Constant-temperature culture device for white spirit saccharomycetes

Abstract

The invention discloses a constant-temperature culture device for white spirit saccharomycetes, and relates to the technical field of saccharomycetes culture. Comprising a culture barrel and a temperature control system, a barrel cover is arranged on the culture barrel, a breather pipe inserted into the culture barrel is mounted on the barrel cover, an oxygen supply structure is mounted on the breather pipe, the oxygen supply structure comprises a connecting seat rotationally mounted on the breather pipe, a plurality of annularly distributed air distribution pipes are connected to the connecting seat, and a plurality of air outlet holes are formed in the side surfaces of the air distribution pipes; the connecting seat is connected with a rotating seat, a plurality of supporting cylinders which are annularly distributed are installed on the rotating seat, the supporting cylinders incline towards the direction of the barrel cover, stirring rods are installed in the supporting cylinders in a sliding mode, and floating balls are connected to the stirring rods. The device can utilize the oxygen supply process to improve the heat conduction capability in the culture solution, so that the temperature is kept stable and appropriate in the culture process, and the breeding efficiency of saccharomycetes is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of yeast culture, in particular to a constant temperature culture device for liquor yeast. Background Art

[0002] Saccharomyces cerevisiae is also known as baker's yeast or budding yeast. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is the yeast most widely associated with humans. It is used to make foods such as bread and steamed buns and to make wine. The cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae are spherical or oval, and their reproduction method is budding reproduction. Saccharomyces cerevisiae has many of the same structures as animal and plant cells, which are also eukaryotic organisms. It is easy to culture, and yeast is used as a model organism for studying eukaryotic organisms. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is considered to be the most promising strain for large-scale production. The main product of wild-type Saccharomyces cerevisiae is ethanol.

[0003] The cultivation of brewer's yeast requires a suitable nutritional environment. The nutrients usually required include glucose, nitrogen source and vitamins. The culture temperature and the selection of yeast strains are also important factors affecting the quality of brewing. After cultivation and screening, the yeast strains will be used for fermentation in the brewing process. Before brewing, brewer's yeast needs to go through multiple steps of cultivation. Now it is initially cultivated on the culture medium. After obtaining a certain amount of brewer's yeast, it is transferred to other culture containers for expansion, and finally a large amount of yeast is obtained for subsequent brewing.

[0004] During the cultivation of brewer's yeast, air needs to be continuously introduced to supplement oxygen, and the breeding process may also cause the temperature to rise. During the cultivation of brewer's yeast, a stable temperature environment is required, so temperature control equipment needs to be used in conjunction. This type of equipment is generally manifested as a pipe wrapped around the container. By continuously inputting water or coolant of the corresponding temperature into the pipe, the temperature of the culture solution inside the container can be adjusted. However, the diameter of the container in the yeast expansion stage is relatively large, and because the cultivation process requires strict cleaning and sterilization, there must be no dead corners inside the container, which makes it impossible to set up a complex stirring structure in the container, which in turn leads to low internal heat transfer efficiency, inconsistent temperatures in the middle and edges of the container, and the effect of precise temperature control cannot be achieved, affecting the efficiency of yeast expansion. Summary of the invention

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a constant temperature culture device for liquor yeast to solve the problems mentioned in the above background technology. A constant temperature culture device is proposed that can effectively improve the temperature control effect and enhance the efficiency of yeast culture.

[0006] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following technical solutions:

[0007] A constant temperature culture device for white wine yeast, comprising a culture barrel and a temperature control system; the culture barrel is provided with a barrel cover, the barrel cover is equipped with a ventilation pipe inserted into the culture barrel, the ventilation pipe is equipped with an oxygen supply structure, the oxygen supply structure comprises a connecting seat rotatably installed on the ventilation pipe, the connecting seat is connected with a plurality of annularly distributed air distribution pipes, and the side of the air distribution pipe is provided with a plurality of air outlet holes; the connecting seat is connected to a rotating seat, the rotating seat is equipped with a plurality of annularly distributed support cylinders, the support cylinders are inclined toward the barrel cover, a stirring rod is slidably installed in the support cylinder, and a floating ball is connected to the stirring rod; the ventilation pipe passes through the barrel cover and is connected to a heat exchanger, the end of the heat exchanger opposite to the ventilation pipe is connected to the air outlet end of an exhaust fan, and the heat exchanger is connected to the temperature control system;

[0008] The heat exchanger is connected to a pipeline system, and the pipeline system is used for cyclic connection between the heat exchanger and the temperature control system, the heat exchanger and the ventilation pipe, and the temperature control system and the culture barrel.

[0009] As a further solution of the present invention: the pipeline system includes an air inlet pipe, a first-level water outlet pipe, a first-level water inlet pipe, a second-level water outlet pipe and a second-level water inlet pipe, and a vent joint is provided on the barrel cover, one end of the vent joint is connected to the vent pipe, and the other end is connected to the heat exchanger through the air inlet pipe.

[0010] As a further solution of the present invention: two opposite partitions are arranged inside the heat exchanger, and the interior of the heat exchanger is divided into an air inlet area, a heat exchange area and an air outlet area by the partitions. The air inlet pipe is connected to the air outlet area, and a plurality of heat exchange tubes are connected between the partitions, and both ends of the heat exchange tubes are respectively connected to the air inlet area and the air outlet area.

[0011] As a further solution of the present invention: the first-level water outlet pipe and the first-level water inlet pipe are respectively connected to the temperature control system, and the first-level water inlet pipe and the first-level water outlet pipe are respectively connected to the two ends of the heat exchange zone.

[0012] As a further solution of the present invention: a hollow vacuum layer is opened on the side wall of the culture barrel, and a heat conduction pipe spirally wound on the inner side of the vacuum layer is arranged on the side wall of the culture barrel, and both ends of the heat conduction pipe are respectively connected to a secondary water inlet pipe and a secondary water outlet pipe, and the secondary water inlet pipe and the secondary water outlet pipe are respectively connected to a temperature control system.

[0013] As a further solution of the present invention: a discharge port is installed on the culture barrel, a handle bar surrounding the barrel cover is arranged on the culture barrel, and a plurality of clamping blocks are installed on the culture barrel, and the clamping blocks abut against the barrel cover.

[0014] As a further solution of the present invention: a pressure relief valve is installed on the barrel cover, and a feed port is installed on the barrel cover.

[0015] As a further solution of the present invention: a sterilization structure is installed at one end of the air inlet of the exhaust fan, and the sterilization structure includes a sterilization box, a grid is installed on the surface of the sterilization box, and a multi-layer sterilization filter is arranged inside the sterilization box.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0017] The above-mentioned constant temperature culture device for liquor yeast is adopted. The device is provided with a ventilation pipe which can be inserted into the culture barrel on the barrel cover, and an oxygen supply structure is installed at the bottom of the ventilation pipe. Before ventilation is introduced into the culture barrel, the temperature of the air is first adjusted by using the temperature control system. While the temperature is adjusted by using the heat transfer pipe around the culture barrel, the culture liquid in the middle area is directly contacted with the culture liquid by using low-temperature or high-temperature air, which can also achieve the effect of quickly adjusting the temperature of the culture liquid in the middle area, significantly improving the efficiency of temperature control, ensuring the temperature stability of the culture liquid, and this temperature adjustment process also has the effect of supplying oxygen to the culture liquid, further improving the reproduction efficiency of yeast.

[0018] The above-mentioned constant temperature culture device for white wine yeast is adopted. Since the air outlets used in this device are all located on the side, when the interior is inflated, the generated gas will push the air distribution pipe to rotate spirally, which has a stirring effect on the culture solution. At the same time, the rotation of the air distribution pipe will also drive the stirring rod to rotate, further improving the stirring effect. The support tube is slightly inclined upward. Under the action of weight, the stirring rod is located in the support tube. The overall width of the oxygen supply structure is small, and it can be normally put in and taken out from the opening position of the culture barrel. When the oxygen supply structure is submerged in the culture solution, the buoyancy of the float will pull the stirring rod to extend obliquely upward, expanding the stirring range, so that the yeast can be evenly dispersed in the culture solution. At the same time, since the stirrable area is close to the edge area of ​​the culture barrel, the parts of different temperatures in the culture solution can also be mixed as quickly as possible, thereby improving the temperature control effect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the constant temperature culture device for liquor yeast.

[0020] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure on the back of the constant temperature culture device for white wine yeast.

[0021] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the culture barrel in the constant temperature culture device for white wine yeast.

[0022] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the oxygen supply structure in the constant temperature culture device for white wine yeast.

[0023] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of the oxygen supply structure in the constant temperature culture device for white wine yeast.

[0024] In the figure: 1. Sterilization structure; 11. Sterilization box; 12. Grid plate; 13. Sterilization filter; 2. Exhaust fan; 3. Heat exchanger; 31. Partition plate; 32. Heat exchange area; 33. Heat exchange pipe; 34. Air outlet area; 35. Air inlet area; 4. Bucket cover; 41. Ventilation joint; 42. Pressure relief valve; 43. Feed inlet; 44. Ventilation pipe; 5. Culture bucket; 51. Discharge port; 52. Handle bar; 5 3. Clamping block; 54. Heat conduction pipe; 55. Vacuum layer; 6. Temperature control system; 7. Oxygen supply structure; 71. Connecting seat; 72. Rotating seat; 73. Air distribution pipe; 731. Air outlet; 74. Support cylinder; 75. Stirring rod; 76. Float; 8. Pipe system; 81. Air inlet pipe; 82. Primary water inlet pipe; 83. Primary water outlet pipe; 84. Secondary water inlet pipe; 85. Secondary water outlet pipe. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0026] See also Figures 1 to 5 In an embodiment of the present invention, a constant temperature culture device for white wine yeast comprises a culture barrel 5 and a temperature control system 6; a barrel cover 4 is provided on the culture barrel 5, a vent pipe 44 inserted into the culture barrel 5 is installed on the barrel cover 4, an oxygen supply structure 7 is installed on the vent pipe 44, and the oxygen supply structure 7 comprises a connecting seat 71 rotatably installed on the vent pipe 44, a plurality of annularly distributed air distribution pipes 73 are connected to the connecting seat 71, and a plurality of air outlet holes 731 are opened on the side of the air distribution pipe 73; the connecting seat 71 is connected to a rotating seat 72, a plurality of annularly distributed support cylinders 74 are installed on the rotating seat 72, the support cylinder 74 is inclined toward the barrel cover 4, a stirring rod 75 is slidably installed in the support cylinder 74, and a floating ball 76 is connected to the stirring rod 75; the vent pipe 44 passes through the barrel cover 4 and is connected to the heat exchanger 3, an end of the heat exchanger 3 opposite to the vent pipe 44 is connected to the air outlet end of the exhaust fan 2, and the heat exchanger 3 is connected to the temperature control system 6;

[0027] The heat exchanger 3 is connected to a pipeline system 8 , and the pipeline system 8 is used to establish a circulation connection between the heat exchanger 3 and the temperature control system 6 , between the heat exchanger 3 and the ventilation pipe 44 , and between the temperature control system 6 and the culture barrel 5 .

[0028] The device uses a culture barrel 5 to culture yeast. During the culture process, the temperature control system 6 can adjust the temperature of the internal culture solution through the heat pipe 54 wrapped around the outside of the culture barrel 5. The exhaust fan 2 draws air from the outside and sends it into the culture barrel 5 to supplement oxygen for the yeast, thereby improving the efficiency of yeast culture.

[0029] In addition to conventional temperature control and oxygenation, the device also uses a temperature control system 6 to preheat or precool the air that is about to enter the culture barrel 5, so that the temperature of the air is more in line with the temperature required by the culture solution. After this air with a significant temperature difference with the culture solution enters the culture solution, it is in close contact with the culture solution, and while replenishing oxygen into the culture solution, it also exchanges heat with the culture solution to adjust the temperature of the culture solution. This part of the heat exchange process occurs in the middle of the culture solution, and can enhance the efficiency of the culture solution mixing to a certain extent. With the heat exchange of the peripheral heat pipe 54, the culture solution can be better maintained at a stable temperature, solving the problem of slow heat exchange efficiency of the culture solution and temperature difference between the inner and outer layers.

[0030] The vent pipe 44 is installed on the barrel cover 4. After a round of culture is completed, the barrel cover 4 is removed, and the vent pipe 44 and the oxygen supply structure 7 can be taken out for separate cleaning and sterilization, thereby avoiding the problem of sanitary dead corners in the culture barrel 5 and the inability to clean thoroughly. The connection seat 71 of the oxygen supply structure 7 is located at the bottom of the vent pipe 44 and can rotate. After the gas enters the connection seat 71, it is introduced into the various air distribution pipes 73 on the outside and discharged from the air outlet 731 on the side. The discharged gas generates thrust, which can cause the air distribution pipe 73 and the support tube 74 and stirring rod 75 located above the air distribution pipe 73 to rotate accordingly. Through continuous rotation, the culture liquid can be stirred to prevent the yeast from sinking to the bottom, and the culture liquid in the central area can be more easily mixed with the surrounding area, thereby improving the temperature control effect of the heat transfer pipe 54 around the culture barrel 5.

[0031] The support tube 74 is tilted upward, and the stirring rod 75 inserted into the support tube 74 is retracted in the support tube 74 due to gravity under normal conditions, so the overall width is small, and it can be normally inserted or removed from the opening of the culture barrel 5. After the support tube 74 is immersed in the culture liquid, the buoyancy of the float 76 pulls the stirring rod 75 upward, so that the stirring rod 75 is extended to the maximum extent, and the stirring range can be close to the edge of the culture barrel 5 for comprehensive stirring. In addition, since the stirring and heat exchange processes of the device are both achieved by the process of introducing air into the culture barrel 5, no independent drive is used, which reduces costs and simplifies related structures, can better maintain the sterile environment inside the culture barrel 5, reduce the difficulty of thorough cleaning, and improve the reproduction efficiency of yeast and enhance production capacity.

[0032] As another embodiment of the present invention, please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 The pipeline system 8 includes an air inlet pipe 81, a primary water outlet pipe 83, a primary water inlet pipe 82, a secondary water outlet pipe 85 and a secondary water inlet pipe 84. The barrel cover 4 is provided with a vent joint 41, one end of which is connected to the vent pipe 44, and the other end is connected to the heat exchanger 3 through the air inlet pipe 81. The pipeline system 8 is used to realize the pipeline connection between the various parts, and the joint is used to connect the air inlet pipe 81 to send the air heated or cooled by the heat exchanger 3 into the vent pipe 44.

[0033] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2 , two opposite partitions 31 are arranged inside the heat exchanger 3, and the interior of the heat exchanger 3 is divided into an air inlet area 35, a heat exchange area 32 and an air outlet area 34 by the partitions 31. The air inlet pipe 81 is connected to the air outlet area 34, and a plurality of heat exchange tubes 33 are connected between the partitions 31, and the two ends of the heat exchange tubes 33 are connected to the air inlet area 35 and the air outlet area 34 respectively. The heat exchanger 3 is a gas-liquid heat exchanger 3, and the temperature control system 6 provides water or coolant of a specified temperature, which circulates in the heat exchange area 32, and the air extracted by the exhaust fan 2 passes through the heat exchange tube 33, realizes heat exchange across the heat exchange tube 33, and enters the culture barrel 5 after changing its own temperature. The specific structure of the heat exchanger 3 used in this device does not belong to a restrictive description, but is only used as a display of an available structure. In addition to the conventional tubular heat exchanger 3, other plate heat exchangers 3, spiral plate heat exchangers 3 or other types of heat exchangers 3 also meet the use requirements of this device.

[0034] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2 The first-level water outlet pipe 83 and the first-level water inlet pipe 82 are respectively connected to the temperature control system 6, and the first-level water inlet pipe 82 and the first-level water outlet pipe 83 are respectively connected to the two ends of the heat exchange area 32. The temperature control system 6 supplies water or coolant to the heat exchange area 32, and after pre-adjusting the temperature of the heat exchange liquid, the temperature difference between the liquid and the air is used to achieve heat exchange. According to the culture temperature range required for different culture stages of yeast, the temperature control system 6 needs to have multiple functions of heating, cooling and pumping.

[0035] See also Figures 1 to 3 , a hollow vacuum layer 55 is formed on the side wall of the culture barrel 5, and a heat pipe 54 is provided on the side wall of the culture barrel 5, which is spirally wound inside the vacuum layer 55. The two ends of the heat pipe 54 are respectively connected to a secondary water inlet pipe 84 and a secondary water outlet pipe 85, and the secondary water inlet pipe 84 and the secondary water outlet pipe 85 are respectively connected to the temperature control system 6. The vacuum layer 55 is an optional structure, which is used to isolate the temperature inside and outside and reduce the influence of the room temperature on the temperature inside the culture barrel 5. It is also possible to choose not to use the vacuum layer 55, or replace it with an externally wrapped heat preservation cotton, etc. The heat pipe 54 allows water or coolant to flow spirally around the culture barrel 5 to keep the internal culture liquid at a suitable temperature.

[0036] See also Figures 1 to 3 The culture barrel 5 is provided with a discharge port 51, a handle bar 52 surrounding the barrel cover 4 is provided on the culture barrel 5, and a plurality of clamping blocks 53 are installed on the culture barrel 5, and the clamping blocks 53 abut against the barrel cover 4. The discharge port 51 is used to discharge the culture product after the yeast culture is completed, and the clamping blocks 53 are used to clamp the barrel cover 4 to ensure the sealing effect.

[0037] See also Figures 1 to 3 The barrel cover 4 is provided with a pressure relief valve 42 and a feed port 43. The pressure relief valve 42 is used to maintain a stable air pressure inside the culture barrel 5 and discharge the gas that is continuously increased due to continuous ventilation. The feed port 43 is used for monitoring, sampling, and temporary material replenishment during the culture process.

[0038] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2 A sterilization structure 1 is installed at one end of the air inlet of the exhaust fan 2, and the sterilization structure 1 includes a sterilization box 11, a grid plate 12 is installed on the surface of the sterilization box 11, and a multi-layer sterilization filter 13 is arranged inside the sterilization box 11. The gas extracted by the exhaust fan 2 is first sterilized by the sterilization structure 1, and then passed into the culture barrel 5 to prevent miscellaneous bacteria from entering the culture liquid during the oxygen supply process. In this device, a sterilization filter 13 with a function of filtering bacteria, such as a HEPA filter, is selected to filter bacteria and dust, but this treatment method is only a reference to an available structure and is not restrictive. In addition to the sterilization filter 13, it is also possible to consider pre-treating the air by ultraviolet sterilization, high temperature sterilization, electrostatic dust removal, etc.

[0039] The working principle of the present invention is:

[0040] The culture barrel 5 of the device is provided with a temperature control system 6 for adjusting the temperature, and an exhaust fan 2 is provided to extract air for oxygenating the yeast. Before the extracted air enters the culture barrel 5, it first passes through the heat exchanger 3. The heat exchanger 3 adjusts the temperature through the low-temperature or high-temperature liquid provided by the temperature control system 6, so that the air is in a low-temperature or high-temperature state. After entering the culture barrel 5, the temperature of the culture liquid at the center position can be simply adjusted to make the temperature of the center area of ​​the culture liquid consistent with that of the edge area. The introduced air can drive the rotation of the air distribution pipe 73 and the stirring rod 75 at the bottom, and the stirring rod 75 itself is inclined and can be expanded outward under the action of the float 76 to expand the stirring range, further making the culture liquid continuously mixed, so that the yeast is in a suspended state, avoiding the accumulation of yeast at the bottom, and promoting the rapid mixing of each part of the culture liquid to avoid the problem of inconsistent temperature between the inner and outer layers. The device can significantly improve the expansion efficiency and production quality of yeast.

[0041] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to the details of the exemplary embodiments described above and that the invention can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential features of the invention. Therefore, the embodiments should be considered exemplary and non-limiting in all respects, and the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description, and it is intended that all variations falling within the meaning and scope of the equivalent elements of the claims be included in the invention. Any reference numeral in a claim should not be considered as limiting the claim to which it relates.

Claims

1. A constant temperature culture device for liquor yeast, comprising a culture barrel and a temperature control system; characterized in that: The culture barrel is provided with a barrel cover, and a ventilation pipe inserted into the culture barrel is installed on the barrel cover, and an oxygen supply structure is installed on the ventilation pipe, and the oxygen supply structure includes a connecting seat rotatably installed on the ventilation pipe, and a plurality of air distribution pipes distributed in an annular shape are connected to the connecting seat, and a plurality of air outlet holes are opened on the side of the air distribution pipe; the connecting seat is connected to a rotating seat, and a plurality of supporting cylinders distributed in an annular shape are installed on the rotating seat, and the supporting cylinders are inclined toward the barrel cover, and a stirring rod is slidably installed in the supporting cylinder, and a floating ball is connected to the stirring rod; the ventilation pipe passes through the barrel cover and is connected to a heat exchanger, and the end of the heat exchanger opposite to the ventilation pipe is connected to the air outlet end of an exhaust fan, and the heat exchanger is connected to a temperature control system; The heat exchanger is connected to a pipeline system, and the pipeline system is used for cyclic connection between the heat exchanger and the temperature control system, the heat exchanger and the ventilation pipe, and the temperature control system and the culture barrel.

2. The constant temperature culture device for liquor yeast according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pipeline system includes an air inlet pipe, a first-level water outlet pipe, a first-level water inlet pipe, a second-level water outlet pipe and a second-level water inlet pipe. A vent joint is provided on the barrel cover. One end of the vent joint is connected to the vent pipe, and the other end is connected to the heat exchanger through the air inlet pipe.

3. The constant temperature culture device for liquor yeast according to claim 2, characterized in that: Two opposing partitions are arranged inside the heat exchanger, and the interior of the heat exchanger is divided into an air inlet area, a heat exchange area and an air outlet area by the partitions. The air inlet pipe is connected to the air outlet area. A plurality of heat exchange tubes are connected between the partitions, and both ends of the heat exchange tubes are connected to the air inlet area and the air outlet area respectively.

4. The constant temperature culture device for liquor yeast according to claim 2, characterized in that: The first-level water outlet pipe and the first-level water inlet pipe are respectively connected to the temperature control system, and the first-level water inlet pipe and the first-level water outlet pipe are respectively connected to the two ends of the heat exchange zone.

5. The constant temperature culture device for liquor yeast according to claim 2, characterized in that: A hollow vacuum layer is opened on the side wall of the culture barrel, and a heat conduction pipe spirally wound inside the vacuum layer is arranged on the side wall of the culture barrel. Both ends of the heat conduction pipe are respectively connected to a secondary water inlet pipe and a secondary water outlet pipe, and the secondary water inlet pipe and the secondary water outlet pipe are respectively connected to a temperature control system.

6. The constant temperature culture device for liquor yeast according to claim 5, characterized in that: The culture barrel is provided with a discharge port, the culture barrel is provided with a handle bar surrounding a barrel cover, and the culture barrel is provided with a plurality of clamping blocks, and the clamping blocks are abutted against the barrel cover.

7. The constant temperature culture device for liquor yeast according to claim 1, characterized in that: A pressure relief valve is installed on the barrel cover, and a feed port is installed on the barrel cover.

8. The constant temperature culture device for liquor yeast according to claim 1, characterized in that: A sterilization structure is installed at one end of the air inlet of the exhaust fan. The sterilization structure includes a sterilization box. A grid is installed on the surface of the sterilization box. A multi-layer sterilization filter is arranged inside the sterilization box.

Images