JPH037354B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to an apparatus for cooking and sterilizing packaged foods sealed in heat-resistant containers or bags.

(Prior art) For example, by cooking a package filled with washed rice, etc. so that it can be shipped as a product as it is, it is possible to sterilize without using the retort method, and to produce packaged cooked rice that is fluffy and delicious. An example of such a device is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 14136/1983.

This device includes a storage body for storing food sealed in a bag, a supply section for the storage body on one side, a takeout section for the storage body on the other side, a high-temperature water tank containing boiling water, and a storage body. It includes a conveyance device that passes through the hot water from the supply section and conveys it to the takeout section, and a pipe that spouts high-temperature steam for heating the hot water.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) However, in the conventional device described above, since high-temperature steam is jetted into the hot water, the amount of hot water increases and there is waste in discharging it, and the boiling point of the water is 100°C.
Because of this, it is not possible to obtain a water temperature of 100℃ or higher,
A lot of energy was wasted as heat of vaporization, leading to high costs. Furthermore, it has the disadvantage that it is difficult to sterilize bacteria such as Clostridium potulinum at temperatures below 100°C.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above-mentioned problems, it is an object of the present invention to prevent waste of energy, reduce costs, and improve the sterilization effect.

(Means for solving the problem) The technical means is a heat-resistant container or bag5.
A storage body 7 that stores the food 1 sealed in a container, a supply section 45 for the storage body 7 on one side, and a storage body 7 on the other side.
a high-temperature liquid tank 29 which is equipped with a take-out part 46 and stores a high-temperature liquid 28; and a heating device 30 for heating the liquid 28, the high-temperature liquid 28 is a liquid with a higher boiling point than water, and the heating device 30 connects a heating pipe body 41 disposed in the high-temperature liquid 28 with a heating device 30 for heating the liquid 28. It consists of a heat source supply device 42 that supplies a high-temperature heat source into the pipe body 41, and a take-out part 46.
In addition, a shower device 48 is provided for cleaning the high temperature liquid 28 adhering to the storage body 7 and returning it to the high temperature liquid tank 29.

(Function) According to the present invention, since the liquid 28 is heated indirectly through the heating pipe body 41, there is no fear that the amount of the liquid 28 will increase unnecessarily or the amount of water will increase, thus saving energy. temperature stability as well as temperature stability.

Further, in the take-out section 46, the storage object 7 that has passed through the high temperature liquid 28 and is conveyed is transferred to the shower device 48.
The high temperature liquid 28 adhering to the storage body 7 is returned to the high temperature liquid tank 29 after being cleaned in advance.
Waste of high temperature liquid 28 can be prevented.

Since the liquid 28 has a high boiling point, it also has a great sterilizing effect during cooking.

(Example) Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. In Figures 1 to 8, 1 is a packaged food, and a predetermined amount of washed rice 2, an appropriate amount of water 3, and air 4 are made into thermoplastic A packaging bag 5 made of heat-resistant plastic film (for example, heat-resistant polypropylene) is filled and sealed.

Reference numeral 7 denotes a storage body, in which a plurality of mold containers 8 in which the packaged food 1 is hermetically stored are provided along the longitudinal direction.
The molded container 8 is composed of a container body 9 and a lid 10, which are formed from a thin metal plate such as aluminum into a flat rectangular parallelepiped shape, so-called a lunch box shape. Also, the size of the mold container 8 is
The internal volume of the packaged food 1 is approximately equal to the volume of expanded cooked rice. A gasket 11 is provided around the inner periphery of the lid 10 and is used for sealing the lid 10 with the main body 9.

The storage body 7 includes a central storage body 12 and a pair of upper and lower rotating bodies 13 and 13' rotatably pivoted on both sides of the storage body 12. Container bodies 9 are fixed to each container at appropriate intervals in the longitudinal direction, while corresponding lids 10 are fixed to the rotating bodies 13 and 13', respectively.

Reference numerals 14 and 14 designate a first hinge body that connects the housing body 12 and the upper moving body 13 on one side in the width direction, and the housing body 12 and the lower moving body 13' on the other side; A plurality of mold containers 8 are provided in the longitudinal direction of the mold container 8. And above
The lower movable bodies 13 and 13' are configured so that the lid 10 is fitted into the container body 9 by rotating about the pivot pin of the first hinge body 14 as a fulcrum.

Reference numerals 16 and 16 denote a second hinge body provided on the container body 12 on the opposite side of the hinge body 14 in correspondence with the first hinge body 14, and the L A letter-shaped presser metal fitting 17 is rotatably connected. A plurality of the presser metal fittings 17 are connected by connecting rods 20 as appropriate.
The presser metal fitting 17 is located at the left end and the right end in the third figure.
The presser metal fittings 17 located on the left and right sides of the - line in the same figure are provided with hook portions 18, and press the vertically moving bodies 13, 13'.
3 and 13', and the internal pressure of the mold container 8 is supported by the engagement between the hook part 18 of the presser metal fitting 17 and the hook metal fitting 19.

Furthermore, coaxial support shafts 22 are provided at both longitudinal ends of the container body 12, and coaxial core support shafts 22 project in the same direction, and guide elements 23 are provided at the tips of each support shaft 22, projecting to both sides in the radial direction. , both guide pieces 23 are 90°
Out of phase.

Reference numeral 26 denotes a sterilization device for cooking, which includes a conveyance device 27 for conveying the storage body 7, a high temperature liquid tank 29 containing a high temperature liquid 28, and a heating device 30 for heating the high temperature liquid 28. , conveyance device 27
consists of a pair of left and right endless chains 33 that span a pair of left and right sprockets 31 and 32 that are rotatably attached to both ends of the liquid tank 29, respectively, and the middle part of the chain 33 is submerged within the liquid 28. It is supported by a chain guide 34. 35 is a drive device, one sprocket 32
The chain 33 is operatively connected to the chain 33 and is configured to rotationally drive the chain 33.

Forked attachments 36 are attached to the chain 33 at predetermined intervals, and one of the forked attachments (front side in the direction of movement of the chain 33) has a short protrusion. This attachment 3
The vicinity of the base of the support shaft 22 of the storage body 7 is detachably and rotatably attached to the storage body 6 at the support shaft 22, and the storage body 7 is installed horizontally between the left and right chains 33.

Further, guides 37 that intermittently come into contact with the guide 23 provided at the tip of the support shaft 22 of the storage body 7 are provided at predetermined positions on both left and right sides of the inside of the liquid tank 29. Horizontal sliding portions 38 through which the child 23 can pass when in a horizontal state and recesses 39 through which the guide child 23 can pass in a vertical state are provided alternately at a predetermined interval, and the other guide 37 is configured such that the horizontal sliding portion 38 corresponds to the recessed portion 39 and the recessed portion 39 corresponds to the horizontal sliding portion 38. Then, the guide element 23 is inserted into the recess 3 of the guide 37.
9 to the horizontal sliding part 38, the vertical guide 23 contacts the end of the horizontal sliding part 38 and is rotated 90 degrees, and this contact is performed alternately on the left and right, so that the storage body 7 is moved to a predetermined position. Rotates in cycles.

The high temperature liquid 28 is a mixture of water and glycerin, and the boiling point of the liquid 28 is higher than that of water.

The heating device 30 includes a heating pipe body 41 arranged to pass through the liquid 28 and a boiler 42 as a heat source supply device that supplies high-temperature steam as a high-temperature heat source into the heating pipe body 41. This is a so-called indirect heating method in which the liquid 28 is heated through.

A storage tank 43 is arranged to collect water liquefied by high-temperature steam from the boiler 42.

44 is a vapor recovery hood, which includes a liquid tank 29, a supply part 45 of one storage body 7, and a take-out part 4 of the other storage body 7.
Except for 6, the ducts 47 are provided to cover the upper part of the liquid tank 29, are connected to the storage tank 43 by a duct 47, and are configured to recover liquefied vapor into the storage tank 43.

48 is a shower device, and the storage body 7 is
The liquid discharged from the shower device 48 is returned to the liquid tank 29. Also, the liquid used in the shower device 48 is stored in the storage tank 43.
A pump 49 supplies the liquid to be used.

In addition, on both sides of the liquid tank 29, a storage body 7 is placed in a supply section 45.
A supply robot 50 is provided to supply the attachment 36 of the chain 33, and a take-out robot 51 is provided to take out the storage body 7 at the take-out part 46.

Next, the rice cooking process using the device 26 will be described. Each packaged food 1 is stored in each type container 8, and the latch 15 is engaged to seal the lid. Next, the feeding robot 50 sequentially places the pieces from the feeding section 45 onto the attachment 36 of the chain 33. The storage body 7 thus set is transferred together with the chain 33 and moves submerged in the high temperature liquid tank 29. At this time, the storage body 7 is intermittently rotated at a predetermined period by the guide 23 and the guide 37, the packaged food 1 is stirred inside, and the packaging bag 5 in the mold container 8 adapts to the shape of the mold container 8. At the same time, it prevents the washed rice 2 from shifting to one side,
And uniform heating is achieved. As the food is heated in this way, the washed rice 2 and air 4 inside the packaged food 1 expand, creating high pressure inside the packaging bag 5, but the molded container 8 is firmly held by the latches 15. There is no risk of the lid 10 coming off or the packaging bag 5 bursting.

Moreover, due to this high temperature and high pressure, the packaging bag 5 is brought into close contact with the inside of the mold container 8, and the packaged food 1 is molded into a flat shape. As the heating progresses further, the mold container 8 becomes high temperature and high pressure, the washed rice 2 expands, and the water 3
is completely absorbed by the washed rice 2, part of the air 4 is also absorbed by the washed rice 2, and the rest remains between the rice grains. In this way, washed rice 2 becomes cooked rice and packaged food 1
occupies the entire area. In this way, the high temperature liquid 2
8 and cooking is completed, the storage body 7 is washed by the shower device 48 at the take-out part 46, and then taken out to a predetermined position by the take-out robot 51, and the storage body 7 is latched. When the metal fitting 15 is removed and the rotating body 13 is opened and rotated, a completed packaged food product 1 is obtained as shown in FIG. This finished product has the same flat shape as the molded container 8, and is a very suitable shape for packaging, transportation, store display, etc.

The embodiment of the present invention is constructed as described above, and since a mixture of water and glycerin is used as the high-temperature liquid 28, the boiling point is higher than that of water, and the packaged food is heated at a high temperature of 100°C or higher. Can be heated and cooked.

In addition, although the above-mentioned example described heating cooking using washed rice as cooked rice, there is also a case where already cooked food sealed in a heat-resistant container or bag is heat sterilized by the apparatus of the present invention, and the above-mentioned high temperature By using the liquid 28, the sterilizing effect can be improved.

Also, compared to the conventional method of directly jetting high-temperature steam into hot water, this method indirectly heats the liquid 28 through the heating pipe body 41.
There is no fear that the amount of liquid 28 will increase unnecessarily or the amount of water will increase, energy can be saved, and temperature stability can be achieved. In addition, since the liquid recovered by the vapor recovery hood 44 is returned to the liquid tank 29 using the shower device 48, even though expensive glycerin is used, evaporated glycerin is can also be effectively recovered, reducing costs.

Furthermore, the high-temperature liquid 28 that passes through the high-temperature liquid 28 and adheres to the conveyed storage body 7 is also removed from the shower device 4.
8 and returned to the high-temperature liquid tank 29. From this point of view as well, the liquid 28 containing expensive glycerin can be effectively recovered and costs can be reduced.

If the amount of liquid evaporated from the liquid tank 29 is appropriately adjusted so that it is returned from the shower device 48 into the liquid tank 23, a predetermined amount of liquid 28 can always be ensured and there is no waste.

In addition, although the liquid recovered by the steam recovery hood 44 and the drain water from the boiler 42 are used as the liquid used in the shower device 48, tap water may be added and used as appropriate. good. 52 is a valve on the tap water side.

In the above embodiments, the packaged food 1 containing rice is shown, but the packaged food 1 may be udon noodles, oden noodles, etc., and is not limited to those in the embodiments.

Also, 1 part by weight of glycerin is added to 1 part by weight of water.
When the weight part of glycerin is 2, the boiling point temperature is 113°C. When the glycerin weight part is 3, the boiling point temperature is 117°C. When the glycerin weight part is 4, the boiling point temperature is 123°C. When the glycerin weight part is 5, the boiling point temperature is 129°C, when the glycerin weight part is 6, the boiling point temperature is 135°C, and when the glycerin weight part is 7, the boiling point temperature is 142°C, which is a relatively stable boiling point temperature. The obtained mixture may be used as desired.

(Effects of the Invention) A heat-resistant container or a bag containing a storage body for storing food sealed therein, and a supply section for the storage body on one side,
a high-temperature liquid tank which is provided with a take-out part for the storage body on the other hand and contains a high-temperature liquid; a conveyance device that transports the storage body from the supply part through the high-temperature liquid to the take-out part;
A heating device for heating a high-temperature liquid, wherein the high-temperature liquid is a liquid with a higher boiling point than water, and the heating device includes a heating pipe body disposed in the high-temperature liquid and a high-temperature heat source inside the heating pipe body. A shower device is installed in the take-out section to wash the high-temperature liquid that adheres to the storage body and return it to the high-temperature liquid tank, and the liquid is indirectly supplied through the heating pipe body. Since it is a heating method, there is no risk of the liquid volume increasing unnecessarily.
It saves energy, and since the shower device collects the liquid that adheres to the container, there is no waste and costs can be reduced. Furthermore, it has a great cooking sterilizing effect.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is an overall explanatory diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the packaged food, Fig. 3 is a plan view of the storage body, Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line shown in Fig. 3; 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line taken from FIG. 1, FIG. 6 is a partial side view of the conveying device, FIG. 7 is a partial side view of the liquid tank, and FIG.
The figure is a perspective view showing a finished packaged food product. 1... Packaged food, 5... Packaging bag, 7... Storage body, 26... Heat sterilizer, 27... Conveyance device,
28...High temperature liquid, 29...High temperature liquid tank, 30...
Heating device, 41... heating pipe body, 42... boiler, 43... storage tank, 44... steam recovery hood, 45... supply section, 46... take out section, 48...
...Shower device.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 A storage body 7 that stores food 1 sealed in a heat-resistant container or bag 5, a supply part 45 of the storage body 7 on one side, a take-out part 46 of the storage body 7 on the other side, and a high-temperature liquid 28 High temperature liquid tank 2 containing
9, and a conveyance device 27 that conveys the storage body 7 from the supply section 45 through the high temperature liquid 28 to the takeout section 46.
and a heating device 30 for heating the high temperature liquid 28.
The high temperature liquid 28
is a liquid with a higher boiling point than water, and the heating device 30 includes a heating pipe body 41 disposed in the high-temperature liquid 28 and a heat source supply device 42 that supplies a high-temperature heat source into the heating pipe body 41. A heating cooking and sterilizing apparatus for packaged foods, characterized in that a shower device 48 is provided to wash the high temperature liquid 28 adhering to the storage body 7 and return it into the high temperature liquid tank 29.