An artificial fat-like adipose tissue simulation cell forming device and method

Abstract

The present invention relates to the technical field of artificial meat processing, and in particular to an artificial fat adipose tissue simulation cell forming device and method, including: a forming mechanism, including a forming nozzle, a first nozzle, and a second nozzle that are sleeved layer by layer from the outside to the inside; the second nozzle is used to eject the inner phase material, the first nozzle is used to eject the chitosan material, the forming nozzle is used to eject the base material, the inner phase material is wrapped by the chitosan material, and the chitosan material is wrapped by the base material to form an artificial fat material; a 3D printing mechanism, including a platform and a moving component; the moving component is connected to the platform and drives the platform to move along a preset path; the platform is arranged below the forming nozzle, and the artificial fat material formed by the forming mechanism forms an artificial fat finished product on the platform. The present invention has the effect of making the produced artificial fat finished product have a taste similar to that of the adipose tissue of real animal meat products.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of artificial meat processing, and in particular to an artificial fat adipose tissue-simulating cell forming device and method. Background Art

[0002] With the development of society, people have higher and higher requirements for vegetarian meat products, pursuing the organizational structure and taste similar to those of animal meat. Now, a variety of methods using single-screw or twin-screw extruders to prepare artificial meat have been developed, enabling plant-based raw materials to undergo denaturation under the action of high temperature, high pressure, and high shear force to form a fibrous structure and having a chewing feeling similar to that of meat. The artificial meat prepared by this method has good chewiness, but it only simulates the fibrous feeling of meat and lacks the structure and taste similar to adipose tissue. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Therefore, the technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to overcome the defects in the prior art. In order to make artificial meat have the taste of part of the adipose tissue of real animal meat products and simulate the cell structure of adipose tissue, it is necessary to develop a device with a simple structure and advantages in effectiveness and quality for manufacturing a simulated adipose cell structure, which has very important application value and social significance.

[0004] To solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides an artificial fat adipose tissue-simulating cell forming device, including:

[0005] A forming mechanism, including a forming nozzle, a first nozzle, and a second nozzle sleeved layer by layer from outside to inside; the second nozzle is used to spray the inner-phase material, the first nozzle is used to spray the chitosan material, the forming nozzle is used to spray the base material, the inner-phase material is wrapped by the chitosan material, and the chitosan material is wrapped by the base material to form an artificial fat material;

[0006] A 3D printing mechanism, including a platform and a moving component; the moving component is connected to the platform and drives the platform to move along a preset path; the platform is arranged below the forming nozzle, and the artificial fat material formed by the forming mechanism forms an artificial fat finished product on the platform.

[0007] By adopting the above technical solution, the artificial meat produced contains an inner-phase material, a chitosan material, and a base material. The inner-phase material is used to simulate the cell fluid in the fat tissue, the chitosan material is used to simulate the cell wall in the fat tissue, and then the two are wrapped by the base material, so that the artificial meat produced has a taste similar to that of fat.

[0008] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the forming mechanism further includes a shunt base, and the shunt base is provided with a chitosan material tank and an internal phase material tank that do not communicate with each other. The chitosan material tank outputs the chitosan material to the first nozzle, and the internal phase material tank outputs the internal phase material to the second nozzle.

[0009] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the chitosan material tank and the internal phase material tank are opened on the top surface of the shunt base.

[0010] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the bottom of the chitosan material tank is provided with a chitosan flow port, and the bottom of the internal phase material tank is provided with an internal phase flow channel pipe. The center of the internal phase flow channel pipe coincides with the center of the chitosan flow port. The chitosan flow port outputs the chitosan material to the first nozzle, and the internal phase flow channel pipe outputs the internal phase material to the second nozzle.

[0011] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the forming mechanism further includes a transfer base, and the transfer base is provided with an insertion port. The inner diameter of the insertion port is larger than the outer diameter of the internal phase flow channel pipe. The internal phase flow channel pipe passes through the insertion port and is connected to the second nozzle, and the internal phase flow channel pipe is connected to the first nozzle.

[0012] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there are at least two groups of the chitosan flow ports and the internal phase flow channel pipes, and the same number of the insertion ports, the first nozzles, and the second nozzles are provided.

[0013] By adopting the above technical solution, multiple groups of chitosan flow ports and internal phase flow channel pipes are provided, so that the density of the fat-mimicking cells in the finished artificial meat can be increased, and the taste of the manufactured artificial meat product is closer to that of real fat.

[0014] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the output end of the first nozzle is located inside the forming nozzle, and the output end of the second nozzle is located inside the first nozzle.

[0015] By adopting the above technical solution, the internal phase material can be wrapped by the chitosan material extruded from the second nozzle after being extruded from the first nozzle, so as to simulate the structure of cell tissue, further improve the taste of the artificial meat, and make its taste closer to that of real fat.

[0016] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the forming nozzle is provided with a base material delivery pipe for delivering the base material.

[0017] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the moving assembly is further connected to the forming mechanism to drive the forming mechanism to move relative to the platform.

[0018] A method for forming artificial fat meat adipose tissue simulation cells, using the artificial fat meat adipose tissue simulation cell forming device described in any one of the above to make artificial fat meat products, includes the following steps:

[0019] Step 1: Extrude the internal phase material, chitosan material, and base material simultaneously in the order from the inside to the outside to form an artificial fat meat material with layer-by-layer wrapping;

[0020] Step 2: Lay and stack the artificial fat meat material along a preset path to form an artificial fat meat product.

[0021] The above technical solution of the present invention has the following advantages compared with the prior art:

[0022] 1. The chitosan material wraps the internal phase material, thereby simulating the structure of tissue cells in real fat meat, making the taste of the artificial meat product manufactured by this device closer to the taste of real fat meat;

[0023] 2. Using 3D printing technology to make artificial fat meat, it can directly make artificial fat meat products with preset shapes, without the need for later shaping work such as cutting, improving production efficiency and reducing labor costs. Description of the Drawings

[0024] In order to make the content of the present invention easier to be clearly understood, the following further details the present invention according to the specific embodiments of the present invention and in combination with the drawings.

[0025] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of an embodiment of this application.

[0026] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the forming mechanism in an embodiment of this application.

[0027] Figure 3 It is an exploded view for showing the cooperation relationship of each component in the forming mechanism in an embodiment of this application.

[0028] Figure 4 It is a top view of the forming flow splitting base in an embodiment of this application.

[0029] Figure 5 It is a cross-sectional view of the forming mechanism in an embodiment of this application.

[0030] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first nozzle in an embodiment of this application.

[0031] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of the mechanism of the second nozzle in an embodiment of this application.

[0032] Description of the reference numerals in the drawings: 1. Molding mechanism; 11. Inner-phase feeding pipe; 12. Chitosan feeding pipe; 13. Upper cover plate; 14. Shunt base; 141. Chitosan material tank; 142. Inner-phase material tank; 143. Chitosan flow port; 144. Inner-phase flow channel pipe; 15. Transfer base; 151. Socket; 152. Heating sheet; 153. Support; 154. Connecting block; 16. Molding nozzle; 161. Base material delivery pipe; 162. First nozzle; 163. Second nozzle; 164. Wedge-shaped card slot; 165. Limit block; 2. 3D printing mechanism; 21. Moving component; 211. X-axis horizontal moving member; 212. Y-axis translation member; 213. Z-axis lifting member; 2131. Guide rod; 2132. Receiving plate; 22. Electric slide rail; 23. Sliding block; 24. Platform; 25. Support. Detailed implementation manners

[0033] The present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the drawings and specific embodiments, so that those skilled in the art can better understand the present invention and be able to implement it, but the embodiments cited are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0034] Refer to Figures 1 to 7 as shown, an embodiment of an artificial fat adipose tissue-simulating cell molding device of the present invention.

[0035] Refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown in and, an artificial fat adipose tissue-simulating cell molding device includes a 3D printing mechanism 2 and a molding mechanism 1 mounted on the 3D printing mechanism 2. The molding mechanism 1 includes an inner-phase feeding pipe 11, a chitosan feeding pipe 12, an upper cover plate 13, a shunt base 14, a transfer base 15, and a molding nozzle 16. The upper cover plate 13, the shunt base 14, the transfer base 15, and the molding nozzle 16 are coaxially arranged and fixedly connected by bolts.

[0036] Refer to Figure 3 and 4 As shown in and, the upper cover plate 13 covers the upper end surface of the shunt base 14. The top surface of the shunt base 14 is provided with a chitosan material tank 141 and a coaxially arranged inner-phase material tank 142. The diameter of the chitosan material tank 141 is larger than that of the inner-phase material tank 142 and is separated by a partition. The chitosan material tank 141 and the inner-phase material tank 142 are not communicated with each other. The output end of the inner-phase feeding pipe 11 penetrates through the upper cover plate 13 and is communicated with the inner-phase material tank 142. The output end of the chitosan feeding pipe 12 penetrates through the upper cover plate 13 and is communicated with the chitosan material tank 141. In actual use, the inner-phase material and the chitosan material can be respectively transported into the molding mechanism 1 through a peristaltic pump. Among them, the specific component of the inner-phase material is coconut oil.

[0037] Refer to Figure 3 and 5, four inner-phase flow channels 144 are arranged in an array with the center of the circle as the origin at the bottom of the flow splitting base 14, and the inner-phase flow channels 144 communicate with the inner-phase material tank 142. The inner-phase flow channels 144 and the flow splitting base 14 are integrally formed. Four cylindrical connecting blocks 154 are provided at one end of the conveying base 15 away from the upper cover plate 13. The connecting blocks 154 and the conveying base 15 are integrally formed. The connecting blocks 154 correspond to the inner-phase flow channels 144 one by one and their axes coincide. Four insertion openings 151 are formed in the conveying base 15. The insertion openings 151 are coaxially arranged with the connecting blocks 154 and penetrate through the conveying base 15 and the connecting blocks 154. The diameter of the insertion openings 151 is larger than the diameter of the inner-phase flow channels 144. During use, the bottom surface of the flow splitting base 14 fits against the top surface of the conveying base 15, and the inner-phase flow channels 144 pass through the insertion openings 151 and extend from the ends of the connecting blocks 154.

[0038] Refer to Figure 4 and 5 , four chitosan flow openings 143 are formed at the bottom of the chitosan material tank 141. The chitosan flow openings 143 are arc-shaped holes, and the centers of the chitosan flow openings 143 coincide with the centers of the inner-phase flow channels 144. The inner arc of the chitosan flow hole coincides with the outer wall of the inner-phase flow channel 144, and the radius of the outer arc of the chitosan flow opening 143 is smaller than the radius of the insertion opening 151. During use, the chitosan material flows out from the chitosan flow openings 143 and flows out along the gap between the inner wall of the connecting block 154 and the inner-phase flow channel 144.

[0039] Refer to Figure 3 and 5 , four first nozzles 162 and a second nozzle 163 sleeved inside the first nozzles 162 are provided inside the forming nozzle 16. A thread is provided at one end of each connecting block 154 away from the conveying base 15, and the first nozzles 162 are detachably connected to the connecting blocks 154 by threads.

[0040] Refer to Figure 6 and Figure 7 , a wedge-shaped card slot 164 is fixedly provided on the outer wall of the second nozzle 163 near the input end, and a limiting block 165 corresponding to the wedge-shaped card slot 164 is provided inside the first nozzle 162, so as to realize the concentric assembly of the first nozzle 162 and the second nozzle 163.

[0041] Refer to Figure 5, the second nozzle 163 has an input end and an output end. The input end of the second nozzle 163 is inserted and cooperated with the inner-phase flow channel pipe 144. The output end of the second nozzle 163 is a conical thin-wall structure. The inner-phase material flows from the inner-phase flow channel pipe 144 into the second nozzle 163 and is formed and extruded from the output end of the second nozzle 163. The output end of the first nozzle 162 is a conical thin-wall structure, and the output end of the second nozzle 163 is sleeved inside the first nozzle 162. In the actual production process, the chitosan material flows out from the gap between the inner-phase flow channel pipe 144 and the connecting block 154 into the first nozzle 162 and is finally formed and extruded from the output end of the first nozzle 162, and at the same time has the effect of wrapping the inner-phase material extruded by the second nozzle 163, so as to form a simulated cell similar to the structure of fat cells.

[0042] Referring to Figure 3 and Figure 5 , a base material delivery pipe 161 is provided on the side wall of the forming nozzle 16. One end of the base material delivery pipe 161 is connected to a peristaltic pump outside, and the other end is communicated with the inside of the forming nozzle 16, so that the base material is delivered into the forming nozzle 16, wraps the simulated cell extruded from the first nozzle 162 and is extruded from the output end to form an artificial fat product with a taste similar to that of real fat. In actual production, the specific composition of the base material can be a mixture of soy protein and TG enzyme.

[0043] Referring to Figure 5 , an annular groove is formed in the inner wall of the transfer base 15, and the four insertion ports 151 are all arranged on the transfer base 15 inside the annular groove. A heating sheet 152 is fixedly arranged in the annular groove. Since in the actual production process, the inner-phase material is coconut oil, the heating sheet 152 can heat the inner-phase material in the inner-phase material delivery pipe 11 to prevent the coconut oil from solidifying and blocking. Secondly, the heating sheet 152 can control the temperature inside the forming nozzle 16 to help the material form better.

[0044] Referring to Figure 1, the 3D printing mechanism 2 includes a support, a moving component 21 mounted on the support, and a platform 24. The moving component 21 includes an X-axis transverse movement member 211, a Y-axis translation member 212, and a Z-axis lifting member 213. There are two sets of Z-axis lifting members 213, which are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the support. The Z-axis lifting member 213 includes an electric slide rail 22, a sliding block 23 slidably arranged on the electric slide rail 22, and a guide rod 2131. The electric slide rail 22 is arranged along the Z-axis direction. One end of the sliding block 23 away from the electric slide rail 22 is fixedly provided with a receiving plate 2132, and the other end of the receiving plate 2132 is fixedly connected to the platform 24. The guide rod 2131 is arranged parallel to the electric slide rail 22. One end of the guide rod 2131 is fixedly arranged at the bottom of the support, and the receiving plate 2132 is slidably connected to the guide rod 2131. During use, the sliding block 23 slides on the electric slide rail 22, thereby driving the platform 24 to move along the Z-axis direction. The guide rod 2131 provides support for the platform 24, making the movement of the platform 24 along the Z-axis direction more stable.

[0045] Referring to Figure 1 and Figure 5 , there are two sets of X-axis transverse movement members 211, which are symmetrically arranged on the top of the support. The X-axis transverse movement member 211 includes an electric slide rail 22 and a sliding block 23 slidably arranged on the electric slide rail 22. The two ends of the electric guide rail of the Y-axis translation member 212 are respectively fixedly connected to the sliding blocks 23 on the X-axis transverse movement member 211. During use, the sliding block 23 arranged on the X-axis translation member can drive the Y-axis translation member 212 to move along the X-axis direction. A sliding block 23 is slidably arranged on the electric slide rail 22 of the X-axis transverse movement member 211. A support member 153 is fixedly arranged on the outer side wall of the forming nozzle 16. The support member 153 can be fixedly connected to the sliding block 23 of the Y-axis translation member 212 through bolts. Through the above structure, the transverse movement function of the forming mechanism 1 along the X-axis direction and the translation function along the Y-axis direction can be realized.

[0046] The implementation principle of the artificial fat tissue - simulated cell forming device in the embodiments of this application is as follows: The inner - phase material is conveyed by the inner - phase feeding pipe 11 to the inner - phase material tank 142. Under the action of gravity, the inner - phase material flows into the inner - phase feeding pipe 11 and is extruded from the second nozzle 163; The chitosan material is conveyed by the chitosan feeding pipe 12 to the chitosan material tank 141. Under the action of gravity, the chitosan material flows out from the chitosan flow - through port 143 into the gap between the inner - phase material pipe and the connecting block 154, and finally is extruded from the first nozzle 162 and wraps the inner - phase material extruded from the second nozzle 163, thereby forming simulated cells with the organizational structure of fat cells; The base material is conveyed from the base - material conveying pipe 161 to the inside of the forming nozzle 16, wraps the cell - like tissue extruded from the first nozzle 162, and is finally extruded and formed from the output end of the forming nozzle 16; During the working process, the platform 24 is driven by the Z - axis lifting member 213 to move along the Z - axis direction, and the forming mechanism 1 is driven by the X - axis transverse movement member 211 and the Y - axis translation member 212 to move along the X - axis and Y - axis directions, so that the artificial fat material is extruded to the designated position on the platform 24 and formed into an artificial fat finished product with a preset shape.

[0047] The embodiments of this application also disclose an artificial fat tissue - simulated cell forming method, including the following steps:

[0048] Step 1: Extrude the inner - phase material, chitosan material, and base material simultaneously in the order from the inside to the outside to form an artificial fat material with layer - by - layer wrapping.

[0049] Step 2: Lay and stack the artificial fat material along a preset path to form an artificial fat finished product.

[0050] Specifically, the steps of forming an artificial fat finished product using the above - mentioned artificial fat tissue - simulated cell forming device include:

[0051] S1. Power on the device, so that the inner - phase feeding pipe 11 conveys the inner - phase raw material into the inner - phase material tank 142, the chitosan feeding pipe 12 conveys the chitosan into the chitosan material tank 141, and the base - material conveying pipe 161 conveys the base material into the inside of the forming nozzle 16.

[0052] S2. The inner - phase raw material flows through the inner - phase flow - through pipe 144 and is extruded and formed from the second nozzle 163; The chitosan raw material flows out from the chitosan flow - through port 143, flows through the gap between the insertion port 151 and the inner - phase flow - through pipe 144, and finally flows out from the first nozzle 162 to wrap the inner - phase raw material flowing out from the second nozzle 163, thereby forming simulated cells; The base material in the forming nozzle 16 wraps the simulated cells and is ejected from the output end of the forming nozzle 16.

[0053] S3. Control the 3D printing mechanism 2 to move along the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis in accordance with a preset movement path, so that the material forms a finished artificial fat product with a specified shape on the platform 24.

[0054] Obviously, the above embodiments are merely examples given for clear illustration and are not limitations on the implementation manners. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other different forms of changes or modifications can be made based on the above description. It is not necessary and impossible to list all implementation manners here. The obvious changes or modifications derived therefrom still fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An artificial fat adipose tissue simulation cell forming device, characterized in that, it includes: A forming mechanism, including a forming nozzle, a first nozzle, and a second nozzle sleeved layer by layer from outside to inside; the second nozzle is used to spray the internal phase material, the first nozzle is used to spray the chitosan material, the forming nozzle is used to spray the base material, the internal phase material is wrapped by the chitosan material, and the chitosan material is wrapped by the base material to form an artificial fat material; A 3D printing mechanism, including a platform and a moving component; the moving component is connected to the platform and drives the platform to move along a preset path; the platform is arranged below the forming nozzle, and the artificial fat material formed by the forming mechanism forms an artificial fat finished product on the platform; Wherein the forming mechanism further includes an internal phase feeding pipe, a chitosan feeding pipe, an upper cover plate, a shunt base, and a transfer base; The upper cover plate covers the upper end surface of the shunt base. The top surface of the shunt base is provided with a chitosan material groove and a coaxially arranged internal phase material groove. The diameter of the chitosan material groove is larger than that of the internal phase material groove and is separated by a partition. The chitosan material groove and the internal phase material groove are not connected to each other. The output end of the internal phase feeding pipe penetrates the upper cover plate and is connected to the internal phase material groove, and the output end of the chitosan feeding pipe penetrates the upper cover plate and is connected to the chitosan material groove; The bottom of the shunt base is provided with a plurality of internal phase flow channel pipes arranged in an array with the center of the circle as the origin. The internal phase flow channel pipes are connected to the internal phase material groove. One end of the transfer base away from the upper cover plate is provided with a plurality of cylindrical connecting blocks, and the connecting blocks correspond to the internal phase flow channel pipes one by one and have the same axis.

2. The artificial fat adipose tissue simulation cell forming device according to claim 1, characterized in that, the chitosan material groove and the internal phase material groove are opened on the top surface of the shunt base.

3. The artificial fat adipose tissue simulation cell forming device according to claim 1, characterized in that, the bottom of the chitosan material groove is provided with a chitosan circulation port, the bottom of the internal phase material groove is provided with an internal phase flow channel pipe, and the center of the internal phase flow channel pipe coincides with the center of the chitosan circulation port; the chitosan circulation port outputs the chitosan material to the first nozzle, and the internal phase flow channel pipe outputs the internal phase material to the second nozzle.

4. The artificial fat adipose tissue simulation cell forming device according to claim 3, characterized in that, the transfer base is provided with an insertion port, the inner diameter of the insertion port is larger than the outer diameter of the internal phase flow channel pipe, the internal phase flow channel pipe passes through the insertion port and is connected to the second nozzle, and the internal phase flow channel pipe is connected to the first nozzle.

5. The artificial fat adipose tissue simulation cell forming device according to claim 4, characterized in that, at least two groups of the chitosan circulation port and the internal phase flow channel pipe are provided, and the same number of the insertion ports, the first nozzles, and the second nozzles are provided.

6. The artificial fat adipose tissue simulation cell forming device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The output end of the first nozzle is located inside the shaping nozzle, and the output end of the second nozzle is located inside the first nozzle.

7. An artificial fat adipose tissue-simulating cell shaping device according to claim 1, characterized in that, the shaping nozzle is provided with a base material delivery pipe for delivering the base material.

8. An artificial fat adipose tissue-simulating cell shaping device according to claim 1, characterized in that, the moving assembly is further connected to the shaping mechanism to drive the shaping mechanism to move relative to the platform.

9. An artificial fat adipose tissue-simulating cell shaping method, characterized in that, using the artificial fat adipose tissue-simulating cell shaping device according to any one of claims 1-8 to make an artificial fat finished product, comprising the following steps: Step 1: Extrude the internal phase material, chitosan material, and base material simultaneously in the order from the inside to the outside to form an artificial fat material with layer-by-layer wrapping; Step 2: Lay and stack the artificial fat material along a preset path to form an artificial fat finished product.

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