阅读说明：本技术 食材冷冻系统和冷冻食材的制造方法 (Food material freezing system and method for manufacturing frozen food material ) 是由 太田几生 太田善之 于 2020-01-15 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明的课题在于,提供与现有的冷冻相比减少冷冻食材的解冻后的游离水的新型的冷冻系统和冷冻食材的制造方法。本发明通过提供食材冷冻系统来解决上述课题,所述食材冷冻系统包括：用于冷冻所述食材的2个以上冷冻部；和用于向所述2个以上冷冻部搬运所述食材的搬运部,所述2个以上冷冻部构成为以随着在所述搬运部上搬运而以更低的温度进行冷冻的方式来阶段性地冷冻所述食材。(The present invention addresses the problem of providing a novel freezing system and a method for producing a frozen food material, in which the amount of free water after thawing of the frozen food material is reduced as compared with conventional freezing. The present invention solves the above problems by providing a food material freezing system comprising: more than 2 freezing parts for freezing the food material; and a conveying part for conveying the food to the 2 or more freezing parts, wherein the 2 or more freezing parts are configured to freeze the food in stages at a lower temperature as the food is conveyed on the conveying part.)

1. A food material freezing system for freezing food material, wherein,

the food material freezing system comprises:

a freezing section for freezing the food material; and

a conveying part for conveying the food to more than 2 freezing parts,

the freezing part is cooled by cold air at about-60 ℃ to about-90 ℃.

2. The refrigeration system of claim 1,

the freezing part is configured to blow cold air at-60 ℃ to-89 ℃.

3. The refrigeration system of claim 1 or 2,

the freezing system further comprises a pre-cooling section for cooling the food material prior to freezing the food material,

the conveying path conveys the food materials in the order of the predetermined portion and the freezing portion.

4. The refrigeration system of claim 3,

the pre-cooling unit includes at least a first pre-cooling unit and a second pre-cooling unit in order of conveying the food material, and the first pre-cooling unit and the second pre-cooling unit are cooled by cold air having different temperatures.

5. The refrigeration system of claim 3,

the pre-cooling unit includes at least a first pre-cooling unit, a second pre-cooling unit, and a third pre-cooling unit in order of conveying the food material, the first pre-cooling unit and the second pre-cooling unit are cooled by cold air at different temperatures, and the second pre-cooling unit and the third pre-cooling unit are cooled by cold air at different temperatures.

6. The refrigeration system of claim 5,

the third pre-cooling unit is configured to be cooled by cold air at a temperature of about-25 ℃ to about-45 ℃.

7. The refrigeration system of any of claims 4 to 6,

the first pre-cooling unit is configured to be cooled by cold air at a temperature of about-25 ℃ to about-45 ℃.

8. The refrigeration system of any of claims 4 to 7,

the second pre-cooling unit is configured to be cooled by cold air at a temperature of about-60 ℃ to about-90 ℃.

9. The refrigeration system of claim 5,

the temperature of the cold air in the second pre-cooling part is lower than that of the cold air in the first pre-cooling part and the third pre-cooling part.

10. Food material freezing system according to any of claims 4-9, wherein,

the food material freezing system further comprises at least one air curtain generating mechanism for generating an air curtain between adjacent pre-cooling sections.

11. The refrigeration system of any one of claims 1 to 10,

the freezing unit includes a plurality of air blowing ports for blowing cold air toward the conveying unit along a conveying direction of the conveying unit, and the air blowing ports are oriented in a direction opposite to the conveying direction of the conveying unit.

12. Food material freezing system according to claim 11,

the air blowing port faces the conveying direction of the conveying part and is inclined at an angle of about 30-60 degrees.

13. Food material freezing system according to claim 11 or 12,

the air supply outlet is arranged at the lower part of the conveying part.

14. The food material freezing system of claim 13,

the air blowing port is provided in both a lower portion and an upper portion of the conveying unit.

15. The food material freezing system of claim 14,

the upper air blowing port is arranged to be inclined relative to a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the conveying part,

the air supply outlet at the lower part is obliquely crossed with the air supply outlet at the upper part.

16. The food material freezing system of claim 15,

the inclined direction of the air blowing port is configured to be alternately changed along the conveying direction of the conveying part.

17. Food material freezing system according to any of claims 1-16, wherein,

the conveying unit is configured to convey the food material so that the food material passes through the freezing unit within about 6 minutes after entering the food material freezing system.

18. A food processing system, comprising:

(1) a heating part comprising a heating mechanism for indirectly heating the food material; and

(2) the food material freezing system of any one of claims 1-6,

the conveying unit conveys the food material systematically through the heating unit and the food material freezing unit.

19. The food material processing system of claim 18,

the heating mechanism is configured to be present only below the conveying unit and to discharge the heat-propagating substance downward, and the heating unit is configured to send air in a direction other than the conveying unit.

20. The food material processing system of claim 19,

the heating unit includes a temperature sensor in the vicinity of the conveying unit, and the heating mechanism is intermittently driven by the temperature sensor.

21. A method for producing a frozen food material, wherein,

the method for producing a frozen food material comprises a processing step of freezing a food material using the food material freezing system according to any one of claims 1 to 17 or the food material processing system according to any one of claims 18 to 20.

22. The manufacturing method according to claim 21,

the food material is whole cut vegetables.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a food material freezing system and a method for manufacturing frozen food material.

Background

The present inventors have invented a food material processing system in which heating and cooling in an intermediate temperature range are integrated (for example, see patent document 1). The integrated food processing system can extract astringent liquid without destroying cells of food materials by heating in an intermediate temperature zone, can inactivate enzymes in the food materials to prevent aging change of the food materials, and can realize microorganism extinction for food sanitation management. Further, in the rapid cooling thereafter, the food material is cooled to a refrigerating zone (about 2 ℃), whereby the effect of sterilization by heating can be maintained. Thus, a sterilized food material having excellent texture and taste quality and excellent preservability can be provided.

In addition, in recent years, there is an increasing demand for frozen food materials that can be stored for a long period of time.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese patent No. 6010240

Disclosure of Invention

Technical problem to be solved by the invention

However, the frozen food material has a liquid (free water) in the food material flowing out after thawing. The free water has impaired taste and mouthfeel, and the nutritional ingredients of the food material can also flow out. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a novel freezing system and a method for producing frozen food material, in which the amount of free water after thawing of frozen food material is reduced as compared with conventional freezing.

Means for solving the technical problem

As a result of intensive studies and studies in view of the above-described problems, the present inventors have developed a novel food material freezing system that reduces free water after thawing of frozen food materials. In the food material freezing system of the present invention, the food material can be cooled to about-60 ℃ to about-90 ℃, preferably-60 ℃ to 89 ℃ in a short time (for example, within about 6 minutes). In the frozen food cooled to a temperature lower than-60 ℃ in a short time, the cells and tissues are less damaged after thawing, and the outflow of the liquid (free water) from the food material can be controlled.

In 1 aspect, the food material freezing system of the present invention comprises at least 2 freezing zones, capable of freezing food material in a state that is effective and reduces the tissue damage of the food material.

The food material freezing system of the present invention is a simple system requiring only simple steps, and has an advantage that food materials can be efficiently stored for a long period of time without using special chemicals and expensive equipment, without impairing the flavor and appearance of the food materials.

The state of the food material sterilized by the integrated food material processing system as described in japanese patent No. 6010240 is superior to that of a food material sterilized by another method and damaged in the state, and therefore, the influence of cell destruction by freezing, juice extraction (dripping), and quality degradation on the food material is remarkable. Therefore, the freezing by the freezing system of the present invention is preferably the freezing of the food sterilized in the integrated food processing system.

The present invention provides the following, for example.

(item 1)

A food material freezing system for freezing food material, wherein,

the food material freezing system comprises:

a freezing section for freezing the food material; and

a conveying part for conveying the food to more than 2 freezing parts,

the freezing part is cooled by cold air at about-60 ℃ to about-90 ℃.

(item 2)

The refrigeration system of item 1, wherein,

the freezing part is configured to blow cold air at-60 ℃ to-89 ℃.

(item 3)

The refrigeration system of item 1 or 2, wherein,

the freezing system further comprises a pre-cooling section for cooling the food material prior to freezing the food material,

the conveying path conveys the food material in the order of the predetermined portion and the freezing portion.

(item 4)

The refrigeration system of item 3, wherein,

the pre-cooling unit includes at least a first pre-cooling unit and a second pre-cooling unit in order of conveying the food material, and the first pre-cooling unit and the second pre-cooling unit are cooled by cold air having different temperatures.

(item 5)

The refrigeration system of item 3, wherein,

the pre-cooling unit includes at least a first pre-cooling unit, a second pre-cooling unit, and a third pre-cooling unit in order of conveying the food material, the first pre-cooling unit and the second pre-cooling unit are cooled by cold air at different temperatures, and the second pre-cooling unit and the third pre-cooling unit are cooled by cold air at different temperatures.

(item 6)

The refrigeration system of item 5, wherein,

the third pre-cooling unit is configured to be cooled by cold air at a temperature of about-25 ℃ to about-45 ℃.

(item 7)

The refrigeration system according to any one of items 4 to 6, wherein,

the first pre-cooling unit is configured to be cooled by cold air at a temperature of about-25 ℃ to about-45 ℃.

(item 8)

The refrigeration system according to any one of items 4 to 7, wherein,

the second pre-cooling unit is configured to be cooled by cold air at a temperature of about-60 ℃ to about-90 ℃.

(item 9)

The refrigeration system of item 5, wherein,

the temperature of the cold air in the second pre-cooling part is lower than that of the cold air in the first pre-cooling part and the third pre-cooling part.

(item 10)

The food material freezing system according to any one of items 4 to 9, wherein,

the food material freezing system further comprises at least one air curtain generating mechanism for generating an air curtain between adjacent pre-cooling sections.

(item 11)

The refrigeration system according to any one of items 1 to 10, wherein,

the freezing unit includes a plurality of air blowing ports for blowing cold air toward the conveying unit along a conveying direction of the conveying unit, and the air blowing ports are oriented in a direction opposite to the conveying direction of the conveying unit.

(item 12)

The food material freezing system of item 11, wherein,

the air blowing port faces the conveying direction of the conveying part and is inclined at an angle of about 30-60 degrees.

(item 13)

The food material freezing system of item 11 or 12, wherein,

the air supply outlet is arranged at the lower part of the conveying part.

(item 14)

The food material freezing system of item 13, wherein,

the air blowing port is provided in both a lower portion and an upper portion of the conveying unit.

(item 15)

The food material freezing system of item 14, wherein,

the upper air blowing port is arranged to be inclined relative to a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the conveying part,

the air supply outlet at the lower part is obliquely crossed with the air supply outlet at the upper part.

(item 16)

The food material freezing system of item 15, wherein,

the inclined direction of the air blowing port is configured to be alternately changed along the conveying direction of the conveying part.

(item 17)

The food material freezing system according to any one of items 1 to 16,

the conveying unit is configured to convey the food material so that the food material passes through the freezing unit within about 6 minutes after entering the food material freezing system.

(item 18)

A food processing system, comprising:

(1) a heating part comprising a heating mechanism for indirectly heating the food material; and

(2) the food material freezing system according to any one of items 1 to 6,

the conveying unit conveys the food material systematically through the heating unit and the food material freezing unit.

(item 19)

The food material processing system of item 18, wherein,

the heating mechanism is configured to be present only below the conveying unit and to discharge the heat-propagating substance downward, and the heating unit is configured to send air in a direction other than the conveying unit.

(item 20)

The food material processing system of item 19, wherein,

the heating unit includes a temperature sensor in the vicinity of the conveying unit, and the heating mechanism is intermittently driven by the temperature sensor.

(item 21)

A method for producing a frozen food material, wherein,

the method for producing a frozen food material comprises a processing step of freezing a food material using the food material freezing system according to any one of items 1 to 17 or the food material processing system according to any one of items 18 to 20.

(item 22)

The method of item 21, wherein the food material is whole cut vegetables.

Effects of the invention

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a food material freezing system in which the amount of free water after thawing is reduced as compared with conventional frozen food materials, and a method for producing a frozen food material using the food material freezing system.

Drawings

Fig. 1 shows an example of the configuration of the food freezing system of the present invention.

Fig. 2 shows another example of the structure of the food freezing system of the present invention.

Fig. 3 shows an example of a food processing system in which a pretreatment (sterilization) section for food and a food freezing system are combined.

Fig. 4 shows an example of the structure of the heating unit in the pretreatment (sterilization) unit for food materials.

Fig. 5 shows an example of a flow of the food material manufacturing method of the present invention.

Fig. 6 shows a structure in which the first freezing section includes a first pre-cooling section (first chamber), a second pre-cooling section (second chamber), and a third pre-cooling section (third chamber).

Fig. 7 shows the following structure: in the structure in which the first freezing part includes the first pre-cooling part (first chamber), the second pre-cooling part (second chamber), and the third pre-cooling part (third chamber), the first pre-cooling part (first chamber) and the second pre-cooling part (second chamber) and the third pre-cooling part (third chamber) are separated by an air curtain, and the first freezing part and the second freezing part are separated by a partition wall.

Fig. 8 is a view showing an example of a structure in which air blowing ports of an air blowing mechanism are provided at upper and lower portions of food materials passing through a conveying unit, wherein fig. 8 (a) shows a front view, and fig. 8 (b) shows a partially enlarged view of fig. 8 (a).

Fig. 9 is a plan view showing an example of a structure in which air blowing ports of an air blowing mechanism are provided in an upper portion and a lower portion of food materials passing through a conveying portion, respectively, fig. 9 (a) shows a plan view, and fig. 9 (b) shows a partially enlarged view of fig. 9 (a).

Fig. 10 is a plan view showing another example of a structure in which air blowing ports of an air blowing mechanism are provided in an upper portion and a lower portion, respectively, for food materials passing through a conveying portion.

Fig. 11 shows an example of a structure in which an air blowing port of an air blowing mechanism is provided at a lower portion of food passing through a carrying section, fig. 11 (a) shows a front view, and fig. 11 (b) shows a plan view.

FIG. 12A shows a 500-fold micrograph of untreated raw broccoli.

Fig. 12B shows a 500-fold microscope photograph of broccoli after pretreatment in the food material pretreatment (sterilization) unit (fig. 4).

FIG. 12C shows a 500-fold micrograph of a thawed broccoli after freezing the tissue shown in FIG. 12B at-60 ℃ for 5 minutes.

FIG. 12D shows a 500-fold micrograph of a broccoli thawed after being frozen at-35 ℃ to-45 ℃ for 15 to 20 minutes in the tissue shown in FIG. 12B.

Detailed Description

The present invention will be described below while showing an optimum embodiment. Throughout this specification, unless otherwise indicated, singular expressions should be understood to include the plural concepts thereof. Thus, unless specifically stated otherwise, articles in the singular (e.g., "a," "an," "the," etc. in the case of english) should also be understood to include the plural thereof. In addition, unless otherwise specifically stated, terms used in the present specification should be understood to be used in the meaning commonly used in the art. Accordingly, unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. In case of conflict, the present specification, including definitions, will control.

Hereinafter, terms used in the present specification are defined.

By "food material" is meant any object that a human being can eat. Food material that has not received processing based on heating above about 90 ℃ is particularly referred to as "raw fresh food material".

"about" means within 10% of the subsequent value.

The term "intermediate temperature zone" means a temperature of 45 ℃ to 90 ℃.

The "indirect heating" is a process of releasing a heat carrier such as steam from a supply unit so that the movement direction of the heat carrier changes from the supply unit to the object to be heated when the object to be heated is heated by bringing the heat carrier into contact with the object.

The term "direct heating" refers to releasing a heat carrier such as steam from a supply unit so that the movement direction of the heat carrier does not change from the supply unit to the object to be heated when the object is heated by bringing the heat carrier into contact with the object.

The term "direct cooling" refers to sending cold air toward an object to be cooled by air blowing means such as a fan.

The "indirect cooling" means cooling without using a blowing means such as a fan other than the cooling means or sending cold air toward the object to be cooled even when the cold air is sent by the blowing means.

"the vicinity of the conveying section" means within about 30cm from the conveying section.

"steam" refers to a gas containing water droplets.

"Sterilization" means that the number of living bacteria after the processing of raw materials is generally 10 as checked by the standard agar plate culture method⁵cfu/g (mL) or less, coliform bacteria were negative (less than 10cfu/g (mL)) as determined by BGLG medium method.

The "integrated type" means that the system and the elements are physically connected to each other via a transportation path.

"downward" refers to a direction at an angle of 0 to 90 degrees from the vertical below.

"quick freezing" refers to freezing in which the center temperature of the target food material is controlled to-5 ℃ or lower for about 5 minutes.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention are described below. The following embodiments are provided for better understanding of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention should not be construed as being limited to the following descriptions. Therefore, it is obvious to those skilled in the art that appropriate modifications can be made within the scope of the present invention with reference to the description in the present specification. The following embodiments of the present invention are understood to be used alone or in combination.

The same reference numerals are used for the same components throughout the specification.

(refrigeration system)

The food material freezing system of the present invention is configured to cool (freeze) the food material to about-60 ℃ to about-90 ℃, preferably to about-60 ℃ to 89 ℃ in a short time (e.g., within about 6 minutes). The food material freezing system of the present invention may be a system in which freezing is performed in one freezing section, or may be a system including 2 or more freezing sections including a pre-cooling section and a freezing section. Particularly, it is preferable to provide a pre-cooling section for food having a large processing volume.

Fig. 1 shows an example of the configuration of the food freezing system of the present invention.

In the example shown in fig. 1, the food material freezing system 1 of the present invention includes: two freezing sections, a first freezing section 100A on the input side and a second freezing section 100B on the outlet side; and a conveying unit 200. The freezing section 100A on the input section side corresponds to the precooling section. In the example shown in fig. 1, the number of freezing portions is 2, but the present invention is not limited to this. The number of the freezing portions may be 1 (that is, not including the pre-cooling portion), or may be an arbitrary integer of 2 or more. For example, a refrigeration system comprising 3 freezers, 4 freezers is also within the scope of the present invention.

In one embodiment, the temperature inside second freezer section 100B is lower than the temperature of first freezer section 100A. In one embodiment, the temperature of the cold air for freezing in the second freezing section 100B is lower than the temperature of the cold air for freezing in the first freezing section 100A. In one embodiment, for example, the chilled air temperature of the first freezer portion 100A is about-25 ℃ to-40 ℃, and the chilled air temperature of the second freezer portion 100B may be about-55 ℃ to about-60 ℃, about-60 ℃ to about-90 ℃, about-60 ℃ to about-80 ℃, about-60 ℃ to about-70 ℃, about 60 ℃ to about-89 ℃, about 60 ℃ to about-70 ℃, about-60 ℃ to about 60 ℃. Without intending to be bound by theory, it is preferred that when the food material is frozen to a temperature below-60 ℃, the enzymes within the food material are sufficiently inactivated for maintaining the quality of the thawed food material. In addition, when the freezing temperature of the food material is higher than-90 ℃, it is not preferable to suppress the change in the texture of the food material (for example, when the food material is frozen to-90 ℃ or lower, a structural change such as distortion of the texture of the food material may be caused).

In this way, the multi-stage freezing process can be performed by the plurality of freezing sections. The plurality of freezing units may be configured to freeze the food in stages at a lower temperature as the food is conveyed on the conveying unit 200. By performing such staged freezing, a rapid change in the surface temperature of the food material due to freezing can be avoided, and the food material can be frozen with high energy efficiency.

In a preferred embodiment, the first refrigerant of first freezer 100A is different from the second refrigerant of second freezer 100B. The first refrigerant and the second refrigerant are both common refrigerants that can be utilized in the art, but the second refrigerant may have better temperature conversion efficiency than the first refrigerant.

In the freezing system of the present invention, the food material is continuously moved and discharged in the freezing section by the conveying section without staying at one place. The time for the food material to pass through the freezing system 1 is about 6 minutes or less, preferably about 5 to about 6 minutes, and more preferably about 5 minutes. By rapidly freezing the food in a non-time manner, the food can be prevented from being swelled due to freezing of moisture contained in the food, and free water (component outflow) of the food during thawing and quality degradation due to the free water can be prevented. The time for which the food material passes through the freezing system 1 can be appropriately adjusted by those skilled in the art according to the thermal conductivity of the food material and the size of the food material. The temperature of the food material to the center thereof may be about-5 ℃ when the freezing by the freezing system 1 is completed.

As described above, in order to make the center temperature of the food material-5 ℃ in about 6 minutes or less, for example, about 5 minutes, the temperature of the peripheral space becomes a factor of hindrance in the processing of a single freezing section, which may cause a significant drop in heat exchange efficiency, and may cause waste or risk of cooling the remaining space, which may result in inefficient heat exchange. Therefore, a refrigeration system including at least 2 or more refrigeration units including a pre-cooling unit is preferable, and as described later, in the present invention, a reduction in heat exchange efficiency can be avoided even in a refrigeration system including a single refrigeration unit, and therefore the present invention is not limited to a refrigeration system including at least 2 or more refrigeration units.

(conveyance part)

The food freezing system 1 includes a conveying unit 200 for conveying food by the first freezing unit 100A and the second freezing unit 100B on the outlet side. The structure of the conveying unit 200 is not particularly limited as long as it has a function of continuously moving the food.

Freezing while moving the food material can facilitate processing a large amount of food material at a uniform temperature. For example, when processing is performed in a state where the food is stationary, the processing temperatures of the food vary due to temperature variation in the space where processing is performed, but by processing the food while moving the food along the conveying direction of the food, it is possible to eliminate the variation in each food due to temperature variation in the space.

The conveying unit 200 preferably conveys the food material at a constant speed through the first freezing unit 100A and the second freezing unit 100B. In one embodiment, the conveying unit 200 includes an adjusting mechanism for adjusting a constant speed thereof. The adjusting mechanism can automatically adjust the constant speed, can manually adjust the speed to a set speed, or can be used by combining the constant speed and the set speed. Thus, the conveying unit 200 is configured to convey the food material so that the food material passes through the inside of the first freezing unit 100A and/or the second freezing unit 100B between desired times. In one embodiment, the conveying unit 200 is preferably a conveyor belt. In one embodiment, the conveying unit 200 has a through hole. For example, the conveying unit 200 having the through-holes may be a mesh conveyor belt or the like. The number of the conveying units 200 may be plural, and the plurality of conveying units 200 are arranged in parallel, so that the amount of food materials processed per unit time can be increased, and the processing capacity of the system of the present invention can be improved. The food may be conveyed by directly placing the food on the conveying unit 200, or by conveying the container in which the food is placed by the conveying unit 200. In such a case, it is preferable to use a container having air permeability. The container having air permeability is, for example, a container having a through hole in the bottom surface and/or side surface. The container may be a container having a mesh member having air permeability on the bottom surface and/or side surface, for example. The conveying unit 200 and/or the container include through holes and/or mesh members, so that heat can be uniformly applied to each food material.

The conveying speed of the food is adjusted so that the time for passing the food through the freezing part is about 6 minutes (preferably about 5 minutes) or less. In addition, when some error occurs due to the quality of the food material or the heat transmittance of the food material, the processing time in the freezing section can be adjusted to not more than about 6 minutes (preferably about 5 minutes) by adjusting the cooling temperature of the primary freezing section (for example, the first freezing section). In some embodiments, the length of the freezing section is about 6 to about 12mm, and the freezing and cooling treatment time is about 2 to about 6 minutes, so that the conveying speed is about 1 to about 6m per minute, and can be freely set within the above range. However, the above ranges are merely specific examples at all times, and the present invention is not limited thereto. An optimum conveying speed is determined according to the type and size of the food material so that the core temperature of the food material is lowered to an appropriate temperature with an appropriate time gradient.

In some embodiments, the food material is continuously moved by the conveying unit 200 in the order of the input unit, the first freezing unit 100A, and the output unit. The conveying unit 200 is preferably a conveyor belt. The speed of the conveying unit 200 is correlated with the size of each piece of the food placed on the input unit, the shape of the food, the freezing condition of the first freezing unit 100A, and the freezing condition of the second freezing unit 100B, and can be automatically adjusted to an appropriate value.

For the food material initially frozen in the first cooling part 100A, the center temperature of the food material has been treated to-3 to-3.5 ℃, unlike the primary freezing condition in general freezing. In this way, by treating the food material having the center temperature of-3 ℃ to-3.5 ℃ in the second cooling section 100B in which the cooling treatment is performed at a lower temperature, for example, cold air at-60 ℃, the expansion rate of water present in the cell membrane can be suppressed without damaging the cell membrane of the food material within about 5 minutes.

The shape of the freezing section of the present invention is represented by a horizontally moving type long bar in the food material conveying direction, but is not limited thereto. For example, the first cooling unit and the second cooling unit may be vertically movable. In the vertical movement type, the food may be vertically moved vertically in a straight line, or may be vertically moved in parallel like a spiral, for example.

In a typical embodiment, in a horizontal food material freezing system, the distance from the input port to the output port is about 6 meters, and the distances between the first cooling unit and the second cooling unit may be about 3 meters, respectively. The conveying path may move the food material so that the food material passes through each cooling portion within about 2.5 minutes.

When the center temperature does not reach-5 ℃ by performing the treatment for about 5 to 6 minutes in 2 cooling parts depending on the nature and amount of the food material, a third cooling part may be added. The distance of the third cooling portion may be substantially the same as the first cooling portion and the second cooling portion. For example, the first to third cooling parts may be about 3m, respectively, the cool air in the first cooling part may be about-20 ℃ to-45 ℃, the cool air in the second cooling part may be about-60 ℃, and the cool air in the third cooling part may be about-80 ℃. Here, even if the third cooling unit is added, the passage time of the entire cooling system can be about 5 to 6 minutes.

In addition, when the number of frozen food materials is large, the distance from the inlet to the outlet may be about 9m (about 4.5m for each frozen portion), about 12m (about 6m for each frozen portion), or the like, and even in these cases, the passage time of each frozen portion is about 2.5 to 3 minutes, respectively, and the treatment is completed in about 5 to 6 minutes as a whole.

(precooling part)

In a preferred embodiment, the food material freezing system of the present invention may include a freezing unit for precooling (for example, the freezing unit 100A of fig. 1, and referred to as a "precooling unit" in the present specification) on the input side of the freezing unit for main freezing (for example, the freezing unit 100B of fig. 1). In a preferred embodiment, the pre-cooling unit of the present invention may further include a first pre-cooling unit and a second pre-cooling unit having different cooling temperatures in order from the input unit side. The cooling temperature in the first pre-cooling section and the second pre-cooling section may be higher in the first pre-cooling section or higher in the second pre-cooling section, but it is preferable that the cooling temperature in the first pre-cooling section is higher. In this way, when the cooling temperature in the first precooling section is increased, the food can be prevented from adhering to the belt for conveyance. When the food is rapidly cooled, the food adheres to the conveyor belt, and the food is damaged. In a preferred embodiment, the cooling temperature in the first pre-cooling section is between about-20 ℃ and-45 ℃, and may preferably be between about-35 ℃ and about-45 ℃. When the cooling temperature in the first pre-cooling section is about-35 to about-45 ℃, the cooling of the food is not rapidly advanced, so that the food does not adhere to the conveyor belt, and the cooling temperature is preferably the cooling temperature of the first pre-cooling section.

The cooling temperature in the second pre-cooling section of the present invention may be about-55 to about-60 deg.c, about-60 to about-90 deg.c, about-60 to about-80 deg.c, about-60 to about-70 deg.c, -60 to-89 deg.c, -60 to-70 deg.c, -60 deg.c, etc. The cooling temperature in the second pre-cooling section is preferably from about-60 c to about-90 c or-60 c to-89 c, more preferably-60 c.

In a preferred embodiment, the pre-cooling unit of the present invention may include a first pre-cooling unit (first chamber), a second pre-cooling unit (second chamber), and a third pre-cooling unit (third chamber) in this order from the inlet side (fig. 6 (a)). The first pre-cooling unit and the second pre-cooling unit are cooled at different temperatures, and the specific temperatures are as described above. The cooling temperature in the third precooling section may be higher than that in the second precooling section or lower than that in the second precooling section, unlike the temperature in the adjacent second precooling section. The cooling temperature in the third pre-cooling section is preferably higher than the cooling temperature in the second pre-cooling section, and is about-20 ℃ to-45 ℃, preferably about-35 ℃ to about-45 ℃ (fig. 6 (b)). The cooling temperatures of the first pre-cooling unit and the third pre-cooling unit may be the same or different. Without intending to be bound by theory, by changing the cooling temperature of the third pre-cooling section and the second pre-cooling section in this way, the food material can be efficiently cooled.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the pre-cooling section of the present invention includes at least a first pre-cooling section, a second pre-cooling section, and a third pre-cooling section, and the cooling temperature of the first pre-cooling section and the third pre-cooling section is higher than the cooling temperature of the second pre-cooling section. In this way, the cooling temperature is temporarily lowered and then raised again in the pre-cooling stage, so that the efficiency of freezing the food material can be improved and the freezing effect can be made uniform for the food material. In a preferred embodiment, the pre-cooling unit of the present invention includes: a first pre-cooling section that cools food material at about-35 ℃ to about-45 ℃; a second pre-cooling section to cool the food material at about-60 ℃; and a third pre-cooling section for cooling the food material at a temperature of about-35 ℃ to about-45 ℃.

(partition or air curtain)

The space between the freezing sections (for example, the space between the first freezing section 100A and the second freezing section 100B), and the space between the first precooling section, the second precooling section, and the third precooling section in the precooling section (100A) may be partitioned by a partition wall or may be partitioned by an air curtain. In a preferred embodiment, the freezing sections in the freezing system of the present invention may be separated by a gas curtain (fig. 2). In the example shown in fig. 2, the food freezing system 1 further comprises an air curtain generating mechanism 300 for generating an air curtain. The air curtain can shield the adjacent 2 freezing portions (for example, the first freezing portion 100A and the second freezing portion 100B) from each other so as to prevent the refrigerants in the adjacent 2 freezing portions from mixing.

The air curtain generating mechanism 300 of the present invention can blow air in a substantially vertical direction from a blowing port provided at an upper portion and/or a lower portion of the freezing portion. With such a mechanism, the air is divided in the left-right direction by convection with the air to be blown, and thus a virtual shielding wall can be formed.

In the air curtain generating mechanism 300 of the present invention, it is preferable that the blowing angle from the blowing port provided at the upper part and/or the lower part of the freezer is adjusted so that the blowing direction is opposite to the traveling direction of the food. As a result, disturbance of convection of air due to collision of the air with the food material passing through the freezing section by the conveying section can be suppressed, and as a result, intervention of the thermal condition in the first freezing step into the second freezing step can be suppressed. Further, the blowing angle of the lower blowing port may be set at an angle with respect to the traveling direction of the food material with respect to the blowing angle of the upper blowing port, and the food material may be blown simultaneously from the upper and lower blowing ports. In this way, the air blowing from the air blowing port is in the reverse direction to the traveling of the food, and therefore, the air retained in the first freezing section at a higher temperature than the air retained in the second freezing section can be prevented from flowing into the second freezing section by the air blowing in the reverse direction.

In the case where the cooling portions are partitioned by the air curtain, the temperature around the air curtain of the first cooling portion is lower than the vicinity of the inlet, and the temperature around the air curtain of the second cooling portion is higher than the vicinity of the outlet, so that the temperature is inclined in the first cooling portion and the second cooling portion around the air curtain. Thus, as the food moves from the first cooling portion to the second cooling portion, the cooling temperature smoothly shifts, and the damage to the cells of the food can be further reduced. Further, since heat does not have mass, it is possible to shut off the heat by convection, and it is possible to easily modify the conventional refrigeration apparatus and adjust the position of the air curtain generating mechanism at low cost.

In the food material freezing system 1, when the number of the freezing sections is 3 or more, the air curtain generating mechanism 300 is provided in at least one of the plurality of freezing section areas, and the partition walls are provided in the other areas. In a preferred embodiment, the partition wall is provided between the pre-cooling unit (first freezing unit) 100A and the second freezing unit, and the pre-cooling unit may be partitioned by a gas curtain between the first pre-cooling unit (first chamber) and the second pre-cooling unit (second chamber) and/or between the second pre-cooling unit (second chamber) and the third pre-cooling unit (third chamber) (fig. 7).

(air supply mechanism)

Each of freezing units 100A and 100B may be provided with an air blowing mechanism. The air blowing mechanism can be used as long as it is used for a blower such as a sirocco fan (sirocco fan), a turbo fan, a wing fan, or a cross flow fan, or an air conditioner. The air blowing mechanism includes an air outlet for blowing air from the air blower and the air conditioner into the freezing section. The number, position, direction, and the like of the blowing mechanisms are not particularly limited. The air blowing mechanism may be provided above the freezing section, may be provided below the freezing section, or may be provided at a side portion of the freezing section. The air blowing mechanism may be provided at a plurality of positions of the upper portion, the lower portion, and the side portion of the freezing portion, or may be provided at other positions. In the refrigerating unit, the number, position, direction, and the like of the air blowing ports of the air blowing mechanism are not particularly limited. The air blowing port may be provided at an upper portion of the conveying unit, a lower portion of the conveying unit, a side portion of the conveying unit, a plurality of portions of the upper portion, the lower portion, and the side portion of the conveying unit, or other positions. In the freezing section, the direction in which the air blowing port of the air blowing mechanism blows air may be a direction toward the food material or may not be a direction toward the food material. The intensity of the air blowing by the air blowing mechanism is not specified, and may be constant or variable as long as the food material can be sufficiently cooled. For example, in one embodiment, the freezing means is provided on the side of the freezing section, and the air blowing means (fan) is provided on the upper portion.

Preferably, the food material is cooled in the freezing section by directing cold air toward the food material. Specifically, an air outlet of an air blowing mechanism (e.g., a fan) provided in the freezing section blows air toward the food. This enables rapid freezing of the food material.

In one embodiment, as shown in fig. 8, the air blowing ports of the air blowing mechanism are provided at the upper and lower portions, respectively, with respect to the material conveyed by the conveying portion. Thereby, the food material can be efficiently cooled. Preferably, the direction of the air blowing port is opposite to the conveying direction of the conveying unit. Accordingly, the air blown from the air blowing port collides violently with the food material conveyed by the conveying portion, and therefore the food material can be cooled efficiently. Further preferably, the direction of the air blowing port is inclined at an angle in a range of more than about 0 ° and less than about 90 ° with respect to the conveying direction of the conveying unit, with the direction in the vertical direction being 0 °. The tilt angle may be any angle within a range that does not obstruct the travel of the food material being conveyed on the conveying portion. More preferably, the inclination is about 3 ° to about 30 °, and particularly preferably about 3 ° to about 18 ° (angles α 1 and α 2 shown in fig. 8). By setting the inclination angle within this range, the food can be conveyed smoothly, and the food can be cooled efficiently. In the embodiment shown in fig. 8, the inclination angle of the upper air blowing port is the same as the inclination angle of the lower air blowing port, but the present invention is not limited to this. The inclination angle of the air supply outlet at the upper part and the air supply outlet at the lower part can be different inclination angles respectively.

As shown in fig. 9, the air blowing port of the air blowing mechanism may be inclined with respect to a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the conveying unit, and may be arranged such that the direction of the air blowing port provided in the upper portion intersects with the direction of the air blowing port provided in the lower portion. Further, the direction of the air blowing port is preferably inclined at an angle of about 3 ° to about 30 °, particularly preferably at an angle of about 3 ° to about 24 ° (angles β 1 and β 2 shown in fig. 9 (b)) with the direction orthogonal to the conveying direction being 0 °.

By setting the direction of the upper air outlet and the direction of the lower air outlet to intersect at a predetermined angle in this manner, the direction of the wind supplied to the food can generate a small random airflow near the skin of the food. As a result, the stirring effect of the air in the freezing section is improved, and the food can be cooled more efficiently and uniformly. In the embodiment shown in fig. 9, the inclination angle of the upper air blowing port is the same as the inclination angle of the lower air blowing port, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the inclination angle of the upper air blowing port and the inclination angle of the lower air blowing port may be different from each other. As shown in fig. 9 (a), the direction in which the plurality of air blowing ports provided in the upper portion or the lower portion provided along the conveying direction are inclined with respect to the direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the conveying portion may be always the same direction, or may be changed to an alternately inclined direction as shown in fig. 10. By alternately changing the inclination direction in this way, the stirring effect of the air in the freezing section can be more effectively improved, and the food can be more efficiently and uniformly cooled.

The embodiments shown in fig. 8 and 9 are particularly suitable for cooling large food materials such as lumps. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, it is also applicable to small food materials such as granular materials.

In another embodiment, as shown in fig. 11, the air blowing port of the air blowing mechanism is provided at a lower portion with respect to the material conveyed by the conveying unit. The embodiment shown in fig. 11 is particularly suitable for cooling small food materials such as granular food materials. In this way, by blowing air toward the food only from the air blowing port provided at the lower portion of the conveying section, the food can fly upward by the air, and as a result, the adhesion of the cooled food to the conveying belt can be reduced. Further, as in fig. 8, the direction of the air blowing port is preferably opposite to the conveying direction of the conveying unit. Accordingly, the food conveyed by the conveying part is violently collided by the air blown from the air blowing port, and therefore the food can be efficiently cooled. As shown in fig. 11 (b), in this embodiment, the direction of the air blowing port is set parallel to the direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the conveying unit. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, as shown in fig. 9, the direction of the air blowing port may be inclined with respect to a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the conveying unit.

(others)

In one embodiment, the freezing section 100A and/or 100B includes a sensor. The sensor quantifies and transmits information on the state in the freezing part. The information on the state in the refrigeration unit may be transmitted to the management unit, or may be transmitted to another part of the system (for example, the transportation unit 200). Examples of the sensor include a temperature sensor and a humidity sensor. Although the position of the sensor is not limited, it is preferable that the sensor is disposed in the vicinity of the conveying unit 200 penetrating the freezing unit, so that the temperature of the cooled material can be accurately measured, which is advantageous for controlling the system.

The refrigerating units 100A and 100B may be air or liquid quick refrigerators, respectively, but are preferably air quick refrigerators. A typical example of the liquid rapid freezer is cooling by liquid nitrogen, but the temperature is constant, and it is difficult to set the initial temperature. In order to perform cooling by liquid nitrogen, a multistage structure can be formed by limiting the processing capacity, but an air rapid freezer is preferable from the viewpoint of cost.

The food material may be subjected to pretreatment such as washing and sterilization before being introduced into the food material freezing system. The pretreatment such as sterilization may be a commonly used pretreatment method such as blanching. Fig. 3 shows an example of a food processing system in which a food material preprocessing (sterilizing) unit for preprocessing food materials and a food material freezing system are combined according to the present invention. As shown in fig. 3, the food material preprocessing (sterilizing) unit 400 includes: a heating part 410 including a heating mechanism for heating food; a cooling unit 420 including a cooling mechanism for cooling the food heated by the heating unit 410; the conveying unit 430 conveys the food heated by the heating unit 410 and the cooling unit 42023 to the food freezing system 1. Note that, although the food material preprocessing (sterilizing) unit 400 and the food material freezing system 1 are shown together in fig. 3 for convenience, the food material preprocessing (sterilizing) unit 400 and the food material freezing system 1 may be physically separated independent systems or may be continuous systems sharing a conveying unit.

(heating part)

As shown in fig. 4, the pretreatment (sterilization) unit 400 includes a warming unit 410, and the warming unit 410 includes a warming mechanism 411 for warming food. The heating unit 410 and the heating mechanism 411 are not limited in their structures as long as they can heat the food material to a desired temperature. The conveying unit 430 penetrates the heating unit 410, and heats the food in the heating unit 410 while the food is conveyed by the conveying unit 430. The food material is desirably quickly warmed to a desired temperature and then stably maintained at the desired temperature. The heating unit 410 may be any heating unit that can be used as long as it can be temperature-controlled, such as a thermostat having a humidifying function and a general heating unit for food cooking. In order to cope with various food materials, the shape of the heating unit 410 is preferably a tunnel type or a box type along the conveying direction of the food material, but is not limited thereto.

The pretreatment (sterilization) unit 400 is preferably capable of quickly heating the food material to an intermediate temperature range and stably maintaining the temperature. Heating in the intermediate temperature range can remove astringent solution and/or inactivate and/or sterilize enzymes (for example, carbohydrases such as pectinase and cellulase, oxidases such as glucose oxidase, and the like, but not limited thereto) without damaging cells and tissues of the food material. On the other hand, heating to a temperature exceeding 100 ℃ (heating using boiling water or fire) is not preferable in the present invention because it destroys the cells of the food material and causes the delicious components to flow out of the cells.

The heating mechanism 411 preferably heats the food material by releasing heat into the heating portion 410. In one embodiment, the heat may be transmitted through a substance capable of contacting the food material to warm the high temperature of the food material. The heat released into heating unit 410 can raise the temperature in heating unit 410, thereby heating the interior.

In a representative embodiment, the heating part 410 indirectly heats the food material. In the case of direct heating, the heat medium substance in contact with the food is divided into a heat medium substance having a relatively high temperature in direct contact with the food from the supply part and a heat medium substance having a relatively low temperature in convection in the heating part, and the temperature difference is drastic and it is difficult to stably maintain the temperature of the heated food. In contrast, in the case of "indirect" heating, the temperature difference of the heat medium substance in contact with the food is small, and therefore the temperature of the heated food can be stably maintained. In addition, if the heating is indirect, for example, by intermittently supplying heat at a constant temperature (for example, steam of 98 ℃), heating at a constant temperature is easily performed, and a complicated structure for finely controlling the temperature of the heat-carrying medium is not necessary. As a result, cost reduction can also be achieved. On the other hand, in the direct heating, when the heat medium substance is intermittently supplied, a large difference may occur between the heating temperature of the food material in the presence of the heat medium substance having a relatively high temperature in direct contact with the food material and the heating temperature of the food material in the absence of the heat medium substance during the supply period and the supply stop period, and thus uniform heating of the food material may not be achieved.

In a preferred embodiment, the warming part 410 indirectly warms the food material. Warming in the intermediate temperature zone is difficult to control. Specifically, if the temperature is excessively increased, the taste and texture of the food material are impaired by destroying the cells, and if the temperature is insufficiently increased, the sterilization and the removal of astringent liquid become insufficient. Therefore, the inventors of the present invention have realized uniform heating temperature control of the food material by uniformly controlling the temperature of the region of the heating portion through which the food material passes, not directly heating the food material.

For example, although a substance having a high temperature is low in density and relatively moves upward in principle, convection of the heat-propagating substance can be caused by the downward release of the heat-propagating substance, and the temperature in the heating portion can be stably maintained within a constant range.

In a preferred embodiment, the warming part 410 further includes an air blowing mechanism (e.g., a fan). The fan can always generate convection near the food material and can keep the temperature of the food material to be constant. The air blowing mechanism in the heating unit 410 preferably blows air not toward the conveying unit 430 but in a direction other than the direction of the conveying unit 430. This is to facilitate control of the intermediate temperature zone in the vicinity of the conveying unit 430 by preventing direct contact between the wind and the food material, as in the indirect heating.

Further, it may be difficult to stabilize the temperature in the vicinity of the bottom surface and the upper surface in the heating section 410. Therefore, if the conveying unit 430 penetrating the heating unit 410 is configured to pass through the middle portion between the upper surface and the bottom surface of the heating unit 410, it is possible to uniformly heat the food material in a stable temperature region while avoiding a region where the temperature is likely to become unstable.

The warming mechanism 411 is capable of warming food materials to about 45 to about 90 ℃, preferably to about 50 ℃ to about 85 ℃, more preferably to about 60 ℃ to about 75 ℃. The temperature to be heated by the heating means 411 in the pretreatment (sterilization) unit 400 varies depending on the food material and the application, and can be appropriately determined by those skilled in the art. The heating of the food material can be confirmed by measuring the core temperature.

The temperature of the heat released by the heating means 411 may be any temperature as long as it can heat the desired food material, and typically the temperature of the released heat may be 98 ℃.

The heating means 411 may be any means capable of heating the food material in the intermediate temperature range, and examples thereof include a steam supply unit, a fine mist supply unit, and a cluster air (cluster air) supply unit, but not limited thereto.

In one embodiment, the heat medium may be steam, and the heating means 411 may be a steam supply unit. Among them, there is a case where water droplets adhere to the surface of the food material when heating is performed using steam. In a case where it is preferable to avoid such adhesion of water droplets, the heating means 411 may heat the water droplets using a heat medium containing water droplets having a smaller particle size such as fine mist or air clusters.

As shown in fig. 4, in one embodiment, the heating means 411 heats the food material by discharging a heat medium such as steam. In one embodiment, the heating unit 411 heats the food material by ejecting the heat medium substance at 98 ℃. As described above, the heating means 411 is configured to indirectly heat the food material with the discharged heat medium substance. As shown in fig. 4, an example of such a configuration is a configuration in which the heating means 411 is provided at the lower portion of the conveying unit 430 and the discharge hole of the heat medium material faces downward, but the configuration is not limited thereto. The heating means 411 preferably discharges the heat medium material intermittently at intervals, instead of continuously discharging the heat medium material. In one embodiment, the discharge hole is openable and closable. In a further embodiment, the opening and closing of the discharge hole is performed by an input from the outside or automatic control.

In a certain embodiment, the warming part 410 includes a sensor. Examples of the sensor include a temperature sensor and a humidity sensor. The sensor quantifies and transmits information on the state of the inside of the heating unit 410. The information on the state of the inside of the heating unit 410 may be transmitted to the management unit, or may be transmitted to other parts of the system (for example, the conveying unit 430, the heating unit 410, the cooling unit 420, the first refrigeration unit 100A, the second refrigeration unit 100B, or the conveying unit 200). The position of the sensor is not limited, but it is preferably arranged in the vicinity of the conveying unit 430 penetrating the heating unit 410. In the food material preprocessing (sterilizing) unit 400, it is important to uniformly maintain the temperature of the region through which the food material passes, and therefore it is advantageous to control the heating means 411 based on the measured value of the temperature in the vicinity of the conveying unit 430. In one embodiment, the sensor is present within the heating unit 410 at a distance of about 30cm, preferably about 15cm, from the conveying unit 430.

In one embodiment, the warming mechanism 411 is intermittently driven according to a temperature sensor. For example, when the measured value of the temperature sensor provided near the conveying unit 430 reaches a predetermined temperature, the cap of the discharge hole of the heat medium such as steam is closed to stop the discharge of the heat medium, and if the temperature drops, the heat medium is discharged again, and the air and the heat medium in the heating unit are mixed at an appropriate ratio to maintain the temperature in the heating unit 410 at a constant level.

In the case where the heating means 411 is a steam supply unit, when the steam supply unit is operated, a boiler, a water pipe, a power supply, and the like attached to the outside of the heating means 411 are automatically controlled based on the internal temperature and/or humidity detected by the above-described sensor in order to maintain the internal temperature in a predetermined temperature range, thereby automatically controlling the temperature and the release amount of steam. The time for the food material to stay in the heating part is 1 to 8 minutes, preferably 1 to 3 minutes. The time is appropriately adjusted according to the thermal conductivity of the food material and the size of the cut food material. The surface of the food material is exposed to the above-mentioned internal temperature for such a time, and as a result, sterilization can be achieved.

The heating unit 410 is preferably configured to allow convection of a heat medium such as steam. By the convection of the heat medium, even if there is temperature unevenness over the entire heating unit 410, the degree of heating of the food material can be made uniform between the heating steps. In addition, the amount of the heat medium substance contacted by the food material can be increased per unit time, and the food material can be quickly brought to a desired temperature without a high temperature.

In one embodiment, the bottom of the heater 410 may have a shape that causes convection of a heat medium such as steam. An example of such a shape is a boat shape in which the bottom edge is formed in an inclined shape as shown in fig. 4, but the shape is not limited to this. The convection of the thermal media substance may have the following functions: the convection in the vertical direction at the carrying-in port and the carrying-out port to the heating unit 410 blocks the intrusion of cold outside air into the heating unit 410 and/or the leakage of warm heat medium from the heating unit 410, and functions as a so-called air curtain.

As for the heat medium substance (for example, steam), if the temperature is high exceeding 90 ℃, convection occurs by itself, and convection occurring in a temperature zone around 70 ℃ is relaxed, for example, and it is sometimes desirable to use a mechanism for actively convecting the heat medium substance.

The heating unit 410 preferably includes a blowing mechanism as a mechanism for actively convecting the heat medium. The blowing mechanism can promote convection of the heat medium substance in the heating unit 410. The air blowing mechanism can be used as long as it is used for a blower such as a sirocco fan, a turbo fan, a wing fan, or a cross flow fan, or an air conditioner. The number, position, direction, and the like of the blowing mechanisms are not particularly limited. The air blowing mechanism may be located above the heating unit 410, may be located on the side of the heating unit 410, may be located on both sides thereof, or may be located in another position. In one embodiment, the direction of the air blown by the air blowing mechanism may be a direction toward the food material or may not be a direction toward the food material. In a preferred embodiment, the air blowing mechanism in the heating unit 410 blows air in a direction other than the direction toward the food material. The intensity of the air blowing by the air blowing means is not particularly limited as long as the heat medium can be sufficiently convected, and may be constant or variable. The number of air blowing means (preferably fans) to be installed and the air blowing capacity can be appropriately adjusted in consideration of the capacity of the heating unit 410, the type and amount of food to be processed, the conveying speed of food, and the like. When the heating means 411 is operated, the temperature and humidity in the heating unit 410 are detected at any time by sensors mounted at various parts inside, and the rotation speed and the air blowing amount of the fan are adjusted so that the temperature and humidity in the heating unit 410 are uniform.

In one embodiment, the heating unit 410 is not hermetically sealed. This is because when the heating unit 410 is sealed, the cells of the food material may be destroyed by the pressure of the air expanded by heat. In this case, the opening portions provided in the inlet and the outlet may function as pressure valves, and the convection of the heat medium substance may function as an air curtain.

The heating means 411 in the heating unit 410 may be single or plural. In one embodiment, the heating means 411 includes at least 2 heating means along the conveying direction of the conveying unit. In one embodiment, the heating means 411 is a pipe including a discharge hole for a heat medium such as steam. The tube may be plural. The amount of heat released by the plurality of warming mechanisms can vary. In one embodiment, the heating means near the inlet of the heating unit 410 releases a larger amount of heat than the heating means 411 near the outlet of the heating unit 410. In one embodiment, the heating unit 410 includes at least 2 heating means along the conveying direction of the conveying unit, and the heating means near the inlet of the heating unit 410 can discharge a larger amount of the heat medium than the heating means near the outlet of the heating unit 410. In one embodiment, the heating means 411 is a plurality of tubes having different diameters. Preferably, the diameter of the pipe near the inlet is larger than the diameter of the pipe near the outlet. Such a configuration in which the heating means near the inlet of the heating unit 410 releases a larger amount of heat than the heating means near the outlet of the heating unit 410 further promotes heating of the low-temperature food material charged into the heating unit 410 to a predetermined temperature, and maintains the predetermined temperature after reaching the predetermined temperature, thereby enabling a longer treatment time for the food material at a desired predetermined temperature to be ensured. In one embodiment, the discharge holes of the plurality of pipes each include an opening/closing valve and can be controlled individually.

In some embodiments, warmer 410 is a steam warmer. In some embodiments, the heating unit 410 is an evaporator extending in the conveying direction of the food material, and the heating mechanism 411 discharges the heat medium material (steam, fine mist, air clusters, or the like, but is not limited thereto) into the evaporator from a plurality of small holes provided in an inner wall of the evaporator.

In one embodiment of the food material pretreatment (sterilization) unit 400, the heating unit 410 is, for example, a portion for heating the food material in a humid atmosphere at 45 to 90 ℃ for 1 to 8 minutes, and is preferably an evaporator extending in the conveying direction. The conveying unit 430 penetrates the heating unit 410. In one embodiment, the food material processing system 10 has a heating unit 410 connected to the input unit. In one embodiment, when the food processing system 10 is operated, the food is continuously carried into the open heating unit 410 by the carrying unit 430. While the food material passes through the heating part 410, the temperature of the food material starts to rise from the surface, then the temperature of the central part also rises to 45 ℃ to 90 ℃, and the state from the surface to the central part is maintained for 1 to 8 minutes.

In some embodiments, the internal temperature of the warming part 410 is adjusted according to the kind of food material. For example, when a large food piece with poor heat flow is heated, the temperature is adjusted to a relatively high temperature region. For example, when heating a small food piece with good heat flow, the temperature is adjusted to a relatively low temperature region. The internal temperature of the heating section 410 is maintained at 45 to 90 ℃, preferably 50 to 85 ℃, and more preferably 60 to 80 ℃. The time for the food material to stay in the heating part 410 is 1 to 8 minutes, preferably 1 to 3 minutes. The time is appropriately adjusted according to the thermal conductivity of the food material and the size of the cut food material. While the food material passes through the heating part 410, the temperature of the food material is increased from the surface, then the temperature of the central part is also increased to 45 to 90 ℃, and the heated state is maintained for 1 to 8 minutes, preferably 1 to 3 minutes from the surface to the central part. If the internal temperature of the heating unit 410 is lower than 45 ℃, it is not desirable to improve the taste of the food and shorten the final cooking time. When the internal temperature of the heating unit 410 exceeds 95 ℃, the flavor of the fresh food is lost when the food is cooked by ordinary heating such as boiling, baking, frying, or steaming, which is not preferable.

In one embodiment, the heating unit 410 is preferably an evaporator that generates a heat transfer medium such as mist steam therein to heat the food. The shape of the heating unit is preferably a long shape along the conveying direction. The heat medium substance is discharged into the evaporator from a plurality of small holes provided in the inner wall of the evaporator, and the surface of the continuously moving food material is uniformly heated. Such an evaporator is equipped with a boiler, a water pipe, a power supply, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, and the like for humidification and heating. The temperature and humidity inside the evaporator are set to optimum values according to the kind and size of the food material. The humidity and the discharge amount of the heat medium substance are automatically adjusted based on the set values and the automatically measured values of the humidity and the temperature inside the evaporator. In order to perform this automatic adjustment in a short time, a blower fan provided in the adjustment unit is also used.

The portion (outlet) where the food material exits from the heating part 410 is also opened when the food material processing system 10 is operated, similarly to the inlet of the heating part 410. The food material continuously moves in the heating part 410 without staying, and is discharged from the heating part 410 to the cooling part 420.

(Cooling section)

The food processing system 10 comprises a cooling section 420, the cooling section 420 comprising a cooling mechanism to cool the food material. The structure of cooling unit 420 and the cooling mechanism is not limited as long as the inside of cooling unit 420 can be maintained at a desired temperature.

Although not limited, the cooling unit 420 can be kept at a temperature of-10 ℃ to-40 ℃, 10 ℃ to-35 ℃, 10 ℃ to-30 ℃, 10 ℃ to-25 ℃, 10 ℃ to-20 ℃, or 10 ℃ to-15 ℃ or higher.

The cooling part 420 may include an air blowing mechanism. The air blowing mechanism can be used as long as it is used for a blower such as a sirocco fan, a turbo fan, a wing fan, or a cross flow fan, or an air conditioner. The number, position, direction, and the like of the blowing mechanisms are not particularly limited. The blowing mechanism may be provided above the cooling unit 420, may be provided on the side of the cooling unit 420, may be provided on both sides thereof, or may be provided at another position. In the cooling unit 420, the air blowing direction by the air blowing mechanism may be a direction toward the food material or may not be a direction toward the food material. The intensity of the air blowing by the air blowing mechanism is not specified, and may be constant or variable as long as the food material can be sufficiently cooled. For example, in one embodiment, cooling means is provided on the side of cooling unit 420, and air blowing means (fan) is provided on the upper side.

Preferably, the cooling part 420 directly cools the food material. Specifically, an air blowing mechanism (e.g., a fan) provided in the cooling portion 420 blows air toward the food material. This enables rapid cooling of the food material. This is advantageous in the present invention. This is because although there is a risk that microorganisms will adhere to the food material sterilized by heating in the heating unit 410 at a temperature in the vicinity of 24 to 37 ℃, the temperature can be rapidly lowered by direct cooling, and therefore the time of stay in this temperature range can be shortened.

In one embodiment, the cooling portion 420 includes a sensor. The sensor quantifies and transmits information on the state of the inside of the cooling unit 420. The information on the state of the inside of the cooling unit 420 may be transmitted to the management unit, or may be transmitted to other parts of the system (for example, the conveying unit 430, the heating unit 410, the first freezing unit 100A, the second freezing unit 100B, or the conveying unit 200). Examples of the sensor include a temperature sensor and a humidity sensor. Although the position of the sensor is not limited, it is preferable that the sensor is disposed in the vicinity of the conveying unit 430 penetrating the cooling unit 420, so that the temperature of the cooled material can be accurately measured, which is advantageous for controlling the system.

The cooling unit 420 may be, for example, a refrigerator or an ice chest which are generally used, or may be a tunnel ice chest as a shape.

In one embodiment, the cooling unit 420 is a unit for cooling the food material heated by the heating unit 410 at a temperature of-10 to-40 ℃ for 2 to 8 minutes. The food material moves continuously in the cooling part 420 without staying and is discharged. In order to rapidly cool the food in the cooling part 420, the entire cooling part 420 is preferably covered with a cooling device that can easily adjust the temperature. As such a cooling device, for example, a tunnel freezer is used. The shape of the cooling part 420 is preferably elongated along the conveying direction of the food. A so-called tunnel freezer is preferable as the cooling unit 420. The temperature in the cooling section 420 is maintained at-10 to-40 ℃, preferably-10 to-20 ℃. The time for the food material to stay in the cooling part 420 is 2 to 8 minutes, preferably 2 to 5 minutes, and more preferably 2 to 4 minutes. The time is appropriately adjusted according to the thermal conductivity of the food material and the size of the cut food material. When the material exits the cooling portion 420, the temperature from the surface to the center of the material drops to 5 ℃ to-40 ℃, preferably 2 ℃ to-20 ℃.

In the cooling section 420 of the food material preprocessing (sterilizing) section 400 of the food material processing system 10, when manufacturing processed food for cold storage (so-called cold food, including "cold food"), the temperature of the cooling section 420 is adjusted so that the center temperature of the food at the outlet of the cooling section 420 is about 5 ℃ or lower, preferably about 1 ℃ to about 4 ℃, and more preferably about 2 ℃.

(conveyance part)

The food material preprocessing (sterilizing) unit 400 of the food material processing system 10 includes a conveying unit 430 that conveys food materials through a heating unit 410 and a cooling unit 420. The structure of the conveying unit 430 is not particularly limited as long as it has a function of continuously moving the food.

Moving the food material while heating and/or cooling and/or freezing the food material may facilitate processing of a large amount of food material at a uniform temperature. For example, although the processing temperature of each food material varies due to temperature variation in the space where the processing is performed when the processing is performed in a stationary state, the processing is performed while moving the food material along the conveying direction of the food material, and thus the variation in each food material due to temperature variation in the space can be eliminated.

The conveying unit 430 preferably conveys the food material at a constant speed through the heating unit 410 and the cooling unit 420. In one embodiment, the conveying unit 430 includes an adjusting mechanism for adjusting the speed to a constant speed. The adjustment mechanism may automatically adjust the constant speed, may manually adjust the speed to a set speed, or may use both. Thus, the conveying unit 430 may be configured to convey the food material so that the food material passes through the inside of the heating unit 410 for a desired time period, and configured to convey the food material so that the food material passes through the inside of the cooling unit 420 for a desired time period. In one embodiment, the conveying unit 430 is preferably a conveyor belt. In one embodiment, the conveying unit 430 has a through hole. For example, the conveying unit 430 having the through-holes may be a mesh conveyor or the like. The number of the conveying units 430 may be plural, and the amount of the food material processed per unit time can be increased by arranging the plurality of conveying units 430 in parallel, thereby improving the processing capacity of the system of the present invention. The food may be conveyed by directly placing the food on the conveying unit 430, or by conveying a container in which the food is placed by the conveying unit 430. In such a case, it is preferable to use a container having air permeability. The container having air permeability is, for example, a container having a through hole in the bottom surface and/or side surface. The container may be a container including a mesh member having air permeability on the bottom surface and/or the side surface, for example. By including the through-holes and/or the mesh-like members in the conveying unit 430 and/or the container, not only can the food be made to pass through a uniform temperature zone, but also heat can be made to act on each food uniformly.

The conveying speed of the food material can be freely set within the range of several meters to dozens of meters per minute. The optimum conveying speed is determined according to the type and size of the food material so that the core temperature of the food material is raised to an appropriate temperature and the food material reaches the outlet of the heating unit 410 at a time when the temperature is maintained for an appropriate time. The conveying unit 430 can convey the food material through the cooling unit 420 at the conveying speed. In such a case, it is preferable to adjust the cooling temperature or the air blowing mechanism of the cooling part by the conveying speed according to the time when the food material passes through the cooling part 420.

In some embodiments, the food material is continuously moved by the conveying unit 430 in the order of the input unit, the heating unit 410, the cooling unit 420, and the output unit. The conveying unit 430 is preferably a conveyor belt. The speed of the conveying part 430 is automatically adjusted to an appropriate value in association with the size of each piece of the food placed in the input part, the shape of the food, the heating condition of the heating part 410, and the cooling condition of the cooling part 420.

The food material processing system 10 of the present invention includes a conveying section 200, and the conveying section 200 conveys food materials through a freezing section 100A and a freezing section 100B after a food material preprocessing (sterilizing) section 400. The carrying part 200 may have the same structure as that of the carrying part 430. The conveying unit 200 may be coupled to the conveying unit 430 or may be separated from the conveying unit 430.

For example, if the conveying portion 430 such as a conveyor belt and the conveying portion 200 are laid so as to penetrate the heating portion 410, the cooling portion 420, the freezing portion 100A, and the freezing portion 100B, respectively, which are connected to the cooling portion 420, the end of the freezing portion 100A, the inside of the freezing portion 100B, the end of the freezing portion 100B, and the outlet of the freezing portion 100B, respectively, from the input portion of the food material cleaned and cut out linearly, starting from the input portion of the food material, to the end of the cooling portion 420 connected to the heating portion 410, the end of the cooling portion 420 connected to the other side, and the end of the freezing portion 100B, respectively, the heating portion 410, the cooling portion 420, the freezing portion 100A, and the freezing portion 100B can be performed by an integrated process, and the food material can be sterilized and frozen efficiently. In such an integrated process, the food material continuously moves in the heating portion 410 and the freezing portion 100B without staying. As a result, a certain amount of food material can be processed and/or sterilized and/or frozen per unit time, and food material processing and/or continuous sterilization and/or freezing processing can be stably and efficiently performed.

(management section)

The food freezing system 1 and/or the food processing system 10 may comprise a management part. The management unit can receive information transmitted from each component of the food freezing system 1 and/or the food processing system 10, and/or can transmit information for control to each component of the food freezing system 1. The management unit monitors the conditions inside the first freezing unit 100A and/or the second freezing unit 100B and/or the heating unit 410 and/or the cooling unit 420, and controls these components, thereby preventing the processing conditions from becoming conditions different from those assumed (for example, temperatures different from those assumed).

The management unit may be integrated with the food freezing system 1 and/or the food processing system 10, or may be provided in a separate part. In one embodiment, the management unit displays the received information or information calculated from the received information to the operator, and transmits information for control to each component of the food freezing system 1 and/or the food processing system 10 according to the input of the operator. In one embodiment, the management unit automatically transmits information for control to each component of the food freezing system 1 and/or the food processing system 10 using the received information or information calculated from the received information.

In the embodiment in which the food material freezing system 1 and/or the food material processing system 10 includes the management unit, for example, when the food material freezing system 1 and/or the food material processing system 10 is operated, it is preferable that the conditions of the respective portions (for example, the internal temperature of the first freezing unit 100A, the internal temperature of the second freezing unit 100B, the internal temperature of the heating unit 410, the internal humidity, the amount of water passing, the amount of release of the heat medium such as steam, the internal temperature of the cooling unit 420, and the like) are transmitted to the management unit outside the apparatus. The management unit can monitor each data by a display or the like. The interval between the optimum value registered in advance and the actual measurement value input at the time is calculated and evaluated by the computer of the management unit, and the warning display, the adjustment of each condition, and the like are automatically performed. Therefore, if a small number of people are disposed near the apparatus and in the management section, the food freezing system 1 and/or the food processing system 10 can be continuously operated for 24 hours. Since the food freezing system 1 and/or the food processing system 10 can be operated without requiring a skilled person, a large amount of homogeneous products can be produced regardless of the installation location of the system.

Fig. 5 shows an example of a flow of the food material manufacturing method of the present invention. The steps shown in fig. 5 will be described below.

Step S001: pretreatment step

In step S001, pretreatment of the food material is performed. The pretreatment step includes a step of washing the food material and/or a step of cutting the food material. The washing and cutting of food materials can use the general method of washing and cutting vegetables, fruits, fish, meat without limitation. In this way, the food material provided to the warming section 410 of the food material freezing system may be washed and/or cut. Note that step S001 may be omitted.

In one embodiment, in the pretreatment step, when a relatively large food material is used, non-edible parts such as skin, seed, bone, and the like are removed from the food material, and the food material is washed with water and cut into an appropriate size according to the shape of the corresponding food material. When using a relatively small food material, the food material is used in the next step without being cut. When the food material is vegetables, the food material can be cut into the same shape as cut vegetables (cut vegetables), for example. The small tomatoes and the strawberries only need to be washed by water and do not need to be cut. In the case of radish or carrot, it can be cut into a regular shape such as a filament, a strip, or a ginkgo leaf cutting method. In the case of small vegetables such as bean sprouts, fungi, and young leaves, it is preferable to remove the non-edible portions, but it is not necessary to cut them into small pieces. The order and number of washing and cutting are not particularly limited. After the pretreatment process is completed, there is no limitation in the order and the number of times as long as dust, dirt, and non-edible parts are completely removed and an appropriate shape and size corresponding to the food materials are completed. For economy and freshness maintenance, it is desirable to perform the washing and cutting in as short a time as possible.

In the pretreatment step, a cleaning apparatus using a shower or a water tank and a cutting apparatus using a cutter, a grinder, a sieve, or the like are generally used. These apparatuses can be used as a cleaning apparatus and a cutting apparatus which are generally used in processing facilities for vegetables, fruits, fungi, fish, and meat.

Step S002: heating step

Step S002 and the next step S003 are performed by the preprocessing (sterilizing) unit 400.

In step S002, the food material is heated. The step of heating the food material may be a step of indirectly heating the food material. The food is heated while passing through the heating unit 410, for example, for 1 to 8 minutes, preferably for 1 to 3 minutes. The time for warming can be changed by adjusting the speed of the conveying part.

The warming process can achieve various combinations of warming time and temperature. For example, in one embodiment, root vegetables are heated at 75 to 90 ℃ for 3 to 7 minutes. In another embodiment, the leaf vegetables are heated at 60 to 75 ℃ for 1 to 3 minutes. In another embodiment, the fruits and vegetables are heated at 45-75 ℃ for 1-3 minutes. In another embodiment, the animal food material is heated at 75 to 90 ℃ for 3 to 8 minutes.

For example, in one embodiment of the present invention, the heating step is: the washed and cut food material is conveyed to an end portion of the heating part 410, which has an internal temperature in the range of 45 to 90 ℃ and is maintained at a predetermined constant temperature, and then convection is generated by a fan arbitrarily installed inside the steam warmer, so that the food material is conveyed inside the heating part 410 for 1 to 8 minutes while blowing air to the surface of the food material, thereby increasing the temperature of the food material. In the heating step, the food material may be heated without being exposed to the outside air.

Step S003: cooling Process

In step S003, the food material is cooled. Preferably, the step of cooling the food is a step of directly cooling the food.

In some embodiments, the cooling unit 420 preferably includes an air blowing mechanism, and the heated food is rapidly cooled by colliding cold air with the food using the air blowing mechanism. Thereby, the surface and the inside of the food material can be maintained in a state of inhibiting the proliferation of bacteria. The food material is desirably cooled rapidly, for example, to a refrigerating zone (for example, about 2 ℃) because the food material passes through a temperature zone (for example, about 20 to 40 ℃) where bacteria are likely to proliferate.

The food material is cooled while passing through the cooling part 420 (for example, during about 2 to 8 minutes, preferably about 2 to 5 minutes, and more preferably about 2 to 4 minutes). In the exemplary embodiment, the cooling time is adjusted by changing the length of the cooling unit 420 according to the conveyance speed set for adjusting the heating time in the heating step, or the temperature of the cooling unit 420 or the blowing intensity of the blowing mechanism can be set so as to sufficiently cool the food. In another embodiment, the cooling time may be varied by adjusting the speed of the transport section.

The temperature inside the cooling section 420 is not limited, and may be about-10 ℃ to about-40 ℃, about-10 ℃ to about-35 ℃, about-10 ℃ to about-30 ℃, or the like. Although not limited by theory, when the temperature of the food material at the end of the cooling step exceeds about 10 ℃, there is a risk that bacteria may propagate in the subsequent operation. The temperature of the food material immediately after the cooling step is not limited, but is preferably about 5 ℃ or lower, more preferably about 1 to about 4 ℃, and still more preferably about 2 ℃.

In one embodiment, the time during which the food material is in the cooling section 420 is about 2 to about 8 minutes, preferably about 2 to about 5 minutes, and more preferably about 2 to about 4 minutes. The cooling time is appropriately adjusted according to the thermal conductivity of the food material and the size of the cut food material. As the food material exits the cooling section 420, the temperature decreases from the surface to the center of the food material to about 5 ℃ to about-40 ℃, preferably about 2 ℃ to about-20 ℃. By setting such a temperature and time, the temperature of the entire food material is rapidly decreased to a low temperature region where the growth of microorganisms is difficult in the cooling step, and is maintained in such a low temperature region.

In one embodiment, the cooling process may be a rapid cooling process of conveying the food material having finished the heating process to an end of the cooling part 420 having an internal temperature in a range of about-10 to about-40 ℃ and maintained at a predetermined temperature without exposing the food material to external air, and then cooling the food material by conveying the food material inside the cooling part 420 for about 2 to about 8 minutes. In the cooling process, the food is cooled without being exposed to the outside air.

By performing the heating step to the cooling step in as short a time as possible, the propagation of bacteria on the surface of the food material during processing of the food material and the deterioration of the interior of the food material can be suppressed. The cooling step is not essential, and the process may be immediately shifted to the following freezing step after the intermediate temperature zone is warmed.

Step S004: freezing process

Step S004 is performed in the food material freezing system 1.

In step S004, the food material is rapidly (about 5 to about 6 minutes) frozen. The step of freezing the food material is preferably a step of directly freezing the food material.

In some embodiments, the freezing section preferably includes an air blowing mechanism, and the cooled food is quickly frozen by colliding cold air with the food using the air blowing mechanism. This makes it possible to maintain the surface and interior of the cooled food material in a state in which the growth of bacteria is suppressed, and to store the food material for a long period of time.

The food material is rapidly frozen while passing through the first freezing section 100A and the second freezing section 100B (for example, for about 6 minutes or less, preferably for about 4 to about 6 minutes, and more preferably for about 5 to about 6 minutes). In the representative embodiment, the freezing time can be adjusted by changing the lengths of the freezing units 100A and 100B, respectively, or the temperatures of the first freezing unit 100A and the second freezing unit 100B or the blowing intensity of the blowing mechanism can be set so that the food is sufficiently rapidly frozen, according to the conveying speed set for adjusting the heating time in the heating step and the conveying speed set for adjusting the cooling time in the cooling step. In another embodiment, the freezing time may be varied by adjusting the speed of the transport section.

In the freezing process, the food material can be frozen under various conditions. The freezing conditions are related to, for example, the shape, size (length), number, internal temperature, blowing intensity of the blowing mechanism, blowing direction of the blowing mechanism, presence or absence of the air curtain generation mechanism (or the number of the air curtain generation mechanisms), blowing intensity of the air curtain generation mechanism, type of food material, size of food material, thermal conductivity of food material, and moisture content of food material of the first freezing section 100A and the second freezing section 100B. The present invention relates to a freezing technique for freezing a food material having a cell membrane without damaging the cell membrane. Therefore, food raw materials (only harvested "raw" vegetables, fish and shellfish, meat) whose cell membranes are not disrupted, and food materials processed without disrupting cell membranes as shown in fig. 4 are favored by the freezing technique of the present invention, and are not advantageous for general processed foods processed with cell membrane disruption in the processing step. Here, as the treatment for disrupting cell membranes, for example, a heat sterilization treatment by blanching is used. Blanching is a process of heat-sterilizing vegetables and fruits using hot water or high-temperature steam, and the cell membranes are destroyed before freezing because the treatment temperature is in a temperature band where the cell membranes are destroyed. Therefore, even if the processing for securing cell membranes is performed by the food material freezing system of the present invention at the stage of the freezing process, the significance of the effect is greatly impaired. The freezing conditions may be changed depending on the steps before the freezing step (for example, depending on the heating conditions in the heating step and/or the cooling conditions in the cooling step).

For example, the food material may be frozen under uniform freezing conditions regardless of the type of the food material. This saves labor for changing the freezing conditions, and allows the freezing step to be performed efficiently in terms of time. Alternatively, for example, the food material may be frozen under different freezing conditions according to the kind of food material. Thus, a freezing method matching the type of food can be obtained, and a frozen food having a higher quality than that in the case of the same freezing condition can be provided.

In the food material pretreatment (sterilization) section 400, the food material is not subjected to physical treatments such as chemical treatment, compression, and pressing with a treatment agent such as a water-retaining material and a thickening material, but is treated under relatively mild conditions in the heating section 410. Surprisingly, however, the quality of the food material is improved by the heating treatment. First, the temperature is maintained at 45 to 90 ℃ for a certain period of time in the heating section 410, whereby enzymes contained in the fruits and vegetables are inactivated and self-degradation and self-decomposition of the food materials are suppressed. Therefore, even if the vegetables and fruits treated in the food material pretreatment (sterilization) section 400 are stored at room temperature for several days or more, discoloration, deformation, and outflow of fruit juice and vegetable juice can be suppressed, and good texture can be maintained. On the other hand, if fresh vegetables and fruits on the market are stored at room temperature for several days, discoloration, deformation, and outflow of fruit juice and vegetable juice are likely to occur, and thus, they are not suitable for uncooked eating.

In this manner, in the food material pretreatment (sterilization) unit 400, outflow of the contents of the food material and drying of the food are suppressed, and therefore, the yield from the food material to the finally processed food is good. Experience has shown that the yield of processed food obtained by the carry-out section of the food material pretreatment (sterilization) section 400 is improved by 10% or more from the food material raw material to the final processed food, as compared with conventional production of side dishes and dried vegetables that are cooked at high temperature using hot water or hot air.

The food material is treated in the heating section 410 at a relatively low temperature, and the texture of the fresh food material maintains the specific hardness and softness of the fresh food material without being changed. The treatment in the heating section 410 pays attention to the removal of the foreign flavor components (so-called astringent solution) contained in the food material. Therefore, when the food material is vegetables or fruits which can be eaten raw, a fresh-tasted processed vegetable having both the texture of raw vegetables and the rich taste can be provided. Such processed vegetables have qualities that are not found in conventional whole cut vegetables and whole cut fruits. When the food material is a food material rich in umami and flavor such as marine products and fungi, the fresh food material has the effect of maintaining the umami and flavor of the food material, and providing a smooth texture of the fresh food material.

In the food material freezing system of the present invention, by processing the food material by the food material preprocessing (sterilizing) unit 400, such a food material that maintains the excellent state described above is frozen rapidly under the various freezing conditions described above, whereby the excellent state of the food material is not damaged, but rather can be maintained for a long period of time. Therefore, the disposal amount of the food materials can be greatly reduced, and consumers can eat more excellent food materials at lower cost.

Surprisingly, the inventors of the present invention have confirmed that, in the case of freezing food materials without pretreatment (45 ℃ to 90 ℃) in an intermediate temperature range, cell membrane disruption may occur even in rapid freezing. Without intending to be bound by theory, the pretreatment of the food material at an intermediate temperature band (45 ℃ to 90 ℃) is performed prior to the freezing treatment, such that the cellular membranes of the food material are changed to be heat-resistant.

In the case of the frozen food material of the prior art, the average content of nutrients in the food material after thawing is 40% by weight or less due to the destruction of cell tissues during freezing and thawing. On the other hand, by using the freezing technique of the present invention, since the cell membrane is not destroyed even after thawing and the components and nutrients inherent in the food material are maintained, it can be considered that the grain reserve is improved by 60%. Recently, the present invention also provides a solution to the problem of grain crisis.

(food material)

As for the preferable food material used for the freezing system of the present invention, for example, whole cut vegetables and whole cut fruits can be used. For example, preferred food materials for use in the freezing system of the present invention are vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, carrot, potato, lotus root, cabbage, and tomato, fruits such as pineapple, mango, and apple, meats such as chicken, pork, and beef, and fish and shellfish such as crab, shrimp, and scallop. Among these, cells are destroyed in foods subjected to processing such as boiling, roasting, and blanching, and foods subjected to a heating pretreatment such as blanching (except for the treatment performed by the pretreatment (sterilization) section of the present invention), and it is considered that the use of the refrigeration system of the present invention for such foods is of little significance to avoid the destruction of cells of the foods. For example, the preferred food materials used in the freezing system of the present invention are food materials (food materials in which cells are not destroyed) treated in the pretreatment (sterilization) unit of the present invention, or food materials in which processing such as boiling, baking, blanching, or the like is not performed. On the other hand, in the above-described treatment in the intermediate temperature range, the cell membrane is not destroyed, and the advantage of the freezing treatment of the present invention can be enjoyed.

The foregoing description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. The present invention will be described below based on examples, and the above description and the following examples are provided only for the purpose of providing examples, and are not provided for the purpose of limiting the present invention. Therefore, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments specifically described in the present specification and the examples, but is defined only by the claims.

(embodiment one)

Vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, radish, etc.) are cut into a predetermined size, and then pretreated in a food material pretreatment (sterilization) section (fig. 4) of the present invention. The state at the time of thawing was compared between the case of freezing the vegetables subjected to the above pretreatment using the food material freezing system of the present invention and the case of freezing the vegetables by the conventional freezing method. The results of the comparison are shown in table 1.

TABLE 1

As shown in table 1, the vegetables processed by the food material freezing system of the present invention did not have free water (component outflow) even during thawing, and maintained the texture and taste such as chewy texture peculiar to the vegetables before freezing. On the other hand, in all of the vegetables processed by the conventional freezing method, free water (component outflow) is generated at the time of thawing, and the texture and taste are deteriorated.

Since freezing with liquid nitrogen is considered to be at a very low processing temperature (about-196 ℃), the relationship between fiber contraction and water expansion of the food material cannot be made uniform, and the cell membrane is broken. In freezing such as freezer and IGF, a long time (about 10 minutes or more) is required for the center temperature of the food to reach-5 ℃, and therefore, the temperature state of the surface of the food and the temperature state of the core part of the food are different, and the increase in the amount of ice formation in the cell membrane cannot be suppressed. As a result, it is considered that cell membranes in the core portion of the food material are drastically damaged with respect to the surface of the food material, and free water (component outflow) is caused at the time of thawing.

(second embodiment)

Regarding the tissue of broccoli subjected to various treatments, in the okangshan industrial test field, food materials sliced into thin slices were arranged in parallel on specimen pieces, 1 drop of staining solution was added to the food materials, and observation was performed with a microscope by covering a transparent glass plate with a lid.

First, a 500-fold micrograph of untreated raw broccoli is shown in fig. 12A. It was found that the cell tissue was not destroyed and remained stable.

Fig. 12B shows a 500-fold micrograph of broccoli after pretreatment (about 88 ℃) in an intermediate temperature zone in the food material pretreatment (sterilization) unit (fig. 4) of the present invention. From the shape of the cell membrane, it was confirmed that the cell tissue remained without being sufficiently destroyed.

Next, a 500-fold micrograph of a broccoli thawed after being frozen at-60 ℃ for 5 minutes (a pattern in which cold air was randomly blown out from an air outlet) is shown in FIG. 12B in FIG. 12C. Surprisingly, it could be confirmed from the shape of the cell membrane that the cell tissue remained without being sufficiently destroyed.

For comparison, a 500-fold micrograph of a broccoli frozen and thawed at-35 ℃ to-45 ℃ for 15 to 20 minutes is shown in FIG. 12D, showing the tissue shown in FIG. 12B. Unlike fig. 12C, only the cells in the fiber direction remained without being destroyed, and the others were destroyed.

In the food material which was not pretreated in the intermediate temperature range, destruction of cell tissue (not shown) was confirmed even when frozen at-60 ℃ for 5 minutes, and the result was not shown in fig. 12C. Without intending to be bound by theory, it is believed that by performing the pretreatment of the intermediate temperature zone of the present invention, a certain structural change is caused to make the cell tissue resistant to heat, and by combining this with freezing at-60 ℃ or less for 5 minutes or less, it is possible to produce an excellent freezing technique in which the cell tissue is not destroyed and remains even after thawing.

Industrial applicability

The present invention is useful for providing a food material freezing system that reduces free water after thawing as compared to conventional frozen food materials, and a method for producing frozen food materials using the food material freezing system.

Description of the reference numerals

Food material freezing system

10 food material processing system

100A first freezer section

100B second freezer section

200 conveying part

300 air curtain generating mechanism

400 food material pretreatment (sterilization) part

410 heating part

420 cooling part

430 conveying part