JP7066145B2 - Beverage manufacturing system and beverage manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a beverage production system and a beverage production method for producing a beverage typified by milk, fruit juice, or the like.

As is conventionally known, beverages such as milk and fruit juice have particles that affect the taste and smell of the beverage. For example, milk has fat globules having a particle size of about 1 to 10 μm in the liquid, and for example, fruit juice has colloidal dietary fiber such as pectin. Since these particles change the taste and smell of the beverage depending on their size, they may be subjected to a treatment to make the particle size of these particles uniform in the process of manufacturing the beverage.

As a device for performing such a homogenization process, there is a homogenizer called a homogenizer, and a beverage manufacturing system incorporating the device into a manufacturing process has been well known. There are various devices for the homogenizer. For example, the ultra-high pressure continuous homogenizer described in Patent Document 1 provides a reciprocal plunger that reciprocates from the liquid supply position to the liquid distribution position to supply the liquid to the pressure chamber at ultra-high pressure. In preparation for this, the plunger is moved forward and backward to suck and pressurize the liquid, and the liquid supplied under pressure passes through the homogenizing valve, so that particles having a large particle size are crushed and homogenized as fine particles. do.

By the way, beverages need to be sterilized in the manufacturing process. There is also a method of mixing chemicals as a sterilization method, but in oral beverages, mixing with other liquids is avoided, for example, in milk, mixing with other liquids is prohibited by law. Therefore, heat treatment is generally used as a method for sterilizing beverages. As sterilization by heat treatment, for example, Patent Document 2 describes an ultra-high temperature sterilization method (UHT method).

However, the method of heating a beverage has a problem that the beverage itself is modified by heat, which not only deteriorates the taste and smell but also destroys nutrients. In particular, pasteurization makes it possible to sterilize heat-resistant bacteria that cannot be killed by pasteurization, but not only does the quality of beverages deteriorate significantly, but the effects of nutrient destruction and alteration are also significant. For example, in the ultra-high temperature instant sterilization method for milk, vitamins D and E contained in raw milk are lost, ionic calcium is transformed into indigestible colloidal calcium, and most of the digestible whey protein is deteriorated. It contains many problems such as a decrease in some of the amino acids.

In order to solve such a problem of heat sterilization, it has been proposed to contain ultrafine bubbles such as nano-sized bubbles in the liquid. That is, the bactericidal effect of the ultrafine bubbles is applied to the beverage to provide a safe beverage. For example, the drinking water generator and the like shown in Patent Document 3 are intended to maintain bactericidal and antibacterial properties for a long time by allowing a gas to exist as nano-sized bubbles.

Special Table 2007-532292 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2009-183311 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2011-62669

However, the apparatus and the like described in Cited Document 3 have the main purpose of sterilizing water, and do not describe a beverage manufacturing system in which a homogenizing apparatus is used. Further, in general, it was unthinkable to incorporate an ultrafine bubble generating device into a beverage manufacturing system using a homogenizing device to perform sterilization treatment.

(1) A beverage manufacturing system including a homogenizing device for introducing a beverage and crushing particles in the beverage to equalize the particle size, and an ultrafine bubble generating device capable of generating ultrafine bubbles in the beverage. The homogenizing device is provided with a micronizing unit that crushes and refines the particles, and the gas is introduced into the micronizing unit together with the beverage, and the micronizing unit passes the gas together with the beverage. , The gas in the liquid is crushed to generate fine bubbles, and the ultrafine bubble generator is characterized in that ultrafine bubbles are generated from the fine bubbles generated in the micronized portion.

In this beverage manufacturing system, the gas introduced together with the beverage into the homogenizer is crushed together with the particles in the beverage by the micronizing unit to generate fine bubbles. The generated fine bubbles are converted into ultrafine bubbles having a smaller particle size by the ultrafine bubble generator. Therefore, in the beverage manufacturing system according to the present invention, fine bubbles are generated by the homogenizing device, and by converting these into ultrafine bubbles, the bactericidal effect by utilizing the energy for generating the ultrafine bubbles is efficient and. Beverages can be sterilized while suppressing deterioration in quality.

(2) In the beverage manufacturing system, the ultrafine bubble generating device stores a bubble crushing portion that crushes the fine bubbles by ultrasonic waves and a bubble-containing beverage containing the ultrafine bubbles crushed by the bubble crushing portion. A storage portion may be provided, and the miniaturization portion may be provided upstream of the bubble crushing portion.

According to such a beverage manufacturing system, the fine bubbles generated by the micronized portion are crushed by the bubble crushing portion and converted into ultrafine bubbles, and the bubble-containing beverage containing the ultrafine bubbles is stored in the storage portion. As a result, in this beverage manufacturing system, in addition to the antibacterial action of ultrafine bubbles, other physical sterilization actions such as sterilization by ultrasonic irradiation and sterilization by high pressure application are combined, and a low temperature holding sterilization method called pasturization is performed. (LTLT method: 63 ° C-30 minutes heat sterilization method), high temperature short time sterilization method (HTST method: 72 ° C-78 ° C-15 seconds heat sterilization method), ultra-high sterilization method (UHT method: 135 ° C- A sufficient sterilizing effect equal to or higher than that of (a method of heat sterilizing at 150 ° C. for 0.5 to 15 seconds) can be expected.

(3) On the other hand, in the beverage manufacturing system, the ultrafine bubble generating device includes a storage unit for crushing the fine bubbles by ultrasonic waves and storing a bubble-containing beverage containing the crushed ultrafine bubbles. The miniaturized portion may be provided upstream of the storage portion.

According to such a beverage manufacturing system, the fine bubbles generated by the micronized portion are crushed by the reservoir and converted into ultrafine bubbles, and the bubble-containing beverage containing the ultrafine bubbles is stored in the reservoir as it is. To. As a result, in this beverage manufacturing system, in addition to the antibacterial action of ultrafine bubbles, other physical sterilization actions such as sterilization by ultrasonic irradiation and sterilization by high pressure application are combined, and a low temperature holding sterilization method called pasturization is performed. (LTLT method: 63 ° C-30 minutes heat sterilization method), high temperature short time sterilization method (HTST method: 72 ° C-78 ° C-15 seconds heat sterilization method), ultra-high sterilization method (UHT method: 135 ° C- A sufficient sterilizing effect equal to or higher than that of (a method of heat sterilizing at 150 ° C. for 0.5 to 15 seconds) can be expected.

(4) In the beverage manufacturing system, the ultrafine bubble generating device further includes a bubble generating section upstream of the bubble crushing section, and the micronizing section is provided upstream of the bubble generating section. It may have been.

According to such a beverage manufacturing system, the bubble-containing beverage generated by the micronization section passes through the bubble generation section, so that bubbles having a large particle size that are not fine bubbles are also sheared, crushed, etc. to be uniform. A bubble-containing beverage having fine fine bubbles is produced. Since the bubble crushing portion is supplied with a uniform fine bubble-containing beverage, ultrafine bubbles can be reliably and efficiently generated.

(5) On the other hand, in the beverage manufacturing system, the fine bubbles generated in the micronization section may be supplied to the bubble crushing section as they are. By doing so, the bubble generation unit becomes unnecessary, and an inexpensive manufacturing system can be constructed.

(6) The beverage manufacturing system may be provided with a recursive flow path for recurring the bubble-containing beverage stored in the storage unit to the miniaturization unit. By doing so, the bubble-containing beverage will circulate in a cycle of being crushed by ultrafine bubbles, and a bubble-containing beverage containing bubbles of a desired particle size can be reliably produced. In addition to the antibacterial action of ultrafine bubbles, other physical sterilization such as sterilization by ultrasonic irradiation and sterilization by high pressure application can be performed multiple times, and a sufficient sterilization effect can be expected.

(7) In another beverage manufacturing system according to the present invention, a homogenizing unit into which a beverage is introduced to homogenize particles in the beverage and an ultrafine bubble generating unit capable of generating ultrafine bubbles in the beverage are provided. The homogenizing section is provided with a gas introduced together with the beverage and passed through the gas together with the beverage to generate fine bubbles, and the ultrafine bubble generating section is superposed from the fine bubbles generated by the homogenizing section. It is characterized by generating fine bubbles.

In this beverage manufacturing system, the gas introduced with the beverage is homogenized with the particles in the beverage at the homogenizing section to generate fine bubbles. The generated fine bubbles are converted into ultrafine bubbles having a smaller particle size by the ultrafine bubble generation unit. Therefore, in the beverage manufacturing system according to the present invention, fine bubbles are generated by the homogenizing portion, and by converting these into ultrafine bubbles, the bactericidal effect by utilizing the energy to generate the ultrafine bubbles is efficient and quality. Beverages can be sterilized by suppressing the decrease in energy.

(8) Another beverage manufacturing system according to the present invention includes a homogenizing portion into which a beverage is introduced and homogenizes particles in the beverage, and a bubble crushing portion in which fine bubbles are crushed by ultrasonic waves. The homogenizing portion introduces a gas together with the beverage, and by passing the gas together with the beverage, the gas in the liquid is crushed to generate fine bubbles, and the bubble crushing portion is the fine particles generated by the homogenizing portion. It is characterized by generating ultrafine bubbles from bubbles.

In this beverage manufacturing system, the gas introduced together with the beverage into the homogenizing unit is homogenized with the particles in the beverage by the homogenizing unit to generate fine bubbles. The generated fine bubbles are crushed by ultrasonic waves and converted into ultrafine bubbles having a smaller particle size. Therefore, in the beverage manufacturing system according to the present invention, fine bubbles are generated by the homogenizing portion, and by converting these into ultrafine bubbles, the bactericidal effect by utilizing the energy to generate the ultrafine bubbles is efficient and quality. Beverages can be sterilized by suppressing the decrease in energy.

(9) In another beverage manufacturing system according to the present invention, a homogenizing device for introducing a beverage and dispersing and homogenizing particles in the beverage, and ultrafine bubble generation capable of generating ultrafine bubbles in the beverage. It is characterized by being provided with a device. In this beverage manufacturing system, the beverage is homogenized, and after the particles in the beverage are dispersed and homogenized, the ultrafine bubbles are generated by the ultrafine bubble generator. Therefore, in this beverage manufacturing system, the beverage having uniform particles can be sterilized efficiently and without deterioration of quality due to the sterilizing effect by utilizing the energy for generating ultrafine bubbles.

(10) In the beverage manufacturing method according to the present invention, a homogenizing device into which a beverage is introduced to disperse and homogenize the particles in the beverage, and ultrafine bubbles that generate ultrafine bubbles in the beverage in which the particles are homogenized are used. A beverage manufacturing system equipped with a generator is used. This method for producing a beverage comprises introducing a gas together with the beverage into the homogenizing device, irradiating the homogenized beverage with ultrasonic waves, and crushing bubbles in the beverage.

In this beverage production method, the gas introduced into the homogenizer together with the beverage is pulverized together with the particles in the beverage to generate fine bubbles. The generated fine bubbles are converted into ultrafine bubbles having a smaller particle size by the ultrafine bubble generator. Therefore, in the beverage manufacturing method according to the present invention, fine bubbles are generated by the homogenizing device, and by converting the fine bubbles into ultrafine bubbles, the beverage can be sterilized efficiently and without deterioration of quality.

An object of the present invention is to provide a sterilized beverage that is efficient and suppresses deterioration in quality.

It is a figure which shows the functional block of the beverage manufacturing system which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the high pressure application part of the homogenization apparatus of the beverage manufacturing system shown in FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows the miniaturized part of the homogenizing apparatus of the beverage manufacturing system shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the bubble generation part of the beverage manufacturing system shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the bubble generator of the beverage manufacturing system shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the bubble crushing part of the beverage manufacturing system shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the storage part of the beverage manufacturing system shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the functional block of the beverage manufacturing system which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the functional block of the beverage manufacturing system which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the functional block of the beverage manufacturing system which concerns on 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the storage part which concerns on the modification of the beverage manufacturing system, (A) is a plan view, (B) is a sectional view of BB of (A). The bubble-containing liquid introduction port of the storage portion of FIG. 11 is shown, (A) is a front view of the bubble-containing liquid introduction port, and (B) is a side view of the bubble-containing liquid introduction port.

[First Embodiment]

The beverage manufacturing system 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7. The beverage manufacturing system 100 performs homogenization of particles in the beverage, removal of dissolved oxygen, sterilization of the beverage, and the like in producing a beverage typified by milk, fruit juice, and the like. In this embodiment, the production of milk containing particles such as fat globules will be mainly described. However, the beverage manufacturing system 100 may be applied to other beverages.

FIG. 1 shows a functional block diagram of the beverage manufacturing system 100. The beverage manufacturing system 100 mainly includes a homogenizing device 110 for homogenizing the beverage, an ultrafine bubble generating device 120 for generating bubbles in the beverage, and a degassing device 130 for degassing the dissolved oxygen in the beverage.

Further, the beverage manufacturing system 100 includes a beverage introduction unit 140 that introduces the beverage into the homogenizing device 110, a gas introducing unit 150 that introduces the gas into the homogenizing device 110 and the ultrafine bubble generation device 120, and an extraction unit that takes out the beverage to the outside. It includes 160, a cooling unit 170 that supplies cooling water to each unit, a pressurizing unit 180 that pressurizes a storage unit 123 described later in the ultrafine bubble generation device 120, and a discharging unit 190 that discharges a beverage to the outside.

In the present embodiment, the beverage introduction unit 140 can introduce raw milk, and the gas introduction unit 150 can introduce carbon dioxide gas. However, the beverage introduction unit 140 may be capable of introducing other beverages such as fruit juice in addition to the raw milk, and the gas introduction unit 150 may be able to introduce oxygen gas, nitric oxide gas, nitrogen gas, or the like. Often, various gases may be switched and introduced.

Each device and each part of the beverage manufacturing system 100 is managed by the control unit 101 that centrally manages the beverage manufacturing system 100. The control unit 101 may control the beverage manufacturing system 100 in cooperation with an external control device or the like. Further, each part of the beverage manufacturing system 100 may be controlled by another control device or the like.

[Uniformizer]

The homogenizer 110 is a so-called high-pressure valve-type homogenizer (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-17623). Therefore, the homogenizing device 110 applies a high pressure to the introduced beverage by a so-called plunger pump, and ejects the beverage from a fine gap of a homovalve provided in the flow path. At that time, the particles in the beverage are crushed and made fine by colliding and shearing in the gap. As a result, among the particles in the beverage, those having a relatively large particle size are made finer and dispersed and homogenized. That is, the homogenizing device 110 homogenizes the particles in the beverage by crushing them into fine particles.

In the present embodiment, the beverage is introduced into the homogenizing device 110 from the beverage introduction unit 140, and the gas is introduced from the gas introduction unit 150. In the present embodiment, milk (raw milk) is introduced as a beverage, and carbon dioxide gas is introduced as a gas. The beverage and gas are introduced into the high pressure application unit 111 via a gas-liquid mixer (not shown) and pass through the miniaturization unit 119 to refine the particles and bubbles in the beverage.

FIG. 2 is a schematic side sectional view showing a high pressure application unit 111 of the homogenizing device 110 of the beverage manufacturing system 100. As will be described later, the high pressure application unit 111 can apply a high pressure to the beverage by moving the plunger 112 forward and backward in the cylinder block 113.

The high pressure application unit 111 includes an introduction path 114 into which a beverage mixed with gas is introduced (from the paper surface direction in FIG. 2), a discharge valve 115 connected to the introduction path 114, and a downstream of the discharge valve 115 (in FIG. 2). It is connected to the pressurized space 116 provided in the upper side), the plunger 112 that can move back and forth in the pressurized space 116, the sanction valve 117 provided downstream of the pressurized space 116, and the sanction valve 117. It is provided with a lead-out path 118 for deriving the beverage (toward the paper surface direction of FIG. 2).

In the present embodiment, the introduction path 114 introduces the beverage from the spine direction of the paper. Further, the lead-out path 118 leads out the beverage in the direction of the paper. Further, the discharge valve 115 and the sanction valve 117 function as check valves that allow only the flow from the introduction path 114 to the lead path 118 (flow from the lower side to the upper side in FIG. 2). Further, the plunger 112 is coupled to a drive mechanism (not shown) that reciprocates (in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 2) in the pressurized space 116 provided in the cylinder block 113. The drive mechanism is composed of a cam, a motor, and the like.

The pressurized space 116 is pressurized by the plunger 112 moving forward in the pressurized space 116 in a state where the beverage is introduced into the pressurized space 116 from the introduction path 114 via the discharge valve 115. The pressurized beverage is led out to the lead-out path 118 via the sanction valve 117 in a state where a high pressure is applied. At this time, the discharge valve 115 does not return the beverage pressurized by the function of the check valve to the introduction path 114.

On the other hand, when the plunger 112 moves backward from the pressure space 116, the pressure is reduced in the pressure space 116. As a result, the beverage is introduced from the introduction path 114 again via the discharge valve 115. At this time, the sanction valve 117 does not return the beverage derived by the function of the check valve to the pressurized space 116.

By such a reciprocating motion of the plunger 112, the high pressure application unit 111 can supply the beverage on which the high pressure acts from the lead-out path 118. In the present embodiment, the pressure of the forward movement of the plunger 112 can be up to 50 MPa, and a high pressure of up to 50 MPa can be applied to the beverage. Further, at this time, the temperature of the beverage is rapidly increased by applying a high pressure.

Further, the plunger 112 is designed so that its tip surface hits the inner surface of the pressurized space 116 when advancing, and the tip surface of the plunger 112 is provided with fine protrusions (not shown). By doing so, when the tip of the plunger 112 hits the inner surface of the accommodation space, a fine space is formed, and particles and bubbles are made fine in the space.

FIG. 3 is a schematic side sectional view showing a miniaturized portion 119 of the homogenizing device 110 of the beverage manufacturing system 100. In the homogenizing device 110, the beverage derived from the lead-out path 118 of the high-pressure application unit 111 is supplied to the miniaturization unit 119 in a state where the high pressure is applied (direction of the arrow in FIG. 3). By connecting a plurality of high-pressure application units 111 in parallel and adjusting the timing, the pressure of the beverage supplied to the miniaturization unit 119 can be kept constant. The miniaturized portion is a so-called valve type in which particles in the liquid are miniaturized by forming fine gaps in the valve and passing a liquid subjected to high pressure through the fine gaps. Other configurations may be used as long as the particles and bubbles of the above can be refined.

In the miniaturization unit 119, the beverage supplied under high pressure passes through the homogeneous valve 119a. The homogeneous valve 119a is provided with a fine gap 119b, and when passing through the fine gap, particles and bubbles collide with each other and are sheared to become finer and uniform. By adjusting this gap, the particles and bubbles can be adjusted to a desired particle size. Generally, particles and bubbles that have passed through a homogeneous valve are miniaturized to a size of about 1 μm. However, the bubbles may be micronized to the micro order of several μm to several tens of μm.

In the present embodiment, the homogenizer 110 is a high-pressure valve type homogenizer including a high-pressure application unit 111 and a miniaturization unit 119, but if the particles in the beverage can be miniaturized and homogenized, the homogenization device 110 may have another configuration. May be good. For example, it may be another type such as an ultrasonic type or a stirring type, and may be another type such as a nozzle type as well as a valve type. However, in the high pressure type homogenizing device, a bactericidal effect can be obtained by applying a high pressure to the beverage. The homogenizing device 110 may be an integrated device or may be separated and constructed from several separate elements. That is, the homogenizing device 110 may function as a homogenizing unit of the beverage manufacturing system 100.

[Ultra-fine bubble generator]

Referring again to FIG. 1, the ultrafine bubble generator 120 introduces a bubble-containing beverage containing the finely divided bubbles from the homogenizing device 110 and converts the fine bubbles into ultrafine bubbles having a smaller particle size. Store. As a result, a beverage containing ultrafine bubbles is generated, and the beverage is sterilized by the sterilizing effect of utilizing the energy for generating the ultrafine bubbles.

The ultrafine bubble generation device 120 mainly generates bubbles in the beverage to produce the bubble-containing beverage, and the bubble crushing unit 121 and the bubble crushing unit to crush the bubbles in the bubble-containing beverage supplied from the bubble generation unit 121. A unit 122 and a storage unit 123 for storing the bubble-containing beverage supplied from the bubble crushing unit 122 are provided. The bubble generation unit 121, the bubble crushing unit 122, and the storage unit 123 are interconnected to form a circulation path (loop) for circulating the bubble-containing beverage.

As will be described later, the ultrafine bubble generation device 120 introduces gas into the beverage from the gas introduction unit 150 to generate fine bubbles, and at the same time, the fine bubbles-containing beverage supplied from the homogenizing device 110 via the storage unit 123. Further refine the bubbles. As a result, the bubble-containing beverage containing sufficiently finely divided fine bubbles is supplied to the bubble crushing portion 122. Since the bubble-containing beverage containing sufficiently finely divided bubbles is supplied to the bubble crushing portion 122, ultrafine bubbles having a smaller particle size can be efficiently generated.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the bubble generation unit 121 of the ultrafine bubble generation device 120, and FIG. 4A is a schematic diagram of the bubble generation unit 121 in which the gas-liquid mixer 124 is located upstream of the pump 126, (B). ) Is a schematic view of the bubble generation unit 121B in which the pump 126 is located upstream of the gas-liquid mixer 124.

The bubble generator 121 includes a gas-liquid mixer 124 that mixes a beverage and a gas, and a bubble generator 125 that is supplied with a bubble-containing beverage in which a gas is mixed by the gas-liquid mixer 124 to generate a fine bubble-containing beverage. A pump 126 for supplying a bubble-containing beverage from the gas-liquid mixer 124 to the bubble generator 125 is provided (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-186781).

The gas-liquid mixer 124 is provided on the upstream side of the pump 126, is connected to the storage unit 123 described later, and is connected to the gas introduction unit 150 via the check valve 151. The gas-liquid mixer 124 is supplied with a beverage once supplied to the storage unit 123 from the homogenizing device 110 or a bubble-containing beverage stored in the storage unit 123 via the recursive flow path 103. In the gas-liquid mixer 124, the gas is sucked at the same time as the beverage by utilizing the suction force of the pump 126, and the gas becomes bubbles and is contained in the beverage. Therefore, in the bubble generator 121, the beverage containing bubbles is supplied from the pump 126 to the bubble generator 125.

In the bubble generation unit 121B, which is a modification of the bubble generation unit 121, the pump 126 is located upstream of the gas-liquid mixer 124, and the pump 126 is connected to the storage unit 123 via the recursive flow path 103. The mixer 124 is connected to the gas introduction unit 150 via the check valve 151. As a result, in this modification, the beverage supplied from the storage unit 123 is introduced into the gas-liquid mixer 124 via the pump 126, and is mixed with the gas introduced from the gas introduction unit 150 in the gas-liquid mixer 124. , Is supplied to the bubble generator 125. That is, the beverage may be introduced from the gas-liquid mixer 124 into the bubble generator 125 as in the present modification.

FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the bubble generator 125 of the ultrafine bubble generator 120. In the bubble generator 125, the bubble generator 125 crushes the bubble-containing liquid supplied from the gas-liquid mixer 124 while swirling, and the bubble-containing liquid containing the crushed fine bubbles for a certain period of time. It is provided with a livestock unit 1252 to be retained, a foaming unit 1253 to foam the bubble-containing liquid after being retained for a certain period of time to a high concentration, and a decompression unit 1254 to reduce the pressure of the bubble-containing liquid foamed to a high concentration.

The swivel crushing portion 1251 includes a pipe 1251a, a shaft-shaped member 1251b inserted and fixed to the pipe 1251a, and first and second flange-shaped members 1251c and 1251d fixed and attached to the shaft-shaped member 1251b. Be prepared. The pipe 1251a has a columnar accommodating space, and the shaft-shaped member 1251b is attached to and fixed to one side of the pipe 1251a via the disk member 1251e.

The first flange-shaped member 1251c is formed in a disk shape having substantially the same diameter as the cross section of the pipe 1251a, and the second flange-shaped member 1251d is formed in a disk shape having a diameter smaller than that of the first flange-shaped member 1251c. ing. Through holes 1251f through which the bubble-containing liquid passes are formed in the first flange-shaped member 1251c and the disk member 1251e.

The swirling crushing section 1251 introduces the bubble-containing liquid from the gas-liquid mixer 124 (arrow f1), accelerates and stirs the bubble-containing liquid while swirling inside (arrows f2 and f3), and leads to the livestock section 1252. (Arrow f4). At this time, in the through hole 1251f of the first flange-shaped member 1251c, the bubble is sheared and crushed, and the bubble-containing liquid is pressurized on the upstream side and depressurized on the downstream side (arrow f3). This improves the bubble concentration of the bubble-containing liquid. Further, on the side circumference of the second flange-shaped member 1251d, the bubble-containing liquid swirls and is agitated to act as a gas-liquid mixing portion (arrow f2). As described above, the swirling crushing portion 1251 functions as a conventionally well-known static mixer type micro-bubble generator.

The livestock section 1252 is formed from a tubular member into which the swirling crushing section 1251 is inserted, and a bubble-containing liquid having an improved bubble concentration is introduced by passing through the swirling crushing section 1251 (arrow f4) and is then retained for a certain period of time. A bubble-containing liquid is led out to the foamed portion 1253 (arrow f5). As a result, the amount of charge held by the bubble in the bubble-containing liquid and the zeta potential can be made uniform. Therefore, in the livestock unit 1252, the particle size of the bubbles in the bubble-containing liquid can be made uniform.

Further, the livestock section 1252 is connected to a livestock pressurizer (not shown), and the inside of the livestock section 1252 can be pressurized to a predetermined pressure. As a result, it has a function of improving the bubble concentration by increasing the pressure in the livestock section 1252 to a constant pressure by utilizing the pressurizing and compressing effect of the surplus gas. In FIG. 2, the drain pipe 1256 is shown in the livestock section 1252, but it is normally closed, and when the device is stopped, the residual liquid in the pipe is discharged, and it is used for steam sterilization and the like.

The foamed portion 1253 is formed of three pipes, and includes a columnar passage portion 1253a and a truncated cone-shaped passage portion 1253b having a diameter wider toward the downstream. At the boundary of each pipe, a slit plate 1253d provided with a slit hole 1253c in the center was provided, and the bubble-containing liquid was introduced into the foam portion 1253 (arrow f5) and formed in the center of the slit plate 1253d. It passes through the slit hole 1253c and the columnar passage portion 1253a (arrow f6). By passing through the two slit holes 1253c, the bubble-containing liquid is repressurized (f7) while causing turbulence in the columnar passage portion in the second pipe from the upstream side.

Further, the repressurized bubble-containing liquid is depressurized by flowing into the truncated cone-shaped passage portion 1253b and flowing so as to diffuse along the taper of the truncated cone-shaped passage portion (arrow f8). The concentration of the bubble-containing liquid is improved.

The decompression unit 1254 is formed of a tubular member and includes a truncated cone-shaped diffusion space 1254a, a columnar residence space 1254b, and a columnar lead-out space 1254c. The bubble-containing liquid diffuses and flows in the diffusion space 1254a (arrow f9), and is foamed by being depressurized to increase the concentration. Further, the bubble-containing liquid temporarily stays in the residence space 1254b to make the amount of charge held by the bubbles in the bubble-containing liquid and the zeta potential uniform. As a result, the particle size of the bubbles in the bubble-containing liquid can be made uniform. Then, it is derived from the bubble generator 125 via the derivation space 1254c (arrow f10).

In the bubble generation section 121, the bubble-containing liquid supplied from the gas-liquid mixer 124 passes through the swirling crushing section 1251, the livestock section 1252, the foaming section 1253, and the decompression section 1254 of the bubble generator 112, whereby bubbles in the bubble-containing liquid are generated. The first bubble is generated from. As a result, the bubble generation unit 121 can supply the first bubble-containing liquid containing the first bubble to the bubble crushing unit 122. In the present embodiment, the bubble generation unit 121 generates microbubbles having a uniform particle size of microorder at a high concentration as the first bubble.

The bubble generation unit 121 of the beverage manufacturing system 100 according to the present embodiment has functions of swirling crushing, livestock feeding, foaming (pressurization and depressurization), and depressurization, and is an air type bellows pump which is a pump having a low head capacity or the same type. It is possible to generate finely uniform high-concentration microbubbles even with a diaphragm pump, and it is also possible to further improve the concentration with a magnet pump or an axial flow pump. Therefore, these functions enable a bubble generator regardless of the type of pump 126.

The piping and tubular members of the bubble generator 125 are made of stainless steel, and each joint adopts a ferrule structure and is fixed by a sanitary clamp (not shown). As a result, the bubble generator 125 is easy to assemble, yet secures sanitary properties, and enables stationary sterilization (SIP: Sterilization in Place) such as steam sterilization. Therefore, even when a beverage or the like is used as the liquid constituting the bubble-containing liquid, it exhibits an excellent hygienic function.

The bubble generation unit 121 may have another configuration as long as it can generate a first bubble to be crushed by the bubble crushing unit 122. For example, a conventionally well-known swirl flow type bubble generator (see JP-A-2006-117365), a pressure shearing-type bubble generator (see JP-A-2006-272232), and the like can be used as a bubble generator 125. Can be used as. However, in order to supply a bubble having a uniform particle size to the bubble crushing portion 122, it is desirable to use the bubble generator 125 according to the present embodiment.

6A and 6B show a schematic view of a bubble crushing portion 122 of the ultrafine bubble generation device 120, FIG. 6A shows a side view of the bubble crushing portion 122, and FIG. 6B shows a front view of the bubble crushing portion 122. The bubble crushing section 122 is connected to the bubble generator 125 of the bubble generating section 121, and includes a passage 122a through which the bubble-containing beverage produced by the bubble generating section 121 passes, and an exterior body 122b that covers the periphery of the passage 122a. It has a two-layer structure having an intermediate space 122c from the passage 122a and the exterior body 122b. The bubble crushing portion 122 is arranged so that the passage 122a extends in the horizontal direction.

A plurality of ultrasonic vibrators 122d are provided on the exterior body 122b, and each ultrasonic vibrator 122d irradiates ultrasonic waves toward the passage 122a. The intermediate space 122c between the passage 122a and the exterior body 122b is filled with the propagating liquid, and the ultrasonic waves emitted from the ultrasonic vibrator 122d are propagated to the inside of the passage 122a through the propagating liquid and inside the passage 122a. Ultrasonic crush the bubble-containing beverage flowing through. At this time, not only the fine bubbles in the beverage but also the particles are crushed.

The propagating liquid is cooling water supplied from the cooling unit 170, is introduced into the intermediate space 122c from the propagating liquid introduction port 122h provided in the exterior body 122b, and is derived from the propagating liquid outlet port 122i. The bubble-containing beverage that passes through the bubble crushing portion 122 is heated by the ultrasonic irradiation of the ultrasonic vibrator. However, the propagating liquid also has an action of cooling the bubble crushing portion 122, and the temperature of the bubble-containing beverage passing through the bubble crushing portion 122 can be adjusted by the flow rate of the cooling liquid.

The passage 122a is formed of a pipe made of PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene). As a result, the passage 122a has a circular cross section and extends in a columnar shape with the same diameter to form a uniform flow path. The passage 122a is connected so as to intervene between the bubble generation unit 121 and the storage unit 123, and the bubble-containing beverage supplied from the bubble generation unit 121 is flowed to the storage unit 123 in a state of being filled inside the passage 122a. ..

The exterior body 122b is made of stainless steel and is composed of a side peripheral member 122e having a regular hexagonal cross section and extending in a hexagonal columnar shape, and a pair of disk-shaped flat members 122f sandwiching the side peripheral member 122e from both sides in the extending direction. .. Both plane members 122f are fitted with a passage 122a in the center, and the passage 122a is fixed so that the passage 122a extends to the center of the hexagon of the side peripheral member 122e. As a result, an intermediate space 122c is formed on the outer side of the passage 122a and the side peripheral member 122e of the exterior body 122b, and the outer periphery of the passage 122a and each surface of the hexagonal side peripheral member 122e form a similar intermediate space. are doing.

The exterior body 122b has an ultrasonic vibrator 122d attached to each surface of a hexagonal column. The ultrasonic vibrator 122d is provided in two stages in the extending direction of the passage 122a. The bubble generation portion 121 side is the ultrasonic vibrator group in the front stage, and the storage portion 123 side is the ultrasonic vibrator group in the rear stage. It is supposed to be. The ultrasonic oscillator group of each stage is composed of six ultrasonic oscillators 122d radially provided from the central axis of the passage 122a. The two opposed ultrasonic oscillators 122d form a pair of oscillator pairs, and the six ultrasonic oscillators 122d form a pair of oscillator pairs. The frequency and output of each ultrasonic transducer can be adjusted by the control unit 101. In the present embodiment, the twelve ultrasonic transducers 122d irradiate ultrasonic waves at the same frequency and the same output, respectively.

Each of these six ultrasonic transducers 122d irradiates ultrasonic waves toward a point in the center of the passage 122a. Therefore, each ultrasonic transducer 122d irradiates ultrasonic waves from different positions toward different directions in the radial direction and toward the inside in the radial direction so as to be toward the center of the passage. This prevents the bubble-containing beverage flowing through the passage 122a from being obstructed by ultrasonic waves. In particular, each pair of oscillators oscillates ultrasonic waves from opposite positions toward opposite directions. As a result, an ultrasonic crushing field is formed from the center of the passage 122a, and the bubble-containing beverage passing through the passage 122a is crushed to generate ultrafine bubbles having a uniform particle size.

In the bubble crushing portion 122, ultrasonic waves are irradiated from a plurality of directions, and an ultrasonic crushing field is formed at a place where the ultrasonic waves are concentrated. Therefore, in the present embodiment, each ultrasonic vibrator group forms an ultrasonic crushing field in the passage 122a, respectively. Even if all the fine bubbles are not crushed by the ultrasonic crushing field formed by the ultrasonic transducer group in the previous stage, the ultrasonic crushing field formed by the ultrasonic transducer group in the latter stage crushes the remaining fine bubbles. Therefore, in the bubble crushing portion 122 according to the present embodiment, the fine bubbles can be reliably crushed and uniform ultrafine bubbles can be generated. In the present embodiment, the bubble crushing portion 122 generates so-called ultrafine bubbles as ultrafine bubbles.

In the present embodiment, the passage 122a of the bubble crushing portion 122 is made of PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), but may be made of another resin such as PVC (polyvinyl chloride), which is problematic in terms of hygiene. The material may be a non-existent metal. Further, the bubble crushing portion 122 has a two-layer structure including a passage 122a and an exterior body 122b, but may have another configuration as long as the bubble can be crushed by irradiating ultrasonic waves. For example, a single-layer tubular member is formed from a metal such as stainless steel, which does not cause hygiene problems even when a beverage is passed through, and an ultrasonic oscillator is placed directly around the tubular member to create an internal structure. Beverages may be allowed to pass through.

The bubble crushing portion 122 according to the embodiment of the present invention forms an ultrasonic crushing field, crushes the fine bubbles in the beverage, and converts them into ultrafine bubbles. At this time, the particles in the beverage, that is, when the beverage is raw milk, have the effect of crushing and homogenizing the fat globules. Further, the ultrasonic crushing field is formed by continuously irradiating ultrasonic waves, and ultraviolet rays are generated in the ultrasonic crushing field. As a result, the beverage passing through the ultrasonic crushing field can obtain a bactericidal effect by ultraviolet rays.

Further, in the bubble crushing portion 122, the beverage is irradiated with ultrasonic waves forming an ultrasonic crushing field, so that innumerable vacuum bubbles are generated by cavitation in the liquid. Therefore, in the bubble crushing field, the bactericidal effect of destroying the cell wall of bacteria by bursting the vacuum bubbles and sterilizing general viable bacteria, Legionella bacteria, Escherichia coli and the like can be obtained.

7A and 7B show a schematic view of the storage unit 123 of the ultrafine bubble generation device 120, FIG. 7A shows a plan view of the storage unit 123, FIG. 7B shows a front view of the storage unit 123, and FIG. 7C shows a front view of the storage unit 123. A side view of the storage unit 123 is shown, and (D) shows a bottom view of the storage unit 123.

As shown in FIG. 7, the storage unit 123 mainly includes a columnar tank container 123a and an outer container 123b that covers the tank container 123a. The tank container 123a forms a storage space 123c having a predetermined volume for storing the bubble-containing beverage. Further, a cooling space 123d to which cooling water is supplied from the cooling unit 170 is formed between the tank container 123a and the outer container 123b.

The storage unit 123 further includes a stock solution introduction port 123e connected to the beverage introduction unit 140, a bubble-containing beverage introduction port 123f connected to the bubble crushing unit 122, and a recursive outlet 123g connected to the recursive flow path 103. The bubble-containing beverage outlet 123h connected to the take-out unit 160, the discharge port 123i connected to the discharge unit 190, and the pressure port 123j connected to the pressure unit 180 are provided in the tank container 123a. It is provided.

The undiluted solution introduction port 123e is mainly composed of a cylindrical pipe, communicates from the upper surface of the tank container 123a into the tank container 123a, and supplies the undiluted solution from the beverage introduction unit 140 to the top surface position of the tank container 123a. As a result, the undiluted solution is supplied from the top of the storage space 123c. Further, the pressurizing port 123j mainly consists of a cylindrical pipe, communicates from the upper surface of the tank container 123a into the tank container 123a, and applies the pressure from the pressurizing portion 180 into the storage space 123c of the tank container 123a. ..

The bubble-containing beverage introduction port 123f is mainly composed of a cylindrical pipe, extends from the upper surface of the tank container 123a to a height of 1/2 from the bottom surface of the tank container 123a, and extends from the upper side of the tank container 123a. Supply bubble-containing beverages. Bubble-containing beverages tend to diffuse downward as the particle size of the beverage is smaller.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, an NB region in which the presence of so-called ultrafine bubbles is dominant is formed at the bottom of the tank container 123a, and an MN region in which ultrafine bubbles and so-called fine bubbles coexist is formed above the NB region. It is formed, and an MB region is formed above it, where the presence of fine bubbles is dominant. The position of each region in the tank container 123a changes depending on the amount of liquid stored and the operating condition of the device.

The pipe of the bubble-containing beverage introduction port 123f is bent into an L shape, and the bubble-containing beverage is discharged in the horizontal direction. As a result, the bubble-containing beverage receives the discharge pressure in the horizontal direction and is agitated in the storage space 123c. However, since the bubble-containing beverage does not receive the discharge pressure in the vertical direction, it does not prevent the bubbles having a small particle size from increasing in concentration below the storage space.

The recursive outlet 123g is mainly composed of a cylindrical pipe, extending from the bottom of the tank container 123a to a height of 1/4 from the bottom in the tank container 123a, and 1/4 from the bottom of the tank container 123a. The bubble-containing beverage at the height of the above is led out to the recursive flow path 103, and the bubble-containing beverage is recursed to the bubble generation unit 121.

The pipe of the recursive outlet 123 g is bent into an L shape and sucks the bubble-containing beverage in the horizontal direction. As a result, the bubble-containing beverage receives suction pressure in the horizontal direction and is agitated in the storage space 123c. However, since the bubble-containing beverage is not subjected to suction pressure in the vertical direction, it does not prevent bubbles having a small particle size from increasing in concentration below the storage space.

The bubble-containing beverage outlet 123h mainly consists of a cylindrical pipe, communicates from the bottom of the tank container 123a to the lower surface of the tank container 123a, and takes out the bubble-containing beverage from the bottom of the tank container 123a. The bubble-containing beverage outlet 123h is connected to the take-out unit 160 via a pressure reducing valve. As a result, the bubble-containing beverage pressurized in the storage space 123c is led out to the take-out unit 160 while being depressurized via the pressure reducing valve, so that the bubble-containing beverage having a high concentration can be taken out. The take-out unit 160 functions as a bubble-containing beverage derivation unit. Further, as the pressure reducing valve, a pressure reducing valve such as a conventionally well-known direct-acting pressure reducing valve or a pilot-operated pressure reducing valve can be used.

The discharge port 123i mainly consists of a cylindrical pipe, communicates from the bottom surface inside the tank container 123a to the lower stage outside the tank container 123a, and discharges the bubble-containing beverage from the bottom of the tank container 123a. Further, the storage unit 123 is provided with a plurality of water level sensors, and the control unit 101 can manage the storage amount of the bubble-containing beverage in the storage unit 123.

Further, the storage unit 123 is provided with a pressure transmitter (not shown) for measuring pressure and a vent filter (not shown) for opening the storage space 123c in the tank container to atmospheric pressure. The pressure transmitter is provided in the tank container 123a, is electrically connected to the control unit 101, and can measure the pressure in the storage space 123c. The vent filter is provided in the tank container 123a and is electrically connected to the control unit 101 to enable pressure adjustment in the storage space 123c while securing a ventilation path from the storage space 123c.

In the present embodiment, the tank container 123a is made of a stainless steel material such as SUS316L or SUS304. However, the tank container 123a is made of other metal such as stainless steel, resin such as PVC (polyvinyl chloride), PP (polypropylene), PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride), PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), quartz and the like. May be. In the case of a resin material, the upper portion of the tank container 123a has a completely sealed structure by resin welding or adhesion, and in the case of a metal material or a resin material, a flange structure may be adopted. When quartz is used as a material, it may have a sealed structure via a sealing material such as PTFE or Baitton.

Since the storage unit 123 has a closed structure, the storage space 123c is isolated from the atmosphere, and the storage space 123c can be pressurized by the pressurizing unit 180. In addition, the vent filter makes it possible to adjust the pressure of the pressurized storage space 123c. The pressure in the storage space 123c is adjusted to a predetermined value by the control unit 101 measuring the pressure in the storage space 123c by the pressure transmitter and adjusting it to a predetermined value by the pressurizing unit 180 and the vent filter.

In the present embodiment, the pressurizing unit 180 can pressurize the storage space 123c up to about 0.6 MPa. Further, the storage unit 123 is pressurized by about 0.01 MPа to 0.05 MPa by the bubble-containing liquid pumped from the bubble generation unit 121 even when the pressurizing unit 180 is not operated. Then, the inventor has found that the bubble concentration of the bubble-containing liquid is increased when the pressure in the reservoir is 0.01 MPa to 0.05 MPa. Utilizing this phenomenon, in the beverage manufacturing system 100, by adjusting the pressure in the reservoir so that the pressure in the reservoir is 0.01 MPa to 0.05 MPa, a high-concentration bubble-containing liquid can be produced. ..

Further, the control unit 101 can manage the amount of cooling water supplied from the cooling unit 170 to the cooling space 123d, and can adjust the temperature of the bubble-containing beverage stored in the storage space 123c.

In the ultrafine bubble generation device 120 according to the present embodiment, the bubble-containing beverage supply unit and the storage unit 123 are separated. As a result, the bubble-containing beverage supply unit continuously supplies a fixed amount of the bubble-containing beverage having a uniform particle size without being affected by the capacity of the storage unit 123, and the bubble-containing beverage is stored in the storage unit 123. , Bubbles are prevented from aggregating in the storage unit 123.

[Degassing device]

The degassing device 130 is connected to the recursive path 105, and the bubble-containing beverage is introduced from the storage unit 123, and after the bubble-containing beverage is degassed, it is recurred to the storage unit 123 again. The degassing device 130 is not always operated, and can be appropriately operated as needed. For example, degassing may be performed before or after the bubble crushing portion 122 is operated, or degassing may be performed while the bubble crushing portion 122 is being operated. The timing of degassing can be selected as appropriate.

The degassing device 130 can separate the gas and the beverage by the centrifugal force of the impeller attached to the shaft rotating in the casing (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004/058380). Since such a device can be continuously degassed, batch processing is not required as in the device by heating or depressurizing.

It also solves the problem of pressure environment, such as a centrifuge device. Therefore, it is suitable for cooperation with an apparatus capable of adjusting the pressure of a beverage and requiring continuous processing, such as the ultrafine bubble generating apparatus 120 according to the present embodiment. However, the degassing device 130 may be another device such as another pressurizing device, a depressurizing device, or a centrifuge device as long as the gas contained in the beverage, particularly dissolved oxygen, can be degassed. The degassing device functions as a degassing unit for degassing the gas or air bubbles dissolved in the drinking liquid.

In the beverage manufacturing system 100 according to the first embodiment, the beverage introduction unit 140 is connected to the storage unit 123 via the homogenizing device 110. The gas introduction unit 150 is connected to the homogenizing device 110 and the bubble generation unit 121. The storage unit 123 is connected to the bubble generation unit 121 via the recursive flow path 103, the bubble generation unit 121 is connected to the bubble crushing unit 122, and the bubble crushing unit 122 is connected to the storage unit 123. As a result, the beverage introduced from the beverage introduction unit 140 is introduced into the storage unit, and a circulation path is formed so as to recurse to the storage unit 123 via the bubble generation unit 121 and the bubble crushing unit 122. ..

Therefore, in the beverage manufacturing method of the present embodiment, ultrafine bubbles are generated in the beverage when the beverage circulates in this circulation path. Specifically, the beverage is introduced from the beverage introduction unit 140 into the storage unit 123 via the homogenizing device 110. At this time, the gas is introduced into the homogenizing device 110 from the gas introducing unit 150 together with the beverage. In the homogenizing device 110, a high pressure is applied to the beverage to make particles and bubbles in the beverage finer and uniform. Then, the homogenized bubble-containing beverage is introduced into the storage unit 123.

Next, when a predetermined amount of the bubble-containing beverage is stored in the storage unit 123, the bubble-containing beverage is introduced from the storage unit 123 into the bubble generation unit 121. At this time, the gas is introduced into the bubble generation unit 121 from the gas introduction unit 150 together with the beverage. In the bubble generation unit 121, the gas introduced from the gas introduction unit 150 is generated as fine bubbles, and a bubble-containing beverage containing the fine bubbles is produced.

Next, the bubble-containing beverage containing fine bubbles is introduced from the bubble generation unit 121 into the bubble crushing unit 122. In the bubble crushing portion 122, the bubble-containing beverage is irradiated with ultrasonic waves to crush the fine bubbles in the beverage and convert them into ultrafine bubbles. The bubble-containing beverage containing the ultrafine bubbles is then reintroduced into the reservoir 123.

In this circulation route, the bubbles contained in the bubble-containing beverage can be circulated until the bubbles have a predetermined particle size and a predetermined concentration. Further, the bubble-containing beverage stored in the storage unit 123 is appropriately taken out from the extraction unit 160 to the outside. Further, the bubble-containing beverage that is no longer needed can be discharged from the discharge unit 190. The degassing device 130, the cooling unit 170, and the pressurizing unit 180 are controlled by the control unit 101 and function appropriately.

In the ultrafine bubble generation device 120 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the bubble-containing beverage is ultrasonically crushed by the bubble crushing portion 122, so that the passing beverage is heated. Further, the heated beverage is stored in the storage unit 123 and recurses to the bubble crushing unit 122 via the recursive flow path 103. This heats the beverage to a certain temperature.

On the other hand, since the bubble crushing portion 122 is connected to the cooling portion 170, the degree of heating the beverage can be adjusted. Further, since the storage unit 123 is also connected to the cooling unit 170, the beverage can be adjusted to a desired temperature and stored, that is, held. If the beverage is sufficiently cooled in the storage unit 123, it is possible to eliminate the need for cooling in the bubble crushing unit.

For example, by circulating the circulation route, the beverage is heated to about 60 ° C., and then cooled and stored in the storage unit, which is combined with other sterilizing effects, such as low temperature holding sterilization method (LTLT method) and high temperature short time sterilization. Compared to the method (HTST method) and ultra-high temperature sterilization method (UHT method), it is possible to obtain the same or better sterilization effect, and there is also a pressure change of about 50 MPa in combination with a homogenizing device, and heat-resistant bacteria. It is also possible to sterilize spore-forming bacteria such as Seleus.

In the ultrafine bubble generation device 120, a bubble generation unit 121, a bubble crushing unit 122, a storage unit 123, and the like are integrally integrated. However, if it is possible to generate ultrafine bubbles in the beverage, the bubble generation unit 121, the bubble crushing unit 122, the storage unit 123 and the like may not be provided separately in the beverage production system 100 and are not integrated. Therefore, the ultrafine bubble generation device 120 may function as an ultrafine bubble generation unit that generates ultrafine bubbles.

As a result, according to the beverage manufacturing system 100 according to the present embodiment, the ultrafine bubble generation device 120 can be used for heat sterilization as in the so-called low temperature holding sterilization method. However, since it is possible to adjust the cooling to generate ultrafine bubbles in a non-heated state, non-heat sterilization that depends only on the action of the ultrafine bubbles is also possible. Therefore, according to the beverage manufacturing system 100 according to the present embodiment, it is possible to achieve a sterilization ability equal to or higher than that of the conventional heat sterilization.

[Second Embodiment]

The beverage manufacturing system 200 according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 shows a functional block diagram of the beverage manufacturing system 200. The beverage manufacturing system 200 according to the second embodiment mainly includes a homogenizing unit 210 for homogenizing beverages, a bubble generating unit 221 for producing bubble-containing beverages, and a bubble crushing unit for crushing bubbles in bubble-containing beverages. It includes a storage unit 223 for storing the bubble-containing beverage, and a degassing unit 230 for degassing the beverage. The bubble generation unit 221, the bubble crushing unit 222, and the storage unit 223 constitute an ultrafine bubble generation unit.

Here, the ultrafine bubble generation unit is a device in which a bubble generation unit 221, a bubble crushing unit 222, a storage unit 223, and the like are integrally integrated as in the ultrafine bubble generation unit of the first embodiment. Alternatively, if it is possible to generate ultrafine bubbles in the beverage, the bubble generation unit 221, the bubble crushing unit 222, the storage unit 223 and the like may be separately provided in the beverage production system 200 and may not be integrated. .. Similarly, the homogenizing unit 210 may or may not be integrated into an apparatus as long as it has a function of dispersing and homogenizing particles in the beverage as in the homogenizing apparatus. May be good. That is, each part of the beverage manufacturing system 200 may or may not be integrated into an apparatus as long as it has a predetermined function.

Further, the beverage manufacturing system 200 includes a beverage introduction unit 240 that introduces a beverage into the storage unit 223, a gas introduction unit 250 that introduces gas into the bubble generation unit 221 and a predetermined extraction unit 260 that takes out the beverage from the storage unit 223 to the outside. Each unit is provided with a cooling unit 270 that supplies cooling water, a pressurizing unit 280 that pressurizes the storage unit 223, a discharge unit 290 that discharges a beverage from the storage unit 223 to the outside, and the like. In the present embodiment, the beverage introduction unit 240 can introduce raw milk, and the gas introduction unit 250 can introduce carbon dioxide gas.

However, the beverages and gases introduced may be other. Further, each part of the beverage manufacturing system 200 is managed by the control unit 201 that centrally manages the beverage manufacturing system 200. The control unit 201 may control the beverage manufacturing system 200 in cooperation with an external control device. The degassing unit 230 is not always operated, but is controlled so as to operate appropriately as needed.

The beverage manufacturing system 200 according to the second embodiment has the same configuration of each part as the beverage manufacturing system 100 according to the first embodiment, but the connection relationship of each part is different. Therefore, in the description of the present embodiment, the description of the same parts as those of the first embodiment will be omitted, and the different parts will be described in detail.

In the beverage manufacturing system 200, the beverage introduction unit 240 is connected to the storage unit 223 without going through the homogenization unit 210, and the gas introduction unit 250 is not connected to the homogenization unit 210 but only to the bubble generation unit 221. It is connected. Further, the homogenizing unit 210 is provided between the bubble generation unit 221 and the bubble crushing unit 222.

As a result, the beverage is introduced from the beverage introduction unit 240 into the storage unit 223, and a circulation path is formed so as to recurse back to the storage unit 223 via the bubble generation unit 221 and the uniformization unit 210 and the bubble crushing unit 222. ing. Further, the beverage manufacturing system 200 includes a recursive path 205 in which a beverage is introduced from the storage unit 223, the gas is degassed by the degassing unit 230, and then the gas is recurred to the storage unit 223 again.

In the beverage manufacturing method according to the present embodiment, ultrafine bubbles are generated in the beverage when the beverage circulates in this circulation path. Specifically, it is introduced from the beverage introduction unit 240 to the storage unit 223. Next, the beverage is introduced from the storage unit 223 into the bubble generation unit 221 via the recursive flow path 203. At this time, the gas is introduced into the bubble generation unit 221 from the gas introduction unit 250 together with the beverage. In the bubble generation unit 221, the gas introduced from the gas introduction unit 250 is converted into fine bubbles, and a bubble-containing beverage containing the fine bubbles is produced.

Next, the bubble-containing beverage containing fine bubbles is introduced into the homogenizing unit 210. In the homogenizing unit 210, a high pressure is applied to the bubble-containing beverage to make the particles in the beverage finer. At this time, since the bubbles are also miniaturized together with the particles, the bubbles having a relatively large particle size that have not been converted into a sufficiently fine particle size by the bubble generation unit 221 are miniaturized and made uniform.

Next, the bubble-containing beverage whose particles and bubbles have been homogenized by the homogenizing section 210 is introduced into the bubble crushing section 222. In the bubble crushing portion 222, the bubble-containing beverage is irradiated with ultrasonic waves to crush the fine bubbles in the beverage and convert them into ultrafine bubbles. Next, the bubble-containing beverage containing ultrafine bubbles is introduced into the storage unit 223 and stored.

In this circulation route, the bubbles contained in the bubble-containing beverage can be circulated until the bubbles have a predetermined particle size and a predetermined concentration. Further, the bubble-containing beverage stored in the storage unit 223 is appropriately taken out from the take-out unit 260. In addition, the bubble-containing beverage that is no longer needed can be discharged from the discharge unit 290. The degassing unit 230, the cooling unit 270, and the pressurizing unit 280 are controlled by the control unit 201 and function appropriately.

In the present embodiment, the homogenizing section 210 is provided in the circulation path for producing the bubble-containing beverage, and is located between the bubble generating section 221 and the bubble crushing section 222. As a result, the particles in the beverage are made uniform, and among the fine bubbles generated by the bubble generation unit 221, the bubbles having a relatively large particle size are further made finer, and the bubbles containing the fine bubbles having a uniform particle size are contained. Can produce beverages.

Therefore, the bubble crushing portion 222 in the subsequent stage of the homogenizing portion 210 can efficiently convert fine bubbles into ultrafine bubbles. Therefore, in this circulation route, a bubble-containing beverage containing ultrafine bubbles can be efficiently produced, and in addition to the bactericidal effect by utilizing the energy for generating ultrafine bubbles, the antibacterial action of the ultrafine bubbles makes it efficient and efficient. It is possible to provide a sterilized beverage while suppressing deterioration in quality.

[Third Embodiment]

The beverage manufacturing system 300 according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 shows a functional block diagram of the beverage manufacturing system 300. The beverage manufacturing system 300 according to the third embodiment mainly includes a homogenizing unit 310 for homogenizing beverages, a bubble generating unit 321 for producing bubble-containing beverages, and a bubble crushing unit for crushing bubbles in bubble-containing beverages. It includes a storage unit 323 for storing the bubble-containing beverage, and a degassing unit 330 for degassing the beverage. The bubble generation unit 321 and the bubble crushing unit 322 and the storage unit 323 form an ultrafine bubble generation unit.

Here, the ultrafine bubble generation unit is a device in which a bubble generation unit 321, a bubble crushing unit 322, a storage unit 323, and the like are integrally integrated as in the ultrafine bubble generation device 120 of the first embodiment. If it is possible to generate ultrafine bubbles in the beverage, the bubble generation unit 321 and the bubble crushing unit 322, the storage unit 323 and the like may be separately provided in the beverage production system 300 and are not deviced. good. Similarly, the homogenizing unit 310 may or may not be integrally integrated as long as it has a function of dispersing and homogenizing the particles in the beverage as in the homogenizing device. May be good. That is, each part of the beverage manufacturing system 300 may or may not be integrated into an apparatus as long as it has a predetermined function.

Further, the beverage manufacturing system 300 includes a beverage introduction unit 340 that introduces the beverage into the storage unit 323, a gas introduction unit 350 that introduces the gas into the bubble generation unit 321, a take-out unit 360 that takes out the beverage from the storage unit 323, and a predetermined unit. Each unit is provided with a cooling unit 370 that supplies cooling water, a pressure unit 380 that pressurizes the storage unit 323, and a discharge unit 390 that discharges a beverage from the storage unit 323 to the outside. In the present embodiment, the beverage introduction unit 340 can introduce raw milk, and the gas introduction unit 350 can introduce carbon dioxide gas. However, the beverages and gases introduced may be other. Further, each unit is managed by a control unit that centrally manages the beverage manufacturing system 300. The control unit may control the beverage manufacturing system in cooperation with an external control device. The degassing unit 330 is not always operated, but is controlled so as to operate appropriately as needed.

The beverage manufacturing system 300 according to the third embodiment has the same configuration of each part as the beverage manufacturing systems 100 and 200 according to the first and second embodiments, but the connection relationship of each part is different. Therefore, in the description of the present embodiment, the description of the same parts as those of the other embodiments will be omitted, and the different parts will be described in detail.

In the beverage manufacturing system 300, the beverage introduction unit 340 is connected to the storage unit 323 without going through the homogenization unit 310, and the gas introduction unit 350 is not connected to the homogenization unit 310 but only to the bubble generation unit 321. It is connected. Further, the homogenizing portion 310 is provided after the bubble crushing portion 322. Further, the degassing unit 330 does not have a unique recursive path, and is provided between the homogenizing unit 310 and the storage unit 323. As a result, the beverage is introduced into the storage section 323, and a circulation path is formed so as to recurse to the storage section 323 via the bubble generation section 321, the bubble crushing section 322, the homogenizing section 310, and the degassing section 330. ing.

In the beverage manufacturing method according to the present embodiment, ultrafine bubbles are generated in the beverage when the beverage circulates in this circulation path. Specifically, the beverage is introduced from the beverage introduction unit 340 into the storage unit 323. Then, the beverage is introduced from the storage unit 323 into the bubble generation unit 321 via the recursive flow path 303. At this time, the gas is introduced into the bubble generation unit 321 from the gas introduction unit 350 together with the beverage. In the bubble generation unit 321 the gas introduced from the gas introduction unit 350 is converted into fine bubbles, and a bubble-containing beverage containing the fine bubbles is produced.

Next, the bubble-containing beverage containing fine bubbles is introduced into the bubble crushing portion 322. In the bubble crushing portion 322, the bubble-containing liquid is irradiated with ultrasonic waves to crush the fine bubbles in the beverage and convert them into ultrafine bubbles. Next, the bubble-containing beverage containing ultrafine bubbles is introduced into the homogenizing unit 310. In the homogenizing unit 310, a high pressure is applied to the bubble-containing beverage to make the particles in the beverage finer.

At this time, the bubbles are also miniaturized together with the particles. However, since the homogenizing unit 310 cannot generate ultrafine bubbles, the homogenizing unit 310 according to the present embodiment only converts bubbles having a relatively large particle size into fine bubbles. Next, the bubble-containing beverage whose particles are mainly homogenized by the homogenizing section 310 is introduced into the storage section 323 via the degassing section 330 and stored. Here, when the degassing unit 330 operates, the bubble-containing beverage passing through the degassing unit 330 is degassed and introduced into the storage unit 323.

In this circulation route, the bubbles contained in the bubble-containing beverage can be circulated until the bubbles have a predetermined particle size and a predetermined concentration. Moreover, by incorporating the degassing unit 330 into the circulation route, the beverage can be degassed using the circulation route. Further, the bubble-containing beverage stored in the storage unit 323 is appropriately taken out from the take-out unit 360. Further, the bubble-containing beverage that is no longer needed can be discharged from the discharge unit 390. The degassing unit 330, the cooling unit 370, and the pressurizing unit 380 are controlled by the control unit 301 and function appropriately.

In the present embodiment, the homogenizing unit 310 is provided in the circulation path for producing the bubble-containing beverage. As a result, ultrafine bubbles are generated in the beverage, and the particles in the beverage can be made uniform. Further, the degassing section 330 is provided after the homogenizing section 310. As a result, the beverage that becomes hot due to the high pressure applied by the homogenizing unit 310 can be degassed. Here, in the degassing of a liquid such as a beverage, the temperature of the liquid is increased, so that the residual oxygen concentration is lowered and the degassing performance is improved. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the degassing unit 330 is efficient. Good degassing performance can be achieved.

[Fourth Embodiment]

The beverage manufacturing system 400 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 shows a functional block diagram of the beverage manufacturing system 400. The beverage manufacturing system 400 according to the fourth embodiment mainly includes a homogenizing unit 410 for homogenizing the beverage, a bubble crushing unit 422 for crushing the bubbles of the bubble-containing beverage, and a storage unit 423 for storing the bubble-containing beverage. And a degassing unit 430 for degassing the beverage. The bubble crushing section 422 and the storage section 423 constitute an ultrafine bubble generating section.

Here, the ultrafine bubble generation unit may be one in which the bubble crushing unit 422, the storage unit 423, and the like are integrally integrated, as in the ultrafine bubble generation device 120 of the first embodiment. If it is possible to generate ultrafine bubbles in the beverage, the bubble crushing unit 422, the storage unit 423, and the like may not be provided separately in the beverage manufacturing system 400 and are not integrated. Similarly, the homogenizing unit 410 may or may not be integrated into an apparatus as long as it has a function of dispersing and homogenizing particles in the beverage as in the homogenizing apparatus. May be good. That is, each part of the beverage manufacturing system 400 may or may not be integrated into an apparatus as long as it has a predetermined function.

Further, the beverage manufacturing system 400 includes a beverage introduction unit 440 that introduces the beverage into the storage unit 423, a gas introduction unit 450 that introduces the gas into the homogenization unit 410, a take-out unit 460 that takes out the beverage from the storage unit 423, and a predetermined unit. Each unit is provided with a cooling unit 470 that supplies cooling water, a pressurizing unit 480 that pressurizes the storage unit 423, and a discharge unit 490 that discharges a beverage from the storage unit 423 to the outside. In the embodiment, the beverage introduction unit 440 can introduce raw milk, and the gas introduction unit 450 can introduce carbon dioxide gas. However, the beverages and gases introduced may be other. Further, each unit is managed by a control unit that centrally manages the beverage manufacturing system 400. The control unit 401 may control the beverage manufacturing system in cooperation with an external control device. The degassing unit 430 is not always operated, but is controlled so as to operate appropriately as needed.

The beverage manufacturing system 400 according to the fourth embodiment has the same configuration as each part as compared with the beverage manufacturing systems 100, 200, 300 according to the first to third embodiments, but includes a bubble generation unit. The connection relationship of each part is different. Therefore, in the description of the present embodiment, the description of the same parts as those of the other embodiments will be omitted, and the different parts will be described in detail.

The beverage manufacturing system 400 according to the fourth embodiment does not include a bubble generation unit. In the beverage manufacturing system 400, the beverage introduction unit 440 is connected to the storage unit 423 without going through the homogenization unit 410, and the gas introduction unit 450 is connected to the homogenization unit 410. As a result, the beverage is introduced into the storage section 423, and a circulation path is formed to recurse to the storage section 423 via the homogenizing section 410 and the bubble crushing section 422. Further, the beverage manufacturing system 400 includes a recursive path 405 in which a beverage is introduced from the storage unit 423, the gas is degassed by the degassing unit 430, and then the gas is recurred to the storage unit 423 again.

When the beverage circulates through this circulation path, ultrafine bubbles are generated in the beverage. Specifically, the beverage is introduced from the beverage introduction unit 440 into the storage unit 423. The beverage is then introduced from the reservoir 423 into the homogenizing section 410 via the recursive flow path 403. At this time, the gas becomes bubbles from the gas introduction unit 450 and is introduced into the homogenizing unit 410 together with the beverage. In the homogenizing unit 410, a high pressure is applied to the beverage, and the bubbles introduced from the gas introduction unit 450 together with the particles are crushed into fine bubbles to produce a bubble-containing beverage containing the fine bubbles.

Next, the bubble-containing beverage containing fine bubbles is introduced into the bubble crushing portion 422. In the bubble crushing portion 422, the bubble-containing beverage is irradiated with ultrasonic waves to crush the fine bubbles in the beverage and convert them into ultrafine bubbles. Next, the bubble-containing beverage containing ultrafine bubbles is introduced into the storage unit 423.

In this circulation route, the bubbles contained in the bubble-containing beverage can be circulated until the bubbles have a predetermined particle size and a predetermined concentration. Further, the bubble-containing beverage stored in the storage unit 423 is appropriately taken out from the take-out unit 460. In addition, the bubble-containing beverage that is no longer needed can be discharged from the discharge unit 490. The pressurizing unit 480, the cooling unit 470, and the degassing unit 430 are controlled by the control unit and function appropriately.

In the present embodiment, the homogenizing section 410 is provided in the circulation path for producing the bubble-containing beverage, and the homogenizing section 410 also serves as a bubble generating section. As a result, it is possible to generate ultrafine bubbles in the beverage and make the particles in the beverage uniform while simplifying the system configuration.

[Modification example]

Next, the storage unit 1230, which is a modification of the storage unit 123 applied to the beverage manufacturing system 100, will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12. In the description of the storage unit 1230, some description of the contents overlapping with the storage unit 123 will be omitted. 11 (A) shows a plan view of the reservoir 1230, and FIG. 11 (B) shows a sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. 11 (A).

As shown in FIG. 11, the storage unit 1230 mainly includes a columnar tank container 1231 and an outer container 1237 that covers the tank container 1231. The tank container 1231 forms a storage space 1239 having a predetermined volume for storing the bubble-containing liquid. Further, a cooling space 1294 is formed between the tank container 1231 and the outer container 1237, cooling water is supplied from the cooling unit 170 through the cooling water introduction port 291 and the cooling water is supplied from the cooling water outlet port 291. Is derived.

The tank container 1231 and the outer container 1237 are made of stainless steel, and the tank container 1231 has a closed structure. As a result, the trace gas generated at the time of ultrasonic crushing of the bubble crushing portion 122 does not come into contact with the atmosphere even if it is flown into the storage portion 1230. Further, since the tank container 1231 has a closed structure, the pressure inside the storage unit 1230 can be controlled.

The storage unit 1230 also includes a plurality of ultrasonic transducers 1224 attached to the tank container 1231 from the outside of the side peripheral surface. In the present embodiment, the storage unit 1230 includes eight ultrasonic vibrators 1224 arranged on the side peripheral surface at the same angle and at the same height position. Each ultrasonic transducer 1224 irradiates ultrasonic waves toward the center of the tank container 1231. The ultrasonic vibrator 1224 is provided in the tank container 1231 and directly irradiates the bubble-containing liquid stored in the tank container 1231 with ultrasonic waves.

The two facing ultrasonic transducers 1224 form a pair of oscillator pairs, and the eight ultrasonic transducers 1224 form a pair of oscillator pairs, forming an ultrasonic crushing field in the center of the tank container 1231. The frequency and output of each ultrasonic transducer can be adjusted by the control unit 101. In the present embodiment, the four ultrasonic transducers 1224 irradiate ultrasonic waves at the same frequency and the same output, respectively.

The storage unit 1230 further includes a beverage introduction port 1232 connected to the beverage introduction unit 140, a bubble-containing liquid introduction port 1233 connected to the bubble crushing unit 122, and a retrograde outlet 1234 connected to the recursive flow path 103. The tank container 1231 is provided with a bubble-containing liquid outlet 1235 connected to the take-out unit 160, a discharge port 1236 connected to the discharge unit 190, and a pressure port 1238 connected to the pressure unit 180. It is provided.

Note that FIG. 11 shows a cleaning liquid introduction port 1299 used for clean-in-place (CIP), but it is normally closed and used for cleaning the inside of the tank when the device is stopped. The cleaning liquid introduction port 1299 introduces the cleaning liquid into the tank container 1231 via the shower ball 1299a.

The beverage inlet 1232 is made of a cylindrical pipe, and is bent in a dogleg shape at an angle of about 30 ° like the pipe of the bubble-containing liquid inlet 1233 described later, and the tip is further cut in the vertical direction. Has been done. As a result, the undiluted solution is discharged in the horizontal direction while the discharge port (not shown) for discharging the undiluted solution is along the side surface of the storage space 1239, and the undiluted solution is discharged toward the side surface. By discharging the undiluted solution supplied from the beverage introduction unit 140 along the side surface of the storage space 1239, the bubble-containing liquid is introduced along the side surface of the storage space 1239, and foaming is suppressed.

Further, the pressurizing port 1238 is mainly composed of a cylindrical pipe, extending from the upper surface of the tank container 1231 to the top surface in the tank container 1231, and the pressure from the pressurizing portion 180 is applied to the storage space 1239 of the tank container 1231. Apply inside. The storage unit 1230 stores the liquid in a state of being pressurized by the pressurizing unit 180.

The bubble-containing liquid introduction port 1233 mainly consists of a cylindrical pipe 1233a, extends from the upper surface of the tank container 1231 to a height position of 2/3 from the bottom surface portion in the tank container 1231, and extends from the bubble crushing portion 122 to the second. The bubble-containing liquid of 2 is supplied from the upper side of the tank container 1231.

As shown in FIG. 12, the pipe 1233a of the bubble-containing liquid introduction port 1233 is bent in a dogleg shape at an angle of about 30 °, and the tip thereof is cut in the vertical direction. As a result, the bubble-containing liquid is discharged in the horizontal direction while the discharge port 1233b for discharging the bubble-containing liquid is aligned with the side surface of the storage space 1239, and the bubble-containing liquid is discharged toward the side surface. By discharging the bubble-containing liquid along the side surface of the storage space 1239, the bubble-containing liquid is introduced along the side surface of the storage space 1239, and foaming is suppressed.

The recursive outlet 1234 mainly consists of a cylindrical pipe, extending horizontally from the side of the tank container 1231 at a height of 1/3 from the bottom of the tank container 1231 and communicating with the inside of the tank container 1231. Then, the bubble-containing liquid at a height of 1/3 from the bottom of the tank container 1231 is led out to the recirculation flow path 103, and the bubble-containing liquid is recirculated to the gas-liquid mixer 124.

The pipe of the recursive outlet 1234 sucks the bubble-containing liquid in the horizontal direction. As a result, the bubble-containing liquid receives suction pressure in the horizontal direction and is agitated in the storage space 1239. However, since the bubble-containing liquid is not subjected to suction pressure in the vertical direction, it does not prevent bubbles having a small particle size from increasing in concentration below the storage space.

Like the reservoir 123, the bubble-containing liquid outlet 1235 mainly consists of a cylindrical pipe, extends from the bottom of the tank container 1231 to the outside of the tank container 1231, and takes out the bubble-containing liquid from the bottom of the tank container 1231. .. The discharge port 1236 mainly consists of a cylindrical pipe, extends from the bottom surface of the tank container 1231 to the outside of the tank container 1231, and discharges the bubble-containing liquid from the bottom of the tank container 1231.

Since the storage unit 1230 has a closed structure, the storage space 1239 is isolated from the atmosphere, and the storage space 1239 can be pressurized by the pressurizing unit 180. In the present embodiment, the pressurizing unit 180 can pressurize the storage space 1239 up to about 0.6 MPa. Further, even when the pressurizing unit 180 is not operated, the storage unit 1230 is pressurized by about 0.01MPа to 0.05MPa from the atmospheric pressure by the bubble-containing liquid pumped from the bubble generation unit 121.

The storage unit 1230 communicates with the vent filter via the ventilation port 1298a provided on the upper surface of the tank container to secure a ventilation path from the storage space 1239. An on-off valve (not shown) is provided between the vent filter and the vent 1298a, and the control unit 101 adjusts the opening of the on-off valve to enable pressure adjustment in the storage space 1239. The pressure in the storage space 1239 is adjusted to a predetermined value by the control unit 101 measuring the pressure in the storage space 1239 by the pressure transmitter and adjusting it to a predetermined value by the pressurizing unit 180 and the vent filter.

Further, the storage unit 1230 includes a stirrer K for stirring the liquid stored in the tank container 1231. The stirrer K includes a motor K1 provided above the tank container 1231, a shaft K2 connected to the motor K1, and a stirrer blade K3 attached to the shaft K2. The motor K1 is connected to the control unit 101, and the timing of driving is controlled.

Here, the liquid containing fine bubbles or ultrafine bubbles has a characteristic of being more likely to foam than a liquid containing no fine bubbles, and the characteristic is remarkable in a liquid having a colloidal component such as milk. Therefore, in the introduction and storage of the bubble-containing liquid, if the bubble-containing liquid foams when it is introduced into the storage unit 1230, the bubble concentration decreases and it becomes difficult to stably take out the bubble-containing liquid.

In the storage unit 1230 according to this modification, the discharge port 1233b of the bubble-containing liquid introduction port 1233 is formed along the side surface of the storage space 1239, and the bubble-containing liquid introduction port 1233 horizontally charges the bubble-containing liquid into the tank container 1231. Discharge toward the side of. As a result, the bubble-containing liquid is introduced into the storage space 1239 along the side peripheral surface of the storage tank 211, so that foaming can be suppressed and the liquid can be stored.

In the first to fourth embodiments, the beverage manufacturing system has various configurations, but may include at least a homogenizing unit and an ultrafine bubble generating unit. Further, the ultrafine bubble generation unit is not limited to ultrasonic crushing, and may be one that generates ultrafine bubbles by other means.

In the beverage manufacturing system according to the above-described embodiment, the beverage is heated in the bubble crushing portion or the homogenizing portion and cooled in the storage portion. Therefore, for example, the beverage can be instantaneously heated to a high temperature of about 75 ° C. and rapidly cooled to around 0 ° C. Therefore, according to the beverage manufacturing system according to these embodiments, the beverage can be sterilized by utilizing the temperature changes of heating and cooling.

Further, in the above embodiment, the ultrafine bubbles generated in the beverage, that is, the raw milk is carbon dioxide gas. Here, carbon dioxide combines with water to produce bicarbonate ions with a bactericidal effect. As a result, the beverage can obtain a bactericidal effect due to the combination of carbon dioxide and water, in addition to the antibacterial effect of ultrafine bubbles. The carbon dioxide component is almost completely removed from the liquid component before being taken out to the outside by the action of the degassing portion and the substitution by the ultrafine bubbles by the nitrogen bubble.

The beverage produced by the beverage production system according to the embodiment of the present invention contains ultrafine bubbles. The ultrafine bubbles remain in the beverage for a long period of several months. Therefore, in the beverage produced by the beverage production system according to these embodiments, ultrafine bubbles remain in the beverage, the growth of bacteria can be suppressed, and an antibacterial effect can be obtained for a long period of time.

In the above-described first to fourth embodiments, the storage portions 1230 of the modified examples can be connected in an appropriate combination. For example, in the fourth embodiment, the storage unit 1230 is connected so that the bubble-containing liquid is introduced from the homogenization unit 410. By doing so, in the fourth embodiment, the bubble crushing portion is not provided, but the storage portion 1230 can perform ultrasonic crushing.

Although examples of specific embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the above-described embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

The present invention can be used in the production of beverages.

100, 200, 300, 400 Beverage manufacturing system 103, 203, 303, 403 Recursive flow path 110, 210, 310, 410 Uniformization unit 119 Miniaturization unit 120 Ultra-fine bubble generator 121, 221, 231 Bubble generation unit 122, 222, 322, 422 Bubble crushing part 123, 223, 323, 423 Storage part 130, 230, 330, 430 Degassing part

Claims (9)

A beverage manufacturing system including a homogenizing device for introducing a beverage and crushing particles in the beverage to equalize the particle size, and an ultrafine bubble generating device capable of generating ultrafine bubbles in the beverage. ,
The homogenizing device includes a miniaturization unit for crushing particles to make them finer, and a gas is introduced into the miniaturization unit together with a beverage.
By passing the gas together with the beverage, the miniaturized portion crushes the gas in the liquid to generate fine bubbles.
The ultrafine bubble generation device is a beverage manufacturing system, characterized in that ultrafine bubbles are generated from the fine bubbles generated in the micronization unit. The ultrafine bubble generation device includes a bubble crushing portion that crushes fine bubbles by ultrasonic waves, and a storage portion that stores a bubble-containing beverage containing the ultrafine bubbles crushed by the bubble crushing portion.
The beverage manufacturing system according to claim 1, wherein the miniaturized portion is provided upstream of the bubble crushing portion. The ultrafine bubble generating device includes a storage unit for crushing the fine bubbles by ultrasonic waves and storing a bubble-containing beverage containing the crushed ultrafine bubbles.
The beverage manufacturing system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the miniaturized portion is provided upstream of the storage portion. The ultrafine bubble generating device further includes a bubble generating section for generating fine bubbles upstream of the bubble crushing section.
The beverage manufacturing system according to claim 2, wherein the miniaturization unit is provided upstream of the bubble generation unit. The beverage manufacturing system according to claim 2, wherein the fine bubbles generated in the miniaturized portion are supplied to the bubble crushing portion. The beverage manufacturing system according to any one of claims 2 to 5, further comprising a recursive flow path for recurring the bubble-containing beverage stored in the storage unit to the miniaturization unit. It is provided with a homogenizing section where the beverage is introduced and the particles in the beverage are crushed and homogenized, and an ultrafine bubble generating section capable of generating ultrafine bubbles in the beverage.
The homogenizing portion introduces a gas together with the beverage and allows the gas to pass through the beverage to pulverize the gas in the liquid to generate fine bubbles.
The ultrafine bubble generation unit is a beverage manufacturing system characterized in that ultrafine bubbles are generated from the fine bubbles generated by the homogenization unit. It is provided with a homogenizing portion for introducing a beverage and homogenizing particles in the beverage, and a bubble crushing portion for crushing fine bubbles by ultrasonic waves.
The homogenizing portion introduces a gas together with the beverage and allows the gas to pass through the beverage to pulverize the gas in the liquid to generate fine bubbles.
The bubble crushing portion is a beverage manufacturing system characterized in that ultrafine bubbles are generated from the fine bubbles generated by the homogenizing portion. Beverage manufacturing method by a beverage manufacturing system including a homogenizing device for introducing a beverage and crushing and homogenizing particles in the beverage, and an ultrafine bubble generating device for generating ultrafine bubbles in the beverage having homogenized particles. And,
Introducing gas into the homogenizer together with the beverage by a route different from that of the beverage.
A method for producing a beverage, which comprises irradiating the homogenized beverage with ultrasonic waves to crush the fine bubbles in the beverage to generate ultrafine bubbles.

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