JPH0357743B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a multistage cooling method and apparatus for food products, which continuously cools meat, vegetables, etc. for long-term preservation.

(Conventional technology and problems to be solved) Conventionally, freezing and refrigeration of food was thought to be the best method for long-term refrigeration of food, but as a result of recent research, it has become necessary to cool the food to a temperature just before freezing. On the contrary, it has been found that this method is suitable for long-term storage without impairing the quality of the food.

However, conventional cooling or freezing means
As disclosed in Publication No. 37494, since the food is simply passed through a cooling or freezing chamber set at a predetermined temperature, it is extremely difficult to cool the entire food to the temperature just before freezing, and even more so. It has been nearly impossible to adjust the temperature to just below the freezing temperature, which varies depending on the food.

Furthermore, as described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 55-9623, there is also a known means for cooling food by dividing the food into different temperature-adjustable cooling temperature ranges. Because it is divided into sections, it has to be fed intermittently, which prevents smooth continuous cooling and has poor cooling efficiency.Also, there are sections to form cooling temperature zones and corresponding sections. Since it is necessary to use a conveyor belt equipped with a partition member, there are disadvantages such as a complicated structure and troublesome maintenance management.

The present invention makes it possible to easily and accurately set the temperature of the food to be cooled just before freezing, using a relatively small-volume device, and to perform continuous cooling under the set temperature conditions. The object of the present invention is to provide a method and device for multistage cooling of foods.

(Means for Solving the Problems) The multi-stage cooling method for food according to the present invention allows food on a continuously progressing net conveyor belt to be cooled in cooling chambers that have different cooling temperature zones without temperature-adjustable partitions. The food is cooled from the front and back sides of the net conveyor belt by passing the food one after another, and the entire food is cooled to a temperature just before the food freezing temperature. A plurality of cooling devices whose temperature can be adjusted by circulating cooling air are arranged along the food transport path of the net conveyor belt so that the cooling air of the cooling devices cools the food to be cooled from the front and back of the net conveyor belt. The cooling temperature of the final cooling device is set to a temperature immediately before the freezing temperature of the food to be cooled.

(Example) Embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the front configuration of an example of the arrangement of the device of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a partial enlarged view including the food loading section, and FIG. 3 is a partial enlarged view including the food loading section. Four cooling devices 2 whose temperatures can be individually set are disposed in the cooling chamber 1 and run along the net conveyor belt 12 running from the loading port 10 to the loading device 11.
3, 4, and 5 are arranged in sequence.

The cooling devices 2, 3, 4, and 5 send cooling air cooled by the cooler to fans 6 and 5 in the same duct.
7, 8, and 9 circulate by discharging from the discharge port and sucking in from the suction port, and the food to be cooled conveyed by the net conveyor belt 12 is cooled from above and below at each set cooling temperature. There is.

The set temperatures of the cooling devices 2, 3, 4, and 5, the amount of air blown, and the running speed of the net conveyor belt 12 depend on the food to be cooled, such as meat such as broilers, fish, fruits, vegetables, and processed foods such as hamburgers. Although it is different, to give an example in the case of broiler-sized food, cooling device 2 is -30℃ and cooling device 3 is -30℃.
Preferably, the temperature is 15°C, the temperature of the cooling device 4 is -10°C, and the temperature of the cooling device 5 is -3°C, which is 0.5°C before the freezing temperature of -3.5°C.

In this way, the cooling set temperature of the cooling device is set to a different temperature depending on the food to be cooled, and even if the set temperature of the final cooling device is lowered, it is set to a temperature lower than the freezing temperature of the food.

In the figure, 13 is an inspection door, and 14 is a cleaning device for cleaning the net conveyor belt 12.

The present invention configured as described above is used as follows.

First, food to be cooled at room temperature is fed from the inlet 10 onto a net conveyor belt 12 that moves horizontally at a predetermined speed. The supplied food is first rapidly cooled by the first cooler 2, then sequentially cooled by coolers 3, 4, and 5 under different temperature conditions, and finally cooled to a temperature just below the freezing temperature of the food. The food is then carried out from the carrying out device 11, and the carried out food has been cooled to a state immediately before freezing.

(Actions and Effects of the Invention) The multistage cooling method for foods of the present invention described above is as follows:
The food on the continuously moving web conveyor belt is cooled from the front and back of the web conveyor belt by passing the food one after another through cooling chambers that have different cooling temperature zones without temperature-adjustable partitions.
This multi-stage food cooling device is characterized by cooling the entire food to a temperature just below the food freezing temperature, and the food cooling device circulates cooling air along the food transport path of a net conveyor belt that moves inside the cooling chamber. A plurality of temperature-adjustable cooling devices are arranged so that the cooling air from the cooling devices cools the food to be cooled from both sides of the net conveyor belt, and the cooling temperature of the final cooling device is adjusted to the freezing temperature of the food to be cooled. Since it is characterized in that the temperature is set at the temperature just before the temperature was set, cooling can be achieved as a process for long-term refrigeration of food.

In addition, the food to be cooled can be cooled to the temperature just before freezing corresponding to the food to be cooled in a relatively small capacity and simple method by passing the food sequentially through a cooling chamber that has different cooling temperature zones without temperature-adjustable partitions. I can do it.

Furthermore, it is possible to provide a multi-stage cooling method and apparatus for foods that are capable of continuous cooling without freezing under set temperature conditions and are suitable for continuous mass processing of various foods.

Furthermore, since the plurality of temperature-adjustable cooling devices are arranged so that the cooling air from the cooling devices cools the food to be cooled from both sides of the net conveyor belt, it is possible to provide a cooling device with high cooling efficiency.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the front configuration of an example of the arrangement of the device of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged view including the food carry-in section, and FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged view including the carry-out section. 1... Cooling room, 2, 3, 4, 5... Cooling device,
6, 7, 8, 9...fan, 10...carrying entrance, 11
...Unloading device, 12...Net conveyor belt.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. Foods on a continuously progressing web conveyor belt are passed through cooling chambers that have different cooling temperature zones without temperature-adjustable partitions, so that the food can be cooled from the front and back of the web conveyor belt. A multi-stage cooling method for food, characterized by cooling the entire food to a temperature just below the freezing temperature of the food. 2. A plurality of temperature-adjustable cooling devices that circulate cooling air are installed along the food transport route of the net conveyor belt that moves inside the cooling chamber, and the cooling air from the cooling devices is applied to the food to be cooled from the front and back of the net conveyor belt. 1. A multi-stage cooling device for food, characterized in that the cooling temperature of the final cooling device is set to a temperature immediately before the freezing temperature of the food to be cooled.