JPH0413992B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention heat-sterilizes food sealed in heat-resistant bags, bottles, cans, etc. in a retort (high-pressure cooker) so that it can withstand long-term storage. The present invention relates to a method for producing retort food and an apparatus for producing the same.

(Prior Art) Conventionally, in order to manufacture retort food, a hot water tank for producing hot water is installed above a processing tank for heat-treating the food. Then, the hot water heated to around 130℃ in the hot water tank is discharged into the treatment tank below by using the pressure difference between the tanks, and then steam is supplied to the treatment tank to maintain the temperature at about 120℃ for a predetermined time. Heat and sterilize the food inside. Then, inject cooling water into the treatment tank,
After cooling to 40℃, drain the hot water in the processing tank outside the machine and remove the food.

(Problems to be solved by the invention) Arranging the hot water tank and the treatment tank above and below as described above 2
The tank type is efficient and suitable for mass production because it can supply a large amount of hot water to the treatment tank in a short time. The drawback was that 3 to 5% of the food and its packaging was damaged, resulting in poor yields. Furthermore, since the lid is attached to the side of the processing tank, when taking out the food, all the hot water in the processing tank must be drained, which is wasteful.

The present invention aims to improve these drawbacks, and has a simple structure in which hot water is generated in the treatment tank itself without providing a conventional hot water tank.This prevents food and packaging from being damaged when hot water is supplied, and also prevents food from being damaged. The purpose is to eliminate waste of hot water by attaching a lid for loading and unloading food on the top and allowing food to be loaded and unloaded without draining the hot water inside.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In the present invention, a single high-pressure cooker serves as a conventional hot water tank and a processing tank, and the high-pressure cooker is heated to produce hot water, and the food in the cooker is heated and sterilized with the hot water. .

During heating, compressed air is supplied to the high-pressure cooker to pressurize the food to about 1.0 to 1.5 atmospheres, suppressing expansion of the food and packaging due to temperature rise and preventing damage to the food.

In addition, during the cooling process, the pressure inside the pot is continued until the temperature of the food has dropped sufficiently to protect the food and packaging.

As described above, the present invention is a one-tank type, and has a structure in which a lid is provided at the upper opening of the high-pressure cooker, and a heater is arranged in parallel at the bottom.

A support frame for holding food to be heated is installed inside the high-pressure cooker, a cooling coil is provided outside the support frame along the inner surface of the high-pressure cooker, and a cooling fluid supply source is connected to the cooling coil.

Further, the high-pressure cooker is provided with an air supply port, an air discharge port, and a water supply port and a drain port, and a compressed air supply source is connected to these air supply ports, and a water source is connected to the water supply port.

(Function) The food is prepared in advance, or placed in a retort pouch without being cooked, and then vacuum packaged in the same manner as before.

The bagged food is then inserted into the high-pressure cooker through the upper opening and held immovably by the support frame. Fill the high-pressure cooker with hot water from the water inlet beforehand or after bringing in the food.

After adding food, close the lid of the pot and inject compressed air from the air supply port to the inside of the high-pressure pot.
Heat with a heater while pressurizing to 1.0 to 1.5 atm, and maintain the temperature inside the pot at 105 to 140°C for a predetermined time.

After the predetermined time has elapsed, the cooling coil is supplied with a cooling fluid (such as tap water, etc.) from the cooling fluid supply source.
or fluid such as pressurized air) is sent to cool the inside of the pot.

As a result, when the temperature of the food drops to approximately 80℃, open the air outlet to remove the air inside and remove the pressure, then open the lid of the pot and take out the heat-sterilized retort food from the upper opening. .

(Example) The drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention.

Reference numeral 1 denotes a high-pressure cooker in the form of a bottomed cylindrical body with an open top, a gas burner 2 visible directly below the bottom, and a porous protection plate 3 surrounding the outer periphery. Reference numeral 4 denotes a hemispherical lid having a safety valve 4a, and a clutch-type fastening ring (not shown) is tightly fitted to the outer periphery of the lid to seal the pot 1.

Reference numeral 5 denotes a support frame installed inside the pot, and a spiral cooling coil 6 that runs along the inner surface of the high-pressure pot 1 is placed on the outside of the support frame.
will be established.

One end of the coil 6 is connected to a water storage tank 6a (not shown), and the other end is connected to a water discharge tank 6b outside the machine.

Reference numeral 7 indicates an air supply port having a large number of small holes in a hemispherical plate, 8 indicates an air discharge port, and 9 and 10 indicate a water supply port and a drain port, respectively. An air compressor 11 is connected to the air supply port 7, and a water tap is connected to the water supply port via an instant water heater.

12 is an exhaust pipe of the gas burner 2.

Furthermore, although not shown in the drawings, the high-pressure cooker 1 is provided with a pressure gauge, a thermometer, and a product temperature gauge for measuring internal pressure and temperature.

Then, the maximum amount of food, such as raw shellfish, is packed with the shells in retort pouches (bags) with excellent heat resistance, sealed using a vacuum packaging machine, and these food bags are placed in a stainless steel basket 13. A large number of baskets 13 are stored and inserted into the pot from the upper opening, and the support frame 5 holds the basket 13 in an immovable state.

Before bringing food into the pot, heat it to 85-90℃.
Pour hot water into the pot from the water inlet 9 up to about 1/2 of the volume of the pot.

After transporting the food, close the lid 4, ignite the gas burner 2 and heat the high-pressure pot 1 with direct flame, while operating the air compressor 11 to inject compressed air from the air supply port 7 and pressurize it to 1.0 to 1.5 atmospheres. Press. Here, the amount of pressurization is inversely proportional to the amount of hot water in the pot; if there is more hot water, the amount of pressurization is smaller, and if there is less hot water, the amount of pressurization is increased.

Heat in this state for 20 to 25 minutes until the water rises in temperature.
When the temperature reaches 120℃, reduce the heat power of gas burner 2,
Maintain the F value time, that is, the required unit time for sterilization, with low heat.

At this time, the inside of the food package rises to 2.4 atm at 120°C, but the package does not expand because it is pressurized with compressed air.

Next, the valve is opened and the water in the water storage tank 6a flows through the cooling coil 6, thereby cooling the temperature of the pot.

When the food is brought in, the temperature of the product temperature sensor that is inserted into the sample food and installed inside the pot is measured.
When the temperature drops to 80°C, open the valve of the air outlet 8 to remove the high-pressure air inside, and when the pressurization returns to 0, open the lid 4 and use the lift to take out the food with the basket 13 out of the machine.

Needless to say, in addition to raw shellfish, cooked foods such as curry and seaweed are also suitable as retort foods.

The hot water remaining in the pot is used repeatedly four or five times until it becomes polluted, and then the drain port 10 is opened to drain it and replaced with fresh hot water.

When discharging hot water, if compressed air is injected from the air supply port 7 and the water stop valve 14 installed in the pipe of the drain port 10 is frequently opened and closed in a pressurized state, a small amount of remaining hot water will be rapidly drained by the pressure. As well as spewing out of the aircraft,
Since the compressed air is blown onto the inner curved surface of the lid 4 from the upward air supply port 7, dust and water droplets adhering to the inner wall are thoroughly discharged at this flow rate, making it possible to easily clean the inside of the high-pressure cooker 1 and prevent the occurrence of rust. It can be prevented.

It is preferable to install a porous buffer plate horizontally on the bottom of the high-pressure cooker 1 to relieve the heat of the burner 2 and average out the temperature rise inside the cooker.

Note that air cooling may be used instead of water cooling with a cooling coil as in the above example, but in the case of air cooling, the diameter of the cooling coil should be smaller than that of water cooling, and the diameter on the outlet side should be about 10% smaller than the inlet side. It is necessary to increase heat transfer efficiency by

Water or air discharged from the cooling coil is approximately 50℃
This heat can be used for other purposes such as heating. It can also be used as a steam generator (hot water boiler) for sterilization. 16
indicates the steam outlet in that case.

It goes without saying that the heating temperature of the high-pressure cooker and its connection time may be adjusted as appropriate depending on the type of food to be processed.

(Effects of the Invention) In summary, the present invention produces hot water using its own high-pressure pot and does not require the installation of a conventional hot water tank, which reduces equipment costs, allows installation in a narrow space, and prevents the impact of hot water falling from the hot water tank. This has an excellent practical effect of preventing food from spoiling.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall sectional view of a retort food manufacturing apparatus embodying the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a piping diagram thereof. 1 is a high pressure cooker, 2 is a gas burner, 4 is a lid, 5 is a support frame, 6 is a cooling coil, 7 is an air supply port,
8 is an air outlet, 9 is a water supply port, and 10 is a drain port.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. Submerge vacuum-packaged food in hot water in a high-pressure cooker,
Supply compressed air into the pot and pressurize it to 1.0 to 1.5 atmospheres while heating the high-pressure pot to raise the temperature of the hot water in the pot to 105 to 105.
The temperature is maintained at 140°C, and after a predetermined period of time, the water in the pot is cooled. When the temperature of the food drops below approximately 80°C, the pressure inside the pot is reduced, the lid of the pot is opened, and the food is taken out. A method for producing retort food. 2. A support frame that holds the food to be heated is installed inside a high-pressure cooker that has a lid on the top opening and heaters are arranged below the bottom, and a cooling coil that runs along the inner surface of the high-pressure cooker is installed outside of this support frame. At the same time, a cooling fluid supply source is connected to the cooling coil, and an air supply port, an air discharge port, a water supply port, and a drainage port are provided in the high-pressure cooker, and a compressed air supply source is connected to the air supply port, and a water supply port is connected to the air supply port. A retort food production device consisting of a water source connected to each.