JP2005295961A - Food machinery - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to enhance the sterilizing effect of a decompressor that is out of reach.
A processing chamber for containing an object to be processed, a decompression unit in the processing chamber, a cooling unit for cooling components of the decompression unit, an ethanol vapor supply unit to the processing chamber, the decompression unit, Control means for controlling the cooling means and the ethanol vapor supply means, wherein the control means controls the cooling means to cool the components of the decompression means; the decompression means; the cooling means; A sterilization step of controlling the ethanol vapor supply means and sterilizing the decompression means with ethanol vapor.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a food machine that performs processing such as cooling and thawing by decompressing a processing chamber.

  It is important to maintain hygiene in this type of food machine. In particular, sterilization of a decompressor that was out of reach was one of the important issues. As a technique for solving this problem, a technique is known in which steam is introduced into a processing chamber to sterilize a decompression path (Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-148757

  In this prior art, the decompressor is sterilized by allowing steam heated from water to flow into the decompression path. An object of the present invention is to enhance the sterilizing effect of a decompressor that is out of reach.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems. The invention according to claim 1 is directed to a processing chamber that accommodates an object to be processed, a decompression unit in the processing chamber, and components of the decompression unit. Cooling means, cooling means for supplying ethanol vapor into the processing chamber, control means for controlling the pressure reducing means, the cooling means and the ethanol vapor supply means, and the control means controls the cooling means. A cooling process for cooling the components of the decompression means, and a sterilization process for controlling the decompression means, the cooling means and the ethanol vapor supply means to sterilize the decompression means with ethanol vapor. .

  According to the present invention, since the components of the decompression means are cooled by the cooling means, the sterilizing ethanol vapor is concentrated on the components of the decompression means, so that the unreachable decompressor The bactericidal effect can be enhanced.

  Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described. This embodiment is implemented in a vacuum cooling device, a thawing device or the like having a function of depressurizing the processing chamber by a decompression means. The decompression by the decompression means is a decompression for removing air in the processing chamber, a decompression for vacuum cooling, a decompression for maintaining the set pressure while steaming the processing chamber and thawing or cooking. Either may be sufficient.

  First, an outline of the embodiment will be described. This embodiment includes a processing chamber that accommodates an object to be processed, a decompression unit in the processing chamber, a cooling unit that cools components of the decompression unit, an ethanol vapor supply unit into the processing chamber, and the decompression unit. Control means for controlling the cooling means and the ethanol vapor supply means, wherein the control means controls the cooling means to cool the components of the pressure reducing means, and the pressure reducing means and the ethanol. And a sterilization step of sterilizing the decompression means with ethanol vapor by controlling the steam supply means.

According to this embodiment, the components of the decompression means are cooled by the cooling means, and ethanol vapor having a sterilizing action is supplied by the ethanol vapor supply means. As a result, ethanol vapor is intensively condensed on the components, so that sterilization with ethanol vapor is performed. For this reason, the constituent elements that are out of reach can reliably prevent the propagation of germs and the generation of malodor, and can enhance the sterilizing effect of the parts that are out of reach.

  Next, components of this embodiment will be described. First, the processing chamber is an area used for vacuum cooling and thawing, and it is possible to put in and out foods (also referred to as food) as an object to be processed, and can also be referred to as a region or a space. .

  The object to be processed is an object to be cooled when the process is vacuum cooling, and is an object to be thawed when the process is thawing. The object to be processed can be processed by being accommodated in the processing chamber, regardless of whether the object to be processed is packaged in a vacuum (pack) or not.

  The decompression means includes, as its components, a decompression path connected to the processing chamber and a decompressor provided in the decompression path. The decompressor is not limited to a specific one, but is preferably a combination of a steam ejector, a heat exchanger, and a vacuum pump.

  The cooling means is configured to cool an unreachable portion of the components. The components mainly refer to the steam ejector and the heat exchanger. The cooling means includes a cooling unit that is a part of the steam ejector, a shell that is a part of the heat exchanger, and a cooler that supplies a cooling fluid (cold water or cold air) to the cooling unit and the shell. Including. Further, the cooling means may be a cooling device using a Peltier effect.

  Moreover, the said cooling part and the said shell shall be the structure which cools a part or all of the said component indirectly with a cooling fluid. The cooling temperature for sterilization is preferably 20 ° C. or lower, and the time can be shortened as the temperature is lower.

  The ethanol vapor supply means sterilizes the workpiece and the processing chamber with ethanol vapor. The ethanol vapor supply means is configured to generate ethanol vapor by heating a container storing the ethanol liquid with a heater.

  Further, the control means has a control function for performing processing according to a processing procedure. When the process is vacuum cooling, the control means includes a pressure reducing step for evacuating the processing chamber to reduce the pressure, a cooling step for cooling components of the pressure reducing means, an object to be cooled by ethanol vapor, and the pressure reducing means. It controls a series of processes, a sterilization process for sterilizing the liquid and a pressure-recovery process for returning the pressure to atmospheric pressure. When the process is thawing, the control means cools the components of the decompression means, an air exclusion process for evacuating the processing chamber to reduce the pressure, a thawing process for thawing the material to be thawed with steam, It controls a series of processes including a cooling process, a sterilization process for sterilizing the object to be thawed and the decompression means with ethanol vapor, and a decompression process for restoring pressure to atmospheric pressure.

  Here, an embodiment of the cooling step and the sterilization step, which are steps common to vacuum cooling processing and thawing processing, will be described. Preferably, the cooling step is configured to shift to the sterilization step while maintaining the temperature when the cooling means is operated while being cooled to a set temperature. In addition, the cooling process may be configured to stop the cooling means after the cooling to a set temperature and shift to the sterilization process.

  Preferably, the sterilization step supplies ethanol vapor while reducing pressure, but operates the pressure reducing means to reduce the processing chamber to a set pressure, and then stops the processing means and supplies ethanol vapor. It can also be configured.

  In addition, the cooling step and the sterilization step are preferably performed every time the vacuum cooling and the thawing process are performed, but may be configured to be performed after the vacuum cooling process and the thawing process are performed a plurality of times. Moreover, the said cooling process and the said sterilization process can be comprised so that it may perform before the start of a vacuum cooling process and a thawing | decompression process.

  The return pressure process, which is a common process of the vacuum cooling process and the thawing process, is preferably performed while the processing chamber is at atmospheric pressure while adjusting the opening of the return pressure valve provided in the return pressure path. It can also be configured such that the pressure is fully opened at the start of pressure and the pressure is set to atmospheric pressure.

  Next, the vacuum cooling process will be described. The depressurization step is a step of depressurizing the inside of the processing chamber containing the object to be processed, thereby depriving the object to be processed and cooling it. The decompression in the processing chamber is performed for vacuum-cooling the object to be processed, but is also performed to enable condensation of ethanol vapor by lowering the object to be processed.

  Next, the process of the thawing process will be described. The air removal step is a step of removing air by reducing pressure, but can be configured to exclude air by simultaneously performing pressure reduction in the processing chamber and supply of steam to the processing chamber. . Further, the air evacuation step is configured to operate the depressurization means to depressurize the processing chamber to a set pressure, and when the set pressure is reached, depressurize and supply steam to perform air evacuation. You can also.

  The thawing step is preferably configured to supply steam while decompressing, but operate the decompression means to decompress the processing chamber to a set pressure, and then stop the decompression means and supply steam. You can also

  Hereinafter, specific examples of the decompression apparatus embodying the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a schematic configuration of the embodiment, and FIG. 2 is an explanation of a main part of the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the control procedure of the embodiment.

  The thawing device of this embodiment is applied to a business thawing device. The thawing apparatus includes a thawing chamber 2 as a processing chamber for storing an object to be thawed 1 as an object to be processed, a decompression means 3 that sucks and exhausts the air in the thawing chamber 2 to reduce the pressure, and the thawing chamber. Steam supply means 4 for supplying steam into the steam 2, cooling means 5 for cooling the components of the decompression means 3, ethanol steam supply means 6 for supplying ethanol steam into the thawing chamber 2, A decompression means 7 for restoring pressure by introducing outside air into the decompression chamber 2 in a decompressed state, a pressure detector 8 for detecting the pressure in the decompression chamber 2, and a signal from the pressure detector 8 are inputted. Control means 9 for controlling the thawing of the material 1 to be thawed by the low-pressure steam in the thawing chamber 2 based on the control procedure stored in the memory is provided as a main part.

  The to-be-thawed object 1 is meat or the like that is vacuum-packed, and includes those that are not vacuum-packed. It is desirable that the object 1 to be thawed after being vacuum-packed is formed with a ventilation hole (not shown) formed of a cut or a hole in the package with a blade or the like before thawing. By forming such vents, it is possible to prevent the heat transfer from being hindered due to the expansion of the package when the low-pressure steam is thawed, and it is possible to shorten the thawing time by directly contacting the food with the steam.

  The thawing chamber 2 is provided with a door (not shown) for taking in and out the article 1 to be thawed. In the thawing chamber 2, shelves 10, 10,... The shelf 10 shown in FIG. 1 is configured in three stages.

The decompression means 3 decompresses the inside of the thawing chamber 2 to exclude air.
1 and a decompressor provided in the decompression path 11. The decompressor includes a steam ejector 12, a heat exchanger 13, and a water-sealed vacuum pump 14. Further, the decompression path 11 is provided with a check valve 15 that prevents the flow toward the thawing chamber 2.

  The steam ejector 12 is connected to a first steam supply path 17 that supplies steam from the primary steam boiler 16, and the first steam supply path 17 includes a first steam supply valve 18.

  The heat exchanger 13 has a cooling function for transferring heat from a high-temperature fluid to a low-temperature fluid, and is a shell-and-tube heat exchanger, and is formed by a shell 13a and a tube 13b.

  The steam supply means 4 includes a second steam supply path 19 for connecting one end to the thawing chamber 2 and supplying clean steam into the thawing chamber 2. The second steam supply passage 19 controls a water softener 20, a secondary steam boiler 21 as a steam generation source that generates clean steam using the soft water supplied from the water softener 20, and supply of steam. A second steam supply valve 22 and a steam outlet 23 for ejecting steam into the thawing chamber 2 are provided. The second steam supply valve 22 uses a valve such as a proportional valve capable of adjusting the steam supply amount by adjusting the opening degree.

  The water softener 20 is a device that softens raw water supplied from the raw water supply path 24 by ion exchange.

  The secondary steam boiler 21 is a secondary steam boiler (which may be referred to as a reboiler) that uses the primary steam boiler 16 as an indirect heating source, and is connected to the primary steam boiler 16 by a third steam supply path 25. ing. The third steam supply path 25 is provided with a third steam supply valve 26.

  The secondary steam boiler 21 is made of stainless steel, uses soft water from the water softener 20 and is non-chemically poured. Thereby, since the supply steam to the thawing chamber 2 does not contain chemicals or iron, thawing by safe low-pressure steam is realized.

  The cooling means 5 includes a cooling part 28 formed in the ejector part 27 of the steam ejector 12, a shell 13 a of the heat exchanger 13, and a water cooler 29. A first cold water passage 30 for supplying cold water from the water cooler 29 is connected to the cooling unit 28, and a first cold water valve 31 is provided in the first cold water passage 30. The shell 13 a connects a second cold water channel 32 branched from the first cold water channel 30, and the tube 13 b is connected to the decompression channel 11. The second cold water passage 32 is provided with a second cold water valve 33.

  The outlet of the first cold water passage 30 is connected between the heat exchanger 13 of the second cold water passage 32 and the second cold water valve 33, and the cold water discharged from the cooling section 28 is supplied to the shell 13a. It introduce | transduces in and it is comprised so that the tube 13b of the said heat exchanger 13 may be indirectly cooled.

  The ethanol vapor supply means 6 includes an ethanol vapor supply path 34 for connecting one end to the thawing chamber 2 and supplying ethanol vapor into the thawing chamber 2. The ethanol vapor supply means 6 includes, at the other end of the ethanol vapor supply path 34, an ethanol storage container 35 for storing an ethanol solution, and a heater for heating the outside of the ethanol storage container 35 to generate ethanol vapor. 36. The ethanol vapor supply path 34 is provided with an ethanol vapor supply valve 37. The ethanol vapor supply valve 37 uses a valve such as a proportional valve capable of adjusting the ethanol vapor supply amount by adjusting the opening degree.

Further, the return pressure means 7 includes a return pressure path 38 as an outside air introduction path having one end connected to the thawing chamber 2. The return pressure passage 38 includes a return pressure valve 39 for controlling the introduction of outside air and a filter 40 for sterilization. The return pressure valve 39 uses a proportional valve such as a motor valve capable of adjusting the amount of introduced air by adjusting the opening.

  Here, the configuration of the cooling unit 28 of the steam ejector 12 which is a component of the decompression means 3 will be described in detail. Referring to FIG. 2, in the steam ejector 12, a second outer wall 42 of the cooling part 28 is formed as shown so as to surround the first outer wall 41 of the ejector part (jacket forming part) 27. A cold water flow path is formed between the one outer wall 41 and the second outer wall 42. 43 and 44 are a steam inlet and a steam outlet, respectively. Reference numeral 45 denotes a steam injection unit. When the steam from the first steam supply path 17 is injected in the steam injection section 45, air and steam in the thawing chamber 2 are sucked through the decompression path 11 and exhausted due to the ejector effect.

  The control means 9 inputs a signal from the pressure detector 8, and according to a predetermined processing procedure (program), the steam supply valves 18, 22, 26, the vacuum pump 14, and the cold water valves 31, 33. The heater 36, the ethanol vapor supply valve 37, the return pressure valve 39, and the like are controlled.

  Hereinafter, the overall flow of the processing procedure of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The control means 9 sequentially executes the following steps. The processing steps include an air removal step (step S1) for removing air in the thawing chamber 2, a thawing step (step S2) for supplying steam to defrost the material 1 to be thawed, the steam ejector 12 and the heat exchange. A cooling step (step S3) for cooling the vessel 13; a sterilization step (step S4) for sterilizing the material to be thawed 1, the steam ejector 12 and the heat exchanger 13 by supplying ethanol vapor; The process is divided into a return pressure step (step S5) for returning to atmospheric pressure.

  The operation of each process will be described. First, the material 1 to be thawed is accommodated in the thawing chamber 2. When the material 1 to be thawed is vacuum-packed, the packaging is cut with a blade or the like to form a vent (not shown), and then the material 1 to be thawed is accommodated in the thawing chamber 2. And after closing a door (illustration omitted), an operation switch (illustration abbreviation) is turned on and the said air exclusion process (step S1) is started.

  In this air exhausting step (step S1), first, the control means 9 operates the water-sealed vacuum pump 14 to reduce the pressure to a predetermined pressure, and then opens the first steam supply valve 18 to open the steam. Steam is supplied to the ejector 12 to operate the steam ejector 12. Thereby, the air in the thawing chamber 2 flows out to the outside air through the decompression path 11. When the pressure in the thawing chamber 2 reaches a set value, the vacuum pump 14 is stopped, the first steam supply valve 18 is closed, and the air exclusion process (step S1) is terminated.

  Next, in the thawing step (step S2), the control means 9 uses the pressure reducing means 3 and the pressure reducing means 3 so that the pressure detected by the pressure detector 8 in the thawing chamber 2 becomes a set pressure (about 23.4 hPa). By controlling the steam supply means 4, the material 1 to be thawed is thawed. In this thawing step (step S2), the decompression means 3 is operated, and the opening degree of the second steam supply valve 22 is adjusted so that saturated steam is continuously fed into the thawing chamber 2 from the steam injection port 23. While supplying steam, the thawing chamber 2 is defrosted while being kept at a predetermined low pressure below atmospheric pressure.

Specifically, referring to FIG. 1, the control means 9 opens the third steam supply valve 26 when the steam supply means 4 is operated, puts the secondary steam boiler 21 into an operating state, and sets a predetermined pressure. Make steam available. And the said control means 9 adjusts the opening degree of said 2nd steam supply valve 22, and controls so that the detection pressure by the said pressure detector 8 becomes the said setting pressure. Soft water supply control to the secondary steam boiler 21 is performed by controlling the feed water pump (not shown) and the soft water supply valve (not shown) by a detection signal from a water level controller (not shown). The primary steam boiler 16 is controlled by its own control means (not shown) so as to generate steam having a predetermined pressure.

  When the set thawing time elapses, the control means 9 determines that the thawing end condition is satisfied, and ends the thawing process (step S2).

  Next, the cooling step (step S3) will be described. The control means 9 opens the first cold water valve 31 and the second cold water valve 33 to supply cold water from the water cooler 29 to the cooling unit 28 and the shell 13a, so that the steam ejector 12 and the heat ejector 12 are heated. The exchanger 13 is cooled. At this time, the first steam supply valve 18 and the third steam supply valve 26 are closed so as not to operate the steam ejector 12 and the steam supply means 4.

  Further, the cold water that has exited the cooling unit 28 enters the second cold water passage 32, merges with the cold water from the water cooler 29, and is guided into the shell 13 a of the heat exchanger 13. The tube 13b of the heat exchanger 13 is indirectly cooled. This cooling process (step S3) is continuously performed until the sterilization process (step S4) is completed.

  Next, the sterilization step (step S4) will be described. In this sterilization step (step S4), the control means 9 controls the decompression means 3, the cooling means 5 and the ethanol vapor supply means 6 to sterilize the material 1 to be thawed, and the steam. This is a step of simultaneously performing the second sterilization for sterilizing the ejector 12 and the heat exchanger 13.

  In this sterilization step (step S4), the control means 9 performs control to operate only the vacuum pump 14 without operating the steam ejector 12 and the heat exchanger 13. This is performed so that the decompression means 3 maintains a low pressure state and does not reach a high temperature.

  First, the first sterilization will be described with reference to FIG. The control means 9 operates the ethanol vapor supply means 6 and heats the ethanol storage container 35 containing the ethanol liquid by the heater 36 to generate ethanol vapor. Then, the control means 9 opens the ethanol vapor supply valve 37 to supply ethanol vapor into the thawing chamber 2. And the said control means 9 adjusts the opening degree of the said ethanol vapor | steam supply valve 37, and supplies the ethanol vapor | steam in the said thawing chamber 2 continuously, The inside of the said thawing chamber 2 is made into predetermined pressure below atmospheric pressure. Hold and sterilize the object 1 to be thawed.

  When the set time elapses, the control means 9 closes the ethanol vapor supply valve 37 to stop supply and stop energization of the heater 36. This set time is configured to be changed according to the total surface area of the object 1 to be thawed accommodated in the thawing chamber 2.

  The ethanol vapor supplied into the thawing chamber 2 under low pressure concentrates in the low temperature part of the thawing chamber 2 and therefore condenses into the thawing object 1 in a thawing state at a low temperature. Thereby, the to-be-thawed object 1 can be taken out from the said thawing | decompression chamber 2 in the state sterilized reliably, and can be kept hygienic over a long period of time.

Further, during the thawing step (step S2), the steam supplied by the steam supply means 4 adheres to the inner wall of the thawing chamber 2 as water. Since this water is decompressed by the decompression means 3 being operated, the water evaporates, and the inner wall temperature of the thawing chamber 2 is lowered by the latent heat of vaporization. Thereby, in the said sterilization process (step S4), ethanol vapor | steam condenses not only to the to-be-thawed object 1 but the inner wall of the said thawing | decompression chamber 2, and the inside of the thawing | decompression chamber 2 is disinfected similarly to the to-be-thawed object 1. Can do.

  Next, the second sterilization will be described. The control means 9 performs control to continue the cooling process (step S3). Therefore, the steam ejector 12 is indirectly cooled by the cold water flowing through the cooling unit 28, and the heat exchanger 13 is indirectly cooled by the cold water flowing through the shell 13a, and the temperature is lowered. In this state, ethanol vapor flows through the decompression path 11 when the vacuum pump 14 is operated. This ethanol vapor is condensed in the vapor ejector 12 and the heat exchanger 13 that maintain a low temperature state. Thus, since the steam ejector 12 and the heat exchanger 13 that are out of reach are sterilized by the condensation of ethanol vapor having a sterilizing action, the sterilizing effect can be made higher than when sterilizing with steam.

  When the ethanol vapor supply set time (first set time) elapses, the control means 9 stops the vacuum pump 14, closes the ethanol vapor supply valve 37, and controls to maintain this state for the second set time. Do. This state maintenance is performed in order to enhance the sterilizing effect of the object 1 to be thawed. After the second set time has elapsed, the control means 9 ends the sterilization step (step S4).

  And the said control means 9 transfers to the said pressure recovery process (step S5). In the return pressure step (step S5), the control means 9 opens while adjusting the opening of the return pressure valve 39 and starts the introduction of the outside air. After the inside of the thawing chamber 2 is restored to atmospheric pressure, the door (not shown) is opened, the material 1 to be thawed is taken out from the thawing chamber 2, and a series of processes is completed.

It is explanatory drawing which shows schematic structure of the Example of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the principal part of the Example. It is a flowchart figure which shows the control procedure of the Example.

Explanation of symbols

1 Object to be thawed (processed object)
2 Thawing room (processing room)
3 Depressurization means 5 Cooling means 6 Ethanol vapor supply means 9 Control means

Claims (1)

A processing chamber 2 that accommodates the workpiece 1, a decompression means 3 in the processing chamber 2, a cooling means 5 that cools components of the decompression means 3, and an ethanol vapor supply means 6 into the processing chamber 2 And a control means 9 for controlling the decompression means 3, the cooling means 5 and the ethanol vapor supply means 6. The control means 9 controls the cooling means 5 to cool the components of the decompression means 3. And a sterilization step of controlling the decompression means 3, the cooling means 5 and the ethanol vapor supply means 6 to sterilize the decompression means 3 with ethanol vapor.

Images