JPH0687757B2 - Soy sauce production equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (1) Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to a soy sauce production apparatus.

(2) Prior art In the soy sauce manufacturing process, a series of processes from the composition adjustment of raw soy sauce obtained after pressing as shown in FIG. In addition, the ingredients such as salt, nitrogen and alcohol in soy sauce are analyzed, and the quality is strictly controlled. The adjustment of the components after the pulling is a process that is performed at any time depending on the application of soy sauce. In the current situation, the soy sauce components are analyzed using the Morle method for common salt, the Kjeldahl method for nitrogen, and the gas chromatography for alcohol, and the components are adjusted or the quality is confirmed. .

(3) Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, when analyzing components such as salt, nitrogen, alcohol, etc. in soy sauce, conventionally, they are individually analyzed by separate means and manually, and especially the analysis of nitrogen. It took hours. And based on the analysis results, soy sauce component adjustment operation, quality confirmation, etc. have been made, and the efficiency of the production is inferior. Furthermore, the production process has to be intermittent, so many A tank facility was required and its improvement was desired.

Recently, with the diversification of consumer tastes and diversification of soy sauce products such as sausage of roasted meat, noodle soup, and ponzu soy sauce, technological development that efficiently manufactures a wide variety of soy sauce to meet those needs is desired. Therefore, the operation of adjusting the components of soy sauce, and the rapid analysis of the components and its application to automatic control have become important issues to be solved by soy sauce manufacturers.

(4) Means for Solving the Problems In view of the current situation, the inventor of the present application focused on a multi-item automatic analyzer capable of simultaneously measuring components such as salt, nitrogen and alcohol of soy sauce with one type of analyzer. Even if the soy sauce stored in the soy sauce tank is directly supplied to the analyzer as it is, a plurality of components of the soy sauce can be immediately analyzed, and salt water, water, alcohol, etc. for adjusting the ingredients can be further analyzed based on the analysis values. It is possible to control the production control element, and the soy sauce component adjustment operation or quality confirmation operation, which conventionally took several hours, can be completed fully automatically in just a few minutes. The present invention has been completed based on the finding that the whole process is not an intermittent process but a continuous process.

That is, the present invention includes at least two soy sauce tanks, a multi-item automatic analyzer that samples and analyzes unadjusted soy sauce, and an operation that is provided in communication with the soy sauce tank and that controls the supply amount of production control elements to the soy sauce tank. A soy sauce production apparatus comprising a valve, a flow meter provided in communication with the operation valve, a multi-item automatic analyzer, and a controller for controlling the operation valve in response to a signal from the flow meter. Is.

The present invention will be described in detail below.

First, the soy sauce to which the present invention can be applied is not particularly limited, and it can be applied to all soy sauces such as dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, white soy sauce or raw soy sauce, and burned soy sauce, and the target components of analysis are those that match each soy sauce. do it. For example, strong soy sauce and light soy sauce include salt, nitrogen, alcohol, sugar and the like, and good soy sauce further includes chemical seasoning such as sodium glutamate.

Next, regarding the soy sauce multi-item automatic analyzer, the near-infrared analyzer is particularly effective. The analyzer is an instrument that irradiates a sample with near infrared rays and analyzes the spectrum of transmitted light or reflected light to analyze the components of the sample. In the present application, as described above, the purpose is to control production control elements such as salt water, water, and alcohol for component adjustment based on the component values of soy sauce salt, nitrogen, alcohol, sugar, sodium glutamate, etc. In order to improve the accuracy of the value, its reflectance is measured over several wavelengths of near infrared rays, each component value is calculated based on the multiple regression equation, and the production control element is controlled by this.

The present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

In FIG. 2, 1 is a soy sauce tank, in which raw soy sauce 2 is stored, and 3 is a multi-item automatic analyzer, that is, a near-infrared analyzer, and soy sauce tank 1 is a pump 4
It is connected to the sample supply port 6 by a pipe 5 via.

Reference numeral 7 denotes a soy sauce outlet after analysis, through which the soy sauce after analysis is discharged.

Next, 8 is a controller which outputs an output signal in response to a signal from the near-infrared analyzer 3. The controller 8 stores the target soy sauce component value in advance, and the near-infrared analyzer 8 In comparison with the signal from No. 3, the addition amount of production control elements such as salt water, water and alcohol is calculated for adjusting the components of soy sauce.

Reference numerals 9, 10, and 11 are operation valves provided at the opening 12 of the soy sauce tank 1 for adding the amounts of salt water, water, and alcohol, and are configured to operate in response to a signal from the controller 8.

Reference numerals 13, 14, and 15 are salt water, water, and alcohol flow meters provided in communication with the operation valve. A signal corresponding to the flow rate of the additive flowing therethrough is fed back to the controller 8 and calculated there. The soy sauce tank 1 is charged with an addition amount corresponding to the calculated value as compared with the calculated value, and the composition of the raw soy sauce 2 is adjusted.

Reference numerals 16, 17, and 18 are containers containing salt water, water, and alcohol, respectively, and the amount of addition is controlled by opening / closing the operation valves 9, 10, 11 and the flow rate is measured by the flow meters 13, 14, 15. The operating valve 9, 10, 11
And flowmeters 13, 14 and 15 are connected to each other and are added to the raw soy sauce 2 through the pipes 19, 20 and 21 installed facing the soy sauce tank 1.

The soy sauce component adjusting device is formed by the device described above.

The raw soy sauce 2 adjusted in the soy sauce component adjusting step is a pump.
It is sent to a plate heater 23 by 22 and heated there to become soy sauce for burning, and then supplied to a refining tank 24 for orienting. Then, the sediment 25 is settled and separated in the tank 24, and the supernatant liquid becomes the product 16.

27 is a near-infrared ray analyzer for confirming the quality of soy sauce after burning, and the product 26 is sampled from the clarification tank 24 via the pump 28 and analyzed.

Also, if the signal from the near infrared analyzer 27 is sent to the controller 8, quality confirmation is also automated, and if data such as temperature or flow rate of the firing process is also sent to the controller 8, integrated control of the entire production process is possible. Automation is possible.

And further the supernatant liquid or product in the refining tank 24
It is also possible to readjust the 26 components, and it is possible to quickly obtain a wide variety of soy sauce by the same means as in the soy sauce component adjusting step.

The present invention is configured as described above, and the raw soy sauce 2 in which the components are not adjusted stored in the soy sauce tank 1 is injected into the near-infrared ray analyzer 3 by the pump 4, and after being analyzed there, its signal is output from the controller 8. Entered in. The addition amount of the additive is calculated by the controller 8, and the operation valves 9, 10,
11 is operated and a prescribed amount of additive is added to raw soy sauce 2. The raw soy sauce 2 whose components have been adjusted in this way is sent to the plate heater 23 by the pump 22, heated, ie, fired, and then sent to the clarification tank 24. Then, the sediment is separated and then commercialized, and the components of the product are confirmed by the near infrared analyzer 27.

Next, the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 is an example in which the production process is continuous. In this embodiment, the soy sauce component to be adjusted is detected by intermittent sample extraction, and the extraction cycle may be appropriately determined depending on the analysis time of the near infrared analyzer or the variation of the soy sauce component to be adjusted.

First, to explain the component adjustment step, 31 is a near-infrared analyzer that analyzes the components of soy sauce being transported on the transport line 29,
Further, 32 is a flow rate detector which is detected to determine the amount of soy sauce to be adjusted in the interval time of the sample extraction by the near infrared analyzer 31, and each signal is transmitted to the controller 8. And, a mixer 34 for homogenizing the components is installed on the downstream side thereof.

Next, the firing step will be described. This configuration is for confirming the components of soy sauce after the firing step, and the sample extraction interval in this step can be regarded as the time required for analysis by the near infrared analyzer. That is, soy sauce must be temporarily stored until the results of the analysis are obtained, and one of the means is the means shown in FIG.

First of all, the transport line 29 is installed on the downstream side after the firing process.
Cushion tanks 35, 35 are installed in each of the flow passages and installed in each of the transport lines 29, and pumps 36, 36 are interposed downstream of the cushion tanks 35, 35 to join the cushion tanks 35, 35 again and directly connect to the refining tank 24. A switching valve 37 is provided at the branch portion so that the transportation line 29 can be appropriately switched by an instruction from the controller 8. The volume of the cushion tanks 35, 35 may be an amount capable of storing soy sauce corresponding to the time required for analysis in the near infrared analyzer.

The present embodiment is configured as described above, and the sample detection end
At 38, soy sauce is extracted intermittently, and the analysis value and flow rate are transmitted to the controller 8 to immediately calculate the addition amount,
In response, the operating valves 9, 10, 11 are operated in the same way as in the embodiment of FIG. 2 and the additive is injected. Then, this operation is repeated to adjust the soy sauce.

Next, the adjusted soy sauce is fired by the plate heater 23 and first sent to one of the tanks 35, during which a sample is extracted and analyzed by the near infrared analyzer 27. The flow path is changed by the switching valve 37 at the time of the next sample extraction, that is, when the analysis value is obtained, and the soy sauce is sent to the other cushion tank 35 this time. During this period, if there is no problem with the analysis value, the pump 36 is operated by the instruction of the controller 8 and the soy sauce is sent to the clarification tank 24. After that, this operation is repeated to confirm the soy sauce component.

Next, FIG. 4 shows another embodiment. First, in the figure, the raw soy sauce is sent at a constant flow rate through the transport line 62 by the pump 61. The raw soy sauce is supplied to either one of the two soy sauce tanks 64 and 65 by the action of the switching valve 63 provided in the line 62. The raw soy sauce, whose ingredients have been adjusted as described below in either the soy sauce tanks 64 and 65, is clarified through the plate heater 23 by either of the pumps 66 and 67, respectively.
24 (shown in FIG. 1).

From any point 73 between the switching valve 63 and one soy sauce tank, for example 64, a sampling line in which a pump 70 is provided.
69 is branched to reach the near infrared ray analyzer 80. The near infrared analyzer 80 has the same structure as the near infrared analyzer 3 shown in FIG. Similarly, a sampling line 71 in which a pump 72 is interposed branches off from an arbitrary point 74 between the switching valve 63 and another soy sauce tank 65, and the near infrared analyzer
It has reached 80. By the action of the pumps 70 and 72, a part of the raw soy sauce in the transportation line 62 is sent to the near infrared analyzer 80 as an extracted sample. In this case, it is needless to say that the raw soy sauce may be sampled from the soy sauce tank 64, as long as it is before the adjustment.

Above the one soy sauce tank 64 are second containers 16a, 17a, 18a for storing salt water, water, and alcohol, operation valves 9a, 10a, 11a, and flow meters 13a, 14a, 15a.
Deployed as shown. Similarly, above the other soy sauce tank 65, containers 16b, 17b, 18b for respectively storing salt water, water, and alcohol, operation valves 9b, 10b, 11b, and flow meters 13b, 14b, 15b are provided, respectively. It

This embodiment further receives an output signal indicating the analysis result from the near infrared analyzer 80, and outputs a control signal to the operation valve 9a, 10a, 11a or 9b, 10b, 11b according to the content of the output signal. Comprised of 81. In the memory of the controller 81, adjustment target concentration values of raw soy sauce regarding salt, nitrogen, alcohol, sugar, sodium glutamate, etc. are stored in the same manner as above.

The controller 81 controls the contents of the output signal from the near-infrared analyzer 80 and the controller 81 in order to adjust each component of the constant amount of raw soy sauce introduced to the soy sauce tanks 64 and 65 to the above-mentioned target concentration.
The stored value in the memory is compared, and the operation valve 9a, 10a, 11a or 9b, 10b, 11b is opened according to the comparison result. In addition, the controller 81 is a flow meter 13a, 14a, 15a, or 1
When receiving a detection signal from 3b, 14b, 15b and a predetermined amount is turned on, the operation valve 9a, 10a, 11a or 9b, 10b, 11b
Close.

The salt water, water, and alcohol described above are added to raw soy sauce in the following order.

(1) Switching one of the switching valve 63 to one soy sauce tank, for example, 64 side (2) Sampling of raw soy sauce (3) End of analysis (4) Signal processing by the controller 81 to determine the addition amount of salt water, water, and alcohol (5) Addition operation start (operation valve 9a ... Open) (6) Addition operation end (operation valve 9b ... Closed) (7) Switching valve 63 to the other soy sauce tank, for example 65 side ( 8) Starting the pump 66 or 67 (9) Repeatedly for the following operations (2) to (3) is approximately 3 minutes as described above, and (5) to (6) is several seconds, and other times Is effectively equal to zero. That is, time (1)
(8) is approximately equal to one analysis time in the near infrared analyzer 80. Therefore, the capacity of the soy sauce tanks 64 and 65 may be sufficient to store the amount of raw soy sauce flowing in the transportation line 62 within one analysis time.

Reference numeral 85 is a level detector of the introduced soy sauce, and the switching valve 63 may be operated by this signal.

Then, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the flow rate of the production control element is kept constant by the metering pumps 82, 83, 84 by removing the flowmeter 13a ... From the embodiment of FIG. The amount of addition of the operation time of the operation valve 9a ... or the metering pump 82
This is an example of controlling by the operating time of. Here, the adjusting mechanism is constituted by the metering pumps 82 ... And the operating valves 9a.

Next, the analysis of soy sauce by a near infrared analyzer is compared with the conventional analysis method to show its effectiveness. First, an example of a measuring device
Shown in the figure.

Reference numeral 41 is a sampler (manufactured by Technicon: sampler type 4), and soy sauce as a sample is injected into a column 43 installed on a rotatable table 42. The column 43 communicates with one suction port 45 of a peristaltic pump 44, and a discharge port 46 corresponding to the suction port 45 has a cooling device 47 for holding the sample at a constant temperature and a near infrared analyzer. (Technicon: Infralyzer 400LR) 48 communicates with the sample supply port 49. The sample discharge port 50 of the near-infrared analyzer 48 communicates with the other suction port 51 of the peristaltic pump 44, and the sample after measurement is discarded. A cleaning liquid 52 is sent by the other one of the peristaltic pumps 53, and is configured to alternately suck the sample and the cleaning liquid so that the samples in the column 43 do not mix with each other.

The invention of the present application can also be implemented by the method of introducing the sample of soy sauce by the pump 4 shown in the embodiment of FIG. 2 into the column 43 of this embodiment. The time required for measurement is shown in Table 1 and the measurement results are shown in Table 2, respectively. How to obtain the same analysis value from the table shows how the analysis by the near-infrared analyzer can be performed quickly without any problem in accuracy. Recognize.

5) Effects of the Invention The invention of the present application is configured as described above, and because the analysis of soy sauce components is performed quickly, the production process is shortened, and soy sauce can be directly injected into the analyzer for analysis. ,
The production process can be automated by combining with other control devices. Furthermore, the tanks that have been conventionally required can be greatly reduced.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the soy sauce production process, FIG. 2 is a flow sheet diagram of the soy sauce production process, and FIGS. 3 to 5 are other examples, and FIG.
The figures respectively show examples of analysis of soy sauce by a near infrared analyzer. In the drawing, 1 is a soy sauce tank, 3 is a near-infrared analyzer, 8
Is a controller, 9 to 11 are operation valves for additive production control elements, 13 to 15 are flowmeters of additives, 24 is a refining tank, 63 is a switching valve, and 64 and 65 are soy sauce tanks.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. At least two soy sauce tanks, a multi-item automatic analyzer for sampling and analyzing unadjusted soy sauce, and an operation for controlling the supply amount of production control elements to the soy sauce tank, which is provided in communication with the soy sauce tank. A soy sauce production apparatus comprising a valve, a flow meter provided in communication with the operation valve, a multi-item automatic analyzer, and a controller for controlling the operation valve in response to a signal from the flow meter. . 2. At least two soy sauce tanks, a multi-item automatic analyzer that samples and analyzes unadjusted soy sauce, and an adjustment that is provided in communication with the soy sauce tank and that controls the amount of production control elements supplied to the soy sauce tank. An apparatus for producing soy sauce, comprising a mechanism and a controller that controls an adjusting mechanism according to signals from a multi-item automatic analyzer.