A system and process for continuous enzymatic hydrolysis to prepare protein peptides

Abstract

This invention belongs to the field of enzymatic hydrolysis technology, specifically disclosing a system and process for continuous enzymatic hydrolysis to prepare protein peptides. The system includes a raw material feeding and pretreatment device, a belt scale, and a water washing mixer inlet connected to the water washing mixer outlet. The water washing mixer outlet feeds the mixture to a spiral centrifugal screen for solid-liquid separation via a feeder. The liquid is sent to a wastewater tank. The solid separated from the spiral centrifugal screen is sent to a mixing mixer and then pumped to an enzyme-adding mixing tank for further mixing. The enzyme-adding mixing tank outlet is connected to the enzymatic hydrolysis reactor inlet. The enzymatic hydrolysis reactor outlet is fed to a spiral centrifugal screen for centrifugal separation via an enzyme hydrolysate feeder and an enzyme hydrolysate extraction pump. The enzyme hydrolysate separated from the spiral centrifugal screen is sent to an enzyme inactivation section for enzyme inactivation and then used as a product. The solid separated from the spiral centrifugal screen is sent to a drying section via a screw conveyor for drying. This invention enables continuous feeding, overcoming the shortcomings of low output and high energy consumption caused by previous intermittent feeding methods. Furthermore, the entire process is applicable to many raw materials and has a wide range of uses.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of enzymatic hydrolysis technology, and particularly relates to a system and process for continuous enzymatic hydrolysis to prepare protein peptides. Background Technology

[0002] With the improvement of health awareness and living standards in China, people have gained a new understanding of health. The traditional concept of "taking medicine when sick" has shifted to a new concept of "prevention before illness." People are paying more and more attention to health and nutrition, which represents a further upgrade in the national health concept and signifies the widespread adoption and development of a health management model centered on "prevention, health care, and wellness." This corresponds to the growth of a series of large-scale health industry clusters, such as health products, functional foods, and health drinks. Active peptides are a highly promising type of functional food and a new raw material for the pharmaceutical and food industries. With their unique nutritional functions and physiological characteristics, they will become health foods and guardians of human health. Active peptides are gradually entering human life, and the increasing demand for peptides necessitates breakthroughs in existing enzymatic hydrolysis preparation technologies. Therefore, finding a continuous, reliable, and safe enzymatic hydrolysis device is an urgent issue. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to provide a system and process for continuous enzymatic hydrolysis to prepare protein peptides. This system and process achieve continuous desalting and continuous enzymatic hydrolysis, with a high degree of automation, reduced energy consumption, and the ability to obtain better and higher quality peptide products. This device and process are applicable to all protein enzymatic hydrolysis industries, and are particularly suitable for the marine food industry, such as the production and preparation of krill peptides, oyster peptides, and marine fish oligopeptides.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows:

[0005] A continuous enzymatic hydrolysis system for preparing protein peptides includes a raw material feeding and pretreatment device, a belt scale for metering raw materials, and a belt scale outlet connected to the inlet of a washing mixer. The washing mixer outlet sends the mixture to a first spiral centrifugal screen for solid-liquid separation via a feeder. The liquid separated from the first spiral centrifugal screen is sent to a wastewater tank. The solid separated from the first spiral centrifugal screen is sent to a mixing mixer where alkali is added to adjust the pH value, and then pumped to an enzyme addition mixer for mixing via a premix pump. The outlet of the enzyme addition mixer is connected to the inlet of an enzymatic hydrolysis reactor. The outlet of the enzymatic hydrolysis reactor is sent to a second spiral centrifugal screen for centrifugal separation via an enzyme hydrolysate feeder and an enzyme hydrolysate extraction pump. The enzyme hydrolysate separated from the second spiral centrifugal screen is sent to an enzyme inactivation section for enzyme inactivation and then used as the product. The solid separated from the second spiral centrifugal screen is sent to a drying section for drying via a screw conveyor. This continuous enzymatic hydrolysis device differs from traditional enzymatic hydrolysis devices in that it features continuous process, small equipment footprint, applicability to different production scales, and low energy consumption.

[0006] Furthermore, it also includes a hot water tank, an enzyme preparation tank, and an alkali tank. The hot water tank has two outlets: one hot water outlet is connected to the inlet of the water washing mixer, and the other hot water outlet is connected to the inlet of the mixing mixer. There are two enzyme preparation tanks, each storing two different enzyme preparations. The outlet of the enzyme preparation tank is connected to the inlet of the enzyme addition mixer. The inlet of the alkali tank is connected to the alkali preparation tank, and the outlet of the alkali tank is connected to the mixing mixer.

[0007] Furthermore, the raw material feeding and pretreatment device includes a feeding scraper conveyor, a buffer bin connected to the discharge port of the feeding scraper conveyor, and the discharge port of the buffer bin sends the raw material to the crusher for crushing through a feeder. The crushed raw material is then sent to the belt scale for metering via a screw conveyor and an elevator.

[0008] Furthermore, the water washing mixer is a series of horizontal multi-stage tubular mixers. Each tubular mixer includes a shell with end plates at both ends. A shaft tube runs through the center of the shell between the end plates. The shaft tube is rotatably connected to the end plates via bearings. The shaft tube is driven by a motor reducer, and a coupling is provided between the motor reducer and the shaft tube. A cage-shaped mixing and pushing spiral blade with a circular cross-section is fitted on the shaft tube. The cage-shaped mixing and pushing spiral blade is supported by multiple spokes fitted on the shaft tube. The multiple spokes are connected to form a cage shape by strip flat steel evenly distributed around their circumference. Spiral blades are welded sequentially at intervals along the length of each strip flat steel. The spiral blades on multiple strip flat steels are connected to form segmented spiral stirring blades. The cage-shaped mixing and pushing spiral blade is electromagnetically driven. By connecting multiple mixers in series, it is ensured that the material and hot water can be fully mixed, and the salt in the material has sufficient time to dissolve, achieving the purpose of a continuous water washing and desalination process. At the same time, it requires less equipment investment and energy consumption compared to traditional processes that increase production scale or require additional equipment.

[0009] Furthermore, the enzymatic hydrolysis reactor is a horizontal multi-stage tubular reactor connected in series. The internal structure of each tubular reactor is the same as that of a tubular mixer. The first-stage reactor is continuously fed, and after it is full, the valve at the outlet is opened to allow the material to enter the next-stage reactor. After the next-stage reactor is full, the valve is closed, and the cycle continues. The connection ports and valve sizes between the reactors ensure that the material from the previous-stage reactor can quickly flow into the next-stage reactor.

[0010] A systematic enzymatic hydrolysis process for the continuous preparation of protein peptides includes the following steps:

[0011] (1) Material pretreatment: The material is crushed into particles smaller than 5mm and then weighed by a belt scale;

[0012] (2) Water washing and desalination: The material after metering in step (1) enters the water washing mixer and hot water is added at the same time. The material is mixed in a ratio of 1:2~5 to dissolve the salt in the material. The water temperature is 30~60℃.

[0013] (3) Dehydration of washed materials: The mixture in step (2) enters the first spiral centrifugal screen for solid-liquid separation via the feeder. The brine in the material enters the wastewater tank for sedimentation. The clear liquid in the upper layer is used as the water source for washing and is recycled. The turbid liquid in the lower layer goes to the concentration system to recover the salt and protein. For materials that do not need desalting, the enzymatic hydrolysis process can omit steps (2)-(3). The washing spiral centrifugal screen is a horizontal spiral discharge filter centrifugal screen. It can automatically and continuously feed, wash, dehydrate and discharge the suspension when running at full speed. It is a highly efficient separation device in solid-liquid separation. The suspension enters the centrifuge and is evenly distributed on the inner wall of the screen under the action of centrifugal force. The liquid passes through the screen holes and then collects and discharges. The solid material will be pushed out by the internal spiral rotation.

[0014] (4) Enzymatic hydrolysis: The solid material from step (1) or step (3) enters the mixing mixer, and hot water with a material-to-water ratio of 1:2~7 is added at the same time. The hot water temperature is 50~60℃. Then, alkali solution is added to adjust the pH of the mixture to 7~9. After mixing, it enters the enzyme mixing mixer and is then sent to the enzymatic hydrolysis reactor. At the same time, 0.1~1.3% of enzyme preparation is added to carry out the enzymatic hydrolysis reaction for 2~6 hours. The enzymatic hydrolysis temperature does not exceed 60℃.

[0015] (5) Solid-liquid separation of enzymatic hydrolysate: After enzymatic hydrolysis in step (4), the material is fed into the second spiral centrifugal screen for solid-liquid separation. The unhydrolyzed solid material is transported to the drying section by the screw conveyor for drying. The enzymatic hydrolysate is deactivated to stop the enzymatic hydrolysis reaction. The second spiral centrifugal screen is the same equipment as the water washing centrifuge. Solid-liquid separation of enzymatic hydrolysate is performed to ensure the solid-liquid separation effect as much as possible. Using this centrifuge for solid-liquid separation has many advantages over using a diaphragm filter, such as continuity, small equipment footprint, simple operation, large production scale, simple daily maintenance, and labor saving. Using this centrifuge for solid-liquid separation has advantages over using a horizontal screw sedimentation centrifuge, such as small equipment footprint, low power consumption, less clogging, and good separation effect.

[0016] The advantages of this invention are:

[0017] 1. The raw materials of this invention are continuously washed and desalted, which not only solves the side effect of high salt content in the production of peptides from marine products, but also breaks through the traditional solid-liquid separation technology. The new process has the advantages of continuity, low equipment investment, stability and low labor intensity.

[0018] 2. The enzymatic hydrolysis device of the present invention achieves that the enzymatic hydrolysis time and other conditions of the materials are basically consistent, thus improving the quality of the products. The horizontal tubular enzymatic hydrolysis reactor achieves the reaction under the condition of full mixing of materials. At the same time, the use of multiple units in succession reduces energy consumption, reduces equipment wear, and improves the service life of the equipment.

[0019] 3. The continuous enzymatic hydrolysis process provided by this invention can achieve continuous feeding, overcoming the shortcomings of low output and high energy consumption caused by the previous intermittent feeding. Moreover, the entire process is applicable to many raw materials and has a wide range of uses.

[0020] 4. Because the mixer is equipped with cage-shaped mixing and pushing spiral blades, the evenly distributed circumference of the strip flat steel used to connect them into a cage shape can effectively agitate the material settled at the bottom of the mixer, allowing the material to fully contact the solvent. The spiral blades welded at intervals along the length of the strip flat steel can both push the material forward and prevent the material from moving too fast. At the same time, because the spiral blades are not continuous, they can disperse the material when rotating, which increases both the contact area between the material and the solvent and the contact time between the material and the solvent, thereby effectively improving the extraction effect of the solvent on the material. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 2 This is a diagram of the internal structure of the tubular mixer in this invention. Detailed Implementation

[0023] like Figure 1As shown, a system for continuous enzymatic hydrolysis to prepare protein peptides includes a raw material feeding and pretreatment device. The raw material feeding and pretreatment device includes a feed scraper conveyor 1 and a buffer bin 2 connected to the outlet of the feed scraper conveyor 1. The outlet of the buffer bin 2 feeds the raw material to a crusher 4 for crushing via a feeder 3. The crushed raw material is then conveyed to a belt scale 7 for metering via a screw conveyor 5 and an elevator 6. The outlet of the belt scale 7 is connected to the inlet of a washing mixer 8. The washing mixer 8 is a horizontal multi-stage tubular mixer connected in series. Each tubular mixer... Each mixer includes a housing 81, with end plates 82 at both ends. A shaft tube 83 runs through the center of the housing between the end plates, and the shaft tube 83 is rotatably connected to the end plates 82 via bearings. The shaft tube is driven by a motor reducer 84, and a coupling 85 is provided between the motor reducer 84 and the shaft tube 83. A cage-shaped mixing and pushing spiral blade 85 with a circular cross-section is fitted onto the shaft tube 83. The cage-shaped mixing and pushing spiral blade 85 is supported by multiple spokes 851 fitted onto the shaft tube. The components are connected in a cage shape by strips of flat steel 852 evenly distributed around their circumference. Each strip of flat steel 852 has spiral blades 853 welded at intervals along its length. The spiral blades on multiple strips of flat steel are connected to form segmented spiral blades. Each end of the cage-shaped mixing and pushing spiral blade is provided with a reinforcing plate 86. A hoop 87 is also provided between two adjacent spokes 851. Multiple strips of flat steel 852 are evenly welded to the circumference of the hoop 87. A mechanical seal 88 is provided on the outer side of the left end plate of the housing, i.e., outside the front end of the shaft tube. A mechanical seal 88 is provided on the outer side of the right end plate. A sealing cover 89 is provided on the outer side of the tail of the side shaft tube. The two ends of the shell are respectively provided with a feed port and a discharge port. A reinforcing rib 854 is also provided at the connection between the spoke support 851 and the flat steel 852. The cage-shaped mixing and pushing spiral blades are driven by electromagnetic. Through multiple mixers connected in series, it is ensured that the material and hot water can be fully mixed and the salt in the material has enough time to dissolve, thus achieving the purpose of continuous water washing and desalination process. At the same time, it requires less equipment investment and energy consumption than the traditional process that requires increasing the production scale or expanding the equipment.The discharge port of the washing mixer 8 sends the mixture to the first spiral centrifugal screen 9 for solid-liquid separation via a feeder. The liquid separated from the first spiral centrifugal screen 9 goes to the wastewater tank 10, and the solid separated from the first spiral centrifugal screen 9 is sent to the blending mixer 11 for blending and alkali addition. After blending, it is sent to the enzyme addition mixer 13 via the premix pump 12 for mixing. The outlet of the enzyme addition mixer 13 is connected to the inlet of the enzymatic hydrolysis reactor 14. The enzymatic hydrolysis reactor 14 is a horizontal multi-stage tubular reactor connected in series. The internal structure of each tubular reactor is the same as that of the tubular mixer. The first-stage reactor is continuously fed. After it is full, the valve at the outlet opens to allow the material to enter the next stage reactor. After the next stage reactor is full, the valve closes, and the cycle continues. The connection ports and valve sizes between the reactors ensure that the material from the previous stage reactor can quickly flow into the next stage reactor. The outlet of the enzymatic hydrolysis reactor 14 is fed through an enzyme hydrolysate feeder and... The enzymatic hydrolysate is pumped to the second spiral centrifugal screen 15 for centrifugal separation. The hydrolysate separated from the second spiral centrifugal screen 15 is then sent to the enzyme inactivation section for enzyme inactivation and used as a product. The solid separated from the second spiral centrifugal screen is sent to the drying section by a screw conveyor for drying. This continuous enzymatic hydrolysis device differs from traditional enzymatic hydrolysis devices in that it has advantages such as continuous process, small equipment footprint, suitability for different production scales, and low energy consumption. It also includes a hot water tank 16, an enzyme preparation tank 17, and an alkali tank 18. The hot water tank 16 has two outlets: one hot water outlet is connected to the inlet of the washing mixer 8, and the other hot water outlet is connected to the inlet of the mixing mixer 11. There are two enzyme preparation tanks 17, each storing two different enzyme preparations. The outlet of the enzyme preparation tank is connected to the inlet of the enzyme addition mixer 13. The inlet of the alkali tank 18 is connected to the alkali preparation tank 19, and the outlet of the alkali tank is connected to the mixing mixer.

[0024] A systematic enzymatic hydrolysis process for the continuous preparation of protein peptides includes the following steps:

[0025] (1) Material pretreatment: The material is crushed into particles smaller than 5mm and then weighed by a belt scale;

[0026] (2) Water washing and desalination: The material after metering in step (1) enters the water washing mixer and hot water is added at the same time. The material is mixed in a ratio of 1:2 to 1:5 to dissolve the salt in the material. The water temperature is 30 to 60°C.

[0027] (3) Dehydration of washed materials: The mixture in step (2) enters the first spiral centrifugal screen for solid-liquid separation via a feeder. The brine in the material enters the wastewater tank for sedimentation. The clear liquid in the upper layer is used as a water source for washing and is recycled. The turbid liquid in the lower layer goes to the concentration system to recover the salt and protein. For materials that do not require desalting, the enzymatic hydrolysis process can omit steps (2)-(3). The first spiral centrifugal screen is a horizontal spiral discharge filter centrifuge. It can automatically and continuously feed, wash, dehydrate and discharge the suspension when running at full speed. It is a highly efficient separation device in solid-liquid separation. The suspension enters the centrifuge and is evenly distributed on the inner wall of the screen under the action of centrifugal force. The liquid passes through the screen holes and then collects and discharges. The solid material is pushed out by the internal spiral rotation.

[0028] (4) Enzymatic hydrolysis reaction: The solid material from step (1) or step (3) enters the mixing mixer, and hot water with a material-to-water ratio of 1:2~7 is added at the same time. The hot water temperature is 50~60℃. Then, alkali solution is added to adjust the pH of the mixture to 7~9. After mixing, it enters the enzyme mixing mixer and is then sent to the enzymatic hydrolysis reactor. At the same time, 0.1%~1.3% of enzyme preparation is added for enzymatic hydrolysis reaction for 2~6 hours. The enzymatic hydrolysis temperature does not exceed 60℃. At the same time, a certain proportion of enzyme preparation is added.

[0029] (5) Solid-liquid separation of enzymatic hydrolysate: After enzymatic hydrolysis in step (4), the material is fed into the second spiral centrifugal screen for solid-liquid separation. The unhydrolyzed solid material is transported to the drying section by a screw conveyor for drying. The enzymatic hydrolysate is deactivated to stop the enzymatic hydrolysis reaction. The second spiral centrifugal screen is the same equipment as the water washing centrifugal screen. Solid-liquid separation of enzymatic hydrolysate is performed to ensure the solid-liquid separation effect as much as possible. Using this centrifugal screen for solid-liquid separation has many advantages over using a diaphragm filter, such as continuity, small equipment footprint, simple operation, large production scale, simple daily maintenance, and labor saving. Using this centrifuge for solid-liquid separation has advantages over using a horizontal screw sedimentation centrifuge, such as small equipment footprint, low power consumption, less clogging, and good separation effect.

Claims

1. A system for continuous enzymatic hydrolysis to prepare protein peptides, characterized in that: The system includes a raw material feeding and pretreatment device, a belt scale for measuring raw materials, and a belt scale outlet connected to the inlet of a washing mixer. The washing mixer outlet, via a feeder, sends the mixture to a first spiral centrifugal screen for solid-liquid separation. The liquid separated from the first spiral centrifugal screen goes to a wastewater tank, while the solid separated from the first spiral centrifugal screen is sent to a blending mixer for blending, and then pumped to an enzyme-adding mixer for further mixing. The enzyme-adding mixer outlet is connected to the inlet of an enzymatic hydrolysis reactor. The enzymatic hydrolysis reactor outlet, via an enzyme hydrolysate feeder and an enzyme hydrolysate extraction pump, sends the hydrolysate to a second spiral centrifugal screen for centrifugal separation. The hydrolysate separated from the second spiral centrifugal screen is sent to an enzyme inactivation section for enzyme inactivation before being used as the product. The solid separated from the second spiral centrifugal screen is sent to a drying section via a screw conveyor for drying. The washing mixer is a horizontal multi-stage tubular mixer connected in series. Each tubular mixer includes a shell with end plates at both ends. A shaft tube runs through the center of the shell between the end plates, and the shaft tube is rotatably connected to the end plates via bearings. The shaft tube is driven by a motor reducer, and a coupling is provided between the motor reducer and the shaft tube. A cage-shaped mixing and pushing spiral blade with a circular cross-section is fitted on the shaft tube. The cage-shaped mixing and pushing spiral blade is supported by multiple spokes fitted on the shaft tube. The multiple spokes are connected to form a cage shape by strip flat steel evenly distributed around their circumference. Spiral blades are welded sequentially at intervals along the length of each strip flat steel. The spiral blades on multiple strip flat steels are connected to form segmented spiral stirring blades. The enzymatic hydrolysis reactor is a horizontal multi-stage tubular reactor connected in series, and the internal structure of each tubular reactor is the same as that of the tubular mixer.

2. The system for continuous enzymatic hydrolysis to prepare protein peptides as described in claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a hot water tank, an enzyme preparation tank, and an alkali tank. The hot water tank has two outlets: one hot water outlet is connected to the inlet of the water washing mixer, and the other hot water outlet is connected to the inlet of the mixing mixer. There are two enzyme preparation tanks: the outlet of the enzyme preparation tank is connected to the inlet of the enzyme addition mixer. The inlet of the alkali tank is connected to the alkali preparation tank, and the outlet of the alkali tank is connected to the mixing mixer.

3. The system for continuous enzymatic hydrolysis to prepare protein peptides as described in claim 2, characterized in that: The raw material feeding and pretreatment device includes a feeding scraper conveyor and a buffer bin connected to the discharge port of the feeding scraper conveyor. The discharge port of the buffer bin sends the raw material to the crusher for crushing through a feeder. The crushed raw material is then sent to the belt scale for metering via a screw conveyor and an elevator.

4. The enzymatic hydrolysis process of the continuous enzymatic hydrolysis preparation system for protein peptides as described in any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: (1) Material pretreatment: The material is crushed into particles smaller than 5mm and then weighed by a belt scale; (2) Water washing and desalination: The material after metering in step (1) enters the water washing mixer and hot water is added at the same time. The material-to-water ratio is 1:2~5 to dissolve the salt in the material. The water temperature is 30~60℃. (3) Dehydration of washed materials: The mixture in step (2) enters the first spiral centrifugal screen for solid-liquid separation via a feeder. The brine in the material enters the wastewater tank for sedimentation. The clear liquid in the upper layer is recycled as the water source for washing. The turbid liquid in the lower layer goes to the concentration system to recover the salt and protein. For materials that do not require desalting, steps (2)-(3) can be omitted in the enzymatic hydrolysis process. (4) Enzymatic hydrolysis: The solid material from step (1) or step (3) enters the mixing mixer, and hot water with a material-to-water ratio of 1:2~7 is added at the same time. The hot water temperature is 50~60℃. Then, alkali solution is added to adjust the pH of the mixture to 7~9. After mixing, it enters the enzyme mixing mixer and is then sent to the enzymatic hydrolysis reactor. At the same time, 0.1~1.3% of enzyme preparation is added to carry out the enzymatic hydrolysis reaction for 2~6 hours. The enzymatic hydrolysis temperature does not exceed 60℃. (5) Solid-liquid separation of enzymatic hydrolysate: After enzymatic hydrolysis in step (4), the material is fed into the second spiral centrifugal screen for solid-liquid separation. The unhydrolyzed solid material is transported to the drying section by a screw conveyor for drying. The enzymatic hydrolysate inactivates the enzyme and stops the enzymatic hydrolysis reaction.

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