A pepper drying device and method

Abstract

The present application discloses a pepper drying device, comprising a drying box, a circulating air duct and a heating component, wherein the drying box is provided with an air outlet and an air return port for air flow in and out, and at least one opening for material flow in and out, wherein a closed door is provided on the opening, and the air outlet and the air return port are communicated through the circulating air duct, wherein the heating component is provided on the circulating air duct, and an air supply component and a dehumidification component are also provided on the circulating air duct, wherein the dehumidification component is located upstream of the heating component, so that the air flow flowing in the circulating air duct passes through the dehumidification component and the heating component in sequence, and then flows into the drying box through the return air port, and circulates inside the device, so that the moisture in the material to be dried is absorbed by the dehumidification component, while other volatile oils flow back into the drying box, thereby reducing the loss of volatile oils and avoiding the loss of flavor components during the pepper drying process.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of drying, and in particular to a pepper drying device and method. Background Art

[0002] Sichuan pepper needs to be dried before it can be transported and stored. The numbing and aroma components in Sichuan pepper are important functional components that give full play to the seasoning and medicinal value of Sichuan pepper. The existing Sichuan pepper drying technology, whether it is sun drying, shade drying, forced air drying, infrared drying, microwave drying, etc., does not use circulating air, so that the volatile organic components of Sichuan pepper are lost during drying, and these volatile organic components are important aroma components. The Sichuan pepper produced by the Sichuan pepper drying method in the prior art has a serious loss of flavor and needs to be improved. Summary of the invention

[0003] The invention content of this application includes:

[0004] Embodiment 1. A pepper drying device comprises a drying box, a circulating air duct and a heating component, the drying box is provided with an air outlet and a return air outlet for air flow in and out, and at least one opening for material flow in and out, the opening is provided with a closed door, the air outlet and the return air outlet are connected through the circulating air duct, the heating component is arranged on the circulating air duct, and is characterized in that the circulating air duct is also provided with an air supply component and a dehumidification component, wherein the dehumidification component is located upstream of the heating component, so that the air flow flowing in the circulating air duct passes through the dehumidification component and the heating component in sequence.

[0005] Embodiment 2. The pepper drying device according to embodiment 1 is characterized in that the drying box includes a feed end, a pre-feed chamber, a drying chamber, a pre-discharge chamber, a discharge end, and a conveying component for conveying materials from the feed end to the discharge end, the pre-feed chamber and the pre-discharge chamber are of the same size, a first movable partition is arranged between the pre-feed chamber and the drying chamber, a second movable partition is arranged between the drying chamber and the pre-discharge chamber, the opening is a feed port arranged at the feed end and a discharge port arranged at the discharge end, the closed doors are respectively a feed closed door and a discharge closed door, the air outlet and the return air outlet are arranged at both ends of the drying chamber, wherein the air outlet is close to the pre-feed chamber, and the return air outlet is close to the pre-discharge chamber.

[0006] Embodiment 3. The pepper drying device according to Embodiment 2 is characterized in that it also includes a plurality of drying racks for accommodating materials, the drying box can accommodate at least two drying racks, the pepper is dried on the drying racks, and the drying racks can move in the drying box under the transportation of the conveying component.

[0007] Embodiment 4. The pepper drying device according to any one of embodiments 1-3 is characterized in that the dehumidification component is a moisture absorption disk filled with desiccant.

[0008] Embodiment 5. The pepper drying device according to embodiment 4 is characterized in that the desiccant is a substance that reacts with water but does not adsorb or react with the organic volatile components of pepper, such as calcium chloride, magnesium sulfate, copper sulfate or calcium carbonate.

[0009] Embodiment 6. The pepper drying device according to any one of embodiments 4-5 is characterized in that a dehumidification pipeline is connected to the dehumidification disk, and the dehumidification pipeline comprises a valve, an air inlet pipe, an exhaust fan and a dehumidification port, and the valve allows the air flow to optionally flow through the dehumidification pipeline and / or the circulating air duct through the dehumidification disk, the air inlet pipe is connected to the heating component or an independent heat source, and optionally, a blower is provided at the air inlet end of the air inlet pipe.

[0010] Embodiment 7. The pepper drying device according to any one of embodiments 1-3 is characterized in that the dehumidification component is a condenser, and the condenser includes an air flow duct, a condenser tube, a coolant channel, and a drain pipe. A drain valve is provided at the end of the condenser tube and is connected to the drain pipe.

[0011] Embodiment 8. The pepper drying device according to any one of embodiments 1-7 is characterized in that one or more wind blocking plates are further provided in the circulating air duct between the heating component and the return air outlet.

[0012] Embodiment 9. The pepper drying device according to embodiment 8 is characterized in that a temperature sensor is arranged between the wind baffle and the return air outlet, the temperature sensor is connected to a temperature controller, and the temperature controller is connected to the working power supply of the heating component through an AC contactor.

[0013] Embodiment 10. A method for continuously drying pepper using the pepper drying device described in any one of embodiments 2-9, comprising the following steps:

[0014] Drying: closing the feed closed door, the discharge closed door, the first movable baffle and the second movable baffle, turning on the heating component and the air supply component, allowing the hot air to circulate through the dried pepper in the drying chamber and the dehumidification component, and continuously drying the material;

[0015] Pre-discharging: After the materials at the return air outlet are dried, the first movable baffle and the second movable baffle are opened to transport the dried materials into the pre-discharging chamber, and at the same time, the materials to be dried in the pre-feeding chamber are transported into the drying chamber, the pre-feeding chamber is vacated, and the pre-discharging is completed;

[0016] Discharging and pre-feeding: close the first movable partition and the second movable partition, open the feeding closed door and the discharging closed door, discharge the dried materials in the pre-discharging chamber, and at the same time convey the materials into the pre-feeding chamber to complete discharging and pre-feeding;

[0017] Drying: In the continuous drying state, close the feed closed door and the discharge closed door, wait until the material at the return air outlet is completely dried, and then enter the pre-discharge step;

[0018] Repeat the above steps until all materials are dried.

[0019] Embodiment 11. The method for continuously drying pepper according to embodiment 10 further comprises the following steps:

[0020] Dehumidification: Open the valves of the dehumidification pipeline corresponding to the air inlet pipe and the dehumidification port, close the valve corresponding to the circulating air duct, turn on the exhaust fan, so that the air flows through the moisture absorption disk and is discharged from the dehumidification port, thereby completing the dehydration of the desiccant;

[0021] After dehydration is completed, the airflow of the circulation air duct is made to flow through the moisture absorption disk.

[0022] The technical solution of the present invention adopts circulating air to dry the pepper, so that the evaporated flavor components can flow back to the drying box to contact with the material in a circulating manner, thereby reducing the loss of flavor components during the drying of the pepper. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the drawings of the specification will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings in the following description only relate to some embodiments of the present disclosure, rather than limiting the present disclosure.

[0024] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the pepper drying device in Example 1;

[0025] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the moisture absorption disk and moisture discharge pipeline in Example 1;

[0026] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the drying steps of Zanthoxylum bungeanum in Example 1;

[0027] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the dehumidification component of the pepper drying device in Example 2.

[0028] Reference numerals: 100-drying box, 101-air outlet, 102-return air outlet, 103-feeding end, 104-pre-feeding chamber, 105-drying chamber, 106-pre-discharging chamber, 107-discharging end, 108-transmission component, 109-first movable partition, 110-second movable partition, 111-feeding closed door, 112-discharging closed door, 113-drying rack; 200-circulating air duct, 201-air supply component, 202-wind blocking plate;

[0029] 300-heating component;

[0030] 410-dehumidification plate, 411-dehumidification pipeline, 412-valve, 413-air inlet pipe, 414-exhaust fan, 415-dehumidification port, 416-blower;

[0031] 420 - condenser, 421 - air flow duct, 422 - condenser pipe, 423 - coolant channel, 424 - drain pipe, 425 - drain valve. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the embodiments of the present disclosure clearer, the technical solution of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings of the embodiments of the present disclosure. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present disclosure, not all of the embodiments. Based on the described embodiments of the present disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

[0033] In the present application, unless otherwise specified or different meanings can be derived from the context, each term has the meaning generally understood in the art.

[0034] The present application discloses a pepper drying device, comprising a drying box, a circulating air duct and a heating component, wherein the drying box is provided with an air outlet and an air return port for air flow in and out, and at least one opening for material flow in and out, wherein the opening is provided with a closed door, and the air outlet and the air return port are connected through the circulating air duct, and the heating component is arranged on the circulating air duct, and is characterized in that an air supply component and a dehumidification component are also arranged on the circulating air duct, wherein the dehumidification component is located upstream of the heating component, so that the air flow flowing in the circulating air duct passes through the dehumidification component and the heating component in sequence. During the drying process, after the material is put into the drying box through the opening, the closed door is closed to form a closed space, which is connected through a circulating air duct. The heating component can be a resistance wire arranged in the circulating air duct, or a heating furnace arranged outside the circulating air duct, or other devices that can heat the airflow in the circulating air duct. The heating component and the air supply component work simultaneously to enable the hot air flow to circulate in the drying box, the air outlet, the circulating air duct and the return air outlet, and flow through the material and the dehumidification component in sequence. The dry hot air flow absorbs the moisture in the wet material after contacting the surface of the material, and the absorbed moisture is absorbed when flowing through the dehumidification component, thereby achieving the drying of the wet material in a closed environment. The technical solution disclosed in the present application is used for drying pepper, and in the process of the above-mentioned dry hot air flow absorbing the moisture in the wet material, the organic volatiles in the pepper will also evaporate and escape, but when flowing through the dehumidification component, the organic volatiles will not be absorbed by the dehumidification component, but will flow back to the drying box from the return air outlet and contact the wet material again. During such a circulation process, the content of volatile organic components in the air flow gradually increases, reducing the evaporation of organic volatiles in the peppercorns. Therefore, when the moisture content in the peppercorns continues to decrease, the organic volatiles will not decrease accordingly, preventing the loss of flavor substances in the peppercorns and achieving the goal of removing moisture from the peppercorns while maintaining the peppercorn flavor.

[0035] In some embodiments, the drying box includes a feed end, a pre-feed chamber, a drying chamber, a pre-discharge chamber, a discharge end, and a conveying component for conveying materials from the feed end to the discharge end, the pre-feed chamber and the pre-discharge chamber are of the same size, a first movable partition is arranged between the pre-feed chamber and the drying chamber, a second movable partition is arranged between the drying chamber and the pre-discharge chamber, the opening is a feed port arranged at the feed end and an discharge port arranged at the discharge end, the closed doors are respectively a feed closed door and a discharge closed door, the air outlet and the return air outlet are arranged at both ends of the drying chamber, wherein the air outlet is close to the pre-feed chamber, and the return air outlet is close to the pre-discharge chamber.

[0036] The present application is provided with a pre-feeding chamber, a pre-discharging chamber, and a corresponding first movable baffle and a second movable baffle. Through the pre-feeding and pre-discharging methods, in cooperation with the feed closed door and the discharge closed door, the gas in the drying chamber does not directly contact the outside air during the feeding and discharging links in the drying process. Combined with the transmission component arrangement, closed drying under continuous feeding is achieved. Specifically, in any process of the continuous drying process, at least one of the feed closed door and the first movable baffle is in a closed state, and at least one of the discharge closed door and the second movable baffle is kept in a closed state, so that the gas in the drying box is only in contact and mixed with the air in the pre-feeding chamber and / or the pre-discharging chamber, and the content of organic volatiles in the gas in the drying box is kept basically unchanged. In the continuous feeding drying process, when the content of organic volatile components in the gas in the drying chamber is close to saturation, the flavor loss of the pepper during the drying process will be minimized. The present application defines that "the air outlet is close to the pre-feeding chamber, and the return air outlet is close to the pre-discharging chamber", so that the flow direction of the circulating airflow is opposite to the moving direction of the material, and the gas flowing back through the return air outlet has the lowest moisture content, and it first contacts the material in the drying chamber close to the pre-discharging chamber, so that among the materials in the drying chamber, the material closest to the pre-discharging chamber first reaches the dryness requirement, and this part of the material is transported to the pre-discharging chamber to complete the pre-discharging. Since "the pre-feeding chamber and the pre-discharging chamber are of the same size", after the pre-discharging is completed, an equal amount of material in the pre-feeding chamber can be transported to the drying chamber for drying, thereby realizing continuous feeding and continuous discharging in a closed state. The conveying component described in the present application conveys the material from the feeding end to the discharging end, but the conveying components in the pre-feeding chamber, the drying chamber, and the pre-discharging chamber are independent of each other, so that the pre-feeding and pre-discharging processes of the present application can be realized, and the independent conveying components are also conducive to maintaining the airtightness of the first movable baffle and the second movable baffle. Preferably, the opening / closing movement direction of the first movable baffle and the second movable baffle is perpendicular to the material conveying direction, so that the opening / closing action will not affect the conveying of the material.

[0037] In the present application, the terms "volatile oil" and "volatile organic matter" have the same meaning, both referring to the volatile organic components in the peel of Zanthoxylum bungeanum, which are mainly terpenoids and aromatic compounds, and are the main active ingredients of the aroma of Zanthoxylum bungeanum.

[0038] In some embodiments, the pepper drying device further includes a plurality of drying racks for accommodating materials, the drying box can accommodate at least two drying racks, the pepper is dried on the drying racks, and the drying racks can move in the drying box under the conveyance of the conveying component. Such a setting can place the pepper on the drying racks, enhance the full contact between the material and the airflow during the drying process, when the number of drying racks in the drying box is N (N≥2), the period from any drying rack entering to exiting the drying box is a drying cycle, and a drying rack can enter and exit every 1 / N drying cycles, so that multiple drying racks can enter and exit in one drying cycle, which improves the operating efficiency and facilitates batch continuous feeding and discharging. The more drying racks accommodated in the oven, the higher the drying efficiency.

[0039] In some embodiments, the dehumidification component is a moisture absorption disc filled with a desiccant. The moisture absorption disc is alternately provided with ventilation ducts and desiccant accommodating chambers, which can achieve full contact between the airflow and the desiccant and improve the moisture absorption efficiency. Preferably, the moisture absorption disc is a detachable component to facilitate the replacement of the desiccant.

[0040] In some embodiments, the desiccant is a substance that reacts with water but does not adsorb or react with organic volatile components of pepper. The selection of the desiccant needs to consider that it does not undergo any chemical reaction with organic volatile components, and comprehensively considers factors such as drying speed, water absorption, price, etc., such as calcium chloride, magnesium sulfate, copper sulfate or calcium carbonate. Among them, calcium chloride or magnesium sulfate is cheap, has strong drying ability, can be dehydrated and regenerated, and does not react with organic volatile components of pepper, and is very suitable for the pepper drying scheme of the present application.

[0041] In some embodiments, the moisture absorption disc is connected to a dehumidification pipeline, the dehumidification pipeline comprises a valve, an air inlet pipe, an exhaust fan and a dehumidification port, the valve allows the airflow to flow through the moisture absorption disc optionally through the dehumidification pipeline and / or the circulating air duct, the air inlet pipe is connected to the heating component or an independent heat source, and optionally, a blower is provided at the air inlet end of the air inlet pipe. Such a configuration can dehydrate and dry the desiccant in the moisture absorption disc, and realize continuous production through a moisture absorption-dehydration cycle.

[0042] In some embodiments, the dehumidification component is a condenser, which includes an airflow duct, a condenser tube, a coolant channel, and a drain pipe. A drain valve is provided at the end of the condenser tube and connected to the drain pipe. After the airflow passes through the condenser tube, the water vapor is condensed into liquid water and discharged, while the organic volatiles flow back into the drying box, thereby removing water while avoiding the loss of the flavor components of the pepper. The drain valve can be set as a pressure valve, and when the condensed water column reaches a certain height, it automatically opens the drain under the pressure of the water column. It should be noted that, since the organic volatiles of the pepper are very volatile, under the condenser provided in the present application, the organic volatiles of the pepper will not be condensed with normal temperature water as the coolant. If there is a small amount of condensation, the water in the condenser tube and the extracted volatile oil are also very easy to separate from each other. The separated volatile oil is returned to the circulating air duct or the drying box to prevent the loss of flavor substances in the pepper.

[0043] In some embodiments, one or more air blocking plates are further provided in the circulating air duct between the heating component and the return air outlet, so that the airflow after passing through the heating component is fully mixed under the action of the air blocking plates, the uniformity of the airflow temperature at the return air outlet is increased, the material is evenly heated, and the quality of the dried pepper is improved.

[0044] In some embodiments, a temperature sensor is provided between the air baffle and the return air outlet, and the temperature sensor is connected to a temperature controller, which is connected to the working power supply of the heating component through an AC contactor. In the case where the heating component is electrically heated, the above arrangement can realize automatic temperature control.

[0045] On the other hand, the present application discloses a method for continuously drying pepper using the pepper drying device, comprising the following steps: drying: after feeding, closing the feeding closed door, the discharging closed door, the first movable baffle and the second movable baffle, turning on the heating component and the air supply component, so that the hot air circulates through the pepper to be dried in the drying chamber and the dehumidification component, and continuously drying the material;

[0046] Pre-discharging: After the materials at the return air outlet are dried, the first movable baffle and the second movable baffle are opened to transport the dried materials into the pre-discharging chamber, and at the same time, the materials to be dried in the pre-feeding chamber are transported into the drying chamber, the pre-feeding chamber is vacated, and the pre-discharging is completed;

[0047] Discharging and pre-feeding: close the first movable partition and the second movable partition, open the feeding closed door and the discharging closed door, discharge the dried materials in the pre-discharging chamber, and at the same time convey the materials into the pre-feeding chamber to complete discharging and pre-feeding;

[0048] Drying: In the continuous drying state, close the feed closed door and the discharge closed door, wait until the material at the return air outlet is completely dried, and then enter the pre-discharge step;

[0049] Repeat the above steps until all materials are dried.

[0050] In some embodiments, the method for continuously drying pepper further comprises the following steps:

[0051] Dehumidification: Open the valves of the dehumidification pipeline corresponding to the air inlet pipe and the dehumidification port, close the valve corresponding to the circulating air duct, turn on the exhaust fan, so that the air flows through the moisture absorption disk and is discharged from the dehumidification port, thereby completing the dehydration of the desiccant;

[0052] After dehydration is completed, the airflow of the circulation air duct is made to flow through the moisture absorption disk.

[0053] Of course, there is no limitation to the pepper drying device and method described in the present application. After those skilled in the art understand the principles of the device and method, they can adopt different solutions according to different needs. The technical solution described above is only an example.

[0054] The above ranges can be used alone or in combination. The present application can be more easily understood through the following examples.

[0055] Example

[0056] Example 1 [Calcium chloride dehydration]

[0057] like Figure 1 The pepper drying device shown includes: a drying box 100, a circulating air duct 200 and a heating component 300, the drying box 100 includes a feed end 103, a pre-feed chamber 104, a drying chamber 105, a pre-discharge chamber 106, a discharge end 107, and a conveying component 108 for conveying materials from the feed end 103 to the discharge end 107, and a plurality of drying racks 113 for accommodating materials, wherein the conveying component 108 is independently arranged in the pre-feed chamber 104, the drying chamber 105, and the pre-discharge chamber 106, so as to be able to coordinately and independently convey the materials in each chamber.

[0058] The pre-feeding chamber 104 and the pre-discharging chamber 106 have the same size, a first movable partition 109 is arranged between the pre-feeding chamber 104 and the drying chamber 105, a second movable partition 110 is arranged between the drying chamber 105 and the pre-discharging chamber 106, the feeding end 103 is provided with a feeding port and a feeding closed door 111, the discharging end 107 is provided with a discharging port and a discharging closed door 112, wherein the opening / closing movement direction of the first movable partition 109 and the second movable partition 110 is perpendicular to the material conveying direction, so that the opening / closing action will not affect the space for accommodating materials.

[0059] The drying chamber 105 is also provided with an air outlet 101 and an air return outlet 102 at both ends for air flow in and out, and the air outlet 101 and the return air outlet 102 are connected through the circulating air duct 200, wherein the air outlet 101 is close to the pre-feeding chamber 104, and the return air outlet 102 is close to the pre-discharging chamber 106, so that the flow direction of the circulating airflow is opposite to the moving direction of the material.

[0060] The heating component 300 is arranged on the hot air furnace on the circulating air duct, and the circulating air duct 200 is also provided with an air supply component 201, a wind baffle plate 202 and a dehumidification component, and the dehumidification component is a moisture absorption disc 410, wherein the moisture absorption disc 410 is located between the heating component 300 and the air outlet 101, so that the airflow flowing in the circulating air duct 200 passes through the moisture absorption disc 410 and the heating component 300 in sequence, and the wind baffle plate 202 is located between the heating component 300 and the return air outlet 102, so that after the airflow passes through the heating component 300, it is fully mixed under the action of the wind baffle plate 202, thereby increasing the uniformity of the airflow temperature at the return air outlet 102.

[0061] like Figure 2 As shown, a grid-shaped desiccant containing cavity and a ventilation duct are provided in the desiccant containing cavity, and calcium chloride is placed in the desiccant containing cavity. A desiccant pipe 411 is connected to the desiccant pan 410, and the desiccant pipe 411 includes four valves 412, an air inlet pipe 413, an exhaust fan 414, and a desiccant port 415. The air inlet pipe 413 is connected to the heating component 300, and a blower 416 is provided at the air inlet end. The four valves 412 are respectively provided on the desiccant pipe 411 and the circulating air duct 200. By opening / closing the corresponding valves, the air flow can flow through the desiccant pipe 411 and the circulating air duct 200 to the desiccant pan 410 at will. Such a setting uses the heating component 300 as a heat source to dehydrate and dry the desiccant in the desiccant pan 410, and discharges the moisture through the desiccant pipe 411.

[0062] like Figure 3 As shown, the pepper drying device dries the pepper through the following steps:

[0063] S001: Feeding

[0064] Open the first movable partition 109 and the feed closed door 111, and transport the drying rack with the pepper to be dried into the drying chamber and the pre-feed chamber;

[0065] S002: Drying

[0066] Close the feed closed door 111, the discharge closed door 112, the first movable baffle 109 and the second movable baffle 110, turn on the heating component and the air supply component, so that the hot air circulates through the dried pepper in the drying chamber and the dehumidification component to continue drying the material;

[0067] S003: Pre-discharging

[0068] After the material at the return air outlet is dried, the first movable baffle 109 and the second movable baffle 110 are opened to transport the dried material into the pre-discharging chamber, and at the same time, the material to be dried in the pre-feeding chamber is transported into the drying chamber, the pre-feeding chamber is emptied, and the pre-discharging is completed;

[0069] S004: Discharging

[0070] Close the first movable partition 109 and the second movable partition 110, open the feed closed door 111 and the discharge closed door 112, discharge the dried material in the pre-discharge chamber, and complete the discharge;

[0071] S005: Pre-feed

[0072] Convey materials into the pre-feed chamber;

[0073] S006: Drying

[0074] In the continuous drying state, close the feed closed door 111 and the discharge closed door 112, continue the S002 drying step, and repeat the above steps until all the materials are dried.

[0075] Under the continuous drying process of this embodiment, the time it takes for the fresh pepper to move from the feed end to the discharge end is about 3 hours.

[0076] At any stage of the above steps S002 to S006, a dehumidification step is also included, that is, the valves of the dehumidification pipeline corresponding to the air inlet pipe and the dehumidification port are opened, and the valve corresponding to the circulating air duct is closed, and the exhaust fan is turned on to make the air flow pass through the dehumidification disk and be discharged from the dehumidification port to complete the dehydration of the desiccant; after the dehydration is completed, the air flow in the circulating air duct is made to flow through the dehumidification disk.

[0077] Example 2 [Dehydration of condenser]

[0078] The arrangement of the pepper drying device in this embodiment is basically the same as that in the first embodiment, except that the dehumidification component in this embodiment is a condenser. Figure 4The structure of the condenser 420 is shown, including an airflow duct 421, a condenser tube 422, a coolant channel 423, and a drain pipe 424. A drain valve 425 is provided at the end of the condenser tube 422 and connected to the drain pipe 424. The figure shows the flow direction of the airflow and the coolant. The coolant is room temperature water. When the airflow in the circulating air duct enters the condenser tube 422 through the airflow duct 421, the water vapor condenses into liquid water. When the drain valve 425 is opened, the water is discharged from the drain pipe 424, and the organic volatiles flow back into the drying box, thereby removing the water while avoiding the loss of the flavor components of the pepper.

[0079] Comparative Example 1 [Natural drying]

[0080] 1 kg of fresh prickly ash from the same batch as in the two embodiments was used and dried naturally in the sun for 3 days.

[0081] Comparative Example 2 [Heating and Blast Drying]

[0082] 1 kg of fresh pepper from the same batch as in the two embodiments was dried in a blast dryer at 50° C. for 1.5 hours.

[0083] Detection and analysis

[0084] After drying, the volatile oil content and moisture content of the dried prickly ash in the two embodiments and the two comparative examples were tested in turn. The testing method was carried out according to GB / T 30391-2013. The test results are shown in the following table:

[0085]

[0086] It can be seen from the data in the table that comparative example 1 adopts the natural air-drying method, the air-drying time is long, the volatile oil content is high, but the moisture content is too high, and the pepper is not suitable for storage and transportation; comparative example 2 adopts the heated air-drying method, the drying is rapid, the moisture content is low, but the volatile oil content is too low, indicating that the flavor of the pepper is seriously lost; the volatile oil content in the pepper dried by the technical scheme of the present application is higher than that of the pepper dried by the natural air-drying method and the heated air-drying method. After drying, the moisture content of the pepper is reduced to about 9%, which meets the storage and transportation requirements. At the same time, the volatile oil content in the pepper is high, the flavor components are retained, and the quality of the pepper is excellent.

Claims

1. A method for continuously drying pepper using a pepper drying device, The pepper drying device includes a drying box, a circulating air duct and a heating component. The drying box is provided with an air outlet and an air return port for air flow in and out, and at least one opening for material in and out, and the opening is provided with a closed door. The air outlet and the return air outlet are connected through the circulating air duct. The heating component is arranged on the circulating air duct, and is characterized in that: The circulating air duct is further provided with an air supply component and a dehumidification component, wherein the dehumidification component is located upstream of the heating component, so that the air flow in the circulating air duct passes through the dehumidification component and the heating component in sequence; The drying box includes a feed end, a pre-feed chamber, a drying chamber, a pre-discharge chamber, a discharge end, and a conveying component for conveying materials from the feed end to the discharge end. The pre-feed chamber and the pre-discharge chamber are of the same size. A first movable partition is provided between the pre-feeding chamber and the drying chamber. A second movable partition is provided between the drying chamber and the pre-discharging chamber. The openings are a feed port provided at the feed end and a discharge port provided at the discharge end, and the closed doors are a feed closed door and a discharge closed door respectively. The air outlet and the return air outlet are arranged at both ends of the drying chamber, wherein the air outlet is close to the pre-feeding chamber, and the return air outlet is close to the pre-discharging chamber. The method comprises the following steps: S001: Feed Open the first movable partition and the feed closed door, and transport the drying rack with the pepper to be dried into the drying chamber and the pre-feed chamber; S002: Drying Close the feed closed door, the discharge closed door, the first movable baffle and the second movable baffle, turn on the heating component and the air supply component, so that the hot air circulates through the dried pepper to be dried in the drying chamber and the dehumidifying component, and continues to dry the material; S003: Pre-discharging After the material at the return air inlet is dried, the first movable partition and the second movable partition are opened to transport the dried material into the pre-discharge chamber. At the same time, the material to be dried in the pre-feed chamber is transported into the drying chamber, the pre-feed chamber is emptied, and the pre-discharge is completed. S004: Discharging Close the first movable partition and the second movable partition, open the feed closed door and the discharge closed door, discharge the dried material in the pre-discharge chamber, and complete the discharge; S005: Pre-feed Convey materials into the pre-feed chamber; S006: Drying In the continuous drying state, close the feed closed door and the discharge closed door, continue the S002 drying step, and repeat the above steps until all the materials are dried.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the pepper drying device further comprises a plurality of drying racks for accommodating materials, the drying box being capable of accommodating at least two drying racks, the pepper being dried on the drying racks, and the drying racks being capable of moving within the drying box under the conveying of the conveying member.

3. The method according to any one of claims 1-2, wherein in the pepper drying device, the dehumidifying component is a moisture absorbing disc filled with a desiccant.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the desiccant is a substance that reacts with water but does not adsorb or react with the organic volatile components of Zanthoxylum bungeanum.

5. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 4, wherein in the pepper drying device, The moisture absorbing disc is connected to a moisture drain pipe. The dehumidification pipeline includes a valve, an air inlet pipe, an exhaust fan and a dehumidification port. The valve allows air flow to flow through the moisture absorption plate optionally through the moisture removal pipe and / or the circulation duct, and the air inlet pipe is connected to the heating component or an independent heat source. Optionally, a blower is provided at the air inlet end of the air inlet pipe. The described pepper continuous drying method also comprises the following steps: Dehumidification: Open the valves corresponding to the air inlet pipe and the dehumidification outlet of the dehumidification pipeline, close the valve corresponding to the circulating air duct, and turn on the exhaust fan to allow the air to flow through the moisture absorption disk and be discharged from the dehumidification outlet to complete the dehydration of the desiccant; After dehydration is completed, the air flow in the circulation duct is made to flow through the moisture absorption disk.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1-2, wherein in the pepper drying device, the dehumidifying component is a condenser, the condenser includes an air flow duct, a condensing pipe, a coolant channel, and a drain pipe, and the condensing pipe end is provided with a drain valve and connected to the drain pipe.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein in the pepper drying device, one or more air blocking plates are further provided in the circulating air duct between the heating component and the return air outlet.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein in the pepper drying device, a temperature sensor is provided between the air baffle and the return air outlet, the temperature sensor is connected to a temperature controller, and the temperature controller is connected to the working power supply of the heating component through an AC contactor.

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