High-energy radio frequency sterilization intelligent flexible production method for edible mushrooms

Abstract

The invention discloses a high-energy radio frequency sterilization intelligent flexible production method for edible mushrooms, and belongs to the technical field of edible mushroom production processes. The method comprises the following steps of substrate enzymolysis and blending, high-temperature fermentation, automatic bagging, high-energy radio frequency sterilization, heat pump cascade curing and cooling, sterile inoculation, intelligent fungus cultivation and flexible switching. According to the invention, the utilization rate of the matrix is improved through enzymatic treatment, rapid and low-consumption sterilization is realized by utilizing a high-energy radio frequency technology, energy recovery and accurate temperature control are carried out by combining a heat pump cascade technology, and flexible, intelligent and continuous production of multiple varieties of edible mushrooms is realized by matching with an intelligent control system. The method solves the problems of high energy consumption, high pollution rate and low automation degree of the traditional process, and has remarkable economic benefits and environmental protection advantages.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of edible fungi production technology, specifically to a flexible and intelligent edible fungi production method that integrates enzymatic substrate pretreatment, high-energy radio frequency sterilization, heat pump energy recovery, and intelligent environmental control. Background Technology

[0002] The edible fungi industry is an important part of my country's agriculture, but traditional production processes face numerous bottlenecks. Firstly, regarding substrate treatment, traditional methods often involve directly mixing raw materials and then sterilizing them. This results in low substrate conversion rates because large molecules such as cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin are difficult for fungal mycelia to utilize efficiently. Secondly, in the sterilization process, atmospheric or high-pressure steam sterilization is commonly used. This method not only consumes large amounts of coal or natural gas, causing high carbon emissions, but also damages some heat-sensitive nutrients in the culture medium due to prolonged high temperatures, affecting mycelial growth and fruiting quality. Thirdly, from a production model perspective, traditional production lines are mostly designed for single varieties, with poor equipment versatility, making it difficult to meet market demands for multi-variety, small-batch edible fungi products. Furthermore, each production stage, such as mixing, bagging, sterilization, inoculation, and mycelial cultivation, often operates independently, lacking intelligent collaborative control. This leads to low production efficiency, high labor costs, and a persistently high rate of contamination due to human factors, severely hindering the industry's upgrading and development. Summary of the Invention

[0003] To achieve the above objectives, this invention provides a smart flexible production method for high-energy radio frequency sterilization of edible fungi, which specifically includes the following steps: The substrate enzymatic hydrolysis preparation process abandons the traditional simple mixing method. Instead, based on the specific nutritional requirements of different target edible fungi such as shiitake and enoki mushrooms, it precisely selects substrate raw materials such as sawdust, cottonseed hulls, wheat bran, and corn cobs and mixes them in scientific proportions. On this basis, special compound enzyme preparations such as cellulase, xylanase, and pectinase are added in a targeted manner. Under suitable conditions, enzymatic hydrolysis reactions are carried out to effectively degrade complex macromolecules such as cellulose, hemicellulose, and pectin in the raw materials, converting them into small molecule sugars, amino acids, and other nutrients that are easily absorbed by mycelia, thereby preparing an "optimized substrate" with more balanced nutrition and easier absorption.

[0004] High-temperature fermentation step: The optimized substrate is transported to a sealed fermentation device. First, primary fermentation is carried out for 40-50 hours within the optimal growth temperature range of 50-60℃ for thermophilic microorganisms, promoting the reproduction of beneficial microorganisms and the initial transformation of the substrate. Subsequently, hot air is heated to 85-90℃ using an external heat source (such as heat energy recovered in subsequent steps) and circulated into the fermentation device for 2 hours. This process is called "pasteurization" or "high-temperature setting," which kills heat-sensitive bacteria and insect eggs in the substrate and further stabilizes the substrate properties, reducing the burden on subsequent sterilization.

[0005] Automated bagging process: A high-precision, high-speed mechanical transmission and collaborative bagging and crating mechanism is used to automatically weigh and fill the fermented substrate. Through a closed-loop feedback control system, the weight deviation of each bag or crate is strictly controlled within 5%, ensuring the uniformity of subsequent sterilization and mushroom production.

[0006] High-energy radio frequency sterilization step: This is one of the core innovations of this invention. The substrate-filled mushroom bags / baskets are fed into the high-energy radio frequency sterilization equipment. Unlike traditional moist heat sterilization, this step utilizes high-frequency electromagnetic waves of specific frequencies (27.12MHz, 915MHz, 2450MHz) to cause the water molecules, polar molecules, and added special radio frequency absorbers inside the mushroom bags to vibrate rapidly and generate heat through friction. This achieves overall heating from the inside out within a very short time (4-6 minutes), achieving thorough sterilization. The power of this process is adjustable from 15-200kW and can be optimized according to different substrate densities and moisture contents, offering significant advantages such as energy saving, speed, and no damage to nutrients.

[0007] The heat pump cascade ripening and cooling step is another core innovation of this invention, achieving highly efficient energy recycling. During operation, the high-energy radio frequency sterilization equipment generates a large amount of waste heat from its transmitting module, requiring refrigerant cooling. This step utilizes advanced heat pump cascade technology to construct an intelligent hot and cold medium circulation system. On one hand, the waste heat generated by the sterilization equipment is recovered and used to produce a 90°C high-temperature heat medium via a heat exchanger. This heat medium is then used to "ripen" the freshly sterilized mushroom bags and baskets, i.e., maintaining them at 85°C for 8 hours. This process helps further stabilize the substrate, promotes the production of certain heat shock proteins, and increases mycelial colonization rate. On the other hand, the 15°C refrigerant generated by the system is used to rapidly cool the ripened mushroom bags and baskets to 20-25°C, a process that takes only 2 hours. This "pretreatment + core sterilization + uniform temperature ripening" route perfectly balances biotransformation efficiency and sterilization efficiency. The entire ripening and cooling module requires a cleanliness level of 10,000, creating favorable conditions for subsequent aseptic inoculation.

[0008] Aseptic inoculation procedure: Before inoculation, the inoculation chamber is sterilized using a combination of ultraviolet light, ozone, and a high-energy particle generator to create a Class 100 clean environment. Then, according to the production plan, a solid inoculation method, such as mycelial granules or liquid inoculation, is flexibly selected to quickly and evenly inoculate the high-quality inoculum into the cooled mushroom bags and baskets. The entire process is completed with the assistance of highly automated equipment, minimizing human contamination.

[0009] Intelligent mycelium cultivation process: After inoculation, the mycelium bags are transported to the cultivation room. An intelligent control system deployed indoors monitors and adjusts environmental parameters in real time, including temperature (20-25℃), humidity (60-70%), CO2 concentration, and light intensity, providing optimal conditions for healthy mycelial growth. The cultivation cycle can be intelligently set between 15 and 35 days, depending on the variety.

[0010] Flexible Switching Procedures: One of the biggest features of this production system is its flexibility. When the production line needs to switch from producing shiitake mushrooms to producing enoki mushrooms, or from bag cultivation to basket cultivation, the operator only needs to select the new production formula and process parameters on the interface of the intelligent control center. The system will automatically adjust all relevant parameters, such as the type and duration of substrate enzymatic hydrolysis, fermentation temperature curve, sterilization power and frequency, and temperature and humidity settings of the incubation chamber. The entire switching process can be completed within 1 hour, greatly improving the utilization rate of the production line and the speed of market response.

[0011] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following significant advantages: This process employs a three-stage composite sterilization method consisting of "enzyme pretreatment + radio frequency radiation + heat preservation and purification," overcoming the limitations of single thermal sterilization and achieving rapid, uniform, and low-damage sterilization.

[0012] Significantly improves substrate utilization and yield: Through enzymatic pretreatment, difficult-to-utilize macromolecules are converted into easily absorbed small-molecule nutrients. Experimental results have shown that this can increase substrate utilization by 15-20%, directly leading to increased yield.

[0013] Revolutionary reduction in energy consumption and cost: High-energy radio frequency instant sterilization technology reduces sterilization time from several hours to just a few minutes, reduces energy consumption by more than 60%, and avoids the destruction of nutrients by high temperatures, resulting in higher nutritional value of the final product.

[0014] Effectively reduces contamination rate: Fully enclosed pipeline transportation, automated bagging, radio frequency instantaneous sterilization, and Class 10,000 / Class 100 clean environment control form a complete sterile barrier, reducing the contamination rate from more than 15% in traditional processes to less than 3%.

[0015] Achieving truly flexible and intelligent production: The one-click product switching function allows a production line to produce different products by "updating parameters," just like software. This perfectly meets the current market demand for diversified and personalized agricultural products, while significantly reducing human intervention and improving production efficiency and product consistency.

[0016] Green and environmentally friendly, in line with the dual-carbon strategy: The application of heat pump technology realizes the cascade utilization of energy and waste heat recovery, which significantly reduces carbon emissions in the production process and is an environmentally friendly green manufacturing technology. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the module layout of the intelligent flexible production line for high-energy radio frequency sterilization of edible fungi in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] Figure label: 1. Mixing machine module 2. Transmission Module 3. Transmission Module 4. High-temperature fermentation module 5. Bagging and crating equipment module 6. Transmission Module 7. Transmission Module 8. High-energy radio frequency sterilization module stacked with air source heat pump unit 9. Transmission Module 10. Curing and Cooling Module 11. Transmission Module 12. Liquid / Solid Seed Module Transducer 13. Automatic shelving module for centralized collection of bags and baskets after vaccination 14. Bacterial Cultivation Module 15. Cascade air source heat pump unit 16 Cold Medium Box 17 Heat Medium Box 18 High-Temperature Heat Transfer Box 19 Intelligent Control Center 20 Hot Air Heat Exchanger 21 Low-Temperature Medium Exchanger 22. High-temperature medium heat exchanger. Detailed Implementation

[0019] The invention will now be described more fully below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which presently preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated. However, the invention may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided for thoroughness and completeness and to fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.

[0020] Reference Figure 1 The diagram shows the layout of an intelligent flexible production line for high-energy radio frequency sterilization of edible fungi. This embodiment provides a demonstration production line with an annual output of 1.5 million shiitake mushroom logs. The entire production line is arranged sequentially along the material flow direction and is uniformly scheduled by the central intelligent control center 19.

[0021] Detailed description of production line structure and workflow: Substrate enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation: Various culture medium raw materials, such as sawdust and wheat bran, first enter the mixing module 1. According to the growth requirements of shiitake mushrooms, the control system automatically adds cellulase and xylanase in proportion. Under suitable temperature and humidity, the substrate's own respiration and enzymatic reaction induce the premature germination of spores of miscellaneous fungi, forming mycelia that are more sensitive to heat.

[0022] After the materials are mixed evenly, they are transported to the high-temperature fermentation module 4. In this module, the fermentation is first maintained at about 55°C for 48 hours. Then, the system instructs the heat pump cascade unit 15 to convert the 90°C heat medium in the high-temperature heat medium box 18 into hot air through the hot air heat exchanger 20. The hot air is then introduced into the fermentation device and maintained at 85°C for 2 hours to complete the final fermentation and maturation of the substrate.

[0023] Automated bagging and sterilization: The fermented substrate is conveyed by the transfer module to the bagging and crating equipment module 5 for automated weighing and filling, with an accuracy controlled within ±2.5%. The filled bags then enter the core high-energy radio frequency sterilization module 8 via the transfer module. This module automatically selects a 915MHz frequency according to a preset program, irradiating the bags with 120kW power for 5 minutes to sterilize them. The radio frequency field achieves multi-angle, no-dead-angle radiation, providing a dual sterilization mechanism: 1. Direct molecular breakdown: Radio frequency energy directly destroys the DNA / RNA molecular structure of bacteria, thus inactivating them.

[0024] 2. Thermal effect: Radio frequency causes water molecules in the substrate to rotate and rub against each other at high speed, generating a large amount of heat in a short time, which causes the temperature of the mushroom bag to rise rapidly.

[0025] • To improve sterilization efficiency, highly adsorbent radio frequency agents can be added to the base material to enhance heat energy conversion. This step can raise the temperature at the center of the mushroom bag to 85-95℃ within minutes, achieving rapid sterilization.

[0026] During this process, the waste heat generated by the sterilization equipment itself is recovered by the cascade air source heat pump unit 15, while the components that need to be cooled are cooled by the 15°C refrigerant in the refrigerant tank 16.

[0027] Maturation, Cooling, and Inoculation: After sterilization, the mushroom bags enter the maturation and cooling module 10. A 90°C heat medium from the high-temperature heat medium box 18 heats the bags and maintains them at 85°C for 8 hours of maturation. Afterwards, a 15°C cold medium in the cold medium box 16 rapidly cools the bags to 22°C. The purification level of this module is maintained at Class 10,000 through a high-efficiency filtration system. The cooled bags then enter the liquid / solid inoculation module 12 via the transfer module 11. Before inoculation, this area undergoes combined disinfection using high-energy particles, ultraviolet light, and ozone generated by the transducer 12, achieving a Class 100 cleanliness level. The system selects to inoculate the mushroom bags with liquid shiitake mushroom spawn according to the production plan.

[0028] Mycelium cultivation and fruiting: After inoculation, the bags are automatically stacked onto the cultivation rack by the automatic bag / basket collection and shelving module 13, and then moved into the cultivation module 14. Under the control of the intelligent control center 19, the temperature in the cultivation room is kept constant at 23℃ and the humidity at 65% for 25 days of mycelium cultivation. Once the mycelium has fully grown, the bags can be removed for fruiting management.

[0029] The present invention is based on a composite sterilization concept: combining the triple action of biological enzymes, physical radio frequency and heat to achieve synergistic sterilization.

[0030] Pre-emptive killing of contaminating bacteria: By inducing germination, the sensitivity of contaminating bacteria to heat is increased, reducing the difficulty of thorough sterilization.

[0031] Radio frequency rapid heating: solves the pain points of traditional steam sterilization, such as slow heating, poor preservation of base material nutrients, and uneven heating.

[0032] Insulation and purification: Final sterilization and substrate stabilization are completed in a clean environment to avoid secondary contamination.

[0033] Comparison of traditional steam sterilization process and novel composite sterilization process; Intelligent control and flexible implementation: The "brain" of the entire production line is the intelligent control center 19. It integrates a PLC controller, an industrial computer, and an Internet of Things (IoT) module. Through sensors distributed throughout the facility, the center collects hundreds of data points in real time, including temperature, humidity, pressure, current, voltage, and material flow. For different varieties of edible fungi, such as enoki mushrooms, the control system only needs to call the pre-stored "enoki mushroom production model" to automatically adjust the enzyme preparation ratio of the mixing machine 1, the temperature program of the fermentation module 4, the frequency and power of the sterilization module 8, and the environmental parameters of the mycelium cultivation module 14. This enables seamless and rapid switching between different varieties, truly embodying the core concept of "flexible production."

[0034] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0035] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It should be noted that for those skilled in the art, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the principle of the present invention, and these improvements and modifications should also be considered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A smart, flexible production method for high-energy radio frequency sterilization of edible fungi, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: (1) Matrix enzymatic hydrolysis and preparation: Based on the nutritional requirements of the target edible fungi, select culture medium raw materials and mix them in proportion. Add special enzyme preparations to degrade macromolecular substances in the raw materials and stir evenly to obtain an optimized matrix. (2) High-temperature fermentation: The optimized substrate is transported to a closed fermentation device, and the fermentation temperature is controlled at 50-60℃ for 40-50 hours; then hot air at 85-90℃ is introduced and maintained for 2 hours to complete the substrate fermentation. (3) Automated bagging: The fermented substrate is automatically filled into mushroom bags or baskets through mechanical transmission and coordinated bagging mechanism, and the weight deviation of a single bag is controlled to not exceed 5%; (4) High-energy radio frequency sterilization: The bagged and crated mushroom bags are transported to the high-energy radio frequency sterilization equipment for instant sterilization for 4-6 minutes, and a high-efficiency radio frequency absorbent is added to improve the sterilization efficiency. (5) Heat pump cascade curing and cooling: The waste heat generated during the sterilization process is recovered and converted into a 90°C heat medium to cure the sterilized mushroom bags at 85°C for 8 hours. At the same time, the 15°C cold medium generated by the system is used to cool the cured mushroom bags to 20-25°C for 2 hours. (6) Aseptic inoculation: After sterilizing the inoculation cavity with a combination of ultraviolet light, ozone and high-energy particles, solid or liquid inoculation method is selected according to production needs, and edible fungi spawn is introduced into the mushroom bags and baskets. (7) Intelligent incubation: The inoculated bags are transported to the incubation room, and the temperature of the incubation room is adjusted in real time to 20-25℃ and the humidity to 60-70% through the intelligent control system. The incubation period is 15-35 days. (8) Flexible switching: When it is necessary to change the edible fungi varieties produced, the substrate formula, sterilization parameters and culture environment parameters can be adjusted through the intelligent control system to achieve rapid switching of the production line.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step (1), the specific enzyme preparation is selected according to the target edible fungus variety: When used in the production of shiitake mushrooms, cellulase and xylanase are selected and added at amounts of 0.3-0.5% and 0.2-0.3%, respectively. When used in the production of enoki mushrooms, pectinase should be selected and added at a rate of 0.3-0.4%.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step (2), the hot air is provided by a heat pump cascade system and is introduced into the fermentation device through a hot air heat exchanger.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step (4), the high-efficiency radio frequency absorber is a substance that can be efficiently excited by a radio frequency field and converted into thermal energy. Its specific composition is protected by a separate patent application.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step (5), the purification level of the ripening and cooling module is Class 10,000; the purification level of the inoculation module is Class 100.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step (6), the solid inoculation uses mycelial particles, and the liquid inoculation uses liquid bacterial strains.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step (7), the intelligent control system collects data in real time and dynamically adjusts the operating status of each device by means of temperature sensors, humidity sensors, pH sensors, carbon-nitrogen ratio monitors and material conveying speed sensors deployed on the production line.

8. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step (4), the high-energy radio frequency sterilization device uses one or more combinations of frequencies of 27.12MHz, 915MHz, and 2450MHz, and has a power of 15-200kW.

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