阅读说明：本技术 低温等离子食物处理系统及低温等离子处理食物的方法 (Low-temperature plasma food processing system and method for processing food by low-temperature plasma ) 是由 林子聪 雷凯茵 于 2020-05-28 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明公开了一种低温等离子食物处理系统及低温等离子处理食物的方法,其中该低温等离子食物处理系统包括：低温等离子产生器、输送线、供气系统及电源,该低温等离子产生器设置于输送线上部,该供气系统与低温等离子产生器连接,该电源与低温等离子产生器、输送线及供气系统电性连接；据此,应用低温等离子对食物进行杀菌处理,可使食物能保留原有的外观、味道、质感和营养成分,并且可以延长食物的保质期。(The invention discloses a low-temperature plasma food processing system and a method for processing food by low-temperature plasma, wherein the low-temperature plasma food processing system comprises: the low-temperature plasma generator is arranged at the upper part of the conveying line, the gas supply system is connected with the low-temperature plasma generator, and the power supply is electrically connected with the low-temperature plasma generator, the conveying line and the gas supply system; therefore, the low-temperature plasma is used for sterilizing the food, so that the original appearance, taste, texture and nutrient components of the food can be kept, and the shelf life of the food can be prolonged.)

1. A low temperature plasma food processing system, comprising: low temperature plasma generator, transfer chain, gas supply system and power, low temperature plasma generator set up in transfer chain upper portion, gas supply system with low temperature plasma generator connects, the power with low temperature plasma generator, transfer chain and gas supply system electric connection.

2. The low temperature plasma food processing system of claim 1 wherein said low temperature plasma generator includes at least one set of low temperature plasma generating units, each set of low temperature plasma generating units being comprised of a plurality of low temperature plasma generating units.

3. The low temperature plasma food processing system of claim 2 wherein said low temperature plasma generating unit comprises: the insulating casing of tube-shape, bar-shaped inner electrode and the outer electrode of surrounding shape, insulating casing has the power supply mouth, just insulating casing both ends have relative air feed mouth in position and plasma export, the air feed mouth with air supply system connects, the inner electrode set up in the insulating casing, just the axis of inner electrode with the central line collineation of air feed mouth and plasma export, the outer electrode surround set up in the section of thick bamboo wall lateral surface of insulating casing, the power respectively with the outer electrode and pass through the power supply mouth with inner electrode electric connection.

4. The low temperature plasma food processing system of claim 1 further comprising: handle case and air exhaust system, the downside of handling the case is the opening, with this messenger handle the case cover and locate transfer chain upper portion, handle the case adjacent in entry and export have been seted up respectively to two sides at transfer chain both ends, the inner space of handling the case is divided into adjacently the entry aspirating zone of entry, adjacent the export aspirating zone of export and being located main treatment area between entry aspirating zone and the export aspirating zone, low temperature plasma generator installs in being located the inboard of the processing case in main treatment area, air exhaust system install in be located the outside on the processing case upper portion of entry aspirating zone and export aspirating zone and with handle incasement portion and communicate with each other, the power still with air exhaust system electric connection.

5. The low temperature plasma food processing system of claim 1 or 4 further comprising: the low-temperature plasma generator is installed on the lifting platform, the power supply is electrically connected with the lifting platform, and the lifting platform is arranged to be capable of adjusting the distance between the low-temperature plasma generator and food.

6. The low temperature plasma food processing system of claim 4 wherein said pumping system is comprised of a suction fan coupled to a filter.

7. The low temperature plasma food processing system of claim 1 wherein the gas supply system comprises: the low-temperature plasma generator comprises a gas source, a flowmeter and a pressure regulator, wherein the gas source, the flowmeter and the pressure regulator are sequentially connected through gas pipelines, and the pressure regulator is connected with the low-temperature plasma generator through the gas pipelines.

8. A method of processing food using a low temperature plasma, comprising the steps of:

placing the food to be processed on a conveying line for conveying;

stopping the conveyor line when the food is conveyed to the main processing area;

releasing low-temperature plasma by a low-temperature plasma generator arranged at the upper part of the conveying line of the main treatment area, and sterilizing the food within a set time;

the conveying line is restored to convey, and the food after the low-temperature plasma sterilization treatment is conveyed out of a main treatment area;

and taking down the sterilized food from the conveying line.

9. The method for processing food using low temperature plasma according to claim 8, wherein the steps further comprise:

covering the upper part of the conveying line by using a processing box, wherein the processing box is provided with an inlet and an outlet, the food is conveyed to the main processing area inside the processing box through the inlet for sterilization processing, and the sterilized food is conveyed out of the processing box through the outlet;

and discharging and filtering secondary generated gas generated when the low-temperature plasma generator releases low-temperature plasma through an air exhaust system arranged at the upper part of the treatment box.

10. The method for processing food using low temperature plasma according to claim 9, wherein the steps further comprise:

and adjusting the distance between the low-temperature plasma generator and the food according to the height of the food.

Technical Field

The invention relates to the field of food processing, in particular to a low-temperature plasma food processing system and a low-temperature plasma food processing method for sterilizing food at low temperature and not affecting the quality of the food.

Background

In the field of food processing today, there are few sterilization methods for dry solid foods. The biggest challenge for food manufacturers is how to sterilize food in a safe and efficient way, thereby extending the shelf life of the packaged food. The current widely used food sterilization method comprises the following steps: heat sterilization, chemical sterilization, radiation sterilization (gamma-ray, microwave, infrared, etc.), filtration sterilization, and sterilization by a combination of heat and other means. Most of the traditional sterilization methods can carry out sterilization treatment through heating of different degrees, but the high temperature can cause nutrition loss of food, even change the taste and texture of the food, and reduce the value of the food; although the chemical sterilization method is a low-temperature sterilization method, the chemical used in the method usually remains in the food, which affects the taste of the food, and the long-term consumption of the food treated by the chemical sterilization method adversely affects the health of the human body. Therefore, there is a need in the food manufacturing industry for a technology that can reduce the bacteria content on food in a short time at normal temperature and maintain the original nutritive value and taste of food, thereby ensuring the quality of food and prolonging the shelf life of food.

Disclosure of Invention

The technical problem to be solved by the technical scheme is how to carry out efficient sterilization treatment on food under a non-heating condition, and meanwhile, the original nutritional value and taste of the food are ensured, and the shelf life of the food can be prolonged.

In order to solve the above technical problem, the present technical solution provides a low temperature plasma food processing system, which includes: the low-temperature plasma generator is arranged on the upper portion of the conveying line, the gas supply system is connected with the low-temperature plasma generator, and the power supply is electrically connected with the low-temperature plasma generator, the conveying line and the gas supply system. Therefore, the low-temperature plasma generator arranged at the upper part of the conveying line can release low-temperature plasma, decompose and destroy bacteria on food through a low-temperature plasma electrostatic field, and does not generate temperature change, so that the processed food can keep the original appearance, taste, texture and nutrient content.

As another implementation of the present technical solution, the low temperature plasma generator includes at least one set of low temperature plasma generating units, and each set of low temperature plasma generating units is composed of a plurality of low temperature plasma generating units. Therefore, the sterilization range of the low-temperature plasma generator can be adjusted according to the size of the food to be sterilized.

As another implementation of the present disclosure, the low temperature plasma generation unit includes: the cylindrical insulating shell, the rod-shaped inner electrode and the surrounding outer electrode are arranged, the insulating shell is provided with a power supply port, the two ends of the insulating shell are provided with a gas supply port and a plasma outlet which are opposite in position, the gas supply port is connected with a gas supply system, the inner electrode is arranged in the insulating shell, the axis of the inner electrode is collinear with the central lines of the gas supply port and the plasma outlet, the outer electrode is arranged on the outer side face of the wall of the insulating shell in a surrounding mode, and a power supply is electrically connected with the outer electrode and the inner electrode through the power supply port. Therefore, the low-temperature plasma generating unit can efficiently generate and release low-temperature plasma.

As another implementation of the present solution, the low temperature plasma food processing system further comprises: the low-temperature plasma generator is arranged on the inner side of the processing box positioned in the main processing area, the air exhaust system is arranged on the outer side of the upper part of the processing box positioned in the inlet air exhaust area and the outlet air exhaust area and communicated with the inside of the processing box, and a power supply is electrically connected with the air exhaust system. The treatment box can ensure that the sterilization treatment space is relatively closed, and ensure that low-temperature plasma generated by the low-temperature plasma generator can be concentrated in the sterilization treatment space and can be efficiently sterilized; in addition, the air extraction system can extract secondary generated gas such as ozone and the like which is generated by the low-temperature plasma generator when the low-temperature plasma is generated from the processing box, so that the secondary generated gas does not influence the sterilization processing process in the processing box, and the secondary generated gas leaks out from the processing box to cause harm to nearby operators or the surrounding environment.

As another implementation of the present solution, the low temperature plasma food processing system further comprises: the lifting platform, this low temperature plasma generator install in lifting platform, and power and lifting platform electric connection, this lifting platform sets up to can adjust the distance between low temperature plasma generator and the food. Therefore, the height of the low-temperature plasma generator can be flexibly adjusted according to the height of the food to be sterilized, so that the sterilization treatment requirements of the food with different heights can be met.

As another implementation of the technical scheme, the air exhaust system is formed by connecting an exhaust fan and a filter. By this, by-product gases such as ozone and the like which are generated by the by-products can be filtered to eliminate the harmful effect thereof while being extracted from the treatment tank.

As another implementation of the present solution, the gas supply system includes: the plasma generator comprises a gas source, a flow device and a pressure regulator, wherein the gas source, the flow device and the pressure regulator are sequentially connected through gas pipelines, and the pressure regulator is connected with the low-temperature plasma generator through the gas pipelines. Therefore, an operator can clearly know the flow of the gas delivered to the low-temperature plasma generator by the gas source through the flow meter, and can control the pressure of the gas delivered to the low-temperature plasma generator through the pressure regulator so as to control the quantity of the low-temperature plasma generated by the low-temperature plasma generator.

In order to solve the above technical problems, the present technical solution further provides a method for processing food by using low temperature plasma, comprising the steps of: placing the food to be processed on a conveying line for conveying; stopping the conveyor line when the food is conveyed to the main processing area; a low-temperature plasma generator arranged at the upper part of the conveying line of the main processing area releases low-temperature plasma to sterilize food within a set time; the conveying line is restored to convey, and the food after low-temperature plasma sterilization treatment is conveyed out of the main treatment area; and taking down the sterilized food from the conveying line. Therefore, the sterilization treatment operation of the food can be completed by utilizing the conveying line, the processed food can be ensured to keep the original appearance, taste, texture and nutrient components, the automation degree of the food sterilization treatment can be improved in a production line type operation mode, and the operation efficiency of the food sterilization treatment is further improved.

As another implementation of the present technical solution, the steps further include: covering the upper part of the conveying line by using a processing box, wherein the processing box is provided with an inlet and an outlet, the food is conveyed to a main processing area in the processing box through the inlet for sterilization, and the sterilized food is conveyed out of the processing box through the outlet; and secondary generated gas generated when the low-temperature plasma generator releases low-temperature plasma is discharged and filtered through a gas exhaust system arranged at the upper part of the processing box. Therefore, the low-temperature plasma can be concentrated in the sterilization processing space, the generated secondary gas such as ozone and the like can be prevented from influencing the sterilization processing process in the processing box, and the secondary gas can be prevented from leaking out of the processing box to cause harm to nearby operators or the surrounding environment.

As another implementation of the present technical solution, the steps further include: the distance between the low temperature plasma generator and the food is adjusted according to the height of the food. Thereby meeting the requirements of sterilization treatment of foods with different heights.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of one embodiment of a low temperature plasma food processing system of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of one embodiment of a processing chamber access port of the low temperature plasma food processing system of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a low-temperature plasma generator according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of a low-temperature plasma generating unit according to the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the exhaust system of the low temperature plasma food processing system of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of the lifting platform structure of the low temperature plasma food processing system of the present invention;

fig. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a method for processing food using low-temperature plasma according to the present invention.

Symbolic illustration in the drawings:

1, conveying a line; 2, a treatment box; 21 an inlet extraction area; 22 an outlet extraction area; 23 a primary treatment zone; 31 an inlet bleed; 32 outlet extraction openings; 4, a power supply; 5 a low-temperature plasma generator; 51 a low temperature plasma generating unit; 511 an insulating housing; 512 power supply ports; 513 an air supply port; 514 a plasma outlet; 515 an inner electrode; 516 an outer electrode; 517 an insulating support; 61, a gas source; 62 a flow device; 63 a voltage regulator; 64 gas lines; 7 lifting the platform.

Detailed Description

The following detailed description and technical contents of the present invention are described with reference to the drawings, which are provided for reference and illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the present invention.

The invention provides a low-temperature plasma food processing system and a low-temperature plasma food processing method for sterilizing food at low temperature without influencing the quality of the food. The low-temperature plasma food processing system is mainly used for processing packaged or unpacked solid food, and decomposes and breaks bacteria by using a low-temperature plasma electrostatic field, so that a sterilization effect is achieved, and the shelf life of the food is prolonged. Wherein the method of treating food with low temperature plasma does not use high temperature, so that the sterilized food can retain original appearance, taste, texture and nutrient components.

The mode of generating low-temperature plasma in the technical scheme of the invention is a dielectric barrier discharge method, which refers to a non-equilibrium gas discharge phenomenon generated when an insulating medium is in a discharge space, and the insulating medium plays a role of preventing arc discharge or spark discharge. The dielectric barrier discharge method has the characteristics of uniform discharge in a large space and stable high-pressure operation, and the electrode of the dielectric barrier discharge method is not directly contacted with discharge gas, so that the problem that the electrode is corroded can be avoided. In addition, the electron density of the dielectric barrier discharge method is very high, low-temperature plasma with large volume can be generated under normal pressure, and the low-temperature plasma can be generated in a wide range of voltage, frequency and air pressure, so that enough low-temperature plasma can be generated to sterilize irradiated food, and a better sterilization effect can be achieved. The component for generating low-temperature plasma by applying the dielectric barrier discharge method is a low-temperature plasma generator.

An embodiment of the present invention provides a low temperature plasma food processing system, comprising: the low-temperature plasma generator is arranged on the upper portion of the conveying line, the gas supply system is connected with the low-temperature plasma generator, and the power supply is electrically connected with the low-temperature plasma generator, the conveying line and the gas supply system. The air supply system supplies compressed air or inert gas which is helpful for generating low-temperature plasma to the low-temperature plasma generator, the low-temperature plasma generator arranged at the upper part of the conveying line can release low-temperature plasma from the fed compressed air or the inert gas, bacteria on food below the low-temperature plasma generator are decomposed and broken through a low-temperature plasma electrostatic field, and temperature change is not generated, so that the processed food can keep original appearance, taste, texture and nutrient components.

Considering that the low temperature plasma generator generates low temperature plasma and simultaneously releases secondary generated gas such as ozone, etc., in another embodiment of the present invention, as shown in fig. 1, the low temperature plasma food processing system further includes: a processing box 2 and an air extracting system which comprises an inlet air extracting port 31 and an outlet air extracting port 32 which are positioned at the two sides of the upper part of the processing box 2, the lower side of the treatment tank 2 is opened so that the treatment tank is covered on the upper part of the conveyor line 1, as shown in FIG. 2, the two side surfaces of the treatment box 2 adjacent to the two ends of the conveying line 1 are respectively provided with an inlet 211 and an outlet 221, the inner space of the process tank 2 is divided into an inlet pumping region 21 adjacent to the inlet, an outlet pumping region 22 adjacent to the outlet, and a main process region 23 located between the inlet pumping region 21 and the outlet pumping region 22, the low temperature plasma generator 5 is installed inside the process chamber 2 in the main process region 23, the pumping system is installed outside the upper portion of the process chamber 2 in the inlet pumping region 21 and the outlet pumping region 22 and communicates with the inside of the process chamber 2, and the power source 4 is also electrically connected to the pumping system. The sterilization space can be relatively closed by the arrangement of the treatment box 2, so that the low-temperature plasma generated by the low-temperature plasma generator 5 can be concentrated in the sterilization space and can be efficiently sterilized. In addition, the gas exhaust system can exhaust the by-product gas, such as ozone, etc., which is generated by the low-temperature plasma generator 5 when generating low-temperature plasma, from the inside of the processing chamber 2 through the inlet exhaust opening 31 and the outlet exhaust opening 32, so as to prevent the by-product gas from affecting the sterilization process in the processing chamber 2 and prevent the by-product gas from leaking out of the processing chamber 2 and causing damage to nearby operators or the surrounding environment. In addition, the inlet and the outlet may be provided with a closing door for automatically controlling opening and closing, such as an inlet closing door 212 and an outlet closing door 222 shown in fig. 2, to ensure the sealing of the sterilization processing space in the processing chamber 2 and to prevent leakage of a secondary gas such as ozone, which is generally lower in density and molecular mass than the composition in the air and thus is concentrated in the upper space in the processing chamber 2, and the opening height of the inlet and the outlet may be different from the upper portion of the processing chamber 2, so that leakage of the secondary gas from the inlet or the outlet in the upper space in the processing chamber 2 may be prevented. In addition, the power source 4 and related components such as switches, fuses, etc. may be integrally mounted on the processing chamber 2.

More specifically, the low temperature plasma generator 5 includes at least one set of low temperature plasma generating units, each set of low temperature plasma generating units being constituted by a plurality of low temperature plasma generating units 51. As shown in fig. 3, each group of the low temperature plasma generating units is composed of 10 low temperature plasma generating units 51, and as shown from left to right in fig. 3, the low temperature plasma generator 5 includes 8 groups of the low temperature plasma generating units (shown as a in fig. 3), 6 groups of the low temperature plasma generating units (shown as B in fig. 3) and 1 group of the low temperature plasma generating units (shown as C in fig. 3), respectively, and the larger the number of the groups of the low temperature plasma generating units, the larger the amount of the generated low temperature plasma, and the larger the sterilization range, which is defined as the main processing area 23 in the present invention. Accordingly, the sterilization processing range of the low-temperature plasma generator can be adjusted according to the size of the food to be sterilized.

As shown in fig. 4, the low temperature plasma generating unit 51 in the present invention includes: the plasma generator comprises a cylindrical insulating shell 511, a rod-shaped inner electrode 515 and a surrounding outer electrode 516, wherein the insulating shell 511 is provided with a power supply port 512, the two ends of the insulating shell 511 are provided with a gas supply port 513 and a plasma outlet 514 which are opposite, the gas supply port 513 is connected with a gas supply system, the inner electrode 515 is arranged in the insulating shell 511, the axis of the inner electrode 515 is collinear with the center lines of the gas supply port 513 and the plasma outlet 514, the outer electrode 516 is arranged on the outer side surface of the cylindrical wall of the insulating shell 511 in a surrounding mode, and a power supply is respectively electrically connected with the outer electrode 516 and the inner electrode 515 through the power supply port 512. In the present invention, the insulating housing 511 may be a quartz glass tube, the inner electrode 515 may be a molybdenum wire, the outer electrode 516 may be a stainless steel wire circumferentially surrounding the quartz glass tube arm or a stainless steel lattice sleeve covering the quartz glass tube arm, and an insulating support 517 may be further disposed inside the insulating housing 511 to fix the inner electrode 515, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Compressed air or inert gas which is helpful to generate low-temperature plasma is injected into the quartz glass tube from the air supply port 513 by the air supply system, and the low-temperature plasma and the secondary gas are released under the electric field formed by the inner and outer electrodes 515 and 516 and are ejected from the plasma outlet 514 under the action of injection air pressure.

As shown in fig. 5, in the present invention, the exhaust system is formed by connecting an exhaust fan 34 and a filter 33, and the number of the exhaust fan and the filter connected as a whole may be two, and the exhaust fan and the filter are respectively installed at the outer sides of the upper portions of the processing chamber 2 of the inlet exhaust area 21 and the outlet exhaust area 22 and communicate with the inside of the processing chamber 2 through the inlet exhaust port 31 and the outlet exhaust port 32; the number of the exhaust fan and the filter connected as one body may be one, and the exhaust fan and the filter may be installed outside the upper portion of the treatment tank 2 or separately installed outside the treatment tank 2, and respectively communicate with the inlet exhaust region 21 and the outlet exhaust region 22 through gas pipes, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the type and connection manner of the exhaust fan and the filter are conventional. The suction system can suck the by-product gas such as ozone from the treatment box and filter the by-product gas to eliminate the harmful effect. As shown in fig. 1, the gas supply system includes: the plasma generator comprises a gas source 61, a flow device 62 and a pressure regulator 63, wherein the gas source 61, the flow device 62 and the pressure regulator 63 are sequentially connected through a gas pipeline 64, and the pressure regulator 63 is connected with the low-temperature plasma generator 5 through the gas pipeline 64. The gas supply system may be installed outside the process chamber 2 as in the installation of the gas exhaust system, but may be installed separately from the process chamber 2, and the present invention is not limited thereto. The gas source 61 can supply compressed air or inert gas helpful for generating low-temperature plasma to the low-temperature plasma generator 5, an operator can clearly know the flow rate of the gas supplied from the gas source 61 to the low-temperature plasma generator 5 through the flow meter 62, and can control the pressure of the gas supplied to the low-temperature plasma generator 5 through the pressure regulator 63, so as to control the amount of the low-temperature plasma generated by the low-temperature plasma generator 5, and the types and connection modes of the gas source 61, the flow meter 62 and the pressure regulator 63 are the prior art, which is not limited by the invention.

In the present invention, the low temperature plasma food processing system may further include: the lifting platform 7 is arranged to adjust the distance between the low-temperature plasma generator 5 and food, the height of the lifting platform 7 can be determined according to the height, the volume or the height of the food of the processing box 2, and the adjustable height is usually set to ensure that the distance between the low-temperature plasma generator 5 and the conveying line 1 is not less than 4mm at the lower limit and not more than 250mm at the upper limit. As shown in fig. 1, the elevating platform 7 is disposed in the main processing region 23 inside the processing chamber 2, and the low temperature plasma generator 5 is mounted on the elevating platform 7. As shown in fig. 6, specifically, the lifting platform 7 may be a lifting platform 7 independently installed on the upper portion of the conveyor line 2, which is shown in a in fig. 6 and may be composed of a supporting upright 711, a mounting portion 712 perpendicular to the supporting upright and parallel to the conveyor line, and a lifting driving device 713, wherein the low temperature plasma generator is mounted on the mounting portion and can move up and down along the supporting upright under the driving of the lifting driving device; the supporting upright rod can also be combined on the inner side wall of the treatment box, and the lifting driving device can be a driving structure consisting of a driving motor, a chain and a chain wheel or a driving structure consisting of a driving motor, a gear and a rack; as shown in fig. 6B, the lifting platform may be formed by a telescopic cylinder 721 inserted into the top of the processing box and an installation part 722 fixed to the bottom thereof, and the specific structure of the lifting platform is not limited in the present invention. Through the arrangement of the lifting platform, the height of the low-temperature plasma generator can be flexibly adjusted according to the height of food to be sterilized, so that the sterilization requirements of the food with different heights can be met.

As shown in fig. 7, the present invention provides a method for processing food using low temperature plasma, which comprises the steps of: placing the food to be processed on a conveying line for conveying; stopping the conveyor line when the food is conveyed to the main processing area; a low-temperature plasma generator arranged at the upper part of the conveying line of the main processing area releases low-temperature plasma to sterilize food within a set time; the conveying line is restored to convey, and the food after low-temperature plasma sterilization treatment is conveyed out of the main treatment area; and taking down the sterilized food from the conveying line. The method can utilize the conveying line to finish the sterilization treatment operation of the food, not only can ensure that the treated food can keep the original appearance, taste, texture and nutrient content, but also can improve the automation degree of the sterilization treatment of the food in a pipeline type operation mode, thereby improving the operation efficiency of the sterilization treatment of the food.

In order to improve the efficiency of the sterilization treatment of food, to concentrate the generated low-temperature plasma in the sterilization treatment space, to prevent the generated secondary gas such as ozone from affecting the sterilization treatment process, and to prevent the secondary gas from harming nearby operators or the surrounding environment, the steps of the present invention may further include: covering the upper part of the conveying line by using a processing box, wherein the processing box is provided with an inlet and an outlet, the food is conveyed to a main processing area in the processing box through the inlet for sterilization, and the sterilized food is conveyed out of the processing box through the outlet; and secondary generated gas generated when the low-temperature plasma generator releases low-temperature plasma is discharged and filtered through a gas exhaust system arranged at the upper part of the processing box.

In addition, in order to meet the requirement of sterilization treatment of foods with different heights, the steps of the invention can also comprise: the distance between the low temperature plasma generator and the food is adjusted according to the height of the food.

The invention has wide commercial application range, and has commercial value in prolonging the shelf life of food under non-heating condition, and reducing the operation risk and storage cost of food manufacturers. In the current food processing technology, few methods are used for sterilizing dry solid food. The greatest challenge for the relevant food manufacturers is currently how to sterilize in a safe and efficient way, thereby extending the shelf life of the packaged food. The traditional method generally adopts different degrees of heating for sterilization, and the high temperature causes the nutrition of the food to be lost, even changes the taste and texture, and reduces the value of the food. Therefore, there is a need in the food manufacturing industry for a technique that reduces the bacteria content in a short time at normal temperature, maintains the original nutritional value and taste, and extends the shelf life of food. The low-temperature plasma food processing system can utilize low-temperature plasma to sterilize at normal temperature, thereby preserving the nutrition of food and ensuring the food safety, and improving the commercial value of products in the food manufacturing industry.

The invention has great benefits for improving food safety in the food industry. For food production, there is currently no reliable ambient sterilization method for dry foods, such as flour, or fresh solid foods, such as strawberries. The low-temperature plasma treatment technology of the invention can sterilize without heating and reduce energy consumption. In addition, the deterioration of food such as fruit and other heat sensitive food can be reduced, and the loss of nutrition due to high temperature can be reduced. Finally, the cost can be saved in freezing storage and transportation, the storage life of the food can be effectively prolonged, and the production capacity can be improved. Compared with the traditional heat treatment, the low-temperature plasma sterilization has the characteristic of less influence on small molecular compounds in food, such as flavor compounds, vitamins and pigments.

The invention has market development potential. In the aspect of sterilization effect, a plurality of laboratories have made conclusions and have approved, and the effect of the sterilization agent on food has good results. However, since there is no low-temperature plasma sterilizer for food on the market, the technology is generally recognized to a low degree. The advantages of low temperature plasma sterilization are not comparable to conventional heating methods, and thus the present invention has market potential.

The present invention has several major advantages. First, the low temperature plasma treated food eliminates the need for low temperature preservation, i.e., the cost and energy requirements for cold chain logistics and refrigerated storage. The reduced freezing cost is not only beneficial to food manufacturers in the industry, but also beneficial to final retailers or supermarket operators, and thus the invention has the potential to improve operational benefits. In addition, in terms of nutrition, the food subjected to low-temperature plasma treatment has greatly reduced bacteria content, so that the food using the low-temperature plasma treatment method can dispense with the need of using a preservative, cater to the pursuit of consumers on healthy diet, meet the market trend of 'clean labels' of foods in European Union, and enhance the competitiveness of food manufacturers. In addition, from the perspective of environmental protection, the low-temperature plasma food treatment system only needs a power supply and an air source, and the discharged ozone is treated by the exhaust fan and the filter, so that the pollution discharge cost is greatly reduced, and the sustainable development policy is met.

The low-temperature plasma food processing system can better meet the requirements of food manufacturers and central kitchens, is matched with related system evaluation and operation training, is beneficial to promoting the popularization of the high-pressure sterilization technology in the food industry, increases the cost benefit and improves the food safety.

The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, and other equivalent changes made by applying the patent concepts of the present invention should fall within the scope of the present invention.