Softening and tabletting device and softening and tabletting method

Abstract

The invention provides a softening and tabletting device and a softening and tabletting method, and the softening and tabletting device comprises a softening bin which is used for accommodating materials and introducing steam to carry out steam softening treatment on the materials; and the tablet press is arranged at the discharging downstream of the softening bin, is used for tabletting the softened materials, and comprises a first roller, a second roller and a differential mechanism, and the differential mechanism is used for driving the first roller and the second roller to oppositely rotate in a rotating speed difference mode. According to the method, the plasticity required by subsequent tabletting is quickly obtained by the materials through steam softening treatment, the traditional water soaking procedure can be omitted, the problems of high water consumption, high pollution discharge and nutrition loss caused by soaking are solved, and a loose sheet structure is formed through differential tabletting, so that water permeation can be facilitated.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of food processing technology, specifically to a softening and pressing device and a softening and pressing method. Background Technology

[0002] The brewing process of soy sauce is crucial to the flavor and quality of the final product. In traditional brewing processes, soybeans are usually soaked in water for a long time to allow them to fully absorb water and swell, making their structure loose and their cell walls softened, in preparation for subsequent cooking and koji-making processes.

[0003] However, the soaking process is difficult to control, as it is related to time and temperature, and the water temperature varies with the seasons. It is heavily reliant on the experience of the operators. Insufficient soaking can easily result in undercooked soybeans, while excessive soaking can make the soybeans too soft and mushy, causing nutrient loss, reducing product quality, and easily causing the soybeans to turn sour, damaging the protein structure, seriously affecting the quality of soy sauce, and making it difficult to achieve standardized and large-scale production.

[0004] Furthermore, the soaking process consumes a large amount of water, typically 2-3 times the volume of water by weight. This not only increases water consumption but also generates a large amount of wastewater containing nutrients such as protein, which is prone to foaming and spoilage. This wastewater must undergo specialized wastewater treatment before discharge, increasing environmental costs and production burden. Secondly, during the prolonged soaking process, some soluble nutrients in the soybeans dissolve in the water and are lost, leading to reduced material utilization.

[0005] In recent years, some companies have also tried the crushing process to produce soybeans. After crushing whole soybeans, they are soaked, steamed, and then used for koji making. Although the crushing process eliminates the soaking process, the crushed soybeans are of different sizes and have a high degree of powderiness. The powdery particles are prone to clumping when soaked, and the coarse particles are difficult to soak thoroughly. After steaming, they are prone to being undercooked and clumping together, which affects koji making and fermentation. Summary of the Invention To address the above problems, a softening and tableting device and a softening and tableting method are provided. By combining steam softening and differential speed tableting, the material can be treated without soaking, and loose, flaky material that is conducive to subsequent cooking and koji making can be obtained.

[0006] A first aspect of the present invention provides a softening tableting apparatus, comprising: a softening chamber for containing material and introducing steam to perform steam softening treatment on the material; and a tableting machine disposed downstream of the outlet of the softening chamber for pressing the softened material into tablets, comprising a first roller and a second roller and a differential speed mechanism, the differential speed mechanism being used to drive the first roller and the second roller to rotate in opposite directions with a speed difference.

[0007] According to the above technical solution, steam softening treatment enables the material to quickly obtain the plasticity required for subsequent tableting, preparing it for the next tableting step; at the same time, differential speed tableting can form a loose sheet structure, which is conducive to moisture penetration.

[0008] Optionally, the softening chamber is equipped with a steam nozzle and a temperature sensor, and the steam pipeline connected to the steam nozzle is equipped with a regulating valve that is linked to the temperature sensor.

[0009] Based on the above technical solution, the temperature sensor can monitor the temperature inside the chamber in real time and control the steam flow through the regulating valve, thereby achieving accurate and automated control of the softening temperature. This ensures a constant temperature inside the softening chamber, allowing the material inside to undergo uniform and stable softening treatment, eliminating the reliance on manual experience.

[0010] Optionally, the softening chamber can be a vertical or horizontal structure.

[0011] Based on the above technical solutions, two different structures, vertical and horizontal, are provided to flexibly adapt to different workshop sites and production line layout requirements, enhancing the applicability and flexibility of the equipment. The vertical structure occupies less space and utilizes gravity for material unloading; the horizontal structure has a lower height, facilitating horizontal integration with existing production lines.

[0012] Optionally, the tablet press also includes: a material leveling mechanism, located downstream of the softening chamber discharge, having left-handed and right-handed blades with opposite rotation directions, for leveling the material; The feeding mechanism is located downstream of the material distribution mechanism and upstream of the feed of the first and second rollers. It includes a rotor with a semi-circular groove on its outer circumferential surface for separating materials.

[0013] According to the above technical solution, the material leveling mechanism can evenly spread the material discharged from the softening hopper, avoiding local accumulation; then, the rotor with a semi-circular groove in the feeding mechanism can orderly separate the material and guide it between the first and second rollers. Through the cooperation of the material leveling mechanism and the feeding mechanism, the material can be evenly and stably fed between the first and second rollers, effectively preventing material blockage and slippage, thereby ensuring the continuity of the tableting process.

[0014] Optionally, the tablet press further includes a scraping mechanism, comprising a scraper that is attached to the outer periphery of the first and second rolls and a tensioning member for tensioning the scraper.

[0015] According to the above technical solution, the scraper can effectively remove material residues adhering to the surface of the roll in a timely manner, keeping the working surface of the roll clean, preventing the residue from being repeatedly crushed and affecting the hygiene of the product or damaging the surface of the roll after drying, thus ensuring the stable operation of the equipment and the cleanliness of the product.

[0016] Optionally, the tablet press further includes: a gap adjustment mechanism, comprising a fixed bearing seat and a movable bearing seat for loading the first roll and the second roll respectively, the fixed bearing seat being kept in a fixed position, and the movable bearing seat being configured to move relative to the fixed bearing seat for adjusting the gap between the first roll and the second roll; The pressure roller mechanism, connected to both a fixed bearing housing and a movable bearing housing, is used to maintain the stable position of the fixed and movable bearing housings.

[0017] According to the above technical solution, the gap between the first and second rollers can be adjusted by the gap adjustment mechanism, thereby flexibly adjusting the tablet thickness according to different materials or process requirements. Simultaneously, the continuous and stable force applied by the pressure roller mechanism ensures a constant gap between the first and second rollers during the tableting process, thus guaranteeing the consistency of the tablet thickness.

[0018] Optionally, the differential mechanism includes a first motor connected to the first roll and a second motor connected to the second roll, or it includes a third motor and a transmission assembly, wherein the third motor is connected to one of the first roll and the second roll, and the transmission assembly enables the first roll and the second roll to be connected and rotate in opposite directions with a speed difference.

[0019] Based on the above technical solutions, a differential speed mechanism can be flexibly selected according to design requirements and cost budget. By using two motors to control the speed difference between the first and second rolls respectively, high control precision and convenient speed difference adjustment are achieved. Alternatively, a single motor combined with a transmission assembly can control the speed between the first and second rolls. Differential pressing forms a loose, sheet-like structure, increasing the surface area of ​​the soybeans and facilitating moisture penetration.

[0020] A second aspect of the present invention provides a softening tableting method, performed using the aforementioned softening tableting apparatus, comprising: Softening step: The material is introduced into the softening chamber and steam is introduced for softening treatment; Tableting process: The softened material is fed between the first and second rollers of the tablet press and tableted under the condition that there is a speed difference between the first and second rollers to obtain tablets.

[0021] Optionally, in the softening step, steam softening treatment is performed at 100℃~110℃ for 5min~15min.

[0022] Based on the above technical solution, steam softening treatment within a preset temperature and time range can efficiently soften soybean tissue, achieving appropriate plasticity to facilitate tableting. Simultaneously, it can effectively reduce the nitrogen solubility index of soybeans, further improving protein utilization.

[0023] Optionally, in the tableting step, the speed difference between the first roll and the second roll is 5% to 40%.

[0024] According to the above technical solution, the shearing and kneading effect generated by the speed difference can make the internal structure of the pressed sheet material loose and not dense, which is conducive to the penetration of moisture. Attached Figure Description

[0025] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the softening tableting device when the softening chamber in the first embodiment of the present invention has a horizontal structure; Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the softening tableting device when the softening chamber in the first embodiment of the present invention has a vertical structure; Figure 3 A schematic flowchart of the softening and tableting method in the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Reference numerals: softening and pressing device 100, softening chamber 10, steam nozzle 11, temperature sensor 12, regulating valve 13, discharge port 14, tablet press 20, feeding hopper 21, first roller 22, second roller 23, uniform feeding mechanism 24, feeding mechanism 25, gap adjusting component 26, scraper 27. Detailed Implementation

[0027] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0028] <First Implementation Method> refer to Figure 1 A softening and tableting device 100 in this embodiment is used for tableting soy sauce or sauce production materials (such as soybeans), and includes a softening chamber 10 and a tableting machine 20.

[0029] The softening chamber 10 is used to hold materials and introduce steam to soften the materials.

[0030] Furthermore, the softening chamber 10 is equipped with a steam nozzle 11 and a temperature sensor 12, and a regulating valve 13 that is linked to the temperature sensor 12 is provided on the steam pipeline connected to the steam nozzle 11.

[0031] Specifically, in this embodiment, multiple steam nozzles 11 are evenly arranged inside the softening chamber 10. The steam nozzles 11 are connected to the outside via steam pipes to allow steam to enter, thereby injecting high-temperature steam into the chamber. A temperature sensor 12 is also installed inside the softening chamber 10 to monitor the internal temperature in real time. A regulating valve 13 is installed on the steam pipes connected to the steam nozzles 11. This regulating valve 13 is communicatively connected to and controlled by the temperature sensor 12. When the temperature sensor 12 detects that the internal temperature is lower than a set value (e.g., 100°C), it controls the regulating valve 13 to open or increase its opening; when the temperature sensor 12 detects that the temperature is higher than the set value (e.g., 110°C), it closes or decreases its opening, thereby achieving constant temperature control inside the softening chamber 10.

[0032] refer to Figure 1 In this embodiment, the softening chamber 10 is a horizontal structure with a feed inlet (not shown in the figure) and a discharge outlet 14 connected to the tablet press 20. It is equipped with a conveyor belt inside, and the material is transported by the conveyor belt. After being softened by steam in the softening chamber 10, the material is output to the tablet press 20 through the discharge outlet 14.

[0033] refer to Figure 2 In some embodiments, the softening chamber 10 can be configured as a vertical structure, which occupies a smaller area and has a feed inlet (not shown in the figure) arranged from top to bottom and a discharge port 14 connected to the tablet press 20. The material falls by gravity and is output to the tablet press 20 through the discharge port 14 after being softened by steam in the softening chamber 10.

[0034] Understandably, the design of the softening chamber 10 as a horizontal or vertical structure can be flexibly selected according to different workshop sites and production line layout requirements, and no specific restrictions are imposed here.

[0035] The tablet press 20 is located downstream of the discharge port 14 of the softening chamber 10 and is used to press the softened material into tablets. It includes a first roller 22, a second roller 23, and a differential mechanism (not shown in the figure). The differential mechanism is used to drive the first roller 22 and the second roller 23 to rotate in opposite directions with a speed difference.

[0036] In this embodiment, the material is steam-softened in the softening chamber 10 and then enters the tablet press 20. The tablet press 20 has a first roller 22 and a second roller 23 arranged in parallel. The material is conveyed between the first roller 22 and the second roller 23. The first roller 22 and the second roller 23 rotate in opposite directions to crush the material and obtain a tablet. The material can be softened and tableted without soaking, eliminating the traditional water soaking process. This solves the problems of high water consumption, high sewage discharge and nutrient loss caused by soaking, and improves production efficiency and material utilization.

[0037] Meanwhile, the first roll 22 and the second roll 23 rotate in opposite directions through a differential mechanism to perform differential pressing. The shearing and kneading action generated by the speed difference makes the internal structure of the pressed sheet material loose and not dense, forming a loose sheet structure, which is conducive to the penetration of moisture.

[0038] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the differential mechanism can use a dual-motor scheme or a single-motor scheme.

[0039] Specifically, in the dual-motor scheme, the differential mechanism includes a first motor (not shown in the figure) connected to the first roll 22 and a second motor (not shown in the figure) connected to the second roll 23. The first motor independently drives the first roll 22, and the second motor independently drives the second roll 23. By controlling the speeds of the first and second motors respectively, the speed difference between the first roll 22 and the second roll 23 can be conveniently and accurately controlled.

[0040] In the single-motor configuration, the differential mechanism includes a third motor (not shown in the figure) and a transmission assembly (not shown in the figure). The third motor is connected to one of the first roll 22 and the second roll 23, and the transmission assembly enables the first roll 22 and the second roll 23 to rotate in opposite directions with a speed difference. The single-motor configuration has a simpler structure and lower cost, and is suitable for applications where the flexibility of speed difference adjustment is not critical.

[0041] Specifically, in the single-motor configuration, taking the first roller 22 as the main drive shaft and using gears as the transmission component, the third motor independently drives the first roller 22. The transmission component includes a first gear installed at one end of the roller shaft of the first roller 22 and a second gear installed at the corresponding end of the roller shaft of the second roller 23. The first and second gears mesh with each other. When the third motor drives the first roller 22 and the first gear to rotate in a certain direction, the meshing second gear will drive the second roller 23 to rotate in the opposite direction, thereby realizing the opposite movement between the first roller 22 and the second roller 23 for crushing materials. At the same time, by designing the first and second gears to have different outer diameters and numbers of teeth, a preset speed difference can be formed between the first roller 22 and the second roller 23.

[0042] In some embodiments, under a single-motor configuration, the transmission assembly can also use pulleys / sprockets for drive. Specifically, the first pulley / sprocket is mounted on one end of the shaft of the first roll 22, and the second pulley / sprocket is mounted on the corresponding end of the shaft of the second roll 23. The first pulley and the second pulley can be connected by a drive belt (e.g., a synchronous belt), or the first sprocket and the second sprocket can be connected by a drive chain. The drive belt or chain can be arranged in a cross pattern, such as a figure-eight shape, or the transmission direction can be changed by adding an idler pulley to achieve opposite motion. Furthermore, by designing the outer diameters of the first pulley / sprocket and the second pulley / sprocket to be different sizes, a preset speed difference can be formed between the first roll 22 and the second roll 23.

[0043] In this embodiment, the tablet press 20 further includes a feeding hopper 21, a leveling mechanism 24, and a feeding mechanism 25 disposed below the outlet 14 of the softening chamber 10. The material discharged from the outlet 14 of the softening chamber 10 enters the tablet press 20 through the feeding hopper 21, and passes through the leveling mechanism 24 and the feeding mechanism 25 in sequence before being fed between the first roller 22 and the second roller 23 for tableting.

[0044] The material leveling mechanism 24 is located downstream of the outlet 14 of the softening silo 10 and has left-hand and right-hand rotating blades with opposite directions of rotation, used to level the material. Specifically, the left-hand and right-hand rotating blades rotate in opposite directions. When the material leveling mechanism 24 rotates, it can simultaneously convey the material accumulated in the middle to both sides, thereby leveling the material and avoiding local accumulation.

[0045] The feeding mechanism 25 is located downstream of the discharge of the leveling mechanism 24 and upstream of the feed of the first roller 22 and the second roller 23. It includes a rotor with semi-circular grooves on its outer circumferential surface for material separation. Specifically, the feeding mechanism 25 includes a rotatable rotor with multiple semi-circular grooves on its outer circumferential surface. When the rotor rotates, the material is distributed into the semi-circular grooves, thus effectively separating it and preventing material from sticking together or piling up between the first roller 22 and the second roller 23. This effectively prevents material from accumulating and swirling at the inlet of the first roller 22 and the second roller 23, ensuring smooth feeding and thus guaranteeing the continuity of the tableting process and the uniformity of the tablet thickness.

[0046] In this embodiment, the radius of the semi-circular groove is set to 3mm-6mm, which is used to separate and feed soybean materials.

[0047] In this embodiment, the tablet press 20 further includes a gap adjustment mechanism. The gap adjustment mechanism includes a fixed bearing seat (not shown) and a movable bearing seat (not shown) for mounting the first roller 22 and the second roller 23, respectively. The fixed bearing seat remains in a fixed position, while the movable bearing seat is configured to move relative to the fixed bearing seat to adjust the gap between the first roller 22 and the second roller 23. Specifically, the first roller 22 is rotatably mounted in the fixed bearing seat, and the second roller 23 is rotatably mounted in the movable bearing seat. The fixed bearing seat and the movable bearing seat are positioned at the same horizontal level, and the fixed bearing seat is fixed in position. The movable bearing seat is connected to a gap adjustment member 26 and can move linearly toward or away from the fixed bearing seat via the gap adjustment member 26.

[0048] In this embodiment, the fixed bearing seat is fixedly positioned, while the movable bearing seat is movably positioned on the guide rail. The movable bearing seat is connected to the gap adjustment component 26 and is controlled to move linearly on the guide rail to adjust the gap between the first roll 22 and the second roll 23.

[0049] Understandably, the gap adjustment mechanism only needs to be able to adjust the gap between the first roll 22 and the second roll 23, and there are no specific limitations on the structure of the gap adjustment mechanism.

[0050] Furthermore, the tablet press 20 also includes a pressure roller mechanism connected to a fixed bearing seat and a movable bearing seat, used to maintain the positional stability of the fixed bearing seat and the movable bearing seat. In this embodiment, the pressure roller mechanism may consist of a pair of springs or a pair of hydraulic cylinders, which can maintain the positional stability of the fixed bearing seat and the movable bearing seat through continuous and stable force application, thereby stabilizing the gap between the first roller 22 and the second roller 23 and ensuring the consistency of tablet pressing.

[0051] In this embodiment, the tablet press 20 further includes a scraping mechanism, comprising a scraper 27 fitted to the outer peripheral surfaces of the first roll 22 and the second roll 23, and a tensioning member (not shown) for tensioning the scraper 27. Specifically, the scraper 27 is disposed below the first roll 22 and the second roll 23, and is fitted to the outer peripheral surfaces of the first roll 22 and the second roll 23, respectively. The scraper 27 is tensioned by a tensioning member such as a spring to adhere tightly to the roll surface, thereby scraping away any fine residue that may adhere to the rolls after tableting, preventing it from affecting subsequent production.

[0052] <Second Implementation Method> refer to Figure 3 A softening tableting method in this embodiment, using the softening tableting apparatus 100 as in the first embodiment, includes: Softening step: The material is introduced into the softening chamber 10 and steam is introduced for softening treatment.

[0053] Specifically, in this embodiment, the screened and impurity-removed soybeans (e.g., with a diameter of 6-8 mm) are introduced into the softening chamber 10, and high-temperature steam at 100℃~110℃ is introduced into the softening chamber 10 for softening treatment, with the treatment time set to 5min~15min. During this process, the soybeans are in full contact with the steam, exchanging heat and moisture, increasing the soybean moisture content by 3%~10%, softening their tissue, obtaining suitable plasticity, and producing minimal broken particles and fine powder. At the same time, the nitrogen solubility index (NSI) of the soybeans decreases, which is beneficial to improving protein utilization.

[0054] Tableting step: The softened material is conveyed between the first roller 22 and the second roller 23 of the tablet press 20. The tablets are pressed under the condition that there is a speed difference between the first roller 22 and the second roller 23 to obtain tablet material.

[0055] Specifically, in this embodiment, the softened soybeans are discharged from the softening chamber 10 and, through the orderly conveying of the uniform feeding mechanism 24 and the feeding mechanism 25, enter between the first roller 22 and the second roller 23. The gap between the first roller 22 and the second roller 23 is set by the gap adjustment mechanism, so that the thickness of the pressed soybean flakes is 1.5mm to 3mm, effectively shortening the moisture penetration path. Experimental calculations show that the soybean flakes in this embodiment can absorb 80-90% of the moisture within 3 minutes. Simultaneously, a differential speed mechanism drives the first roller 22 and the second roller 23, creating a speed difference of 5% to 40%, preferably 20% to 30%. Under the combined action of the opposing rotation of the first roller 22 and the second roller 23 and the shearing and kneading force generated by the speed difference, the soybeans are pressed into a loose, non-dense flake structure, which further facilitates moisture penetration.

[0056] Soybean tablets obtained through the softening and pressing method of this embodiment can be directly used in subsequent cooking and koji-making processes without the need for traditional water soaking. Furthermore, experimental calculations show that the digestibility and utilization rate of soybeans can be increased from 80-82% in the traditional soaking process to 88-90%, while simultaneously avoiding the generation of soaking wastewater, thus achieving energy conservation, emission reduction, and green production.

[0057] The above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A softening tablet compressing device, characterized in that, include: A softening chamber is used to hold materials and introduce steam to soften them. A tablet press, located downstream of the softening chamber, is used to press the softened material into tablets. It includes a first roller, a second roller, and a differential speed mechanism. The differential speed mechanism drives the first roller and the second roller to rotate in opposite directions with a speed difference.

2. The softening tablet compressing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The softening chamber is equipped with a steam nozzle and a temperature sensor, and a regulating valve that is linked to the temperature sensor is installed on the steam pipeline connected to the steam nozzle.

3. The softening tablet compressing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The softening chamber can be a vertical or horizontal structure.

4. The softening tablet compressing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The tablet press also includes: The material leveling mechanism, located downstream of the softening silo discharge, has left-handed and right-handed blades with opposite rotation directions for leveling the material. The feeding mechanism is located downstream of the material distribution mechanism and upstream of the feed of the first and second rollers. It includes a rotor with a semi-circular groove on its outer circumferential surface for separating materials.

5. The softening tablet compressing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The tablet press also includes: The scraping mechanism includes a scraper that is attached to the outer peripheral surfaces of the first roll and the second roll, and a tensioning member for tensioning the scraper.

6. The softening tablet compressing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The tablet press also includes: The gap adjustment mechanism includes a fixed bearing seat and a movable bearing seat for loading a first roll and a second roll, respectively. The fixed bearing seat is kept in a fixed position, and the movable bearing seat is configured to move relative to the fixed bearing seat for adjusting the gap between the first roll and the second roll. The pressure roller mechanism is connected to the fixed bearing seat and the movable bearing seat, and is used to keep the positions of the fixed bearing seat and the movable bearing seat stable.

7. The softening tablet compressing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The differential mechanism includes a first motor connected to the first roll and a second motor connected to the second roll. Alternatively, it may include a third motor and a transmission assembly, wherein the third motor is connected to one of the first roll and the second roll, and the transmission assembly enables the first roll and the second roll to be connected and rotate in opposite directions with a speed difference.

8. A method for softening and compressing tablets, performed using the softening and compressing apparatus as described in any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, include: Softening step: The material is introduced into the softening chamber and steam is introduced for softening treatment; Tableting process: The softened material is fed between the first and second rollers of the tablet press and tableted under the condition that there is a speed difference between the first and second rollers to obtain tablets.

9. The softening and tableting method according to claim 8, characterized in that, In the softening step, a steam softening treatment is performed at 100℃~110℃ for 5min~15min.

10. The softening and tableting method according to claim 8, characterized in that, In the tableting step, the speed difference between the first roll and the second roll is 5% to 40%.

Images