystallization, etc., which will reduce the special flavor and nutritional value of the product and cause heat loss. Separation methods subject to loss. Membrane filtration technology allows molecules smaller than the pores of the membrane to pass through. When there are large-size particles or molecules in the filter material, they will remain on the surface of the filter membrane, or even block the pores of the membrane. Therefore, membrane filtration technology is mostly only used in the filtration of clear juice, or the recovery of large-size molecules such as dairy product concentration and whey protein. When the pore size of the selected filtration membrane is large enough to allow large-size molecules such as proteins to pass through, it is inevitable that the filtered finished product still contains a certain amount of bacteria, which shortens the subsequent shelf life and limits the storage methods. For example, commercially available raw milk adopts this filtering method, so it can only be stored in cold storage, and the shelf life is short, thus limiting its sales market. Another example is that if protein jelly-related products use the above-mentioned existing beverage processing methods, the products will solidify in the heating, storage, and filling pipelines, making the products unable to be mass-produced. Therefore, general protein jelly products are only sold refrigerated. If large-scale normal temperature mass production is to be carried out, the packaging must be filled with coagulant and protein products for sealing, and then sent to a sterilizer for commercial sterilization. However, this method will cause heat-labile functional proteins to be destroyed due to processing conditions. The tertiary or quaternary structure of the protein loses its functionality. For similar reasons, enzyme products can only be refrigerated for a short shelf life or sold in the form of powder, and vitamin products will also be degraded by such excessive heating conditions, causing the industry to add a large amount of vitamins during the preparation process to maintain the vitamin content of the final shipped product to meet the demand.

In order to solve the problems existing in the above conventional technologies, a system that can (1) maintain the content of heat-sensitive functional components that meet the standards under proper sterilization conditions, (2) produce hygienic and safe aseptic products, and (3) the finished product after packaging can be stored at room temperature for a long time, and (4) can assist the industry in developing new types of products stored at room temperature, such as protein jelly drinks, room temperature packaged tofu, and enzyme balanced nutritional drinks that can be stored at room temperature and can be mass-produced products is the industry's enterprise. looking forward to.

The reason is that, in order to achieve the above purpose, this disclosure provides an integrated system, wherein Heat-sensitive components such as nutrition, functional properties, spices and coagulants are processed by filtration, and directly added to the fluid food that has been sterilized by UHT in a sterile state to avoid attenuation or destruction of relevant heat-sensitive components due to thermal processing. In particular, the system provided by this disclosure can avoid the problems that the above-mentioned new types of room temperature storage products will encounter many technical difficulties and cannot be mass-produced when using general mass production technology, so that the development of these new types of products can be significantly improved and related applications can be breakthroughs

An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a fluid food dispensing system, which includes: a semi-finished fluid food supply device, used to provide a semi-finished fluid food; a first delivery pipeline, which is connected to the semi-finished fluid food supply device, and receives the semi-finished fluid food; a food additive system, used to supply food additives to the first delivery pipeline; wherein the food additive system includes a second delivery pipeline, which flows through and is connected to the first delivery pipeline at a junction, for delivering an additive to the first delivery pipeline; A sterile filtration system, which is arranged on the second conveying pipeline, is used to filter the additive; a mixer, which is arranged on the first conveying pipeline, and is located downstream of the connection, and is used for mixing the semi-finished fluid food and the additive; and a filling machine, which is connected to the first conveying pipeline, and is located downstream of the mixer, and is used for distributing the mixture of the semi-finished fluid food and the additive.

An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method for dispensing liquid food, which includes the following steps: preparing half-finished liquid food; treating the semi-finished product with an ultra-high temperature sterilization system; preparing an additive containing at least one heat-sensitive component; treating the additive with a sterile filtration system; mixing the semi-finished product processed by the ultra-high temperature sterilization system and the additive processed by the sterile filtration system;

10: Fluid food dispensing system

20: Food additive system

100: Ultra-high temperature instant sterilization system

102: Semi-finished fluid food supply device

104: The fourth monitoring system

106: Fifth monitoring system

108: mixer

110: The sixth monitoring system

112: Aseptic storage tank

114: Filling machine

116: the first delivery pipeline

200: Sterile Filtration System

202: balance tank

204: Quantitative control system

206: The first monitoring system

208: The first filter membrane

210: Second monitoring system

212: Second filter membrane

214: The third monitoring system

216: the second delivery pipeline

300: steam sterilization system

302: The seventh monitoring system

304: steam delivery pipeline

306: steam generator

400: sampling valve

402: import port

404: export port

406: Sampling port

408: cover

600: Packing process

602: Step

604: Step

606: Step

608: Step

610: Step

612: Step

614:Step

616: Step

618:Step

J: link

Fig. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a fluid food packaging system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure picture.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a sampling valve according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a method for dispensing fluid food according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

In order to better understand the features, content and advantages of the present disclosure and the effects it can achieve, the present disclosure is hereby combined with the accompanying drawings, and described in detail in the form of embodiments as follows, and the drawings used therein are only for illustration and auxiliary instructions, and should not be interpreted based on the proportions and configuration relationships of the attached drawings to limit the patent scope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a fluid food dispensing system 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In this embodiment, the fluid food dispensing system 10 includes a half-finished fluid food supply device 102, a food additive system 20, a mixer 108, and a filling machine 114, wherein the piping connection of the fluid food dispensing system 10 can be made of AISI316 stainless steel, and the frame and control box can be made of AISI304 stainless steel.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the semi-finished fluid food supply device 102 can be a barrel-shaped or a tank-shaped storage device, or can be a pipeline connected to a food pre-processing system or a ready-mixing system (not shown in the figure). The semi-finished fluid food supply device 102 can be used to accommodate and transport semi-finished fluid food. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the semi-finished fluid food supply device 102 can be at least one tank body with temperature control, stirring equipment and a pump. The tank body can have a volume greater than or equal to 1000 liters, and keep the semi-finished fluid food contained therein at a predetermined temperature within the range of 25-90°C. The above-mentioned semi-finished liquid food only means that it is in a state without the additives mentioned in this case, and does not mean that it has not undergone general food pretreatment processes such as preparation, primary filtration, centrifugation or cleaning. Semi-finished fluid food supply device 102 and a first delivery pipeline 116, and deliver the above-mentioned semi-finished fluid food to the first delivery pipeline 116.

The fluid food dispensing system 10 may include an ultra-high temperature instant sterilization system 100 disposed on the first delivery pipeline 116 . The ultra-high temperature instant sterilization system 100 can perform ultra-high temperature sterilization on the semi-finished fluid food conveyed through the first conveying pipeline 116 . According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the ultra-high temperature sterilization system 100 can sterilize semi-finished fluid food in a temperature range of 132-142° C. for 5-60 seconds. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the ultra-high temperature instant sterilization system 100 can process 500-2000 liters of semi-finished fluid food per hour. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the ultra-high temperature sterilization system 100 is an on-line sterilization system disposed on the first delivery pipeline 116 .

As shown in FIG. 1 , the fluid food dispensing system 10 includes a food additive system 20, which supplies additives to the first delivery pipeline 116 via a second delivery pipeline 216, and the second delivery pipeline 216 is connected to the first delivery pipeline 116 at a junction J, wherein the junction J is located downstream of the ultra-high temperature instantaneous sterilization system 100 of the first delivery pipeline 116.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the food additive system 20 may include a balance tank 202 connected to the second delivery pipeline 216 for storing additives or a detergent for Clean In Place CIP. The balance tank 202 can be a tank body with temperature control, stirring equipment and a pump. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the balance tank 202 can be made of acid and alkali-resistant materials, especially materials that can withstand alkaline solutions such as sodium hydroxide, such as 316L stainless steel. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the balance tank 202 has at least three-point liquid level indicators (high liquid level LSH, middle liquid level LSM, and low liquid level LSL). The above-mentioned additives may contain at least one heat-sensitive component that is easily cracked or destroyed by heat, such as non-heat-resistant functional substances such as various enzymes, vitamins, essences, fragrances, pigments, salt solutions or coagulants. The above-mentioned lotion for online cleaning can be an acid or alkaline solution for cleaning related pipelines. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the lotion can be 2% sodium hydroxide water solution.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the food additive system 20 includes a sterile filtration system 200 disposed on the second delivery pipeline 216 . The sterile filtration system 200 is used to filter the above additives to remove bacteria that may exist in the additives, and may include at least two sets of filter membranes. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the sterile filtration system 200 includes a first filter membrane 208 and a second filter membrane 212, wherein the first filter membrane 208 is located upstream of the second filter membrane 212, which means that the additives passing through the sterile filter system 200 first pass through the first filter membrane 208 and then pass through the second filter membrane 212. The diameter of particles that can pass through the first filter membrane 208 is greater than the diameter of particles that can pass through the second filter membrane 212 , that is, the pore size of the first filter membrane 208 is larger than the pore size of the second filter membrane 212 . According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the pore size of the first filter membrane 208 is less than or equal to 0.45 microns, and the pore size can effectively filter larger microorganisms such as yeast or mold; the pore size of the second filter membrane 212 is less than or equal to 0.2 microns, and the pore size can filter and sterilize micro-sized microorganisms such as Pseudomonas diminuta. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the material of the filter membrane preferably has excellent heat resistance, excellent dimensional stability, excellent flame resistance, and good chemical resistance, for example, it can be made of polyether sulfone (PES).

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the sterile filtration system 200 adopts a filter membrane that can effectively remove bacteria that may be present in additives. For example, a commercially available filter membrane manufactured by Parker domnick hunter company has a surface area of 200 cm ² and a filter membrane with a sterilization efficiency per unit area of 10 ⁷ CFU (Colony-forming unit)/cm ² , which means that the filter membrane can filter up to 2*10 ⁹ CFU of total microorganisms. The inventor used the filter membranes with a pore size of 0.45 micron and the filter membrane with a pore size of 0.2 micron manufactured by the above-mentioned company, and installed them in a sterile filtration system 200 for actual measurement: firstly, the filter membranes and related pipelines were sterilized before production, such as using steam sterilization as described below, and the integrity of the filter membranes was verified, and then a bacterium-containing sample was flowed through the sterile filtration system 200 at a high flow rate of 66 liters/hour. Add udomonas diminuta ATT19146 (concentration: 10 ⁹ CFU/mL) into 20 liters of water for preparation. The inventors found that the bacteria-containing samples filtered by the sterile filtration system 200 equipped with these filtration membranes were found to have no microbial growth after at least three culture tests.

It can be seen from the above actual measurement that the aseptic filtration system 200 equipped with a suitable filter membrane can reliably filter additives, and the food additive system 20 can supply additives in a sterile state to the first delivery pipeline 116 . The aseptic state additive can be mixed with the ultra-high temperature sterilized semi-finished fluid food in the first delivery pipeline 116 to produce a product that meets the food hygiene and safety requirements and is rich in nutrients or innovative flavor. However, those who are familiar with this technology can understand that the sterile filtration system 200 or food additive system 20 described herein can be combined with all existing food processing production lines, and then supply an additive in a sterile state to any food processing production line, rather than being limited to production lines that are only suitable for ultra-high temperature sterilization.

Please refer now to FIG. 2 , which discloses a sampling valve 400 . The sampling valve 400 has and is connected to the fluid pipeline through an inlet port 402 and an outlet port 404 , wherein the fluid flows in from the inlet port 402 and flows out from the outlet port 404 . The sampling valve 400 further includes at least one sampling port 406 and a cover 408 , wherein the cover 408 can seal the sampling port 406 or can be removed from the sampling port 406 . What is shown in FIG. 2 is the state where the cover 408 is removed from the sampling port 406 . In this state, the fluid flowing into the inlet port 402 can flow out through the sampling port 406, which is convenient for a user to obtain a sample flowing through the sampling valve. As shown in FIG. 2 , the sampling valve 400 has two sampling ports and matching caps. In other embodiments, the sampling valve 400 has more than two sampling ports and matching covers

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the second delivery pipeline has a sampling valve 400 located downstream of the sterile filtration system 200 , which is convenient for users to obtain samples filtered by the sterile filtration system at any time to monitor the bacteria content of the sterile filtration system.

Please refer to FIG. 1 , the food additive system 20 includes a quantitative control system 204 disposed on the second delivery pipeline 216 . According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the quantitative control system 204 can be a fixed-quantity pump, which can quantitatively deliver additives through the sterile filtration system 200 within a flow range of 6-66 liters/hour.

As shown in FIG. 1, the fluid food dispensing system 10 includes a steam sterilization system 300, which can perform steam sterilization (Sterilizing in Place, SIP) on related pipelines and equipment before the system is operated (that is, the state of no fluid food and additives). As shown in Figure 1, the steam sterilization system 300 is fluidly connected to the balance tank 202 and/or the second delivery pipeline 216 via a steam delivery pipeline 304, but those skilled in the art can understand that in other embodiments of the present disclosure, the steam sterilization system 300 can be connected to any appropriate position of the fluid food packaging system 10, such as being fluidly connected to the first delivery pipeline 116, or having a plurality of steam delivery pipelines 304 respectively connected to the first delivery pipeline 116 and the second delivery pipeline 2 16 Fluid connections. With the exemplary pipeline arrangement in FIG. 1 , the high-temperature steam is generated by the steam generating device 306 and delivered to the second delivery pipeline 216 through the steam delivery pipeline 304, so as to sterilize the second delivery pipeline 216 and the equipment (such as the first filter membrane 208 and the second filter membrane 212) disposed thereon or fluidly connected with it. Furthermore, the high-temperature steam flowing to the second delivery pipeline 216 can flow to the first delivery pipeline 116 through the junction J to sterilize the first delivery pipeline 116 and the equipment disposed thereon or fluidly connected to it. The junction J may be provided with a valve to open or close the fluid communication between the first delivery pipeline 116 and the second delivery pipeline 216 . When the valve at the connection is closed, the high temperature steam can only flow to the second delivery pipeline. In the situation where there are multiple steam delivery pipelines 304 respectively connected to the first delivery pipeline 116 and the second delivery pipeline 216, a valve arranged at the joint J can be used to separately deliver high-temperature steam to the first delivery pipeline 116 or the second delivery pipeline 216 according to user needs, wherein the steam generating device 306 can be a boiler. Wherein the steam sterilization system can be further connected with an air pressure source (not shown in the figure).

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the steam bacteria system 300 may further include a steam filter (not shown) at the connection between the steam generating device 306 and the steam delivery pipeline 304 . According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the steam filter may include three filter media. Firstly, the first filter medium is made of stainless steel with a pore size of less than 5 microns, which can filter iron filings that may be contained in the high-temperature steam, so that the high-temperature steam can reach the food hygiene level. The second and third filter media can be selected from polypropylene (PEPLYN) and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) with a porosity of 1-25 microns and 0.01 microns respectively.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the fluid food dispensing system 10 may include a mixer 108 . The mixer 108 is disposed on the first delivery pipeline 116 and is located downstream of the junction J. The additive is supplied from the second delivery pipeline 216 to the first delivery pipeline 116 at the joint J, and the mixer 108 can promote the uniform mixing of the semi-finished fluid food flowing through the first delivery pipeline 116 with the additive to form a mixture. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the mixer 108 can be an in-line mixer or a static mixer.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the fluid food dispensing system 10 may include a filling machine 114 . The filling machine 114 is connected with the first conveying pipeline 116 and is located downstream of the mixer 108, and is used for packaging the mixture of the above-mentioned mixed semi-finished fluid food and additives. The so-called sub-packaging can be quantitative filling of the mixture into food containers that meet subsequent transportation needs or consumer habits, such as PP boxes (cans), soft bags, cans, PET bottles, carton bags, aluminum foil bags and other containers.

As shown in FIG. 1 , between the mixer 108 and the filling machine 114 , an aseptic storage tank 112 is included for storing the mixture in an aseptic state (or in compliance with food hygiene and safety state). Wherein the aseptic storage tank 112 may have a liquid level display and include a constant temperature device, a stirring device and a pump.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the fluid food dispensing system 10 can be further A plurality of monitoring systems are included, wherein each of the monitoring systems may include a pressure gauge, a thermometer, a flow meter, a particle size analysis device, a critical alarm, a valve, or any combination thereof. The valves described herein can be on-off valves, throttle valves, check valves, pressure control valves (pressure relief valves) or the sampling valve 400 as mentioned above. As shown in Figure 1, the fluid food packaging system 10 includes a first monitoring system 206, a second monitoring system 210, a third monitoring system 214, a fourth monitoring system 104, a fifth monitoring system 106 and a sixth monitoring system 110, as follows.

The first monitoring system 206 is arranged on the second conveying pipeline 216 and is located upstream of the adjacent first filter membrane 208. The first monitoring system 206 can be a combination of a pressure gauge, a thermometer, a flow meter, a critical alarm, a particle size analysis device and a valve, wherein the valve can be a pressure relief valve. The first monitoring system 206 can monitor the pressure on the first filter membrane 208 when the first filter membrane 208 is filtering additives. The first filter membrane 208 will continue to accumulate the substances to be filtered over time, which will cause the first filter membrane 208 to clog and increase the pressure it bears. When the pressure on the first filter membrane 208 reaches a preset critical value and there is a possibility of damage to the first filter membrane 208, the critical warning device of the first monitoring system 206 will send out an alarm, so that the user can suspend production or release the pressure through the valve of the first monitoring system. Similarly, the second monitoring system 210 is disposed on the second delivery line 216 downstream of the first filter membrane 208 and adjacent to the upstream of the second filter membrane 212 . The second monitoring system can be a combination of a pressure gauge, a thermometer, a flow meter, a critical alarm and a valve, wherein the valve can be a pressure relief valve. The second monitoring system 210 monitors the pressure on the second filter membrane 212, and can provide warnings or allow a user to perform emergency pressure relief. When the cause of the damage to the filter membrane is the excessive pressure difference between the upstream and downstream of the filter membrane, the first monitoring system 206 can send an alarm when the pressure difference measured by the first monitoring system 206 and the second monitoring system 210 exceeds a preset critical value. Similarly, the second delivery line 216 packs A third monitoring system located downstream of the second filtering membrane 212 includes at least one pressure gauge to provide pressure information downstream of the second filtering membrane 212 to the second monitoring system 210 to determine the pressure difference between the upstream and downstream of the second filtering membrane 212, so that the second monitoring system 210 can send an alarm when the pressure difference suffered by the second filtering membrane 212 exceeds a preset critical value.

The above-mentioned third monitoring system 214 can further include a particle size analysis device, a thermometer, a flow meter, a critical warning device and a valve, wherein the valve can be a three-way on-off valve, and the three-way on-off valve is located on the second delivery pipeline 216 and connected to the steam delivery pipeline 304, wherein the particle size analysis devices respectively installed in the first monitoring system 206, the second monitoring system 210 and the third monitoring system 214 can enable the critical warning of these monitoring systems when the particle size measured is larger than a preset critical value For example, when the second monitoring system 210 detects particles with a particle size greater than 0.45 microns, or when the third monitoring system 214 detects particles with a particle size greater than 0.2 microns, an alarm is issued.

The three-way switch valve of the third monitoring system 214 can be opened in three directions to allow the high-temperature steam from the steam sterilization system 300 to flow through before the fluid food dispensing system 10 is put into operation, so as to carry out steam sterilization of related pipelines and equipment; during system operation, the connection with the steam delivery pipeline 304 can be closed. When high-temperature steam is fed into the second conveying pipeline 216, when the temperature measured by the first monitoring system 206, the second monitoring system 210 or the third monitoring system 214 is lower than a critical value, these monitoring systems will send out an alarm and terminate or reset the steam sterilization process. According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the steam sterilization procedure is expected to expose relevant pipelines and equipment to high-temperature steam at 125° C. for 1800 seconds. Therefore, when the temperature measured by the first monitoring system 206 , the second monitoring system 210 or the third monitoring system 214 is lower than 125° C., the duration of steam sterilization is reset. When the measured temperature is higher than 125° C., the steam sterilization procedure is completed after restarting the timer for 1800 seconds.

Similarly, the fourth monitoring system 104, the fifth monitoring system 106 and the sixth monitoring system 110 can be set on the first delivery pipeline 116, wherein the fourth monitoring system 104 is located in the half Between the finished fluid food supply device 102 and the UHT system 100 , the fifth monitoring system 106 is located at the junction J, and the sixth monitoring system 110 is located between the mixer 108 and the filling machine 114 . These monitoring systems may include a pressure gauge, a thermometer, a flow meter, a particle size analysis device, a critical warning device, a valve, or any combination thereof according to user needs.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the steam sterilization system 300 includes a seventh monitoring system 302 installed on the steam delivery pipeline 304 to monitor the pressure and temperature of the high-temperature steam supply, or to adjust the steam pressure with a pressure relief valve. The steam sterilization system 300 may further include a water cooler.

In addition to the exemplary monitoring system described above, those skilled in the art should understand that in other embodiments of the present disclosure, the fluid food dispensing system 10 may be further provided with other detection and sensing devices or valve groups as required.

In other embodiments of the present disclosure, the fluid food dispensing system 10 may further include at least one human-machine interface controller. The man-machine interface controller communicates with at least the first monitoring system 206, the second monitoring system 210, the third monitoring system 214, the fourth monitoring system 104, the fifth monitoring system 106, and the sixth monitoring system 110, and presents the status of these monitoring systems. The status of the above-mentioned monitoring systems can be the data measured by the sensors included in each monitoring system, or the status of the valve (open or closed), or whether an alarm signal exceeding the critical value is issued. The so-called communication link can be an electrical connection, or a wired or wireless network interface connection, wherein the fluid food dispensing system 10 includes a programmable logic controller (PLC controller), and the man-machine interface controller can also communicate with the programmable logic controller to obtain or send instructions.

It should be understood that "monitoring" herein means monitoring (presentation) and control (operation). The above-mentioned man-machine interface controller, in addition to presenting the status of these monitoring systems, can also Monitor the system for operation, such as opening and closing valves or troubleshooting. It should be understood that the connection of the man-machine interface controller to these monitoring systems is only illustrative. The man-machine interface controller can also communicate with the balance tank 202, the semi-finished fluid food supply device 102, and the aseptic storage tank 112 as required, so as to display the status of these devices, or control these devices, such as adjusting the temperature of these devices, stirring speed, pump delivery speed, etc.; Communicatively connected with the steam sterilization system 300 and steam generating device 306 to display the status of these devices, or control these devices, such as opening and closing valves or setting steam temperature, flow rate, pressure, etc.; or communicate with the filling machine 114 to display the status of the device, or control the device, such as adjusting filling and packaging parameters. That is, the man-machine interface controller can communicate with the communicatively connected devices included in the fluid food dispensing system 10, and monitor these devices.

Furthermore, the man-machine interface controller can set the parameters of a specific mode and execute it automatically according to the schedule. For example, after a group of fluid food dispensing system 10 is given the parameters of the steam sterilization mode, the program is scheduled to be executed, and the steam sterilization process can be automatically performed according to the schedule and the parameters of the mode. It is also possible to set the relevant parameters of the mass production mode or the online cleaning mode of a specific product, and schedule the program to be executed automatically. That is to say, the man-machine interface controller can include a plurality of modes, wherein these modes can operate the fluid food dispensing system 10 according to preset parameters and schedules. Through the automatic control system and process of steam sterilization, mass production, and online cleaning mode set in the human-machine interface controller of this case, ordinary factory employees who are not engineers can also operate online after simple learning, which can save the time and cost of education and training for the industry.

Please refer to FIG. 3 , which is a flowchart of a fluid food dispensing process 600 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Those who are familiar with this technical field can understand that the order of the following instructions, unless otherwise specified, has no absolute priority for implementation, and can be adjusted according to the actual needs of users. all.

Step 606: Steam sterilize relevant pipelines and equipment before they come into contact with food or additives, specifically, steam sterilize pipelines, processing equipment or containers used for circulating, processing or carrying semi-finished fluid food or additives. In step 606, the steam sterilization system 300 disclosed in this case can supply a high-temperature steam to the food delivery pipeline or the additive delivery pipeline, so that the high-temperature steam circulation can be maintained at a temperature above 125° C. for more than 1800 seconds. The inventor used the food additive system 20 disclosed in this disclosure to conduct actual measurements, inoculated 10 ⁶ CFU of Geobacillus stearothermophilus ATCC9753 heat-resistant spore bacteria on the filter membrane of the sterile filtration system 200, and carried out steam sterilization in the second delivery pipeline 216 at the above temperature and time, and then removed the filter membrane and put it in NB medium, and placed it in a constant temperature incubator at 55°C for 7 days, and the medium was clear. It shows that there is no microbial growth, which shows that the steam sterilization in step 606 can ensure that the production pipeline and equipment are in a sterile state that meets food hygiene and safety requirements. On the other hand, as mentioned above, the steam sterilization system can be performed separately for each pipeline. For example, the steam sterilization system 300 in this case can be connected to the first conveying pipeline 116 or the second conveying pipeline 216 respectively, and individual pipelines can be sterilized according to requirements. For example, when producing processed dairy products with different flavors, the second conveying pipeline 216 can supply flavoring additives to the raw milk conveyed by the first conveying pipeline 116. When only seasoning additives are replaced during production, the second conveying pipeline 216 can be steam sterilized before conveying different seasoning additives.

Step 602: Prepare an additive, prepare an additive by means of general food processing, pre-filtration, centrifugation or cleaning, etc., and the additive may contain at least one heat-sensitive component.

Step 604: Filter the additive prepared in step 602 with a filter device, for example, filter with the sterile filter system 200 described in this disclosure, wherein the filter device can be filtered through the steps The steam sterilization treatment of 606 is carried out at room temperature (about 25°C). The filter device can include a plurality of filter membranes with different pores, and the filter device can be equipped with a quantitative control device to deliver additives through the filter device at a fixed flow rate during filtration.

As shown in FIG. 3 , before step 604 , a step 608 of reliability verification of the filter membrane of the filter device is performed, wherein the reliability verification can evaluate the air permeability of the filter membrane. Take the verification of a filter membrane with a pore size of 0.2 microns as an example. First, the filter membrane installed in the filter device is completely wetted with soft water to form the integrity of the filter membrane. Then, clean air is introduced to increase the pressure in the filter device. At this time, the gas in the filter device can only escape through the filter membrane. After the pressure in the filter device is stabilized at 2.7bar for three minutes, stop increasing the gas pressure of the filter device. Then, the pressure in the filter device drops due to the escape of gas through the filter membrane. If the pressure drop in the filter device does not exceed 0.15 bar within 5 minutes, it can be confirmed. The integrity of the filter membrane is established and the reliability verification is completed. Conversely, if the pressure drop in the filter device exceeds 0.15 bar within 5 minutes, it means that the integrity of the filter membrane is in doubt, and it is necessary to eliminate the abnormality and re-steam sterilization and reliability verification before filtering the additives.

Step 610: Prepare half of the finished fluid food. The half-finished fluid is prepared by general food pretreatment, primary filtration, centrifugation or cleaning. The semi-finished fluid food only means that it is a food without the additives mentioned in this case.

Step 612: Sterilize the prepared semi-finished fluid food by ultra-high temperature sterilization, for example, use the ultra-high temperature instant sterilization system 100 described in this disclosure to sterilize the semi-finished fluid food at a temperature of 132-142° C. for 5-60 seconds.

Step 614: Mix the ultra-high temperature sterilized semi-finished fluid food and the filtered additives to form a mixture, for example, using the mixer 108 described in this disclosure for mixing.

Step 616: Fill the above mixture into a food container for subpackaging, for example Use the filling machine 114 described in this disclosure to fill and pack, for example, pack the mixture into appropriate food containers as required, such as PP boxes (cans), soft bags, cans, plastic bottles, carton bags, aluminum foil bags and other containers.

After the completion of the system operation, one step 618 of cleaning the relevant pipelines online may be performed as required: in some embodiments of the present disclosure, the residual additives (if any) in the balance tank 202 are first emptied, and a full bucket of soft water is added to the balance tank 202, and the residual products in the pipeline are emptied with soft water, and then the washing process can be performed with a detergent. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first filter membrane 208 and the second filter membrane 212 in the sterile filtration system 200 can be disassembled before the on-line washing, so as to prevent the filter membranes from obstructing the flow of lotion. Please refer to FIG. 1 , the path of lotion circulation is described as follows: first, the user can prepare an appropriate amount of 2% sodium hydroxide solution in the balance tank 202 as lotion, and deliver the lotion to the second delivery pipeline 216 with a pump, then the lotion flows to the steam delivery pipeline 304 through the valve of the third monitoring system 214 (which can be a three-way switch valve), and then returns to the balance tank 202 through the steam delivery pipeline 304. During the cleaning process, the temperature of the balance tank 202 can be maintained at 65° C., and the lotion is continuously circulated in the second delivery pipeline 216 and the steam delivery pipeline 304 for 900 seconds. After completion, the lotion in the balance tank 202 can be replaced with soft water to flush the pipelines for 600 seconds, and then drain the water in the pipelines and the balance tank 202. After the cleaning is completed, the fiber optic endoscope can be used to check whether there are visible food residues on the inner surface of the pipeline.

The following introduces the experimental results that the enzymes processed by the fluid food dispensing system 10 provided by the present disclosure can maintain effective activity, and an example of applying the present disclosure to the preparation and packaging of salty soymilk and bean curd.

Amylase activity test

Amylase reacts with starch to produce glucose. The activity of amylase can be deduced by using the DNS method to measure the amount of glucose produced by the reaction under appropriate conditions. Specifically, you can Mix a certain amount of amylase solution with an equal amount of 2% starch solution (for example, mix 1ml amylase solution and 1ml 2% starch solution), react at 50°C for 10 minutes, and add DNS (3,5-dinitrosalicylic acid) reagent. Using the characteristic that DNS mixed with glucose solution can absorb light at a wavelength of 540nm, measure the absorbance value to measure the amount of glucose produced, and then push the enzyme activity. The following table presents the activities of (1) the original amylase solution, (2) the amylase solution treated by the sterile filtration system 200 and (3) the amylase solution treated by the ultra-high temperature instant sterilization system 100 .

In the above table, the n value represents the number of tests, so the average absorbance value in the table is the average value of three tests. The U value is defined as the amylase reacting at 50°C for 1 minute can increase the glucose content by 1 mg, so the U value can represent the enzyme activity. And taking the activity of the amylase stock solution of the sample (1) as a reference (assuming that its activity is 100%), it can be seen that the amylase solution of the sample (2) treated by the sterile filtration system 200 can maintain 52.65% of the enzyme activity, but the amylase solution of the (3) group of ultra-high temperature instant sterilization system 100 can only maintain 0.66% of the enzyme activity. The experimental results clearly show that the fluid food processed by the ultra-high temperature instant sterilization system 100 can obtain a good sterilization effect; the fluid food processed by the sterile filtration system 200 can retain sufficient functional components.

Salted Soy Milk Preparation

As mentioned above, before the food enters the system of the present disclosure, for example, before entering the semi-finished fluid food supply device 102, it can go through the steps of general food pretreatment. Taking the preparation of salty soy milk as an example, firstly select soybeans, and pick out the defective ones such as missing corners and blackened soybeans. selected Add water to soybeans to prepare a slurry (the ratio of soybeans to water can be 1:1~20 depending on requirements), and heat and stir in a double kettle to destroy substances such as saponin and enzymes that will produce bad odors, and to remove excess water. After the soy milk has been heated to the required specifications, mix the soy milk with an appropriate amount of vinegar, white sesame oil/sesame oil and sugar evenly. The ratio of soy milk to vinegar and oil is 300-500:1, and sugar can be added according to the sweetness required. Homogenize after adding. As mentioned above, the semi-finished fluid food supply device 102 can be a tank, so the above-mentioned mixing, homogenization and other processing can also be performed in the semi-finished fluid food supply device 102 .

Soymilk carried in the semi-finished fluid food supply device 102 (or transported through it) can be transported to the ultra-high temperature instant sterilization system 100 through the first transport pipeline 116 for sterilization, so as to meet the required food hygiene and safety standards.

On the other hand, the additives required for making salty soybean milk are placed in the balance tank 202 . Wherein the additive of the salty soybean milk can be gluconolactone (GDL) aqueous solution, and the ratio of water to gluconolactone in the gluconolactone aqueous solution can be 10~30:0.5~4. Wherein the salty soy milk additive may further include spices, and the ratio of the gluconolactone aqueous solution to the spices may be 10-30:0.05-5. Then, the salty soybean milk additive is sent to the sterile filtration system 200 for filtration through the second delivery pipeline 216 . The filtered salty soybean milk additive is delivered to the joint J to be mixed with the ultra-high temperature sterilized soybean milk delivered through the first delivery pipeline 116 . The so-called mixing can be performed in the mixer 108, or, as mentioned above, since the aseptic storage tank 112 has a stirring device, the mixing can also be performed in the aseptic storage tank 112.

The above-mentioned salty soy milk additive can be controlled by the quantitative control system 204 (and monitored by the first to fifth monitoring systems 206, 210, 214, 104, 106), and delivered to the junction J with the required content, so that the soy milk and the soy milk additive are mixed at a ratio of 500:10-30. The finished product is salted soybean milk with unique flavor and in compliance with food hygiene and safety standards. The finished product of salty soybean milk can be It is dispensed into aseptic packaging through the filling machine 114 and can have a shelf life of at least 3-12 months at room temperature.

bean curd preparation

First, the soymilk is prepared in the semi-finished fluid food supply device 102, and then transported to the ultra-high temperature instant sterilization system 100 for sterilization. Soymilk can be made in the same pretreatment manner as in the above-mentioned preparation of salty soymilk embodiment.

Similarly, additives required for making bean curd can be delivered through the food additive system 20 to be mixed with soymilk. The additive of the bean curd can be an aqueous solution of gluconolactone (GDL), and the ratio of water to gluconolactone in the aqueous solution of gluconolactone can be 10-30:2-5. The tofu curd additive may further include spices, and the ratio of the gluconolactone aqueous solution to the spices may be 10-30:0.05-5. The bean curd additive delivered to the joint J through the food additive system 20 is quantitatively controlled so that the soy milk and the bean curd additive are mixed at a ratio of 500:10-30. The mixed beancurd finished product can be temporarily placed in the aseptic storage tank 112, or the mixing can also be carried out in the aseptic storage tank 112. Then the filling machine 114 is used for filling and subpackaging, and the finished bean curds mixed by the mixer 108 can also be directly sent to the filling machine 114 for filling and subpackaging without passing through the aseptic storage tank 112 . The bean curd made according to the disclosure can have a shelf life of 3 to 12 months at room temperature.

While this specification contains many specific implementation details, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of any feature or of what may be claimed, but rather as descriptions of features specific to particular embodiments. Certain features that are described in this specification in the context of separate embodiments can also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment can also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable subcombination. Furthermore, although features may have been described above as acting in particular combinations and even initially claimed as such, one or more features from a claimed combination may in some cases be deleted from the combination and claimed combinations may Can relate to a subgroup or a variation of a subgroup.

The present disclosure has been described with reference to the embodiments and for the understanding that specific applications of the features of the present disclosure may be practiced individually and/or in various combinations and/or on various types of devices. Moreover, those skilled in the art will recognize that various modifications may be made to the embodiments in any of their applications without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, alternative embodiments may be implemented with different constituent materials, structures, and/or spatial relationships and still fall within the scope of the present disclosure. In view of the foregoing, the present disclosure should be limited only to the extent of the claimed claims disclosed by this application or any related application.

The terms "a" or "an" herein are used to describe elements and components of the present disclosure. This term is only for the convenience of description and to give the basic concept of this disclosure. This statement should be read to include one or at least one, and the singular also includes the plural unless it is clearly stated otherwise. When used in conjunction with the word "comprising" in the claims, the word "a" may mean one or more than one. In addition, the term "or" herein means "and/or".

Unless otherwise specified, spatial descriptions such as "above", "below", "upward", "left", "right", "downward", "top", "bottom", "vertical", "horizontal", "side", "higher", "lower", "upper", "above", "below" are intended with respect to the orientation shown in the drawings. It should be understood that the spatial descriptions used herein are for illustration purposes only, and that actual implementations of structures described herein may be spatially arranged in any relative orientation, such constraints not altering the advantages of the various embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, in the description of some embodiments, providing that an element is "on" another element may encompass situations where the former element is directly on (eg, in physical contact with) the latter element as well as situations where one or more intervening elements are located between the former element and the latter element.

As used herein, the terms "approximately", "substantially", "substantial" and "about" are used to describe and allow for minor variations. When used in conjunction with an event or situation, these The terms can mean both instances where the event or circumstance definite occurred as well as instances where the event or circumstance came in close approximation.

The above-mentioned embodiments are only to illustrate the technical ideas and characteristics of this disclosure, and its purpose is to enable people familiar with this technology to understand the content of this disclosure and implement it accordingly. It should not be used to limit the patent scope of this disclosure. Equal changes or modifications made in accordance with the spirit disclosed in this disclosure should still be covered within the patent scope of this disclosure.

10: Fluid food dispensing system

20: Food additive system

100: Ultra-high temperature instant sterilization system

102: Semi-finished fluid food supply device

104: The fourth monitoring system

106: Fifth monitoring system

108: mixer

110: The sixth monitoring system

112: Aseptic storage tank

114: Filling machine

116: the first delivery pipeline

200: Sterile Filtration System

202: balance tank

204: Quantitative control system

206: The first monitoring system

208: The first filter membrane

210: Second monitoring system

212: Second filter membrane

214: The third monitoring system

216: the second delivery pipeline

300: steam sterilization system

302: The seventh monitoring system

304: steam delivery pipeline

306: steam generator

J: link

Claims (17)

A fluid food dispensing system (10), comprising: a semi-finished fluid food supply device (102), used to provide a semi-finished fluid food; a first conveying pipeline (116), which is connected to the semi-finished fluid food supply device (102), and receives the semi-finished fluid food; a food additive system (20), used to supply food additives to the first conveying pipeline (116), and the food additive system includes: a second conveying pipeline (216), which circulates and connects A junction (J), connected to the first delivery pipeline (116), is used to deliver an additive to the first delivery pipeline (116); a sterile filtration system (200), which is arranged on the second delivery pipeline (216), to filter the additive; a mixer (108), which is arranged on the first delivery pipeline (116) and is located downstream of the junction (J), for mixing the semi-finished fluid food and the additive; A filling machine (114), which is connected to the first conveying pipeline (116) and located downstream of the mixer (108), is used for packaging the mixture of the semi-finished fluid food and the additive; and a sterilizing system, which is arranged on the first conveying pipeline (116) and is located upstream of the junction (J), for sterilizing the semi-finished fluid food. The system (10) according to item 1 of the claim, wherein the food additive system (20) comprises a steam sterilization (SIP) system (300), wherein the steam sterilization system (300) is fluidly connected with the first delivery pipeline (116) and/or the second delivery pipeline (216), and performs steam sterilization. The system (10) according to item 1 or 2 of the claim, wherein the food additive system (20) includes a certain amount control system (204), which is located on the second delivery pipeline (216), and is used to control the amount of the food additive entering the sterile filtration system (200). The system (10) according to item 3 of the claim, wherein the sterilization system is an ultra-high temperature (UHT) instant sterilization system (100). As the system (10) of claim item 1 or 2, wherein the sterile filtration system (200) comprises a first filter membrane (208) and a second filter membrane (212), wherein the first filter membrane (208) is located upstream of the second filter membrane (212), and the first filter membrane (208) has a pore size larger than the second filter membrane (212). The system (10) according to item 5 of the claim, wherein the pore size of the first filter membrane (208) is less than or equal to 0.45 microns, and the pore size of the second filter membrane (212) is less than or equal to 0.2 microns. The system (10) according to Item 5 of the claim, wherein the sterile filtration system (200) includes a first monitoring system (206) for monitoring the pressure on the first filter membrane (208); a second monitoring system (210) for monitoring the pressure on the second filter membrane (212), and a third monitoring system (214) for monitoring the pressure before the food additive enters the first delivery pipeline (116), wherein the first monitoring system (206) . The second monitoring system (210) or the third monitoring system (214) includes a pressure gauge, a thermometer, a flow meter, a particle size analysis device, a critical alarm, a valve, or any combination thereof. The system (10) according to item 7 of the claim further comprises a fourth monitoring system (104), a fifth monitoring system (106) and a sixth monitoring system (110), located on the first conveying pipeline (116), wherein the fourth monitoring system (104) is located between the semi-finished fluid food supply device (102) and the sterilization system, the fifth monitoring system (106) is located at the junction (J) and the sixth monitoring system (110) is located at the mixer (1 08) Between the filling machine (114), wherein the fourth monitoring system (104), the fifth monitoring system (106) or the sixth monitoring system (110) includes a pressure gauge, a thermometer, a flow meter, a particle size analysis device, a critical warning device, a valve, or any combination thereof. The system (10) according to item 8 of the claim further includes at least one human-machine interface controller, which communicates with the first monitoring system (206), the second monitoring system (210), the third monitoring system (214), the fourth monitoring system (104), the fifth monitoring system (106) and the sixth monitoring system (110), and presents and controls the status of these monitoring systems. As in the system (10) in item 9 of the claim, the man-machine interface controller can communicate with the communicatively connected devices included in the fluid food dispensing system (10) as required, so as to display and control the communicatively connected devices. As in the system (10) in item 10 of the claim, the man-machine interface controller can include a plurality of modes, wherein the modes can operate the fluid food dispensing system (10) according to preset parameters and schedules. The system (10) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the food additive system (20) includes a balance tank (202) located on the second delivery pipeline (216) and upstream of the sterile filtration system (200), The balance tank (202) is used to store the additive or a lotion for cleaning in place (CIP). A method (600) for subpackaging a fluid food, comprising: preparing a half-finished fluid food (610); treating the semi-finished product (612) with an ultra-high temperature sterilization system (100); preparing an additive (602) containing at least one heat-sensitive component; treating the additive (604) with a sterile filtration system (200); 0) The pipeline of the processed semi-finished product is mixed with the semi-finished product processed by the ultra-high temperature sterilization system (100); and the mixed mixture (616) is packaged with a filling machine (114). The method according to item 13 of the claim, further comprising performing steam sterilization on pipelines, processing equipment or containers used for circulating, processing or carrying the semi-finished fluid food or the additive. The method according to item 13 of the claim, further comprising cleaning pipelines, processing equipment or containers other than the sterile filtration system (200) with a lotion after dispensing the mixture. The method according to item 13 of the claim, further comprising performing an integrity test (608) on the sterile filtration system (200) before the sterile filtration system (200) processes the additive. As the method of claim item 13, wherein the semi-finished fluid food can be a soybean milk, and wherein the additive can be enzyme or gluconolactone aqueous solution.

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