JPH02299580A - Continuous preparation of malt and equipment therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To save labors by making possible to continuously perform a process from put in of raw material for malt preparation to take out of malt without using man hand. CONSTITUTION:Raw material for malt preparation is continuously or intermittently boiled in hoppers 76-78, cooled and seeded by rotating blade 80. Then, the seeded raw material for malt preparation is continuously or intermittently supplied to conveying part 13 movable in a malt preparing chamber 17 and having air permeability at put in part 15. Further, temperature and humidity in an atmosphere enveloping the raw material for malt preparation are controlled and the conveying part 13 is continuously or intermittently moved from the put in part 15 to take out part 16. Thus, generated malt is continuously or intermittently taken out from the take out part 16 at the take out part 16. As a result, labor is saved and adopting of small malt-preparing chamber and air conditioner of small volume is possible to reduce cost of equipment. Besides, quality of end product is improved as invasion of various germs is able to be inhibited.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for producing koji necessary for producing fermented products such as soy sauce, miso, vinegar, sake, and shochu.

Since a solid koji production apparatus was developed in the United States in 1947, various koji production machines have been proposed in Japan. One type of koji making machine places the koji making raw material in a dish in a culture chamber, and forces air at a constant temperature or humidity to propagate the koji mold. Other koji making machines store raw materials in a tank and forcefully circulate air at a constant temperature.

On the other hand, the method of producing koji in a rectangular wooden box with a shallow bottom called a koji lid has been known for a long time as the lid koji method. In the wooden box construction process, many people are involved in preparing the koji, cooling it during the heating period of the koji, and releasing the koji. In addition, for several decades, a perforated floor was installed in a rectangular or circular koji-making room, and the koji-making raw materials were placed on the floor and ventilated from under the floor. By controlling the amount and temperature of the ventilation, the koji was kept at an appropriate temperature. The automatic method of making koji by holding the koji and producing koji has been widely used to this day.

All of the conventional koji making methods described above are of the so-called batch type, in which the entire amount of koji making raw materials is added in one step, and 3 days later, the koji is released as a product koji. For this reason, the entire amount of koji-making raw materials is incorporated at once and the koji is released several days later, so the equipment and equipment for each process of steaming, cooling, koji production, and koji release are all large-sized, requiring a large amount of equipment and large amounts of power. is necessary.

Problems to be solved by the invention - The temperature, humidity, or carbon dioxide concentration of koji depends on whether the starch decomposition power or protein decomposition power of koji is desired for each product such as miso, soy sauce, and sake, or how to balance the two. There are differences in environmental conditions, including Therefore, in practice these conditions are controlled differently. The properties of koji that meet each condition are expressed as ``koji titer.'' The key to making koji is to maintain the steamed raw material for koji at the optimum temperature and humidity for the desired koji, and to prevent the product from rising too high and drying out too much, while producing koji mold that has the desired koji titer. The aim is to ensure uniform reproduction. For this reason, slight differences in the koji making process have a subtle effect on the quality of the koji produced, which affects the quality of the final product, so special care must be taken during its production. In this respect, making koji is a very labor-intensive task, and it is difficult to prevent "variations" in product quality.

Traditionally, the growth status of the koji mold during koji production was subjectively determined by visual observation and temperature change measurements by experts; therefore, with conventional koji production machines, koji was produced continuously. I couldn't.

An object of the present invention is to provide a continuous koji making method and apparatus that solve the problems of the conventional koji making apparatus.

Means for Solving the Problems The continuous koji making method according to the present invention includes a step of continuously or intermittently steaming, cooling and seeding raw materials for koji making, and a conveying section that is movable within the koji making chamber and has air permeability. A process of continuously or intermittently supplying the seeded koji-making raw material to the intake section, and a continuous conveyance section from the intake section to the take-out section while controlling the temperature and humidity in the atmosphere surrounding the koji-making raw material. and a step of continuously or intermittently taking out the produced koji from the take-out part.

During the movement of the transport section, the temperature and humidity of the koji making room where the koji making raw materials are moved are measured by a temperature sensor and a humidity sensor, respectively, and the electrical signals generated from the temperature sensor and humidity sensor represent predetermined temperature and humidity values. compared to the reference level,
An output having a magnitude corresponding to the difference between the electric signal and the reference level is taken out, and then the temperature and humidity of the koji making room are controlled by the output having a magnitude corresponding to the difference between the electric signal and the reference level. If necessary, the raw material for making koji is stirred during movement of the conveying section.

The continuous koji making device according to the present invention includes a conveyor device having an air permeable conveyance section wound between a pair of rotating drums and moved continuously or intermittently, and a conveyor device provided at one end of the conveyor device. and an intake section that supplies the seeded koji-making raw material to the conveyance section, a take-out section that is provided at the other end of the conveyor device and takes out the koji produced on the conveyance section, and an intake section and a take-out section of the conveyor device. It has an elongated koji-making chamber provided between the koji-making chamber and an air conditioner that supplies air having a predetermined temperature and humidity to the koji-making chamber. A plurality of partition walls are provided in the koji making room, and the temperature and humidity of the air supplied to each divided chamber formed by each partition wall are adjusted.

The conveyance section is a stainless steel punching belt. The air conditioner includes a temperature sensor and a humidity sensor that measure the temperature and humidity inside the koji making room, a comparison means that compares each output level of the temperature sensor and humidity sensor with a reference level, and a It has air conditioning means for controlling the amount, temperature and humidity of air supplied to the koji room.

The koji-making raw material that has been steamed, cooled, and seeded is continuously or intermittently supplied to the conveyance section of the conveyor device in the intake section, and is moved from the intake section toward the take-out section. In the koji-making chamber provided between the intake section and the take-out section, the koji-making raw material moves through an atmosphere of controlled temperature and humidity, and koji mold grows. The air flow passing through the permeable conveying section uniformly circulates air to each part of the koji making raw material placed on the conveying section, thereby equalizing breeding and ventilation of carbon dioxide gas and air. However, depending on the type of product, the carbon dioxide concentration in the air used to control temperature or humidity may be increased to reduce or eliminate the amount of fresh air supplied. Generally, the amount of oxygen supplied may not be increased that much.

Further, substantially constant temperature and humidity are maintained in each part of the raw material for koji making. For this reason, the koji mold raw materials are maintained at different optimal temperatures and humidity throughout various periods, such as the germination period and reproduction period, the starch saccharifying enzyme production period, and the proteolytic enzyme production period, and the koji making raw materials are adjusted to the koji titer according to the purpose. Manufacture koji. The temperature and humidity inside the koji making chamber are measured by a temperature sensor and a humidity sensor. The output level of the electric signal generated from the temperature sensor and the humidity sensor is compared with the reference level by the comparison means, and the output of the comparison means corresponding to the level difference is supplied from the air conditioner to the koji making room, and the amount of air, temperature and humidity are is controlled. Therefore, the optimal room temperature and humidity are maintained by the air conditioner according to the growth state of the koji mold, and high-quality and homogeneous koji produced from the conveyance section of the conveyor device is continuously discharged from the take-out section.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a continuous koji production method and an apparatus for making koji for soy sauce will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.

The continuous koji production method according to the present invention involves the steps of continuously or intermittently steaming, cooling and seeding the koji production raw materials, and the process of transferring the seeded koji production raw materials to a transport section that is movable and has air permeability within the koji production chamber. A step of continuously or intermittently supplying the raw material for koji making in the loading section, and a step of moving the conveying section continuously or intermittently from the loading section to the unloading section while controlling the temperature and humidity in the atmosphere surrounding the koji making raw materials. and a step of taking out the koji produced in the take-out section.

Grain washing, soaking, draining, steaming, cooling and seeding are carried out in the same manner as before. The conveyor device passes through the koji-making chamber and moves the koji-making raw materials from the intake section to the take-out section.

In this invention, the raw material for making koji is not only continuously but also intermittently supplied and moved toward the take-out part. Even in the intermittent operation, the raw material for making koji is sequentially moved on the conveyor device, so The entire operation is a continuous koji making operation.

Next, an embodiment of the continuous koji making apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.

As shown in FIG. 1, a grain washing device 70 washes the raw material for making koji, and the raw material for making koji is immersed in water and is conveyed to a conveyor device 72 by a screw conveyor 71 in about 60 minutes. The conveyor device 72 has a conveyor belt 1 75 wound around a pair of drums 73 and 74 . The koji making raw material conveyed by the conveyor belt 75 is drained when passing through a hopper 76 . The time required for draining is approximately 60 minutes.

Further, when the koji making raw material passes over the hopper 77, it is sprayed with steam and is steamed for about 30 minutes. After that, hopper 78
When passing through, the raw material for making koji is cooled by blowing air for about 20 minutes. Next, the rotating blade 8 that constitutes the stirring device
Seeded by 0.

The koji making raw material falling into the hopper 81 from the conveyor device 72 is supplied to the continuous koji making device 10.

The continuous koji making device 10 according to the present invention includes a conveyor device 14 having a conveying section 13 wound between a pair of rotating drums 11 and 12 and moved continuously or intermittently; An intake section 15 that is provided at one end of the conveyor device 14 and supplies the koji making raw material to the conveyance section 13
and a take-out part 16 which is provided at the other end of the conveyor device 14 near the rotating drum 12 and takes out the koji produced on the conveyor part 13, and between the take-in part 15 and the take-out part 16 of the conveyor device 14. It has an elongated koji making room 17 and an air conditioner 18 that supplies air having a predetermined temperature and humidity to the koji making room 17.

All four sides of the long and narrow koji making chamber 17 are surrounded by heat insulating material.
It is airtight and insulated from the outside and has a length of about 30 meters. In the illustrated example, the conveyance section 13 uses an endless stainless steel punching belt. Intake section 15
A hopper 27 is provided on the conveying section 13 for supplying the raw material for making koji. Although not shown, a stirring device may be provided near the conveyance section 13 to stir the koji-making raw material conveyed on the conveyance section 13 in order to more uniformly propagate the koji mold. The koji making room 17 is provided with a plurality of partition walls 2o, and the temperature and humidity of the air in the koji making room 17 are adjusted by air supplied from the air conditioner 18 for each divided chamber 21 formed by each partition wall 20. be done. For this purpose, a temperature sensor and a humidity sensor can be provided for each divided chamber 21. Each divided chamber 21 is provided with a blow pipe 22 and an exhaust pipe 23 that communicate with the air conditioner 18, and air is supplied to each divided chamber 21 through the blow pipe 22 and the exhaust pipe 23. The blow pipe 22 and the exhaust pipe 23 are provided with a valve 52 for controlling the amount of ventilation.

However, in reality, the airflow rate is often controlled by converting the fan rotation speed using an inverter.

As shown in FIG. 2, the air conditioner 18 includes temperature sensors 32 to 34 and a humidity sensor 35 that measure the temperature and humidity inside the koji making room 17;
Comparison means 2 for comparing each output level of 5 with a reference level
5, and an air conditioning means 26 that controls the amount, temperature, and humidity of air supplied from the air conditioner 18 to the koji making room 17 based on the output of the comparison means 25.

The air conditioner 18 includes temperature sensors 32 to 34, a humidity sensor 35, and a rotation sensor 36, which are connected to the air conditioning control circuit 31 via amplifiers 37 to 41, respectively. Amplifier 37~
Comparison means 2 41 constitute the air conditioning control circuit 31, respectively.
The output terminals of the differential amplifiers 42 to 46 are connected to one input terminal of the differential amplifiers 42 to 46 as the air conditioning means 26, respectively, and a fan drive device 47 as the air conditioning means 26, and a valve IIK operation that controls the opening/closing state of the valve 52. It is connected to a device 48 , a heating/cooling device 49 , a humidifying device 50 , and a motor drive device 51 . The heating/cooling device 49 and the humidifying device 50 are provided within the air conditioner 18 . A reference power supply voltage as a reference level is applied to the other input terminals of the operational amplifiers 42 to 46. The air conditioning control circuit 31 is composed of a one-chip microcomputer or a discrete circuit.

In FIG. 1, the raw material for koji making is continuously supplied from the hopper 27 to the transport section 13 of the conveyor N14 in the intake section 15, and is moved from the intake section 15 toward the take-out section 16. During movement of the koji making raw material, air is supplied to the koji making raw material by air flowing through the conveying section 13 having ventilation.

Further, the temperature and humidity of the koji making room 17 through which the koji making raw materials move are measured by temperature sensors 32 to 34 and humidity sensor 35, respectively. Temperature sensors 32 to 34 and humidity sensor 3
The electrical signals respectively originating from 5 are compared by comparison means 25 with a reference level of a reference supply voltage representing a predetermined temperature and humidity value. In the comparison means 25, an output having a magnitude corresponding to the difference between the electric signal and the reference level is taken out, and the temperature and humidity of the koji making chamber 17 are controlled by the output having a magnitude corresponding to the difference between the electric signal and the reference level. Ru.

In the koji-making chamber 17, the koji-making raw material moves through an atmosphere of controlled temperature and humidity, and koji mold grows.

The conveying section 1 is transported by air flow passing through the conveying section 13 having breathability.
Air is uniformly circulated through each part of the koji making raw material placed on the koji making material 3, and ventilation is performed to equalize reproduction and obtain an optimum carbon dioxide concentration.

Optimal constant temperature and humidity are maintained in each part of the raw material for koji making. For this reason, the koji-making raw material becomes koji with a high koji titer throughout the germination period and reproduction period of the koji mold, starch saccharifying enzyme production period, and proteolytic enzyme production period.

In the take-out section 16, the koji produced from the conveyance section 13 of the conveyor device 14 is continuously taken out.

The air conditioning control circuit 31 is operated according to the operation sequence shown in FIG. Step 6 from the start of step 60
1, the air conditioning control circuit 31 determines whether there is a signal input. If there is no signal input, the process returns to step 60, and if there is a signal input, the process proceeds to step 62. In step 62, it is determined whether the temperature inside the koji making chamber 17 is at a predetermined temperature. If the temperature is the predetermined temperature, the process proceeds to step 63, where it is determined whether the humidity in the koji making chamber 17 is a predetermined humidity. If the humidity is the predetermined humidity, the process proceeds to step 64, where it is determined whether the speed of the transport section 13 is a predetermined speed. If the specified speed is reached, return to the start,
If the speed is not the predetermined speed, a speed increase signal or a deceleration signal is given to the motor drive device 51 in step 65, and the transport unit 1
Control the speed of 3.

If the temperature in the koji making chamber 17 is not the predetermined temperature in step 62, the process proceeds to step 66, where it is determined whether or not the temperature is high. If the temperature is high, proceed to step 67, perform a cooling operation, and return to the start. This cooling operation is performed by driving or increasing the speed of the fan immediate action device 47 using the output representing the deviation value of the differential booster 42, or by operating the valve drive device 48 to increase the amount of air supplied to the valve. This is done by controlling the opening/closing state of 52. If the temperature is not high in step 66, a heating operation is performed in step 68, and the process returns to the start. The heating operation is performed by applying a drive signal to the heating/cooling device 49.

A koji making device is a type of cooling device that performs cooling to suppress the rise in temperature caused by the heat generated by the growth of koji mold. For example, a cold water shower is sprayed in an air-conditioned room (not shown) to cool the air circulated inside the air-conditioned room.

In the conventional batch-type koji making method, 5000 kg is produced each time.
In order to process 1000 kg of raw materials, a steaming/cooling device and a koji making device are required to process 5000 kg of raw materials per cycle. Since it takes three days to obtain the product koji, the daily production capacity is simply approximately 1670 kg. On the other hand,
If the koji making apparatus of the present invention is operated continuously for 24 hours a day to obtain the same amount of 5,000 kg of koji, it will be necessary to steam, cool and brew about 70 kg of raw material per hour. Since koji production is accompanied by a large amount of heat generation when the koji mold grows, the air conditioner 18 is used to cool the koji at an appropriate time in order to maintain a temperature suitable for the growth of the koji mold. The regeneration phase of this fever is
Seeding, which involves mixing seed koji mold into the koji-making raw material that has been steamed and cooled, takes place for approximately 6 hours after 14 to 20 hours have elapsed.

Conventionally, cooling was performed during this limited time period, so
It was necessary to install air conditioners with high power and performance.

In this invention, the raw material is sequentially transferred between each process during continuous operation for 24 hours, so the amount of material at the peak heat generation period corresponds to that time period. In other words, 70 kg for 6 hours is approximately 420 kg, which is 5000 kg which is the conventional production capacity.
Compared to this, it will only be about 1/10th of that. Since the raw materials are continuously sent and processed by the conveyor device 14, the amount of material at the peak of growth (heat generation) is smaller than that of the conventional batch method in which all the raw materials are at the peak of growth (heat generation) at the same time. It is possible to use an air conditioner with a small cooling capacity.

Steaming 100 kg of soybeans or wheat per hour from hopper 27,
Since the cooled and seeded raw material for koji making is input, approximately 24.00 kg is processed by continuous operation for - days. In a koji making room with a total length of 30 m, the time required from loading the koji at the intake section 15 to discharging the koji at the take-out section 16 using the conveyor device 14 is approximately 48 hours.

In the case of a batch method, 45 to 46 hours of koji making time is required as a total time from seeding to making koji due to day and night labor conditions. However, in the continuous koji making device according to the present invention, the koji making time can be set as appropriate depending on the speed of the conveyor device. In reality, it is ideal to shorten the koji making time to 38 to 43 hours, so it is also possible to shorten the koji making time to 38 to 43 hours by appropriately setting the koji making conditions. In addition, this reduces the amount of carbohydrates consumed as metabolic energy for the growth of koji mold during koji making, increasing the ratio of koji production (ratio of koji production raw materials to koji production) and saving raw materials. can.

Various modifications can be made to the above embodiment. For example, we have shown an example of using a stainless steel punching belt as the conveyance unit, but as long as it does not affect the quality of the raw material for koji making, other types of belt conveyors such as perforated rubber belt conveyors, wire mesh belt conveyors, cloth belt conveyors, etc., can also be used. It is also possible to use conveyor devices such as chain conveyors, roller conveyors, etc. with attached conveyors.

As described above, in the present invention, the steps from adding raw materials for making koji to making koji can be carried out in a continuous manner without requiring any manual labor, so labor can be saved. In addition, since the koji making operation is performed without moving the koji making raw materials continuously or intermittently, it is possible to use a small koji making room and a small capacity air conditioner, which has the advantage of not increasing equipment costs. be. Furthermore, since the koji making operation can be carried out continuously and unattended, the invasion of various bacteria can be prevented. Therefore, the quality of the final product can be improved, and the product yield can also be significantly improved.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of a continuous koji making device according to the present invention, Fig. 2 is an electric circuit diagram of an air conditioning control device used in the continuous koji making device of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is an operation sequence of the air conditioning control device. It is a flowchart. 11.1218 rotating drum, 130. Conveyance section, 140.
Conveyor device, 150. Intake part, 16. . Removal section, 1719. Koji making room, 181. Air conditioner, 200
．． Partition wall, 256. means of comparison, 260. Air conditioning means, 32
~341. temperature sensor, 350. Humidity sensor, 42-4
60. means of comparison,

Claims (7)

[Claims] (1) The process of continuously or intermittently steaming, cooling, and seeding raw materials for koji making, and the step of continuously or intermittently steaming, cooling, and seeding raw materials for koji making, and transferring the seeded raw materials for koji making to a conveying section that is movable and has air permeability within the koji making chamber, and continuously in an intake section. or a step of intermittently supplying the raw material for koji making, and a step of continuously or intermittently moving the conveyance section from the intake section to the take-out section while controlling the temperature and humidity in the atmosphere surrounding the koji-making raw materials. A continuous koji production method comprising the step of continuously or intermittently taking out koji from a take-out section. (2) A process of measuring the temperature and humidity of the koji making room through which the koji making raw materials move, using a temperature sensor and a humidity sensor, respectively, and converting electrical signals generated from the temperature sensor and humidity sensor, respectively, into standards representing predetermined temperature and humidity values. compared to the level
A claim that includes the step of extracting an output of a magnitude corresponding to the difference between the electric signal and the reference level, and the step of controlling the temperature and humidity of the koji making room by the output of a magnitude corresponding to the difference between the electric signal and the reference level. Continuous koji production method described in item (1). (3) Claim (1) in which the raw material for koji making is stirred during the movement of the conveying section
) Continuous koji making method described. (4) A conveyor device having an air permeable conveyance section wound between a pair of rotating drums and moved continuously or intermittently; and a conveyor device provided at one end of the conveyor device and seeded in the conveyance section. an intake section for supplying raw materials for koji making; a take-out section provided at the other end of the conveyor device for taking out the koji produced on the conveying section; and a take-out section provided between the intake section and the take-out section of the conveyor device. A continuous koji making apparatus characterized by having a long and narrow koji making chamber and an air conditioner that supplies air having a predetermined temperature and humidity to the koji making chamber. (5) The continuous malt production according to claim (4), wherein the malt production chamber is provided with a plurality of partition walls, and the temperature and humidity of the air supplied to each divided chamber formed by each partition wall is adjusted. Device. (6) The continuous koji equipment according to claim (4), wherein the conveying section is a stainless steel punching belt. (7) The air conditioner includes a temperature sensor and a humidity sensor that measure the temperature and humidity inside the koji making room, a comparison means that compares each output level of the temperature sensor and humidity sensor with a reference level, and air conditioning based on the output of the comparison means. The continuous koji apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising air conditioning means for controlling the amount, temperature and humidity of air supplied from the apparatus to the koji making chamber.