JPH0265Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a mixing device for stirring and mixing a coagulant into a soybean milk liquid when producing silken tofu.

(Prior Art) In recent years, packaged tofu that has good storage stability and can be produced in large quantities has become popular, but the traditional firm tofu and silken tofu are still highly appreciated for their good taste. However, these firm tofu and silken tofu have problems in mass production and in obtaining homogeneous products. In particular, silken tofu requires more delicate treatment during the coagulation process than firm tofu in order to produce a fine gel-like product with a fine texture that is easy to swallow.

First, the coagulant used to make silken tofu must be a fast-acting agent such as natural bittern or magnesium chloride, rather than a slow-acting agent such as calcium sulfate as is the case with cotton tofu. In addition, the temperature of the soybean milk liquid poured into the coagulation vat is set at 50 to 55°C, which is much lower than that for firm tofu, in order to delay the coagulation reaction as much as possible and gain processing time. Even so, the mixing of the coagulant had to be completed within a short period of about 3 seconds, and this work was done manually using a special paddle.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) In the coagulation process described above, if the temperature of the soybean milk liquid is too low, it will not be coagulated to a predetermined consistency. Manual stirring and mixing operations require a high degree of skill to obtain a homogeneous product, and the work efficiency is low, so mass production is not possible. Furthermore, even if the above-mentioned stirring and mixing operation is simply performed using electric rotary blades, the bubbling on the liquid surface that occurs during stirring may remain as bubbles after solidification.
Problems such as poor coagulation and uneven coagulation may occur due to air entering from the outside being mixed into the agitated portion.

Therefore, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a coagulant mixing device for silken tofu that can solve the manual stirring and mixing work by using an electric stirring blade and also solve the problems caused by the electric stirring blade. It is something to do.

(Means for Solving the Problems) The gist of the present invention is to include a coagulation vat into which soybean milk liquid and a fast-acting coagulant are injected, a motor installed at the top of the coagulation vat, and a rotating shaft of the motor. an interlocking shaft that is connected and rotates, and is attached to the lower end side of the interlocking shaft,
A stirring blade that mixes a coagulant into the soybean milk in the coagulation tub, and a stirring blade that engages with the interlocking shaft and is disposed on the top of the stirring blade, the flat bottom of which is slightly submerged in the soybean milk to prevent the liquid from flowing. Silken tofu comprising a foam suppressing member that suppresses bubbles generated on the surface and prevents air from flowing in, and a lifting means that relatively moves either the stirring blade or the foam suppressing member so as to bury the stirring blade and the foam suppressing member in the coagulation tub. This is a coagulant mixing device for

(Example) An example of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, a soy milk liquid 2 made by heating crushed soybeans, filtering them, and separating them from okara is poured into a rectangular coagulating tub 1. The soybean milk liquid 2 is
The temperature is set at about 70°C, which is higher than in the conventional manufacturing method described above, in order to obtain good solidification. In this embodiment, the coagulation tub 1 is placed on a lifting table 3 and is configured to be movable up and down by a cylinder or other lifting means (not shown). Above the lifting platform 3 on which the coagulation tub 1 is placed, a support 4 is provided.
A motor 5 is supported in a fixed state. An interlocking shaft 7 is connected to the rotating shaft of the motor 5 via a coupling 6, and a stirring blade 8 is mounted on the tip side of the interlocking shaft 7.
is installed. As shown in FIG. 2, the stirring blades 8 include a plurality of blades (four blades in this embodiment) projecting radially outward from the interlocking shaft 7. Also,
A bubble suppressing member 9 is installed at the upper part adjacent to the stirring blade 8, and the bubble suppressing member 9 has a conical shape with a flat bottom as shown in FIG. is configured to do so.

Next, a method of using the coagulant mixing device having the above configuration will be explained.

An elevating means such as a cylinder (not shown) is operated to raise the elevating table 3 and the coagulating tub 1 placed thereon, and the motor 5 is driven to rotate the stirring blades 8 and the foam suppressing member 9. At least before the stirring blade 8 enters the coagulation tub 1, a fast-acting coagulant N such as natural bittern or magnesium chloride is injected into the soybean milk liquid 2. As shown in FIG. 1B, the lifting table 3 is set in advance so that the flat bottom surface of the bubble suppressing member 9 is raised to a position slightly below the liquid level of the soybean milk liquid 2, and in this state, it is lifted. The soybean milk liquid 2 into which the coagulant N has been injected is stirred by the stirring blade 8 to uniformly mix the coagulant N into the soybean milk liquid 2. During the agitation and mixing, if the configuration includes only the agitation blades 8, bubbles will be generated on the liquid surface, and cold air will flow into the agitation blades 8 from the outside.
These phenomena are suppressed by the bubble suppressing member 9 disposed adjacently. After stirring and mixing for a predetermined period of time is completed, the rotation of the motor 5 is stopped, and the lifting platform 3 is lowered to return to its original position.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be modified in various ways within the scope of the gist.

For example, as shown in FIG.
At the same time, the piston of the cylinder 15 attached to the support 14 is fixed to the motor 5, and the expansion of the piston causes the stirring blade 8 and the foam suppressor to be pumped into the soy milk liquid 2. Part 1
9 may be buried. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 5, the bubble suppressing member 19 is inserted loosely into the interlocking shaft 7 without being fixed to it, and is locked by a stopper 7a provided on the interlocking shaft 7 to prevent it from falling. You may also let them do so.

(Effects of the invention) As is clear from the embodiments described above, the invention provides the following effects.

Since the coagulant is mixed using an electric rotating stirring blade, it is possible to process it in a short time. A product in a solidified state is obtained.

Moreover, uniform mixing can be performed and a homogeneous product can be produced without the need for skilled hands.

By suppressing the generation of bubbles on the liquid surface with the bubble suppressing member, good solidification without bubbles etc. can be performed.

By suppressing the inflow of air from the outside with the bubble suppressing member, local temperature drops are prevented.
A product with good solidification can be obtained.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The drawings all show embodiments of the present invention; Figures 1A and B are an overall front view of the device, Figure 2 is a plan view of the stirring blade, and Figure 3 is a vertical cross-section showing how the foam suppressing member is installed. FIG. 4 is an overall front view of an apparatus according to another embodiment, and FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state in which a bubble suppressing member is attached to the same apparatus. 1... coagulation tub, 2... soy milk liquid, 3... lifting platform,
4, 14... Support tool, 5... Motor, 6... Coupler, 7... Interlocking shaft, 8... Stirring blade, 9, 19
...Bubble suppressing member, 15...Cylinder.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A coagulation tub into which soybean milk liquid and a fast-acting coagulant are injected, a motor disposed above the coagulation tub, and an interlocking shaft connected to the rotating shaft of the motor to rotate;
A stirring blade is attached to the lower end of the interlocking shaft and mixes a coagulant into the soybean milk in the coagulating tub; A foam suppressing member that is slightly buried in the soybean milk liquid to suppress bubbles generated on the liquid surface and suppressing air inflow, and either one of a stirring blade and a foam suppressing member that are buried in the coagulation tub. A coagulant mixing device for silken tofu, comprising a lifting means for relatively moving the tofu.