JP7013029B2 - Rapid water washing / cooling method and equipment for eggplant steamed noodles - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for rapidly washing and cooling eggplant-steamed noodles. More specifically, the present invention is capable of efficiently and rapidly washing and cooling eggplant-steamed noodles with a compact configuration.・ It is related to the cooling method and equipment.

In the continuous boiling / steaming device for cooked noodles, the noodles are washed and cooled with water after cooking to remove slime, and the product temperature is lowered to extend the storage period and improve the quality. Most of the conventional continuous boiling / steaming devices are composed of one water washing tank and cooling tanks arranged in two or three stages above and below (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-87074, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-87074). 2005-111134).

FIG. 7 shows a configuration example of a conventional continuous boiling / steaming apparatus, which consists of one water washing tank 4 and cooling tanks 5 to 7 arranged in three stages, and is the third in the uppermost stage. Cold water at 2 ° C. is supplied to one end of the cooling tank 7, and cold water warmed to about 8 ° C. is supplied from the other end to one end of the second cooling tank 6 at the lower stage, and about 18 from the other end. The cold water having reached the temperature of about 28 ° C. is supplied to one end of the first cooling tank 5 at the lower stage thereof, and the cold water having reached about 28 ° C. is supplied from the other end to the washing tank 4 located below the temperature. It has become so.

In the case of this device, the noodle mass 1 (about 98 ° C.) that has undergone the boiling process is put into each noodle mass storage frame of the bucket 3 that circulates in large numbers (the temperature drops to about 85 ° C. at that stage), and the noodle mass 1 is generated. The stored bucket 3 is immersed in the water washing tank 4 for about 20 seconds, and passes through the water washing tank 4 as it is for about 20 seconds. As the noodles pass through the washing tank 4, the noodle mass 1 in the bucket 3 is washed with water, and the temperature thereof drops to about 38 ° C.

The bucket 3 that has passed through the water washing tank 4 and exited from the water washing tank 4 is moved into the adjacent first cooling tank 5, immersed in cold water at about 28 ° C., and remains as it is in the first cooling tank for about 70 seconds. Passing through 5, the temperature drops to about 25 ° C. in the meantime.

The bucket 3 that has passed through the first cooling tank 5 and exited from the end of the first cooling tank 5 is pulled upward and guided into the second cooling tank 6 arranged above the first cooling tank 5. It is then immersed in cold water at about 18 ° C. Next, the bucket 3 immersed in the cold water moves in the second cooling tank 6 in the opposite direction to the first cooling tank 5 over about 50 seconds as it is, and during that time, it is cooled to about 13 ° C. and the second. Exit the cooling tank 6.

The bucket 3 that has passed through the second cooling tank 6 and exited from the end of the second cooling tank 6 is further pulled upward into the third cooling tank 7 arranged above the second cooling tank 5. It is guided and immersed in cold water at about 8 ° C. Next, the bucket 3 immersed in the cold water moves in the third cooling tank 7 in the opposite direction to the second cooling tank 6 over about 50 seconds as it is, and during that time, reaches the product temperature of about 8 ° C. It is cooled and exits the third cooling tank 7.

Since the number of viable bacteria tends to increase in the washing / cooling area, sufficient hygiene management is required. For this reason, in recent years, a fully automatic CIP cleaning device (a system that automatically cleans the inside of the device with a cleaning agent without disassembling the device, also called clean-in-place cleaning) is used by covering the entire device. The number of examples of provision is increasing. Therefore, in combination with the multi-stage configuration of the cooling tank, there is a problem that the entire device becomes large, a large space is required for its installation, and the cost increases.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-87074 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-111134

As mentioned above, in the case of the conventional continuous boiling / steaming device that wash and cool the noodles after cooking, the cooling layer has a three-dimensional structure with multiple stages, and the entire device is covered to make it fully automatic. Since a CIP cleaning device is often attached, there is a problem that the entire device becomes large, a large installation space is required, the cost increases, and it takes time to reduce the temperature to the product temperature.

The present invention has been made to solve such a problem in the prior art, can be provided at a relatively low cost with a simple structure, and can efficiently wash and cool noodles after cooking with high quality. An object of the present invention is to provide a method and an apparatus for rapidly washing and cooling steamed noodles with boiled noodles.

The invention according to claim 1 for solving the above-mentioned problems is a washing tank for washing noodle lumps stored in a transport bucket after cooking with water while transporting the noodles in water, and the invention while being stored in the bucket. The noodle mass transferred from the water washing tank is composed of one cooling tank that is water-cooled while being transported, and the cooling tank is a bucket that repeats the operation of lifting the bucket being transported onto the water surface and the operation of immersing it in water. It is a quick water washing / cooling device for steamed noodles with an elevating mechanism.
The bucket elevating mechanism includes a cover that straddles the cooling tank, a sprocket that meshes with the bucket chain from above and a sprocket that meshes with the bucket chain from below, which is pivotally attached to the shaft support plates on both sides of the cover. It is a quick water washing / cooling device for steamed noodles with sprocket .

In one embodiment, in the bucket elevating mechanism, the intermediate portion of the cover is suspended by a drive shaft extending in the length direction of the cooling tank, and the action of the drive shaft reciprocates in the length direction of the cooling tank. Will be done. Preferably, a slide screw mechanism is adopted for the drive shaft and the suspension portion of the cover suspended by the drive shaft.

In one embodiment, the cover is provided with a rinse spray nozzle and a detergent nozzle toward the bucket.

The present invention is as described above. After the cooked noodle mass is washed with water while being stored in the transport bucket, the bucket is lifted onto the water surface and immersed in water during transport in the cooling tank. In order to repeat the operation, the noodle mass in the bucket is lifted above the surface of the water to drain the water and promote the peeling of slime, and by being soaked downward, it is agitated in the bucket and is mixed with the surrounding cold water. Since the contact is promoted, there is an effect of improving the cooling efficiency.

Further, the rapid water washing / cooling device for steamed noodles according to the present invention has an effect that it can be carried out by using an existing cooling tank. In the invention according to claim 6, the cover is rinsed toward the bucket. Since the spray nozzle and the detergent nozzle are arranged, there is an effect that the device is equipped with a simple CIP.

It is a simplified block diagram of one Embodiment of the rapid water washing / cooling apparatus of eggplant steamed noodles which concerns on this invention. It is a block diagram of the main part of one Embodiment of the rapid water washing / cooling apparatus of eggplant steamed noodles which concerns on this invention. FIG. 3 is a plan view of a main part of an embodiment of a rapid water washing / cooling device for eggplant-steamed noodles according to the present invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the bucket elevating mechanism in the rapid water washing / cooling apparatus of eggplant steamed noodles which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the operation of the bucket elevating mechanism in the rapid water washing / cooling apparatus of eggplant steamed noodles which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the operation of the bucket elevating mechanism in the rapid water washing / cooling apparatus of eggplant steamed noodles which concerns on this invention. It is a simplified block diagram which shows an example of the rapid water washing / cooling apparatus of the conventional eggplant steamed noodles.

The embodiment for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the method for rapidly washing and cooling eggplant-steamed noodles according to the present invention, the cooked noodle mass is washed with water in a state of being stored in a transport bucket, and then the bucket is lifted onto the water surface during transport in a cooling tank. It is characterized by cooling by repeating the operation and the operation of immersion in water.

The peeling of the slime is promoted, and the lower dip is agitated in the bucket to promote the contact with the surrounding cold water, so that the cooling efficiency is improved.

The rapid water washing / cooling device for eggplant-steamed noodles according to the present invention is for carrying out the above method, and as shown in FIG. 1, the noodle mass 11 stored in the transport bucket 13 after cooking is cooked. It is composed of one water washing tank 14 that is washed with water while being transported in water, and one cooling tank 15 that is water-cooled while transporting the noodle mass 11 that is transferred from the water washing tank 14 while being stored in the bucket 13.

The configuration of the device according to the present invention is not much different from the structure of the conventional device until it passes through the washing tank 4. That is, the cooked noodle mass 11 is put into the transport bucket 13 in predetermined amounts via the horizontally long framed hopper 12, is transported while being immersed in the water of the water washing tank 14, and is washed with water in the process. The bucket 13 is divided into, for example, eight frames, and one serving of noodle mass 11 is put into each frame. As the bucket chain 17 for transporting the bucket 13, a chain with a pin is usually used, and the pin is inserted into the pivot hole of the bucket shaft 18 projecting from both end faces of the bucket 13, so that the bucket 13 is inserted. It is attached to the bucket chain 17 (see FIGS. 5 and 6).

In the case of the apparatus according to the present invention, the noodle mass 11 coming out of the washing tank 14 is sent to the adjacent cooling tank 15 and passes through the cooling tank 15 to complete the cooling. It is characterized by including a bucket elevating mechanism 20 that repeats an operation of lifting the bucket 13 being transported onto the water surface and an operation of immersing the bucket 13 in water.

The bucket elevating mechanism 20 includes a cover 21 that straddles the cooling tank 15 in the width direction, and sprockets 23 and 24 that are pivotally supported by the plates 22 on both sides of the cover 21 (see particularly FIG. 4). The sprocket 23 meshes with the bucket chain 17 from above, and the sprocket 24 meshes with the bucket chain 17 from below. Usually, one sprocket 24 that meshes from the lower side is arranged between the pair of sprockets 23, 23 that mesh from the upper side. The sprocket shaft 25 of the sprocket 23, 23 is a series extending in the width direction of the cooling tank 15 (see FIG. 5), but the sprocket shaft 25 of the sprocket 24 is a cantilever type to avoid contact with the bucket 13. (See Fig. 6). As will be described later, the bucket chain 17 will be lifted by the sprocket 24 that meshes from below.

The bucket elevating mechanism 20 is supported by the drive shaft 31 by suspending the suspension portion 32 provided at the intermediate position of the cover 21 by the drive shaft 31 extending in the length direction of the cooling tank 15. Then, the bucket elevating mechanism 20 is reciprocated in the length direction of the cooling tank 15 by the action of the drive shaft 31. For example, a slide screw mechanism can be adopted for the suspension portion 32 of the drive shaft 31 and the cover 21. This slide screw is a drive device that converts rotary motion into linear motion by effectively utilizing the friction between the radial ball bearing incorporated in the bearing block (suspension section 32) and the round shaft (drive shaft 31). By rotating the round shaft, linear motion is realized according to the contact angle between the round shaft and the outer ring of the bearing. This slide screw is suitable for long stroke applications.

As shown in FIGS. .. Then, one end of the drive shaft 31 protrudes from the shaft support plate 33 and is connected to the rotary drive motor 35. Instead of the structure of the slide screw, the suspension holding portion 32 may be formed of a box-shaped nut, and the screw shaft (drive shaft 31) may be screwed into the box-shaped nut.

In a preferred embodiment, the cover 21 is provided with a rinse spray nozzle 37 toward the bucket 13 and a detergent nozzle 38 such as foam foam. By disposing the rinse spray nozzle 37 and the detergent nozzle 38 in this way, the device is equipped with a simple CIP.

Reference numerals 41 and 42 are sprockets that act so that the bucket 13 is immersed in water in the washing tank 14, and reference numerals 43 and 44 act so that the bucket 13 is immersed in water in the cooling tank 15. It is a sprocket, and reference numerals 45 to 47 are cold water supply showers.

In the case of the rapid water washing / cooling device for eggplant steamed noodles according to the present invention having the above configuration, the flow is the same as that of the conventional device shown in FIG. 7 until it passes through the water washing tank 14. That is, the boiled noodle mass 11 (about 98 ° C.) is put into each frame of the bucket 13 that circulates in large numbers via the framed hopper 12 (at that stage, the temperature drops to about 85 ° C.). The bucket 13 containing the noodle mass 11 is immersed in the water of the water washing tank 14 and passes through the water washing tank 14 as it is for about 20 seconds. As the noodles pass through the washing tank 14, the noodle mass 11 in the bucket 13 is washed with water, and the temperature thereof drops to about 38 ° C.

The bucket 13 that has passed through the washing tank 14 and exited from the washing tank 14 is moved into the adjacent cooling tank 15 and immersed in cold water at about 28 ° C., and then passes through the cooling tank 15 as it is for about 70 seconds. , Pulled up from the end. At that time, the temperature of the noodle mass 11 in the bucket 13 drops to about 8 ° C., which is the product temperature.

In the process of passing through the cooling tank 15, each bucket 13 intersects with the bucket elevating mechanism 20. That is, assuming that the bucket elevating mechanism 20 is stationary, the bucket chain 17 of the bucket 13 first arrives at the sprocket 23 portion on the front side of the bucket elevating mechanism 20 as it advances. Since the sprocket 23 on the front side meshes with the bucket chain 17 from above, the bucket chain 17 passes under the sprocket 23 (see FIG. 5). Therefore, the bucket 13 is kept immersed in the cooling water until it passes through the sprocket 23.

The bucket chain 17 then reaches the intermediate sprocket 24 portion, but since the intermediate sprocket 24 meshes with the bucket chain 17 from below, the bucket chain 17 is pulled up to pass above the sprocket 24 and into it. Along with this, the bucket 13 is lifted above the water surface (see FIG. 6). Along with the movement, the noodle mass 11 in the bucket 13 is drained and the slime peeling is promoted.

The bucket chain 17 that has passed over the sprocket 24 is pulled down by the sprocket 23a that meshes from above, and the bucket 13 is immersed in the cooling water again. When the bucket 13 is soaked downward in this way, the noodle mass 11 is agitated in the bucket 13 and contact with the surrounding cold water is promoted, so that the noodle mass 11 is efficiently cooled. The bucket 13 moves up and down by the diameter of the sprocket 24.

The above description is based on the assumption that the bucket elevating mechanism 20 is stationary. In that case, the bucket 13 moves up and down only once, but the bucket elevating mechanism 20 actually has a drive shaft. Since it is driven by 31 and reciprocates along the drive shaft 31, the bucket 13 moves up and down many times. The number of times is proportional to the number of reciprocating movements of the bucket elevating mechanism 20. However, when the traveling speed of the bucket 13 (bucket chain 17) is high, the number of immersions is relatively reduced, and the water washing effect and the water cooling effect are also reduced. Therefore, the traveling speed of the bucket 13 (bucket chain 17) is preferably set. Need to be adjusted.

It was confirmed that when the traveling speed of the bucket 13 (bucket chain 17) was set to the same level as that of the conventional device, the washing / cooling effect was about 2.6 times that of the conventional device. Further, as a washing effect in the cooling tank 15, the slime on the surface of the noodles is satisfactorily removed, so that the growth of bacteria can be suppressed during the product distribution period. Further, in the case of the method and apparatus according to the present invention, in order to improve the washing / cooling efficiency, the sterilized noodles after cooking reach the sterilization temperature range in a short time, and the surface of the noodles comes into contact with water. Since the time required for cooking is shortened, the rise in water content is reduced, the environment exposed to germs is minimized, the quality of the finished product is improved, and the expiration date is extended.

Further, by improving the cooling efficiency, the approach temperature of the cold water and the noodles can be brought close to each other, so that the product temperature can be lowered without lowering the cold water supply temperature to the ice temperature. As a result, the burden on the water cooler is reduced, which leads to energy saving. In addition, reducing the number of cooling tanks means that the contaminated area will be reduced if turned inside out, so that the power for operating the system can be reduced and the burden of hygiene management can be reduced.

Furthermore, by mounting a simple CIP, that is, by disposing the rinse spray nozzle 37 toward the bucket 13 and the detergent nozzle 38 on the cover 21, both nozzles 37 and 38 are reciprocated while the bucket elevating mechanism 20 is reciprocated. By operating the above, it is possible to wash the inside of the bucket 13, the bucket chain 17, and the cooling tank 15 evenly to every corner. At the time of cleaning, the scattering of cleaning droplets is suppressed to some extent by the cover 21, so that it is not necessary to cover the entire device with a large cover, and an open type CIP can be used, and the amount of detergent and cleaning water used. There is a merit that can be suppressed.

The method and apparatus for rapid water washing / cooling of steamed noodles with boiled noodles according to the present invention are as described above, and can be introduced at low cost because they can be carried out using an existing cooling tank with a simple configuration and can be heated. The cooked noodle mass is washed with water while being stored in the transport bucket, and then moved up and down during transport in the cooling tank to drain the water and promote the peeling of slime. Therefore, the contact with the surrounding cold water is promoted, which has the effect of improving the cooling efficiency, and the effect of mounting a simple CIP can be obtained, and its industrial applicability is great.

11 Noodle mass
13 Bucket 14 Water washing tank 15 Cooling tank 17 Bucket chain 20 Bucket elevating mechanism 21 Bar 22 Shaft support plate 23,24 Sprocket 25,26 Sprocket shaft 31 Drive shaft 32 Suspended part 35 Motor 37 Rinse spray nozzle 38 Detergent nozzle

Claims (4)

One water washing tank in which the noodle mass stored in the transport bucket after cooking is washed with water while being transported in water, and the noodle mass transferred from the water washing tank while being stored in the bucket are water-cooled while being transported. The cooling tank is composed of one cooling tank, and is a rapid water washing / cooling device for eggplant-steamed noodles equipped with a bucket elevating mechanism that repeats an operation of lifting the bucket on the water surface and an operation of immersing the bucket in water. hand,
The bucket elevating mechanism includes a cover that straddles the cooling tank, a sprocket that meshes with the bucket chain from above and a sprocket that meshes with the bucket chain from below, which is pivotally attached to the shaft support plates on both sides of the cover. A quick water washing / cooling device for steamed noodles with sprocket . The bucket elevating mechanism is claimed 1 . Quick water washing / cooling device for steamed noodles with the boiled rice described in. The quick water washing / cooling device for eggplant-steamed noodles according to claim 2 , wherein the drive shaft and the suspension portion of the cover suspended by the drive shaft are a slide screw mechanism. The rapid water washing / cooling device for boiled steamed noodles according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein a rinse spray nozzle toward the bucket and a foam foam detergent nozzle are arranged on the cover.

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