Mixed gas fresh-keeping packaging method and system for dried potato powder

Abstract

The invention discloses a mixed gas fresh-keeping packaging method and system for dried potato powder, and relates to the technical field of food fresh-keeping packaging, and the method comprises the following steps: S1, preparing high-purity nitrogen through a nitrogen generation and gas supply system by adopting a pressure swing adsorption technology, and communicating with a packaging machine solenoid valve and a gas filling pipe through a gas pipe; s2, the to-be-packaged potato powder is conveyed to a weighing mechanism through a lifting mechanism to complete quantitative weighing; nitrogen replacement type mixed gas fresh-keeping packaging is adopted to replace traditional high-vacuum packaging, strong air exhaust does not need to be conducted on packaging bags, the problems of breakage, deformation, adhesion, caking and the like caused by pressing of the dried potato powder can be avoided, the complete appearance and the smooth taste of the dried potato powder are reserved to the maximum degree, meanwhile, the oxygen concentration in the bags is controlled to be at the extremely low level, and the packaging efficiency is improved. The defects that existing vacuum packaging easily causes condition damage, short shelf life and sour and mildewing of the dried potato powder are fundamentally overcome, the shelf life of the dried potato powder is remarkably prolonged, and the product quality is stabilized.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of food preservation and packaging technology, specifically to a mixed gas preservation packaging method and system for potato starch. Background Technology

[0002] Potato starch noodles are a specialty starch-based staple food made primarily from potato starch through processes such as thickening, kneading, extrusion molding, and cooking. They are characterized by their smooth and chewy texture, high moisture content, rich nutrition, and unique flavor, making them widely used in various catering scenarios such as hot pot, spicy hot pot, casserole, and cold dishes. However, due to their high starch and moisture content, potato starch noodles are highly susceptible to microbial contamination during storage and transportation at room temperature. This can easily lead to the growth of bacteria, mold, and other harmful microorganisms, resulting in spoilage such as souring, moldy taste, stickiness, softness, and dull color. Oxidation and aging also significantly shorten shelf life, seriously affecting product quality and food safety. Therefore, it is essential to use preservative packaging to effectively isolate the product from external air, moisture, and bacteria, inhibiting microbial growth and starch oxidation, thereby extending shelf life, stabilizing product quality, ensuring food safety, and effectively expanding the product's distribution and sales scope.

[0003] Currently, most potato starch products on the market are packaged using high-vacuum packaging machines. This involves removing 90% to 95% of the air from the packaging bag to achieve a sealed storage. However, potato starch has a high moisture content, a soft and smooth texture, and is easily compressed. High-vacuum packaging causes the packaging bag to adhere tightly to the potato starch, subjecting the product to strong pressure. This can easily cause the potato starch to break, deform, and clump together, severely damaging the product's appearance and taste. At the same time, the high-vacuum environment cannot completely isolate residual oxygen. A small amount of residual oxygen inside the bag can still accelerate the oxidation and deterioration of the potato starch, promote the growth of microorganisms, and lead to quality deterioration problems such as souring, mold, and darkening of color, greatly limiting the product's shelf life. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a mixed gas preservation packaging method and system for potato starch, in order to solve the problems of easy compression deformation, adhesion and breakage of existing vacuum packaging of potato starch, as well as the problem that residual oxygen can easily cause product deterioration and mold.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution: a mixed gas preservation packaging method for potato starch, comprising the following steps:

[0006] S1. High-purity nitrogen is produced by pressure swing adsorption technology through a nitrogen generation and supply system, and connected to the packaging machine's solenoid valve and inflation pipe through a gas pipe;

[0007] S2. The potato flour to be packaged is conveyed to the weighing mechanism through the lifting mechanism to complete the quantitative weighing;

[0008] S3, the rotary bag-feeding packaging machine automatically feeds bags and prints the production date on the surface of the packaging bags;

[0009] S4. The bag opening device fully opens the bag opening, ready for filling;

[0010] S5. Pack the weighed potato starch into the opened packaging bag.

[0011] S6. The solenoid valve controls the inflation tube to quantitatively fill the packaging bag containing potato starch with nitrogen, replacing the air inside the bag.

[0012] S7. The packaging bag is first heat-sealed at 140°C using a first heat-sealing device, and then second heat-sealed at 90°C using a second heat-sealing device.

[0013] S8. After the two heat seals are completed, the packaging bag is squeezed and flattened by the extrusion and flattening device to make the potato starch inside the bag evenly distributed.

[0014] The nitrogen filling and packaging machine are controlled synchronously, with a nitrogen replacement rate of ≥95%. The double heat sealing forms a double sealing structure, and the final product packaging is output.

[0015] Furthermore, in step S1, the nitrogen generation and supply system adopts pressure swing adsorption technology, uses air as raw material, selectively adsorbs oxygen through carbon molecular sieve, outputs nitrogen with a purity ≥99.5%, an inflation pressure of 0.3–0.5 MPa, and the inflation volume is automatically adjusted according to the bag type.

[0016] Furthermore, in step S6, the nitrogen filling is performed after the powder loading in step S5. The solenoid valve is opened 0.2 seconds in advance during nitrogen filling to achieve predictive filling and compensate for system response delay.

[0017] Furthermore, in step S6, the oxygen concentration inside the packaging bag after nitrogen filling is controlled to be below 2%, and the filling process is monitored in real time by a mass flow meter with an filling accuracy of ±5%.

[0018] Furthermore, in step S7, the first heat seal and the second heat seal use different heat seal temperatures, wherein the first heat seal temperature is 140℃±5℃ and the second heat seal temperature is 90℃±3℃, to form a gradient sealing structure, and the double seal makes the leakage rate <0.1%.

[0019] A mixed gas preservation packaging system for potato starch, comprising a packaging machine frame;

[0020] A weighing mechanism is located at the top of the packaging machine frame;

[0021] The lifting mechanism is located on one side of the packaging machine frame;

[0022] The packaging mechanism is located inside the lower part of the packaging machine frame;

[0023] The packaging mechanism includes a main unit cabinet, a rotary bag-feeding packaging machine, a nitrogen supply system, and an output system. The rotary bag-feeding packaging machine is installed at the top center of the main unit cabinet. The nitrogen supply system is installed on one side of the top of the main unit cabinet and is connected to the inflation component of the rotary bag-feeding packaging machine through an air pipe. The output system is located at the discharge end of the rotary bag-feeding packaging machine and is installed at the top of the main unit cabinet.

[0024] Protective railings are installed on the top four sides of the packaging machine frame;

[0025] An inspection ladder is located on one side of the packaging machine frame.

[0026] A water receiving tray is positioned below the lowest point of the lifting mechanism;

[0027] The potato starch feeding cart is located on the outside of the lowest point of the lifting mechanism.

[0028] Furthermore, the weighing mechanism includes a multi-head combination scale, multiple weighing hoppers, a vibrating feeder, two support rods, a storage hopper, a discharge chute, and a drain pipe. The multi-head combination scale is installed on the top of the packaging machine frame. The multiple weighing hoppers are evenly distributed in a ring around the outer periphery of the top of the multi-head combination scale. The vibrating feeder is located in the middle of the top of the multi-head combination scale. The two support rods are respectively installed on both sides of the top of the multi-head combination scale. The storage hopper is fitted between the two support rods. The discharge chute is located in the middle of the bottom of the multi-head combination scale. The drain pipe is located on one side of the bottom of the multi-head combination scale.

[0029] Furthermore, the lifting mechanism includes a material hoist, a support frame, a guide pipe, and a PLC control cabinet. The support frame is installed at the bottom end of the material hoist, the guide pipe is located at the middle of the bottom end of the material hoist, and the PLC control cabinet is installed on the outer wall of the support frame.

[0030] Furthermore, the rotary bag packaging machine is equipped with a printing system, a bag opening device, a filling system, a nitrogen filling and freshness-locking system, a double heat sealing system, and a compression and leveling device. The nitrogen supply system adopts a pressure swing adsorption structure and has a built-in air compressor, carbon molecular sieve, pneumatic valve, nitrogen buffer tank, and online purity detector.

[0031] Furthermore, the weighing hopper is equipped with a weighing sensor, the vibrating feeder is an electromagnetic vibrator, and the storage hopper is located directly above the vibrating feeder.

[0032] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0033] (1) The present invention uses nitrogen replacement mixed gas preservation packaging to replace traditional high vacuum packaging. There is no need to perform strong air extraction on the packaging bag, which can avoid problems such as breakage, deformation, and clumping of potato starch due to pressure. It preserves the complete shape and smooth taste of potato starch to the greatest extent. At the same time, it controls the oxygen concentration in the bag to an extremely low level, effectively inhibiting the growth of microorganisms and starch oxidation and deterioration. It fundamentally solves the defects of existing vacuum packaging that easily cause potato starch to be damaged, have a short shelf life, and be prone to souring and mold, significantly extending the shelf life of potato starch and stabilizing product quality.

[0034] (2) This invention achieves fully automated integrated operation of nitrogen generation, filling, bag feeding, printing, bag opening, filling, dual-temperature heat sealing, and extrusion leveling through the coordinated work of the main unit cabinet, rotary bag feeding machine, nitrogen supply system and output system. The nitrogen generation system can produce food-grade high-purity nitrogen online and accurately control the filling pressure and flow rate. The two-stage gradient heat sealing structure makes the packaging bag more firmly sealed and has excellent sealing performance. The overall equipment operates stably, responds quickly, and has high packaging efficiency, making it suitable for industrial continuous production.

[0035] (3) The present invention achieves automatic feeding, stable conveying, high-precision quantitative weighing and centralized feeding of potato starch through the coordinated work of the weighing mechanism and the lifting mechanism. The lifting mechanism can smoothly convey the material to the weighing end and is equipped with a guide and water receiving structure to keep the equipment clean and hygienic. The weighing mechanism, together with the weighing scale bucket and the vibrating feeder, achieves fast and accurate material distribution. The weighing error is small, the material is discharged smoothly and without blockage, effectively improving the packaging accuracy and production efficiency, and reducing labor costs and material loss. Attached Figure Description

[0036] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments recorded in this invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings.

[0037] Figure 1 A front view of the overall structure provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 2 A top view of the overall structure provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 3 A structural side view of the weighing mechanism and packaging mechanism is provided for embodiments of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 4 A structural schematic diagram of the weighing mechanism is provided for embodiments of the present invention;

[0041] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the lifting mechanism is provided for an embodiment of the present invention;

[0042] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the packaging mechanism is provided for embodiments of the present invention;

[0043] Figure 7 Provided for embodiments of the present invention Figure 2 Enlarged view of the structure at point A in the middle.

[0044] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0045] 1. Packaging machine frame; 2. Weighing mechanism; 3. Lifting mechanism; 4. Packaging mechanism; 5. Guardrail; 6. Maintenance ladder; 7. Water tray; 8. Potato starch feeding cart; 21. Multi-head combination scale; 22. Weighing scale hopper; 23. Vibrating feeder; 24. Support rod; 25. Storage hopper; 26. Discharge chute; 27. Drainage pipe; 31. Material elevator; 32. Support frame; 33. Guide pipe; 34. PLC control cabinet; 41. Main unit cabinet; 42. Rotary bag packaging machine; 43. Nitrogen supply system; 44. Output system. Detailed Implementation

[0046] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solution of the present invention, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0047] As attached Figure 1 To be continued Figure 7 As shown:

[0048] Example 1:

[0049] This invention provides a method for preserving potato starch with a mixed gas, comprising the following steps:

[0050] S1. High-purity nitrogen is produced by pressure swing adsorption technology through a nitrogen generation and supply system. Food-grade nitrogen is directly separated from air as raw material, eliminating the need for external nitrogen cylinders. The supply is stable and the cost is lower. The system is connected to the packaging machine's solenoid valve and inflation pipe through a gas pipe to ensure that nitrogen can be delivered to the packaging station quickly and accurately.

[0051] S2. The potato starch to be packaged is conveyed to the weighing mechanism through the lifting mechanism to complete the quantitative weighing, so as to realize the continuous and stable conveying of materials and avoid the cross-contamination and low efficiency caused by manual feeding.

[0052] S3, the rotary bag-feeding packaging machine automatically feeds bags and prints the production date on the surface of the packaging bags, meeting the requirements of food packaging label regulations and realizing full product traceability;

[0053] S4. The bag opening device fully opens the bag opening using a double suction cup vacuum adsorption method, which has a high success rate in opening the bag without damaging the bag body, and is ready for filling.

[0054] S5. Pack the weighed potato starch into the opened packaging bag.

[0055] S6. The solenoid valve controls the inflation tube to quantitatively fill the packaging bag containing potato starch with nitrogen, replacing the air inside the bag.

[0056] S7. The first heat sealing device is used to perform a first heat sealing of the packaging bag at 140℃, which rapidly melts the film layer at high temperature to form a strong main seal. Then, the second heat sealing device is used to perform a second heat sealing at 90℃, which strengthens the sealing structure at medium temperature, eliminates stress and improves the reliability of the seal.

[0057] S8. After the two heat seals are completed, the packaging bag is squeezed and flattened by the extrusion and flattening device to make the potato starch inside the bag evenly distributed.

[0058] The nitrogen filling and packaging machine are controlled synchronously to ensure that the amount of gas filling in each bag is highly matched with the packaging rhythm. The nitrogen replacement rate is ≥95%, which can remove oxygen in the bag to the maximum extent and significantly improve the preservation effect. The double heat sealing forms a double sealing structure, which provides double protection to prevent air and liquid leakage, and finally outputs the finished product packaging.

[0059] In step S1, the nitrogen supply system adopts pressure swing adsorption technology, using air as raw material, selectively adsorbing oxygen through carbon molecular sieves, and outputting nitrogen with a purity of ≥99.5%, which fully meets the requirements for oxygen-free protection in food preservation. The inflation pressure is 0.3–0.5 MPa, which is moderate and does not impact the bag body. The inflation volume is automatically adjusted according to the bag type, adapting to different specifications of packaging bags and making it more versatile.

[0060] In step S6, the nitrogen filling is performed after the powder loading in step S5. The solenoid valve is opened 0.2 seconds in advance during nitrogen filling to achieve predictive filling and compensate for system response delay.

[0061] In step S6, after nitrogen filling, the oxygen concentration inside the packaging bag is controlled below 2%, which strongly inhibits the growth of mold and bacteria, delays starch oxidation and deterioration, and the filling process is monitored in real time by a mass flow meter with an filling accuracy of ±5%, ensuring that the preservation effect of each bag is highly consistent.

[0062] In step S7, the first heat seal and the second heat seal use different heat seal temperatures, with the first heat seal temperature being 140℃±5℃ and the second heat seal temperature being 90℃±3℃, to form a gradient sealing structure. This results in a stronger seal, making it less prone to cracking. The double seal reduces the air leakage rate to <0.1%, significantly lowering the packaging waste rate.

[0063] Working Principle: In step S1, nitrogen gas with a purity ≥99.5% is prepared using a nitrogen supply system with pressure swing adsorption technology and delivered to the packaging machine's execution end. In step S2, the potato starch is conveyed to the weighing mechanism by a lifting mechanism for precise quantitative weighing. In step S3, a rotary bag-feeding packaging machine automatically picks up the bag and prints the production date. In step S4, the bag opening is fully opened by a bag-opening device. In step S5, the weighed potato starch is first loaded into the packaging bag. In step S6, the solenoid valve is opened 0.2 seconds in advance to achieve predictive inflation, and nitrogen gas is quantitatively introduced into the packaging bag containing potato starch through the inflation pipe to replace the original air in the bag, reducing the oxygen concentration in the bag to below 2%, effectively inhibiting microbial growth and starch oxidation and deterioration, and fundamentally improving the problems of potato starch product damage, short shelf life, souring and mold growth that exist in traditional vacuum packaging. This equipment addresses issues such as significantly extending product shelf life and stabilizing storage quality. It utilizes a mass flow meter to precisely control gas volume, ensuring an inflation accuracy error of ≤±5%. The equipment employs a nitrogen-replacement packaging method, loading the material first and then filling with nitrogen, eliminating the need for traditional heavy vacuuming processes. This avoids negative pressure compression of the packaging bag, effectively preventing potato starch from breaking, deforming, sticking, clumping, or crumbling under pressure, thus preserving the potato starch's intact shape and original smooth texture to the greatest extent possible. In step S7, a first heat seal at 140℃±5℃ and a second heat seal at 90℃±3℃ are performed sequentially, forming a gradient double-sealing structure with a leakage rate of <0.1%. In step S8, a compression and leveling device flattens the packaging bag, ensuring even distribution of potato starch inside. The entire process achieves a nitrogen replacement rate of ≥95%, with nitrogen filling and packaging machine controlled synchronously, ultimately completing an automated, high-freshness potato starch packaging operation.

[0064] Example 2:

[0065] A mixed gas preservation packaging system for potato starch includes a packaging machine frame 1, which is welded from stainless steel profiles;

[0066] Weighing mechanism 2 is located at the top of the packaging machine frame 1, which facilitates automatic material feeding by gravity.

[0067] The lifting mechanism 3 is located on one side of the packaging machine frame 1. It features an inclined conveying design, which saves space and ensures smooth and unobstructed material transport.

[0068] The packaging mechanism 4 is located inside the lower part of the packaging machine frame 1. The layout is compact and reasonable, with core components arranged in a concentrated manner, which facilitates maintenance and operation.

[0069] The packaging mechanism 4 includes a main unit cabinet 41, a rotary bag-feeding packaging machine 42, a nitrogen supply system 43, and an output system 44. Each unit works in coordination to achieve fully automated unmanned packaging. The rotary bag-feeding packaging machine 42 is installed at the top center of the main unit cabinet 41. The model of the rotary bag-feeding packaging machine 42 is RL-GD8-200R. The nitrogen supply system 43 is installed on one side of the top of the main unit cabinet 41 and is connected to the inflation component of the rotary bag-feeding packaging machine 42 through an air pipe. The output system 44 is located at the discharge end of the rotary bag-feeding packaging machine 42 and is installed at the top of the main unit cabinet 41.

[0070] Guardrail 5 is installed on the top four sides of the packaging machine frame 1 to ensure the safety of operation at the top of the equipment;

[0071] The maintenance ladder 6 is located on one side of the packaging machine frame 1, which facilitates operators to climb up to inspect, clean and debug the equipment;

[0072] The water collection tray 7 is located below the lowest point of the lifting mechanism 3 to collect cleaning water and condensate, keeping the ground dry and clean, in line with the hygiene requirements of the food workshop.

[0073] The potato starch feeding cart 8 is located on the outside of the lowest point of the lifting mechanism 3. It can move to feed the starch, reducing the intensity of manual labor and ensuring continuous and smooth feeding.

[0074] The rotary bag-feeding packaging machine 42 is equipped with a printing system, a bag opening device, a filling system, a nitrogen-filling freshness-locking system, a double-stage heat-sealing system, and an extrusion and leveling device. It can realize integrated continuous production of bag feeding, printing, bag opening, filling, material filling, heat sealing, and leveling. Among them, all mechanical grippers are made of 304 stainless steel to avoid oxidation, and all parts that come into contact with materials are made of food-grade high-wear-resistant engineering plastic bearings. The nitrogen supply system 43 adopts a pressure swing adsorption structure and has a built-in air compressor, carbon molecular sieve, pneumatic valve, nitrogen buffer tank, and online purity detector. The integrated design has a small footprint and real-time display of nitrogen purity for easy monitoring.

[0075] Working Principle: The packaging machine frame 1 is an integral support structure. The potato starch feeding cart 8 transports the potato starch to be packaged to the lifting mechanism 3. The lifting mechanism 3 lifts the material to the weighing mechanism 2 at the top of the system. The water receiving tray 7 at the bottom collects the wastewater flowing down from the lifting mechanism 3. After the material is weighed quantitatively by the weighing mechanism 2, the packaging mechanism 4 completes the packaging operation of the potato starch. In the packaging mechanism 4, the main unit cabinet 41 carries all the core execution components. The nitrogen supply system 43 adopts pressure swing adsorption technology. The air compressor provides 0.7MPa compressed air, which adsorbs oxygen, moisture, and carbon dioxide through carbon molecular sieves. It continuously produces food-grade nitrogen with a purity ≥99.5% through a cycle of pressurized adsorption and depressurized desorption. The nitrogen supply pressure is stabilized and the purity is monitored in real time through a nitrogen buffer tank and an online nitrogen analyzer. It can produce high-purity nitrogen online and accurately control the inflation pressure and flow rate. At the same time, the PLC synchronous control module receives signals from the packaging machine and opens the high-speed solenoid valve 0.2 seconds in advance to achieve predictive inflation and automatic flow rate adjustment. The 42 rotary bag-feeding packaging machine integrates bag feeding, printing, bag opening, filling, nitrogen gas filling for freshness preservation, double heat sealing, and compression flattening functions, enabling fully automated packaging operations. The bag feeding stage uses vacuum suction cups in conjunction with a robotic arm to pick up bags, adaptable to various bag types, with a wide range of bag widths and lengths, high picking accuracy, and automatic detection and alarms for missing or misaligned bags. After bag picking, the production date, batch number, and other identification information are simultaneously printed by a heat transfer or inkjet printing system. The bag opening stage uses dual food-grade silicone suction cups in conjunction with pneumatic grippers to fully open the bag opening at a set vacuum level. Photoelectric sensors confirm the opening status in real time, and bags that fail to open are automatically rejected. The filling stage uses gravity feeding combined with auxiliary vibration, with sealed feeding achieved through a polished 304 stainless steel tube, effectively preventing blockages and dust. The feeding speed is precisely synchronized with the weighing system. The nitrogen gas filling for freshness preservation is the core process, involving a high-speed response solenoid valve, mass flow meter, precision pressure reducing valve, and a dedicated PLC module working together. The PLC is connected to... Upon receiving a position signal, the solenoid valve opens 0.2 seconds in advance to achieve predictive inflation control. Combined with dynamic flow regulation and adaptive learning functions, quantitative inflation is completed at the set pressure and time, ensuring a stable nitrogen replacement rate and maintaining a low oxygen concentration inside the bag. The heat-sealing process employs a dual-gradient sealing mode. The first stage uses a high-temperature constant-temperature heating block to rapidly melt the packaging film, forming the main seal. The second stage uses a medium-temperature reinforcement seal. Combined with precise PID temperature control and a double-sealing structure, this significantly improves sealing reliability and effectively reduces the risk of leakage. Finally, a double-roller silicone extrusion and leveling device levels the bag, ensuring even distribution of potato starch inside. The finished product is output via a food-grade conveyor belt, simultaneously performing metal detection, weight re-inspection, and automatic rejection of defective products. This achieves stable, efficient, and high-freshness continuous packaging production. Finally, the output system 44 delivers the finished product. The overall equipment operates stably, with a fast response speed and high packaging efficiency, achieving fully automated operation of the entire process for nitrogen-preserved potato starch packaging.

[0076] Example 3:

[0077] This embodiment is basically the same as the previous embodiment, except that the weighing mechanism 2 includes a multi-head combination scale 21, multiple weighing hoppers 22, a vibrating feeder 23, two support rods 24, a storage hopper 25, a discharge chute 26, and a drain pipe 27. It offers higher weighing accuracy, faster speed, and suitability for large-scale continuous production. The multi-head combination scale 21 is installed at the top of the packaging machine frame 1, and the multiple weighing hoppers 22 are evenly distributed in a ring around the top periphery of the multi-head combination scale 21. The multi-hopper combination weighing allows for rapid matching of the target product. The weight is marked with minimal error. The vibrating feeder 23 is located at the top center of the multi-head combination scale 21. Electromagnetic vibration feeding ensures uniform feeding without damaging the shape of the potato starch. Two support rods 24 are installed on both sides of the top of the multi-head combination scale 21. The storage hopper 25 is fitted between the two support rods 24. The discharge chute 26 is located at the bottom center of the multi-head combination scale 21. The drain pipe 27 is located on one side of the bottom of the multi-head combination scale 21 to promptly drain residual moisture inside the scale body and prevent materials from sticking together and becoming moldy.

[0078] The lifting mechanism 3 includes a material elevator 31, a support frame 32, a guide pipe 33, and a PLC control cabinet 34. The material elevator 31 includes a food-grade PU conveyor belt and belt rollers. The support frame 32 is installed at the bottom of the material elevator 31. The guide pipe 33 is located in the middle of the bottom of the material elevator 31. The PLC control cabinet 34 is installed on the outer wall of the support frame 32 and can monitor and adjust the operating parameters in real time.

[0079] The weighing hopper 22 is equipped with a weighing sensor to collect weight signals with high precision. It has low temperature drift and good long-term stability. The vibrating feeder 23 uses an electromagnetic vibrator with adjustable vibration frequency. The feeding speed can be automatically matched according to the production rhythm. The storage hopper 25 is located directly above the vibrating feeder 23. The material falls naturally by gravity, and the feeding is smooth and unobstructed.

[0080] Working Principle: During system operation, the potato starch feeding cart 8 delivers potato starch to the lifting mechanism 3. The material elevator 31 uses a food-grade PU conveyor belt to transport the material upwards. The guide pipe 33 guides the water accumulated inside the equipment to the water receiving tray 7 to keep the equipment clean and hygienic. The PLC control cabinet 34 realizes full-process automated control. After the lifting mechanism 3 lifts the material into the weighing mechanism 2, the material first falls into the storage hopper 25 and then enters the vibrating feeder 23. The vibrating feeder 23 uses an electromagnetic vibrator to evenly distribute the material to the circularly distributed weighing hopper 22. The high-precision weighing sensor inside the weighing hopper 22 detects the weight in real time. The multi-head combination scale 21 quickly calculates the optimal combination and completes quantitative weighing, with small weighing error and smooth material discharge without clogging. After weighing, the material falls to the packaging station through the discharge chute 26, and the drain pipe 27 drains the residual water inside the scale body. This achieves automatic feeding, stable conveying, high-precision quantitative weighing, and centralized feeding of potato starch, effectively improving packaging accuracy and production efficiency, and reducing labor costs and material loss.

[0081] The foregoing has only described certain exemplary embodiments of the present invention by way of illustration. Undoubtedly, those skilled in the art can modify the described embodiments in various ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the foregoing drawings and descriptions are illustrative in nature and should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for preserving potato starch using a mixed gas, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S1. High-purity nitrogen is produced by pressure swing adsorption technology through a nitrogen generation and supply system, and connected to the packaging machine's solenoid valve and inflation pipe through a gas pipe; S2. The potato flour to be packaged is conveyed to the weighing mechanism through the lifting mechanism to complete the quantitative weighing; S3, the rotary bag-feeding packaging machine automatically feeds bags and prints the production date on the surface of the packaging bags; S4. The bag opening device fully opens the bag opening, ready for filling; S5. Pack the weighed potato starch into the opened packaging bag. S6. The solenoid valve controls the inflation tube to quantitatively fill the packaging bag containing potato starch with nitrogen, replacing the air inside the bag. S7. The packaging bag is first heat-sealed at 140°C using a first heat-sealing device, and then second heat-sealed at 90°C using a second heat-sealing device. S8. After the two heat seals are completed, the packaging bag is squeezed and flattened by the extrusion and flattening device to make the potato starch inside the bag evenly distributed. The nitrogen filling and packaging machine are controlled synchronously, with a nitrogen replacement rate of ≥95%. The double heat sealing forms a double sealing structure, and the final product packaging is output.

2. The mixed gas preservation packaging method for potato starch according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step S1, the nitrogen supply system adopts pressure swing adsorption technology, uses air as raw material, selectively adsorbs oxygen through carbon molecular sieve, outputs nitrogen with a purity of ≥99.5%, and fills with an inflation pressure of 0.3–0.5 MPa. The inflation volume is automatically adjusted according to the bag type.

3. The mixed gas preservation packaging method for potato flour according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step S6, the nitrogen filling is performed after the powder loading in step S5. The solenoid valve is opened 0.2 seconds in advance during nitrogen filling to achieve predictive filling and compensate for system response delay.

4. The mixed gas preservation packaging method for potato flour according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step S6, the oxygen concentration inside the packaging bag after nitrogen filling is controlled to be below 2%, and the filling process is monitored in real time by a mass flow meter with an filling accuracy of ±5%.

5. The mixed gas preservation packaging method for potato flour according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step S7, the first heat seal and the second heat seal use different heat seal temperatures, with the first heat seal temperature being 140℃±5℃ and the second heat seal temperature being 90℃±3℃, to form a gradient sealing structure. The double seal makes the leakage rate <0.1%.

6. A mixed gas preservation packaging system for potato starch, applicable to the mixed gas preservation packaging method for potato starch according to any one of claims 1 to 5, comprising a packaging machine frame (1), characterized in that, Weighing mechanism (2) is located at the top of the packaging machine frame (1); The lifting mechanism (3) is arranged on one side of the packaging machine frame (1); The packaging mechanism (4) is arranged inside the lower part of the packaging machine frame (1); The packaging mechanism (4) includes a main unit cabinet (41), a rotary bag-feeding packaging machine (42), a nitrogen supply system (43), and an output system (44). The rotary bag-feeding packaging machine (42) is installed at the top center of the main unit cabinet (41). The nitrogen supply system (43) is installed on one side of the top of the main unit cabinet (41) and is connected to the inflation component of the rotary bag-feeding packaging machine (42) through an air pipe. The output system (44) is located at the discharge end of the rotary bag-feeding packaging machine (42) and is installed at the top of the main unit cabinet (41). Protective railings (5) are installed on the top four sides of the packaging machine frame (1); The maintenance ladder (6) is located on one side of the packaging machine frame (1); A water receiving tray (7) is arranged below the lowest point of the lifting mechanism (3); The potato starch feeding vehicle (8) is located on the outside of the lowest point of the lifting mechanism (3).

7. A mixed gas preservation packaging system for potato flour according to claim 6, characterized in that, The weighing mechanism (2) includes a multi-head combination scale (21), multiple weighing hoppers (22), a vibrating feeder (23), two support rods (24), a storage hopper (25), a discharge chute (26), and a drain pipe (27). The multi-head combination scale (21) is installed at the top of the packaging machine frame (1). The multiple weighing hoppers (22) are evenly distributed in a ring around the top of the multi-head combination scale (21). The vibrating feeder (23) is located at the middle of the top of the multi-head combination scale (21). The two support rods (24) are respectively installed on both sides of the top of the multi-head combination scale (21). The storage hopper (25) is sleeved between the two support rods (24). The discharge chute (26) is located at the middle of the bottom of the multi-head combination scale (21). The drain pipe (27) is located on one side of the bottom of the multi-head combination scale (21).

8. A mixed gas preservation packaging system for potato flour according to claim 6, characterized in that, The lifting mechanism (3) includes a material hoist (31), a support frame (32), a guide pipe (33), and a PLC control cabinet (34). The support frame (32) is installed at the bottom of the material hoist (31), the guide pipe (33) is located at the middle of the bottom of the material hoist (31), and the PLC control cabinet (34) is installed on the outer wall of the support frame (32).

9. A mixed gas preservation packaging system for potato flour according to claim 6, characterized in that, The rotary bag packaging machine (42) is equipped with a printing system, a bag opening device, a filling system, a nitrogen filling and freshness locking system, a double heat sealing system and a compression and leveling device. The nitrogen supply system (43) adopts a pressure swing adsorption structure and has a built-in air compressor, carbon molecular sieve, pneumatic valve, nitrogen buffer tank and online purity detector.

10. A mixed gas preservation packaging system for potato flour according to claim 7, characterized in that, The weighing hopper (22) is equipped with a weighing sensor, the vibrating feeder (23) uses an electromagnetic vibrator, and the storage hopper (25) is located directly above the vibrating feeder (23).

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