Freshness and maturity evaluation device and method for food animals

Abstract

This invention provides a freshness and maturity evaluation device and method capable of performing highly reliable evaluations related to the freshness and / or maturity of edible animals. The freshness and maturity evaluation device for evaluating the freshness and / or maturity of edible animals includes: a temperature parameter calculation unit that calculates a temperature parameter related to the temperature of any region inside the edible animal and storage time, the temperature parameter being a parameter based on storage time and the temperature of any region inside the edible animal obtained using an unsteady-state heat conduction equation; a rate constant parameter calculation unit that calculates a rate constant parameter, the rate constant parameter being a parameter set based on the rate constant of the edible animal obtained using the relationship between the storage time of the edible animal and the measured values ​​of the concentrations of various ATP-related compounds, and related to the stepwise decomposition reaction of the ATP-related compounds contained in the edible animal; an ATP-related compound concentration calculation unit that calculates the concentration of ATP-related compounds using a stepwise decomposition reaction calculation model using the temperature parameter and the rate constant parameter; and a freshness and maturity evaluation unit that calculates a K value and / or a FI value based on the concentration of the ATP-related compounds.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a freshness and maturity evaluation device and a method for performing highly reliable evaluations related to the freshness and / or maturity of edible animals. Background Technology

[0002] Animals intended for consumption (including aquatic animals, livestock, and their meat pieces) do not spoil while alive due to a metabolic mechanism called the ATP (adenosine triphosphate) cycle. However, after death, this cycle ceases to function, and ATP breaks down into ADP (adenosine diphosphate), which further decomposes into AMP (adenosine monophosphate), IMP (inosine monophosphate), AdR (adenosine monophosphate), HxR (inosine monophosphate), and Hx (hypoxanthine monophosphate). Furthermore, a higher IMP content contributes to umami flavor and enhances taste. However, aquatic animals produce less IMP than livestock, and their IMP production accelerates spoilage. Therefore, consumers typically judge the freshness of aquatic animals primarily by their appearance.

[0003] On the other hand, in the case of farmed animals, the production of IMP, a umami component, is higher than in aquatic animals, and spoilage can be inhibited by considering storage conditions. Furthermore, in Japan, there is a custom of intentionally leaving farmed animals for a certain period after slaughter to allow them to mature and increase IMP levels, thus providing consumers with the meat. However, the maturation period varies depending on the type of farmed animal and storage conditions, making it difficult to determine the optimal maturity stage for consumption solely by visual inspection; even experienced meat industry professionals struggle with this assessment. Therefore, considering safety, most consumers currently rely on visual observation of "freshness" when purchasing farmed animals.

[0004] Regarding aquatic animals, it is essential to minimize the decline in freshness from harvesting to delivery to consumers. Therefore, covering harvested aquatic animals with ice or similar materials helps maintain their freshness. Furthermore, it is important to numerically determine the extent to which the freshness of aquatic animals is maintained during distribution. Previously, the K-value was used as an indicator of aquatic animal freshness. In recent years, the FI-value (see Patent Document 1) has been advocated for evaluating freshness immediately after harvesting. The K-value is expressed as a percentage (mol%) of the sum of the amounts of HxR and Hx relative to the total amount of ATP and its reaction products (so-called molar amount). The K-value is calculated based on the following formula.

[0005] K value = (HxR amount + Hx amount) / (ATP amount + ADP amount + AMP amount + IMP amount + AdR amount + HxR amount + Hx amount) × 100

[0006] The K value is used to empirically determine the "freshness" of aquatic animals based on its magnitude; the smaller the K value, the fresher the aquatic animal is considered. For example, in the case of aquatic animals, if the K value is below 20, it is considered fresh and suitable for raw consumption such as sashimi or sushi. If it exceeds the upper limit of 20, it loses its freshness and is not suitable for raw consumption (see Patent Document 2).

[0007] On the other hand, the FI value is calculated based on the following formula (see Patent Document 1).

[0008] FI value = {ATP amount - (HxR amount + Hx amount)} / (ATP amount + ADP amount + AMP amount + IMP amount + AdR amount + HxR amount + Hx amount)

[0009] The FI value, compared to the K value, can evaluate the freshness of a wider range of aquatic animal species, such as mollusks that have undergone AdR decomposition. Regarding aquatic animal species that have undergone AdR decomposition, the K value may be overestimated compared to the actual freshness state due to an underestimation of the denominator in the calculation formula. Furthermore, since the freshness evaluation value immediately after death changes significantly and is easily visualized compared to the K value, and the value decreases as freshness decreases, it aligns with the general consumer's impression of freshness changes, making it easily applicable as a method for displaying freshness evaluation.

[0010] A higher FI value indicates fresher aquatic animals, thus determining their "freshness." For example, in the case of aquatic animals, an FI value above 0 indicates a state of ultra-freshness that cannot be assessed using a K value, and values ​​up to around -0.2 are considered suitable for raw consumption, such as sashimi and sushi. Conversely, a lower limit of -0.2 indicates a loss of freshness, and values ​​below -0.6 indicate unsuitability for raw consumption.

[0011] In addition, ATP in aquatic animals is broken down into ADP due to the consumption of life activities, but it can be regenerated through respiration. On the other hand, if respiration stops after death, the oxygen supply is cut off, ATP regeneration ceases, and ATP begins to decompose through the following main pathways.

[0012] Fish: ATP→ADP→AMP→IMP→HxR→Hx

[0013] Molluscs: ATP→ADP→AMP→AdR→HxR→Hx

[0014] Crustaceans: ATP→ADP→AMP→(IMP and / or AdR)→HxR→Hx

[0015] Therefore, by comparing the amount of ATP with the amount of breakdown products derived from ATP, we can determine the degree of freshness reduction in aquatic animals and thus clarify the extent of freshness.

[0016] Furthermore, examples of aquatic animals in this invention include fish, shellfish, and aquatic mammals. Examples of fish and shellfish include fish, shellfish, mollusks (excluding shellfish), protochordates, echinoderms, crustaceans, and cnidarians. Examples of mollusks include squid and octopus. Examples of protochordates include sea squirts. Examples of echinoderms include sea cucumbers and sea urchins. Examples of crustaceans include crabs and shrimp. Examples of cnidarians include jellyfish. Examples of aquatic mammals include whales and dolphins.

[0017] Furthermore, as mentioned above, the K-value-based evaluation method uses the total proportion of HxR and Hx contained in ATP-related compounds generated from ATP after death as the K-value, and evaluates freshness based on its magnitude. After sampling a specific part of the deceased aquatic animal and pre-processing it, the obtained sample is analyzed using liquid chromatography. The sum of the amounts of each component of the ATP-related compounds in the sample is used as the denominator, and the total amount of HxR and Hx is used as the numerator for numerical analysis.

[0018] This technique has the following problems: pretreatment requires professional knowledge and skills, and measurements cannot be performed without a certain level of technical expertise and experience. In addition, in order to obtain an evaluation based on the K-value, the pretreatment of the sample and the analysis of its components after pretreatment can take several hours. Therefore, it has the following disadvantages: it is difficult to use the K-value for freshness evaluation in fields where freshness needs to be determined quickly, such as in the distribution field.

[0019] On the other hand, methods for evaluating freshness based on optical properties have attracted attention. For example, for scallop adductor muscles and squid, there are freshness evaluation methods (fluorescence spectrophotometry) that use the fluorescence intensity of amino acids and proteins as indicators (see Non-Patent Literature 1, 2). It is generally believed that fluorescence spectrophotometry can perform highly sensitive analysis rapidly and non-destructively, and if autofluorescence measurement is used, freshness can be evaluated without pretreatment. However, it is difficult to use in the distribution field.

[0020] The reason is that, due to its high sensitivity, instability in the measurement optical system caused by factors such as the shape of the sample can affect the fluorescence. To reduce errors, the measurement system needs to be kept in a uniform state. However, to achieve this, the excitation angle, fluorescence generation range, and fluorescence detection area need to be kept constant. This makes it difficult to accurately fix samples with features such as bent objects or uneven surfaces, resulting in numerous problems when used in the distribution field.

[0021] In addition, the following method is disclosed (see Patent Document 3): A certain amount of supernatant is added dropwise to the origin of the electrophoresis filter paper wetted by the electrophoresis buffer and placed in the electrophoresis frame using a micropipette, and electrophoresis is performed immediately. Ultraviolet light is irradiated to compare and observe the size and concentration of the floating nucleic acid-related compounds. The freshness of the edible meat is determined by the relative comparison between the origin and the moving part. The supernatant is obtained by letting the edible meat slices obtained by homogenizing with a deproteinizing agent aqueous solution stand.

[0022] Furthermore, a method for determining the freshness of aquatic animals based on the concentration ratio of ATP-related compounds contained in fish meat has been disclosed. Specifically, this method rapidly calculates the K value using the FIA ​​(fluid flow analysis) method and determines the freshness of aquatic animals within a short time (see Patent Document 4). Patent Document 5 discloses a method where a small sample is cut from an aquatic animal, an effective amount of a staining reagent containing at least one of cell-permeable and cell-impermeable pigments is added to the sample, and the sample is incubated for a certain period. Freshness is determined based on the fluorescence emitted from the sample. Patent Document 6 discloses a method that evaluates the freshness of aquatic animals without pretreatment by measuring the fluorescence intensity of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, a coenzyme contained in the aquatic animal, without damaging the living cells of the aquatic animal. However, all of the above methods require high-precision, high-sensitivity optical measuring devices and require direct measurement of each aquatic animal, making them difficult to use as evaluation methods for freshness or maturity at the distribution site.

[0023] On the other hand, a low-temperature preservation device has been disclosed that detects the temperature of food in a non-contact manner and records the temperature over time. It uses the frequency factor and activation energy obtained from the experimental results to calculate and display the K-value and methemoglobin content, which represent the freshness of the food corresponding to the preservation time (see Patent Document 2). However, this method is difficult to use as an evaluation method for assessing freshness or maturity at the distribution site.

[0024] The reason for this is that, based on the concentration changes of various components of ATP-related compounds relative to time, it is clear that in the decomposition reactions of ATP-related compounds generated from ATP after the death of aquatic animals, the decomposition rate of ATP-related compounds varies depending on the species of aquatic animal. Therefore, the following drawback exists: using a formula that only uses the frequency factor and activation energy values ​​obtained from experimental results, it is difficult to accurately calculate the K value for various aquatic animals. Furthermore, this invention also includes a method for evaluating maturity using the concentration of a specific ATP-related compound, which cannot use the calculation method in Patent Document 2 to determine the concentration changes of various ATP-related compounds relative to storage time.

[0025] Regarding livestock, similar to research on fish, methods for accurately evaluating the freshness of meat have been studied. For example, pH, volatile basic nitrogen (VBN), and bacterial count are used as standards for storage and management, but these cannot be considered sufficient methods to accurately determine freshness before spoilage.

[0026] Therefore, as a freshness evaluation, the same evaluation method used to calculate the K value of fish is used to evaluate beef (non-patent literature 5), chicken (non-patent literature 6), domestic pork (non-patent literature 7), wild boar meat (non-patent literature 8), etc.

[0027] Furthermore, the domesticated animals used in this invention are not particularly limited, and examples include poultry, livestock, and gibiers. Examples of poultry include chickens, ostriches, guinea fowl, turkeys, and pigeons. Examples of livestock include cattle, buffalo, horses, goats, sheep, and domestic pigs. Examples of gibiers include mallards, domestic ducks, partridges, pheasants, ptarmigans, sandpipers, hares, deer, wild boars, bears, raccoons, and frogs.

[0028] However, similar to the freshness evaluation of aquatic animals, there is no method for evaluating the K-value or FI-value in real time at the distribution site for livestock animals. Currently, the proposed approach is to consider a method for directly measuring the impedance of meat (Patent Document 7) as a practical method for use at the distribution site. However, this method requires prior work: obtaining measurement data related to the K-value or FI-value for various types of meat at various temperatures, and establishing a correlation between this measurement data and the impedance ratio. Furthermore, it is practically impossible to establish a correlation between the time-varying information of transportation time and storage temperature and the impedance ratio.

[0029] Existing technical documents

[0030] Patent documents

[0031] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Publication No. 2018-100935

[0032] Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 6-22684

[0033] Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent No. 4291381

[0034] Patent Document 4: Japanese Patent No. 2857607

[0035] Patent Document 5: Japanese Patent Publication No. 2008-500810

[0036] Patent Document 6: Japanese Patent Publication No. 2013-213810

[0037] Patent Document 7: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-79966

[0038] Non-Patent Document

[0039] Non-Patent Document 1: Tomoaki Sugawara, Yasutomo Nomura, Sanae Kato, Takeya Yoshioka, Yasunobu Kinoshita, Isao Oda, Fluorescence Spectral Analysis of Raw Scallop Adductor Muscles (生ホタテ貝柱の蛍光分光分析), Research Report of Hokkaido Industrial Technology Center, No. 11, 21 (2010)

[0040] Non-Patent Document 2: Tomoaki Sugawara, Yasutomo Nomura, Sanae Kato, Takeya Yoshioka, Yasunobu Kinoshita, Isao Oda, Research on the Evaluation of Fresh Squid Using Fluorescence Spectral Analysis (蛍光分光分析を用いた生鮮スルメイカの評価に関する研究), Research Report of Hokkaido Industrial Technology Center, No. 12, 50 (2012)

[0041] Non-Patent Document 3: Yoshihiro Yokoyama, Morihiko Sakaguchi, ATP Metabolism and Its Surroundings in Postmortem Fish and Shellfish Muscles (魚介類筋肉の死後におけるATPの代謝とその周辺), Comparative Physiology and Biochemistry (比較生理生化学), Vol. 15, No. 3, 193 (1998)

[0042] Non-Patent Document 4: Japan Marine Inspection Association (Food Hygiene Analysis Center), Faculty of Fisheries, Kagoshima University, National University Corporation, Research Report on the Investigation of Quality and Freshness Indicators for Aquatic Products, etc. That Become International Standards (水産物等の国際標準となる品質·鮮度指標に関する調査研究報告書), 8, March 31, 2014

[0043] Non-Patent Document 5: Yukio Yano, Fumie Murayama, Nobuko Niigata, Mina Tachibana, Toyoaki Nakamura, Medium-Temperature Aging Management of Beef Using the Measurement of Cadaverine and Hypoxanthine (カダベリンとヒポキサンチンの測定による牛肉の中温熟成管理), Journal of the Japanese Society of Animal Science, 63(1) 72 - 81 (1992)

[0044] Non-Patent Document 6: Kunio Numata, Fuku Suzuki, A Consideration on the Freshness Index of Chicken (鶏肉の鮮度指標に関する一考察), Research Report of Tokyo Metropolitan Agricultural Experiment Station No. 17, 20 - 31 (1984)

[0045] Non-Patent Document 7: Atsushi Horinouchi, Response to Consumer Needs in Pork Production (豚肉生産における消費者ニーズへの対応), All About Swine, 22·23, 31 - 41 (2003)

[0046] Non-Patent Document 8: Yoshinobu Hiraoka, Characteristics of Wild Boar Meat (特性), Aichi Prefectural Institute of Industrial Science and Technology Report No. 5, No. 501-4 (2012)

[0047] Non-Patent Document 9: Kuriko Sugiyama, Heat Cooking and Thermal Properties (加熱調理と熱物性), Journal of the Japanese Society of Cooking Science, Vol. 46, No. 4, 299-303 (2013) Summary of the Invention

[0048] Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0049] As described above, regarding the freshness of edible animals, there are the following problems with the methods of directly obtaining the concentration information of ATP-related compounds from the edible animals each time and using the K value and FI value as indicators for evaluation, or directly measuring the coenzymes contained in the edible animals and the method of electrically measuring the coenzymes contained in the edible animals: it is impossible to obtain the temporal change in freshness based on the freshness of the edible animals at the time of fishing / slaughter, it is impossible to perform freshness evaluation in real time at the distribution site, and it is impossible for the demanders to obtain this information in real time. Therefore, it is expected to develop a method that, instead of directly measuring the edible meat of the edible animals, actually simulates by obtaining transitional changes such as the death / cooling process at the time of fishing / slaughter with a large temperature change in the edible meat and the distribution / storage process with controlled environmental temperature, and evaluates freshness / maturity in real time at the distribution site using the IMP value and / or K value or FI value as indicators.

[0050] Solutions to the Problems <T

[0051] The present invention has been completed to meet such requirements, and the solution to solve this problem lies in providing a freshness / maturity evaluation device and a freshness / maturity evaluation method that can also appropriately obtain transitional changes to evaluate the freshness and / or maturity during the distribution process of edible animals, thus completing the following present invention. The gist of the present invention for solving the above problems is as follows.

[0052] (1) The freshness and / or maturity evaluation device for evaluating the freshness and / or maturity of edible animals according to the present invention comprises: a temperature parameter calculation unit that calculates a temperature parameter related to the temperature of any region inside the edible animal and the storage time, the temperature parameter being a parameter based on the storage time and the temperature of any region inside the edible animal obtained using an unsteady-state heat conduction equation; a rate constant parameter calculation unit that calculates a rate constant parameter, the rate constant parameter being a parameter set based on the rate constant of the edible animal obtained using the relationship between the storage time of the edible animal and the measured values ​​of the concentrations of various ATP-related compounds, and being related to the stepwise decomposition reaction of the ATP-related compounds contained in the edible animal; an ATP-related compound concentration calculation unit that calculates the concentration of ATP-related compounds using a stepwise decomposition reaction calculation model using the temperature parameter and the rate constant parameter; and a freshness and maturity evaluation unit that calculates a K value and / or a FI value based on the concentration of the ATP-related compounds.

[0053] (2) The freshness and / or maturity evaluation device for evaluating the freshness and / or maturity of edible animals in this invention comprises: a rate constant parameter calculation unit that calculates a rate constant parameter, which is a parameter set based on the rate constant of the edible animal obtained by using the relationship between the storage time of the edible animal and the measured values ​​of the concentrations of various ATP-related compounds, and is related to the stepwise decomposition reaction of the ATP-related compounds contained in the edible animal; an ATP-related compound concentration calculation unit that calculates the concentration of ATP-related compounds using a stepwise decomposition reaction calculation model using the storage temperature of the edible animal and the rate constant parameter; and a freshness and maturity evaluation unit that calculates the K value and / or FI value based on the concentration of the ATP-related compounds.

[0054] (3) In one embodiment of the present invention, in the freshness and maturity evaluation device described in (1) or (2), the edible animal is an aquatic animal.

[0055] (4) In one embodiment of the present invention, in the freshness and maturity evaluation device described in (3), the aquatic animal is any one of ayu, Japanese mackerel, horse mackerel, flounder, skipjack tuna, saury, yellowtail, red sea bream, juvenile yellowtail, blue-spotted mackerel, Far Eastern sardine, squid, high-backed long-horned shrimp, scallop and sea urchin.

[0056] (5) In one embodiment of the present invention, in the freshness and maturity evaluation device described in (1) or (2), the edible animal is a domesticated animal.

[0057] (6) In one embodiment of the present invention, in the freshness and maturity evaluation device described in (5), the livestock animal is any one of cattle, chickens, domestic pigs and wild boars.

[0058] (7) In one embodiment of the present invention, in the freshness and maturity evaluation device described in any one of (1) to (6), two or more and ten or fewer rate constant parameters are used.

[0059] (8) In one embodiment of the present invention, in the freshness and maturity evaluation device described in any one of (1) to (7), the freshness and maturity evaluation unit also compares at least one of the K value, the FI value and the IMP value with a predetermined threshold to evaluate the freshness and / or maturity of the edible animal.

[0060] (9) In one embodiment of the present invention, in the freshness and maturity evaluation device described in any one of (1) to (7), the freshness and maturity evaluation unit calculates the mK value based on the concentration of the ATP-related compound and compares the mK value with a predetermined threshold, or compares both the mK value and the IMP value with a predetermined threshold, to evaluate the freshness and / or maturity of the edible animal.

[0061] (10) In one embodiment of the present invention, the freshness and maturity evaluation device described in (8) further includes a freshness and maturity determination unit, which compares the evaluation result obtained by the freshness and maturity evaluation unit with a predetermined threshold to determine freshness and / or maturity.

[0062] (11) In one embodiment of the present invention, the freshness and maturity evaluation device described in (9) further includes a freshness and maturity determination unit, which compares the evaluation result obtained by the freshness and maturity evaluation unit with a predetermined threshold to determine freshness and / or maturity.

[0063] (12) In one embodiment of the present invention, in the freshness and maturity evaluation device described in (10), the freshness and maturity determination unit has the following functions: comparing at least one of the K value, the FI value and the IMP value with a predetermined threshold to determine the freshness and / or maturity of the edible animal, and displaying the best recommended cooking information of the material based on the determination result.

[0064] (13) In one embodiment of the present invention, in the freshness and maturity evaluation device described in (11), the freshness and maturity determination unit has the following functions: comparing the mK value with a predetermined threshold, or comparing both the mK value and the IMP value with a predetermined threshold, to determine the freshness and / or maturity of the edible animal, and displaying the best recommended cooking information of the material based on the determination result.

[0065] (14) In one embodiment of the present invention, in the freshness and maturity evaluation device described in any of (10) to (13), the freshness and maturity determination unit has a structure that displays any relay points on the transportation route in sequence on a map, and has the following function: if a route on the map is specified, the temperature change and / or freshness information at the corresponding location and the freshness and / or storage temperature at the specified time can be visually confirmed on the map.

[0066] (15) In one embodiment of the present invention, in the freshness and maturity evaluation device described in any one of (10) to (14), the freshness and maturity determination unit has the following functions: calculating the necessary conditions such as optimized storage temperature, storage time, transportation method, transportation route, fishing and slaughter date and time and / or transportation start date and time that meet the ordering conditions, and automatically inputting the initial setting value of the transportation conditions that meet the needs of the demander.

[0067] (16) In one embodiment of the present invention, in the freshness and maturity evaluation device described in any one of (10) to (15), the freshness and maturity determination unit has the following functions: displaying a warning message when a person involved in the distribution path has an infectious disease, when the person is determined to be inedible based on data of fishermen, slaughterers, processors, markets, and distribution-related personnel, information on the distribution route, processing information based on sterilization data, and the freshness and maturity determination result, and / or when the person is determined to require close attention.

[0068] (17) In one embodiment of the present invention, the freshness and maturity evaluation device described in any of (1) to (16) is installed in a cold storage room.

[0069] (18) The freshness and / or maturity evaluation method for edible animals in this invention includes the following steps: a temperature parameter calculation step, which calculates a temperature parameter related to the temperature of any region inside the edible animal and the storage time, the temperature parameter being a parameter based on the storage time and the temperature of any region inside the edible animal obtained using an unsteady-state heat conduction equation; a rate constant parameter calculation step, which calculates a rate constant parameter, the rate constant parameter being a parameter set based on the rate constant of the edible animal obtained using the relationship between the storage time of the edible animal and the measured values ​​of the concentrations of various ATP-related compounds, and is related to the stepwise decomposition reaction of the ATP-related compounds contained in the edible animal; an ATP-related compound concentration calculation step, which calculates the concentration of ATP-related compounds using a stepwise decomposition reaction calculation model using the temperature parameter and the rate constant parameter; and a freshness and maturity evaluation step, which calculates the K value and / or FI value based on the concentration of the ATP-related compounds.

[0070] (19) The freshness and / or maturity evaluation method for edible animals in this invention includes the following steps: a rate constant parameter calculation step, which calculates a rate constant parameter, which is a parameter set based on the rate constant of the edible animal obtained by using the relationship between the storage time of the edible animal and the measured values ​​of the concentrations of various ATP-related compounds, and is related to the stepwise decomposition reaction of the ATP-related compounds contained in the edible animal; an ATP-related compound concentration calculation step, which calculates the concentration of ATP-related compounds using the storage temperature of the edible animal and the stepwise decomposition reaction calculation model of the rate constant parameter; and a freshness and maturity evaluation step, which calculates the K value and / or FI value based on the concentration of the ATP-related compounds.

[0071] (20) In one embodiment of the present invention, in the freshness and maturity evaluation method described in (18) or (19), the edible animal is an aquatic animal.

[0072] (21) In one embodiment of the present invention, in the freshness and maturity evaluation method described in (20), the aquatic animal is any one of ayu, Japanese mackerel, horse mackerel, flounder, skipjack tuna, saury, yellowtail, red sea bream, juvenile yellowtail, blue-spotted mackerel, Far Eastern sardine, squid, high-backed long-horned shrimp, scallop and sea urchin.

[0073] (22) In one embodiment of the present invention, in the freshness and maturity evaluation method described in (18) or (19), the edible animal is a domesticated animal.

[0074] (23) In one embodiment of the present invention, in the freshness and maturity evaluation method described in (22), the domestic animal is any one of cattle, chickens, domestic pigs and wild boars.

[0075] (24) In one embodiment of the present invention, in the freshness and maturity evaluation method described in any of (18) to (23), two or more and ten or fewer rate constant parameters are used.

[0076] (25) In one embodiment of the present invention, in the freshness and maturity evaluation method described in any of (18) to (24), in the freshness and maturity evaluation step, at least one of the K value, the FI value and the IMP value is compared with a predetermined threshold to evaluate the freshness and / or maturity of the edible animal.

[0077] (26) In one embodiment of the present invention, in the freshness and maturity evaluation method described in any of (18) to (24), in the freshness and maturity evaluation step, the mK value is calculated based on the concentration of the ATP-related compound, and the mK value is compared with a predetermined threshold, or both the mK value and the IMP value are compared with a predetermined threshold to evaluate the freshness and / or maturity of the edible animal.

[0078] (27) In one embodiment of the present invention, the freshness and maturity evaluation method described in (25) further includes a freshness and maturity determination step, in which the evaluation result obtained by the freshness and maturity evaluation step is compared with a specified threshold to determine the freshness and / or maturity.

[0079] (28) In one embodiment of the present invention, the freshness and maturity evaluation method described in (26) further includes a freshness and maturity determination step, in which the evaluation result obtained by the freshness and maturity evaluation step is compared with a specified threshold to determine the freshness and / or maturity.

[0080] (29) In one embodiment of the present invention, in the freshness and maturity evaluation method described in (27), the freshness and maturity determination process has the following functions: comparing at least one of the K value, the FI value and the IMP value with a predetermined threshold to determine the freshness and / or maturity of the edible animal, and displaying the best recommended cooking information of the material based on the determination result.

[0081] (30) In one embodiment of the present invention, in the freshness and maturity evaluation method described in (28), the freshness and maturity determination process has the following functions: comparing the mK value with a specified threshold, or comparing both the mK value and the IMP value with a specified threshold, to determine the freshness and / or maturity of the edible animal, and displaying the best recommended cooking information of the material based on the determination result.

[0082] (31) In one embodiment of the present invention, in the freshness and maturity evaluation method described in any of (27) to (30), the freshness and maturity determination step has a structure that displays any relay points on the transportation route in sequence on a map, and has the following function: if a route on the map is specified, the temperature change and / or freshness information at the corresponding location and the freshness and / or storage temperature at the specified time can be visually confirmed on the map.

[0083] (32) In one embodiment of the present invention, in the freshness and maturity evaluation method described in any of (27) to (31), the freshness and maturity determination process has the following functions: calculating the necessary conditions such as optimized storage temperature, storage time, transportation method, transportation route, fishing and slaughter date and time and / or transportation start date and time that meet the ordering conditions, and automatically inputting the initial setting value of the transportation conditions that meet the needs of the demander.

[0084] (33) In one embodiment of the present invention, in the freshness and maturity evaluation method described in any of (27) to (32), the freshness and maturity determination process has the following functions: displaying attention information when a person involved in the distribution path has an infectious disease, when the person is determined to be inedible based on data of fishermen, slaughterers, processors, market personnel, distribution personnel, distribution route information, processing information based on sterilization data and freshness and maturity determination results, and / or when the person is determined to be in need of close attention.

[0085] (34) In one embodiment of the present invention, the freshness and maturity evaluation method described in any of (18) to (33) is set in a cold storage room.

[0086] Furthermore, by easily setting the temperature parameters, the number of temperature regions (the size of the regions) calculated using the aforementioned unsteady-state heat conduction equation can be set according to the purpose, thereby enabling the temperature parameters to be set. That is, based on the species and morphological information of the edible animal, the temperature of the edible animal during the distribution process, the temperature of the crushed ice containing its meat, and the storage temperature around the edible animal, the unsteady-state heat conduction equation is used to calculate the storage time and the temperature or temperature change in any region within the edible animal, thereby setting the temperature parameters. As a result, the reaction temperature can be set with the same accuracy as the actual temperature in any region within the edible animal, thus enabling higher accuracy in simulating the stepwise decomposition reaction structure based on ATP-related compounds.

[0087] Within the same species of edible animal, the difference in thermal conductivity caused by individual differences in the formation and size of fat is small. Therefore, the decomposition reaction of ATP-related compounds only needs to consider the influence of temperature in any region within the edible animal.

[0088] Furthermore, the decomposition reaction of ATP-related compounds in edible animals is originally an enzymatic reaction (Non-Patent Document 3), which requires examination of the enzyme-matrix complex, the enzyme-matrix complex, and the enzyme-product complex. However, since the decomposition reaction of ATP-related compounds immediately releases the product from the enzyme-product complex, it can be simplified from the release of the enzyme and matrix to the target product into a single decomposition reaction. This can be represented by a stepwise decomposition reaction structure consisting of ATP→ADP, ADP→AMP, AMP→IMP, IMP→HxR, HxR→Hx, and / or ATP→ADP, ADP→AMP, AMP→AdR, AdR→HxR, HxR→Hx, or ATP+ADP+AMP→IMP, IMP→HxR+Hx, and their reverse reactions.

[0089] The effects of the invention

[0090] According to the present invention as described above, appropriate transitional changes can be obtained to evaluate the freshness and / or maturity of edible animals during the circulation and storage process from the time of fishing and slaughter, thereby determining the quality level of the freshness and / or maturity of edible animals. Attached Figure Description

[0091] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of an edible animal freshness and maturity evaluation device according to one embodiment.

[0092] Figure 2 This is a diagram illustrating the overall processing flow in the evaluation and determination methods for the freshness and maturity of edible animals.

[0093] Figure 3This is a diagram illustrating an example of an orthogonal coordinate system (origin and axes) showing the position of the edible animal in the temperature parameter settings.

[0094] Figure 4 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a stepwise reaction in setting the rate constant parameter.

[0095] Figure 5 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a stepwise reaction in setting the rate constant parameter.

[0096] Figure 6 This diagram illustrates an example of the cooling process of the surface and center of a halibut when the storage temperature is set to 0°C.

[0097] Figure 7 This is a graph showing an example of the simulation results of the concentration of ATP-related compounds at a storage temperature of 0°C.

[0098] Figure 8 This is a graph showing an example of the simulation results for the K value at a storage temperature of 0°C.

[0099] Figure 9 This is a graph showing an example of the simulation results of the FI value at a storage temperature of 0°C.

[0100] Figure 10 This is a graph showing a comparison example of the measured values ​​(refer to Non-Patent Document 4) and simulated values ​​of IMP values ​​at a storage temperature of 0°C under the same storage time.

[0101] Figure 11 This is a graph showing an example of the simulation results of the concentration of ATP-related compounds at a storage temperature of 10°C.

[0102] Figure 12 This is a graph showing an example of the simulation results for the K value at a storage temperature of 10°C.

[0103] Figure 13 This is a graph showing an example of the simulation results of the FI value at a storage temperature of 10°C.

[0104] Figure 14 This is a graph showing a comparison between measured values ​​(refer to Non-Patent Document 4) and simulated values ​​of IMP values ​​at a storage temperature of 10°C under the same storage time.

[0105] Figure 15 This is a graph showing a comparison between measured and simulated K values.

[0106] Figure 16 This is a graph showing a comparison between measured and simulated FI values.

[0107] Figure 17This is an example image showing the output of the calculated results for freshness evaluation and maturity.

[0108] Figure 18 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a stepwise reaction in setting the rate constant parameter.

[0109] Figure 19 This is a graph showing a comparison of the measured and simulated ATP+ADP+AMP values ​​of sweetfish at a storage temperature of 15°C.

[0110] Figure 20 This is a graph showing a comparison of measured and simulated IMP values ​​of sweetfish at a storage temperature of 15°C.

[0111] Figure 21 This is a graph showing a comparison of the measured and simulated HxR+Hx values ​​of sweetfish at a storage temperature of 15°C.

[0112] Figure 22 This is a graph showing a comparison between measured and simulated K values ​​of sweetfish at a storage temperature of 15°C.

[0113] Figure 23 This is a graph showing a comparison between measured and simulated K values ​​for Japanese mackerel.

[0114] Figure 24 This is a graph showing a comparison between measured and simulated K values ​​for mackerel.

[0115] Figure 25 This is a graph showing a comparison between measured and simulated K values ​​for cattle.

[0116] Figure 26 This is a graph showing a comparison between measured and simulated K values ​​for chickens.

[0117] Figure 27 This is a graph showing a comparison of measured and simulated ATP-related compound concentrations in squid.

[0118] Figure 28 This is a graph showing a comparison of measured and simulated ATP-related compound concentrations in squid.

[0119] Figure 29 This is a diagram showing an example of the calculation results.

[0120] Figure 30 This is a diagram showing an example of the calculation results.

[0121] Figure 31 This is a diagram showing an example of the calculation results. Detailed Implementation

[0122] The embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail. The description of the constituent elements described below are representative examples of the embodiments of the present invention, and can be appropriately modified and implemented without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0123] Figure 1 This diagram schematically illustrates the structure of an edible animal freshness and maturity evaluation device 1 according to one embodiment. The edible animal freshness and maturity evaluation device 1 utilizes simulation to determine the time changes in the concentration of various components using a stepwise decomposition reaction structure consisting of ATP→ADP, ADP→AMP, AMP→IMP, IMP→HxR, HxR→Hx, and / or ATP→ADP, ADP→AMP, AMP→AdR, AdR→HxR, HxR→Hx, or ATP+ADP+AMP→IMP, IMP→HxR+Hx, and their reverse reactions, thereby calculating the time changes in the K value and / or FI value. Furthermore, based on the time changes in the K value, FI value, and IMP value, the freshness and maturity evaluation device 1 calculates the storage time until at least one of the K value, FI value, and IMP value reaches a predetermined value (prescribed threshold), and the value of at least one of the K value, FI value, and IMP value at the predetermined storage time (prescribed threshold). Furthermore, the freshness and maturity evaluation device 1 compares the evaluation results with a pre-set threshold (prescribed threshold) to determine the quality level of the freshness and / or maturity of the edible animal. Therefore, the freshness and maturity evaluation device 1 for edible animals includes an input device 2, an output device 3, a data storage device 4, and a calculation device 5.

[0124] Input device 2, for example, consists of a keyboard and / or mouse, an RF (radio frequency) tag reader, etc., for the user to input data required for the simulation. Output device 3, for example, consists of a display device, a printer device, etc., for outputting simulation results. Data storage device 4 is used to store the data required for the simulation, simulation results, etc.

[0125] The arithmetic unit 5 performs various processing operations in the simulation and evaluates the freshness and / or maturity of edible animals. Therefore, the arithmetic unit 5 has a working memory 6, and has a data input unit 7, a parameter calculation unit 8, a calculation execution unit 9, and a data output unit 10, which are respectively configured in the form of computer programs. The working memory 6 functions to temporarily store the data and processing results required by the arithmetic unit 5 in the processing.

[0126] The data input unit 7 registers the data input by the input device 2 and the data read from the data storage device 4 according to the instructions given by the input device 2 in the working memory 6. Examples of data in this case include: livestock species data, aquatic animal species data, breed data, morphological data (size data, weight data, etc.), data on fishing, slaughtering, breeding, and livestock farms (map data, latitude and longitude data, etc.), fishing and slaughtering time data, data on personnel related to fishing, breeding, meat processing, transportation, sales, wholesale, markets, and distribution (detailed data on affiliated ships, farms, ranches, pig farms, chicken farms, etc.), name data, health status data, and infectious disease data (coronavirus). Diseases (COVID-19, etc.), bacterial food poisoning (Vibrio enteritidis, pathogenic Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Campylobacter, Staphylococcus aureus, enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli, Clostridium perfringens, etc.), viral food poisoning (Norovirus, etc.), slaughtering methods data (neck cutting after stunning, neck cutting without stunning, neck cutting after stunning with gas, beating to death, freezing to death, bleeding to death, killing alive by severing tendons, killing by destroying nerves, suffocation, etc.), storage temperature data (measured data of storage temperature changes relative to storage time), storage start time data, storage personnel data, ice data (ice slurry data, crushed ice data, powdery ice). Data includes: (ice) data, temperature data, ice-to-water ratio data, seawater salinity concentration data during ice making, etc.; data on transport boxes (material data, size data, thermal conductivity data, etc.); sterilization data (treatment method data, treatment time data, treatment date and time data, effect data, etc.); data on cold insulation materials (type data, usage data, manufacturing location data, etc.); measured data on the concentration changes of ATP-related reaction products of the same edible animal species under two or more different storage temperatures (literature value data, measured value data, etc.); and constant data required for solving the unsteady-state heat conduction equation for each edible animal species (thermal conductivity k, density ρ of edible animal meat, specific heat c, calorific value Q, etc.). Furthermore, a portion of the data can be read by pre-creating a database categorized by capture time, capture location, etc., for each edible animal species and connecting this database to the data storage device 4.

[0127] The parameter calculation unit 8 calculates the temperature parameter and the rate constant parameter. Therefore, it has a temperature parameter calculation unit 11 for calculating the temperature parameter and a rate constant parameter calculation unit 12 for calculating the rate constant parameter. In this embodiment, the temperature parameter is a parameter related to the temperature required to calculate the ATP-related reaction compound used in the stepwise decomposition reaction formula, which is composed of ATP→ADP, ADP→AMP, AMP→IMP, IMP→HxR, HxR→Hx, and / or ATP→ADP, ADP→AMP, AMP→AdR, AdR→HxR, HxR→Hx, or ATP+ADP+AMP→IMP, IMP→HxR+Hx, and their reverse reactions. The rate constant parameter is a parameter required to calculate the concentration of the ATP-related reaction compound using the stepwise decomposition reaction formula, which is also composed of ATP→ADP, ADP→AMP, AMP→IMP, IMP→HxR, HxR→Hx, and / or ATP→ADP, ADP→AMP, AMP→AdR, AdR→HxR, HxR→Hx, or ATP+ADP+AMP→IMP, IMP→HxR+Hx, and their reverse reactions. Details regarding the calculation of temperature parameters by temperature parameter calculation unit 11 of parameter calculation unit 8 and the calculation of rate constant parameters by rate constant parameter calculation unit 12 of parameter calculation unit 8 will be described below.

[0128] The evaluation calculation execution unit 9 includes an ATP-related compound concentration calculation unit 13, a freshness and maturity evaluation unit 14, and a freshness and maturity determination unit 15. The ATP-related compound concentration calculation unit 13 calculates the concentration changes of ATP-related compounds through simulation. The freshness and maturity evaluation unit 14 evaluates the freshness and / or maturity of edible animals. Specifically, based on the time change of at least one of the K value, FI value, and IMP value, it calculates the value of at least one of the K value, FI value, and IMP value until at least one of them reaches a preset value (prescribed threshold), and the value of at least one of the K value, FI value, and IMP value of the edible animal during the preset storage time (prescribed threshold). Furthermore, the freshness and maturity determination unit 15 compares the evaluation results obtained by the freshness and maturity evaluation unit 14 with the preset threshold (prescribed threshold) to determine the quality level of the freshness and / or maturity of the edible animal. Furthermore, based on these freshness and maturity evaluation results and / or judgment results, the optimal cooking information for the ingredients can be displayed on the output device 3 via the Internet. Additionally, in cases where individuals involved in the distribution process suffer from infectious diseases (especially Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), bacterial food poisoning (Vibrio enteritidis, pathogenic Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Campylobacter, Staphylococcus aureus, enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli, Clostridium perfringens, etc.), or viral food poisoning (Norovirus, etc.), and based on information about their distribution route, processing information based on sterilization data, and freshness and maturity evaluation results and / or judgment results indicating that the food is inedible or requires close monitoring, caution information can be displayed on the output device 3 via the Internet. Furthermore, details regarding the calculation of ATP-related compound concentration changes by the ATP-related compound concentration calculation unit 13, the calculation of at least one of the K value, FI value, and IMP value by the freshness and maturity evaluation unit 14, and the determination of the freshness and / or maturity of the edible animal by the freshness and maturity determination unit 15 will be described below.

[0129] Furthermore, the usage of the statements in this instruction manual will be explained in more detail. The situation in which freshness and maturity values ​​are shown is called "evaluation", and the situation in which the value obtained by evaluation is compared with another set threshold to determine the relationship between them and make distinctions is called "judgment".

[0130] The data output unit 10 outputs data that needs to be sent to the output device 3 and data that needs to be stored in the data storage device 4, which are related to the processing in the arithmetic unit 5.

[0131] The following describes the method for evaluating freshness and maturity using the freshness and maturity evaluation device with the above-described structure. Figure 2This is a diagram illustrating the overall processing flow in the method for evaluating the freshness and maturity of edible animals. (For example...) Figure 2 As shown, the freshness and maturity evaluation method includes the following processes: temperature parameter calculation by the temperature parameter calculation unit 11 of the parameter calculation unit 8 through simulation (step S1); rate constant parameter calculation by the rate constant parameter calculation unit 12 of the parameter calculation unit 8 through simulation (step S2); ATP-related compound concentration calculation by the ATP-related compound concentration calculation unit 13 of the evaluation calculation execution unit 9 through simulation (step S3); freshness and / or maturity evaluation by the freshness and / or maturity evaluation unit 14 of the evaluation calculation execution unit 9 (calculating the K value and / or FI value) (step S4); and freshness and / or maturity determination by the freshness and / or maturity determination unit 15 of the evaluation calculation execution unit 9 (step S5). Alternatively, step S1 can be skipped and the process can start directly from step S2. In this case, storage temperature data is read from the data storage device 4 and registered in the working memory 6, and then step S2 is executed. Details of each of these processes will be explained below.

[0132] First, the temperature parameter calculation unit 11 calculates the temperature parameters through simulation (step S1). The conditions for setting the temperature parameters in step S1 will be explained using aquatic animals as an example of edible animals. However, this is not limited to aquatic animals; the implementation method for edible animals is also included within the scope of this invention. First, the temperature parameter calculation unit 11 obtains data registered in the working memory 6 from the data storage device 4, such as constant data (thermal conductivity k, density ρ, specific heat c, and calorific value Q) required for solving the unsteady-state heat conduction equation determined for each edible animal species, storage temperature, storage start time, size of the edible animal (width, length, and height), temperature of the edible animal before storage begins, and the calculated position P (X coordinate, Y coordinate, Z coordinate) of the edible animal. Figure 3 This diagram illustrates an example of an orthogonal coordinate system (origin and coordinate axes) for the position P of the edible animal during temperature parameter settings. Furthermore, the coordinate system for the position P of the edible animal in this invention can be not only the orthogonal coordinate system described above, but also cylindrical coordinates, oblique coordinates, polar coordinates, spherical coordinates, and embodiments obtained by appropriately combining these coordinate systems are also included within the scope of protection of this invention.

[0133] The temperature parameter calculation unit 11 sets the temperature of the edible animal before storage as the initial condition. Using the constant dataset required to solve the unsteady-state heat conduction equation corresponding to the desired type of edible animal, it solves the unsteady-state heat conduction equation under critical conditions and records the temperature change at position P of the edible animal as a time-varying temperature parameter in the working memory 6. Furthermore, the present inventors obtained the following insight from actual measurements of the temperature at any point in the edible animal: the time-varying temperature change (temperature parameter) at that point can be represented by the solution of the unsteady-state heat conduction equation.

[0134] In addition, the following example, using a flounder, illustrates the constant data (thermal conductivity k, density ρ, specific heat c, calorific value Q) required to solve the unsteady-state heat conduction equation calculated based on measured data.

[0135] k = 0.4643

[0136] ρ = 999.8

[0137] c = 3645.3

[0138] Q = 0

[0139] Furthermore, although heat is generated due to the decomposition of ATP-related compounds, this heat generation is very small and negligible compared to cooling aimed at maintaining the freshness of edible animals (Q = 0).

[0140] Furthermore, the critical conditions used in this invention can be determined by the heat flux between the surface of the edible animal and the environment. If the environment is a liquid or a gas, it is sufficient to determine the ambient temperature and thermal conductivity. The thermal conductivity can be directly determined experimentally or calculated using heat transfer engineering principles.

[0141] Next, the rate constant parameter calculation unit 12 calculates the rate constant parameter through simulation (step S2). Figure 4 This is a graph illustrating an example of a stepwise reaction with the rate constant parameter set. Examples Figure 4 The stepwise reaction shown in the figure will be used as an example to explain the parameter setting conditions set in step S2. In the stepwise reaction shown in the figure, ATP present in the edible animal is used to generate the intermediate product ADP as the target product. The intermediate product ADP is further used to generate the intermediate product AMP as the target product. The intermediate product AMP is further used to generate the intermediate product IMP as the target product. The intermediate product IMP is further used to generate the intermediate product HxR as the target product. The intermediate product HxR is further used to generate product Hx.

[0142] If the molar concentration of ATP present in the food animal is set as C(ATP), then the reaction rate r1 from ATP present in the food animal to the intermediate product ADP at a certain temperature t is expressed by the following equation (1).

[0143] r1=k1×C(ATP)…(1)

[0144] In equation (1) above, k1 is the reaction rate constant.

[0145] In addition, if the molar concentration of the intermediate product ADP in the animal to be consumed is set as C(ADP), then the reaction rate r2 from the intermediate product ADP to the intermediate product AMP is expressed by the following equation (2).

[0146] r2=k2×C(ADP)…(2)

[0147] In equation (2) above, k2 is the reaction rate constant.

[0148] In addition, if the molar concentration of intermediate product AMP in edible animals is set as C(AMP), the reaction rate r3 from intermediate product AMP to intermediate product IMP is expressed by the following equation (3).

[0149] r3=k3×C(AMP)…(3)

[0150] In equation (3) above, k3 is the reaction rate constant.

[0151] In addition, if the molar concentration of intermediate product IMP in edible animals is set as C(IMP), the reaction rate r4 from intermediate product IMP to product HxR is expressed by the following equation (4).

[0152] r4=k4×C(IMP)…(4)

[0153] In equation (4) above, k4 is the reaction rate constant.

[0154] In addition, if the molar concentration of intermediate product HxR in edible animals is set as C(HxR), the reaction rate r5 from intermediate product HxR to product Hx is expressed by the following equation (5).

[0155] r5=k5×C(HxR)…(5)

[0156] In equation (5) above, k5 is the reaction rate constant.

[0157] Next, in Figure 4In the stepwise reaction, the molar concentration of each component corresponding to the reaction time (storage time) is calculated at specified time intervals. Specifically, the reaction rate equations (1) to (5) above are combined with the following equations (6) to (11) to establish a simultaneous ordinary differential equation, and the simultaneous ordinary differential equation is numerically integrated, thereby enabling the sequential calculation of the molar concentration of each component.

[0158] dC(ATP) / dt=-r1…(6)

[0159] dC(ADP) / dt=r1-r2…(7)

[0160] dC(AMP) / dt=r2-r3…(8)

[0161] dC(IMP) / dt=r3-r4…(9)

[0162] dC(HxR) / dt=r4-r5…(10)

[0163] dC(Hx) / dt=r5…(11)

[0164] Furthermore, the rate constant parameter is determined by the following method. First, by referring to the measured values ​​of the concentration changes of ATP-related reaction products of the same edible animal species at two or more different storage temperatures (documentary values ​​and measured values ​​stored in data storage device 4), the measured values ​​of the concentration of each component at each storage temperature and storage time are obtained. Next, at the storage temperature, an arbitrary initial value of the rate constant is substituted into k1, k2, k3, k4, and k5, and the reaction rate equations (1) to (5) above are combined with the subsequent equations (6) to (11) to establish a simultaneous ordinary differential equation. The simultaneous ordinary differential equation is numerically integrated to calculate the molar concentration of each component. The sum of the squares of the differences between the measured values ​​at the storage temperature and the molar concentrations of each component under the arbitrary rate constant is calculated, and the value of the rate constant is changed in a way that reduces the sum of the squares of the differences, thereby obtaining the rate constant at each storage temperature. Furthermore, in nonlinear programming problems that determine the rate constant parameter of the concentration change, the generalized reduced gradient method, the evolutionary method, etc., can be appropriately selected and used.

[0165] If the reaction rate constants for the same edible animal species at two or more different storage temperatures can be determined, then the relationship between the rate constants and temperature for the stepwise reactions of that edible animal species at an arbitrary temperature can be calculated. Furthermore, the relationship between the rate constants and temperature for the stepwise reactions can be a linear polynomial (first-order) or a polynomial interpolation, which can be appropriately selected and used.

[0166] In this way, the rate constant parameters that minimize the sum of squares, i.e., the rate constant parameters k1, k2, k3, k4, and k5 that best match the measured data, are determined, thereby establishing the reaction rate equation. Furthermore, this reaction rate equation can be used to determine the relationship between temperature and the reaction rate equation. Below, using halibut as an example, we show the relationship between the rate constant and temperature calculated based on measured data from Non-Patent Document 4, using both linear polynomials (first-order) and polynomial interpolation of the reaction temperature and rate constant.

[0167] k1 = 0.0018 × t + 0.0647…(12)

[0168] k2 = 0.0192 × t 2 +0.1788×t+0.4279…(13)

[0169] k3 = -0.0123 × t 2 +0.0643×t+0.8286…(14)

[0170] k4 = 0.0001 × t 2 -0.0002×t+0.0017…(15)

[0171] k5=0.002×t+1.2874…(16)

[0172] In equations (12) to (16) above, t is the storage temperature (°C).

[0173] The aforementioned relationship between temperature and the rate constants of each stepwise reaction can be pre-stored in the data storage device 4 for each type of edible animal. Based on the edible animal type information selected by the input unit 2 and the temperature parameters calculated by the reaction temperature parameter calculation unit 11 in step S1, an appropriate relationship for the rate constants can be calculated. Alternatively, based on measured data of ATP-related compound concentrations pre-stored in the data storage device 4 for each type of edible animal, the relationship between temperature and rate constants can be calculated and determined each time according to step S2. Alternatively, step S1 can be skipped and the process can begin directly from step S2. In this case, storage temperature data is read from the data storage device 4 and registered in the working memory 6, followed by step S2. By appropriately varying each rate constant according to the storage time, simulation results that more closely match the measured values ​​can be obtained.

[0174] Furthermore, the concentration of ATP-related compounds is calculated by the ATP-related compound concentration calculation unit 13 (step S3). In step S3, based on the relationship between the temperature parameter selected in step S1 and the rate constant selected in step S2, specifically, a simultaneous ordinary differential equation is established by combining the reaction rate equations (1) to (5) with equations (6) to (11) mentioned above, and numerical integration is performed on the simultaneous ordinary differential equation, thereby calculating the time change of the molar concentration of each component in sequence. In addition, in the numerical integration method, the Runge-Kutta method, the Runge-Kutta-Gill method, the Euler method, the Gear method, etc., can be appropriately selected. Furthermore, by accumulating the same type of data obtained in the same way, machine learning can be performed based on the accumulated data in the data storage device 4, which can also improve the accuracy of the dataset.

[0175] Furthermore, the above explanation describes the method for calculating the concentrations of ATP-related compounds associated with the five stepwise reactions: ATP→ADP, ADP→AMP, AMP→IMP, IMP→HxR, and HxR→Hx. However, it is also possible to calculate the concentrations of ATP-related compounds for stepwise reactions with two or more steps. Here, we will discuss the methods for calculating the concentrations of ATP-related compounds associated with these five stepwise reactions. Figure 5 The method for calculating the concentrations of ATP-related compounds in the stepwise reactions of ATP + ADP + AMP → IMP and IMP → HxR + Hx is explained.

[0176] If the molar concentration obtained by summing the concentrations of ATP, ADP, and AMP present in edible animals is defined as C(ATP+ADP+AMP), then the reaction rate r6 from the sum of ATP, ADP, and AMP present in edible animals to the intermediate product IMP at a certain storage temperature t (°C) is expressed by the following equation (17).

[0177] r6=k6×C(ATP+ADP+AMP)…(17)

[0178] In equation (17) above, k6 is the reaction rate constant.

[0179] In addition, if the molar concentration of the intermediate product IMP in the edible animal is set as C(IMP), the reaction rate r7 from the intermediate product IMP to the product (the sum of HxR and Hx) is expressed by the following formula (18).

[0180] r7=k7×C(IMP)…(18)

[0181] In equation (18) above, k7 is the reaction rate constant.

[0182] Next, in Figure 5 In the stepwise reaction, the molar concentration of each component corresponding to the storage time is calculated at a specified time interval. Specifically, the reaction rate equations (17) and (18) above are combined with the following equations (19) to (21) to establish a simultaneous ordinary differential equation, and equations (22) to (24) are obtained as analytical solutions.

[0183] dC(ATP+ADP+AMP) / dt=-r6…(19)

[0184] dC(IMP) / dt=r6-r7…(20)

[0185] dC(HxR+Hx) / dt=r7…(21)

[0186] [ATP+ADP+AMP]=[ATP+ADP+AMP]0×exp(-k6×t)…(22)

[0187] [IMP]={k6×[ATP+ADP+AMP]0 / (k7-k6)}×(exp(-k6×t)-exp(-k7×t))…(23)

[0188] [HxR+Hx]=[ATP+ADP+AMP]0×[1-{k7×exp(-k6×t)-k6×exp(-k7×t)} / (k7-k6)]…(24)

[0189] Furthermore, [ATP+ADP+AMP]0 represents the initial concentration obtained by summing ATP, ADP, and AMP, t represents the storage time, [ATP+ADP+AMP] represents the concentration obtained by summing ATP, ADP, and AMP at storage time t, and [IMP] and [HxR+Hx] represent the concentration of IMP at storage time t and the concentration obtained by summing HxR and Hx, respectively. That is, when using equations (22) to (24), the concentrations can be calculated by directly substituting the storage time into t without using numerical integration.

[0190] Furthermore, by determining the rate constant parameters that minimize the sum of squares in a way that best matches the rate constant parameters k6 and k7 with the measured data, the reaction rate equation can be determined, and these reaction rate equations can be used to determine the relationship between temperature and reaction rate.

[0191] The number of rate constant parameters is not particularly limited, but from the viewpoint of reducing calculation errors and increasing the time required for parameter determination, it is preferably 10 or less, more preferably 5 or less, and even more preferably 2. The reasons are as follows: The rate constant at each storage temperature is determined by changing the value of the rate constant in a way that reduces the sum of the squares of the differences in the measured data. However, when the number of rate constant parameters is greater than 10, the number of parameter combinations increases, requiring more time for calculation and failing to guarantee the uniqueness of the solution, potentially resulting in multiple combinations. Furthermore, the increased number of parameters leads to larger errors in numerical integration calculations. On the other hand, when the number of rate constant parameters is 2, not only is a numerical analytical solution obtained, but the solution is also obtained analytically, thereby eliminating errors and determining the parameters in a short time.

[0192] Next, the freshness and / or maturity evaluation unit 14 evaluates the freshness and / or maturity (step S4). In step S4, the freshness and maturity evaluation unit 14 calculates the time change of the K value and / or FI value based on the simulated values ​​of the ATP-related compound concentrations calculated in step S3. Furthermore, the freshness and maturity evaluation unit 14 can also calculate, based on the time change of at least one of the K value, FI value, and IMP value, the storage time until at least one of the K value, FI value, and IMP value reaches a preset value (prescribed threshold), and the value of at least one of the K value, FI value, and IMP value at the preset storage time (prescribed threshold), thereby performing a reverse calculation to determine the appropriate month, day, and time for harvesting and commencement of transportation. Additionally, this calculated evaluation information can be sent to the data output unit 10 as needed.

[0193] Finally, the freshness and / or maturity determination unit 15 determines the freshness and / or maturity (step S5). In step S5, the freshness and maturity determination unit 15 compares the evaluation results obtained by the freshness and maturity evaluation unit 14 with a preset threshold (prescribed threshold) to determine the quality level of the freshness and / or maturity of the edible animal. For example, the freshness and maturity evaluation unit 14 detects the maximum value of a specific component (e.g., the IMP value as a umami component) beforehand, and then the freshness and maturity determination unit 15 uses the specified determination criteria (prescribed threshold) to determine the maturity at a certain storage time. Furthermore, the freshness and maturity determination unit 15 can calculate the necessary conditions such as optimized storage temperature and storage time based on these calculated results, and automatically input these necessary conditions into the delivery conditions at the time of ordering. In addition, the threshold (prescribed threshold) used in the comparison can be arbitrarily set by the user of this device. In addition, the calculated evaluation information is sent to the data output unit 10 as needed. In addition, there are various definitions of maturity. Here, as an example, the maturity of an edible animal at storage time T is defined by the following formula (25).

[0194] Maturity (%) at storage time T = (Concentration of umami components at storage time T (IMP value) ÷ Maximum concentration of umami components (maximum IMP value)) × 100 ···(25)

[0195] Furthermore, the determination method based on equation (25) is only one example, and the actual maturity determination criterion (prescribed threshold) can be arbitrarily set by the user of this device. For example, it is also possible to determine maturity when the IMP concentration reaches a certain threshold without using equation (25).

[0196] Furthermore, the quality level of freshness and / or maturity of edible animals can be determined based on the relationship between K value and / or FI value and IMP value.

[0197] Furthermore, based on the determination results obtained by the freshness and maturity determination unit 15, information such as the best recommended cooking information for the ingredients can be displayed on the output device 3 via the Internet. Additionally, in cases where infectious diseases (especially COVID-19), bacterial food poisoning (Vibrio 2019, pathogenic Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Campylobacter, Staphylococcus aureus, enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli, Clostridium perfringens, etc.), or viral food poisoning (norovirus, etc.) occur among distribution-related personnel in the distribution path, or in cases where data on fishermen, slaughterers, processors, market and distribution-related personnel, distribution route information, processing information based on sterilization data, and freshness and maturity determination results indicate that the food is inedible and / or requires close monitoring, caution information can be displayed on the output device 3 via the Internet.

[0198] [Example 1]

[0199] In this embodiment, an example of calculating the concentration of ATP-related compounds and the K value and / or FI value in halibut using the freshness and maturity evaluation device 1 will be described.

[0200] The following situation is described: The relationship between the storage temperature of halibut and various rate constants obtained by using the freshness and maturity evaluation device 1 uses the above-mentioned equations (12) to (16), and the constant data required for solving the unsteady heat conduction equation uses the constant data of the halibut (k = 0.4643, ρ = 999.8, c = 3645.3, Q = 0), and is pre-stored in the data storage device 4. Figure 6 This diagram illustrates an example of the cooling process of the surface and center of a halibut when stored at 0°C. Figure 6 The figure shows the results of the cooling process of the fish's center P(0, 20, 0) and surface P(1.5, 20, 0) when the temperature of the surface and center of the halibut just before storage is set to 20°C, the width (X coordinate) of the halibut is set to 3cm, the length (Y coordinate) is set to 40cm, the height (Z coordinate) is set to 40cm, the initial ATP molar concentration is set to 10μm / g, the storage time is set to 170 hours, and the storage temperature is set to 0°C (the values ​​here are for storage time from 0 minutes to 400 minutes). Figure 7 This is a graph illustrating an example of simulation results showing the concentrations of ATP-related compounds at a storage temperature of 0°C. Figure 7 The figure shows the relationship between the changes in the concentration of ATP-related compounds at the fish body center P(0, 20, 0) and storage time, obtained using the temperature parameter. Figure 8 This is a graph showing an example of the simulation results for the K value at a storage temperature of 0°C. Figure 9 This is a graph showing an example of the simulation results for the FI value at a storage temperature of 0°C. Furthermore, in Figure 8 The diagram shows the relationship between the K value and storage time. Figure 9 The figure shows the relationship between FI value and storage time.

[0201] according to Figure 6 The cooling curve showed that after approximately 60 minutes, the temperature at the center of the halibut's body, P(0, 20, 0), reached 0°C. This temperature parameter was used to calculate... Figure 7 At the concentration of ATP-related compounds, the IMP value used, for example, in the assessment of maturity, would be as follows: Figure 10 Comparing the measured values ​​(refer to Non-Patent Literature 4) with the simulated values ​​for the same storage time, the correlation coefficient (R) is 0.96, which is a reasonable value. Furthermore, Figure 10This is a graph showing a comparison between measured values ​​(refer to Non-Patent Document 4) and simulated values ​​of IMP values ​​at a storage temperature of 0°C under the same storage time. Furthermore, in the measured values ​​of Examples 1 to 26, for measured values ​​where the lethal time or slaughter time was inconsistent with the storage start time (i.e., measured values ​​where the K value was not 0 for a storage time of 0 hours), corrections were made to make the K value for a storage time of 0 hours 0. However, it was confirmed beforehand that this correction was only a few hours relative to the overall evaluation time and would not affect the evaluation results.

[0202] [Example 2]

[0203] Next, the storage temperature in Example 1 was changed to 10°C. Otherwise, the concentrations of ATP-related compounds, as well as the K and FI values ​​at the fish center P(0, 20, 0), were calculated using the same method. Figure 11 The diagram shows the relationship between changes in the concentration of ATP-related compounds and storage time. Figure 12 The diagram shows the relationship between the K value and storage time. Figure 13 The figure shows the relationship between FI value and storage time. Figure 11 This is a graph showing an example of the simulation results for the concentration of ATP-related compounds at a storage temperature of 10°C. Figure 12 This is a graph showing an example of the simulation results for the K value at a storage temperature of 10°C. Figure 13 This is a graph showing an example of the simulation results of the FI value at a storage temperature of 10°C.

[0204] Figure 14 This is a graph showing a comparison between measured (refer to Non-Patent Document 4) and simulated values ​​of IMP values ​​at a storage temperature of 10°C under the same storage time. Figure 11 At the concentrations of ATP-related compounds shown, the IMP value used, for example, in the evaluation of maturity, would be as follows: Figure 14 The measured values ​​(refer to Non-Patent Literature 4) for the same storage time are compared with the simulated values, and the correlation coefficient (R) is 0.93, which is a reasonable value.

[0205] Figure 15 This is a graph showing a comparison between measured (refer to Non-Patent Document 4) and simulated K values. Figure 15 The diagram shows a comparison of the measured and simulated K values ​​for the fish body center P(0, 20, 0) in Examples 1 and 2 above under the same storage time. The correlation coefficient (R) between the simulated and measured K values ​​(refer to Non-Patent Document 4) is approximately 0.91 at a storage temperature of 0°C and approximately 0.99 at a storage temperature of 10°C, which are reasonable values.

[0206] Figure 16This is a graph showing a comparison between measured (refer to Non-Patent Document 4) and simulated FI values. Figure 16 The diagram shows a comparison of the measured and simulated FI values ​​of the fish body center P(0, 20, 0) in Examples 1 and 2 above under the same storage time. The correlation coefficient (R) between the simulated and measured FI values ​​is approximately 0.98 at a storage temperature of 0°C and approximately 0.99 at a storage temperature of 10°C, which are reasonable values.

[0207] Figure 17 This image shows an example of a screen displaying the calculated results of freshness and maturity assessments. It's an example of the output screen showing the assessment results obtained using the K, FI, and IMP values ​​of the fish's center point P(0, 20, 0) at a storage temperature of 10°C. For example, in the determination using the K value, based on... Figure 11 and Figure 12 By calculating the storage time where the K value is less than 20 and the IMP value is at its maximum, the optimal storage time for taste can be determined. Furthermore, a K value of 20 represents the upper limit for suitable raw consumption, and the storage time at this point can be calculated. On the other hand, in determining the optimal FI value, for example, if the customer specifies 0 or higher as the FI value for best taste, the optimal storage time can be determined based on... Figure 11 and Figure 13 The time when the IMP value reaches its maximum under these conditions is calculated, and the storage time at this point is determined. Furthermore, in cases where, for example, the FI value is -0.2 and the consumer deems it advisable to reduce raw consumption, the storage time at this point can also be calculated, along with a determination of whether the food is safe to eat. Additionally, the maturity (%) obtained using the aforementioned formula (25) can also be calculated. For example, from... Figure 11 Based on the IMP value data, the maturity (%) after 24 hours of storage is 88.73%. Therefore, the maturity (%) can be calculated for any storage time. This allows for the calculation of the real-time K value, FI value, or maturity (%) required in the distribution field, enabling real-time display and determination of freshness. Furthermore, these determination criteria can be arbitrarily set by the user of this device; based on the set criteria (prescribed thresholds), this device can determine freshness and maturity.

[0208] The results above indicate that freshness can be predicted using simulations without actually measuring the animals being consumed during the distribution process. Furthermore, only the necessary component information is extracted to predict changes over time, thus enabling the evaluation and maturity calculation using evaluation indicators that utilize the required components.

[0209] [Example 3]

[0210] Next, it is shown that the parameter setting conditions set in step S2 are applied to... Figure 18The example shown illustrates a step-by-step reaction. Specifically, in addition to the five steps of ATP→ADP, ADP→AMP, AMP→IMP, IMP→HxR, and HxR→Hx, their reverse reactions are also considered to determine the concentration of ATP-related compounds. Regarding the constant data required for solving the unsteady-state heat conduction equation, the average values ​​of 13 common fish species (k = 0.4277, ρ = 999.8, c = 3564.2, Q = 0) were used to determine the changes in the concentration of ATP-related compounds at the center P(0, 7.5, 0), as well as the K and FI values, when the surface and center temperature of the ayu were set to 20°C before storage, the width (X-coordinate) of the ayu was set to 3cm, the length (Y-coordinate) to 15cm, the height (Z-coordinate) to 4cm, the initial ATP molar concentration to be 7.5 μm / g, the storage time to be 96 hours, and the storage temperature to be 15°C. Furthermore, the FI value can also be calculated based on changes in the concentration of ATP-related compounds. However, since K values ​​and FI values ​​are interchangeable, the K value will be used as a representative value in the following examples. Regarding the reaction rate used here, to minimize the error between the measured and calculated values, the following values ​​were used: r8 = 1.0000, r9 = 0.2000, r10 = 0.7000, r11 = 0, r12 = 0.7000, r13 = 0, r14 = 0.0110, r15 = 0, r16 = 0.0200, and r17 = 0.

[0211] [Example 4]

[0212] Next, the reaction described in Example 3 above is used as a stepwise reaction. Figure 4 The method for calculating the concentrations of ATP-related compounds in the five stepwise reactions—ATP→ADP, ADP→AMP, AMP→IMP, IMP→HxR, and HxR→Hx—is shown. In addition, the concentrations of ATP-related compounds and the K value at the fish center P(0, 7.5, 0) are calculated using the same method. Furthermore, r1 = 1.0000, r2 = 0.7000, r3 = 0.7000, r4 = 0.0110, and r5 = 0.0200 are used for each reaction rate.

[0213] [Example 5]

[0214] Using the reaction described in Example 3 above as a stepwise reaction Figure 5The method for calculating the concentrations of ATP-related compounds in the stepwise reactions ATP+ADP+AMP→IMP and IMP→HxR+Hx is shown. In addition, the concentrations of ATP-related compounds and the K value at the fish center P(0, 7.5, 0) are calculated using the same method. Furthermore, r6 = 0.5000 and r7 = 0.0109 are used for each reaction rate.

[0215] Figure 19 This graph compares the measured and simulated values ​​of the total concentrations of ATP, ADP, and AMP stored at 15°C (hereinafter referred to as the ATP+ADP+AMP value) under the same storage time, for different numbers of rate constants in Examples 3-5. Additionally, Figure 20 This is a graph showing a comparison between the measured and simulated values ​​of the IMP values ​​of Examples 3 to 5 under the same storage time. Figure 21 This is a graph showing a comparison between measured and simulated values ​​of the summed concentrations of HxR and Hx (hereinafter referred to as HxR+Hx value) obtained in Examples 3 to 5 under the same storage time. For Figure 19 The correlation coefficients (R) between the simulated and measured ATP+ADP+AMP values ​​shown are approximately 0.94 in Example 3, approximately 0.95 in Example 4, and approximately 0.99 in Example 5, which are reasonable values. Figure 20 The IMP values ​​shown, with correlation coefficients (R) between simulated and measured values ​​of approximately 0.89 in Example 3, approximately 0.90 in Example 4, and approximately 0.96 in Example 5, are reasonable values. Figure 21 The HxR+Hx value shown shows that the correlation coefficient (R) between the simulated and measured values ​​is approximately 0.98 in Examples 3 to 5, which is a reasonable value. It is clear that the consistency between the measured and simulated values ​​is good in all examples, especially in Example 5, where there are two rate constants, so even with very little time to determine their values, high-precision simulation results can be obtained.

[0216] Figure 22 This is a graph comparing the measured and simulated K values ​​for different numbers of rate constants in Examples 3 through 5. The correlation coefficient (R) between the simulated and measured K values ​​is approximately 0.98 in Example 3, approximately 0.96 in Example 4, and approximately 0.96 in Example 5, which are reasonable values. It is clear that the agreement between the measured and simulated K values ​​is good, especially in Example 5, where the presence of two rate constants allows for high-precision simulation results even with very little time spent determining their values.

[0217] [Examples 6 to 19]

[0218] Next, using as a step-by-step reaction Figure 5 The method for calculating the concentrations of ATP-related compounds associated with the stepwise reactions of ATP+ADP+AMP→IMP and IMP→HxR+Hx, as shown in Table 1, was used to simulate the aquatic animal species of Examples 6 to 19 as presented in Table 1, employing the storage temperature and rate constants shown in the table. The method for calculating the concentrations of ATP-related compounds associated with the stepwise reactions of the two steps, as shown in Table 1, was used. In addition, the concentrations of ATP-related compounds and the K value at the exact center of each fish body (x = 0, Y = length of the fish body ÷ 2, Z = 0) were calculated using the same method as in Example 5. As an example, in... Figure 23 The diagram shows a comparison of measured and simulated values ​​of the K value for Japanese mackerel (Example 6) under the same storage time. Figure 24 Table 1 shows a comparison between measured and simulated values ​​of the K value for mackerel (Example 7) under the same storage time. Furthermore, the correlation coefficients calculated similarly for Examples 5 through 19, including Example 5, are summarized in Table 1.

[0219] [Table 1]

[0220]

[0221] for Figure 23 and Figure 24 In Examples 6 and 7, the correlation coefficient (R) between the simulated and measured values ​​of K is approximately 0.99, which is reasonable. Furthermore, in Examples 8 to 19 shown in Table 1, the correlation coefficient (R) between the simulated and measured values ​​is also above 0.95, which is reasonable. It is clear that in every example, the consistency between the measured and simulated values ​​is good. Even in simulations where the time required to determine their values ​​is very short and two reaction rate constants can be calculated in a short time, high-precision results can be obtained. Moreover, statistically, a correlation coefficient (R) of 0.7 or higher is considered sufficiently correlated; therefore, the accuracy of this simulation can be judged to be very high.

[0222] [Example 20]

[0223] Next, the appropriateness of this simulation was investigated for animals other than aquatic animals. Specifically, the simulation was used as a stepwise response. Figure 5The method for calculating the concentration of ATP-related compounds in the stepwise reactions ATP+ADP+AMP→IMP and IMP→HxR+Hx, as shown, was used to simulate beef stored at 2°C. For the constants required to solve the unsteady-state heat conduction equation, literature values ​​(k = 0.467, ρ = 1053, c = 3412, Q = 0) (Non-Patent Literature 9) were used. The surface and center temperature of the beef slices before storage was set to 35°C, and its width (X-coordinate) was set to 15cm, length (Y-coordinate) to 15cm, and height (Z-coordinate) to 3cm. The concentration of ATP-related compounds and the K value at P(0, 7.5, 0) in the center of the beef were calculated. The initial ATP molar concentration was set to 6.0 μm / g, the storage time to 750 hours, and the storage temperature to 2°C. The rate constants for each reaction were k6 = 0.7000 and k7 = 0.0019. Furthermore, the reaction rate constant used here was determined in a manner that minimizes the error between the measured value (non-patent document 5) and the simulated value. Figure 25 The paper shows a comparison between measured and simulated values ​​of the K value in beef under the same storage time (Non-Patent Document 5). For Figure 25 The K value in Example 20 shown has a correlation coefficient (R) of approximately 0.98 between the simulated and measured values, which is a reasonable value.

[0224] [Example 21]

[0225] Next, similar to Example 20 above, a simulation of chicken meat stored at 3°C ​​was performed. Regarding the constants required for solving the unsteady-state heat conduction equation, literature values ​​(k = 0.513, ρ = 1062, c = 3591, Q = 0) (Non-Patent Literature 9) were used. The temperature of the surface and center of the chicken slice before storage was set to 35°C, its width (X-coordinate) was set to 15 cm, its length (Y-coordinate) to 15 cm, and its height (Z-coordinate) to 3 cm. The concentration of ATP-related compounds and the K value at P(0, 7.5, 0) in the center of the chicken slice were calculated. The initial ATP molar concentration was set to 9.4 μm / g, the storage time to 300 hours, and the storage temperature to 3°C. k6 = 0.1990 and k7 = 0.0014 were used for each reaction rate constant. Furthermore, the reaction rate constants used here were determined in a way that minimized the error between the measured values ​​(Non-Patent Literature 6) and the simulated values. Figure 26 The paper shows a comparison between measured and simulated values ​​of the K value in chicken meat over the same storage time (Non-Patent Document 6). For Figure 26 The K value in Example 20 shown has a correlation coefficient (R) of approximately 0.97 between the simulated and measured values, which is a reasonable value.

[0226] [Example 22]

[0227] Next, similar to Example 20 above, a simulation of domestic pork storage at a temperature of 4°C was performed. Regarding the constant data required for solving the unsteady-state heat conduction equation, literature values ​​(k = 0.502, ρ = 1130, c = 3433, Q = 0) (Non-Patent Literature 9) were used. The surface and center temperature of each domestic pork slice before storage was set to 35°C, and its width (X-coordinate) was set to 15cm, length (Y-coordinate) to 15cm, and height (Z-coordinate) to 3cm. The concentration of ATP-related compounds and the corrected K value (hereinafter referred to as mK value) at P(0, 7.5, 0) in the center of the domestic pork were calculated. Furthermore, the mK value is derived from a method specifically for evaluating the freshness of domestic pork (Non-Patent Literature 7) using the following formula.

[0228] mK value (%)=((HxR+Hx) / (IMP+HxR+Hx))×100…(26)

[0229] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the freshness and maturity evaluation unit 14 calculates the storage time until the mK value reaches a preset value (prescribed threshold) based on the time change of the mK value, and the value of the mK value of the edible animal during the preset storage time (prescribed threshold). The freshness and maturity determination unit 15 then compares the evaluation results obtained by the freshness and maturity evaluation unit 14 with the preset threshold (prescribed threshold) to determine the quality level of the freshness and / or maturity of the edible animal.

[0230] The initial ATP molar concentration was set to 10 μm / g, the storage time to 300 hours, and the storage temperature to 4°C. r6 = 0.5000 and r7 = 0.0016 were used for each rate. Furthermore, the reaction rate constants used here were determined in a manner that minimized the error between the measured values ​​(Non-Patent Document 7) and the simulated values.

[0231] [Example 23]

[0232] Next, similar to Example 20 above, a simulation of wild boar meat storage at 0°C was performed. Since the constant data for wild boar meat required for solving the unsteady-state heat conduction equation were unavailable, data from domestic pigs (k = 0.5020, ρ = 1130, c = 3433, Q = 0) (Non-Patent Document 9) were used. The surface and center temperature of the wild boar meat slices just before storage was set to 35°C, and its width (X-coordinate) was set to 15 cm, length (Y-coordinate) to 15 cm, and height (Z-coordinate) to 3 cm. The concentration of ATP-related compounds and the K value at the center P(0, 7.5, 0) of the wild boar meat were calculated. The initial ATP molar concentration was set to 10.0 μm / g, the storage time to 400 hours, and the storage temperature to 0°C. k6 = 0.3000 and k7 = 0.0035 were used for each reaction rate constant. Furthermore, the reaction rate constant used here was determined in a manner that minimizes the error between the measured value (Non-Patent Document 8) and the simulated value. For Examples 20 to 23, the correlation coefficient (R), reaction rate constant, and storage temperature (°C) are summarized in Table 2.

[0233] [Table 2]

[0234]

[0235] In Examples 20 to 23 shown in Table 2, the correlation coefficient (R) between the simulated and measured values ​​is also above 0.97, which is a reasonable value. It is clear that in every example, the consistency between the measured and simulated values ​​is good, and high-precision results can be obtained even in simulations where the time required to determine their values ​​is very short and two reaction rate constants can be calculated in a short time. Furthermore, the results in Table 2 clearly demonstrate that this simulation method can be used to evaluate the freshness and / or maturity of livestock.

[0236] [Example 24]

[0237] At a storage temperature of -6°C for squid, various reaction rates were varied according to storage time. Regarding the constant data required for solving the unsteady-state heat conduction equation, the average values ​​of 13 common fish species (k = 0.4277, ρ = 999.8, c = 3564.2, Q = 0) were first calculated, with the surface and center temperature of the squid set at 20°C, the width (X-coordinate) at 7 cm, the length (Y-coordinate) at 25 cm, the height (Z-coordinate) at 7 cm, the initial ATP molar concentration at 10 μm / g, the storage time at 50 hours, and the storage temperature at -6°C, the center temperature P(0, 12.5, 0). Next, for... Figure 4The method for calculating the concentration of ATP-related compounds in the stepwise reactions of the five steps ATP→ADP, ADP→AMP, AMP→IMP, IMP→HxR, and HxR→Hx was shown, and the concentration of ATP-related compounds was simulated. Figure 27 This graph shows the changes in the concentrations of ATP-related compounds obtained using conventional methods (r1 = 0.1100, r2 = 0.0800, r3 = 0.0300, r4 = 1.1600, r5 = 0.0500) from the start of storage until 50 hours later. On the other hand, Figure 28 This graph shows the changes in ATP-related compound concentrations calculated using the aforementioned reaction rate from the start of storage to 30 hours, and the calculation of ATP-related compound concentrations using reaction rate changes of r1 = 0.0100, r2 = 0.0100, r3 = 0.0100, r4 = 1.0000, and r5 = 0.0200 starting from 30 hours later. Figure 27 From this, it can be seen that: up to 30 hours of storage temperature, the simulated values ​​and measured values ​​are largely consistent; however, after 45 hours, a difference arises between the two values. On the other hand, in Figure 28 As can be seen from the data, after 45 hours, the values ​​of the two are quite consistent. Therefore, by changing the reaction rate as needed to obtain simulation results, more accurate results can be obtained.

[0238] [Example 25]

[0239] Next, in Figure 29 and Figure 30 The text shows the use of [something] as a step-by-step reaction. Figure 5 This is an example of the calculation results for halibut obtained from the method used to calculate the concentrations of ATP-related compounds in the stepwise reactions ATP + ADP + AMP → IMP and IMP → HxR + Hx. Figure 29 As shown, it has a structure that displays transportation routes sequentially on a map. Additionally, as... Figure 30 As shown, it has the following functions: If a route on the map is specified, the temperature change and freshness (K value, FI value) at that time point are displayed on the map. In addition, the evaluation time is also displayed on the chart, thereby visually confirming the freshness or storage temperature at the time of evaluation. Furthermore, it also has the following functions: In cases where infectious diseases occur among personnel involved in the distribution route, or when the situation is determined to be inedible based on fishing / processing data, distribution route information, processing information based on sterilization / disinfection data, and freshness / maturity assessment results, and / or when close monitoring is required, the location of the occurrence, sterilization / disinfection treatment location, related information, and precautionary information are displayed on the map, thereby enabling visual confirmation.

[0240] [Example 26]

[0241] Next, an embodiment for the following function is shown: using and as a step-by-step reaction Figure 5 The method for calculating the concentrations of ATP-related compounds in the stepwise reactions of ATP + ADP + AMP → IMP and IMP → HxR + Hx, as shown, calculates optimized storage temperature, storage time, and other necessary conditions based on information from the halibut freshness evaluation system, and automatically inputs these necessary conditions into the shipping conditions at the time of ordering. For example, if one wants to obtain edible animals with a specified K value, the system performs reverse calculations based on simulation results obtained from this freshness evaluation system to determine the appropriate month, day, and time for harvesting and transportation. Figure 31 In this case, the K-value at delivery and the transit time are also displayed. Additionally, this information can also be... Figure 29 , Figure 30 The information is displayed on the map as shown. After confirming the freshness, route, and estimated arrival time at each location, the order is placed, which allows communication with fisheries workers regarding the catch, and the preparation and delivery of the specified species of fish on the required date and time.

[0242] (Modified Example)

[0243] This invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims. Embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical solutions disclosed in different embodiments are also included within the protection scope of this invention.

[0244] For example, the parameter calculation unit 8 and the evaluation calculation execution unit 9 can also be implemented as a computing device, and as a device independent of other functional blocks. Similarly, the freshness and maturity evaluation unit 14 and the freshness and maturity determination unit 15 can also be implemented as a freshness and maturity evaluation device, and as a device independent of other functional blocks.

[0245] Furthermore, the aforementioned arithmetic unit 5, parameter calculation unit 8, data storage unit 4, and evaluation calculation execution unit 9 can be constructed using hardware logic, or they can be implemented in software using a CPU as shown below.

[0246] That is, it can also be achieved by: creating a recording medium, and having a computer (or CPU (Central Processing Unit) or MPU (micro-processing unit)) read and execute the program code recorded in the recording medium. The recording medium contains the program code (executable program, intermediate code program, source program) of the control program (temperature parameter calculation program, rate constant parameter calculation program, and data related to the rate constant) of the parameter calculation unit 8 and the evaluation calculation execution unit 9, which are software that implements the above functions, in a manner that can be read by the computer. The computer (or CPU, MPU) has a CPU that executes commands to implement the control program for each function, a ROM (read-only memory) that stores the above program, a RAM (random access memory) that expands the above program, and a memory that stores the above program and various data, etc., such as a storage device (storage medium).

[0247] As the aforementioned recording media, examples include magnetic tape systems such as magnetic tape or cassette tape, disk systems including floppy disks / hard disks or optical disc systems such as CD-ROM (compact disc read only memory), MO (magneto-optical disc), MD (minidisc), DVD (digital versatile disc), and CD-R (compact disc-recorder), card systems such as IC (integrated circuit) cards (including memory cards) / optical cards, or semiconductor memory systems such as mask ROM / EPROM (erasable programmable read only memory), EEPROM (electrically-erasable programmable read only memory), and flash ROM.

[0248] Alternatively, the input device 2, data storage device 4, data input unit 7, parameter calculation unit 8, evaluation calculation execution unit 9, data output unit 10, and output device 3 can be configured to connect to a communication network, thereby supplying input data, output data, and the aforementioned program code via the communication network. There are no particular limitations on the communication network; for example, the Internet, intranet, extranet, LAN (local area network), ISDN (integrated services digital network), VAN (value-added network), CATV (community antenna teleVision) communication network, virtual private network, telephone line network, mobile communication network, satellite communication network, etc., can be used. Furthermore, there are no particular limitations on the transmission medium used to construct the communication network. For example, it can utilize wired connections such as the high-performance serial bus IEEE 1394, Universal Serial Bus (USB), USB 2.0, USB 3.0, USB Type-C, USB 3.1 Gen 1, USB 3.1 Gen 2, Thunderbolt 3, micro USB, USB PD, Lightning, power line transmission, cable television lines, telephone lines, and asymmetric digital subscriber lines (ADSL). It can also utilize infrared (such as IrDA or remote control), Bluetooth (registered trademark), IEEE 802.11, IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, IEEE 802.11j, IEEE 802.11n (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.11i, and IEEE... Wireless standards include IEEE 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5), IEEE 802.11ad, IEEE 802.11af, IEEE 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6), IEEE 802.11ah, IEEE 802.11p, hybrid digital radio (HDR), mobile phone networks, satellite lines, and terrestrial digital radio networks. Furthermore, this invention can also be implemented using computer data signals embedded in a carrier wave, which embody the aforementioned program code in an electronic transmission manner.

[0249] Furthermore, the aforementioned freshness and maturity evaluation device and the program with freshness and maturity evaluation method can also be implemented by setting it on fishing boats, fish boxes, cold storage, frozen storage, etc.

[0250] Industrial availability

[0251] The products and methods of the present invention can be used by producers, market personnel, distribution personnel, and consumers in the market and distribution sites of edible animals who need to conduct quality management, distribution management, storage temperature management, and need to determine quality levels related to freshness and maturity.

[0252] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures

[0253] 1: Freshness and maturity evaluation device; 2: Input device; 3: Output device; 4: Data storage device; 5: Calculation device; 6: Operation memory; 7: Data input unit; 8: Parameter calculation unit; 9: Evaluation calculation execution unit; 10: Data output unit; 11: Temperature parameter calculation unit; 12: Rate constant parameter calculation unit; 13: ATP-related compound concentration calculation unit; 14: Freshness and maturity evaluation unit; 15: Freshness and maturity determination unit; S1: Calculation of temperature parameter; S2: Calculation of rate constant parameter; S3: Calculation of ATP-related compound concentration; S4: Evaluation of freshness and / or maturity; S5: Determination of freshness and / or maturity.

Claims

1. A freshness and maturity evaluation device for evaluating freshness and / or maturity of an edible animal, the freshness and maturity evaluation device characterized by comprising: a temperature parameter calculation section that calculates a temperature parameter related to a temperature of an arbitrary region inside the edible animal and a storage time, the temperature parameter being a parameter based on the storage time and the temperature of the arbitrary region inside the edible animal calculated using a non-steady heat conduction equation; a rate constant parameter calculation section that calculates two or more and ten or fewer rate constant parameters, the rate constant parameters being parameters set based on a rate constant of the edible animal calculated using a relationship between the storage time and measured values of concentrations of various ATP-related compounds of the edible animal, and related to stepwise decomposition reactions of ATP-related compounds contained in the edible animal; an ATP-related compound concentration calculation section that calculates concentrations of ATP-related compounds using a stepwise decomposition reaction calculation model using the temperature parameter and the rate constant parameters; and a freshness and maturity evaluation section that calculates a K value and / or an FI value based on the concentrations of the ATP-related compounds. The rate constant parameters are determined by varying the rate constant in such a manner that a sum of squares of differences between the measured values of the concentrations of the various ATP-related compounds and estimated values of the concentrations of the various ATP-related compounds calculated based on the rate constant is minimized. The freshness and maturity evaluation section reversely calculates a storage time required to reach a target value of the K value and / or the FI value set in advance based on the target value.

2. A freshness and maturity evaluation device for evaluating freshness and / or maturity of an edible animal, the freshness and maturity evaluation device characterized by comprising: a rate constant parameter calculation section that calculates two or more and ten or fewer rate constant parameters, the rate constant parameters being parameters set based on a rate constant of the edible animal calculated using a relationship between a storage temperature of the edible animal and measured values of concentrations of various ATP-related compounds, and related to stepwise decomposition reactions of ATP-related compounds contained in the edible animal; an ATP-related compound concentration calculation section that calculates concentrations of ATP-related compounds using a stepwise decomposition reaction calculation model using the storage temperature of the edible animal and the rate constant parameters; and a freshness and maturity evaluation section that calculates a K value and / or an FI value based on the concentrations of the ATP-related compounds. The rate constant parameters are determined by varying the rate constant in such a manner that a sum of squares of differences between the measured values of the concentrations of the various ATP-related compounds and estimated values of the concentrations of the various ATP-related compounds calculated based on the rate constant is minimized. wherein The freshness and maturity evaluation section reversely calculates a storage time required to reach a target value of the K value and / or the FI value set in advance based on the target value.

3. The freshness and maturity evaluation device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by further comprising a data output section that receives the storage time reversely calculated in the freshness and maturity evaluation section. ​ ​ ​ ​ wherein, ​ ​ ​ ​ 4. The freshness and maturity evaluation device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the edible animal is an aquatic animal.

5. The freshness and maturity evaluation device according to claim 4, characterized in that the aquatic animal is any one of ayu, Japanese mackerel, Japanese pony, halibut, bonito, Japanese jack mackerel, Japanese Spanish mackerel, Japanese seabass, Japanese croaker, bluefin horse mackerel, Japanese sardine, squid, Japanese prawn, scallop, and sea urchin.

6. The freshness and maturity evaluation device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the edible animal is a domesticated animal.

7. The freshness and maturity evaluation device according to claim 6, characterized in that the domesticated animal is any one of cattle, chicken, domestic pig, and wild boar.

8. The freshness and maturity evaluation device according to any one of claims 1, 2, 5, and 7, characterized in that the freshness and maturity evaluation section further compares at least any one of the K value, the FI value, and the IMP value with a prescribed threshold value to evaluate the freshness and / or maturity of the edible animal.

9. The freshness and maturity evaluation device according to any one of claims 1, 2, 5, and 7, characterized in that the freshness and maturity evaluation section calculates an mK value from the concentration of the ATP-related compound, and compares the mK value with a prescribed threshold value, or compares both the mK value and the IMP value with prescribed threshold values, to evaluate the freshness and / or maturity of the edible animal.

10. The freshness and maturity evaluation device according to claim 8, characterized in that a freshness and maturity determination section that compares the evaluation result obtained by the freshness and maturity evaluation section with a prescribed threshold value to determine the freshness and / or maturity is further provided.

11. The freshness and maturity evaluation device according to claim 9, characterized in that a freshness and maturity determination section that compares the evaluation result obtained by the freshness and maturity evaluation section with a prescribed threshold value to determine the freshness and / or maturity is further provided.

12. The freshness and maturity evaluation device according to claim 10, characterized in that the freshness and maturity determination section has a function of comparing at least any one of the K value, the FI value, and the IMP value with a prescribed threshold value to determine the freshness and / or maturity of the edible animal, and displaying optimal recommended cooking information of the material according to the result of the determination.

13. The freshness and maturity evaluation device according to claim 11, characterized in that the freshness and maturity determination section has a function of comparing the mK value with a prescribed threshold value, or comparing both the mK value and the IMP value with prescribed threshold values, to determine the freshness and / or maturity of the edible animal, and displaying optimal recommended cooking information of the material according to the result of the determination.

14. The freshness and maturity evaluation device according to any one of claims 10 to 13, characterized in that The freshness / ripeness determination unit has a structure that displays arbitrary relay points on a transportation path in order on a map, and has a function of enabling visual confirmation of temperature change and / or freshness information at a corresponding position and freshness and / or storage temperature at a specified time on the map if a via position on the map is specified.

15. The freshness / ripeness evaluation device according to any one of claims 10 to 13, characterized in that The freshness / ripeness determination unit has a function of calculating necessary conditions that have been optimized to satisfy order conditions, and automatically inputting initial set values of delivery conditions that satisfy the needs of a demander, wherein the necessary conditions are storage temperature, storage time, transportation method, transportation path, fishing / slaughter date and time, and / or transportation start date and time.

16. The freshness / ripeness evaluation device according to any one of claims 10 to 13, characterized in that The freshness / ripeness determination unit has a function of displaying attention information in a case where a person related to circulation in a circulation path has an infectious disease, in a case where it is determined that it is not edible and / or in a case where it is determined that close attention is required based on fisherman / butcher / processor / market / person related to circulation data, circulation via position information, processing information based on sterilization / disinfection data, and freshness / ripeness determination result.

17. A freezer refrigerator, characterized in that The freshness / ripeness evaluation device according to any one of claims 1 to 16 is provided.

18. A freshness / ripeness evaluation method for evaluating freshness and / or ripeness of an edible animal, the freshness / ripeness evaluation method characterized by comprising the steps of: a temperature parameter calculation step of calculating a temperature parameter related to temperature of an arbitrary region inside the edible animal and storage time, the temperature parameter being a parameter based on storage time and temperature of the arbitrary region inside the edible animal calculated using a non-steady heat conduction equation; a rate constant parameter calculation step of calculating two or more and ten or fewer rate constant parameters, the rate constant parameters being parameters set based on rate constants of the edible animal calculated using a relationship between measured values of storage time of the edible animal and concentrations of various ATP-related compounds, and being related to stepwise decomposition reactions of ATP-related compounds contained in the edible animal; an ATP-related compound concentration calculation step of calculating concentrations of ATP-related compounds using a stepwise decomposition reaction calculation model using the temperature parameter and the rate constant parameters; and a freshness / ripeness evaluation step of calculating a K value and / or an FI value based on the concentrations of the ATP-related compounds, wherein the rate constant parameters being determined by varying the rate constants in such a way that the sum of squares of differences between measured values of the concentrations of the various ATP-related compounds and estimated values of the concentrations of the various ATP-related compounds calculated based on the rate constants is minimized, the freshness / ripeness evaluation step including reverse calculation of storage time required to reach a target value of the K value and / or the FI value based on a target value of the K value and / or the FI value set in advance.

19. A freshness and maturity evaluation method for evaluating freshness and / or maturity of an edible animal, characterized by comprising the following steps: a rate constant parameter calculation step of calculating two or more and less than ten rate constant parameters that are parameters set based on a rate constant of the edible animal calculated using a relationship between a measured value of a concentration of each ATP-related compound and a storage time of the edible animal, and that are related to a stepwise decomposition reaction of the ATP-related compound contained in the edible animal; an ATP-related compound concentration calculation step of calculating a concentration of the ATP-related compound using a stepwise decomposition reaction calculation model using a storage temperature of the edible animal and the rate constant parameters; and a freshness and maturity evaluation step of calculating a K value and / or an FI value based on the concentration of the ATP-related compound, wherein, the rate constant parameters are determined by varying the rate constant in such a manner that a sum of squares of differences between the measured value of the concentration of each ATP-related compound and an estimated value of the concentration of each ATP-related compound calculated based on the rate constant is minimized, the freshness and maturity evaluation step includes reverse calculation of a storage time required to reach a target value of the K value and / or the FI value set in advance.

20. The freshness and maturity evaluation method according to claim 18 or 19, characterized in that the edible animal is an aquatic animal.

21. The freshness and maturity evaluation method according to claim 20, characterized in that the aquatic animal is any one of ayu, Japanese jack mackerel, Japanese ponyfish, halibut, bonito, Spanish mackerel, Japanese Spanish mackerel, Japanese seabass, Japanese croaker, bluefin horse mackerel, Japanese sardine, squid, Japanese spiny lobster, scallop, and sea urchin.

22. The freshness and maturity evaluation method according to claim 18 or 19, characterized in that the edible animal is a livestock animal.

23. The freshness and maturity evaluation method according to claim 22, characterized in that the livestock animal is any one of cattle, chicken, domestic pig, and wild boar.

24. The freshness and maturity evaluation method according to any one of claims 18, 19, 21, and 23, characterized in that in the freshness and maturity evaluation step, at least any one of the K value, the FI value, and an IMP value is compared with a prescribed threshold value to evaluate freshness and / or maturity of the edible animal.

25. The freshness and maturity evaluation method according to any one of claims 18, 19, 21, and 23, characterized in that in the freshness and maturity evaluation step, an mK value is calculated based on the concentration of the ATP-related compound, and the mK value is compared with a prescribed threshold value, or both the mK value and an IMP value are compared with prescribed threshold values to evaluate freshness and / or maturity of the edible animal.

26. The freshness and maturity evaluation method according to claim 24, characterized in that Further comprising a freshness / ripeness determination process in which the evaluation result obtained by the freshness / ripeness evaluation process is compared with a prescribed threshold value to determine freshness and / or ripeness.

27. The freshness / ripeness evaluation method according to claim 25, wherein Further comprising a freshness / ripeness determination process in which the evaluation result obtained by the freshness / ripeness evaluation process is compared with a prescribed threshold value to determine freshness and / or ripeness.

28. The freshness / ripeness evaluation method according to claim 26, wherein The freshness / ripeness determination process has a process of comparing at least any one of the K value, the FI value, and the IMP value with a prescribed threshold value to determine freshness and / or ripeness of the edible animal, and displaying optimal recommended cooking information of the material according to the result of the determination.

29. The freshness / ripeness evaluation method according to claim 27, wherein The freshness / ripeness determination process has a process of comparing the mK value with a prescribed threshold value, or comparing both the mK value and the IMP value with prescribed threshold values, to determine freshness and / or ripeness of the edible animal, and displaying optimal recommended cooking information of the material according to the result of the determination.

30. The freshness / ripeness evaluation method according to any one of claims 26 to 29, wherein In the freshness / ripeness determination process, there is a structure in which any relay point on the transport route is displayed in order on a map, and there is a process of enabling visual confirmation of temperature change and / or freshness information at the corresponding position and freshness and / or storage temperature at the specified time on the map if a via point on the map is specified.

31. The freshness / ripeness evaluation method according to any one of claims 26 to 29, wherein The freshness / ripeness determination process has a process of calculating necessary conditions that have been optimized to satisfy order conditions, and automatically inputting initial set values of delivery conditions that satisfy the needs of the demander, wherein the necessary conditions are storage temperature, storage time, transport method, transport route, fishing / slaughter date and time, and / or transport start date and time.

32. The freshness / ripeness evaluation method according to any one of claims 26 to 29, wherein The freshness / ripeness determination process has a process of displaying attention information in the case where an infectious disease has occurred among the distribution-related personnel in the distribution route, in the case where it is judged from the fisherman / butcher / processor / market / distribution-related personnel data, distribution via point information, processing information based on sterilization / disinfection data, and freshness / ripeness determination result that it is not edible or that it needs to be paid close attention to.

33. A freezer-refrigerator characterized by Possessing the freshness / ripeness evaluation method according to any one of claims 18 to 32.

34. A computer program product comprising a computer program for causing a computer to execute each of the procedures in the freshness-maturity evaluation method according to any one of claims 18 to 32.

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