JP7760271B2 - solids - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a freeze-dried solid product for use in packaged soup.

Containerized foods have been known for some time (see, for example, Patent Document 1). One such containerized food is containerized soup. Containerized soup is produced by filling a container such as a can or pouch with soup, sealing the container, and then subjecting the entire container to a retort process. The soup preparation is stored in a preparation tank and supplied to the container through a supply line, including piping, connected to the preparation tank.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 8-9938

Depending on the type of soup, the above-mentioned containerized soup may have a strong odor or color from the prepared liquid. This can result in the odor or color of the prepared liquid adhering to the preparation tank and piping, potentially contaminating the supply line. After producing such soup, it may become necessary to replace the piping on the production line.

In addition, for contents containing pulp or spices, substances derived from these ingredients tend to stick to or settle on pipes, etc., necessitating additional cleaning processes, which takes a lot of time.

To prevent contamination of the blending tank and piping, it is possible to freeze-dry the contents, including pulp and spices, to turn them into a solid material and then supply it directly into the solid material container. However, there is a risk that the freeze-dried solid material will be damaged during transportation and turn into powder, which could contaminate the transportation route.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a freeze-dried solid product that can suppress contamination.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the solid material is a freeze-dried solid material of the contents of a beverage, which is slid along a conveying chute and transported to a packaging container , and which has a bottom surface that slides along the bottom guide of the conveying chute, an outer peripheral surface that slides along the side guide of the conveying chute, and an upper surface that is larger than the bottom surface .

According to the present invention, a freeze-dried solid product capable of suppressing contamination can be provided.

1 is an explanatory diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of a packaged soup manufacturing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side view showing the configuration of solids used in the container-packed soup. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the configuration of a packaged soup manufacturing device according to a modified example of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of a conveying chute of a granule filling machine used in the manufacturing apparatus. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a chute portion of a conveying chute according to the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of a chute unit according to a second embodiment. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of a chute unit according to a third embodiment. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of a chute unit according to a fourth embodiment. 4 is a flow chart showing an example of a method for producing the container-packed soup. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the composition of ingredients for the soup in the container. FIG. 10 is a side view showing the configuration of a solid body according to another embodiment. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a solid body according to another embodiment. FIG. 10 is a side view showing the configuration of a solid body according to another embodiment. FIG. 10 is a side view showing the configuration of a solid body according to another embodiment.

Hereinafter, an apparatus 1 for producing packaged soup 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10. FIG.
Fig. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of an apparatus 1 for producing packaged soup 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a side view showing the configuration of a solid material 122 used in packaged soup 100, and Fig. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of an apparatus 1 for producing packaged soup 100 according to a modified example of the present invention. Fig. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of a conveying chute 21 of a granule filling machine 15 used in the production apparatus 1. Figs. 5 to 8 are explanatory diagrams showing a schematic configuration of a chute section 22 used in the conveying chute 21 according to the first to fourth embodiments. Fig. 9 is a flow chart showing an example of a method for producing packaged soup 100, and Fig. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the blending of ingredients for packaged soup 100.

The manufacturing device 1 shown in Figure 1 is configured to be able to manufacture packaged soup 100.

(100 container soups)
First, the packaged soup 100 produced by the production apparatus 1 will be described.
As shown in Fig. 1, packaged soup 100 is constructed by packaging soup 102 in packaging container 101. Packaged soup 100 is produced by sealing soup 102 in packaging container 101 and sterilizing it by retort processing.

Specifically, the packaged soup 100 comprises a packaging container 101 and soup 102 sealed within the packaging container 101. The packaging container 101 is formed to be hermetically sealed. The packaging container 101 is heat resistant to the temperature at which the soup 102 is retorted. The packaging container 101 is a can, a pouch packaging bag, a cup, a bottle, a PET bottle, or the like that can be retorted. In this embodiment, the packaging container 101 is, for example, a can made of a metal material. Below, the packaging container 101 will be described as a can 101.

As shown in Figure 1, the can 101 comprises a body 111, a lid 112, and a bottom 113. With soup 102 packed inside the can 101, the internal pressure is reduced to a predetermined pressure and the can is then sealed.

The can body 101 is, for example, a packaging container known as a bottle-shaped container or a three-piece welded can, in which a lid body 112 and a bottom body 113 are fixed to a body 111 by seaming.

The body 111 is cylindrical, with a lid 112 and a bottom 113 fixed to both open ends.

The lid 112 is formed from a flat plate made of a metal material such as aluminum alloy or steel. The lid 112 is hermetically fixed to the body 111 by seaming a flange portion on the outer periphery to one open end of the body 111. For example, the lid 112 is a cap configured to be able to seal the opening by being seamed and fixed in place over the opening of the body 111 of the can body 101. Furthermore, for example, the lid 112 is a so-called stay-on-tab (SOT) can lid, which has a tab that, when operated, breaks a score line to form a drinking spout.

The bottom body 113 is formed from a flat plate made of a metal material such as an aluminum alloy or steel. The bottom body 113 is formed in a disk shape, and its outer flange portion is fastened to the other open end of the body 111, thereby hermetically fixing it to the body 111.

In this type of can body 101, the ingredients for soup 102 are filled into the container body 103, which is a combination of the body 111 and lid 112, or the body 111 and bottom body 113, and then the bottom body 113 or lid body 112 is rolled up and sealed.

Soup 102 is produced by blending ingredients. Soup 102 contains, for example, ingredients with a strong odor and/or color, or ingredients in the form of particles. Examples of these ingredients include spices, Chinese herbal medicine, and pulp. These ingredients are specific ingredients that may contaminate lines, such as pipes, by adhering to the lines with their odor or color, or by leaving particles such as pulp or spices in the lines. To distinguish these ingredients from the other ingredients (ingredients) that make up soup 102, in this embodiment, these ingredients are referred to as specific ingredients. Pulp here refers to, for example, fruit particles or vegetable fibers. A typical example of such a soup 102 is curry soup.

As shown in FIG. 1, soup 102 is produced, for example, by mixing a liquid preparation 121 with a solid material 122, which is a solid obtained by freeze-drying specific ingredients. As the solid material 122 dissolves in the liquid preparation 121, soup 102 reaches product characteristic values such as pH, salt concentration, and sugar content.

The mixture 121 is prepared using ingredients from the soup 102 other than the specific ingredients.

The solid material 122 is produced by freeze-drying the specific ingredients. In other words, the solid material 122 is the raw material for the soup 102 that has been solidified by freeze-drying the specific ingredients. In addition to the specific ingredients described above that are the raw materials for the soup 102, the solid material 122 also contains a binder for solidification. The binder includes at least one of polysaccharides, gelling agents, proteins, and additives that create cross-linked structures. Typical examples of binders include cellulose, starch, dextrin, etc.

The solid material 122 includes, for example, at least one of spices, Chinese herbal medicine, seasonings, and pulp. In this embodiment, since the soup 102 is curry soup, the solid material 122 is spices to which a binder has been added, which have been freeze-dried, and solidified.

During manufacturing, such solid objects 122 are transported in the chute section 22 (described below) with the bottom surface 122a and outer peripheral surface (side surface) 122c sliding, and the top surface 122b non-sliding (non-contact). For example, the surface roughness S1 of the bottom surface 122a and the surface roughness S2 of the outer peripheral surface 122c of the solid object 122 are set smaller than the surface roughness S3 of the top surface 122b. Also, for example, the surface roughness S1 of the bottom surface 122a of the solid object 122 is set smaller than the surface roughness S2 of the outer peripheral surface 122c.

That is, the surface roughness S1 of the bottom surface 122a, the surface roughness S2 of the outer peripheral surface 122c, and the surface roughness S3 of the top surface 122b of the solid object 122 are set so that S1 < S2 < S3. Here, surface roughness refers to the arithmetic mean roughness Ra (arithmetic mean height Sa).

Such a solid 122 is formed, for example, so that the top surface 122b is larger than the bottom surface 122a, or so that the bottom surface 122a and top surface 122b have the same shape or area. For example, the maximum width and/or area of the bottom surface of the solid 122 is smaller than the maximum width and/or area of the top surface. It is preferable that the bottom surface and top surface of the solid 122 be formed to have the same shape.

(Solid 122)
Next, a specific configuration of the solid body 122 will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2, the solid 122 has a circular bottom surface 122a and a circular top surface 122b, and is formed in a truncated cone shape with the diameter of the bottom surface 122a being smaller than the diameter of the top surface 122b. Furthermore, the diameters of the bottom surface 122a and the top surface 122b of the solid 122 are smaller than the opening of the container body 103.

For example, the solid body 122 has a taper angle relative to the central axis of the solid body 122, in other words, an inclination angle of the outer peripheral surface 122c relative to the central axis of the solid body 122, set to 5° or greater. Furthermore, for example, the solid body 122 may have a configuration in which the ridges of the bottom surface 122a and the outer peripheral surface 122c are chamfered into a flat or curved shape.

(Apparatus 1 for producing packaged soup 100)
Next, the apparatus 1 for producing the packaged soup 100 will be described with reference to FIG.
The manufacturing apparatus 1 includes a rinser 11, a liquid filling machine 12, a blending tank 13, piping 14, a granule filling machine 15, a sealing machine 16, a retort processing machine 17, and a conveying device 18. The manufacturing apparatus 1 is installed in a factory and forms a mass production line for packaged soup 100.

The rinser 11 is a washing machine that cleans the container body 103, which is a can body (packaging container) 101, before filling it with the raw materials for making the soup 102. For example, the container body 103 before filling it with the raw materials for making the soup 102 is formed by integrally winding and seaming the body 111 and lid body 112.

The liquid filling machine 12 is a so-called filler that fills a predetermined amount of liquid into the container body 103. In this embodiment, the liquid filling machine 12 fills a fixed amount of the preparation liquid 121 supplied from the preparation tank 13 into the container body 103.

The blending tank 13 stores the blended liquid 121. The blending tank 13 may be used to blend the blended liquid 121, or may have the function of measuring the ingredients of the blended liquid 121 and blending a predetermined amount of the measured ingredients. The piping 14 supplies the blended liquid 121 stored in the blending tank 13 to the liquid filling machine 12. The blending tank 13 and the piping 14 form a supply line for the blended liquid 121 to the liquid filling machine 12.

The granule filling machine 15 fills the container 103 with solid material 122. The solid material 122 filled into the container 103 by the granule filling machine 15 may be solidified in advance by a freeze-drying device and supplied to the granule filling machine 15. Alternatively, the manufacturing apparatus 1 may include the freeze-drying device, and the freeze-drying device and the granule filling machine 15 may be connected by a conveying line for the solidified solid material 122. In this embodiment, the granule filling machine 15 includes a storage section 15a for storing the solid material 122 and a line 15b for conveying a predetermined number of solid materials 122 from the storage section 15a.

The granular filling machine 15 is provided on the secondary side of the rinser 11. The granular filling machine 15 is also provided on the secondary side of the liquid filling machine 12. Note that the granular filling machine 15 may be provided on both the primary and secondary sides of the liquid filling machine 12, as in the modified manufacturing apparatus 1 shown in Figure 3, or may be configured to be provided on the primary side of the liquid filling machine 12. Note that in the modified manufacturing apparatus 1, for example, the granular filling machine 15 provided on the primary side of the liquid filling machine 12 and the granular filling machine 15 provided on the secondary side of the liquid filling machine 12 have the same device configuration, but different raw materials are used for the conveyed solid material 122.

The granular filling machine 15 fills the opening of the container body 103 with the solid material 122 in a position where one end with a small diameter of the solid material 122 faces downward and the other end with a large diameter of the solid material 122 faces upward. Here, the position of the solid material 122 where one end with a small diameter of the solid material 122 faces downward and the other end with a large diameter of the solid material 122 faces upward includes a position where the central axis of the solid material 122 is aligned with the direction of gravity, and a position where the central axis of the solid material 122 intersects the direction of gravity.

Next, a specific example of such a granular filling machine 15 will be described. As a specific example, as shown in FIG. 4, the granular filling machine 15 has a conveying chute 21 at the end of a line 15b connected to the storage section 15a of the granular filling machine 15. The granular filling machine 15 may also be configured, for example, to have a turret and multiple pockets below the conveying chute 21. The granular filling machine 15 may be configured, for example, to convey the container bodies 103 sequentially at predetermined intervals using a turret or the like, or may not have a turret or multiple pockets and may supply solid material 122 to the container bodies 103 that are conveyed sequentially in close contact.

The conveying chute 21 conveys the solids 122 from the storage section 15a to the container body 103. The conveying chute 21 includes, for example, a solids dispensing section, a chute section 22 that conveys the solids 122 supplied from the solids dispensing section toward the container body 103, and an injection device 23 that injects a predetermined number of solids 122, for example, one solid 122, into the container body 103. The solids dispensing section supplies the solids 122 to the chute section 22 in an orientation such that the bottom surface 122a of the solids 122 faces downward and the top surface 122b of the solids 122 faces upward.

The chute section 22 slides the bottom surface 122a and outer peripheral surface 122c of the solid material 122, which is oriented with the bottom surface 122a facing downward. The chute section 22 is provided at least at the end of the line 15b. The chute section 22 is inclined with respect to the direction of gravity, with its end positioned above the opening of the container body 103. The chute section 22 includes, for example, a bottom guide 25 that moves the solid material 122 in the inclined direction, and a side guide 26 that extends along the longitudinal direction of the bottom guide 25.

The bottom surface 122a of the solid object 122 slides on the bottom guide 25. The bottom guide 25 has a friction coefficient that prevents the solid object 122 from collapsing. The bottom guide 25 makes point or line contact with a portion of the bottom surface of the solid object 122. The bottom guide 25 is formed so that the solid object 122 placed on top can move along the inclined direction.

The outer peripheral surface 122c of the solid object 122 slides on the side guide 26. The side guide 26 has a friction coefficient set to prevent the solid object 122 from crumbling. The side guide 26 makes point or line contact with part of the outer peripheral surface 122c of the solid object 122 at two locations in a direction perpendicular to the extension direction of the bottom guide 25. As a specific example, the side guide 26 has a pair of guide bodies 26a that respectively make contact with the outer peripheral surface 122c of the solid object 122 and against which the outer peripheral surface 122c of the solid object 122 slides. The side guide 26 is provided along the bottom guide 25 and abuts against the outer peripheral surface 122c of the solid object 122, thereby guiding the movement direction of the solid object 122. The pair of guide bodies 26a make point or line contact with the outer peripheral surface of the solid object 122.

Furthermore, this type of chute section 22 is configured to be able to transport solid objects 122 supplied from the solid object dispensing section even when the solid objects 122 are in an orientation in which the bottom surface 122a faces upward and the top surface 122b faces downward.

Next, an embodiment of such a chute section 22 will be described with reference to FIGS.
The chute section 22 according to the first embodiment shown in Fig. 5 will be described. As shown in Fig. 5, the bottom guide 25 is, for example, a rail extending in the direction of conveyance of the solid objects 122. The bottom guide 25 has a top 25a at its upper end, and its side surfaces slope from the top 25a, with the bottom surfaces 122a of the solid objects 122 sliding along the top 25a. The side guide 26 has a pair of guide bodies 26a extending in the direction of conveyance of the solid objects 122.

The guide bodies 26a are, for example, rails that form lateral peaks that protrude toward the outer peripheral surface 122c of the solid object 122, and whose tips (peaks) come into contact with the outer peripheral surface 122c of the solid object 122. The pair of guide bodies 26a are formed in a shape such that only their tips come into contact with the outer peripheral surface 122c of the solid object 122, even when the bottom surface 122a of the solid object 122 is facing upward and the top surface 122b is facing downward.

Next, the chute section 22 according to the second embodiment shown in Figure 6 will be described. As shown in Figure 6, for example, the bottom guide 25 has the same configuration as the bottom guide 25 of the first embodiment. The side guide 26 has a pair of guide bodies 26a. The ends of the guide bodies 26a that protrude toward the outer surface 122c of the solid object 122 extend in the conveying direction, and have a circular cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the extension direction. The pair of guide bodies 26a are shaped so that only the tips of the guide bodies 26a come into contact with the outer surface 122c of the solid object 122, even when the bottom surface 122a of the solid object 122 is facing upward and the top surface 122b is facing downward.

Next, the chute section 22 according to the third embodiment shown in Figure 7 will be described. As shown in Figure 7, for example, the bottom guide 25 is formed by a plurality of rollers 25b whose rotation axes are perpendicular to or intersect with the conveying direction of the solid objects 122. When the solid objects 122 slide over the top of the rollers 25b, the rollers 25b come into line contact with the bottom surfaces 122a of the solid objects 122. The side guides 26 may have the same configuration as either the first or second embodiment described above.

Next, the chute section 22 according to the fourth embodiment shown in Figure 8 will be described. As shown in Figure 8, for example, the bottom guide 25 includes a base 25c and a plurality of balls 25d rotatably supported by the base 25c. When the solid object 122 slides over the top, the plurality of balls 25d come into point contact with the bottom surface 122a of the solid object 122 at multiple locations. The arrangement of the plurality of balls 25d is determined appropriately depending on the shape of the bottom surface 122a of the solid object 122 and the shape of the balls 25d. The side guide 26 may have a configuration similar to any of the first to third embodiments described above.

Note that while the first to fourth embodiments of the chute section 22 have been illustrated, the configuration of the chute section 22 is not limited to these configurations, and can be configured as appropriate as long as the bottom guide 25 and side guide 26 contact the bottom surface 122a and outer peripheral surface 122c of the solid object 122 at a point or line, allowing the solid object 122 to slide.

The input device 23 is, for example, a gate that opens and closes, and the method for opening and closing the input device 23 can be set as appropriate. For example, the input device 23 detects the moving container body 103 being transported using one or more sensors 23a, and opens and closes based on the detection results. The input device 23 may also be composed of a turret, a pocket, or a component attached to the turret.

The sealing machine 16 seals the packaging container 101 filled with the prepared liquid 121 and the solid material 122. In this embodiment, the sealing machine 16 seals the can body 101 by covering the container body 103, which is composed of the body 111 and the lid body 112, with the bottom body 113 and then tightening the bottom body 113.

The retort processor 17 retorts the sealed can bodies 101 filled with the prepared liquid 121 and solid matter 122. The retort processor 17 includes a retort kettle and heats the can bodies 101 contained in the retort kettle at a predetermined temperature for a predetermined time to perform retort sterilization. The retort processor 17, for example, performs retort processing by leaving the can bodies 101 contained in the retort kettle stationary, or has an agitation function that rotates or rocks the can bodies 101, thereby performing retort processing while agitating the can bodies 101 contained in the retort kettle.

The conveying device 18 sequentially conveys the container bodies 103 from the collection section 18a, which collects multiple container bodies 103, to the rinser 11, the liquid filling machine 12, the granular filling machine 15, the sealing machine 16, and the retort processing machine 17. The conveying device 18 is, for example, a conveyor formed by rollers, belts, etc. The conveying device 18 forms a conveying line for the container bodies 103 between each device. The conveying device 18 may also include a component for conveying the bottom body 113 that seals the container bodies 103 in the sealing machine 16.

(Method for manufacturing the container soup 100)
Next, a method for producing the packaged soup 100 will be described with reference to the flow chart shown in FIG.

First, the container 103, which does not have a bottom 113 (or lid 112) and is formed by a body 111 and a lid 112 (or bottom 113) and has one open end, is transported to the rinser 11 by the transport device 18. The rinser 11 cleans the container 103 transported to the rinser 11 by the transport device 18 (step ST11).

Next, the container body 103 cleaned by the rinser 11 is transported by the transport device 18 to the liquid filling machine 12 and the granule filling machine 15. The liquid filling machine 12 and the granule filling machine 15 then fill the container body 103 with the prepared liquid 121 and the solid material 122, respectively (step ST12). Specifically, the liquid filling machine 12 fills the transported container body 103 with a predetermined amount of the prepared liquid 121 supplied from the blending tank 13 via the piping 14. The granule filling machine 15 also fills the transported container body 103 with a predetermined amount of the solid material 122.

Here, when the granule filling machine 15 is located on the secondary side of the liquid filling machine 12 as shown in FIG. 1, the prepared liquid 121 is first filled into the container body 103, and then the solid material 122 is filled into the container body 103. Note that when the granule filling machines 15 are located on both the primary and secondary sides of the liquid filling machine 12 as shown in FIG. 3, the solid material 122 is first filled into the container body 103, then the prepared liquid 121 is filled into the container body 103, and finally the solid material 122 is filled into the container body 103.

The prepared liquid 121 is prepared in the preparation tank 13 or in a tank separate from the preparation tank 13. The solids 122 are set to a predetermined size, and the granule filling machine 15 fills a predetermined number of them into the container body 103. The size and number of solids 122 to be filled are set appropriately. The shape and surface roughness of the solids 122 are such that they dissolve and homogenize in the prepared liquid 121 when filled into the packaging container 101 together with the prepared liquid 121 and undergo the retort process described below, and that they are prevented from crumbling during storage, transportation, and filling before being filled into the container body 103 by the granule filling machine 15.

Next, the container body 103 filled with the prepared liquid 121 and the solid matter 122 is transported by the transport device 18 to the sealing machine 16. The sealing machine 16 then seals the container body 103 (packaging container 101) (step ST13). When the packaging container 101 is a can body 101, like the packaging container 101 of this embodiment, the sealing machine 16 places the bottom body 113 on the container body 103 and seams the bottom body 113 to the body 111 of the container body 103, thereby sealing the can body 101.

Next, the conveying device 18 conveys the sealed can body 101 to the retort processor 17. The retort processor 17 retorts the sealed can body 101 (step ST14). For example, the retort processor 17 heats the sealed can body 101 at a predetermined temperature for a predetermined time to perform retort sterilization and dissolve the solid matter 122 in the preparation 121.

Here, the solid matter 122 is dissolved in the prepared liquid 121 by retorting, or by agitating the prepared liquid 121 and the solid matter 122 by retorting and rotating or shaking the can body 101 during the retorting.

Next, the can body 101 is cooled in the retort processor 17 or outside the retort processor 17 (step ST15). The can body 101 may be cooled naturally or by forced cooling using a cooler. Through these steps, the packaged soup 100 is produced.

(Examples of ingredients for soup 102)
Next, an example of the blending of ingredients for soup 102 will be described with reference to Fig. 10. An example of ingredients for soup 102 and an example of the blending of liquid preparation 121 and solids 122 for each ingredient are shown in Fig. 10. As an example of soup 102, curry soup will be described.

As shown in FIG. 10, examples of ingredients for soup 102 include vegetable paste, vegetable and fruit puree, emulsified oils and fats, nut paste, curry paste, coconut milk powder, honey, vegetable extract, salt, curry powder and spices, chicken extract powder, thickener, pH adjuster, emulsifier, flavor oil, antioxidant (vitamin C), and water. Note that the ingredients for soup 102 are not limited to those mentioned above, and may also include various other ingredients and solid ingredients such as granulated corn.

The solid material 122 is formed by freeze-drying the specific ingredients mentioned above, namely curry paste, curry powder, spices, and flavor oil, which are spices among the ingredients of the soup 102. The prepared liquid 121 is prepared using ingredients other than those contained in the solid material 122. The solid material 122 may be composed of, for example, a vegetable paste containing pulp, or vegetable and fruit puree.

With the thus configured containerized soup 100 manufacturing device 1 and solid matter 122, the surface roughness of the bottom surface 122a and outer peripheral surface 122c of the solid matter 122 is set to be smaller than the surface roughness of the top surface 122b. Furthermore, the orientation of the solid matter 122 transported by sliding in the chute section 22 is such that the bottom surface 122a faces downward.

As a result, the bottom surface 122a and outer peripheral surface 122c of the solid object 122, which have relatively low surface roughness, slide against the bottom guide 25 and side guide 26 of the chute portion 22. This reduces the coefficient of friction between the solid object 122 and the chute portion 22, preventing the solid object 122 from crumbling during transport, i.e., being damaged and becoming powdery.

In addition, the surface roughness of the bottom surface 122a of the solid object 122 is set to be smaller than the surface roughness of the outer peripheral surface 122c. This makes the bottom surface 122a of the solid object 122 that comes into contact with the bottom guide 25 in the direction of gravity relatively small, thereby further preventing part of the solid object 122 from turning into powder.

In addition, the chute section 22 is configured so that the bottom guide 25 and side guide 26 come into contact with the solid material 122 at a point or line, minimizing the area of damage to the solid material 122 due to friction, etc. This prevents some of the solid material 122 from turning into powder.

In this way, in the production of the packaged soup 100, specific ingredients of the soup 102 that may contaminate the production apparatus 1 are formed as solids 122 and filled into the container 103 separately from the prepared liquid 121. The production apparatus 1 and solids 122, the conveying chute 21, and the production apparatus 1 can prevent a portion of the solids 122 from turning into powder, thereby preventing contamination of the equipment.

Furthermore, preventing the solids 122 from turning into powder can prevent variations in the ratio of solids 122 to the blended liquid 121 in the packaged soup 100. Therefore, the manufacturing device 1 and the solids 122 can maintain consistent quality of the packaged soup 100, preventing the packaged soup 100 from being defective.

In addition, in the manufacturing apparatus 1, the compounded liquid 121 that comes into contact with the transfer lines, such as the blending tank 13 and piping 14, does not contain any substances that would contaminate these transfer lines. Therefore, the manufacturing apparatus 1 and manufacturing method can prevent contamination of the blending tank 13, piping 14, etc. As a result, when changing the type of soup 102 produced by the manufacturing apparatus 1, there is no need to replace the blending tank 13 and piping 14, and the time and steps for cleaning, etc. can also be reduced.

Furthermore, by appropriately setting the solubility and strength of the solid material 122 depending on the soup 102, etc., the solid material 122 can be suitably dissolved in the preparation liquid 121 during retort processing. Furthermore, by setting the strength of the solid material 122 to a predetermined strength, the solid material 122 is prevented from crumbling when the freeze-dried solid material 122 is transported or filled, and the manufacturing apparatus 1 can be prevented from being contaminated by specific ingredients that are crumbled solid material 122.

Furthermore, the solids 122 are shaped so that the bottom surface 122a is smaller than the top surface 122b, and by supplying the solids 122 to the container 103 with the bottom surface 122a facing downward, the tip of the solids 122 can easily enter the opening of the container 103. This prevents the solids 122 from colliding with the opening of the container 103, preventing the solids 122 from breaking down upon impact with the container 103 and scattering part of the solids 122 outside the container 103, thereby preventing contamination of the conveying device 18 and the outer surface of the container 103.

Furthermore, by making the solid 122 frustum-shaped, even if the outer surface of the large-diameter end of the solid 122 collides with the opening of the container 103 when it enters the container 103, part of the force at the time of collision is converted into a radial force of the solid 122.

As a result, the solid material 122 can be moved toward the center of the mouth of the container body 103, and even if the solid material 122 collides with the outer surface of the end of the large diameter portion of the mouth of the container body 103, the solid material 122 can be prevented from crumbling and scattering.

Furthermore, by making the solids 122 truncated cone shaped, the area of contact between the small diameter end face and outer peripheral surface of the solids 122 and the chute section 22 used to transport the solids 122, components other than the chute section 22, and adjacent solids 122 can be reduced. This prevents the solids 122 from crumbling due to contact with other components or other solids 122, thereby reducing contamination of the area around the path along which the solids 122 travel.

As described above, the apparatus 1 for producing packaged soup 100 and the solid material 122 according to one embodiment of the present invention can suppress contamination.

In the above example, the arithmetic mean roughness (arithmetic mean height) was used as an example of the surface roughness of the solid object 122, but the surface roughness of the solid object 122 is not limited to this. In other words, the surface roughness may be any one of the arithmetic mean roughness, ten-point mean roughness, maximum height, root-mean-square height, skewness, kurtosis, maximum peak height, and maximum valley depth, or a combination of multiple values.

In the above example, the solid 122 is formed in a truncated cone shape, but this is not limiting. For example, the bottom surface 122a and the top surface 122b of the solid 122 may be formed to have the same shape. As a specific example, as shown in FIG. 11, the solid 122 may be formed in a cylindrical shape with the bottom surface 122a and the top surface 122b formed to be circular, and the outer diameter of the outer peripheral surface 122c gradually increasing in the axial direction from both ends (both surfaces 122a, 122b) toward the center. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 12, the solid 122 may be formed in a cylindrical shape with the outer diameter of the outer peripheral surface 122c being the same.

Also, as shown in Figure 13, the solid 122 may have a circular bottom surface 122a and top surface 122b, and an abacus sphere shape in which the outer diameter of the outer peripheral surface 122c gradually increases in the axial direction from both ends (both surfaces 122a and 122b) toward the center. Here, the abacus sphere shape is a shape in which two truncated cones are combined one above the other with their larger diameters integrated. Furthermore, it is preferable that the central apex of the solid 122 shown in Figure 13, which is the largest outer diameter of the outer peripheral surface 122c, is curved.

As shown in FIG. 14, the solid 122 may have a configuration in which the edges of the bottom surface 122a, top surface 122b, and outer peripheral surface 122c are chamfered into a curved shape. The solid 122 may also have corners that are chamfered into a flat shape. The shape of the solid 122 is not limited to the above-described shape and can be set as appropriate. While the example in which the bottom surface 122a and top surface 122b of the solid 122 are formed into a circular shape has been described, the circular shape includes not only shapes with the same radius of curvature, but also elliptical shapes with different radii of curvature.

In other words, the above example describes an example in which the outer peripheral surface 122c of the solid object 122 is curved to ensure good rolling properties during transport. However, the outer peripheral surface 122c of the solid object 122 may be provided with chamfered or recessed portions, which preferably position the solid object 122 during transport. Furthermore, the solid object 122 may be shaped so that it faces a fixed direction during transport due to the chamfered or recessed portions.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made in the implementation stage without departing from the spirit of the invention. Furthermore, the embodiments may be implemented in appropriate combinations, in which case the combined effects can be obtained. Furthermore, the above-described embodiments include various inventions, and various inventions can be extracted by combining selected elements from the disclosed elements. For example, if the problem can be solved and the desired effect can be obtained even if some elements are deleted from all elements shown in the embodiments, the configuration from which these elements are deleted can be extracted as an invention.
The following is a description equivalent to the invention described in the original claims of the present application.
[1] A beverage containing a freeze-dried solid material that slides along a conveying chute and is conveyed.
a bottom surface that slides on the bottom guide of the conveying chute;
an outer peripheral surface that slides on the side guide of the conveying chute;
A solid having
[2] The solid material according to [1], having an upper surface formed larger than the bottom surface.
[3] The solid material according to [2], wherein the bottom surface is formed in a circular shape and the top surface is formed in a truncated cone shape with a diameter larger than that of the bottom surface.
[4] The solid material according to [1], having an upper surface formed to the same size as the bottom surface.
[5] The solid body according to any one of [2] to [4], wherein the surface roughness of the bottom surface and the surface roughness of the outer circumferential surface are smaller than the surface roughness of the top surface.
[6] The solid material according to [5], wherein the surface roughness of the bottom surface is smaller than the surface roughness of the outer circumferential surface.
[7] A conveying chute for conveying freeze-dried solid matter contained in a beverage,
a bottom guide that contacts a portion of the bottom surface of the solid object and on which the bottom surface of the solid object slides;
a side guide that contacts a part of the outer circumferential surface of the solid object and on which the outer circumferential surface slides;
A conveying chute comprising:
[8] The conveying chute according to [7], wherein the solid material has an upper surface formed larger than the bottom surface.
[9] The conveying chute according to [8], wherein the solid material has a circular bottom surface and a truncated cone shape with the top surface having a larger diameter than the bottom surface.
[10] The conveying chute according to [7], wherein the solid material has an upper surface formed to be the same size as the bottom surface.
[11] The conveying chute according to any one of [8] to [10], wherein the surface roughness of the bottom surface and the surface roughness of the outer circumferential surface of the solid object are smaller than the surface roughness of the top surface.
[12] The conveying chute according to [11], wherein the surface roughness of the bottom surface of the solid material is smaller than the surface roughness of the outer circumferential surface.
[13] The conveying chute according to any one of [7] to [12], wherein the bottom guide extends along the conveying direction of the solid material.
[14] The conveying chute according to [13], wherein the bottom guide has a top at its upper end, a side surface that slopes from the top, and the solid object slides along the top.
[15] A rinser for cleaning the container;
a blending tank for storing a blended liquid for producing soup;
a liquid filling machine for filling the container with the prepared liquid;
a pipe for supplying the mixed liquid from the mixed liquid tank to the liquid filling machine;
a granule filling machine having a conveying chute according to any one of [7] to [14] for supplying the freeze-dried solid material that produces the soup together with the preparation liquid into the container;
a sealing machine that seals the container filled with the prepared liquid and the solid material;
a retort processor that retorts the sealed container;
An apparatus for producing containerized soup, comprising:

1...Manufacturing apparatus, 11...Rinser, 12...Liquid filling machine, 13...Blending tank, 14...Pipe, 15...Granular filling machine, 15a...Storage section, 15b...Line, 16...Sealing machine, 17...Retort processing machine, 18...Conveying device, 18a...Collecting section, 21...Conveying chute, 22...Chute section, 23...Feeding device, 23a...Sensor, 25...Bottom guide, 25a...Top section, 25b...Roller, 25c...Base section, 25d...Bowl, 26...Side guide, 26a...Guide body, 100...Containerized soup, 101...Can body (packaging container), 102...Soup, 103...Container body, 111...Body, 112...Lid body, 113...Bottom body, 121...Blended liquid, 122...Solid material, 122a...Bottom surface, 122b...Top surface, 122c...Outer surface.

Claims (5)

The beverage contains freeze-dried solids that slide along a conveying chute and are conveyed to a packaging container .
a bottom surface that slides on the bottom guide of the conveying chute;
an outer peripheral surface that slides on the side guide of the conveying chute;
and
A solid object having a top surface that is larger than the bottom surface . 2. The solid material according to claim 1 , wherein the bottom surface is formed in a circular shape and the top surface is formed in a truncated cone shape having a diameter larger than that of the bottom surface. The solid object described in claim 1, having an upper surface formed to the same size as the bottom surface. The solid material according to claim 1 , wherein the surface roughness of the bottom surface and the surface roughness of the outer circumferential surface are smaller than the surface roughness of the top surface. The solid material according to claim 4 , wherein the surface roughness of the bottom surface is smaller than the surface roughness of the outer circumferential surface.