Ready-to-eat additive-free medicinal and edible food material product as well as preparation system and process

Abstract

The invention relates to a ready-to-eat additive-free medicinal and edible food material product and a preparation system and process, an infiltration unit in the system comprises a closed pressure container and a material bearing mechanism, and the closed pressure container is used for performing periodic variable-pressure pulsation infiltration on pretreated food materials based on the breathing effect; the ion conductivity in food material cells is improved; the draining unit comprises a conveying mechanism, an electrode group and a water-absorbent resin layer, the electrode group is used for generating an electric field penetrating through food materials on the conveying mechanism to drive polar water molecules in the food materials to directionally migrate downwards, and the water-absorbent resin layer is arranged below the conveying mechanism to adsorb migrated water in the materials; and the central control unit is configured to control the periodic variable-pressure pulse infiltration cycle times of the infiltration unit and control the electric field intensity of the electrode group according to preset food material type parameters and a final moisture content target. According to the method, the infiltration time of the food materials can be greatly shortened, and the complete texture and medicinal nutritional ingredients of the food materials are reserved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the technical field of health food processing, and in particular to a ready-to-eat, additive-free food product made from medicinal and edible ingredients, its preparation system, and process. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of the health industry, ready-to-eat products made from food and medicine ingredients (such as black sesame, poria cocos, and yam) are becoming increasingly popular among consumers. Existing ready-to-eat food processing technology typically involves traditional long-term soaking under normal pressure to allow the ingredients to absorb and rehydrate, followed by hot air drying or centrifugal dehydration for draining, and finally sterilization and packaging.

[0003] However, existing technologies have serious technical defects: First, when combining food and medicine ingredients, the water absorption and loss rates of hard ingredients (such as black beans and black wheat) and soft ingredients (such as lilies and goji berries) differ greatly. Mixing these ingredients can easily result in the hard ingredients being undercooked while the soft ingredients become overcooked and mushy. Second, traditional thermal dehydration can severely damage heat-sensitive nutrients and pharmacologically active ingredients in the ingredients, while conventional physical centrifugal draining is difficult to remove bound water from the ingredients, resulting in low dehydration efficiency and easy microbial growth.

[0004] More seriously, the defects of the aforementioned soaking and dehydration processes overlap, resulting in a chain of serious consequences. This not only greatly diminishes the taste of the compound ingredients but also leads to a significant loss of the effective components of the food and medicine ingredients. In order to maintain shelf life and form, manufacturers are often forced to add preservatives or texture modifiers, which completely violates the original intention of "additive-free" health. Long-term consumption may pose health risks to consumers and seriously affect the market life of the products. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the problem that mixed ingredients with vastly different textures are difficult to retain their complete texture and medicinal nutrients during soaking and draining, this application provides a ready-to-eat, additive-free food product made from ingredients that are both food and medicine, a preparation system, and a process.

[0006] The technical solution provided in this application for a ready-to-eat, additive-free food product derived from medicinal and edible sources, its preparation system, and its process is as follows: The first aspect of this application provides a system for preparing ready-to-eat, additive-free food ingredients derived from medicinal herbs, which adopts the following technical solution: A system for preparing ready-to-eat, additive-free food ingredients derived from medicinal and edible sources includes a pretreatment unit, a soaking unit, a blanching and cooling unit, a draining unit, and a packaging and sterilization unit connected in sequence. The soaking unit includes a sealed pressure container and a material carrying mechanism disposed within the sealed pressure container. The sealed pressure container is used to perform periodic pressure-flushing soaking of the pretreated food ingredients based on the respiration effect, thereby improving the ion conductivity inside the food ingredient cells. The draining unit includes a conveying mechanism, an electrode assembly, and a water-absorbing resin layer. The electrode assembly generates an electric field that passes through the food on the conveying mechanism to drive polar water molecules in the food to migrate downwards. The water-absorbing resin layer is disposed below the conveying mechanism to absorb the migrated moisture in the material. The central control unit is configured to control the number of periodic variable-voltage pulsation immersion cycles of the immersion unit and the electric field strength of the electrode group according to preset food type parameters and final moisture content target.

[0007] Furthermore, the sealed pressure vessel is equipped with an atomizing spray mechanism at the bottom and an air passage interface at the top. The air passage interface is connected to a vacuum pump and a nitrogen source respectively through a three-way valve, and the material carrying mechanism is located between the two. The central control unit is configured to: first, control the vacuum pump to turn on so that the sealed pressure container reaches a negative pressure state of -0.08Mpa to -0.06Mpa and maintain it for a first preset time; then, control the atomizing spray mechanism to spray atomized water; then control the three-way valve to switch to the nitrogen source and fill it with nitrogen at 0.1Mpa to 0.2Mpa and maintain it for a second preset time; repeat the above steps until the moisture content of the food reaches the standard.

[0008] Furthermore, the atomizing spray mechanism is connected to an ion concentration regulating water tank, and the ion concentration regulating water tank is equipped with a conductivity sensor. The central control unit is also configured to: according to the minimum conductivity threshold required by the subsequent draining unit, in the pressure-fluctuating immersion stage in a closed pressure container, add a natural electrolyte solution to the atomized water through an ion concentration adjustment tank to enhance the polarization ability of water after entering the food cells.

[0009] Furthermore, the bleaching and cooling unit is equipped with a stepped variable temperature bleaching tank. The first stage of the variable temperature bleaching tank is a high-temperature instantaneous bleaching stage of 92℃~95℃, and the second stage is a medium-temperature curing bleaching stage of 60℃~65℃. The medium-temperature curing and blanching stage is used to moderately shrink the surface of the food and lock the intracellular water channel structure established in the variable pressure pulsating wetting stage, preventing water from naturally seeping out before entering the electric field between the electrode groups for dehydration.

[0010] Furthermore, the conveying mechanism includes an insulated and permeable mesh belt and a drive assembly for driving the insulated conveying mesh belt to transport food downstream, wherein the water-absorbing resin layer is disposed on the inner ring side of the insulated and permeable mesh belt. The electrode assembly includes a positive electrode plate and a negative electrode plate located above and below the upper section of the insulated permeable mesh belt, and a high-voltage DC electric field is applied between the positive electrode plate and the negative electrode plate.

[0011] Furthermore, multiple recycled pressure rollers are provided on the upper and lower sides of the downward section of the insulating permeable mesh belt to squeeze the water-absorbing resin layer to release free liquid. A recovery tank for collecting free liquid is installed below the downward section of the insulated permeable mesh belt.

[0012] Furthermore, the recycling tank is connected to a return pipeline that communicates with the atomizing spray mechanism.

[0013] Furthermore, the material carrying mechanism is a multi-layered partitioned structure, including at least one hard material zone for containing hard-textured ingredients and at least one soft material zone for containing soft-textured ingredients, with each zone separated by a water-permeable and air-permeable partition.

[0014] The second aspect of this application provides a preparation process for a ready-to-eat, additive-free food ingredient derived from medicinal and edible sources, which adopts the following technical solution: A process for preparing ready-to-eat, additive-free food ingredients derived from medicinal herbs, based on the aforementioned system for preparing ready-to-eat, additive-free food ingredients derived from medicinal herbs, includes the following steps: S1. The selected ingredients are placed into the soaking unit, negative pressure is drawn and maintained for a first preset time, so that the gas inside the ingredients expands and overflows; then atomized water is sprayed into the ingredients under negative pressure, and the water is instantly adsorbed by the pressure difference inside and outside the cells; then the vacuum is broken and inert gas is pressurized and filled in, and maintained for a second preset time, so that the water adsorbed on the surface and dissolved ions are pressed into the depth of the cells; the above steps are repeated several times until the water content reaches the first preset target value. S2. Wash, mix, blanch and cool the soaked ingredients in sequence; S3. The cooled food is laid flat on the conveying mechanism. The electrode group applies a high-voltage DC electric field to the food, and the water molecules are driven to migrate in a directional manner by the electric field force, so that the food is drained to a moisture content of the second preset target value. S4. Packaging, vacuum sealing and sterilization.

[0015] The third aspect of this application provides a ready-to-eat, additive-free food ingredient derived from medicinal and edible sources, which adopts the following technical solution: A ready-to-eat, additive-free food ingredient made from medicinal materials, processed based on the above-mentioned preparation process for a ready-to-eat, additive-free food ingredient made from medicinal materials, including any one or more combinations of root and bulb ingredients, fruit and seed ingredients, flower and leaf ingredients, and fungi and gelatinous ingredients.

[0016] In summary, the beneficial technical effects of this application are as follows: 1. By using the immersion unit to perform periodic pressure-flushing immersion of pre-treated ingredients based on the breathing effect, the immersion time of the ingredients can be greatly shortened, and the immersion uniformity of ingredients with different textures can be ensured. It can also significantly improve the defects of water-soluble nutrient loss caused by traditional soaking. By using the central control unit to control the electric field strength in the draining unit, mechanical damage to the ingredients caused by traditional dehydration methods can be avoided, and the final moisture content of the ingredients in the draining stage can be precisely controlled. 2. By dividing the material carrying mechanism into zones according to the differences in the texture of the ingredients, and by utilizing the differences in spatial position, hard ingredients receive gravity droplets at the bottom, while soft ingredients absorb gentle mist at the top. This allows the cyclical pressure-pulsating immersion of "negative pressure suction - atomization humidification - positive pressure inflation" in the immersion unit to achieve deep wall-breaking water absorption of hard ingredients and gentle surface swelling of soft ingredients in the same sealed pressure container, perfectly solving the contradiction of "soft ingredients becoming mushy and hard ingredients being undercooked" during mixed processing. 3. By "pre-implanting" natural electrolytes deep into cells during the variable pressure pulsation infiltration stage, the polarization capacity of intracellular water is greatly improved; combined with the high-voltage DC electric field of the draining unit, the "internal directional expulsion" of water molecules is achieved; without the need for high-temperature baking and violent centrifugation, the food is dehydrated in a cold state, without damage, and at extremely fast speed, preserving the heat-sensitive nutrients and complete physical shape of the food that is both food and medicine to the greatest extent. 4. By setting up a stepped variable temperature blanching in the blanching and cooling unit, and using the 60℃~65℃ medium temperature solidification blanching stage as a bridge connecting the pressure-switching immersion and electric field dehydration, the appropriate keratinization and shrinkage of the food surface can be precisely controlled, and the cell water channels formed during pressure-switching immersion are perfectly locked. This not only avoids the loss of juice during the material's transport, but also provides a stable internal liquid phase basis for subsequent electric field directional water driving. 5. By setting a water-absorbing resin layer and a regenerated pressure roller at the bottom of the insulated permeable mesh belt, and returning the free liquid containing trace amounts of polysaccharides and electrolytes squeezed out from the water-absorbing resin layer to the atomizing spray mechanism; this closed-loop use of nutrient soaking liquid not only saves water resources, but also builds a dynamic balance of osmotic pressure within the system, effectively inhibiting the seepage and loss of water-soluble effective components (such as anthocyanins and polysaccharides) in the food itself. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1This is a simplified schematic diagram of the preparation system according to an embodiment of this application; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the wetting unit and the draining unit according to an embodiment of this application; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the drainage unit according to an embodiment of this application; Figure 4 This is a process flow diagram of the preparation process according to an embodiment of this application.

[0018] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures: 11. Pretreatment unit; 12. Soaking unit; 13. Blanching and cooling unit; 14. Draining unit; 15. Packaging and sterilization unit; 2. Sealed pressure vessel; 21. Material carrying mechanism; 211. Hard material zone; 212. Soft material zone; 213. Water-permeable and air-permeable baffle; 3. Conveying mechanism; 31. Insulated permeable mesh belt; 32. Drive assembly; 4. Electrode assembly; 41. Positive electrode plate; 42. Negative electrode plate; 5. Absorbent resin layer; 61. Atomizing spray mechanism; 61. Ion concentration regulating water tank; 71. Gas line interface; 72. Three-way valve; 73. Vacuum pump; 81. Recycled pressure roller; 82. Recycling tank; 83. Return pipeline. Detailed Implementation

[0019] The technical solutions of this application will now be clearly and completely described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of this application. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0020] This application discloses a system for preparing ready-to-eat, additive-free food ingredients derived from medicinal and edible sources. (Refer to...) Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 It includes a pretreatment unit 11, a soaking unit 12, a blanching and cooling unit 13, a draining unit 14, and a packaging and sterilization unit 15 connected in sequence. The pretreatment unit 11, the blanching and cooling unit 13, the packaging and sterilization unit 15, and the connection methods of each unit are all existing technologies, which can be fully implemented by those skilled in the art and need not be elaborated.

[0021] The main components of the immersion unit 12 include a sealed pressure container 2 and a material carrying mechanism 21 disposed within the sealed pressure container 2. The sealed pressure container 2 is used to perform periodic pressure-fluctuation immersion on the pre-treated food based on the respiration effect and to improve the ion conductivity inside the food cells. The material carrying mechanism 21 is a multi-layered partitioned structure, including at least one hard material zone 211 for accommodating hard food and at least one soft material zone 212 for accommodating soft food. The zones are separated by a water-permeable and air-permeable partition 213.

[0022] The draining unit 14 includes a conveying mechanism 3, an electrode assembly 4, and a water-absorbing resin layer 5. The electrode assembly 4 is used to generate an electric field that passes through the food on the conveying mechanism 3 to drive the polar water molecules in the food to migrate downwards in a directional manner. The water-absorbing resin layer 5 is disposed below the conveying mechanism 3 to adsorb the migrated moisture in the material.

[0023] The central control unit is configured to control the number of periodic variable pressure pulsating immersion cycles of the immersion unit 12 and the electric field strength of the electrode group 4 according to preset food type parameters and final moisture content target.

[0024] Specifically, refer to Figure 2 The sealed pressure vessel 2 is equipped with an atomizing spray mechanism 61 at the bottom and an air passage interface 71 at the top. The air passage interface 71 is connected to a vacuum pump 73 and a nitrogen source through a three-way valve 72. The material carrying mechanism 21 is located between the two. Moreover, hard ingredients such as black peanuts, black sesame seeds, black beans, black rice, and black wheat are placed in the hard material area 211 of the lower layer of the material carrying mechanism 21, while soft ingredients such as lily bulbs, yam, fox nuts, hawthorn, wolfberries, malva nuts, perilla, longan, and poria are placed in the soft material area 212 of the upper layer of the material carrying mechanism 21.

[0025] The central control unit is configured to: first, control the vacuum pump 73 to activate it, maintaining a negative pressure of -0.08 MPa to -0.06 MPa inside the sealed pressure container 2 for a first preset time, such as 5 to 8 minutes; then, control the atomizing spray mechanism 61 to spray atomized water, and then control the three-way valve 72 to switch to a nitrogen source and fill with nitrogen at 0.1 MPa to 0.2 MPa for a second preset time, such as 10 to 15 minutes; repeat the above steps until the food moisture content reaches the target. Specifically, after each cycle, a capacitive moisture sensor installed inside the sealed pressure container 2 detects the overall moisture content of the food, and stops soaking when the first preset target value is reached.

[0026] Furthermore, the atomizing spray mechanism 61 is connected to an ion concentration regulating water tank 61, and the ion concentration regulating water tank 61 is equipped with a conductivity sensor. The central control unit is also configured to: according to the minimum conductivity threshold required by the subsequent draining unit 14, during the pressure-fluctuating immersion stage in the sealed pressure vessel 2, add a natural electrolyte solution to the atomized water through the ion concentration regulating tank 61 to enhance the polarization ability of water after entering the food cells. Specifically, the natural electrolyte solution can be a 0.5%–1.5% concentration of natural deep-sea salt extract, a concentrated natural mineral water solution rich in sodium and potassium ions, or an edible-grade bamboo leaf ash extract, capable of providing polar ions without toxic side effects to meet the additive-free standard for medicinal and edible ingredients in this application.

[0027] In order to ensure the drainage effect of the draining unit 14, the rinsing and cooling unit 13 is equipped with a stepped temperature-controlled rinsing tank. The first stage of the temperature-controlled rinsing tank is a high-temperature instantaneous rinsing stage of 92℃~95℃, and the second stage is a medium-temperature curing rinsing stage of 60℃~65℃. The medium-temperature curing and blanching stage is used to moderately shrink the surface of the food and lock the intracellular water channel structure established in the variable pressure pulsating wetting stage, preventing water from naturally seeping out before entering the electric field between electrode groups 4 for dehydration.

[0028] Thus, the material-carrying mechanism 21 separates soft and hard ingredients into two layers, but places them within the same sealed pressure container 2. When negative pressure is applied, the gas inside the cells of both soft and hard ingredients expands and overflows, forming negative pressure micropores. When atomized water is sprayed and high-pressure nitrogen is introduced, the water is forcibly forced into the deep tissues of the ingredients, completing a variable pressure pulsating wetting cycle. This wetting method can greatly shorten the wetting time required for the ingredients and improve the wetting uniformity of ingredients of different textures. Moreover, through the separation of soft and hard ingredients, the hard ingredients in the bottom hard material area 211 are closer to the atomization source and are subject to a certain amount of gravity droplet aggregation, thus achieving a greater water absorption capacity. Meanwhile, the top soft material area 212 only absorbs gentle atomized water vapor, cleverly preventing the soft ingredients from excessively absorbing water and becoming gelatinous.

[0029] Subsequently, the ingredients, having reached the required moisture content, enter a stepped variable-temperature blanching tank. The first stage, a rapid blanching at 92℃–95℃, serves to kill the staleness. Crucially, the second stage involves medium-temperature solidification at 60℃–65℃. This temperature allows the food's epidermal cells to undergo moderate shrinkage and keratinization, effectively "sealing off" the intracellular water channels that were forcibly opened during the pressure-fluidized immersion stage. This ensures that the moisture in the food is firmly locked inside before reaching the draining zone in electrode assembly 4, preventing natural seepage and excessive surface slipperiness, thus greatly improving the integrity of the food's shape.

[0030] Furthermore, during the initial pressure-pulsating immersion cycle, the central control unit, based on the target moisture content, pressurizes atomized water containing natural electrolytes deep into the food cells, artificially increasing the ion concentration and polarization capacity of the water within the food cells. When the food reaches the subsequent draining unit 14, a high-voltage DC electric field is generated between the positive electrode plate 41 and the negative electrode plate 42. At this time, water molecules rich in polar ions within the cells, under the direct pull of the electric field force (electrodialysis and electrophoresis effect), overcome cell membrane resistance and undergo a violent directional migration downwards, passing through the conveying mechanism 3 and being rapidly adsorbed by the water-absorbing resin layer 5 below.

[0031] This draining method transforms the traditional "external baking and evaporation" or "centrifugal dehydration" process into "charged directional removal of internal moisture." Since there is no heat transfer or mechanical damage during the entire draining process, it not only achieves extremely high dehydration efficiency but also retains 100% of heat-sensitive nutrients such as anthocyanins (found in black beans and black rice). It also avoids mechanical damage and thermal degradation of soft ingredients such as lilies and goji berries, resolving the technical contradiction that traditional processes cannot balance "rapid dehydration" with "maintaining the integrity of shape and nutrition."

[0032] Additionally, refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3 The conveying mechanism 3 includes an insulated permeable mesh belt 31 and a drive assembly 32 for driving the insulated conveyor belt to transport food downstream. A water-absorbing resin layer 5 is disposed on the inner ring side of the insulated permeable mesh belt 31. The insulated conveyor belt is made of food-grade polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) woven mesh or PTFE-coated glass fiber, which is both insulating and puncture-resistant, as well as hydrophobic and non-stick. The water-absorbing resin layer 5 is specifically a food-grade cross-linked sodium polyacrylate composite layer covered with highly permeable non-woven fabric or a high-porosity polyurethane hydrophilic sponge, used to instantly absorb dripping free liquid, preventing moisture accumulation on the insulated conveyor belt and thus avoiding short circuits. The drive assembly 32 is a chain-driven structure composed of sprockets and chains. The water-absorbing resin layer 5 is attached to the middle area of ​​the insulated conveyor belt and does not contact the sprockets on both sides. Its specific arrangement is existing technology and can be easily implemented by those skilled in the art, so further explanation is unnecessary.

[0033] The electrode assembly 4 includes a positive electrode plate 41 and a negative electrode plate 42 located above and below the upper section of the insulating permeable mesh belt 31, with a high-voltage DC electric field applied between the positive electrode plate 41 and the negative electrode plate 42.

[0034] Furthermore, multiple regenerated pressure rollers 81 are provided on the upper and lower sides of the downward section of the insulating permeable mesh belt 31 to squeeze the water-absorbing resin layer 5 to release free liquid; a recycling tank 82 for receiving free liquid is provided below the downward section of the insulating permeable mesh belt 31.

[0035] Furthermore, in another feasible embodiment, referring to Figure 2The recovery tank 82 is connected to a return pipe 83 that communicates with the atomizing spray mechanism 61. The return pipe 83 includes at least a delivery pipe, a delivery pump and a solenoid valve.

[0036] In this way, by setting a regenerating pressure roller 81 in the downward section of the insulated permeable mesh belt 31, the free liquid precipitated from the absorbent resin layer 5 can be squeezed into the recycling tank 82, thus realizing the recycling and reuse of the absorbent resin layer 5. Moreover, since the free liquid contains trace amounts of natural polysaccharides that seep from the surface of the food and the natural electrolytes added in the previous step, after being sent back to the atomizing spray mechanism 61 for recycling through the return pipe 83, not only are water resources and natural electrolytes saved, but the nutrient concentration in the soaking liquid also reaches a dynamic balance, which in turn inhibits the subsequent loss of nutrients due to concentration differences inside the food, producing an unexpected nutrient preservation effect.

[0037] This application discloses a preparation process for ready-to-eat, additive-free food ingredients derived from medicinal herbs, based on the aforementioned system for preparing ready-to-eat, additive-free food ingredients derived from medicinal herbs, with reference to... Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 4 It includes the following steps: S1. The selected ingredients are layered according to their hardness and softness and placed into the material carrying mechanism 21 of the immersion unit 12. The sealed pressure container 2 is evacuated to negative pressure and maintained for a first preset time, causing the gas inside the ingredients to expand and overflow. Then, atomized water is sprayed onto the ingredients under negative pressure, using the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the cells to instantly adsorb water. Then, the vacuum is broken and inert gas is injected under pressure and maintained for a second preset time, forcing the surface-adsorbed water and dissolved ions deep into the cells. The above steps are repeated several times until the water content reaches the first preset target value, such as 25%. In another feasible embodiment, natural electrolytes are added to the sprayed atomized water to increase the ion concentration and polarization capacity of the water inside the ingredients' cells.

[0038] S2. After soaking, wash, mix, blanch and cool the ingredients in sequence.

[0039] S3. The cooled ingredients are laid flat on the conveying mechanism 3. The electrode group 4 applies a high-voltage DC electric field to the ingredients. The polarized water molecules are driven to migrate in a directional manner by the electric field force and are adsorbed by the water-absorbing resin layer 5. Finally, the ingredients are drained to a second preset target moisture content, such as 5%. In another feasible embodiment, the water-absorbing resin layer 5 is squeezed and reused. The seepaged free liquid is then sent back to the atomizing spraying mechanism 61 for recycling through the return pipe 83. This not only saves water resources, but also makes the nutrient concentration in the soaking liquid reach a dynamic balance, which in turn inhibits the subsequent loss of nutrients due to concentration differences inside the ingredients, producing an unexpected nutrient preservation effect.

[0040] S4. Packaging, vacuum sealing and sterilization.

[0041] This application discloses a ready-to-eat, additive-free food ingredient that is both food and medicine. It is processed based on the above-mentioned preparation process of a ready-to-eat, additive-free food ingredient that is both food and medicine, and includes any one or more combinations of root and bulb ingredients, fruit and seed ingredients, flower and leaf ingredients, and fungi and gelatinous ingredients.

[0042] Specifically, root and bulbous ingredients have a dense cellulose or abundant starch structure, and typically require a longer soaking time. These include, but are not limited to: yam, licorice, angelica, ginger (fresh and dried), platycodon, kudzu root, fresh imperata root, fresh reed rhizome, codonopsis, dendrobium officinale, American ginseng, astragalus, gastrodia elata, carrot, water chestnut, sugarcane, and lily bulbs. Harder materials in this category (such as dried ginger and astragalus) should be preferentially placed in the hard material section of the soaking unit.

[0043] Fruits and seeds have a hard seed coat, outer shell, or pectin-rich pulp structure. Specific examples include, but are not limited to: hawthorn, dried plum, papaya, ginkgo, white hyacinth bean, longan pulp, cassia seed, almond, sea buckthorn, fox nut, red bean, malt, jujube, monk fruit, goji berry, gardenia, malt seed, peach kernel, mulberry, tangerine peel, orange peel, lotus seed, perilla seed, black sesame, black pepper, jujube seed, coix seed, raspberry, pumpkin seed, sunflower seed, loquat, and snow pear. Seeds and dried fruits with low water content and hard seed coats (such as fox nut, cassia seed, white hyacinth bean, black sesame, and coix seed) are placed in the hard material section; while pulpy fruits and easily softened fruits (such as goji berries, longan, mulberry, and snow pear) are placed in the soft material section.

[0044] Flowers, leaves, and whole herbs have a thin and extremely soft tissue structure, making them very easy to break or absorb water and gelatinize during processing. Specific examples include, but are not limited to: honeysuckle, mulberry leaves, lotus leaves, bamboo leaves, chrysanthemum, perilla, sophora japonica buds, sophora japonica flowers, dandelion, mint, patchouli, eucommia leaves, hibiscus, prunella vulgaris, honeysuckle, camellia, and rose petals. These materials must be placed in the soft material zone at the top of the soaking unit, where they only swell on the surface by absorbing gentle atomized water vapor. A low electric field strength should be used during dehydration in the dewatering unit to prevent damage to the leaves or petals.

[0045] Fungi and gelatinous foods often exhibit a colloidal state rich in polysaccharides or a sponge-like porous structure, making them extremely sensitive to moisture. Examples include, but are not limited to: Poria cocos (sclerotium), Ganoderma lucidum, Tremella fuciformis, peach gum, donkey-hide gelatin, and honey. When processing these foods, they must be placed in their respective material zones according to their specific texture (e.g., Poria cocos pieces are usually harder, while Tremella fuciformis is softer). The electric field drainage unit can effectively and directionally extract water molecules from these gelatinous structures that are difficult to separate mechanically, without damaging their collagen polysaccharide structure.

[0046] Unless otherwise defined, the technical or scientific terms used in this application shall have the ordinary meaning understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application pertains. The terms "first," "second," "third," and similar words used in this application specification and claims do not indicate any order, quantity, or importance, but are merely used to distinguish different components. The terms "an" or "a" and similar words do not indicate a quantity limitation, but rather indicate the presence of at least one. The terms "comprising" or "including" and similar words mean that the elements or objects preceding "comprising" or "including" encompass the elements or objects listed following "comprising" or "including" and their equivalents, and do not exclude other elements or objects. "Above," "below," "left," "right," etc., are used only to indicate relative positional relationships; when the absolute position of the described object changes, the relative positional relationship may also change accordingly.

[0047] The above are all preferred embodiments of this application, and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, all equivalent changes made in accordance with the structure, shape and principle of this application should be covered within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A system for preparing ready-to-eat, additive-free food ingredients derived from medicinal and edible sources, comprising a pretreatment unit, a soaking unit, a blanching and cooling unit, a draining unit, and a packaging and sterilization unit connected in sequence, characterized in that, The impregnation unit includes a sealed pressure vessel and a material carrying mechanism disposed within the sealed pressure vessel. The sealed pressure vessel is used to impregnate the pre-treated food ingredients with periodic pressure-changing pulses based on the respiration effect, and to improve the ion conductivity inside the food ingredient cells. The draining unit includes a conveying mechanism, an electrode assembly, and a water-absorbing resin layer. The electrode assembly is used to generate an electric field that passes through the food on the conveying mechanism to drive polar water molecules in the food to migrate downwards in a directional manner. The water-absorbing resin layer is disposed below the conveying mechanism to adsorb the migrated moisture in the material. as well as The central control unit is configured to control the number of periodic variable-voltage pulsation immersion cycles of the immersion unit and the electric field strength of the electrode group according to preset food type parameters and final moisture content target.

2. The preparation system for ready-to-eat, additive-free medicinal and edible ingredients according to claim 1, characterized in that, The sealed pressure vessel is equipped with an atomizing spray mechanism at the bottom and an air passage interface at the top. The air passage interface is connected to a vacuum pump and a nitrogen source respectively through a three-way valve. The material carrying mechanism is located between the two. The central control unit is configured to: first, control the vacuum pump to turn on so that the sealed pressure vessel reaches a negative pressure state of -0.08Mpa to -0.06Mpa and maintain it for a first preset time; then, control the atomizing spray mechanism to spray atomized water; and then control the three-way valve to switch to the nitrogen source and fill it with nitrogen at 0.1Mpa to 0.2Mpa and maintain it for a second preset time. Repeat the above steps until the moisture content of the ingredients reaches the required level.

3. The ready-to-eat, additive-free food preparation system for medicinal and edible ingredients according to claim 2, characterized in that, The atomizing spray mechanism is connected to an ion concentration regulating water tank, and the ion concentration regulating water tank is equipped with a conductivity sensor. The central control unit is also configured to: according to the minimum conductivity threshold required by the subsequent draining unit, in the pressure-fluctuating immersion stage in a closed pressure container, add a natural electrolyte solution to the atomized water through an ion concentration adjustment tank to enhance the polarization ability of water after entering the food cells.

4. The preparation system for ready-to-eat, additive-free medicinal and edible ingredients according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bleaching and cooling unit is equipped with a stepped variable temperature bleaching tank. The first stage of the variable temperature bleaching tank is a high-temperature instantaneous bleaching stage of 92℃~95℃, and the second stage is a medium-temperature curing bleaching stage of 60℃~65℃. The medium-temperature curing and blanching stage is used to moderately shrink the surface of the food and lock the intracellular water channel structure established in the variable pressure pulsating wetting stage, preventing water from naturally seeping out before entering the electric field between the electrode groups for dehydration.

5. The preparation system for ready-to-eat, additive-free medicinal and edible ingredients according to claim 2, characterized in that, The conveying mechanism includes an insulated and permeable mesh belt and a drive component for driving the insulated conveying mesh belt to transport food downstream, wherein the water-absorbing resin layer is disposed on the inner ring side of the insulated and permeable mesh belt. The electrode assembly includes a positive electrode plate and a negative electrode plate located above and below the upper section of the insulated permeable mesh belt, and a high-voltage DC electric field is applied between the positive electrode plate and the negative electrode plate.

6. The system for preparing ready-to-eat, additive-free food ingredients based on medicinal properties according to claim 5, characterized in that, Multiple recycled pressure rollers are provided on the upper and lower sides of the downward section of the insulating permeable mesh belt to squeeze the water-absorbing resin layer to release free liquid. A recovery tank for collecting free liquid is installed below the downward section of the insulated permeable mesh belt.

7. The preparation system for ready-to-eat, additive-free medicinal and edible ingredients according to claim 6, characterized in that, The recycling tank is connected to a return pipeline that communicates with the atomizing spray mechanism.

8. The preparation system for ready-to-eat, additive-free medicinal and edible ingredients according to claim 1, characterized in that, The material carrying mechanism is a multi-layered partitioned structure, including at least one hard material zone for containing hard ingredients and at least one soft material zone for containing soft ingredients, with each zone separated by a water-permeable and air-permeable partition.

9. A process for preparing ready-to-eat, additive-free food ingredients derived from medicinal and edible sources, based on the ready-to-eat, additive-free food ingredient preparation system as described in any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S1. The selected ingredients are placed into the soaking unit, negative pressure is drawn and maintained for a first preset time, so that the gas inside the ingredients expands and overflows; then atomized water is sprayed into the ingredients under negative pressure, and the water is instantly adsorbed by the pressure difference inside and outside the cells; then the vacuum is broken and inert gas is pressurized and filled in, and maintained for a second preset time, so that the water adsorbed on the surface and dissolved ions are pressed into the depth of the cells; the above steps are repeated several times until the water content reaches the first preset target value. S2. Wash, mix, blanch and cool the soaked ingredients in sequence; S3. The cooled food is laid flat on the conveying mechanism. The electrode group applies a high-voltage DC electric field to the food, and the water molecules are driven to migrate in a directional manner by the electric field force, so that the food is drained to a moisture content of the second preset target value. S4. Packaging, vacuum sealing and sterilization.

10. A ready-to-eat, additive-free food ingredient derived from medicinal herbs, processed according to the preparation process of the ready-to-eat, additive-free food ingredient derived from medicinal herbs as described in claim 9, characterized in that, This includes any one or more combinations of root and bulb ingredients, fruit and seed ingredients, flower, leaf and whole herb ingredients, and fungi and gelatinous ingredients.

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