JPS6352614B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a method for treating powdered sorbitol to prevent caking. Sorbitol is an important chemical product that is widely used in the fields of food, medicine, cosmetics, etc. However, powdered sorbitol products, such as anhydrous crystalline sorbitol, hydrous crystalline sorbitol, and amorphous sorbitol powder, are generally prone to caking. Even if moisture is blocked by sealing during storage, clumps and caking occur over time, which not only makes handling extremely difficult, but also significantly reduces the product value in terms of appearance. There is a drawback. Conventionally, measures have been taken to prevent such caking, such as making the particle size of the powder relatively large and using surfactants (Japanese Patent Publication No. 15646/1983), but the former In this case, the fine powder produced during sieving to make the particle size uniform must be collected separately, which results in a poor yield and cannot completely prevent caking. Furthermore, adding foreign substances such as the latter is not desirable in terms of product quality. The present inventors have found that the cause of powdered sorbitol clumping and solidifying over time in a sealed state is not due to the absorption of moisture in the air, but rather that hair-like crystals form on the particle surface of sorbitol powder over time. Based on the prediction that this would be due to particles growing vertically and intertwining with each other, we conducted various studies on ways to prevent caking, and found that by heating sorbitol powder, particle crystals When the powder is mixed while promoting the growth of hair-like crystals from the surface, the growth direction of these hair-like crystals is bent due to friction or collision between the particles and the inner wall of the device, causing growth in the vertical direction. We obtained the knowledge that the system stops. The present invention was completed based on these new findings, and consists of mixing powdered sorbitol in a mixing device at a temperature of 50°C or higher and lower than the melting point for 10 minutes or more. This is a preventive treatment method. As the powdered sorbitol used in the present invention, any of anhydrous crystalline sorbitol, hydrous crystalline sorbitol, amorphous sorbitol powder, etc. can be used, and these substances do not necessarily have to be pure. Small amounts of impurities such as glucose, mannitol, maltitol,
It does not matter if it contains saccharin, glycyrrhizin, stevioside, etc. The mixing device used in the present invention is one that can be used for mixing solid materials, such as a conventionally used fixed container type mixer or container rotating type mixer, and that is capable of heating the powder inside. Any one can be used as long as it is available. Examples of these include rotating cylindrical, ribbon, double round, V-type, etc. mixers. Particularly preferred is, for example, a rotating cylindrical mixer as shown in FIG. 1 equipped with a heating and hot air blowing device. In Figure 1, 1 is the mixing container body, 2 is a heating heater, 3 is a heat-insulating cover, 4 is a powder inlet/outlet, 5 is sorbitol powder, 6 is a gear, 7 is a full plate, and 8 is a hot air blower. The inlet and 9 are hot air outlets. The heating and mixing treatment in the present invention is performed in such a way that crystals grow from the particle surface of the sorbitol powder to be treated, and the direction of the crystal growth is changed by friction or collision between the particles and the inner wall of the apparatus. The reaction may be carried out for a period of time, and is usually carried out at a temperature of 50° C. or higher and lower than the melting point of sorbitol for 10 minutes to 3 hours. The particle surface of the sorbitol powder treated by the method of the present invention is covered with grown hair-like crystals, and no oriented crystal planes are observed, whereas the particle surface of the untreated sorbitol powder is This is clearly different from (in which oriented crystal planes are exposed). Powdered sorbitol treated by the method of the present invention was prepared using 37%
No solidification was observed even after storage at ℃ for one year. Next, embodiments of the present invention will be explained in more detail with reference to Examples. Example (1) JIS No. 1 standard sorbitol 350Kg capacity 1000
Horizontal rotating cylindrical mixer with heating device (Figure 1)
and treated at 75-80°C and 10 rpm for 60 minutes. (2) Food additive standard sorbitol powder 350Kg (1)
Place in the same mixer as 65-70℃, 10r.pm.
Treated for 60 minutes. (3) 350 kg of food additive standard sorbitol powder containing 0.25% glycyrrhizin was placed in the same mixer as in (1) and treated at 50-55°C and 10 rpm for 120 minutes. The powders obtained in (1) to (3) above were placed in a sealed glass container, allowed to stand at 37°C, and the degree of solidification was observed over time in comparison with that of the untreated powder. The results are shown in Table 1. 【table】

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a rotating cylindrical mixer equipped with a heating device.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. Powdered sorbitol is added in a mixing device.
A method for preventing caking of powdered sorbitol, which comprises mixing for 10 minutes or more at a temperature of 50°C or higher and lower than the melting point.