阅读说明：本技术 用于减少食物中含有的植酸和植酸盐的含量的烹饪装置 (Cooking device for reducing the content of phytic acid and phytate contained in food ) 是由 陈韵 谭径微 陆伟华 于 2019-01-23 设计创作，主要内容包括：公开了一种用于在液体的设定酸性pH条件下将食物浸泡在液体中以减少食物中包含的植酸和/或植酸盐含量的装置和方法。该装置包括用于接纳食物和接纳用于在容器内浸泡食物的液体的容器。该装置还包括被配置为确定用于容器内的浸泡的液体量和/或食物量的量确定系统,以及被配置为对液体的至少一部分进行电解以调节液体的pH水平的pH调节系统。该方法包括向容器供应一定量的食物和一定量的液体；其中食物的量和/或液体的量被使用量确定系统确定；其中使用被配置为对液体的至少一部分进行电解的pH调节系统来调节液体的pH水平。(An apparatus and method for soaking food in a liquid under set acidic pH conditions of the liquid to reduce the content of phytic acid and/or phytate contained in the food is disclosed. The device comprises a container for receiving food and for receiving liquid for soaking the food in the container. The apparatus also includes a quantity determination system configured to determine an amount of liquid and/or food for soaking within the container, and a pH adjustment system configured to electrolyze at least a portion of the liquid to adjust a pH level of the liquid. The method comprises supplying a quantity of food and a quantity of liquid to a container; wherein the amount of food and/or the amount of liquid is determined by the usage determination system; wherein the pH level of the liquid is adjusted using a pH adjustment system configured to electrolyze at least a portion of the liquid.)

1. An apparatus (1) for soaking a food (3) in a liquid (4) set by the apparatus (1) under set acidic pH conditions of the liquid (4) to reduce the content of phytic acid and/or phytate contained in the food (3);

wherein the device (1) comprises:

a container (2) for receiving the food (3) and for receiving the liquid (4) for soaking the food (3) within the container (2);

an amount determination system (29, 36) configured to determine an amount of the liquid (4) and/or an amount of the food (3) to be used for the steeping within the container; and

a pH adjustment system (9) configured to electrolyze at least a portion of the liquid to adjust a pH level of the liquid (4).

2. The apparatus (1) according to claim 1, wherein the amount determination system (29, 36) is configured to determine the amount of the food (3) and/or the amount of the liquid (4) when the food (3) and/or the liquid (4) is contained in the container (2).

3. The device (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the quantity determination system (29, 36) comprises a weighing system (36).

4. The apparatus (1) according to claim 3, wherein the weighing system (36) is configured to weigh the contents contained in the container (2).

5. The device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a liquid supply system (7) configured to supply a set amount of said liquid (4) to said container (2);

wherein the set amount of the liquid (4) is determined by the amount determination system (29, 36) from the determined amount of the food (3).

6. The apparatus (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the amount determination system (29, 36) is configured to determine the amount of the liquid (4) according to a category of the food (3); wherein:

-the apparatus (1) comprises an interface (31) for receiving a user input indicative of the category of the food (3); and/or

-the apparatus (1) is configured to determine a category of the food (3).

7. The device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the pH adjustment system (9) is configured to adjust the pH level of the liquid (4) to a value in a range between 4 and 6.5 or to a value in a range between 4.5 and 6.0 or to a value in a range between 4.5 and 5.6.

8. The device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the device (1) is configured to perform a temporal heating profile comprising temperature levels within a temperature range between 30 ℃ and 70 ℃, or between 40 ℃ and 60 ℃, or between 45 ℃ and 55 ℃;

wherein the temperature level is within the temperature range over a time period of between 1 hour and 3 hours or over a time period of between 1.5 hours and 2.5 hours.

9. A method (100) for treating food (3) by infusion in order to reduce the phytic acid and/or phytate content contained in said food (3),

the method comprises the following steps:

supplying (S120, S140) a quantity of the food (3) and a quantity of liquid (4) to a container (2);

wherein an amount determination system (29, 36) is used to determine the amount of the food (3) and/or the amount of the liquid (4);

wherein the pH level of the liquid (4) is adjusted using a pH adjustment system (9) to electrolyze at least a portion of the liquid;

soaking (S160) the food and the liquid under set acidic pH conditions of the liquid.

10. The method (100) according to claim 9, wherein the amount of the liquid (4) and the amount of the food (3) are determined such that a ratio of the amount of the liquid (4) to the amount of the food (3) is substantially a predetermined value and/or within a predetermined range.

11. The method (100) of claim 10, further comprising: the predetermined value and/or the predetermined range are selected from a plurality of predetermined values and/or predetermined ranges associated with different categories of food.

12. The method (100) according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the predetermined value and/or the predetermined range is in a range between 0.4 and 1.5 or in a range between 0.5 and 1.3 or in a range between 0.6 and 1.15 if the food (3) comprises or essentially consists of whole grains.

13. Method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein said predetermined value and/or said predetermined range is in the range between 1.5 and 4.5 or in the range between 1.8 and 4 or in the range between 2 and 3.8 if said food (3) comprises or essentially consists of beans.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a device and a method for immersing food in a liquid, such as water, under controlled conditions of temperature and/or pH of the liquid.

Background

Phytic acid (also known as phytic acid, IP6) or its salt form, phytate, is a storage form of phosphorus found in many plants and is largely contained in cereal bran or hulls, nuts and seeds. Herbivores digest phytic acid easily, but humans cannot.

Concerns about the presence of phytic acid and phytate in human food arise on the basis of evidence that suggests that phytic acid and phytate reduce the bioavailability of many essential minerals by interacting with multivalent cations and/or proteins to form complexes that may not be soluble or otherwise available under physiological conditions.

Specifically, phytic acid forms salts with minerals encountered in the digestive tract. These minerals include iron, magnesium, copper, etc., and are either seed-derived minerals that are consumed in the diet, or, in the case of zinc, from "endogenous reserves" already present in the individual who is consuming the diet. The salt formed between phytic acid and minerals prevents these minerals from being absorbed by the body, which can lead to calcium, iron and zinc deficiencies. On the other hand, when phytic acid and phytates are not present, these minerals are easily absorbed by humans. Phytic acid and phytates are also known as "anti-nutritional factors", or "anti-nutrients", because they chemically bind key nutritional components.

Several treatment techniques are known to reduce the phytic acid and phytate content of food, such as dehulling, germination and fermentation. However, some of these techniques are time consuming and complex and difficult to use in industrial food preparation processes. Also for this reason, these techniques cannot be performed by the consumer at home. Other of these techniques can be applied at home, but are not efficient enough in reducing the phytic acid and phytates content, and also reduce the content of other nutrients due to high temperature and leaching effects.

Therefore, there is a need to provide an apparatus and a method that provides a more efficient food preparation for reducing the phytic acid and/or phytate content in food products.

Disclosure of Invention

Drawings

FIG. 1A is a schematic representation of the phytic acid molecule;

FIG. 1B is a schematic representation of the phytic acid molecule after binding of the phytic acid molecule to the cations of calcium (Ca), zinc (Zn), iron (Fe), and magnesium (Mg) to form phytate;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an apparatus for immersing food in a liquid under set acidic pH conditions according to an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a pH adjustment system of the apparatus shown in FIG. 2 according to an exemplary embodiment;

fig. 4 is a flow chart of an exemplary method of treating food by steeping to reduce the phytic acid and/or phytate content of the food.

Embodiments provide an apparatus for immersing food in a liquid under set acidic pH conditions of the liquid, the set acidic pH conditions being set by the apparatus to reduce the content of phytic acid and/or phytate contained in the food. The device comprises a container for receiving food and for receiving liquid for soaking the food in the container. The apparatus further comprises a quantity determination system configured to determine the quantity of liquid and/or food to be used for steeping within the container.

The soaking process may include immersing the food in the liquid for a predetermined amount of time. The soaking time may be more than 10 minutes, more than 20 minutes, or more than 30 minutes, or more than 60 minutes. The soaking process may result in increased water content in the food. The food may comprise solid food, such as plant food, in particular dried fruits, nuts and/or seeds, such as cereals. For example, the food may include whole grains and/or legumes.

The liquid may be water or may be substantially water. The liquid may comprise water as a major component.

Whole grain may be defined herein as any cereal and/or pseudocereal grain comprising endosperm, germ and bran. In other words, whole grain can be defined as including the whole, ground, cracked or flaked caryopsis (fruit or kernel) of the grain whose major components (starchy endosperm, germ and bran) are present in the same relative proportions as they are present in the whole grain. Thus, the term "whole grain" may include whole grains and whole grains having the same proportion of endosperm, bran and germ content as in whole grains (i.e., whole grains that have been broken, comminuted, etc.). The term "grain" may be defined herein as synonymous with caryopsis (fruit of a gramineae). The term cereal may be defined to include, but is not limited to, wheat, rye, barley, oats, brown and red rice, and millet. Legumes may be defined by the seeds of a plant that produces pods in which the seeds are contained. The term "legume" may include, but is not limited to, alfalfa, clover, peas, beans, chickpeas, lentils, lupins, mesquite, carob, soybean, peanut, and tamarind.

At least a portion of the container may be made of a thermally conductive material, such as metal. The capacity of the container may be greater than 0.5 liters, greater than 1 liter, or greater than 1.5 liters. The capacity may be less than 2000 liters or less than 1000 liters. The container may comprise an opening for supplying food and/or liquid to the container and/or for removing food and/or liquid from the container. The container may be in the form of a bowl. The container may include a stirrer for stirring the food and/or liquid.

The quantity determination system may be configured to determine the amount of liquid and/or the amount of food by measuring the amount of liquid and/or the amount of food automatically or semi-automatically (i.e. using user intervention). The quantity determination system may be configured to measure the quantity of food and/or the quantity of liquid contained within the container. Additionally or alternatively, the quantity determination system may be configured to take one or more measurements of the food and/or liquid, after which the food and/or liquid is supplied to the container for the steeping process. The quantity determination system may be configured to perform the measurement automatically or semi-automatically (i.e., using user intervention).

The quantity determination system may be configured to measure the weight and/or volume of food and/or liquid contained in the container. Furthermore, the quantity determination system may be configured to measure a fill level or a vertical height of the liquid and/or food contained in the container.

According to an embodiment, the quantity determination system comprises a weighing system. The weighing system may be configured to weigh the contents of the containment vessel.

According to another embodiment, the device further comprises a liquid supply system. The liquid supply system may be configured to supply a set amount of liquid to the container. The set amount may be determined by an amount determination system based on a measured amount of food. Additionally or alternatively, the apparatus may include a food serving system configured to serve a set amount of food to the container. The set amount of food can be determined by the amount determination system from the measured amount of liquid.

The liquid supply system may be configured to transfer liquid between a liquid source and a container. The liquid supply system may comprise a liquid supply line for providing a fluid connection between the liquid source and the container. The liquid supply system may be configured to control the flow of liquid within the supply line to supply a set amount of liquid to the container. The flow rate may be controlled by a valve of the liquid supply system. The valve may be arranged in the liquid supply line.

According to another embodiment, the amount determination system is configured to determine the amount of liquid depending on the category of the food. The apparatus may include an interface for receiving user input indicating a food category. Additionally or alternatively, the apparatus may be configured to determine the category of the food, in particular automatically or semi-automatically. The interface may comprise one or more manually operable interface elements, such as one or more switches and/or one or more buttons. The interface may be configured to allow a user to select at least one of a plurality of food categories. The multiple categories may be associated with different types of food to be infused at different rates of liquid to food amounts and/or to be infused using different time temperature profiles. The device may be configured to select the time temperature profile and/or the ratio of liquid amount to food amount according to a user input. The data assigning a time temperature curve and/or a ratio of liquid amount to food amount to each category may be stored in a memory device of the apparatus.

According to another embodiment, the device comprises a pH adjustment system for adjusting the pH level of the liquid.

The pH adjustment system may be configured to adjust the pH level of the liquid to within an accuracy range of +/-1pH, or +/-0.5pH, or +/-0.3 pH. The pH adjustment system may comprise a sensor for sensing a pH level of the liquid contained in the container and/or sensing a pH level of an amount of liquid to be supplied to the container for soaking the food. The pH adjustment system may be configured to adjust the pH level of the liquid in accordance with the sensed pH level.

According to an embodiment, the pH adjustment system is configured to adjust the pH level of the liquid to a value in a range between 4 and 6.5 or in a range between 4.5 and 6.0 or in a range between 4.5 and 5.6.

The pH adjustment system may include a controller in signal communication with a pH sensor of the pH adjustment system. The pH sensor of the pH adjustment system may be located inside the container and/or outside the container. For example, the pH sensor may be configured to sense a pH level of a quantity of liquid to be supplied to the container. The pH sensor may be configured to sense a pH level of at least a portion of the liquid drained from the pH adjustment system. Additionally or alternatively, the pH sensor may be configured to measure a pH level of the liquid when contained in the container. The controller may be in signal communication with the pH sensor. The controller may be configured to generate a control signal for controlling the pH level of the liquid in dependence on the sensor output received from the pH sensor.

According to another embodiment, the pH adjustment system is configured to electrolyze at least a portion of the liquid to adjust the pH level. The electrolysis may be carried out using an electrolytic cell. The electrolysis cell may comprise an anode compartment and a cathode compartment. At least a portion of the liquid drained from the anode chamber may be supplied to a container for soaking food. The anode and cathode compartments may be separated by an ion-conducting membrane.

According to another embodiment, the pH adjustment system is configured to adjust the conductivity of at least a portion of the liquid for electrolysis. The conductivity can be adjusted by adding a salt, in particular a neutral salt, such as sodium chloride (NaCl) or potassium chloride (KCl), to at least a portion of the liquid supplied to the electrolytic cell.

According to another embodiment, the apparatus comprises a heater configured to heat the contents contained in the container. Additionally or alternatively, the heater may be configured to heat at least a portion of the liquid prior to being supplied to the container.

The heater may comprise one or more resistive heating elements. Additionally or alternatively, the heater may be configured to heat the liquid and/or food using electromagnetic radiation (e.g., microwave radiation and/or infrared radiation). The heater may be configured to emit electromagnetic radiation that subsequently interacts with the food and/or liquid.

According to another embodiment, the apparatus includes a controller in signal communication with the heater and configured to transmit a control signal to the heater to perform one or more temporal heating profiles.

According to another embodiment, the one or more temporal heating profiles comprise: a time heating profile comprising temperature levels in a temperature range between 30 ℃ and 70 ℃, or between 40 ℃ and 60 ℃, or between 45 ℃ and 55 ℃. The temperature level may lie within the temperature range over a time span of between 1 hour and 3 hours or over a time span of between 1.5 hours and 2.5 hours. The heating profile may be defined as a function of temperature over time. The heating profile may be stored in a data storage device of the apparatus. The storage devices may include volatile memory devices (e.g., Random Access Memory (RAM)) and/or nonvolatile memory devices (e.g., Read Only Memory (ROM)). The heater may comprise a temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the liquid and/or food. The temperature sensor may be configured to measure food and/or liquid expelled from the heater and/or contained within the container. The controller may be in signal communication with the temperature sensor. The controller may be configured to control the heater according to a sensor output received from the temperature sensor.

According to another embodiment, the one or more temporal heating profiles comprise: including a time heating profile of temperature levels in a temperature range exceeding 80 ℃, or in a temperature range exceeding 90 ℃, or in a temperature range equal to or higher than 100 ℃. The temperature level may be within the temperature range for a length of time of at least 5 minutes or at least 15 minutes or at least 20 minutes.

According to another embodiment, the device comprises a liquid discharge system for discharging at least a part of the liquid when contained in the container. The liquid discharge system may comprise one or more liquid discharge lines. The liquid discharge system may comprise a pump for pumping the liquid to be discharged through the discharge line.

According to another embodiment, the liquid discharge system is configured as a discharge system for discharging at least a portion of the liquid from the container. The discharge system may include one or more discharge openings disposed in the container. The discharge opening may be in fluid communication with one or more liquid discharge lines.

According to another embodiment, the liquid discharge system is in signal communication with the controller. The controller may be configured to control an exhaust system for exhausting the liquid.

According to another embodiment, the amount determination system is configured to determine the amount of liquid and/or the amount of food according to a predetermined value of the ratio of the amount of liquid to the amount of food or according to a predetermined range of values of the ratio of the amount of liquid to the amount of food. The predetermined value and/or the predetermined value range of the ratio of the amount of liquid to the amount of food may be stored in a storage means of the device. The predetermined value and/or the predetermined range may be in a range between 0.4 and 4.5 or between 0.5 and 4.