NO133473B

NO133473B -

Info

Publication number: NO133473B
Application number: NO3140/71A
Authority: NO
Inventors: K B Vigerstroem
Original assignee: Electro Food
Priority date: 1970-08-24
Filing date: 1971-08-24
Publication date: 1976-02-02
Also published as: AT316971B; ES199200Y; ES199200U; ES394477A1; NO133473C; GB1367612A; FR2105985A5; DE2142387A1; SU655347A3; NL7111644A; CH539995A

Description

Foreliggende oppfinnelse angår varmebehandling av matvarer såsom poteter, ved hvilken matvarene anbringes i -et elektrolyttbad og vekselspenning påtrykkes elektroder i berøring med elektrolytten slik at elektrisk strøm passerer gjennom denne og -matvarene. The present invention relates to heat treatment of foodstuffs such as potatoes, whereby the foodstuffs are placed in an electrolyte bath and alternating voltage is applied to electrodes in contact with the electrolyte so that electric current passes through it and the foodstuffs.

Det er kjent å behandle organiske materialer såsom matvarer med direkte elektrisk strømgjennomgang i en elektrolytt. Man oppnår for eksempel derved først og fremst den fordel at behandlingstiden forkortes betraktelig. It is known to treat organic materials such as foodstuffs with direct electric current passage in an electrolyte. For example, the first and foremost advantage is that the treatment time is shortened considerably.

Til grunn for denne oppfinnelse ligger den oppgave The basis of this invention is the task

å videreutvikle denne teknikk. ^Fremgangsmåten ifølge oppfinnelsen erkarakterisert vedat strømgjennomgangbehandlingens elektriske karakteristika varieres for matvarene som helhet under beh-andlingens gang_, fortrinnsvis ved senkning av tilført effekt. Ved denne forholdsregel oppnås den store fordel at man ved behandling av matvarene, ikke bare kan tilpasse behandlingen til forskjellige matvare-materialer ved å variere behandlingstiden, to further develop this technique. ^The method according to the invention is characterized by the fact that the electrical characteristics of the current flow treatment are varied for the food as a whole during the course of the treatment_, preferably by lowering the applied power. With this precaution, the great advantage is achieved that when processing the food, you can not only adapt the treatment to different food materials by varying the treatment time,

men også kan tilpasse behandlingens strøm/spennings-forhold opti-malt i tiden for hvert materiale og hver ønsket type behandling. but can also adapt the treatment's current/voltage ratio optimally in time for each material and each desired type of treatment.

Ved en viss behandling har det vist seg fordelaktig With a certain treatment, it has been shown to be beneficial

å utføre behandlingen med under behandlingstiden synkende påtrykt spenning. Ved kokning av -poteter for eksempel, oppnås herved to vesentlige fordeler. -Den i begynnelsen påtrykte høyere spenning innebærer større effekttilførsel til elektrolytten og poteten, hvorved oppvarmning til tilbe-redningstemperatur skjer hurtig. Efterfølgende tilberedning skjer ved lavere påtrykt spenning, noe som innebærer at effekten reduseres slik at temperaturen holdes på det oppnådde nivå uten at det opptrer heftig bortkokning av elektrolytten. En annen vesentlig fordel ved spenningsvariasjo-nen er -at poteten i begynnelsesstadiet, når den påtrykte spenning er høy, hovedsakelig gjennomgår behandling av k j-ernen , ■ i-det over- to carry out the treatment with applied voltage decreasing during the treatment time. When cooking potatoes, for example, two significant advantages are achieved. - The initially applied higher voltage means a greater power supply to the electrolyte and the potato, whereby heating to cooking temperature occurs quickly. Subsequent preparation takes place at a lower applied voltage, which means that the effect is reduced so that the temperature is kept at the achieved level without violent boiling away of the electrolyte. Another significant advantage of the voltage variation is -that the potato in the initial stage, when the applied voltage is high, mainly undergoes treatment by the k j-er, ■ in the above-

flatelaget bare påvirkes i liten grad. Overflatelaget har derfor fortsatt god mekanisk fasthet og tåler godt eventuelle påkjennin-ger fra transportanordninger osv. I et etterfølgende behandlingstrinn kan potetens mellomlag behandles ved en noe redusert spenning.Elektrolyttens temperatur har nå steget, hvilket gjør at også overflatelaget begynner å tilberedes. Dette kan siden slutt-behandles i et siste behandlingstrinn hvor elektrolytt-temperaturen har nådd høyere temperatur, f.eks. 90 - 100°, hvorved den påtrykte spenning reduseres betydelig. the surface layer is only slightly affected. The surface layer therefore still has good mechanical strength and withstands any stresses from transport devices etc. In a subsequent treatment step, the potato's middle layer can be treated at a slightly reduced voltage. The temperature of the electrolyte has now risen, which means that the surface layer also begins to be prepared. This can then be finally treated in a final treatment step where the electrolyte temperature has reached a higher temperature, e.g. 90 - 100°, whereby the applied voltage is significantly reduced.

Ved denne fremgangsmåte oppnås optimal tilberedning With this method, optimal preparation is achieved

og kort behandlingstid uten at elektrolytten kokes bort unødig eller poteten kokes i stykker. I motsetning til hva som er tilfelle ved konvensjobell potetkoking er det nemlig ved kokning med direkte strømgjennomgang mulig å overkoke potetens kjerne uten at overflatelaget blir ferdig. and a short processing time without the electrolyte being boiled away unnecessarily or the potato being boiled to pieces. In contrast to what is the case with conventional potato cooking, when cooking with direct current, it is possible to overcook the core of the potato without the surface layer being finished.

En ytterligere fordel ved fremgangsmåten ifølge oppfinnelsen er at hoveddelen av tilberedningen skjer på relativt kort tid, hvorefter sluttbehandlingen foretas relativt langsomt. Toleransen i behandlingstid blir derved større. A further advantage of the method according to the invention is that the main part of the preparation takes place in a relatively short time, after which the final treatment is carried out relatively slowly. The tolerance in treatment time is thereby greater.

Ifølge en videreutvikling av oppfinnelsen kan ovennevnte fremgangsmåte også utnyttes ved løpende behandling av matvarer i større skala, for eksempel tilberedning av næringsmidler i næringsmiddeltabrikk. Denne videreutvikling av oppfinnelsen er nærmere angitt i patentkrav 3. According to a further development of the invention, the above-mentioned method can also be used for continuous processing of foodstuffs on a larger scale, for example the preparation of foodstuffs in a food factory. This further development of the invention is specified in more detail in patent claim 3.

Et formål med foreliggende oppfinnelse er..også å videreutvikle en fremgangsmåte som tillater betydelig energibespa-ring sammenlignet med ovennevnte fremgangsmåte ved behandling av samme produktmengde. :j An aim of the present invention is also to further develop a method which allows significant energy savings compared to the above-mentioned method when treating the same amount of product. :j

Ifølge en videreutvikling av oppfinnelsen oppnås dette ved at spenningsmatningen til elektrodene brytes intermitterende. Effekttilførselen brytes således periodevis, hvorved den totale energitilførsel minker for samme behandlingstid. Det har herved vist seg at behandlingstiden for f.eks. poteter øker relativt ubetydelig og overhodet ikke i forhold til energibesparingen. Ved kontinuerlig strømmatning går nemlig en stor del av energien med til fordampning av elektrolytten. Når strømtilførselen brytes intermitterende, skjer ingen voldsom kokning i elektrolytten, hvorved man også oppnår den fordel at problemene med ventilasjon og dampevakuering blir mindre. According to a further development of the invention, this is achieved by interrupting the voltage supply to the electrodes intermittently. The power supply is thus interrupted periodically, whereby the total energy supply decreases for the same processing time. It has thus been shown that the processing time for e.g. potatoes increases relatively insignificantly and not at all in relation to the energy saving. With continuous power supply, a large part of the energy is used to evaporate the electrolyte. When the power supply is interrupted intermittently, no violent boiling takes place in the electrolyte, which also achieves the advantage that the problems with ventilation and steam evacuation are reduced.

Ved løpende behandling ifølge en utførelsesform for -foreliggende oppfinnelse passerer emnene i tur og orden flere behandlingstrinn, og spenningsmatnin<g>en styres slik at samtlige be-handl ing st r inn aldri spenningsmates-samtidig. Ved for eksempel fire behandlingstrinn kan vekselvis to og to strømmates, hvorved den nødvendige toppeffekt synker ved at belastningen fordeles mer jevnt i tiden. In continuous processing according to an embodiment of the present invention, the workpieces pass through several processing steps in turn, and the voltage feed is controlled so that all processing never occurs simultaneously. In the case of, for example, four treatment stages, two and two can be fed alternately, whereby the required peak power decreases as the load is distributed more evenly over time.

Spenningsmatningen brytes hensiktsmessig med en frekvens mellom 1 og 20 ganger pr. minutt, "fortrinnsvis ca. 10 gangar pr. minutt, og ifølge en foretrukken utførelsesform for oppfinnelsen er frekvensen varierbar ved "hjelp av et programverk for spenningsmatningen.. The voltage supply is appropriately interrupted with a frequency between 1 and 20 times per minute, "preferably about 10 times per minute, and according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the frequency is variable with the help of a program for the voltage supply..

Oppfinnelsen omfatter også en anordning for gjennom--f-øring ,av -ovennevnte først angitte fremgangsmåte. Denne -anordning erkarakterisertslik som nærmere =angitt i vedlagte patentkrav-6. Ved hjelp av anordningen ifølge -oppfinnelsen er det mulig indivi-duelt å styre str^mbehandlingen i hvert kar, hvorved et flertall ulike produkter-kan behandles samtidig i hvert sitt kar. The invention also includes a device for carrying out the above-mentioned first method. This device is characterized as further specified in the attached patent claim-6. With the aid of the device according to the invention, it is possible to individually control the flow treatment in each vessel, whereby a plurality of different products can be processed simultaneously in each vessel.

Oppfinnelsen skal forklares nærmere ne~defor ved h j-e lp -av to -utføre-lseseksempier i form av maskiner for løpende koking av poteter. på de vedlagte tegninger viser fig. 1 skjematisk og fra siden maskinen ifølge en første utførelsesform- for oppfinnelsen. Fig. 2 viser et snitt langs linjen II-II på fig.. 1, fig. 3 anskueliggjør skjematisk strømmatningen "til en maskin iføl-ge en annen utførelsesform, og fig. 4 viser likeledes skjematisk et programverk for styring av strømmatningen ifølge fig, 3. The invention will be explained in more detail below by way of examples of two embodiments in the form of machines for continuous cooking of potatoes. on the attached drawings shows fig. 1 schematically and from the side, the machine according to a first embodiment of the invention. Fig. 2 shows a section along the line II-II in Fig. 1, Fig. 3 schematically illustrates the current supply to a machine according to another embodiment, and Fig. 4 likewise schematically shows a program for controlling the current supply according to Fig. 3.

Den på fig. J. viste maskin omfatter et ^endeløst tran-sportband 1 på hvilket er festet et antall beholderformede kar 3. Transportbåndet drives av hjul .5-, 7 slik at karet 3 fra en påfyllingsstasjon 9, hvor vann og .poteter fylles i karet, passerer en horisontal transpor.trekké 11 til en utmatningsstasjon som består av et oppsaml ing skar -13 i tilslutning til -transportbanens drivhjul 7. Langs transportrekken 11--er fire metallskinner 15a-d anordnet forløpende innbyrdes parallelt under transportbåndet 1. skinnene 15 er i lengderetningen oppdelt i tre fra hverandre -elektrisk ad-skilte seksjoner A, B -og C. De -fire skinner 15a-d er, slik det fremgår av fig. 2, forbundet med null-punktet, henholdsvis de tre faser på en trefasestrømkilde 17-. Strømkilden omfatter hensiktsmessig en ikke vist transformator eller andre styreorganer. som ma-ter de forskjellige skinneseksjoner A, B og C med forskjellige spenninger, for eksempel 220, 160, henholdsvis 75 V. The one in fig. The machine shown J. comprises an endless conveyor belt 1 on which a number of container-shaped tubs 3 are attached. The conveyor belt is driven by wheels 5, 7 so that the tub 3 passes from a filling station 9, where water and potatoes are filled into the tub a horizontal conveyor belt 11 to an output station which consists of a collection cut -13 in connection with the drive wheel 7 of the conveyor belt. Along the transport row 11, four metal rails 15a-d are arranged continuously parallel to each other under the conveyor belt 1. The rails 15 are in the longitudinal direction divided into three electrically separated sections A, B and C. The four rails 15a-d are, as can be seen from fig. 2, connected to the zero point, respectively the three phases of a three-phase current source 17-. The power source suitably comprises a transformer (not shown) or other control means. which supplies the different rail sections A, B and C with different voltages, for example 220, 160 and 75 V respectively.

Karet 3 fremstilles av elektrisk isolerende materiale som f.eks. glass eller plast og er.innvendig forsynt med to elektroder 19 henholdsvis 21. Elektrodene er gjennom elektriske led-ninger 23, henholdsvis 25 forbundet med elektriske slepebørster 27 i anlegg mot strømskinnene og anordnet i børsteholdere 29 anbragt på transportbåndets 1 underside. Karene er i tur og orden tilslut-tet null-punktet og.til faser i tur og orden på strømkilden 17 slik at hver fase belastes med like mange kar. Maskinen arbeider, på følgende måte. Ved påfyllingsstasjonen 9 fylles avpassede mengder vann og rå poteter i hvert kar 3 når dette av transportbåndet 1 føre.s forbi påfyllingsstasjonen. Efter påfyllingsstasjonen fører transportbåndet .1 karet ut. på behandlingsstrekningen 11,. hvor slepebørstene 27 ,.. som er forbundet med karets elektroder -, kommer i.berøring med. strømskinnene 15a-d. -. The vessel 3 is made of electrically insulating material such as e.g. glass or plastic and is internally provided with two electrodes 19 and 21 respectively. The electrodes are connected through electric wires 23 and 25 respectively to electric drag brushes 27 in contact with the current rails and arranged in brush holders 29 placed on the underside of the conveyor belt 1. The vessels are connected in turn to the zero point and to phases in turn to the current source 17 so that each phase is loaded with the same number of vessels. The machine works in the following way. At the filling station 9, appropriate amounts of water and raw potatoes are filled in each vessel 3 when this is carried by the conveyor belt 1 past the filling station. After the filling station, the conveyor belt .1 takes the tub out. on the treatment section 11,. where the drag brushes 27 ,.. which are connected to the vessel's electrodes -, come into contact with. the power rails 15a-d. -.

Ved den første skinnestasjonen A påtrykkes .en spenning på 220 V mellom elektrodene, hvorved hovedsakelig bare de sentrale deler av potetene oppvarmes. Også vannet oppvarmes del-vis. Karet 3 transporteres videre og kommer deretter med sine slepebørster i berøring med seksjonene B:, hvorved, spenningen mellom elektrodene senkes til 160.V. Under denne behandlingsfase oppvarmes vannet til.100° og poteten gjennomgår oppvarmning i hele sitt :volum. Endelig transporteres karet inn på den tredje skinne-seksjon C, og spenningen mellom elektrodene senkes til 75 V. Denne spenning er tilstrekkelig til å holde vannet ved eller like under kokepunktet, og under dette behandlingsstadium slutt-tilbere-desi første rekke potetens ytterlag. ,. At the first rail station A, a voltage of 220 V is applied between the electrodes, whereby mainly only the central parts of the potatoes are heated. The water is also partially heated. The vessel 3 is transported further and then comes with its trailing brushes into contact with the sections B:, whereby the voltage between the electrodes is lowered to 160V. During this treatment phase, the water is heated to 100° and the potato undergoes heating in its entire volume. Finally, the vessel is transported onto the third rail section C, and the voltage between the electrodes is lowered to 75 V. This voltage is sufficient to keep the water at or just below the boiling point, and during this processing stage, the first row of potatoes is finally prepared. ,.

Karet med de sluttbehandlede.poteter transporteres derefter videre og løper over hjulet 7, hvorved innholdet i hvert kar tippes i en'oppsamlingsbehqlder 13 eller en annen utmatnings-anordning. The tub with the finished potatoes is then transported further and runs over the wheel 7, whereby the contents of each tub are tipped into a collection container 13 or another dispensing device.

Det endeløse transportbånd 1 fører siden karet. 3 tilbake til påfyllingsstasjonen 9, hvorefter forløpet gjentas. Hvis det ønskes, kari karet passere en vaskestasjon på returveien mot påfyllingsstasjonen. The endless conveyor belt 1 guides the side of the tub. 3 back to the filling station 9, after which the process is repeated. If desired, the cart can pass a washing station on the way back to the filling station.

Fig. 3 viser et behandlingskar 31 som. inneholder elektrolytt og syv langstrakte metallskinner E1-E7 som danner . elektroder. - Mellom metallskinnene fremmates poteter 33 kontinuerlig i pilens P retning ved hjelp av en ikke vist transportmekanis-me. Innmatning av poteter til karet skjer således ved dettes høy- Fig. 3 shows a treatment vessel 31 which. contains electrolyte and seven elongated metal rails E1-E7 that form . electrodes. - Between the metal rails, potatoes 33 are advanced continuously in the direction of the arrow P by means of a transport mechanism not shown. Potatoes are thus fed into the vessel at its height.

re side, utmatn-ingen ved dets venstre side. right side, the output at its left side.

Elektrodene er forbundet .med et trefasenett .RSTO på The electrodes are connected .with a three-phase network .RSTO on

slik måte at elektrodene El,E3,E5 ogE7 er forbundet med null-punktet mens elektrodeneE2,E4 og E6 er forbundet med hver sin fase -R, S, T. Disse tre elektroder er dessuten ved hjeTp av isolatorlegemer 34 oppdelt hver i fire fra hverandre isolerte seksjoner R1-R4, S1-S4, henholdsvis T1-T4. strømmatningen til disse elektrodeseksjoner skjer fra trefasenettet gjennom kontak-torer K1-K4 som manøvreres ved hjelp av det på fig. 4 viste programverk. in such a way that the electrodes E1, E3, E5 and E7 are connected to the zero point, while the electrodes E2, E4 and E6 are connected to each of their phases -R, S, T. These three electrodes are also divided by insulator bodies 34 into four each from mutually isolated sections R1-R4, S1-S4, respectively T1-T4. the power supply to these electrode sections takes place from the three-phase mains through contactors K1-K4 which are maneuvered with the help of the one in fig. 4 displayed software.

Fig. 4 viser en motor 35 som driver en aksel 37 med innstillbar ^hastighet, f.-eks. mellom 1 og 20 omdreininger pr. Fig. 4 shows a motor 35 which drives a shaft 37 with adjustable speed, e.g. between 1 and 20 revolutions per

minutt. Fire kamskiver 39, 41, -43 og 45 er fast montert på ak-selen. Kamskivene -samvirker ^ned hver sin mikrobryter 47, 49, 51 henholdsvis 53, hvorav mikrobryterne 47 qg 53 vises i sluttet stilling og de to andre i åpen stilling. Mikrobryterne styrer strøm-matningen fra en spenningskilde 55 til hver sin av kontaktorenes K1-K4 viklinger. Kamskivenes kamseksjoner er her utformet parvis slik at bare to mikrobrytere alltid er sluttet., dvs. at str.Ømmat-ning alltid skjer bare til to elektrodeseksjoner idet de to øv-rige .elektrodeseksjoner er spenningsløse. Dette oppnås ved at kamvinkelen for kamskiven 39 ikke går opp til fullt 270° samti- minute. Four cam discs 39, 41, -43 and 45 are permanently mounted on the axle belt. The cam disks each interact with microswitches 47, 49, 51 and 53 respectively, of which microswitches 47 and 53 are shown in the closed position and the other two in the open position. The microswitches control the power supply from a voltage source 55 to each of the contactors' K1-K4 windings. The cam sections of the cam discs are here designed in pairs so that only two micro-switches are always closed, i.e. that power supply always only occurs to two electrode sections, as the other two electrode sections are de-energized. This is achieved by the fact that the cam angle for the cam disc 39 does not go up to the full 270° at the same time

dig som kamvinkelen for den "komplementære kamskive 41 går opp til ikke fullt 90°. De gjensidig komplementære kamskiver 43 og 45 as the cam angle of the "complementary cam disc 41 goes up to not quite 90°. The mutually complementary cam discs 43 and 45

har hver en kamvinkel noe mindre enn 180°. each has a cam angle slightly less than 180°.

Om det skulle vise seg hensiktsmessig, er det mulig mellom trefasenettet RSTO og elektrodeseksjonene å innlegge spen-ningsregulatorer, ved hjelp av hvilke behandlingen kan reguleres såvel ved spenningsnivåstyring som ved intermitterende brytning av spenningen. Should it prove appropriate, it is possible to insert voltage regulators between the three-phase network RSTO and the electrode sections, with the help of which the treatment can be regulated both by voltage level control and by intermittent breaking of the voltage.

Claims

1. Process for heat treatment of foodstuffs, such as potatoes, in which the foodstuffs are placed in an electrolyte bath and alternating voltage is applied to electrodes in contact with the electrolyte so that electric current passes through it and the foodstuffs, characterized in that the electrical characteristics of the current treatment are varied for the foodstuffs as a whole under

the course of the treatment, preferably by lowering the applied effect.

2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the current flow treatment is carried out divided into a plurality of steps with mutually different electrical characteristics.

3. Method according to claim 1 or 2 for continuous processing of foodstuffs, characterized in that appropriate amounts of the materials and electrolyte, e.g. water, is filled in a plurality of vessels, and that the vessels are transported in turn by means of a transport device along a treatment route, and the objects in the vessels are subjected to electric current through treatment with electrical characteristics that vary along the transport path.

4. Method according to claim 3, characterized in that the vessels are provided with internal electrodes that are in contact with the filled electrolyte and are electrically connected to current collection devices accessible from the outside of the vessel, and that the current collection devices during the vessel's transport are brought into contact with current supply devices arranged along the transport path .

5. Method according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the vessels are emptied at a dispensing station and from this are returned to a filling station by the transport device designed as an endless conveyor.

6. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the voltage supply to the electrodes is interrupted intermittently.

7. Method according to claim 6 for continuous processing of foodstuffs, characterized in that the materials in turn pass through a plurality of processing steps, and the voltage supply is controlled below so that all processing steps are never voltage supplied at the same time.

8. Method according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the voltage supply is interrupted with a frequency between 1 and 20 times per minute, preferably approx. 10 times per minute.

9. Method according to one of claims 6-8, characterized in that the voltage supply is broken by means of a program with varying frequency.

10. Device for carrying out the method according to claims 1-3 for the treatment of foodstuffs, with direct current flow, characterized in that the device includes partly a transport device (1, 5, 7), partly a plurality of vessels (3) which in turn is transported by this, partly a device (9) for filling electrolyte in each vessel, partly a device (9) for filling a specific quantity of the material to be treated, in each vessel, and both filling devices are arranged at the transport device's transport path, partly a treatment section (11) along which the transport device guides the vessels (3), partly current supply means (15-27) which can be electrically connected to the electrolyte in the vessel (3) located on the treatment section (11), as well as partly control means by means of which current flow treatment's electrical characteristics are variable for each vessel during its movement along the treatment route.

11. Device according to claim 10, characterized in that the transport device is designed as an endless conveyor (1, 5, 7), which at a dispensing station (13) transports emptied vessels (3) back to the filling device (9).

12. Device according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that both filling devices are part of a common filling station (9).

13. Device according to one of claims 10-12, characterized in that the vessels (3) are provided with electrodes (19, 21) which are in contact with the electrolyte, and the electrodes are electrically connected (23, 25) with contact means (27) arranged on the tub's (3) outside, and that the current supply means comprise elongated contact rails (15) arranged along the treatment section, and against which the tub's contact members (27) slide during the tub's movement.

14. Device according to claim 13, characterized in that the contact rails (15a-d) are divided into a plurality of sections (A, B, C) with mutually different voltages.

15. Device according to claim 14, characterized in that the first contact section (A) has the highest voltage and that the following sections (B, c) have lower and lower voltage levels.