Steam direct injection sterilization production apparatus, sterilization production method, and tea beverage

Abstract

This application relates to a steam direct injection sterilization production equipment, a sterilization production method, and a tea beverage. The sterilization production equipment includes a heating section and a heat exchanger. The heating section has an internal space and is equipped with a first inlet, a second inlet, and a first outlet connected to the internal space. The first inlet is used to receive the liquid material to be processed, and the second inlet is used to receive steam. The heat exchanger includes a material channel and heat exchange components. One end of the material channel is connected to a material inlet connected to the first outlet, and the other end of the material channel is connected to a material outlet. The heat exchange components are used to exchange heat and cool the material in the material channel. In the heating section, steam direct injection is used to instantly heat and sterilize the liquid tea beverage material, and in the cooling section, heat exchange is used to cool the material, reducing the loss of aroma or flavor of the liquid tea beverage material, thereby ensuring the quality of the tea beverage product.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of tea beverage production technology, and in particular to a steam direct injection sterilization production equipment, sterilization production method, and tea beverage. Background Technology

[0002] The sterilization process for tea beverages involves heating the liquid material to its sterilization temperature, holding it for a certain time, and then cooling it down. Traditional sterilization methods include indirect ultra-high temperature (UHT) processing and direct steam injection (DSI). Indirect UHT uses a heat exchanger to indirectly exchange heat between the material and a heat / cold source to heat and cool the liquid material. However, this method has a longer heating time and results in greater loss of heat-sensitive components. Direct steam injection involves directly injecting food-grade clean steam into the liquid material, instantly heating it to ultra-high temperature and holding it at that temperature for a short time. Then, flash evaporation is used for rapid cooling and dehydration, achieving highly efficient sterilization. However, flash evaporation uses negative pressure, which removes most of the volatile aroma components from the material.

[0003] Therefore, tea beverages that have undergone traditional sterilization processes will suffer some loss in aroma and flavor, resulting in generally lower production quality. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Therefore, it is necessary to provide a new type of steam direct injection sterilization production equipment and sterilization production method to reduce the loss of aroma and flavor of liquid tea beverage materials and improve the quality of tea beverage products.

[0005] This application provides a steam direct injection sterilization production equipment, including a heating section and a heat exchanger. The heating section has an internal space and is equipped with a first inlet, a second inlet, and a first outlet connected to the internal space. The first inlet is used to receive liquid material to be processed, and the second inlet is used to receive steam. The heat exchanger includes a material channel and a heat exchange element. One end of the material channel is connected to a material inlet connected to the first outlet, and the other end of the material channel is connected to a material outlet. The heat exchange element is used to exchange heat and cool the material in the material channel.

[0006] In one embodiment, the second inlet is connected to a steam injection line, which is equipped with a control valve for controlling the steam flow rate.

[0007] In one embodiment, the heat exchanger is a medium channel through which the cooling medium passes, with a medium inlet connected to one side and a medium outlet connected to the other side, and the medium channel and the material channel are arranged at intervals.

[0008] In one embodiment, the heat exchanger is a shell-and-tube heat exchanger or a plate heat exchanger.

[0009] In one embodiment, the first outlet is connected to the material inlet via a retaining pipe.

[0010] In one embodiment, both the first outlet and the material inlet are detachably connected to the retaining tube.

[0011] In one embodiment, the retaining tube is a telescopic tube that can extend and retract along its own length; or, the first outlet can be connected to the material inlet through retaining tubes of different lengths.

[0012] In one embodiment, the system further includes a raw material tank, a storage tank, and a discharge pump. The outlet of the raw material tank is connected to the first inlet via the discharge pump, and the material outlet is connected to the inlet of the storage tank.

[0013] In one embodiment, the discharge pump is a variable frequency pump.

[0014] This application also provides a sterilization production method, which uses the steam direct injection sterilization production equipment described above to sterilize liquid materials. The sterilization production method includes the following steps:

[0015] With mass m w The liquid material is introduced into the heating section through the first inlet, while a mass of m is simultaneously introduced. s Steam is introduced into the heating section through the second inlet. The liquid material and steam are introduced at the same time, where m w and m s satisfy:

[0016] ;

[0017] m s The quality of the steam introduced into the heating section from the second inlet;

[0018] m w The mass of the liquid material introduced into the heating section from the first inlet;

[0019] c w Specific heat capacity of liquid materials;

[0020] h s This refers to the steam enthalpy;

[0021] △t w The temperature difference between the sterilization temperature and the initial temperature of the liquid material;

[0022] △t s The temperature difference between the steam temperature and the sterilization temperature;

[0023] η is the condensation efficiency;

[0024] k is the correction parameter for the heat dissipation coefficient.

[0025] This application also provides a tea beverage, which is produced using the steam direct injection sterilization equipment described above; or, the tea beverage is produced using the sterilization method described above.

[0026] Compared with the prior art, the steam direct injection sterilization production equipment and sterilization production method provided in this application have at least the following advantages: In the steam direct injection sterilization production equipment, the liquid tea beverage material is instantaneously heated and sterilized by steam direct injection in the heating section, and the cooling section is cooled by heat exchange, which reduces the loss of aroma or flavor of the liquid tea beverage material, thereby ensuring the quality of the tea beverage product. Attached Figure Description

[0027] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the conventional technology, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the conventional technology will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0028] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a steam direct injection sterilization production equipment according to an embodiment of this application;

[0029] Figure 2 A radar chart comparing the sensory evaluation of a green tea product prepared using the sterilization production method of this application and a conventional sterilization production method.

[0030] Attached reference numerals: 10, Raw material tank; 11, Storage tank; 12, Discharge pump; 13, Steam injection pipeline; 14, Control valve; 15, Heating section; 16, Heat exchanger; 17, Holding pipe; 18, First inlet; 19, Second inlet; 20, First outlet; 21, Material channel; 22, Medium channel; 23, Material inlet; 24, Material outlet; 25, Medium inlet; 26, Medium outlet. Detailed Implementation

[0031] To make the above-mentioned objectives, features, and advantages of this application more apparent and understandable, the specific embodiments of this application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Many specific details are set forth in the following description to provide a thorough understanding of this application. However, this application can be implemented in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar modifications without departing from the spirit of this application. Therefore, this application is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0032] It should be noted that when a component is referred to as being "fixed to" or "set on" another component, it can be directly on the other component or there may be an intermediate component. When a component is considered to be "connected" to another component, it can be directly connected to the other component or there may be an intermediate component present. The terms "vertical," "horizontal," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "side," "top," "bottom," and similar expressions used in this application's specification are merely for describing various exemplary structural parts and elements of this application. However, their use herein is for illustrative purposes only and is determined based on the exemplary orientations shown in the accompanying drawings, and does not represent the only possible implementation. Since the embodiments disclosed in this application can be arranged in different orientations, these terms indicating orientation are for illustrative purposes only and should not be considered as limitations. For example, "upper" and "lower" are not necessarily limited to directions opposite to or consistent with the direction of gravity.

[0033] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description of this application, "multiple" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0034] In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, "above" or "below" the second feature can mean that the first feature is in direct contact with the second feature, or that the first feature and the second feature are in indirect contact through an intermediate medium. Furthermore, "above," "over," and "on top" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a higher horizontal level than the second feature. "Below," "below," and "under" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a lower horizontal level than the second feature.

[0035] It should be noted that "axial arrangement" means that the overall arrangement direction is along the axial direction, including but not limited to axial extension, and may be at an angle to the axial direction.

[0036] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used in this application have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application belongs. The terminology used in this application is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the application. The term "and / or" as used in this application includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0037] Traditional indirect ultra-high temperature (UHT) sterilization methods (hereinafter referred to as traditional UHT sterilization methods) result in a certain degree of loss of flavor and aroma components in tea beverages due to the long heating and cooling times. While traditional direct steam injection sterilization methods offer rapid heating and cooling, the flash evaporation process used during cooling leads to a significant loss of flavor and aroma components in tea beverages.

[0038] To address the issue that traditional sterilization methods cause significant loss of flavor and aroma components in tea beverages, please refer to [link / reference]. Figure 1 This application provides a steam direct injection sterilization production device, including a heating section 15 and a heat exchanger 16. The heating section 15 has an internal space and is equipped with a first inlet 18, a second inlet 19, and a first outlet 20 connected to the internal space. The first inlet 18 is used to receive liquid material to be processed, and the second inlet 19 is used to receive steam. The heat exchanger 16 includes a material channel 21 and heat exchange components. One end of the material channel 21 is connected to a material inlet 23 connected to the first outlet 20, and the other end of the material channel 21 is connected to a material outlet 24. The heat exchange components are used to exchange heat and cool the material within the material channel 21.

[0039] During the sterilization process of liquid tea beverage materials, the liquid tea beverage materials enter the heating section 15 through the first inlet 18. High-temperature steam is injected into the heating section 15 through the second inlet 19, instantly heating the liquid tea beverage materials. The heated liquid tea beverage materials are then discharged through the first outlet 20. The material inlet 23 of the material channel 21 of the heat exchanger 16 is used to receive the heated liquid tea beverage materials and discharge them through the material outlet 24. During the flow of the liquid tea beverage materials within the material channel 21, the heat exchanger cools the liquid tea beverage materials through heat exchange. In this way, while ensuring the sterilization efficiency of the tea beverage materials, the loss of flavor and aroma components is reduced, improving the production efficiency and quality of the tea beverage.

[0040] The heating section 15 can be, but is not limited to, pipes, tanks, etc. with internal spaces.

[0041] Furthermore, the second inlet 19 is connected to a steam injection pipeline 13, which is equipped with a control valve 14 to control the steam flow rate. The steam injection flow rate can be adjusted via the control valve 14. Specifically, when the flow rate of the liquid tea beverage material entering the heating section 15 is large, the required steam flow rate is also large; when the flow rate of the liquid tea beverage material entering the heating section 15 is small, the required steam flow rate is correspondingly small. The specific steam flow rate and the degree of heating of the liquid tea beverage material can be determined according to actual needs, and this application does not impose any limitations.

[0042] In some preferred embodiments, the heat exchanger is a medium channel 22 through which the cooling medium passes. One side of the medium channel 22 is connected to a medium inlet 25, and the other side is connected to a medium outlet 26. The medium channel 22 and the material channel 21 are arranged alternately. In other words, the medium channel 22 and the material channel 21 are arranged alternately, thus isolating them from each other. Gas or liquid for heat exchange can be introduced into the medium channel 22. Heat exchange occurs between the high-temperature liquid tea beverage material flowing in the material channel 21 and the low-temperature heat exchange medium flowing in the medium channel 22 through heat conduction, thereby cooling the liquid tea beverage material and reducing the loss of flavor and aroma components.

[0043] It should be noted that the medium channel 22 and the material channel 21 are arranged alternately, with the medium inlet 25 and the material outlet 24 on the same side, and the medium outlet 26 and the material inlet 23 on the same side. For example, when the medium inlet 25 and the medium outlet 26 are arranged in a staggered manner from left to right, the cooling medium flows from right to left in the medium channel 22, while the material flows from left to right in the material channel 21.

[0044] Of course, in other embodiments, the heat exchanger may also be a heat dissipation structure such as fins or heat dissipation ducts.

[0045] More preferably, the heat exchanger 16 is a shell-and-tube heat exchanger or a plate heat exchanger, which can efficiently cool down the high-temperature liquid tea beverage material. In addition, the flow direction of the heat exchange medium in the heat exchanger 16 is opposite to the flow direction of the liquid tea beverage material, so as to further increase the heat exchange efficiency.

[0046] In some embodiments of this application, the first outlet 20 is connected to the material inlet 23 via a retaining pipe 17, allowing the heated liquid tea beverage material to first flow through the retaining pipe 17 and then into the heat exchanger 16. This ensures that the high-temperature liquid tea beverage material maintains a high temperature for a certain period of time as it flows from the heating section 15 into the heat exchanger 16. Specifically, in the sterilization process of the liquid tea beverage material, the heated liquid tea beverage material needs to be maintained at a high temperature for a certain period of time to ensure the sterilization effect.

[0047] Furthermore, both the first outlet 20 and the material inlet 23 are detachably connected to the retaining tube 17. It is understandable that the retaining tube 17 needs to maintain the temperature of the high-temperature liquid tea beverage material; therefore, the insulation performance of the retaining tube 17 has a significant impact on the sterilization effect of the liquid tea beverage material. The retaining tube 17 is detachably connected between the first outlet 20 and the material outlet 24 to facilitate periodic replacement and maintenance. It is also worth mentioning that different types of liquid tea beverage materials may have different requirements for temperature and insulation performance during insulation. In such cases, the retaining tube 17 can be disassembled and replaced with a suitable retaining tube 17.

[0048] In addition, the retaining tube 17 is a telescopic tube that can extend and retract along its own length, or the first outlet 20 can be connected to the material inlet 23 through retaining tubes 17 of different lengths. In this way, when the flow rate of the liquid tea beverage material is constant, the heat preservation time of the liquid tea beverage material in the retaining tube 17 can be adjusted by extending and retracting the length of the retaining tube 17 or by replacing the retaining tube 17 with a different length, so as to meet different sterilization requirements.

[0049] In some embodiments of this application, the steam direct injection sterilization production equipment further includes a raw material tank 10, a storage tank 11, and a discharge pump 12. The outlet end of the raw material tank 10 is connected to the first inlet 18 via the discharge pump 12, and the material outlet 24 is connected to the inlet end of the storage tank 11. Furthermore, the discharge pump 12 is a variable frequency pump, which can adjust its frequency according to actual needs to draw a suitable flow rate of liquid tea beverage material from the raw material tank 10 and pump it into the heating section 15. The storage tank 11 is an aseptic tank to ensure the quality of the sterilized liquid tea beverage material.

[0050] This application also provides a sterilization production method, which uses the steam direct injection sterilization production equipment of any of the above embodiments to sterilize liquid materials. Specifically, the sterilization production method includes the following steps:

[0051] With mass m w The liquid material is introduced into the heating section 15 from the first inlet 18, while a mass of m is simultaneously introduced. s Steam is introduced into the heating section 15 from the second inlet 19. The liquid material and steam are introduced at the same time, where m w and m s satisfy:

[0052] .

[0053] m s The quality of steam introduced into the heating section 15 from the second inlet 19;

[0054] m w The mass of the liquid material introduced into the heating section 15 from the first inlet 18;

[0055] c w Specific heat capacity of liquid materials;

[0056] h s This refers to the steam enthalpy;

[0057] △t w The temperature difference between the sterilization temperature and the initial temperature of the liquid material;

[0058] △t s The temperature difference between the steam temperature and the sterilization temperature;

[0059] η is the condensation efficiency;

[0060] k is the correction parameter for the heat dissipation coefficient.

[0061] Among them, the specific heat capacity c of different liquid materials w The values ​​are also different, specific heat capacity c w The value of steam enthalpy h should be determined based on the type of liquid material being processed. s This information can be obtained by referring to tables, specifically "Charts of Thermodynamic Properties of Water and Water Vapor (4th Edition)" by Yan Jialu, Yu Xiaofu, Wang Yongqing, and Zhang Yaning, published by Higher Education Press. Using professional condensing equipment, the condensing efficiency η can reach 0.99. The heat dissipation coefficient correction factor k is taken as 1.01~1.03. Before actual production, a small-scale process test can be conducted to calculate the deviation between the theoretical calculation and the actual operation, and then a suitable heat dissipation coefficient correction factor k can be selected for specific correction.

[0062] Understandably, during the direct steam injection heating process in heating section 15, some steam condensate will be introduced, and this introduced moisture will not be removed in subsequent process steps. If the water content in the liquid tea beverage material in raw material tank 10 is added according to the normal ratio, then after sterilization by the sterilization equipment, the water content in the liquid tea beverage material in storage tank 11 will be higher than the normal value. "Normal water content" refers to the ratio of water content in the finished tea beverage to the total tea beverage material.

[0063] Therefore, to avoid excessive moisture content in the liquid tea beverage material after sterilization, the moisture introduced by direct steam injection is deducted during the raw material proportioning stage. In other words, the moisture content of the liquid tea beverage material in raw material tank 10 is lower than the normal value, and the deducted moisture mass is equal to the mass of steam introduced during direct steam injection. This ensures that the moisture content of the liquid tea beverage material in the final storage tank 11 is at or close to the normal value within the allowable error range, thus guaranteeing the quality of the liquid tea beverage material.

[0064] A green tea product was selected and sterilized using both the sterilization method described in this application and the traditional UHT sterilization method, with the same equivalent sterilization intensity F0 value (e.g., achieving the same sterilization effect). The prepared samples were scored by five professional tea tasters based on eight dimensions (tea liquor color, aroma, tea taste, bitterness, astringency, smoothness, aftertaste sweetness, and flavor harmony). The arithmetic mean of the scores for each dimension was calculated and statistically analyzed. The results are shown in the table below. Figure 2 .

[0065]

[0066] Among them, the traditional UHT sterilization method is used as a reference, with a score above 3 indicating strength and a score below 3 indicating weakness.

[0067] From the above table and Figure 2 It is known that green tea products sterilized by the sterilization method of this application retain the aroma, flavor, and taste of the tea beverage to a great extent compared to green tea products treated by the traditional UHT sterilization method. Furthermore, the color of the tea soup and the aftertaste are significantly improved, thereby enhancing the overall quality of the tea beverage.

[0068] This application also provides a tea beverage produced using the steam direct injection sterilization equipment of any of the above embodiments, or produced using the sterilization production method of any of the above embodiments, thereby greatly preserving the aroma, tea flavor and taste of the tea beverage and improving the quality of the tea beverage.

[0069] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined in any way. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0070] The embodiments described above are merely illustrative of several implementation methods of this application, and while the descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the patent application. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of this application, and these all fall within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the patent protection scope of this application should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A steam direct injection sterilization production equipment, characterized in that, include: A heating section (15) is provided with an internal space, and the heating section (15) is provided with a first inlet (18), a second inlet (19), and a first outlet (20) connected to the internal space. The first inlet (18) is used to receive liquid material to be processed, and the second inlet (19) is used to receive steam; and The heat exchanger (16) includes a material channel (21) and a heat exchange component. One end of the material channel (21) is connected to a material inlet (23) that is connected to the first outlet (20), and the other end of the material channel (21) is connected to a material outlet (24). The heat exchange component is used to exchange heat and cool down the material in the material channel (21).

2. The steam direct injection sterilization production equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The second inlet (19) is connected to a steam injection pipeline (13), and the steam injection pipeline (13) is equipped with a control valve (14) for controlling the steam flow.

3. The steam direct injection sterilization production equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The heat exchanger is a medium channel (22) through which the cooling medium passes. The medium channel (22) is connected to a medium inlet (25) on one side and to a medium outlet (26) on the other side. The medium channel (22) and the material channel (21) are arranged at intervals.

4. The steam direct injection sterilization production equipment according to claim 3, characterized in that, The heat exchanger (16) is a shell-and-tube heat exchanger or a plate heat exchanger.

5. The steam direct injection sterilization production equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first outlet (20) is connected to the material inlet (23) via a retaining pipe (17).

6. The steam direct injection sterilization production equipment according to claim 5, characterized in that, The first outlet (20) and the material inlet (23) are both detachably connected to the retaining tube (17).

7. The steam direct injection sterilization production equipment according to claim 6, characterized in that, The retaining tube (17) is a telescopic tube that can extend and retract along its own length. Alternatively, the first outlet (20) can be connected to the material inlet (23) via retaining tubes (17) of different lengths.

8. The steam direct injection sterilization production equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a raw material tank (10), a storage tank (11) and a discharge pump (12). The outlet end of the raw material tank (10) is connected to the first inlet (18) through the discharge pump (12), and the material outlet (24) is connected to the inlet end of the storage tank (11).

9. The steam direct injection sterilization production equipment according to claim 8, characterized in that, The discharge pump (12) is a variable frequency pump.

10. A sterilization production method, characterized in that, The liquid material is sterilized using the steam direct injection sterilization production equipment as described in any one of claims 1 to 9, and the sterilization production method includes the following steps: With mass m w The liquid material is introduced into the heating section (15) from the first inlet (18), and at the same time, a mass of m is introduced. s Steam is introduced into the heating section (15) from the second inlet (19). The liquid material and steam are introduced at the same time, where m w and m s satisfy: ； m s The quality of steam introduced into the heating section (15) from the second inlet (19); m w The mass of the liquid material introduced into the heating section (15) from the first inlet (18); c w Specific heat capacity of liquid materials; h s This refers to the steam enthalpy; △t w The temperature difference between the sterilization temperature and the initial temperature of the liquid material; △t s The temperature difference between the steam temperature and the sterilization temperature; η is the condensation efficiency; k is the correction parameter for the heat dissipation coefficient.

11. A tea beverage, characterized in that, The tea beverage is produced using the steam direct injection sterilization equipment as described in any one of claims 1 to 9; or, the tea beverage is produced using the sterilization method as described in claim 10.

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