WO2011102055A1

WO2011102055A1 - Tea leaf-transporting apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO2011102055A1
Application number: PCT/JP2010/073104
Authority: WO
Inventors: 章雄伊藤; 正巳笹目; 仁衣笠; 史弘伊東; 冬樹藤原
Original assignee: 株式会社伊藤園
Priority date: 2010-02-16
Filing date: 2010-12-22
Publication date: 2011-08-25
Also published as: AU2010346124A1; CN102753029A; JP5816410B2; AU2010346124B2; JP2011167090A

Abstract

Provided is a tea leaf-transporting apparatus whereby it is possible to transport tea leaves in a sanitary manner. The tea leaf-transporting apparatus (1) is characterized by a configuration for transporting tea leaves (11) fed into a transportation pipe (32) which is configured from a metal pipe of stainless steel or the like, or a resin pipe of vinyl chloride or the like, by means of hot water (12), and a configuration for separating the hot water (12) and the tea leaves (11) which flow out of the transportation pipe (32). Additionally, adjusting factors such as the temperature of the hot water (12) or the amount of time that the tea leaves (11) remain in the transportation pipe (32) makes it possible to sterilize the tea leaves, deactivate oxidase, reduce the cuticular layer, and reduce the amount of caffeine as said tea leaves are transported.

Description

Tea leaf conveyor

The present invention relates to a device for transporting plucked tea leaves, a tea leaf sterilizer, a tea leaf cuticle layer reducing device, a tea leaf caffeine reducing device, and a tea leaf oxidase deactivating device.

Tea is produced by, for example, steaming the picked tea leaves, squeezing the steamed tea leaves while drying, producing the crude tea by drying the tea leaves that have been squeezed, and subjecting the crude tea to a finishing process such as burning. be able to.

Conventionally, when tea is produced, the picked tea leaves are hardly sterilized and washed. Tea leaves picked in the Kagoshima area often have volcanic ash adhering, and tea leaves picked in this area were washed, but tea leaves picked in other areas were hardly washed It was a thing. There is almost no sterilization of tea leaves, so there are almost no devices for sterilizing tea leaves, and the following patent document 1 shows a tea leaf sterilization cleaning device for ozone sterilization cleaning.

JP 2001-57846 A

In recent years, tea can be powdered and added to foods such as ice or mixed with foods to eat tea leaves directly, which requires more sanitary handling than before. .
The apparatus shown in Patent Document 1 has a problem in terms of cost because the ozone generator for ozone sterilization cleaning is expensive, and the tea leaves are damaged by the stirring blades, and the quality deteriorates. There was a risk of it.

Furthermore, in order to convey tea leaves in a factory, a belt conveyor or a vibration conveyor is often used. These are often open, and there is a risk that dust will adhere to the tea leaves. In particular, when transported by a vibration conveyor, tea leaves are chipped and leaf spillage is likely to occur, and the chipped tea leaves flutter in the factory, requiring frequent cleaning.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a tea leaf transport device capable of transporting tea leaves in a sanitary manner, and further, a tea leaf sterilizer, tea leaf oxidase inactivation having the same configuration as the device. An object is to provide a tea leaf cuticle layer reducing device and a tea leaf caffeine reducing device.

The tea leaf conveying device of the present invention is characterized in that the tea leaf is supplied to the conveying tube and conveyed with hot water, and the hot water discharged from the conveying tube and the tea leaf are separated.

The tea leaf transport device of the present invention transports tea leaves with a transport tube, so that dust or the like does not adhere to them, and tea leaf pieces do not scatter around, so that the tea leaves can be transported hygienically. Furthermore, by conveying tea leaves using hot water as a medium, tea leaves can be sterilized, oxidase deactivation, cuticle layer reduction, and caffeine reduction can be performed.

It is the schematic which showed typically the tea leaf conveying apparatus of one Embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic perspective view which showed typically the supply part of the tea leaf conveying apparatus of FIG. The separation part of the tea leaf conveying apparatus of FIG. 1 is shown typically, (A) is a schematic perspective view, and (B) is a schematic cross-sectional view. It is the schematic perspective view which showed typically the finishing washing | cleaning part of the tea leaf conveying apparatus of FIG.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the tea leaf conveying device of the present invention will be described. However, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, the tea leaf transport device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a supply unit 2, a transport unit 3, a separation unit 4, a finish cleaning unit 5, and a dehydration unit 6. The tea leaves that have passed through the dehydration unit 6 can be processed into a crude tea by performing the same brewing process and drying process as before.

The supply unit 2 supplies tea leaves to the transport unit 3. For example, as shown in FIG. 1 or 2, the supply unit 2 includes an input unit 21, a conveyor unit 22, and a discharge unit 23. The tea leaves 11 input from 21 can be dropped onto the conveyor unit 22 and carried to the discharge unit 23, and the tea leaves 11 can be supplied from the discharge unit 23 to the transport unit 3.
More specifically, the charging unit 21 is provided with a charging port 21a on the upper side and a discharging port 21b on the lower side, and an inclined surface is formed inside so that the tea leaves 11 charged from the charging port 21a gather at the discharging port 21b. A certain amount of tea leaves 11 fall on the conveyor section 22 from the discharge port 21b.
The conveyor unit 22 is a belt conveyor, and can transport the tea leaves 11 that have fallen from the input unit 21 to the discharge unit 23. The conveyor unit 22 may be a vibration conveyor.
The discharge unit 23 is formed in a cylindrical shape with openings at the top and bottom, so that the tea leaves falling from the conveyor unit 22 can be sent to the transport unit 3 without being scattered around.

The transport unit 3 is configured to be able to transport the tea leaves put into the transport tube using hot water as a medium. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the hopper unit 31, the transport tube 32, the pump 33, and the liquid storage are provided. The hot water 12 is sent from the hot water storage part 34 to the transport pipe 32 by the pump 33, and the tea leaves 11 supplied from the supply part 2 are discharged from the transport pipe 32 using the hot water 12 as a medium. It can be set as the structure conveyed to the exit 32a. The hopper 31 may be provided with a water supply port (not shown) so that when the tea leaf 11 is supplied from the supply unit 2 to the transport unit 3, it can be supplied together with water or hot water.
As the hot water 12, water of 60 ° C. to 100 ° C., preferably 80 ° C. to 100 ° C., particularly preferably 90 ° C. to 100 ° C. can be used, and examples of water include tap water, alkaline water, carbonated water, and the like. Can be used.
By transporting the tea leaves 11 by the transport unit 3, the tea leaves can be sterilized, the cuticle layer can be reduced, the caffeine can be reduced, and the oxidase can be deactivated. The hot water 12 is required to be turbulent, and the Reynolds number represented by Re = DV / ν (D: pipe inner diameter, V: average flow velocity, ν: kinematic viscosity coefficient) is Re> 30,000, especially It is preferable that Re> 70,000.

As a more specific configuration of the transport unit 3, the transport pipe 32 may be a metal pipe such as stainless steel or aluminum, or a resin pipe such as vinyl chloride, and preferably has an inner diameter of 23.0 mm or more, particularly preferably. The thing of 47.8 mm or more can be used. By making the inner diameter of the transport pipe 3 23.0 mm or more, the tea leaves 11 are agitated and come into contact with hot water moderately, sterilizing the tea leaves, reducing the cuticle layer, reducing caffeine, deactivating oxidase, etc. It can be carried out.

The transport pipes 32 may be arranged in a straight line, but in order to generate turbulent flow, it is preferable to form one or a plurality of bent portions, and the height difference is 2 m or more, particularly 5 m or more. It is preferable to do this. Further, it is preferable that a turbulent flow is generated by providing a water flow stirring section (not shown) having a diameter changed in the middle of the transport pipe 32.
The time for the tea leaves 11 to pass through the transport pipe 32 is set to 10 seconds to 120 seconds, preferably 10 seconds to 90 seconds, particularly preferably 30 seconds to 90 seconds. For example, the flow rate of the hot water 12 is set to 0.5 m. In the case of / s, the length of the transport pipe 32 can be set to 5 m to 60 m, preferably 5 m to 45 m, and particularly preferably 15 m to 45 m.
The pump 33 feeds the hot water 12 stored in the hot water storage section 34 into the transport pipe 32, and is preferably capable of sending the hot water 12 to the transport pipe 32 at a flow rate of 0.5 m / s or more. .
The hot water storage unit 34 can store hot water 12 flowing in the transport pipe 32 while adjusting the temperature. A filter 34b is provided at a delivery port 34a through which the hot water 12 is sent out to provide heat. It is preferable to filter the water 12 so that unnecessary substances can be removed.

The separation unit 4 is configured to be able to separate the tea leaves and hot water discharged from the transport pipe, respectively. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 1 or 3, the separation unit 4 includes a cylindrical portion 41 and a funnel portion 42. The tea leaf 11 and the hot water 12 are separated by the cylindrical portion 41, and the hot water 12 is allowed to flow out to the funnel portion 42 attached to the lower side of the cylindrical portion 41.

More specifically, the cylindrical portion 41 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and the transport pipe 32 is connected in a tangential direction above the peripheral surface 41a, and the discharge port 32a is formed on the peripheral surface 41a of the cylindrical portion 41. It is. Below the connecting portion, the discharge pipe 44 is connected in a tangential direction, and a carry-in port 44 a of the discharge pipe 44 is formed on the peripheral surface 41 a of the cylindrical portion 41. The cylindrical portion 41 is configured to be able to separate the tea leaf 11 and the hot water 12 using the momentum of the tea leaf 11 discharged from the transport pipe 32, and the tea leaf 11 discharged from the transport pipe 32 is the peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 41. It slides on 41a and turns into a spiral shape so as to enter the inlet 44a of the discharge pipe 44. Further, the hot water 12 discharged from the transport pipe 32 slides on the peripheral surface 41a of the cylindrical portion 41 like the tea leaves 11, but falls downward while turning on the peripheral surface 41a by gravity, It enters into the funnel part 42 and is collected in the hot water recovery part 45 provided below the funnel part 42. It is preferable to provide a mesh-like filter 43 on the upper surface of the funnel portion 42 so that the tea leaves 11 do not enter the funnel portion 42.
The tea leaves 11 that have entered the discharge pipe 44 flow through the pipe, drop onto the conveyor unit 46, and are conveyed to the finish cleaning unit 5. The conveyor unit 46 can be a belt conveyor, a vibration conveyor, or the like.
The hot water 12 collected in the hot water recovery unit 45 is preferably transported to the hot water storage unit 34 through the recovery pipe 48 by a pump 47 or the like and sent out to the transport pipe 32 again.

The finish cleaning section 5 is configured to wash off hot water remaining on the tea leaves and cool the tea leaves, and includes, for example, a conveyor section 51 and a shower section 52 as shown in FIG. The tea leaves 11 flowing on the conveyor unit 51 are sprayed with water from the shower unit 52 to wash away the liquid remaining on the tea leaves 11 and cool the tea leaves to finish cleaning. it can.
As the conveyor unit 51, a belt conveyor, a vibration conveyor, or the like can be used. The tea leaves 11 carried by the conveyor unit 51 are conveyed to the dehydrating unit 6.

The dewatering unit 6 is configured to be able to remove moisture adhering to the tea leaves by finish cleaning, and can be configured, for example, to blow wind on the tea leaves 11 or to rotate and centrifuge the tea leaves 11.

The tea leaves 11 that have been dehydrated are transported by the conveyor unit 61 and can be sent to the next brewing process or the like.

As described above, the tea leaf transport device 1 transports the hot water 12 as a medium through the transport pipe 32, so that dust in the outside air does not adhere, and the tea leaf pieces do not scatter around. Tea leaves can be transported.

In the above, the hot water 12 is set to 90 ° C. to 100 ° C., the time from the supply of the tea leaves 11 to the transport pipe 32 to the discharge is set to 15 seconds to 120 seconds, and the Reynolds number Re is set to Re> 30,000. For example, since the germs attached to the tea leaf 11 can be sterilized, the device 1 can be said to be a tea leaf sterilizer. If the hot water 12 is set to 90 ° C. to 100 ° C., the time from the supply of the tea leaves 11 to the transport pipe 32 to the discharge is set to 30 seconds to 120 seconds, and the Reynolds number Re is set to Re> 30,000. Since the oxidase of tea leaf 11 is deactivated, this apparatus 1 can be said to be a tea leaf oxidase inactivation apparatus. Conventionally, inactivation of oxidase was performed in a steaming process using a steamer or the like. In the present apparatus 1, the oxidase can be inactivated while being transported, and the steaming process can be omitted. .

In the above, the hot water 12 is set to 60 ° C. to 100 ° C., the time from the supply of the tea leaves 11 to the transport pipe 32 to the discharge is set to 10 seconds to 120 seconds, and the Reynolds number Re is set to Re> 30,000. By so doing, the cuticle layer containing a large amount of cutin on the surface of the tea leaf 11 can be reduced, so that the present device 1 can be said to be a tea leaf cuticle layer reducing device. The cuticle layer contains an unsaturated fatty acid and is considered to be one of the causes of deterioration of rough tea or the like, but the deterioration of the rough tea can be suppressed by reducing the cuticle layer.

Further, in the above, the hot water 12 is set to 80 ° C. to 100 ° C., the time from the supply of the tea leaves 11 to the transport pipe 32 to the discharge is set to 10 seconds to 120 seconds, and the Reynolds number Re is set to Re> 30,000. In this case, the caffeine in the tea leaves 11 is eluted into the hot water and the amount thereof can be reduced, so that the present apparatus 1 can be said to be a caffeine reducing apparatus.

As described above, the apparatus 1 not only transports the tea leaves 11 but also has functions such as sterilization, oxidase deactivation, cuticle layer reduction, and caffeine reduction, and is hygienic and high quality. Tea can be produced.

(test)
In order to confirm the effects of the above-described tea leaf sterilization, oxidase deactivation, cuticle layer reduction, and caffeine reduction, the following tests were conducted. In conducting the following test, a sanitary pipe made of stainless steel was used as the transport pipe, and a sanitary pump (manufactured by Iwai Kikai Kogyo Co., Ltd.) was used as a pump for sending hot water.

(Sterilization test)
Test products 1 to 5 were prepared as shown below.
Hot water at 90 ° C. was sent out to a linear transport pipe set to the inner diameter and length shown in Table 1 below at a flow rate of 0.5 m / s using a pump. Tea leaves (Yabukita No. 2 tea) were charged into the tube at a rate of 30 kg / hr. The time for the tea leaves to pass through the conveying tube was about 30 to 120 seconds. After that, room temperature water (about 25 ° C) was sprayed on the tea leaves discharged from the transfer tube in a shower shape and cooled to about 25 ° C. First, the appearance of the tea leaves was visually observed. Next, the number of general bacteria adhering to these was measured. This measurement was performed by the pour culture method according to the Food Sanitation Inspection Index Microbiology.

In addition, as control 1, tea leaves (Yabukita No. 2 tea) were added at a rate of 30 kg / hr to a net-cylinder rotary stirring steamer (manufactured by Kawasaki Kiko Co., Ltd.), steamed for 90 seconds, and the tea leaves were taken out. Then, room temperature water (about 25 ° C.) was sprayed in a shower shape and cooled to about 25 ° C.
Control 2 was freshly picked fresh tea leaves.
For controls 1 and 2, the appearance was observed in the same manner as described above, and the number of general bacteria adhering to them was measured.
The results are shown in Table 1 below.

As shown in Table 1, it was confirmed that the tea leaves had a sterilizing effect by transporting the inside of the transport pipe with hot water. It was confirmed that the test products 2 to 4 have a high bactericidal effect, and that the test product 2 has a high bactericidal effect even though the treatment time is the same as that of the test product 5. It was found that the larger the Reynolds number, the higher the stirring effect in the tube and the higher the bactericidal effect.

(Oxidase deactivation test)
Test products 6 to 10 were prepared as shown below.
Hot water at 90 ° C. was sent out to a linear transport pipe set to the conditions shown in Table 2 below using a pump. Tea leaves (Yabukita No. 2 tea) were charged into the tube at a rate of 30 kg / hr. The time for the tea leaves to pass through the transport tube was about 60 seconds. After that, room temperature water (about 25 ° C) was sprayed on the tea leaves discharged from the transfer tube in a shower shape and cooled to about 25 ° C. The tea leaf oxidase was measured. This measurement was performed by a color reaction for 5 minutes using five arbitrarily extracted stems according to the method for determining the degree of heating of tea leaves. Details of this method are described in paragraphs [0011] to [0030] of JP-A-2006-304624.

In addition, as a control 3, tea leaves (Yabukita No. 2 tea) were charged at a rate of 30 kg / hr into a net-cylinder rotary stirring steamer (manufactured by Kawasaki Kiko Co., Ltd.), steamed for 60 seconds, and the tea leaves were taken out. Then, room temperature water (about 25 ° C.) was sprayed in a shower shape and cooled to about 25 ° C.
Control 4 was freshly picked fresh tea leaves.
For controls 3 and 4, oxidase was measured as described above.
The results are shown in Table 2 below.

As shown in Table 2, it was confirmed that the oxidase was deactivated in the same manner as in the steamer by transporting tea leaves with hot water in a transport tube having an inner diameter of 47.8 mm. Discoloration was partially observed in the conveying tube having an inner diameter of 23.0 mm to 35.7 mm and a flow rate of 0.5 m / s, but this was not a major problem in quality. In the carrier tube having an inner diameter of 23.0 mm, the oxidase was deactivated in the same manner as the vapor when the flow rate was 1.0 m / s. The conveying tube having an inner diameter of 18.4 mm showed many discolored stems, the oxidase was not inactivated, and the variation was large.

(Cuticle layer reduction test)

Test products

11 and 12 were produced as shown below.
Hot water at 90 ° C. was sent out to a linear transfer pipe having an inner diameter of 47.8 mm and a total length of 5 m or 15 m at a flow rate of 0.5 m / s using a pump. Tea leaves (Yabukita No. 2 tea) were charged into the tube at a rate of 30 kg / hr. The time for the tea leaves to pass through the transport tube was about 10 seconds or 30 seconds. After that, room temperature water (about 25 ° C) was sprayed on the tea leaves discharged from the transfer tube in a shower shape and cooled to about 25 ° C. The cuticle weight of the tea leaves was measured. This measurement was performed as follows.

First, tea leaf pieces (3.14 cm ² per sheet) were punched out in a disc shape from 30 tea leaves with a cork borer having a diameter of 20 mm. The tea leaf pieces were immersed in a reaction solution in which 20 ml of a phosphate-citrate buffer (pH 3.0), 2 ml of cellulase (novozyme Celluclast 1.5 L) and 0.5 ml of pectinase (novozyme Pectinex Ultra SP-L) were mixed, and 40 ° C. For 24 hours. Thereafter, a transparent film (cuticle) on the surface of the tea leaf piece was collected and washed with an ultrasonic cleaner, and then lyophilized. After measuring the total weight of 30 tea leaf pieces (94.2 cm ² ), the fresh tea leaf 50 cm ^It was converted into ² per cuticular weight (mg).

Moreover, as a control 5, using a net-cylinder rotating stirring steamer (manufactured by Kawasaki Kiko Co., Ltd.), tea leaves (Yabukita No. 2 tea) were added at a rate of 30 kg / hr, steamed for 60 seconds, and the tea leaves. Was taken out and sprayed at room temperature (about 25 ° C.) in the form of a shower to cool to about 25 ° C.
The control 6 was freshly picked fresh tea leaves. The controls 5 and 6 were measured for cuticle weight in the same manner as described above.
The results are shown in Table 3 below.

As shown in Table 3, it was confirmed that the cuticle layer was reduced by transporting the tea leaves in the transport pipe with hot water.

(Caffeine reduction test)
Test article 13 was prepared as shown below.
Hot water at 90 ° C. was sent out by a pump at a flow rate of 0.5 m / s to a linear conveyance tube having an inner diameter of 47.8 mm and a total length of 15 m. Tea leaves (Yabukita No. 2 tea) were charged into the tube at a rate of 30 kg / hr. The time for the tea leaves to pass through the transport tube was about 30 seconds. After that, room temperature water (about 25 ° C) was sprayed on the tea leaves discharged from the transfer tube in a shower shape and cooled to about 25 ° C. The amount of caffeine in the tea leaves was measured. This measurement was performed as follows. The tea leaves were dried with hot air at 80 ° C. for 5 hours and pulverized. 200 mg of the crushed tea leaves were ultrasonically extracted with 100 mL of 20% acetonitrile for 60 minutes and filtered through a membrane filter (0.45 μm). The filtrate was quantified by a calibration curve method using a high performance liquid chromatogram (HPLC). The amount of caffeine was measured. The high performance liquid chromatogram (HPLC) was operated under the following conditions.

Column: waters Xbridge shield RP18 φ3.5 × 150mm
Mobile phase: Phase A Water: Phase B Acetonitrile: Phase C 1% phosphoric acid Flow rate: 0.5 mL / min
Injection volume: 5 μL
Detection: water detector UV detector UV230nm
Gradient conditions: see Table 4 below

In addition, as control 7, using a net-cylinder rotary stirring steamer (manufactured by Kawasaki Kiko Co., Ltd.), tea leaves (Yabukita No. 2 tea) were steamed for 30 seconds at a rate of 30 kg / hr, and the tea leaves were taken out, Water at room temperature (about 25 ° C.) was sprayed in a shower shape to cool to about 25 ° C., and dried with hot air at 80 ° C. for 5 hours.
Control 8 was freshly picked fresh tea leaves.
For Controls 7 and 8, the amount of caffeine was measured in the same manner as described above.
The results are shown in Table 5 below.

As shown in Table 5, it was confirmed that the amount of caffeine was reduced by transporting tea leaves through the transport pipe with hot water.

1 tea leaf transfer device 11 tea leaf 12 hot water 2 supply unit 21 input unit

21a input port

21b discharge port 22 conveyor unit 23 discharge unit 3 transfer unit 31 hopper unit 32 transfer pipe 32a discharge port 33 pump 34 hot water storage unit 34a outlet 34b Filter 4 Separating part 41 Cylindrical part 41a Circumferential surface 42 Funnel part 43 Filter 44 Discharge pipe 44a Carry-in port 45 Hot water recovery part 46 Conveyor part 47 Pump 48 Recovery pipe 5 Finishing washing part 51 Conveyor part 52 Shower part 6 Dehydration part 61 Conveyor part

Claims

A tea leaf transport apparatus having a configuration for transporting tea leaves supplied to a transport pipe with hot water and separating the hot water discharged from the transport pipe and tea leaves.
2. The tea leaf conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a time from when the tea leaves are supplied to the conveying pipe to when the tea leaves are discharged is 10 seconds to 120 seconds.
A tea leaf sterilizer equipped with a configuration for transporting tea leaves supplied to a transport pipe with hot water and separating the hot water discharged from the transport pipe from the tea leaves.
A tea leaf cuticle layer reducing device having a configuration for transporting tea leaves supplied to a transport pipe with hot water and separating the hot water discharged from the transport pipe and tea leaves.
A tea leaf caffeine reduction device having a configuration for transporting tea leaves supplied to a transport pipe with hot water and separating the hot water discharged from the transport pipe and tea leaves.
A tea leaf oxidase deactivation device equipped with a configuration for transporting tea leaves supplied to a transport pipe with hot water and separating the hot water discharged from the transport pipe and tea leaves.
The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a structure for allowing the separated hot water to flow through the transport pipe again.
The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising a structure in which water is sprayed onto the separated tea leaves to perform finish cleaning.
The apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a structure for dewatering water adhering to the finish-washed tea leaves.
Tea leaves are sterilized using hot water to transport the inside of the transport pipe.
Tea leaf cuticle layer reduction method that transports tea leaves with hot water in the transport pipe.
Tea leaf caffeine reduction method that transports tea leaves with hot water in the transport pipe.
Tea leaf oxidase deactivation method that transports tea leaves with hot water in the transport tube.