WO2014181402A1

WO2014181402A1 - Poultry carcass cooling method and cooling equipment

Info

Publication number: WO2014181402A1
Application number: PCT/JP2013/062945
Authority: WO
Inventors: 信光古賀; 昌仁脇田; 樋口　清志
Original assignee: 株式会社前川製作所
Priority date: 2013-05-08
Filing date: 2013-05-08
Publication date: 2014-11-13
Also published as: JPWO2014181402A1; JP5959736B2

Abstract

The purpose of the present invention is to shorten cooling time while preventing the drying of the poultry carcass surface and preventing loss in meat weight and surface wrinkling and discoloration (freezer burn) in poultry carcass cooling processes. The poultry carcass cooling equipment is provided with: a conveyor chain (12) from which multiple shackles (14) in which the ankles of the poultry carcasses (w) are locked are suspended; an ice slurry-injecting device (16) along the conveyance path of the conveyor chain (12) for injecting an ice slurry (is) into the body cavities of the poultry carcasses (w); a sprinkling device (18) for sprinkling the surfaces of the poultry carcasses (w); and a cooling device (20) for blowing cold air on the poultry carcasses (w). The cooling device (20) is configured from: a first cooling chamber (21) for promoting the evaporation of moisture adhering to the surface of the poultry carcasses (w); a second cooling chamber (22) for preventing drying of the poultry carcasses (w) while cooling same; and a third cooling chamber (24) for melting the ice slurry (is) retained inside the body cavities of the poultry carcasses (w) and removing moisture from the poultry carcass surface.

Description

Cooling method and cooling equipment for poultry carcass

The present invention relates to a cooling method and cooling equipment for a poultry carcass that can prevent quality deterioration such as discoloration, loss of weight, and drying of the poultry carcass in the cooling process during the processing of chicken meat.

In the chicken processing factory, raw chicken is processed and manufactured in the order of raw bird acceptance → slaughter → exsanguination → boiled hair removal → internal extraction → carcass cooling → weight selection → packaging sorting → storage → shipment . In this processing process, the cooling process of the poultry carcass after the internal extraction is aimed at maintaining freshness and sterilization and is the first cooling process during the processing process, so it is possible to quickly cool the chicken in a short time. It is important for maintaining the quality of chicken.
The cooling method used in this cooling step can be broadly classified into a water cooling method using cooling water and an air cooling method using cooling air, and a combined cooling method using both cooling water and cooling air has been put into practical use.

Since the water cooling method has higher heat transfer efficiency than the air cooling method, there is an advantage that the carcass temperature can be lowered to the target value in a short time. On the other hand, in the water cooling method, the temperature of the cooling water cannot be reduced to 0 ° C. or lower. Therefore, when the target temperature of the chicken temperature is low, the difference between the water temperature and the target temperature becomes small. Therefore, cooling for a long time is required. As a result, the time for immersing the edible carcass in cold water is extended, so that the moisture content of the edible carcass increases, and the quality (commercial value) may decrease due to the dandruff phenomenon.
In terms of hygiene management, it is necessary to add a large amount of disinfectant to prevent contamination of the cooling water stored in the tank, and a large processing device for decontaminating the contaminated cooling water. There is a problem of need.

On the other hand, the air cooling method has an advantage that the relative hygiene value (apparent hygiene) is higher than the water cooling method. However, since the heat transfer efficiency is lower than that of the water cooling method, there is a problem that the cooling time becomes long. Further, the water vapor partial pressure difference between the air and the poultry carcass promotes the evaporation of water in the poultry carcass, and the drying of the poultry carcass is likely to proceed contrary to the water cooling method. As a result, there is a problem that the meat weight is reduced, the surface is wrinkled and discolored (freeze burn), and the quality is liable to deteriorate.

Recently, from the viewpoint of food safety and security, the cooling temperature of the poultry carcass in the cooling process tends to decrease. For example, in the EU, there are countries that regulate the central temperature of the chest region at the cooling process outlet to be +2 to + 4 ° C. As a result, the cooling time becomes longer and may be as long as 3 hours, for example. As a result, along with a decrease in productivity, an increase in cost due to an increase in equipment, and an increase in energy consumption, the poultry carcass dries during cooling, and quality deterioration due to drying tends to occur. For this reason, these measures are important.
As described above, as the cooling temperature of chicken approaches 0 ° C., the cooling capacity is approaching the limit in the water cooling method, and recently, the air cooling method is becoming mainstream.

Patent Document 1 discloses a cooling device that employs a combined cooling method using both water cooling and air cooling. This cooling device supplies a cold air to a poultry carcass, a transport device including a rail that supports a shackle from which a poultry carcass is suspended, a drive chain that moves the shackle along the rail, and An air cooling device and a water spray device for spraying water on the surface of the poultry carcass are provided. Then, the poultry carcass being transported in the cooling chamber is sprinkled with a water spray device to wet the surface of the poultry carcass and cooled with the cold air supplied from the air cooling device. The water adhering to the surface is evaporated, and latent heat of vaporization is taken away so that rapid cooling is performed.

The cooling device disclosed in Patent Document 2 cools the poultry carcass in a composite cooling system while being conveyed by a conveyor, as in Patent Document 1. The poultry carcass is transported along the transport path with the ankle portion locked to the shackle hanging from the conveyor. And in addition to the combined cooling type of cooling water and air cooling disclosed in Patent Document 1, the cooling medium such as sherbet-like ice in the body cavity of the edible carcass for the edible carcass being transported The poultry carcass is cooled from inside and outside.

Japanese Patent Publication No.58-16855 JP 2005-110634 A

As disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, a method of cooling a poultry carcass while being transported by a shackle is a beneficial means in that it enables traceability of individual poultry carcasses. .
In order to ensure the quality of fresh poultry carcass, it is desirable to cool the poultry carcass at a temperature as close as possible to 0 ° C. without freezing the poultry carcass. However, as described above, since the cooling temperature of the poultry carcass is as close as possible to 0 ° C. in the cooling process, the cooling time tends to be extended even if the composite cooling method is adopted.

In the combined cooling method, if the cooling time is extended, compared to the water cooling method, the weight of the meat decreases due to the progress of drying, and surface wrinkles and discoloration (freeze-burning) are likely to occur, resulting in a decrease in quality (commercial value). There is a problem that it is easy to invite. In addition, there is a problem that the productivity is reduced, the cost is increased due to an increase in equipment, and the energy consumption is increased in proportion to the longer cooling process.
In addition, conventionally, poultry carcasses are sequentially transported to a plurality of cooling chambers for cooling treatment, but only tempering cooling is performed by changing only the air temperature for each cooling chamber. .

Therefore, in view of the problems of the prior art, the present invention makes it possible to shorten the cooling time and prevent the progress of drying of the surface of the poultry carcass in the cooling process of the poultry carcass adopting the composite cooling method. The purpose is to prevent meat weight loss, surface wrinkles and discoloration (freeze-burning), and prevent deterioration of quality (commercial value).

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the method for cooling a poultry carcass according to the present invention is applied to a poultry carcass suspended from a shackle suspended from a conveyor while the ankle part is locked and conveyed by the conveyor. , A coolant injection process for injecting a solid coolant that can be dissolved by heat absorption into the body cavity of the poultry carcass, a watering process for spraying the surface of the poultry carcass, and cooling by blowing cold air on the poultry carcass It is assumed that the process is performed sequentially.

The poultry carcass was subjected to various processes of blood removal, hot-bath hair removal and internal extraction after slaughter. In such a poultry carcass, a relatively large hole is formed in the butt after the head and esophagus are removed in the internal extraction process, and it is relatively easy to inject a solid coolant from the hole. Moreover, since the esophagus is removed, a hole is also formed inside the neck. For this reason, when the solid coolant is injected into the body cavity of the poultry carcass with the ankle portion of the poultry carcass locked to the shackle and suspended from the shackle with the neck side down, The coolant dissolved in (1) spontaneously falls through the holes.

In the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, the cooling process is performed after the coolant injection process and the watering process, and cool air having a temperature equal to or lower than the saturated humid air temperature is blown to the poultry carcass, and the poultry carcass is sprayed in the watering process. A first cooling step that promotes evaporation of water droplets adhering to the surface, and blows cold air to the poultry carcass under a saturated steam atmosphere, and waters the poultry carcass to keep the surface of the poultry carcass moist. And a second cooling step for injecting dissolved water for dissolving the solid coolant into the body cavity of the poultry carcass at a later stage, and blowing the cool air below the saturated humid air temperature to the poultry carcass, And a third cooling step for dehumidifying the surface of the poultry carcass while dissolving the coolant in the body cavity.

The solid coolant can be dissolved by the dissolved water injected in the second cooling step. For example, it is ice, and ice does not ask | require a shape. For example, ice of plate shape, tube shape, flake shape or cubicle shape can be used. In particular, sherbet-like ice has the advantage that the heat transfer area with the poultry carcass can be expanded and the amount of heat transfer can be increased.

In the first cooling step, the sprinkling process in the previous stage is performed by blowing cold air on the poultry carcass at a temperature equal to or lower than the saturated humid air temperature, for example, 90% or lower, and a low temperature such as 0 to + 10 ° C. Thus, by promoting the evaporation of water droplets adhering to the surface of the poultry carcass and removing the latent heat of evaporation from the poultry carcass, the poultry carcass can be rapidly cooled.
In the second cooling step, the edible carcass can be cooled while spraying the edible carcass under a saturated steam atmosphere and at a low temperature of, for example, 0 to + 5 ° C., while preventing the edible carcass from drying. . In addition, by spraying the surface of the poultry carcass, the surface of the poultry carcass is kept in a moist state, and at the latter stage, dissolved water is injected into the body cavity of the poultry carcass, The solid coolant remaining in the body cavity is dissolved.

In the third cooling step, as a finishing stage of the cooling process, while cooling the edible carcass with cold air under a saturated humid air temperature, for example, a relative humidity of 90% or less and a low temperature of, for example, −5 to + 2 ° C., Complete dissolution of the solid coolant in the body cavity and dehumidify the poultry carcass surface.

In this way, the cooling time can be shortened by combining the three cooling steps. Further, since the surface of the carcass carcass can be prevented from drying during the cooling process, the weight of the meat can be reduced, and the wrinkles and discoloration of the surface can be prevented. Also, in the third cooling step, the dissolution of the solid coolant remaining in the body cavity is completed, and the surface of the poultry carcass is dehumidified, thereby eliminating the dandruff phenomenon of the poultry carcass and preventing the quality of the chicken from deteriorating. In addition, the process can be quickly transferred to a subsequent weight selection process or packaging process.

As one aspect of the method of the present invention, it was carried out before the coolant injection step and the watering step, and was measured in the first weight measurement step and the first weight measurement step for measuring the weight of each poultry carcass. A first control step of controlling the temperature and air volume of the cool air blown to the poultry carcass in the cooling process and the amount of water sprayed in the second cooling step based on the weight of the poultry carcass can be further included.
In this way, by controlling the amount of cold air blown on the poultry carcass and the amount of sprinkling based on the weight of the poultry carcass, the desired cooling effect can be achieved even if the weight of the poultry carcass changes. Obtainable.

As another aspect of the method of the present invention, it is performed before the coolant injection step and the watering step, and is performed after the first weight measurement step of measuring the weight of the poultry carcass one by one and the cooling step, Cold air so that there is no difference between the second weight measuring step for measuring the weight of each poultry carcass for each bird and the measured values of the respective poultry carcasses measured in the first weight measuring step and the second weight measuring step. And a second control step for controlling the temperature and the air flow rate and the amount of water sprayed in the second cooling step.
Thereby, in the third cooling step, the complete removal of the solid coolant in the body cavity of the poultry carcass and the dehumidification of the surface of the poultry carcass can be completed. Therefore, it is possible to prevent an increase in the moisture content of the poultry carcass during the cooling process, to prevent a dandruff phenomenon of the poultry carcass, to prevent deterioration in quality, and to quickly move to a subsequent process.

In addition, the cooling facility for a poultry carcass of the present invention for directly carrying out the method of the present invention comprises a conveyor on which a number of shackles to which the ankle portion of the poultry carcass is suspended are suspended, and a transport path of the conveyor A coolant injecting device for injecting a solid coolant that can be dissolved by absorption of heat into the body cavity of the poultry carcass, a sprinkler for spraying water on the surface of the poultry carcass, and cold air to the poultry carcass And a cooling device for spraying.
And a cooling device is provided in the carcass conveyance direction downstream of a coolant injection device and a sprinkler, and a 1st cooling chamber, a 2nd cooling chamber, and a 3rd cooling chamber are provided in order from the carcass conveyance direction upstream. A conveyor is disposed through these cooling chambers.

The poultry carcass is transported into the first cooling chamber after the solid coolant is injected into the body cavity by the coolant injection device and sprinkled on the surface by the water spray device. The first cooling chamber includes a first cooler that cools indoor air in the first cooling chamber and a first fan that generates cold air inside the first cooling chamber. In the first cooling chamber, it is possible to blow cold air that is maintained at a relative humidity of not more than a saturated humid air temperature, for example, 90% or less and cooled in the first cooling chamber, onto the poultry carcass by the first fan. As a result, evaporation of water adhering to the surface of the poultry carcass is promoted, and the latent heat of evaporation is removed from the surface of the poultry carcass, thereby promoting cooling of the poultry carcass.

Next, the poultry carcass is transported to the second cooling chamber. The second cooling chamber has a second cooler that cools the indoor air of the second cooling chamber, a second fan that generates cool air inside the second cooling chamber, and water sprays in a mist form inside the second cooling chamber. A mist-like water spray nozzle, a carcass surface water spray nozzle that hydrates the surface of the poultry carcass, and an intra-body cavity water spray nozzle that injects dissolved water that dissolves the solid coolant into the body cavity of the poultry carcass Yes.
In the second cooling chamber, cool air is formed by the second cooler and the second fan. Moreover, it maintains in saturated water vapor | steam atmosphere by a mist-like watering nozzle, and waters a poultry carcass at an appropriate timing with a carcass surface watering nozzle. Thereby, the poultry carcass can be cooled while preventing the surface of the poultry carcass from being dried.

Also, the dissolved water is injected into the body cavity of the poultry carcass from the sprinkling nozzle in the body cavity at the downstream part of the transport path formed in the second cooling chamber. Thereby, the solid coolant remaining in the body cavity can be completely dissolved in the third cooling chamber described later.

Next, the poultry carcass is transported to the third cooling chamber. The third cooling chamber includes a third cooler that cools indoor air in the third cooling chamber and a third fan that generates cold air inside the third cooling chamber. The third cooling chamber is maintained at a relative humidity below the saturated humid air temperature, for example, 90% or less, for final stage cooling, complete dissolution of the solid coolant remaining in the body cavity, and dehumidification of the poultry carcass surface. And done.

The cooling step performed in the three cooling chambers can shorten the cooling time and prevent drying of the poultry carcass during the cooling process, so that the weight of the meat is reduced and the surface is wrinkled and discolored (freeze-burned). Can be prevented. Moreover, since the dissolution of the coolant and the removal of the water adhering to the surface of the poultry carcass can be completed at the final stage of the cooling process, it is possible to prevent the edible carcass dandruff phenomenon and to prevent deterioration of the quality.

As one aspect of the device of the present invention, a first weight measuring device provided on the upstream side in the carcass transport direction of the coolant injecting device and the watering device, and measuring the weight of each poultry carcass, and the first weight measuring The control device which controls the operation of the cooler and the fan provided in each cooling chamber based on the weight of the poultry carcass measured by the vessel and the amount of water sprayed from the mist spray nozzle in the second cooling chamber And can be further provided.
As a result, the temperature, air volume, and watering amount of the cold air in each cooling room can be controlled based on the weight of the poultry carcass, so that the desired cooling effect can be obtained even if the weight of the poultry carcass changes. Can do.

As another aspect of the apparatus of the present invention, a first weight measuring device that is provided upstream of the coolant injection device and the watering device in the carcass conveyance direction and measures the weight of the poultry carcass for each bird, and the cooling device A second weight measuring device that is provided downstream of the carcass conveyance direction and that measures the weight of each poultry carcass, and each poultry carcass measured by the first weight measuring device and the second weight measuring device. And a controller for controlling the operation of coolers and fans provided in the respective cooling chambers of the cooling device and the amount of water sprayed from the mist spray nozzles of the second cooling chamber so that the difference between the measured values of the cooling device is eliminated. Can do.
As a result, the removal of the solid coolant remaining in the body cavity of the poultry carcass and the dehumidification of the surface of the poultry carcass can be completed during the cooling process, thereby preventing an increase in the moisture content of the poultry carcass. It is possible to prevent the deterioration of quality by preventing the dandruff phenomenon of the poultry carcass. Moreover, it can transfer to a post process rapidly.

As one aspect of the coolant injection device of the device of the present invention, it is arranged above the poultry carcass conveyed on the conveyor, rotates in synchronization with the movement of the conveyor, and has a number of intervals equal to the interval between the shackles. A rotating plate having a coolant inlet, a coolant inlet pipe depending from the coolant inlet, and a coolant supply pipe arranged with an end opening facing the coolant inlet above the rotor plate The compressed gas supply pipe is arranged on the downstream side in the carcass conveyance direction from the coolant injection pipe, and supplies the compressed gas to the coolant injection port.

With the above configuration, the solid coolant can be injected into the edible carcass during the transportation of the edible carcass without stopping the transportation of the edible carcass by the conveyor. If the rotating plate is interlocked with the movement of the conveyor, the driving device for the rotating plate is not necessary, and the coolant injection timing can be synchronized with the transport of the poultry carcass, so that the coolant can be reliably eaten. Can be injected into bird carcasses. Moreover, the coolant in the coolant injection tube can be reliably injected into the poultry carcass by the compressed gas.

As one aspect of the coolant injection device having the above-described configuration, the coolant injection pipe is configured by an upper part suspended from the coolant injection port and a lower part provided to be relatively movable with respect to the upper part. Corresponding to the rotation of the rotating plate, the lower part is guided in the vertical direction, and a guide mechanism is provided for inserting the lower part into the body cavity of the poultry carcass at a position where the compressed gas is supplied from the compressed gas supply pipe. be able to.
As a result, when compressed gas is supplied from the compressed gas supply pipe, the lower part of the coolant injection pipe is inserted into the body cavity of the poultry carcass, so that the solid coolant is surely supplied to the body cavity of the poultry carcass. Can be injected inside.

According to the present invention, since the cooling time can be shortened in the cooling process of the poultry carcass, the increase in the moisture content of the poultry carcass in the cooling process can be suppressed, and the deterioration of the quality can be prevented. In addition, since the surface of the poultry carcass can be prevented from being dried during the cooling process, it is possible to prevent a reduction in meat weight and quality deterioration such as surface wrinkles and discoloration. Furthermore, since the dissolution of the solid coolant and the dehumidification of the surface of the poultry carcass can be completed, it is possible to prevent deterioration of the quality of the poultry carcass due to the dandruff phenomenon.

It is a whole lineblock diagram of the cooling equipment concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows the control system of the said cooling equipment. It is a perspective view of the ice slurry injection | pouring apparatus of the said cooling equipment. It is a perspective view which expand | deploys and shows the said ice slurry injection apparatus. It is a top view of the said ice slurry injection apparatus. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing of the said ice slurry injection apparatus. It is front view sectional drawing which shows another structural example of the said ice slurry injection apparatus.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail using embodiments shown in the drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative arrangements, and the like of the component parts described in this embodiment are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention to that unless otherwise specified.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the present embodiment, a poultry carcass having a temperature of 38 to 40 ° C. at the center of the chest region is cooled to +2 to + 4 ° C. in a short time. In the cooling facility 10, a transport chain 12 that forms a fixed transport path is laid, and is moved in the direction of the arrow by a drive device (not shown) having pulleys, sprockets, and the like. Shackles 14 are suspended from the transport chain 12 at equal intervals via a binding device 13. The ankle portion of the poultry carcass w is locked to the shackle 14, and the poultry carcass w is transported at a constant speed along the transport path while being suspended from the shackle 14 with the neck portion down.

The poultry carcass w to be cooled in the cooling facility 10 is a poultry carcass after completion of various processes of exsanguination, boiled hair removal and internal extraction after slaughter. That is, after the head and esophagus are removed in the built-in extraction process, a relatively large hole is formed in the butt, and it is relatively easy to inject ice slurry from the hole. Moreover, since the esophagus is removed, a hole is also formed inside the neck. Therefore, when the solid coolant is injected into the body cavity of the edible carcass suspended with the neck down, the coolant dissolved in the body cavity naturally falls through a hole formed in the neck. The said processes are performed in the state suspended by the shackle 14 similarly to a cooling process, and are conveyed to the cooling equipment 10 in the state.

The cooling facility 10 includes an ice slurry injection device 16, a water spray device 18, and three cooling

chambers

21, 22, and 24 in order from the upstream side in the conveyance direction, facing the conveyance path formed by the conveyor device 12. The cooling device 20 is provided. The ice slurry injecting device 16 injects a sherbet-shaped ice slurry into the body cavity of the poultry carcass w, and the water sprinkling device 18 is constituted by a watering nozzle, and the food before entering the first cooling chamber 21. Sprinkle low temperature water on the surface of the bird carcass w.

On the upstream side of the ice slurry injection device 16, a mark sensor 26 for identifying a unique identification mark provided on each shackle 14 and a weight measuring cell for measuring the weight of each poultry carcass w in the transport path. 28 are provided. The cell 28 for weight measurement measures the weight of each poultry carcass w by individually lifting the poultry carcass w together with the shackle. The measured value is changed to an electric signal and sent to the control device 50 described later.

The first cooling chamber 21, the second cooling chamber 22, and the third cooling chamber 24 constituting the cooling device 20 are each provided with an opening through which the poultry carcass w suspended by the shackle 14 can pass, 12 is arrange | positioned so that it may penetrate each cooling chamber in order through the said opening.

Inside the first cooling chamber 21, a dehumidifying cooler 30 and a plurality of stirring fans 32 are provided. The dehumidifying cooler 30 includes a heat exchanger 30a to which a heating medium h is supplied and a heat exchanger 30b to which a cooling medium r made of a refrigerant such as CO ₂ or a brine cooled by the refrigerant is supplied. is doing. The room air that has flowed into the dehumidifying cooler 30 by the stirring fan 32 is first heated by the heat exchanger 30a with a heating medium h having a temperature higher than that of the room air, and moisture contained in the air becomes steam. Absolute humidity increases and dew point temperature increases. In the next heat exchanger 30b, the room air is cooled by a cooling medium r lower in temperature than the temperature of the room air, the room air becomes the dew point temperature or less, the amount of condensation of water vapor contained in the room air can be increased, and the dehumidifying effect is obtained. Can be improved.

A second cooling chamber 22 is provided adjacent to the first cooling chamber 21. Inside the second cooling chamber 22, a humidifying cooler 34, a plurality of stirring fans 36, and a carcass surface water spray nozzle 38 that sprinkles low temperature water on the surface of the poultry carcass w are provided. In addition, an in-body cavity water spray nozzle 40 that injects dissolved water that dissolves ice injected into the body cavity of the poultry carcass w at the downstream side in the transport direction inside the second cooling chamber 22, and a cooler 42. Is provided.
The humidifying cooler 34 is supplied with a cooling medium similar to the cooling medium r supplied to the heat exchanger 30b of the dehumidifying cooler 30, and cools the room air in the second cooling chamber 22 and also converts it into the cooled room air. There is provided a mist-like water spray nozzle 34a for spraying mist-like low-temperature water to keep the indoor air of the second cooling chamber 22 in a saturated water vapor atmosphere.

The position and watering direction of the carcass surface water spray nozzle 38 are set so that low temperature water can be sprinkled on the surface of the transported chicken carcass w. The carcass surface watering nozzle 38 prevents the edible carcass w from drying. The position and watering direction of the body cavity water spray nozzle 40 are set so that low temperature water can be injected into the hole formed in the poultry carcass w. The cooler 42 is supplied with a cooling medium r similar to the cooling medium r supplied to the heat exchanger 30b of the dehumidifying cooler 30, and cools the indoor air of the second cooling chamber 22 using the cooling medium r as a cooling heat source. To do.

A third cooling chamber 24 is provided adjacent to the second cooling chamber 22. Inside the third cooling chamber 24, a cooler 44 and a plurality of stirring fans 46 are provided. The cooler 44 is supplied with the same coolant r as the coolant r supplied to the heat exchanger 30 b of the dehumidifier cooler 30, and cools the room air in the third cooling chamber 24.
Outside the cooling chambers, a cooling medium r is supplied to the heat exchanger 30a of the dehumidifying cooler 30, the humidifying cooler 34, and the

coolers

42 and 44, and a heating medium is supplied to the heat exchanger 30b of the dehumidifying cooler 30. A refrigerator 48 (see FIG. 2) for supplying h is provided.

A weight measurement cell 48 is provided in the transfer path at a position downstream of the third cooling chamber 24 in the transfer direction. The weight measuring cell 48 has the same configuration as the weight measuring cell 28 and measures the weight of each individual poultry carcass w.
FIG. 2 shows a control system of the cooling facility 10. The measurement value of the weight measurement cell 48 is sent to the control device 50 and compared with the measurement value of the weight measurement cell 28. Then, the control device 50 operates the refrigerator 48, the dehumidifying cooler 30, the humidifying cooler 34 and the

coolers

42 and 44, and the stirring

fans

32, 36 and 46 so that the difference between the measured values becomes zero. , And the amount of water sprayed by the mist spray nozzle 34a.

Further, a carcass dropping device 52 is provided on the downstream side of the third cooling chamber 24 in the transport direction. The control device 50 controls the carcass dropping device 52 based on the measurement value of the weight measuring cell 48 so as to change the drop position where the individual poultry carcass w falls from the shackle 14 for each weight rank. ing. Thereby, the poultry carcass w after the cooling process can be selected for each weight rank, and can be packaged for each weight rank.

In this configuration, the poultry carcass w transported to the cooling facility 10 is detected by the mark sensor 26 and the weight is measured by the weight measuring cell 28 while the unique mark marked on the shackle 14 is detected. The detection signal of the mark sensor 26 and the measurement signal of the weight measurement cell 28 are sent to the control device 50.
Next, the poultry carcass w is filled with ice slurry in the body cavity by the ice slurry injection device 16, and the cooling water is sprayed on the surface by the water sprinkler 18. Thereafter, the poultry carcass w is transported into the first cooling chamber 21 from the inlet 21a.

The room air in the first cooling chamber 21 is maintained at a temperature of 0 to + 10 ° C. and a relative humidity of 90% or less by the operation of the dehumidifying cooler 30. In addition, cold air is blown onto the edible carcass w by the stirring fan 32. For this reason, evaporation of water adhering to the surface of the poultry carcass w is promoted, and the latent heat of evaporation is taken away from the poultry carcass w at the time of evaporation, so that cooling of the poultry carcass w is promoted.
Next, the poultry carcass w is transported from the inlet 22 a to the second cooling chamber 22. The inside of the second cooling chamber 22 is maintained at a temperature of 0 to + 5 ° C. and a saturated steam atmosphere by the operation of the humidifying cooler 34. In addition, cold air is blown to the poultry carcass w by the stirring fan 36, and the poultry carcass w is cooled by the cold air.

Further, in the second cooling chamber 22, low temperature water is sprayed on the surface of the poultry carcass carcass w from the carcass surface watering nozzle 38 provided at an appropriate position. Can be prevented from drying. Furthermore, low-temperature water is supplied into the body cavity from the body cavity water spray nozzle 40 provided near the inlet 24a, and the remaining ice without melting in the body cavity is melted. Therefore, in the second cooling chamber 22, the edible carcass w can be cooled while preventing the edible carcass w from drying.

Next, the poultry carcass w is transported from the inlet 24a to the third cooling chamber 24. The room air in the third cooling chamber 24 is maintained at a temperature of −5 to + 2 ° C. and a relative humidity of 90% or less by the operation of the cooler 44. The poultry carcass w is cooled in the third cooling chamber 24 until it reaches +2 to + 4 ° C. at the center of the chest region. At the same time, all the ice in the body cavity is melted, and the dissolved water is dripped to the outside from the hole formed in the neck. Moreover, the surface of the poultry carcass w is completely dehumidified by being transported in a relative humidity atmosphere of 90% or less. Thereafter, the poultry carcass w is transported from the outlet 24b to the outside of the third cooling chamber 24 where it is subjected to a weight sorting step.

Next, the configuration of the ice slurry injection device 16 will be described with reference to FIGS. In FIG. 3, the ice slurry injection device 16 has a rotating plate 60 disposed above the shackle 14 that moves with the transport chain 12. The rotating plate 60 is a donut-shaped plate having a circular outer edge, and is arranged in the horizontal direction. The rotary plate 60 has a flange 61 formed on the outer edge, and a plurality of circular ice slurry inlets 62 formed at the same interval as the shackle 14.

A semicircular groove 61 a is engraved on the outer edge of the bowl 61 at the same pitch as the ice slurry inlet 62 at a position radially outside the ice slurry inlet 62. The bundling device 13 is fitted into the groove 61a, and the rotating plate 60 is rotated in the same direction as the conveying direction of the conveying chain 12. Thereby, the rotating plate 60 is synchronized with the moving speed of the transport chain 12 and rotates in the circumferential direction at the same speed. Therefore, the individual shackles 14 are always accurately positioned below the individual ice slurry inlets 62.
In addition to the tuning mechanism having the above configuration, a tuning unit having another configuration may be used. For example, a pulley or a sprocket or the like may be attached to the rotating plate 60, and the conveying chain 12 and the rotating plate 60 may be synchronized via these.

The rotating plate 60 has an ice slurry injection pipe 64 suspended from an ice slurry injection port 62. The ice slurry injection pipe 64 is connected to the lower surface of the rotary plate 60, and the upper end opening of the ice slurry injection pipe 64 communicates with the ice slurry injection port 62, and the vertical direction with respect to the upper pipe 64a without detaching from the upper pipe 64a. And a lower pipe 64b provided so as to be relatively movable.

As shown in FIG. 6, the rotary plate 60 is provided with a double cylindrical guide piece 66 having a small height outside and inside the ice slurry inlet 62. Above the rotating plate 60, a double cylindrical ice receiving drum 68 is arranged so as to cover the ice slurry inlet 62 from both sides. That is, the outer cylinder of the ice receiving drum 68 is arranged outside the outer guide piece 66, and the inner cylinder of the ice receiving drum 68 is arranged inside the inner guide piece 66. The ice receiving drum 68 is provided with a scraper 70 that scrapes off the ice slurry remaining on the upper surface of the rotating plate 60 and drops it to the ice slurry inlet 62.

3, an ice slurry supply pipe 72 and a compressed air supply pipe 74 are provided above the rotating plate 60. The lower ends of the ice slurry supply pipe 72 and the compressed air supply pipe 74 are arranged so as to face the ice slurry inlet 62 at different positions in the circumferential direction of the rotating plate 60. The ice receiving drum 68, the ice slurry supply pipe 72, and the compressed air supply pipe 74 are fixed to a support member (not shown), and the rotating plate 60 and the ice slurry injection pipe 64 rotate in synchronization with the transport chain 12.

An ice breaker 78 incorporating an ice maker 76 and an ice crusher 80 is provided upstream of the ice slurry supply pipe 72. Large ice is stored in the ice maker 76. This type of large ice can be any shape, such as plate, tube, flake or cubic. The large ice in the ice maker 76 is sent to the ice crusher 78, finely crushed by the ice crusher 80, and the slurry of the ice slurry is sent to the ice slurry supply pipe 72 by the slurry pump 82. Since the sherbet-shaped ice slurry has a large heat transfer area, a large cooling capacity can be exhibited in the body cavity of the poultry carcass w. The compressed air supply pipe 74 is supplied with compressed air ca from a compressed air supply device (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 4, a guide plate 84 is provided on the lower surface of the ice receiving drum 68 to guide the lower portion 64b of the ice slurry injection pipe 64 in the vertical direction. A roller 86 is rotatably provided on the outer peripheral surface of each lower pipe 64 b, the guide plate 84 is positioned below the roller 86, and the roller 86 rolls in contact with the upper surface of the guide plate 84. The guide plate 84 is provided over the entire circumference in the circumferential direction of the rotating plate 60, and regulates the vertical position of the lower pipe 64b.

As shown in FIG. 5, the lower end opening of the compressed air supply pipe 74 is located at a position 45 ° downstream of the ice insertion point A where the lower end opening position of the ice slurry supply pipe 72 is arranged (compressed air feed point B). Is arranged. The poultry carcass w hung from the shackle 14 enters the ice slurry injection pipe 64 below at the ice insertion point A, and the ice slurry in an angle range of 180 ° until it is detached from the rotating plate 60 at the separation point C. It moves at the same speed as the peripheral speed of the rotating plate 60 while being positioned below the injection tube 64.

In FIG. 6, the guide plate 84 guides the lower pipe 64 b to descend from the ice slurry injection pipe 64 at the ice insertion point A. The lower pipe 64b is at the lowest position at the compressed air feed point B. Thereafter, the lower pipe 64b is guided by the guide plate 84 and returns to the uppermost position at the separation point C. At the compressed air feed point B, the poultry carcass w is raised by a lifting device (not shown). As a result, the lower pipe 64b enters the body cavity of the poultry carcass w, and compressed air ca is injected from the compressed air supply pipe 74 into the ice slurry injection pipe 64 at this timing, and ice slurry is injected into the body cavity. .

In the ice slurry injection device 16 having such a configuration, the ice slurry is continuously supplied from the ice slurry supply pipe 72 to the ice slurry injection port 62 at the ice insertion point A. Therefore, the supply amount of ice slurry is supplied to each ice slurry injection pipe 64 can be adjusted by the rotation speed of the rotating plate 60. The ice slurry is on the rotating plate is scraped off by the scraper 70 and falls to the ice slurry inlet 62 on the upstream side in the rotation direction.

Ice slurry is injected into the ice slurry injection pipe 64 via the ice slurry injection port 62 at the ice insertion point A. Thereafter, the lower pipe 64b of the ice slurry injection pipe 64 is guided by the guide plate 84 and descends. At the compressed air feed point B, the lower tube 64b is inserted into the body cavity of the edible carcass w, and ice slurry is injected into the body cavity of the edible carcass w. Thereafter, the lower pipe 64b rises and returns to the uppermost position at the separation point C.

According to the present embodiment, by combining three cooling steps between the first cooling chamber 21 and the third cooling chamber 24, the cooling time can be shortened, and drying of the surface of the poultry carcass can be prevented, Reduces meat weight and prevents surface wrinkles and discoloration. In addition, the melting of the ice slurry injected into the poultry carcass w by the end of the cooling step can be completed and the surface of the poultry carcass can be dehumidified, so that the dandruff phenomenon can be eliminated to prevent the quality of the chicken from deteriorating. In addition, the weight selection and the packaging work of the poultry carcass w carried out of the third cooling chamber 24 can be performed quickly.

According to the experiments by the present inventors, in the conventional air cooling system, it takes 120 minutes to cool the edible carcass having the chest part center temperature of 38 to 40 ° C. to 4 ° C. or less, and to 2 ° C. or less. It took 155 minutes. On the other hand, according to the cooling method of the present embodiment, the cooling time can be shortened to two-thirds of the conventional air cooling method.

Also, the weight of each poultry carcass w is measured before and after the cooling process, and the temperature and air volume of the indoor air in each cooling chamber are controlled so that the weight of the poultry carcass w before and after the cooling process is the same. In addition, by controlling the amount of water sprayed by the mist spray nozzle 34a in the second cooling chamber 22, it is possible to completely dissolve the ice slurry in the body cavity and dehumidify the surface of the poultry carcass. As a result, an increase in the moisture content can be suppressed and the dandruff phenomenon of the poultry carcass w can be prevented, so that a reduction in quality (commercial value) can be prevented. Moreover, post-processes, such as a weight selection process and a packaging process, can be performed rapidly.
Furthermore, since the temperature, the air volume, and the watering amount of the cold air in each cooling chamber are controlled according to the weight of the poultry carcass w, even if the weight of the individual poultry carcass w changes, Can be maintained.

In addition, the ice slurry injection device 16 can inject the ice slurry is into the body cavity of the poultry carcass w during the transport of the poultry carcass w without stopping the transport of the poultry carcass w by the transport chain 12. . Further, since the rotating plate 60 is interlocked with the movement of the conveying chain 12 and the peripheral speed of the rotating plate 60 is synchronized with the moving speed of the conveying chain 12, a driving device for the rotating plate 60 becomes unnecessary. As a result, the cost of the ice slurry injection device 16 can be reduced, and the ice slurry is reliably injected into the body cavity of the poultry carcass w.
Further, the lower pipe 64b of the ice slurry injection pipe 64 can be moved up and down, and the compressed air ca is injected into the ice slurry with the lower pipe 64b inserted into the body cavity of the poultry carcass w at the compressed air feed point B. Since it supplies to the pipe | tube 64, the ice slurry is reliably inject | poured in the body cavity of the edible carcass w.

In the present embodiment, it is also possible to send supercooled cold water to the ice maker 76 to form an ice slurry inside the ice maker 76.
Further, in this embodiment, the weight measuring cell 48 is eliminated, and the weight of the poultry carcass w is measured only by the weight measuring cell 28 provided at the inlet of the cooling facility 10, and according to this measured value, You may make it control the temperature of the cool air of a cooling chamber, an air volume, and the amount of water spray. This also makes it possible to perform a cooling process that can achieve the object of the present invention even if the weight of the poultry carcass w changes.

In addition, as in this embodiment, the ice slurry may be sprayed from above the poultry carcass w without inserting the lower pipe 64b of the ice slurry injection pipe 64 into the body cavity of the poultry carcass w. . As described above, since the hole formed in the body cavity of the poultry carcass w after the internal extraction process is relatively large, ice slurry can be injected into the body cavity of the poultry carcass w also by this method. In this method, the configuration of the ice slurry injection pipe 64 can be simplified.

Next, another configuration example of the ice slurry injection apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 7, the ice slurry injection device 90 includes a cooling water storage tank 92 provided upstream in the conveyance direction of the cooling device 20, and an ice slurry provided above the downstream region of the cooling water storage tank 92 in the carcass conveyance direction. It is comprised with the injection nozzle 94. FIG. A mark sensor 26 and a weight measuring cell 28 are provided upstream of the cooling water storage tank 92 in the transport direction, as in the above-described embodiment. The configuration other than the ice slurry injection device 90 is the same as that of the above embodiment.

The ice slurry spray nozzle 94 is arranged at a position where the ice slurry can be injected into a hole formed in the body cavity of the poultry carcass w above the transport path of the conveyor 12a. Ice slurry is supplied to the ice slurry injection nozzle 94 from the ice slurry supply pipe 96, and the ice slurry is injected from the ice slurry injection nozzle 94 toward the poultry carcass w and injected into the body cavity of the poultry carcass w. Is done.

In the ice slurry injection device 90, the poultry carcass w is immersed in the cooling water stored in the cooling water storage tank 92. The poultry carcass w is cooled with the cooling water, and the cooling water adheres to the surface. Ice slurry is injected into the body cavity of the poultry carcass w rising from the cooling water storage tank 92 by the ice slurry spray nozzle 94. The ice slurry that has left the body cavity falls into the cooling water storage tank 92 and is used for cooling the cooling water stored in the cooling water storage tank 92. Further, the ice slurry is floated on the surface of the water, and naturally enters the body cavity when the poultry carcass w is pulled up from the cooling water.

According to the ice slurry injection device 90, when the poultry carcass w is pulled up from the cooling water storage tank 92, when the ice slurry is injected by the ice slurry injection nozzle 94, and twice in the body cavity of the poultry carcass w Since the ice slurry can be injected into the ice slurry, the ice slurry can be reliably injected.
Therefore, even if the edible carcass w is conveyed at high speed, the ice slurry can be surely injected into the body cavity of the edible carcass w, so that there is an advantage that a large number of edible carcass w can be cooled. Moreover, since the edible carcass w is immersed in the ice slurry in the cooling water storage tank 92, the edible carcass w can be precooled here, and the watering device 18 in the said embodiment becomes unnecessary.

According to the present invention, in the cooling process of the poultry carcass, the cooling time can be shortened, the surface of the poultry carcass can be prevented from being dried, the meat weight can be reduced, and the surface can be prevented from being wrinkled and discolored.

Claims

Hung in the state where the ankle part is locked to the shackle suspended from the conveyor, and for the poultry carcass conveyed by the conveyor,
A coolant injection step of injecting a solid coolant that can be dissolved by absorption of heat into the body cavity of the poultry carcass, a watering step of sprinkling water on the surface of the poultry carcass, and cooling air to the poultry carcass A cooling method of a poultry carcass that sequentially performs a cooling process of spraying and cooling,
The cooling step is performed after the coolant injection step and the watering step,
A first cooling step that blows cold air having a temperature equal to or lower than a saturated humid air temperature to the poultry carcass and promotes evaporation of water droplets attached to the surface of the poultry carcass in the watering step;
A cold air is blown on the poultry carcass in a saturated steam atmosphere, and the surface of the poultry carcass is kept moist by spraying the poultry carcass, and in the body cavity of the poultry carcass at a later stage. A second cooling step of injecting dissolved water for dissolving the solid coolant;
A third cooling step of dissolving the coolant in the body cavity of the poultry carcass and dehumidifying the surface of the poultry carcass while blowing cool air below the saturated humid air temperature to the poultry carcass A method for cooling a poultry carcass.
A first weight measurement step that is performed before the coolant injection step and the watering step, and measures the weight of the poultry carcass for each bird;
Based on the weight of the poultry carcass measured in the first weight measurement process, the temperature and air volume of the cool air blown to the poultry carcass in the cooling process and the amount of water sprayed in the second cooling step are controlled. The method according to claim 1, further comprising a first control step.
A first weight measurement step that is performed before the coolant injection step and the watering step, and measures the weight of the poultry carcass for each bird;
A second weight measuring step that is performed after the cooling step and measures the weight of the poultry carcass one by one;
The temperature and air volume of the cold air in the cooling process and the amount of water sprayed in the second cooling step are eliminated so that there is no difference in the measured values of each poultry carcass measured in the first weight measuring process and the second weight measuring process. The method according to claim 1, further comprising a second control step of controlling.
A conveyor on which a number of shackles to which the ankle portion of the poultry carcass is locked are suspended;
A coolant injection device that injects a solid coolant that can be dissolved by absorption of heat into the body cavity of the poultry carcass along the conveying path of the conveyor, and a watering device that sprinkles water on the surface of the poultry carcass A cooling system for a poultry carcass comprising a cooling device for blowing cold air on the poultry carcass,
The cooling device is provided on the downstream side in the carcass conveyance direction of the coolant injection device and the watering device, and the first cooling chamber, the second cooling chamber, and the third cooling chamber are sequentially provided from the upstream side in the carcass conveyance direction. In addition, the conveyor is disposed through these cooling chambers,
The first cooling chamber includes a first cooler that cools indoor air of the first cooling chamber, and a first fan that generates cold air inside the first cooling chamber,
The second cooling chamber includes a second cooler that cools indoor air in the second cooling chamber, a second fan that generates cool air inside the second cooling chamber, and a mist inside the second cooling chamber. A spray nozzle that sprays water in a shape, a carcass surface water spray nozzle that hydrates the surface of the poultry carcass, and a body cavity that injects dissolved water that dissolves the solid coolant into the body cavity of the poultry carcass A watering nozzle,
The third cooling chamber includes a third cooler that cools indoor air of the third cooling chamber, and a third fan that generates cold air inside the third cooling chamber. Cooling equipment for poultry carcasses.
A first weight measuring device provided on the upstream side in the carcass transport direction of the coolant injection device and the watering device, and measuring the weight of the poultry carcass one by one;
Based on the weight of the poultry carcass measured by the first weight measuring device, the operation of the cooler and the fan provided in each cooling chamber in the cooling device and the mist spray nozzle of the second cooling chamber. The apparatus for cooling a poultry carcass according to claim 4, further comprising a control device for controlling the amount of water spray.
A first weight measuring device provided on the upstream side in the carcass transport direction of the coolant injection device and the watering device, and measuring the weight of the poultry carcass one by one;
A second weight measuring device provided on the downstream side in the carcass conveyance direction of the cold air blowing device, and measuring the weight of the poultry carcass for each bird;
The operation of the cooler and the fan provided in each cooling chamber in the cooling device and the operation of the cooling device so that there is no difference in the measured value of each poultry carcass measured by the first weight measuring device and the second weight measuring device. The apparatus for cooling a poultry carcass according to claim 4, further comprising a control device that controls the amount of water sprayed by the mist spray nozzle of the second cooling chamber.
The coolant injection device includes:
A rotating plate disposed above the poultry carcass conveyed on the conveyor, rotating in synchronization with the movement of the conveyor and having a number of coolant inlets having the same spacing as the shackles;
A coolant injection pipe suspended from the coolant injection port;
A coolant supply pipe arranged such that an end opening faces the coolant inlet above the rotating plate;
7. A compressed gas supply pipe that is disposed downstream of the coolant injection pipe in the carcass conveyance direction and supplies compressed gas to the coolant injection port. The cooling facility for the poultry carcass described in the paragraph.
The coolant injection pipe is composed of an upper part suspended from the coolant injection port and a lower part provided to be movable relative to the upper part in the vertical direction.
The lower part is guided in the vertical direction corresponding to the rotation of the rotating plate, and the lower part is inserted into the body cavity of the poultry carcass in synchronization with the timing when the compressed gas is supplied from the compressed gas supply pipe. The apparatus for cooling a poultry carcass according to claim 7, further comprising a guide mechanism.