JP3106376B2 - Method for producing tofu in containers - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a method for producing tofu in a container.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a method of this kind, there are a step of filling a container with a mixture of soymilk and a coagulant, a step of heat-sealing the filled container with a lid, and heating the sealed container by heating. There is known a process comprising coagulating a mixed solution in a container into tofu.

[0003]

In the above method, when a lid is applied to a container, a mixed liquid may be caught in a seal portion between the container and the lid. If this is sealed as it is, a problem may occur in the sealing and peeling properties of the sealing portion.

In order to solve the above problem, FIG.
And the container and lid shown in FIG. container
41 is an upper polyethylene layer 41a and a lower polypropylene layer
41b. The lid 42 is made of a single-layer product of polypropylene. Immediately inside the sealing portion 43 of the container 41 and the lid 42, a cut 43 cut into the upper polyethylene layer 41a of the container 41 is formed.

When the lid 42 is lifted at the time of opening, the seal portion 43 is not peeled off, but the upper polyethylene layer 41a and the lower polypropylene layer 41b of the container 42 are peeled off.

[0006] The material of the container 41 as described above is relatively expensive, and therefore, the production cost of the tofu in the container is expensive.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to prevent a mixed solution from being caught in a seal portion of a container and a lid, to use an inexpensive material as a packaging material for a container and a lid, and to produce tofu in a container at low cost. It is an object of the present invention to provide a manufacturing method capable of performing the above.

[0008]

The method for producing a containered tofu according to the present invention comprises the steps of: filling a container with a mixture of soymilk and a coagulant; heat-sealing the container after filling with a lid; In the method for producing a tofu in a container, comprising heating the sealed container to solidify the mixed solution in the container and forming the tofu, the inside of the mixed solution in the container is solidified before the container is covered. The method is characterized in that the container is heated so as to solidify at least the outer surface of the container without causing the container to solidify.

The lid may have a downwardly projecting ridge for pattern formation.

[0010]

In the method for producing a containered tofu according to the present invention,
Before applying the lid to the container, the container is heated so that at least the outer surface of the mixture is solidified without coagulating the inside of the mixed solution in the container. Since at least the surface is solidified, there is no possibility that the mixed liquid is caught in the seal portion.

If the lid is formed with a downwardly projecting ridge for pattern formation, the ridge will bite into the solidified surface of the mixed solution in the container.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

First, a container and a lid will be described with reference to FIGS.

The container 11 is a single-layered product made of polypropylene, and has a flat rectangular bottom wall 21, a side wall 22 extending around the bottom wall 21 and extending upward, and an upper end of the side wall 22. It consists of a series of flanges 23. Near the upper end of the side wall 22, a stacking step 24 is provided.

The lid 12 is formed of a laminated material including an upper layer 12a and a lower layer 12b. The lid 12 is connected to a top wall 25 via a rising portion 26 at a peripheral edge of the top wall 25 and has a container flange 23.
And a heat-sealed flange 27. The upper layer 12a is made of polypropylene. Lower layer 12b
Is made of an easy-peelable plastic, for example, CMPS (trade name; Shinto Sero Corporation). A knob 27a is provided at a corner of the flange 27 located on one diagonal line.

On the top wall 25, a ridge 28 for forming a lattice pattern is formed. The ridge 28 has a V-shaped cross section and protrudes below the lower surface of the top wall 25.

A capping gap 29 is formed between the portion of the container side wall 22 above the step 24 and the rising portion 26 of the lid 12. The gap 29 is formed to allow a margin when capping the container 11 and the lid 12 so that the container 11 and the lid 12 can be easily covered.

At the time of opening, as shown in FIG.
When a is lifted, the lid 12 is easily peeled off from the container 11 by the easy peel property of the lower layer 12b.

Next, a method for producing tofu in a container will be described with reference to FIG.

(A) A container 11 is filled with a mixture of soymilk and a coagulant from a nozzle 31. The filling amount is such that the liquid level rises to just below the step 24 of the container 11. Soy milk obtained by the usual method,
After sterilization, they are stored in tanks. As a coagulant, glucono delta lactone, magnesium chloride, magnesium sulfate and the like are used. The coagulant is dissolved in clear water and stored as a solution in a tank separately from soymilk.

(B) The container 11 filled with the mixture is passed through a steam tunnel 32. The temperature of the tunnel 32 is 80 to 90 ° C., and the passage time is about 10 minutes. This allows the container
The inside of the liquid mixture in 11 does not solidify, and at least the surface outside coagulates. The degree of coagulation on the surface is in a semi-coagulated state that is not as hard as the hardness of the tofu when it finally becomes a product.

(C) Water is poured from the shower head 33 into the container 11 containing soy milk having a solidified surface. The temperature of the injection water is arbitrary. The amount of water injected depends on the
The air gap between the lid 11 and the lid 12 is set to an extent that can be eliminated. If an air layer is present between the container 11 and the lid 12, the remaining air expands due to heating in the subsequent coagulation step, and the lid 12 is deformed or the surface of the coagulated tofu becomes air layer. As a result, the surface of the tofu becomes uneven, and the appearance becomes very poor. In addition, water injection allows the container to be manufactured
Since there is no gap between the tofu 12 and the tofu 12, collapse of the tofu during transportation or the like is eliminated.

(D) Capping device 34 is placed in container 11 after water injection.
Cover 12 with. Then, the ridges 28 bite into the surface of the coagulated soymilk. At the time of capping, the surface of the mixed solution is solidified.
There is no danger of the mixture invading the water. When the ridges 28 bite into the surface of the coagulated soy milk, a groove is formed on the surface of the completed tofu. The groove serves as a guide when cutting the tofu.

(E) The lid 12 is sealed to the container 11 by pressing the heating plate 35 against the flanges 23, 27 of the container 11 and the lid 12, thereby sealing the container. At the time of sealing, since the mixed liquid is not caught between the flanges 23 and 27, the sealing strength of the sealing portion is set to a desired strength. (f) Pass the sealed container 11 into the steam chamber 36. The temperature in the chamber 36 is 95 ° C. or more, and the time required for passage is 20 minutes or more and about 30 minutes. Thereby, the mixture in the container 11 is completely coagulated and sterilized.

(G) Vessel 11 having passed through steam chamber 36
Is immersed in the cooling bath 37. The inside of the cooling tank 37 is maintained at 10 ° C. or less, and the immersion time is preferably 40 minutes or more. Thereby, the tofu 11 is cooled to a storage temperature of 10 ° C. or less,
A finished product, a tofu in a container, is obtained.

When the tofu in the container is opened, a pattern provided by the ridges 28 appears on the surface of the tofu.

If the container 11 is covered with the lid 12 and sealed without solidifying the surface of the mixed liquid, the mixed liquid may enter the capping gap 29. Container as it is
When the mixture is solidified by heating 11, the capping gap
The mixed solution that has entered 29 solidifies as it is. When opening the container, when the lid 12 is peeled off from the container 11, the thin plate-like tofu in the capping gap 29 is exposed. Then, the tofu is very unsightly, but for the above reasons, there is no fear.

In the above embodiment, the cross section of the ridge 28 is V
Instead of a character shape, for example, a U shape may be used. Further, instead of the ridges 28 of the grid strips, a pattern that appeals to the consumer who designed the character may be used.

[0029]

According to the present invention, when a lid is applied to a container,
Because at least the surface of the mixture in the container is solidified,
Since there is no danger that the mixed liquid will bite into the seal portion, an inexpensive material can be used as the packaging material for the container and the lid, and the tofu in the container can be manufactured at low cost.

Further, since the projections penetrate into the solidified surface of the mixed liquid in the container, a pattern can be formed on the surface of the obtained tofu without causing the mixed liquid to bite into the seal portion.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a container and a lid.

FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged sectional view of a container and a lid.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a container and a lid flange showing a part of FIG. 2 in an enlarged manner.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the container and the lid flange when opened.

FIG. 5 is a process chart showing a method for producing a containered tofu.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing a conventional example and corresponding to FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional example and corresponding to FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 11 Container 12 Lid 31 Filling nozzle 32 Steam nozzle 34 Capping device 35 Heating plate

Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Tetsuya Inuchi 10 No. 1 Nishikawa, Yasu, Taro, Kitajima-cho, Itano-gun, Tokushima Prefecture Inside Shikoku Kakoki Machinery Co., Ltd. (72) Shoichi Takeoka, Taro Yasu, Kita-machi, Itano-gun, Tokushima Prefecture No. 10 at No. 1 in Shikoku Kakoki Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Akihito Ukai Ten No. 10 Taro Yasu, Nishikawa, Kitajima-cho, Itano-gun, Tokushima Prefecture Inside of Shikoku Kako Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Takahiro Sawabuchi Tokushima No.10, Nishikawa, Taro, Yasushi-cho, Kitajima-cho, Itano-gun, Japan Inside Shikoku Kakoki Co., Ltd. (56) References JP-A-3-76554 (JP, A) JP-A-61-177959 (JP, A) JP-A-62-257358 (JP, A) JP-A-59-91853 (JP, A) JP-A-57-198055 (JP, A) Full-scale application Showa 60-182366 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int) .Cl. ⁷ , DB name) A23L 1/20

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A step of filling a mixed liquid of soymilk and a coagulant into a container, a step of heat-sealing the filled container with a lid, and a step of heating the sealed container to coagulate the mixed liquid in the container. In the method for producing tofu in a container, comprising a step of making tofu, before applying a lid to the container, without coagulating the inside of the mixed solution in the container, coagulating at least the outer surface of the mixture. A method for producing tofu in a container, comprising heating the container. 2. The method for producing tofu in a container according to claim 1, wherein a downward ridge for pattern formation is formed on the lid.