Tea granulation method based on moisture activation dry granulation technology

Abstract

The invention relates to the field of tea processing, and provides a tea granulation method based on a moisture activation dry granulation technology, which comprises the following steps: selecting raw materials, removing impurities, carrying out fixation, drying, screening, chopping the raw materials into powder, putting the raw materials into a granulation device, adding an adhesive, spraying, adding a hygroscopic material, and taking out finished product particles. The tea particles are prepared by using a moisture activation dry method, so that the method has the advantages of increasing the granularity of the tea particles and improving the flowability and compressibility of the tea particles; meanwhile, the granules do not need to be dried again in the granulation process, the used water amount is small, the advantages of being wide in application range, high in efficiency and low in energy consumption are achieved, and the number of operation procedures is small in the continuous production process; compared with a conventional tea granulation method, the tea granulation method has the advantages that the amount of water used in the tea granulation process is very small, and large cakes cannot be formed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of tea processing, specifically a tea granulation method based on water-activated dry granulation technology. Background Technology

[0002] Tea generally refers to the leaves and buds of the tea tree; tea processing, also known as "tea making," is the process of turning fresh tea leaves into various semi-finished or finished tea products through various processing steps; in recent years, a new tea processing method has emerged, which is to process tea leaves into granular shape.

[0003] Granular tea leaves are easier to store, less prone to moisture and spoilage, and can extend the shelf life of tea. At the same time, granular tea leaves dissolve more easily, which can release the aroma and active ingredients of tea leaves more quickly. In addition, granular tea leaves are easier to measure and use, which can accurately control the amount of tea leaves used and improve the utilization rate of tea leaves.

[0004] Chinese Patent Publication No. CN104996627A discloses a granular tea solid beverage and its preparation method. The main components of the granular tea solid beverage include tea powder, gellan gum, thickener, calcium salt, and golden flower powder. The invention utilizes the gelling properties of gellan gum and calcium ions, and adds a thickener to assist in binding and granulating the tea powder. The main steps of the invention are: pulverizing and sieving various tea leaves; adding appropriate amounts of gellan gum, thickener, and calcium salt to the tea powder for binding; processing the powder into granules using a granulation device; and then coating the granules with a layer of golden flower powder. The tea powder is dried and prepared into granular solid beverage. The tea solid beverage prepared by the above invention is golden in color, uniform in size, easy to carry, quick to brew and does not disintegrate after long brewing, with clear tea soup and high tea extract content. It not only maintains the original taste of tea leaves, but also has the effect of lowering blood lipids. However, the above invention mainly utilizes the gelling properties of gellan gum and calcium ions, and adds thickeners to assist in binding and granulating tea powder. During the process, tea powder is prone to clump together and form large agglomerates, which require additional processing of large agglomerates, resulting in low work efficiency.

[0005] In summary, this invention provides a tea granulation method based on moisture-activated dry granulation technology to solve the above-mentioned problems. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This invention provides a tea granulation method based on water-activated dry granulation technology. By using water-activated dry granulation technology to produce tea granules, the problem of tea powder easily agglomerating and forming large agglomerates in the prior art is solved.

[0007] A tea granulation method based on moisture-activated dry granulation technology includes the following steps: S1. Select appropriate amounts of tea leaves, edible flowers, fruits and grains as raw materials, remove impurities from the raw materials, and perform fixation on the raw materials. The main purpose of fixation is to destroy and deactivate the oxidase activity in the fresh leaves through high temperature, inhibit the enzymatic oxidation of tea polyphenols and other substances in the fresh leaves, and evaporate some of the moisture in the fresh leaves. S2, put the raw materials into the dryer for drying. After observing that the moisture in the raw materials has been fully vaporized and evaporated, put the raw materials into the screening machine for screening. The main purpose of screening is to remove foreign objects. S3, cut the screened raw materials into fine powder, and then put the raw material powder into the granulation device; S4, add binder to the granulation device, and use the granulation device to spray the raw material powder to wet and agglomerate the raw material powder to form moist tea granules. S5, stop spraying and add hygroscopic material to the granulation device to make the tea granules and hygroscopic material mix thoroughly and lose moisture; S6. Take out the relatively dry tea granules after they have lost moisture, and you will get tea granules made based on the water activation dry method.

[0008] In a preferred embodiment, in step S4, the adhesive is carrageenan, which is a calcium, potassium, sodium, and ammonium salt of a polysaccharide sulfate ester composed of galactose and dehydrated galactose. The carrageenan needs to be filtered multiple times before use to remove insoluble konjac gum particles.

[0009] In a preferred embodiment, in step S5, the hygroscopic material is microcrystalline cellulose. The main component of the microcrystalline cellulose is a linear polysaccharide linked by β-1,4-glucosidic bonds. It is a white, odorless, and tasteless crystalline powder composed of extremely fine, short rod-shaped or powdery porous particles that are free-flowing after hydrolysis of natural cellulose to its ultimate degree of polymerization by dilute acid. The microcrystalline cellulose is stored in a cool, dry, and sealed container before use.

[0010] In a preferred embodiment, in step S4, the water added to the raw materials by the granulation device through spraying accounts for 1-4% of the total amount of the raw materials. The low water content facilitates the subsequent absorption of moisture from the tea granules.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment, in step S4, the water temperature used by the granulation device spraying is 80-85°C, and the adhesive is compatible with water at this temperature, thereby activating the adhesive.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment, in step S4, the adhesive is first soaked in a saturated sucrose aqueous solution before being added to the granulation device. The adhesive soaked in the saturated sucrose aqueous solution is easier to disperse in water.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment, in step S3, the particle size of the powder after the raw material is shredded is 80-100 mesh. The raw material powder is in a finely shredded state, which facilitates the movement of the raw material powder by the airflow in the granulation device.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment, the granulation device includes a granulator body, a processing chamber above the granulator body, an auxiliary chamber on one side of the processing chamber, a discharge chamber on the side of the processing chamber away from the auxiliary chamber, a storage container below the discharge valve, a cutter on the side of the auxiliary chamber near the processing chamber, a conveying pipe at the top of the auxiliary chamber, a baffle on the side of the discharge chamber near the processing chamber, a stirrer connected to the granulator body at the bottom of the processing chamber, an auxiliary port at the top of the processing chamber, an airflow pipe on one side of the auxiliary port, a feed inlet on one side of the airflow pipe, the conveying pipe passing through the auxiliary port, and a spray head at the end of the conveying pipe away from the auxiliary chamber.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: This invention prepares tea granules using a water-activated dry method, which has the advantages of increasing the particle size, improving the flowability and compressibility of tea granules. At the same time, this invention does not require the granules to be dried again during the granulation process, and uses less water. It has the advantages of wide application range, high efficiency, low energy consumption, and fewer operation steps in continuous production. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the process of this invention.

[0017] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the granulation device of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the granulation device of the present invention.

[0019] In the picture: 1. Granulator body; 2. Processing chamber; 3. Auxiliary chamber; 4. Discharge valve; 5. Storage container; 11. Agitator; 21. Auxiliary port; 22. Feed port; 23. Airflow pipe; 31. Conveying pipe; 32. Spray head; 33. Cutter; 41. Baffle. Detailed Implementation

[0020] The embodiments of the present invention will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples. The following examples are for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention.

[0021] like Figure 1-3 As shown, this invention provides a tea granulation method based on moisture-activated dry granulation technology, comprising the following steps: S1. Select an appropriate amount of tea leaves, edible flowers, fruits and grains as raw materials, remove impurities from the raw materials, and fix the raw materials. The main purpose of fixing is to destroy and deactivate the oxidase activity in the fresh leaves through high temperature, inhibit the enzymatic oxidation of tea polyphenols in the fresh leaves, evaporate some of the moisture in the fresh leaves, make the tea leaves soft, make them easier to roll and shape, and at the same time remove the grassy smell and promote the formation of good aroma. S2, put the raw materials into the dryer for drying. After observing that the moisture in the raw materials has been fully vaporized and evaporated, put the raw materials into the screening machine for screening. The main purpose of screening is to remove foreign objects. S3, cut the screened raw materials into fine powder, and then put the raw material powder into the granulation device; S4, add binder to the granulation device, and use the granulation device to spray the raw material powder to wet and agglomerate the raw material powder to form moist tea granules. S5, stop spraying and add hygroscopic material to the granulation device to make the tea granules and hygroscopic material mix thoroughly and lose moisture; S6. Take out the relatively dry tea granules after they have lost moisture, and you will get tea granules made based on the water activation dry method.

[0022] In one embodiment of the present invention, in step S4, the adhesive is carrageenan, which is a calcium, potassium, sodium and ammonium salt of a polysaccharide sulfate ester composed of galactose and dehydrated galactose. The carrageenan needs to be filtered multiple times before use to remove insoluble konjac gum particles.

[0023] In one embodiment of the present invention, in step S5, the hygroscopic material is microcrystalline cellulose. The main component of the microcrystalline cellulose is a linear polysaccharide substance linked by β-1,4-glucosidic bonds. It is a white, odorless, and tasteless crystalline powder composed of extremely fine, short rod-shaped or powdery porous particles that are free-flowing after natural cellulose has been hydrolyzed to its limit of polymerization by dilute acid. The microcrystalline cellulose is stored in a cool, dry, and sealed container before use.

[0024] In one embodiment of the present invention, in step S4, the water added to the raw materials by the granulation device by spraying accounts for 1-4% of the total amount of raw materials. The low water content facilitates the subsequent absorption of moisture from the tea granules.

[0025] In one embodiment of the present invention, in step S4, the water temperature used by the granulation device spraying is 80-85°C, and the adhesive is compatible with water at this temperature, thereby activating the adhesive.

[0026] In one embodiment of the present invention, in step S4, the adhesive is first soaked in a saturated sucrose aqueous solution before being added to the granulation device, and the adhesive soaked in the saturated sucrose aqueous solution is easier to disperse in water.

[0027] In one embodiment of the present invention, in step S3, the particle size of the powder after the raw material is shredded is 80-100 mesh. The raw material powder is in a finely shredded state, which facilitates the movement of the raw material powder by the airflow in the granulation device.

[0028] In one embodiment of the present invention, the granulation device includes a granulator body 1, a processing chamber 2 is provided above the granulator body 1, an auxiliary chamber 3 is provided on one side of the processing chamber 2, a discharge chamber 4 is provided on the side of the processing chamber 2 away from the auxiliary chamber 3, a storage container 5 is provided below the discharge valve 4, a cutter 33 is provided on the side of the auxiliary chamber 3 near the processing chamber 2, a conveying pipe 31 is provided at the top of the auxiliary chamber 3, a baffle 41 is provided on the side of the discharge chamber 4 near the processing chamber 2, a stirrer 11 connected to the granulator body 1 is provided at the bottom of the processing chamber 2, an auxiliary port 21 is provided at the top of the processing chamber 2, an airflow pipe 23 is provided on one side of the auxiliary port 21, a feed inlet 22 is provided on one side of the airflow pipe 23, the conveying pipe 31 passes through the auxiliary port 21, and a spray head 32 is provided at the end of the conveying pipe 31 away from the auxiliary chamber 3.

[0029] Specific working principle: When using the granulation device, firstly, the vacuum pump evacuates the air from the processing chamber 2 through the pressure-resistant steel wire hose and filter. Then, the raw material powder is placed in a sealed container and connected to the feed inlet 22, so that the raw material powder enters the processing chamber 2 through the feed inlet 22 under the action of negative pressure suction. After all the raw material powder has entered the processing chamber 2, the feed inlet 22 is sealed, and the airflow pipe 23 is connected to the air pump, so that the air pump extracts the gas in the processing chamber 2. At the same time, the agitator 11 is started. The power of the agitator 11 comes from the granulator body 1, and the granulator body 1 causes the agitator 11 to rotate at different speeds.

[0030] First, the agitator 11 uses a low-speed setting to mix the raw material powder at a low speed in a short time. Then, the speed is increased to a high-speed setting for mixing. Under the spiral thrust of the agitator 11, the raw material powder in the processing chamber 2 tumbles along the surface of the agitator and moves to the inner wall of the processing chamber 2. After colliding with the inner wall, it is affected by both thrust and extrusion, causing its movement direction to change to upward until it collides with the upper inner wall of the processing chamber 2 again. Its movement direction changes again, tumbling towards the middle of the processing chamber 2, and finally falling back to the bottom of the processing chamber 2. This movement path is repeated, keeping the raw material particles in a fluidized state of continuous tumbling, tangential, and rotation, thereby ensuring that the raw material powder is fully mixed.

[0031] Similarly, the adhesive is added to the processing chamber 2 through the feed inlet 22. Simultaneously, since the granulator body 1 stores water required for spraying, the water is pressurized by air through the granulator body 1, causing it to move to the auxiliary chamber 3, then into the conveying pipe 31, and finally into the spray head 32. The water sprayed from the spray head 32 promotes the mixing of the adhesive and raw material powder. At the same time, the cutter 31 is activated. Powered by the auxiliary chamber 3, the cutter 31 uses its cutting blade to perform high-speed cutting inside the processing chamber 2, creating a vortex between the cutter 31 and the agitator 11. This causes the mixture to be... The tea leaves are thoroughly tumbled, collided, and sheared, resulting in more uniform and fine particle impact. As the binder is added, the raw materials gradually form moist tea particles. The mixer 11 is then switched back to a low speed setting, the spraying is stopped, and hygroscopic material is added to the processing chamber 2 through the feed inlet 22. This material absorbs the moisture from the tea particles until they become relatively dry. Finally, the baffle 41 is moved towards the discharge chamber 4, creating a gap at the bottom of the processing chamber 2. The airflow inside the processing chamber 2 is then controlled through the airflow pipe 23, allowing the dried tea particles to enter the discharge chamber 4 through the gap and ultimately fall into the storage container 5, thus obtaining the finished tea particles.

[0032] Moisture-activated dry granulation technology is a variation of conventional wet granulation technology. It refers to the use of very little water to activate the binder and induce powder agglomeration. The granulation process mainly involves the wetting and agglomeration of powder particles and the absorption of moisture.

[0033] When water is mixed with the binder, the binder is activated, causing the raw material powder to aggregate into granules under the influence of the binder. After the tea granules are aggregated, a hygroscopic material is added to promote the absorption of excess moisture. The process of the hygroscopic material absorbing moisture leads to the redistribution of moisture within the tea granules, forming relatively dry tea granules. During this moisture redistribution process, some granules maintain their size, while some larger granules may break, resulting in a more uniform particle size distribution. Tea granules obtained using this method do not require further drying.

[0034] Compared with conventional tea granulation methods, the amount of water used in the tea granulation process of this invention is very small, which will not lead to the formation of large clumps.

[0035] Compared to existing technologies that utilize the gelling properties of gellan gum and calcium ions, and add thickeners to assist in the binding and granulation of tea powder, this invention uses a water-activated dry method to prepare tea granules, which has the advantages of increasing the particle size of tea granules, improving the flowability and compressibility of tea granules; at the same time, this invention does not require the granules to be dried again during the granulation process, and uses less water, which has the advantages of wide application range, high efficiency, low energy consumption, and fewer operation steps in continuous production.

[0036] The embodiments of the present invention are given for the purposes of illustration and description. Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described above, it is understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and should not be construed as limiting the present invention. Those skilled in the art can make changes, modifications, substitutions and variations to the above embodiments within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A tea granulation method based on moisture-activated dry granulation technology, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S1, Select appropriate amounts of tea leaves, edible flowers, fruits and grains as raw materials, remove impurities from the raw materials, and perform blanching on the raw materials; S2, put the raw materials into the dryer for drying. After observing that the moisture in the raw materials has been fully vaporized and evaporated, put the raw materials into the screening machine for screening. S3, cut the screened raw materials into fine powder, and then put the raw material powder into the granulation device; S4, add binder to the granulation device, and use the granulation device to spray the raw material powder to wet and agglomerate the raw material powder to form moist tea granules. S5, stop spraying and add hygroscopic material to the granulation device to make the tea granules and hygroscopic material mix thoroughly and lose moisture; S6. Take out the relatively dry tea granules after they have lost moisture, and you will get tea granules made based on the water activation dry method.

2. The tea granulation method based on moisture-activated dry granulation technology as described in claim 1, characterized in that, In step S4, the adhesive is carrageenan.

3. The tea granulation method based on moisture-activated dry granulation technology as described in claim 1, characterized in that, In step S5, the hygroscopic material is microcrystalline cellulose.

4. The tea granulation method based on moisture-activated dry granulation technology as described in claim 1, characterized in that, In step S4, the granulation device adds water to the raw materials by spraying, which accounts for 1-4% of the total amount of the raw materials.

5. The tea granulation method based on moisture-activated dry granulation technology as described in claim 1, characterized in that, In step S4, the water temperature used for spraying by the granulation device is 80-85℃.

6. The tea granulation method based on moisture-activated dry granulation technology as described in claim 1, characterized in that, In step S4, the adhesive is first soaked in a saturated sucrose aqueous solution before being added to the granulation device.

7. The tea granulation method based on moisture-activated dry granulation technology as described in claim 1, characterized in that, In step S3, the particle size of the powder after the raw material is shredded is 80-100 mesh.

8. The tea granulation method based on moisture-activated dry granulation technology as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The granulation device includes a granulator body (1), a processing chamber (2) is arranged above the granulator body (1), an auxiliary chamber (3) is arranged on one side of the processing chamber (2), a discharge chamber (4) is arranged on the side of the processing chamber (2) away from the auxiliary chamber (3), a storage container (5) is arranged below the discharge valve (4), a cutter (33) is arranged on the side of the auxiliary chamber (3) close to the processing chamber (2), a conveying pipe (31) is arranged at the top of the auxiliary chamber (3), and the discharge chamber (4) is close to the processing chamber (2). A baffle (41) is provided on one side of the processing chamber (2). A stirrer (11) connected to the granulator body (1) is provided at the bottom of the processing chamber (2). An auxiliary port (21) is provided at the top of the processing chamber (2). An airflow pipe (23) is provided on one side of the auxiliary port (21). A feed inlet (22) is provided on one side of the airflow pipe (23). The conveying pipe (31) passes through the auxiliary port (21). A spray head (32) is provided at the end of the conveying pipe (31) away from the auxiliary chamber (3).

Images