JPS589671B2 - Koji storage and supply equipment - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] In the food manufacturing industry, for example, koji (malt) is used during the manufacturing process.
There is a process of quantitative mixing or storage of rice, wheat, soybeans, cornmeal, etc., and the koji that has been cultured may be used as the koji.

For example, typical examples include factories manufacturing sake, miso, etc.

After the cultivation is completed, the koji is extracted and transferred to the next process, but it is used for storage when discharging the koji uniformly and mixing it with protein raw materials as part of the preparation work in the miso manufacturing process, or for fermentation management in the sake manufacturing process. Furthermore, when it is necessary to adjust the moisture content of the koji, a process called ``drying the koji'' is sometimes carried out.

However, if the deposit is thick and the storage time is long, the temperature of the product will rise due to the propagation of Aspergillus oryzae, eventually leading to deactivation.

Therefore, when storing for a long time, the amount of heat generated must be removed.

Conventionally, methods have been used such as thinning and spreading the deposited layer of koji, or incorporating a ventilation structure into a box-shaped container to prevent the temperature of the product from rising, but these methods are complicated to handle and labor-saving. On the other hand, quality control and rationalization were far from being achieved.

Therefore, in the process described above, the present invention first deposits the released koji on the rotating bed of a storage machine with ventilation, and removes the heat generated from the koji by ventilating cooling air. The process supply is designed to be able to be transported out, in order to maintain high quality control and achieve rationalization.

Next, an embodiment of the present invention shown in the accompanying drawings will be described.

In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a rotating bed that is breathable and rotatable.
Koji, which is obtained by culturing commal or other granular materials, is deposited and stored.

2 is a side wall configured to accumulate and accommodate the koji on the rotating bed 1;
Reference numeral 3 denotes a conveying means for leveling or conveying the koji, that is, a screw conveyor; 3' denotes a support for the screw conveyor, that is, a screw shaft; 4 denotes a drive device for rotating the screw conveyor 3; and 5 denotes a screw.・
A lifting device for raising and lowering the conveyor 3, 6 a drive device for operating the lifting device 5, 7 a transmission shaft for synchronously driving the lifting devices provided at both ends of the screw shaft 3', 8
9 is a drive device for rotating the rotary bed 1, 10 is a central shaft for making the rotary bed 1 rotatable, and 11 is a chute for discharging koji that can be raised and lowered. The koji which has been deposited and accommodated is carried out, 12 is a transport pile, and 13 is a cold air supply means, ie, an exhaust fan, for supplying and aerating cold air between the particles of the koji 11 to remove breeding heat.

Further, 14 is a scraper that maintains a mutual relationship with the screw conveyor and enhances the conveying function.

Now, the screw conveyor 3 is set to a height that accommodates the koji using the lifting device 5, the drive device 6, and the transmission shaft 7, and the screw conveyor 3 is operated so that the koji is transported toward the center to improve ventilation. Rotating the rotating bed 1 with
2 is closed, and the koji 11 is deposited and stored near the outer part of the rotating bed 1 using an arbitrary conveying means.

As the accumulation and storage progresses, the koji 11 eventually comes into contact with the screw conveyor 3, and is conveyed from the contact area to the center and leveled.

Now, there is no problem if these koji are immediately transferred to the next process, but if they are stored for a relatively long time due to work reasons, the product may deteriorate due to the reproductive heat of the koji as described above. The temperature rises and eventually deactivation occurs.

Therefore, in order to avoid heat generation, cold air is sucked in from the upper part by the exhaust fan 13 and passed between the particles of koji to remove the propagation heat and enable rational storage.

In the above embodiment, the means for removing heat by creating a negative pressure under the rotating bed 1 with the exhaust fan 13 and supplying cold air from the upper surface of the koji 11 was illustrated and explained. The heat generation may be removed by aeration between the particles of koji, or both upward aeration and downward aeration may be used together.

Further, these ventilation conditions may be controlled by a product temperature controller.

Next, for carrying out a fixed amount per unit time, first, the carrying out port 12 is opened, the rotating bed 1 is rotated by the driving device 9, and the screw conveyor 3 is rotated by the driving device 4.

Next, the screw conveyor 3 is gradually lowered under set conditions, and the conveyance is carried out while maintaining a certain amount per unit time.As a means of setting the conditions and lowering the screw conveyor 3, There are various methods, such as using a variable speed driving device 6 of the lifting device and setting it to the desired speed, or incorporating a limit switch, timer, etc. into the lifting device 6 and lowering the screw conveyor 3 intermittently. In short, it is sufficient to perform a descending setting according to the supply amount for the next process.

In this way, heat generated by the koji during the storage process until supply to the next stage is removed by ventilation of cold air, and the product temperature is adjusted. By rotating and lowering the conveyor 3, a fixed amount of material can be delivered per unit time, and everything is automatically operated along with highly accurate quantitative mixing, which is even more effective in terms of quality control and labor saving.

In the example shown, the screws can also be installed diametrically, being installed over the width of the radius.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The accompanying drawings are hard sectional views showing one embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, 1 is a permeable rotating bed, 2 is a side wall, 3 is a carrying out means (screw conveyor), 4 is a drive device for the screw conveyor 3, 5 is a lifting device, 6 is a drive device for the lifting device 5, 7 is a transmission shaft, 8 is a chute for carrying out, 9 is a driving device for the rotating bed 1, 10 is a central shaft, 11 is koji, 12 is a carrying out port, 1
3 is an exhaust fan (cold air supply means), and 14 is a scraper.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A side wall is constructed by surrounding a rotary bed with air permeability to deposit koji obtained by culturing rice, wheat, soybeans, commal and other granules for storage, and a discharge port formed in this side wall is constructed. A carrying-out means for carrying out the koji in the radial direction and a lifting means for the carrying-out means are operably associated with a drive device, and upward and/or downward ventilation for the koji is provided below the rotating bed. Storing and supplying koji that can prevent untimely proliferation of koji mold in the koji by dissipating heat emitted from the koji during storage by providing a cold air supply means that can prevent the growth of koji mold. Device.