System and method for introducing sweetness from stevia into food containing forest and agricultural products

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system and method for introducing sweetness including that from stevia into food containing forest and agricultural products. More specifically, the present invention relates to a system and a method for increasing the sugar content or sweetness of forest and agricultural products within a short time after harvesting the forest and agricultural products. To this end, the system is equipped with a chamber that is a device used for inputting and processing an enzyme-treated stevia liquid material after harvesting the forest and agricultural products (forest products, agricultural products); and a related device for checking and maintaining an appropriate state of the chamber so that the enzyme-treated stevia liquid material is input as much as a predetermined sugar content.

Description

System and method for adding sweetness including stevia to food containing agricultural products

[0001] The present invention relates to a system and method for adding sweetness or sugar content, including stevia, to food containing agricultural products, and more specifically, to a system and method for increasing the sugar content or sweetness of agricultural products within a short period of time after harvesting the agricultural products, by including a chamber, which is a device used for adding and processing an enzyme-treated stevia liquid substance after harvesting agricultural products (forest products, agricultural products), and a related device for checking and maintaining the appropriate state of the chamber so that an enzyme-treated stevia liquid substance is added at a set sugar content.

[0002] Conventional technologies such as the Korean Patent Registration No. 10-0729713 (Title: Fertilizer containing stevia extract and minerals) and the manufacturing method of fertilizer for promoting sugar content using stevia, and the Korean Patent Registration No. 10-2237162 (Title: Fertilizer for improving sugar content of fruits or vegetables using L-methionine and manufacturing method) and the Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1867863 (Title: Fertilizer for improving sugar content of fruits or vegetables and manufacturing method) filed and registered by the present applicant, are methods for increasing sugar content through the absorption of fertilizer during the metabolic process during crop cultivation, and all of the above patents can be said to be the most ideal methods used during the cultivation process, i.e. before harvesting.

[0003] The present invention relates to a system and method for processing agricultural products by adding an enzyme-treated stevia liquid substance after harvesting the products, and proposes a technology for increasing the sugar content or sweetness of agricultural products within a short period of time after harvesting the agricultural products.

[0004] The present invention proposes the operation of related devices to create a condition for optimally introducing stevia liquid material into raw materials such as forestry and agricultural products.

[0005] The present invention proposes each step and conditions at each step for optimally adding stevia liquid material to raw agricultural products.

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, one embodiment of the present invention,

[0007] In a system in which a vacuum chamber (101), a vacuum motor (102), a vacuum gauge (105), a vacuum valve (107) which is a vacuum control device, and an electric and electronic controller (113) are connected,

[0008] The above vacuum motor (102) is connected to an electric and electronic controller (113) that controls a predetermined constant pressure state, and the electric and electronic controller (113) is connected to a vacuum valve (107), which is a vacuum control device that can suck in air and release pressure for a designated period of time when the vacuum pressure state reaches a predetermined target value.

[0009] The vacuum gauge (105) is connected to the electric and electronic controller (113) to check the vacuum state and air injection state.

[0010] When the raw material including the fruit or vegetable to be processed is immersed in a mixture of 85 wt % to 80 wt % of drinking water and 15 wt % to 20 wt % of natural enzyme-treated stevia in a movable mixture basket (110) and is brought into the vacuum chamber (101), the vertically movable vacuum opening / closing door (109) is closed under the control of the electric / electronic controller (113).

[0011] The vacuum motor (102) operates under the control of the electric / electronic controller (113) that is input / stored according to the individual characteristic information of the raw material to be processed.

[0012] This is a system for adding sweetness, including stevia, to food containing agricultural products, characterized in that when the above vacuum motor is operated, the air in the vacuum maintenance cylinder (104) is evacuated before the air in the vacuum chamber (101) is evacuated to maintain the vacuum overload or accurate vacuum amount of the vacuum chamber (101), and then the air intake in the vacuum chamber (101) begins.

[0013] In addition, another embodiment of the present invention is a system in which devices including a vacuum chamber (101), a vacuum motor (102), a vacuum gauge (105), a vacuum valve (107) which is a vacuum control device, and an electric / electronic controller (113) are connected.

[0014] The above vacuum motor (102) is connected to an electric and electronic controller (113) that controls a predetermined constant pressure state, and the electric and electronic controller (113) is connected to a vacuum valve (107), which is a vacuum control device that can suck in air and release pressure for a designated period of time when the vacuum pressure state reaches a predetermined target value.

[0015] The vacuum gauge (105) is connected to the electric and electronic controller (113) to check the vacuum state and air injection state.

[0016] When the raw material including the fruit or vegetable to be processed is immersed in a mixture of drinking water (water) and natural enzyme-treated stevia and is placed in the vacuum chamber (101), the vacuum opening / closing door (109) is closed under the control of the electric / electronic controller (113).

[0017] The vacuum motor (102) operates under the control of the electric / electronic controller (113) that is input / stored according to the individual characteristic information of the raw material to be processed.

[0018] In a system including an operation of starting air intake inside the vacuum chamber (101) after an operation of maintaining vacuum overload or an accurate vacuum amount of the vacuum chamber (101) by evacuating the air inside the vacuum maintenance cylinder (104) before evacuating the air inside the vacuum chamber (101) when the above vacuum motor is operated. The procedure for adding enzyme-treated stevia to agricultural products is;

[0019] Vacuum section (A): After checking the air volume of the vacuum gauge (105) and air pressure gauge (106) in the vacuum chamber (101) within the specified time according to the information entered / stored in the electric / electronic controller (113) according to the process,

[0020] The operation of vacuuming the air in the vacuum chamber (101) by the operation of the air intake pipe (103) and the vacuum valve (107), which is a vacuum control device, is a step of completing the vacuuming of the vacuum chamber (101) by performing the operation for 2 minutes 45 seconds to 3 minutes 15 seconds.

[0021] When the vacuum section starts, the pre-expanded agricultural product (200) completely immersed in the stevia mixture (207) of the movable mixture basket (110) prepared inside the vacuum chamber (101) goes through a process in which the stevia mixture (207) is injected along with the expansion of the crown (202) and crown graft (203) for 2 minutes 45 seconds to 3 minutes 15 seconds along with the start of the vacuum stage, and becomes the post-expanded agricultural product (208).

[0022] Stability section (B): This is a step to maintain the vacuum state of the vacuum chamber (101) for 1 minute after checking the vacuum gauge (105) and air pressure gauge (106).

[0023] After the process of the vacuum section (A) is completed, it is a step of maintaining the state of the agricultural product (208) after expansion for 50 seconds to 1 minute and 10 seconds, and is a step of inducing the stabilization of the position of the introduced stevia mixture (207).

[0024] Air injection section (C): This is a step in which air is injected into the vacuum chamber (101) through the air injector (108) for 2 minutes 45 seconds to 3 minutes 15 seconds after checking the vacuum gauge (105) and air pressure gauge (106).

[0025] A method for adding sweetness by including stevia to food containing agricultural products, characterized in that the step of injecting air into the chamber to depressurize after the above vacuum section (A) time and the stability section (B) time have elapsed, and the air injection section is a step in which the post-expanded agricultural product (208) returns to its natural form as the pre-expanded agricultural product (200);

[0026] According to the present invention, by expanding and expanding the crown of agricultural products (the crown (202) and crown graft (203) of Fig. 1 that absorb moisture and nutrients and transport them through the stem or the top of agricultural products) through a set time, a set number of vacuum cycles, and repeated air injection, the original shape of the product is not destroyed, and the sugar content or sweetness can be increased by introducing an enzyme-processed stevia material.

[0027] Figure 1 is a drawing showing the steps and conditions for injecting stevia into agricultural products, and the steps of injecting the mixture into the crown (202) and crown graft (203) of the expanded agricultural products by repeating the vacuum section (A), the stability section (B), and the air injection section (C) in a predetermined number of times, for example, 1 to 5 times, to advance the sugar content or sweetness to a predetermined value including 15 Brix.

[0028] Figure 2 is a system drawing showing the chamber structure of the present invention and related devices connected for vacuuming and maintaining the chamber.

[0029] Figure 3 is a drawing showing a chamber of an embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 4 is a flow chart showing the processing process of the present invention for each agricultural product.

[0031] Figure 5 is a front view showing that the vacuum valve (107) in Figure 2 is provided on the upper plate of the vacuum chamber (101).

[0032] Figure 6 is a drawing showing a state in which a melon, an example of a raw material, is immersed in a stevia mixture.

[0033] The following description of the present invention with reference to the drawings is not limited to specific embodiments, and various modifications and embodiments may be made. Furthermore, the following description should be understood to encompass all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives within the spirit and technical scope of the present invention.

[0034] In the following description, terms such as first, second, etc. are used to describe various components, and are not limited in meaning in themselves, but are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another.

[0035] Like reference numbers used throughout this specification represent like components.

[0036] As used herein, singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In addition, terms such as "comprise," "include," or "have" used herein should be interpreted to indicate the presence of a feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification, and should be understood to not preclude the possibility of the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0037] In the present invention, the expression of connection or contact between components also includes a direct connection between components or a connection through other components in the middle, which falls within the scope of the present invention.

[0038] Unless otherwise defined, terms used in the embodiments of the present invention have meanings commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains.

[0039] For example, although fruits, vegetables, and raw materials are used in a mixed manner, this can be categorized into whole fruits such as apples and pears, vegetables such as melons, cantaloupes, and watermelons, and raw materials that encompass these, but is not limited to these, and refers to all objects into which stevia can be added.

[0040] Also, in the description of the present invention, the contents of drinking water and enzyme-treated stevia are expressed in weight %.

[0041]

[0042] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6.

[0043] The present invention is a configuration in which a large material injector, that is, a floor plate and a roof and side plates of a predetermined shape including a rectangular shape are connected, a sealed door is installed to block the inside and outside air, and a vacuum motor device required for vacuum is combined, and by repeating the operation of a predetermined time, a predetermined number of vacuums, and air injection, the crown of agricultural products (the crown portion (202) and crown graft portion (203) of FIG. 1 that absorb moisture and nutrients and transport them through the stem or the top of agricultural products) is expanded and expanded, thereby increasing the sugar content or sweetness by injecting an enzyme-treated stevia material without destroying the original shape of the raw material. It is composed of a vacuum tank, a vacuum motor, and an electric and electronic controller (control unit).

[0044] As shown in the embodiment of Fig. 2, the floor plate is a trust support that can support a weight of 15 tons, a stainless steel plate on the support, and the empty space between the trust supports uses 90% of bulk means including bulk foam to enhance durability, and the side plate and the roof plate are a double structure with a trust support of 260-300mm in size, stainless steel plates are attached on both sides, and 90% of bulk foam is applied. To elaborate on the above, in a panel where the inside is formed with a trust support and the outside is formed with a steel plate to form a space, 90% of the volume of the space is filled with bulk foam compared to 100%, and it is obvious to those working in this field that the volume % is indicated because it is a space. For reference, the bulk foam volume content of the conventional panel standard (width*length*height) of 1200*2400*100 is a structure with an 80% content.

[0045] The entire bonding process is completely sealed without using silicone or hinges through detailed welding, and the sealed door is an automatic door connected to an opening / closing sensor that moves up and down, and has a safety structure in which the vacuum door does not open or close unless the complete release number is displayed on the vacuum control panel gauge.

[0046] The vacuum motor (Fig. 2 102) is connected to an electric and electronic controller (Fig. 2 (113)) that includes a sensor for controlling a state of a certain pressure, and is connected to an air control valve (Fig. 2 (107)) that can suck in air and release pressure for a specified period of time when a target value is reached, and a vacuum gauge (Fig. 2 (105)) is connected to the electric and electronic controller (Fig. 2 (113)) so that the vacuum state and air injection state can be checked.

[0047] In Figure 1, the vacuum section (A) is the principle of stably injecting enzyme-treated stevia into agricultural products.

[0048] When the vacuum section of Fig. 1 starts, the pre-expanded agricultural product (200) completely immersed in the stevia mixture (207) of the movable mixture basket (110) prepared inside the vacuum chamber (101) of Fig. 2 goes through a process in which the stevia mixture (207) is injected along with the expansion of the canopy (202) and canopy grafting (203) within 3 minutes with the start of the vacuum, and becomes the post-expanded agricultural product (208).

[0049] By adjusting the vacuum force according to the size of the chamber and the amount of air inside, the crown (202) and crown graft (203) are expanded in a short period of time, that is, in a short period of time that has less effect on the original form of agricultural products, and the stevia mixture (207) is injected to reduce the effect on the original form of agricultural products.

[0050] The stable section (B) of Fig. 1 induces the stabilization of the position of the stevia mixture ((207)) injected for 1 minute by maintaining the state of the agricultural product (208) after expansion when the vacuum section process is completed, and this section is called the stable section.

[0051] If the stability period is long, the stevia mixture (207) experiences a reverse ejection phenomenon.

[0052]

[0053] The air injection section (C) of Fig. 1 injects air into the chamber to depressurize after the vacuum section of 3 minutes and the stability section of 1 minute have passed. The air injection section of this process is the period during which the agricultural product (208) after expansion returns to its natural form before expansion (200). If depressurization is performed within a short period of time, such as within 3 minutes, bubbles will occur in the crown (202) and crown graft (203) of agricultural products.

[0054] It takes at least 3 minutes to return to a stable pre-inflation agricultural product (200).

[0055]

[0056] *The mixture is made by mixing 15% or 20% of the powdered enzyme-treated stevia (water-soluble powdered enzyme-treated stevia powder) with drinking water depending on the harvested agricultural product, and mixing it in a liquefied mixture (water 85-80%, enzyme-treated stevia 15-20%) to dissolve the water-soluble powdered enzyme-treated stevia and make a mixture) and soaking the washed agricultural products. The above refers to the components and contents of the liquefied mixture, which represents 80-85% by weight of water and 20-15% by weight of enzyme-treated stevia powder, and can be understood through the technical content below. "Generally, the stevia material input added in 5 times of material input is 0.001% of the weight of the original material, and 0.0002% of the material input can be added per time."

[0057] Using the above device, as an example of a constant and repetitive vacuum section, stable section, and air injection section of Fig. 1, within a short vacuum processing time, the mixture is injected into the expanded crown (202) and crown graft (203) of agricultural products by using it 1 to 5 times, so that the sugar content or sweetness can be arbitrarily adjusted to 15 Brix, etc., and the processing characteristic with a small vacuum force and repeated air injection is that the crown (202) and crown graft (203) of agricultural products are expanded rather than the center (205) and epidermis (206) of the raw material, so that the material is injected, and the center (205) of the epidermis (206) of the raw material is not affected after processing, and the penetrated enzyme-treated stevia is stored in the crown (202) and crown graft (203) itself and then slowly absorbed over time, thereby stably mixing the injected material with the processed raw material.

[0058] Each of the above operations can be performed by checking and controlling the status through the connection of the electric and electronic controller (control unit) (113) and each device (102-109 of FIG. 2) in FIG. 2, and the description of the operation of general matters is omitted.

[0059]

[0060] The vacuum chamber (101) of Fig. 2 is a structure in which a stainless steel plate (304) is connected on both sides by welding or the like to a plurality of, i.e., multi-thrust supports (303), and a panel structure (114) in which a bulk foam (Polyurethane Foam) of 85-95% (preferably 90%), which is one of the bulk means, is processed in between, and a floor plate, a side plate, and a roof plate are connected to each other to create a vacuum space, and the entire joint except for the vacuum door (109) is welded to increase the sealing effect, and the vacuum opening / closing door (109) is a vertically movable sealed door, and for perfect sealing with the inspection window (111), a rubber packing is used, for example, and a rail-type thruster (112) for vertically moving the vacuum door is a structure that operates the vacuum opening / closing door (109).

[0061] In the above, "processing 90% of the bulk foam" means the process of filling the space between the double-sided steel plates with a foamed product made by mixing the constituent materials with a foaming agent, and making polyurethane, which is produced by reacting an isocyanate compound with a polyol.

[0062]

[0063] The materials specifically mentioned above (stainless steel, rubber packing, etc.) are only examples and can be replaced with other materials, which are included in the scope of the present invention.

[0064] The vacuum chamber (101) is structurally connected to an electric and electronic controller (113) and a W2v108 oil-free vacuum motor (102).

[0065]

[0066] When the raw material to be processed is immersed in a mixture of 85% to 80% drinking water (water) and 15% to 20% natural enzyme-treated stevia in a movable mixed liquid basket (110) of 640 liters and placed in a vacuum chamber (101), the vertically movable vacuum opening / closing door (109) is closed through the control of an electric / electronic controller (113).

[0067] Figure 6 is a drawing showing a state in which a melon, which is an example of a raw material, is immersed in a stevia mixture for reference only.

[0068]

[0069]

[0070] *When an operation command is input to operate according to the information input / stored in the electric / electronic controller (113) that is input according to the individual characteristics of the raw material to be processed, the W2v108 oil-free vacuum motor (102) is operated, and the air in the vacuum chamber (101) is sucked in and buffered by the primary air in the vacuum maintenance cylinder (104) through the air suction pipe (103), and when the vacuum motor is operated, the air in the vacuum maintenance cylinder (104) is evacuated before the air in the vacuum chamber is evacuated, and the vacuum overload or the exact vacuum amount of the vacuum chamber (101) is maintained, and the air suction in the vacuum chamber (101) begins.

[0071] After checking the amount of air in the vacuum gauge (105) and the air pressure gauge (106) in the vacuum chamber (101) within a designated time according to the information entered in the memory section (not shown) of the electric / electronic controller (113) in accordance with the process of FIG. 1 and FIG. 4, the air in the vacuum chamber (101) is evacuated by the operation of the air intake pipe (103) and the vacuum valve (107), which is a vacuum control device.

[0072] The above vacuum valve (107) is provided on the upper plate (top) of the vacuum chamber (101), as shown in Fig. 5.

[0073] The vacuum section of Fig. 1 takes 3 minutes and the vacuum chamber (101) is completely evacuated within 3 minutes. After checking the vacuum gauge (105) and the air pressure gauge (106), the vacuum state of the vacuum chamber (101) is maintained for 1 minute in the stable section of Fig. 1 and when the stable section takes 1 minute, after checking the vacuum gauge (105) and the air pressure gauge (106), air is injected into the vacuum chamber (101) through the air injector (108) within 3 minutes to proceed with the air injection section of Fig. 1 for 3 minutes.

[0074] Depending on the intended target, the target's crown is expanded and contracted by repeating at least 1 cycle (1 time) and up to 5 cycles (5 times), and in the process, natural enzyme-processed stevia sweetness is added to achieve the functional purpose.

[0075] The above number of times (1 time -> 2 times -> 3 times -> 4 times -> 5 times) is a function to control the amount of stevia material added, and the sweetness (sugar content) can be controlled (the degree of increase can be controlled).

[0076] Typically, the stevia material input is 0.001% of the weight of the raw material when inputting the material five times, and 0.0002% of the material input can be added per time.

[0077]

[0078] Sections (201) to (206) of Fig. 4 are joint sections for manufacturing and processing 22 types of agricultural products into Cheonhyeon enzyme-treated stevia vegetable processed products.

[0079] When agricultural products are produced, purchased, and received in a processing facility (201) after purchase, they undergo a three-stage washing and selection process (202) using potable water before entering the processing room, and the carefully selected raw materials are immersed in a mixture (203) in which 15% to 20% of the natural enzyme stevia powder is dissolved compared to the drinking water, and then the processing method of Fig. 1 is applied to process the product according to the intended purpose (204), and then the same washing process (205) is repeated, and the surface is dried (206) at low temperature and with wind.

[0080] The finished products that have gone through the processes (201) to (206) of Fig. 4 are prepared for shipment in accordance with the hygiene and packaging methods of (207) to (208). Products that can be completed through primary processing include cherry tomatoes, ripe tomatoes, paprika, citrus fruits, plums, peaches, cherries, corn, grapes, apples, chestnuts, mini apples, and persimmons. When the products are shipped, they are classified as natural enzyme stevia vegetable processed products and are designated as taxable items.

[0081] Steps (201) to (206) of Fig. 4 are common steps before product packaging, and stevia agricultural products that require secondary processing after primary processing must undergo a new process depending on the item and processing purpose.

[0082] After step (206), the processing process (209) to (211) refers to the processing process of ginseng, deodeok, doraji, jujube, ginkgo nuts, garlic, and chestnuts, which require heating or fermentation processes, and when the product is shipped, the product is classified as a natural enzyme stevia fruit and vegetable processed product and is designated as a taxable item.

[0083]

[0084] Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail or additionally based on the claims.

[0085] In the structure of the stevia injection system of the present invention, the chamber is as follows.

[0086] A vacuum chamber (101) in which the inside and outside air are blocked by connecting the floor plate and the roof and side plates of a predetermined shape including a rectangle and installing a sealed door (109).

[0087] A stevia injection system having a vacuum implementation device connected to the chamber and including a vacuum motor (102) necessary for implementing a vacuum in the chamber;

[0088] The above vacuum chamber (101) is made by connecting a material including a stainless steel plate (304) to a multi-trust support (303) on both sides, and connecting a panel structure (114) with 85-95% bulk foam between them as a floor plate (not shown), a side plate (not shown), and a roof plate (not shown) to each other to create a vacuum space.

[0089] The sealing effect was improved by bonding the entire joint except for the vacuum opening / closing door (109) provided on the side plate or roof plate, including welding, and the vacuum opening / closing door (109) is a vertically movable sealed door, and a packing means including a rubber packing for perfect sealing and a rail-type thruster (112) for vertically moving the vacuum opening / closing door is used, and a system for adding sweetness including stevia to food including agricultural products including a structure that operates the vacuum opening / closing door (109).

[0090]

[0091] The above chamber structure will be described in more detail.

[0092] The above floor plate is made of a trust support that can support the weight of the system, a stainless steel plate on the support, and the empty space between the trust supports is made of 85-95% (preferably 90%) bulk foam, which is an example of a bulk means, to enhance durability.

[0093] The side panels and roof panels are made of a double-structured 260-300mm standard truss support, with stainless steel plates attached on both sides and 90% bulk foam applied.

[0094]

[0095] The above bonding process is a completely sealed type that does not use silicone or hinges through welding, and the sealed door is an automatic door connected to an opening / closing sensor and moves up and down, and is a system that adds sweetness, including stevia, to food containing agricultural products with a safety structure in which the vacuum door does not open or close unless the complete release number is displayed on the vacuum control panel gauge.

[0096]

[0097] The structure of the stevia injection system of the embodiment of the present invention is as follows.

[0098] In a system in which a vacuum chamber (101), a vacuum motor (102), a vacuum gauge (105), a vacuum valve (107) which is a vacuum control device, and an electric and electronic controller (113) are connected,

[0099] The above vacuum motor (102) is connected to an electric and electronic controller (113) that controls a predetermined constant pressure state, and the electric and electronic controller (113) is connected to a vacuum valve (107), which is a vacuum control device that can suck in air and release pressure for a designated period of time when the vacuum pressure state reaches a predetermined target value.

[0100] The vacuum gauge (105) is connected to the electric and electronic controller (113) to check the vacuum state and air injection state.

[0101] When the raw material including the fruit or vegetable to be processed is immersed in a mixture of 85% to 80% drinking water (water) and 15% to 20% natural enzyme-treated stevia in a movable mixture basket (110) and is brought into the vacuum chamber (101), the vertically movable vacuum opening / closing door (109) is closed under the control of the electric / electronic controller (113).

[0102]

[0103] The vacuum motor (102) operates under the control of the electric / electronic controller (113) that is input / stored according to the individual characteristic information of the raw material to be processed.

[0104] This is a system for adding sweetness, including stevia, to food containing agricultural products, characterized in that after the air in the vacuum chamber (101) is sucked and buffered by the primary air in the vacuum maintenance cylinder (104) through the air suction pipe (103), that is, when the vacuum motor is operated, the air in the vacuum maintenance cylinder (104) is evacuated before the air in the vacuum chamber (101) is evacuated to maintain the vacuum overload or the exact vacuum amount of the vacuum chamber (101), and then the air in the vacuum chamber (101) is sucked.

[0105]

[0106] The process of introducing stevia into the chamber is described below.

[0107] In a system in which devices including a vacuum chamber (101), a vacuum motor (102), a vacuum gauge (105), a vacuum valve (107) which is a vacuum control device, and an electric and electronic controller (113) are connected,

[0108] The above vacuum motor (102) is connected to an electric and electronic controller (113) that controls a predetermined constant pressure state, and the electric and electronic controller (113) is connected to a vacuum valve (107), which is a vacuum control device that can suck in air and release pressure for a designated period of time when the vacuum pressure state reaches a predetermined target value.

[0109] The vacuum gauge (105) is connected to the electric and electronic controller (113) to check the vacuum state and air injection state.

[0110] When the raw material including the fruit or vegetable to be processed is immersed in a mixture of drinking water (water) and natural enzyme-treated stevia and is placed in the vacuum chamber (101), the vacuum opening / closing door (109) is closed under the control of the electric / electronic controller (113).

[0111] The vacuum motor (102) operates under the control of the electric / electronic controller (113) that is input / stored according to the individual characteristic information of the raw material to be processed.

[0112] In a system including an operation of starting air intake inside the vacuum chamber (101) after an operation of maintaining vacuum overload or an accurate vacuum amount of the vacuum chamber (101) by evacuating the air inside the vacuum maintenance cylinder (104) before evacuating the air inside the vacuum chamber (101) when the above vacuum motor is operated. The procedure for adding enzyme-treated stevia to agricultural products is;

[0113] Vacuum section (A): After checking the air volume of the vacuum gauge (105) and air pressure gauge (106) in the vacuum chamber (101) within the specified time according to the information entered / stored in the electric / electronic controller (113) according to the process,

[0114] The operation of vacuuming the air in the vacuum chamber (101) by the operation of the air suction pipe (103) and the vacuum valve (107), which is a vacuum control device, is a step of completing the vacuuming of the vacuum chamber (101) by performing the operation for 2 minutes 45 seconds to 3 minutes 15 seconds (preferably 3 minutes).

[0115]

[0116] When the vacuum section starts, the pre-expanded agricultural product (200) completely immersed in the stevia mixture (207) of the movable mixture basket (110) prepared inside the vacuum chamber (101) goes through a process in which the stevia mixture (207) is injected along with the expansion of the crown (202) and crown graft (203) for 2 minutes 45 seconds to 3 minutes 15 seconds along with the start of the vacuum stage, and becomes the post-expanded agricultural product (208).

[0117]

[0118] At this time, the vacuum force is adjusted according to the size of the chamber and the amount of air inside, and the crown (202) and crown graft (203) are expanded in a short period of time, that is, in a short period of time that has less effect on the original form of the agricultural product, and the stevia mixture (207) is injected to reduce the effect on the original form of the agricultural product.

[0119] The time of the above vacuum section may vary slightly depending on each raw material, and the critical meaning of time is as follows.

[0120]

[0121] According to the above results (sensory evaluation), the purpose of stevia additives is to sweeten foods and enhance the flavor of the original ingredients (fruits and vegetables). Therefore, if the added stevia is too sweet to be consumed or too weak to be perceived as sweet, the product is considered useless.

[0122] Typically, for common fruits, sweetness can be felt when the Brix is ​​over 8, and the acidity should be under 1. Although the Brix of stevia additives cannot be quantified, the vacuum interval corresponding to the delicious Brix value of 14-18 was set as the time through sensory evaluation.

[0123] Stability section (B): This is a step in which the vacuum state of the vacuum chamber (101) is maintained for 50 seconds to 1 minute and 10 seconds (preferably 1 minute) after checking the vacuum gauge (105) and the air pressure gauge (106).

[0124] After the process of the vacuum section (A) is completed, it is a step of maintaining the state of the agricultural product (208) after expansion for 1 minute, and is a step of inducing the stabilization of the position of the introduced stevia mixture (207).

[0125] If the above stable period lasts longer than 1 minute and 10 seconds, a reverse ejection phenomenon occurs in the stevia mixture (207).

[0126]

[0127] To elaborate, a stable section is set to inject the stevia mixture deep into the raw material (fruit and vegetable) after expansion after the vacuum section.

[0128] When the fruit is inflated in a vacuum, the skin that protects the fruit from external contaminants opens, allowing the stevia mixture to penetrate deep into the fruit. In the case of typical (fresh, uncontaminated, undamaged) fruit, the stabilization period (the time it takes for the stevia mixture to penetrate and distribute evenly throughout the inside of the fruit) is 50 seconds to 1 minute and 10 seconds.

[0129] The injection process of the stevia mixture is closely related to the vacuum section and the stable section. After a certain vacuum time (the vacuum time for each type of fruit and vegetable is set because there are many types of fruits and vegetables), the injection is not evenly done for less than 50 seconds, and if it exceeds 1 minute and 10 seconds, the stevia mixture is ejected back, causing the fruit flesh to soften or the skin expanded in the air injection section to not return to its original state.

[0130] The critical meaning of the time of the above stable interval is expressed as follows.

[0131]

[0132] Air injection section (C): After checking the vacuum gauge (105) and air pressure gauge (106), this is the step of injecting air into the vacuum chamber (101) through the air injector (108) for 2 minutes 45 seconds to 3 minutes 15 seconds (preferably 3 minutes).

[0133] A step of injecting air into the chamber to depressurize after a vacuum section (A) of 2 minutes 45 seconds to 3 minutes 15 seconds (preferably 3 minutes) and a stabilization section (B) of 50 seconds to 1 minute 10 seconds (preferably 1 minute) have passed, and the air injection section is a step in which the agricultural product (208) after expansion returns to its natural form before expansion (200); A food containing agricultural products is sweetened by including stevia.

[0134] If the air injection section is depressurized for less than 2 minutes and 45 seconds, a bubble phenomenon occurs in the crown (202) and crown graft (203) of agricultural products. Therefore, a minimum of 2 minutes and 45 seconds to 3 minutes and 15 seconds is required to return to a stable pre-expansion agricultural product (200).

[0135] To elaborate, the air injection section is a very important process that returns the raw material (fruit and vegetable) processed product to its original shape and determines the final quality of the product.

[0136] If this process is not done correctly, all stevia fruit and vegetable products cannot be sold.

[0137] The reason why the air injection period is set from 2 minutes 45 seconds to 3 minutes 15 seconds is because it is the time for the expanded fruit and vegetable to return to their original shape during the vacuum and stabilization periods to inject the stevia mixture.

[0138] If the minimum air injection period is less than 2 minutes and 45 seconds, the expanded fruit does not return to its original state, resulting in insufficient reduction of the surface of the open fruit.

[0139] Conversely, if the air injection lasts longer than 3 minutes and 15 seconds, wrinkles appear in the model of the original object or there is no further change in state, so the processing loses its meaning.

[0140] The critical meaning of the time of the above air injection section is shown below.

[0141]

[0142] By injecting the mixture into the expanded crown (202) and crown graft (203) of the agricultural product through one or more operations of the above vacuum section (A), stability section (B), and air injection section (C), sweetness is added to food containing agricultural products that can control sugar content or sweetness, including stevia.

[0143]

[0144] The stevia mixture described above is characterized by immersing washed agricultural products in a liquefied mixture in which enzyme-treated stevia, which is a water-soluble powdered enzyme-treated stevia powder in a ratio of 15% or 20% of drinking water depending on the harvested agricultural product, is mixed in a ratio of 85-80% water and 15-20% enzyme-treated stevia to dissolve the water-soluble powdered enzyme-treated stevia to make a mixture.

[0145] The above enzymatically modified stevia is

[0146] It is obtained by adding glucose to stevia extract using α-glucosyltransferase, etc., and its components include α-glucosylstevioside, etc.

[0147] This enzyme-treated stevia has the advantage of being able to improve the bitter taste and aftertaste, which are disadvantages of general stevia extracts, and thus can be used in a variety of foods.

[0148] To prepare a stevia mixture, purified water is mixed with powdered enzyme-treated stevia powder. The mixing ratio is 80-85% purified water and 15-20% enzyme-treated stevia. This ratio is determined by the concentration of stevia extract and the correlation between the concentration and the time of administration to the raw material (fruits, vegetables, agricultural products).

[0149] The critical meaning for the above ratio is as follows.

[0150] When enzyme-treated stevia is mixed at less than 15%, the water content is high, making it difficult to produce a sweetness level equivalent to 14-18 Brix in the raw material to be processed within the appropriate vacuum section, stability section, and air injection section.

[0151] On the other hand, if the content exceeds 20%, the sugar content becomes too high, and it becomes difficult to adjust the appropriate vacuum section, stable section, and air injection section according to the injection chamber arrangement capacity.

[0152] In an embodiment of the present invention, each time (D) set in the vacuum section (A), the stable section (B), and the air injection section (C) is changed and applied as follows based on the result of comparing the climate information (E) of clear day information (exactly, sunshine hours for one month) and temperature (average temperature for one month) provided by the climate information portal of the Korea Meteorological Administration one month before the harvest season with the climate information (F) of sunshine hours information and temperature stored in advance in the memory unit (not shown) of the electric and electronic controller.

[0153] - If the average information on sunshine hours and temperature of the climate information (E) measured one month ago (up to one month from the harvest season) is 120% or higher than the climate information (F) stored in advance based on the climate information for several years (at least 2 years - 5 years), the above-set time (D) is reduced to 80% and applied.

[0154] This is because the sugar content of the raw material itself is relatively high due to good sunlight hours and temperature, so the time for each step of adding the stevia mixture is reduced.

[0155] - If the average information value of sunshine hours and temperature in climate information (E) is 90-110% of the climate information (F), the above-set time (D) is applied 100% as is.

[0156] - If the average information on sunshine hours and temperature of the climate information (E) measured over the past month is 80% or less than the climate information (F) stored in advance based on the climate information of several years, the set time (D) is increased to 120% and applied.

[0157] This is because the sugar content of the raw material itself is relatively low due to poor sunlight hours and temperature, so the time for each step of adding the stevia mixture is increased.

[0158] - If the average information value of sunshine hours and temperature in climate information (E) is 60% or less compared to climate information (F), the set time (D) is increased to 150% and applied.

[0159] As described above, the above operation is to increase the time for each step of adding the stevia mixture because the sugar content of the raw material itself is relatively very low due to the poor sunlight hours and temperature.

[0160] By using the clear day information from the previous month (more precisely, the number of hours of sunshine for one month) and temperature (average temperature for one month) as factors, and comparing it with the information previously stored based on existing information, we confirmed that 80%-150% of the variable time applied to each section has a critical meaning. As a result of our own test on sweetness and sugar content, the same results as when 100% was applied were obtained.

[0161] Meanwhile, when the above-mentioned applied 80%-150% was different, an error of more than 20% was found compared to the originally derived sweetness and sugar content.

[0162] Therefore, it was confirmed that the above variable application ratio of 80-150% has an appropriate critical meaning.

[0163] As described above, the present invention relates to a system and method for adding sweetness or sugar content, including stevia, to food containing agricultural products, and more specifically, the present invention relates to a system and method for increasing the sugar content or sweetness of agricultural products within a short period of time after harvesting the agricultural products, by including a chamber, which is a device used for adding and processing an enzyme-treated stevia liquid substance after harvesting agricultural products (forest products, agricultural products), and a related device for checking and maintaining the appropriate state of the chamber so that an enzyme-treated stevia liquid substance is added at a set sugar content.

[0164] The above description is merely an illustrative illustration of the technical idea of ​​the present invention, and those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications and variations can be made without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention are intended to illustrate rather than limit the technical idea of ​​the present invention, and the scope of the technical idea of ​​the present invention is not limited by these embodiments. The scope of protection of the present invention should be interpreted by the following claims, and all technical ideas within a scope equivalent thereto should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the rights of the present invention.

[0165] The present invention relates to a system and method for adding sweetness, including stevia, to food containing agricultural products, and is applicable to fruits and vegetables.

Claims

1. A vacuum chamber (101) in which the floor plate and the roof and side plates of a predetermined shape including a rectangle are connected to each other and a sealed door (109) is installed to block the inside and outside air, and A stevia injection system having a vacuum implementation device including a vacuum motor (102) connected to the chamber (101) and necessary for implementing a vacuum in the chamber; The above vacuum chamber (101) is made of a double-sided material including a stainless steel plate (304) connected to a multi-trust (303), and a panel structure (114) with 85-95% of a foaming means including a bulk foam is connected to each other as a floor plate, a side plate, and a roof plate to create a vacuum space. A system for adding sweetness, including stevia, to food containing agricultural products, including a structure in which the vacuum opening / closing door (109) provided on the side plate or roof plate is welded and bonded to enhance the sealing effect, the vacuum opening / closing door (109) is a vertically movable sealed door, and a packing means including a rubber packing for perfect sealing and a rail-type thruster (112) for vertically moving the vacuum opening / closing door operates the vacuum opening / closing door (109).

2. In the first paragraph, the floor plate is a trust support that can support the weight of the system, a stainless steel plate on the support, and the empty space between the support is made of 90% bulk foam to enhance durability. The side panels and roof panels are made of double-structured truss supports measuring 260-300mm in size, stainless steel plates are attached on both sides, and 85-95% of bulk foam is applied. The above bonding process is a completely sealed type that does not use silicone or hinges through welding, and the sealed door is an automatic door that moves up and down connected to an opening / closing sensor, and has a safety structure in which the vacuum door does not open or close unless the complete release number is displayed on the vacuum control panel gauge. A system for adding sweeteners, including stevia, to food containing agricultural products.

3. In a system in which a vacuum chamber (101), a vacuum motor (102), a vacuum gauge (105), a vacuum valve (107) which is a vacuum control device, and an electric and electronic controller (113) are connected, The above vacuum motor (102) is connected to an electric and electronic controller (113) that controls a predetermined constant pressure state, and the electric and electronic controller (113) is connected to a vacuum valve (107), which is a vacuum control device that can suck in air and release pressure for a designated period of time when the vacuum pressure state reaches a predetermined target value. The vacuum gauge (105) is connected to the electric and electronic controller (113) to check the vacuum state and air injection state. When the raw material including the fruit or vegetable to be processed is immersed in a mixture of 85% to 80% drinking water (water) and 15% to 20% natural enzyme-treated stevia in a movable mixture basket (110) and is brought into the vacuum chamber (101), the vertically movable vacuum opening / closing door (109) is closed under the control of the electric / electronic controller (113). The vacuum motor (102) operates under the control of the electric / electronic controller (113) that is input / stored according to the individual characteristic information of the raw material to be processed. A system for adding sweetness, including stevia, to food containing agricultural products, characterized in that when the above vacuum motor is operated, the air in the vacuum maintenance cylinder (104) is evacuated before the air in the vacuum chamber (101) is evacuated to maintain the vacuum overload or accurate vacuum amount of the vacuum chamber (101), and then the air intake in the vacuum chamber (101) begins.

4. In a system in which devices including a vacuum chamber (101), a vacuum motor (102), a vacuum gauge (105), a vacuum valve (107) which is a vacuum control device, and an electric and electronic controller (113) are connected, The above vacuum motor (102) is connected to an electric and electronic controller (113) that controls a predetermined constant pressure state, and the electric and electronic controller (113) is connected to a vacuum valve (107), which is a vacuum control device that can suck in air and release pressure for a designated period of time when the vacuum pressure state reaches a predetermined target value. The vacuum gauge (105) is connected to the electric and electronic controller (113) to check the vacuum state and air injection state. When the raw material including the fruit or vegetable to be processed is immersed in a mixture of drinking water (water) and natural enzyme-treated stevia and is placed in the vacuum chamber (101), the vacuum opening / closing door (109) is closed under the control of the electric / electronic controller (113). The vacuum motor (102) operates under the control of the electric / electronic controller (113) that is input / stored according to the individual characteristic information of the raw material to be processed. In a system including an operation of starting air intake inside the vacuum chamber (101) after an operation of maintaining vacuum overload or an accurate vacuum amount of the vacuum chamber (101) by evacuating the air inside the vacuum maintenance cylinder (104) before evacuating the air inside the vacuum chamber (101) when the above vacuum motor is operated. The procedure for adding enzyme-treated stevia to agricultural products is; Vacuum section (A): After checking the air volume of the vacuum gauge (105) and air pressure gauge (106) in the vacuum chamber (101) within the specified time according to the information entered / stored in the electric / electronic controller (113) according to the process, The operation of vacuuming the air in the vacuum chamber (101) by the operation of the air intake pipe (103) and the vacuum valve (107), which is a vacuum control device, is a step of completing the vacuuming of the vacuum chamber (101) by performing the operation for 2 minutes 45 seconds to 3 minutes 15 seconds. When the vacuum section starts, the pre-expanded agricultural product (200) completely immersed in the stevia mixture (207) of the movable mixture basket (110) prepared inside the vacuum chamber (101) goes through a process in which the stevia mixture (207) is injected along with the expansion of the crown (202) and crown graft (203) for 2 minutes 45 seconds to 3 minutes 15 seconds along with the start of the vacuum stage, and becomes the post-expanded agricultural product (208). Stability section (B): This is a step to maintain the vacuum state of the vacuum chamber (101) for 1 minute after checking the vacuum gauge (105) and air pressure gauge (106). After the process of the vacuum section (A) is completed, it is a step of maintaining the state of the agricultural product (208) after expansion for 50 seconds to 1 minute and 10 seconds, and is a step of inducing the stabilization of the position of the introduced stevia mixture (207). Air injection section (C): This is a step in which air is injected into the vacuum chamber (101) through the air injector (108) for 2 minutes 45 seconds to 3 minutes 15 seconds after checking the vacuum gauge (105) and air pressure gauge (106). A method for adding sweetness to food containing agricultural products, including stevia, characterized in that the step of injecting air into the chamber to depressurize after the above vacuum section (A) time and the stability section (B) time have elapsed, and the air injection section is a step in which the post-expanded agricultural product (208) returns to its natural form as the pre-expanded agricultural product (200); 5. In the fourth paragraph, a method for adding sweetness to food containing agricultural products, characterized in that the washed agricultural products are immersed in a liquid mixture in which the enzyme-treated stevia is in the form of a water-soluble powdered enzyme-treated stevia powder in an amount of 15% or 20% of drinking water, depending on the harvested agricultural product, and the water-soluble powdered enzyme-treated stevia is dissolved in a ratio of 85-80% water and 15-20% enzyme-treated stevia to make a mixture.

6. In paragraph 4 or 5, each time (D) set in the vacuum section (A), the stability section (B) and the air injection section (C) is changed and applied as follows based on the results of comparison with the climate information (E) of the average temperature for one month and the clear day information (sunshine time information) until the harvest season provided by the climate information portal of the Korea Meteorological Administration, and the climate information (F) of the sunshine time information and temperature stored in advance in the memory unit (not shown) of the electric and electronic controller. - If the average information value of sunshine hours and temperature of climate information (E) measured for one month is 120% or higher than the climate information (F) stored in advance based on climate information for several years, the set time (D) is reduced to 80% and applied. - If the average information value of sunshine hours and temperature in climate information (E) is 90-110% of the climate information (F), the above-set time (D) is applied 100% as is. - If the average information value of sunshine hours and temperature of climate information (E) measured for one month is 80% or less than that of climate information (F) stored in advance based on climate information for several years, the above-set time (D) is increased to 120% and applied. - A method for adding sweetness by including stevia to food containing agricultural products, characterized in that when the average information value of sunlight hours and temperature of climate information (E) is 60% or less compared to climate information (F), the set time (D) is increased by 150% and applied.

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