Konjac steam explosion mechanism
By designing a konjac steam explosion mechanism in konjac processing, using water vapor and compressed air to jointly adjust the pressure and temperature, the problem of konjac becoming soft and inelastic is solved, and the preparation of porous konjac is achieved, with good elasticity and taste.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202421652150.6
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-07-12
- Publication Date
- 2025-04-25
- Estimated Expiration
- 2034-07-12
AI Technical Summary
Conventional steam blasting devices in konjac processing cause konjac to become soft and inelastic, affecting the taste.
A konjac steam explosion mechanism is designed to jointly adjust the pressure and temperature in the steam explosion tank through the water vapor pipeline and the compressed air pipeline to avoid excessive temperature degeneration.
The konjac gel is achieved to form evenly distributed fine holes after steam explosion. After subsequent water freezing, porous konjac with a higher proportion of honeycomb structure is quickly formed, with good elasticity and good taste.
Smart Images
Figure CN222787008U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This utility model relates to the field of food processing, and in particular to a konjac steam explosion mechanism. Background Technology
[0002] Steam explosion technology is a pretreatment method with broad application prospects in the food processing field. It treats materials under high temperature and high pressure steam, and then instantly releases the pressure to achieve "explosion," thereby changing the material's structural composition, improving the accessibility of enzymes and chemical reagents, and facilitating subsequent reactions.
[0003] However, when conventional steam explosion equipment is used to process konjac, the konjac softens after being exploded by high-temperature and high-pressure steam and does not change its elasticity, which affects the taste. Utility Model Content
[0004] The main purpose of this utility model is to provide a konjac steam explosion mechanism to solve the technical problem that konjac products produced by conventional steam explosion devices lack elasticity and affect taste.
[0005] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model provides a konjac steam explosion mechanism, which includes:
[0006] A gas explosion container has a containment cavity that can be opened and closed;
[0007] A compressed air pipeline, connected to the receiving cavity, is used to input compressed air into the receiving cavity;
[0008] A steam pipe is connected to the receiving cavity and is used to input steam into the receiving cavity. The steam pipe and the compressed air pipe together regulate the pressure and temperature inside the receiving cavity.
[0009] An exhaust pipe, connected to the receiving cavity, is used to reduce the pressure in the receiving cavity to normal pressure within 0.5 to 1.5 seconds.
[0010] According to an embodiment of this application, the end of the compressed air pipeline near the receiving cavity and the end of the water vapor pipeline near the receiving cavity share an air inlet pipe;
[0011] The end of the air inlet pipe away from the receiving cavity is connected to the air inlet of the compressed air pipeline and the air inlet of the steam pipeline; both the air inlet of the compressed air pipeline and the air inlet of the steam pipeline have control valves.
[0012] According to an embodiment of this application, the end of the air inlet pipe near the receiving cavity includes multiple branch pipes, which are evenly and equidistantly distributed along the axial direction of the gas explosion tank.
[0013] According to an embodiment of this application, the konjac steam explosion mechanism further includes a thermocouple, which is located inside the receiving cavity and electrically connected to the steam explosion tank for insertion into the konjac gel.
[0014] According to an embodiment of this application, the thermocouple is electrically connected to the gas explosion container via a flexible wire.
[0015] According to an embodiment of this application, the number of thermocouples is multiple, and the multiple thermocouples are evenly and equidistantly distributed along the axial direction of the gas explosion tank.
[0016] According to an embodiment of this application, the konjac steam explosion mechanism further includes a sewage discharge pipe, which is connected to the receiving cavity.
[0017] According to an embodiment of this application, the konjac steam explosion mechanism further includes a vacuum pumping pipeline, which is connected to the receiving cavity, and the vacuum pumping pipeline has a control valve and a vacuum pump.
[0018] According to an embodiment of this application, the vapor explosion tank includes a first vapor explosion tank and a second vapor explosion tank, both of which are independently connected to a compressed air pipeline, a steam pipeline, and an exhaust pipeline.
[0019] According to an embodiment of this application, the gas explosion container includes a gas explosion container body and a container door; the container door covers the opening of the gas explosion container body.
[0020] The aforementioned konjac steam-explosion mechanism regulates the pressure and temperature within the containment chamber of the steam-explosion canister through both steam and compressed air pipelines. This prevents excessively high temperatures inside the canister after reaching the target pressure, which could cause denaturation of the konjac gel, resulting in softening and loss of elasticity, thus affecting the texture. The steam-explosion mechanism also allows the konjac gel to form uniformly distributed fine pores after steam explosion. Upon subsequent freezing with water, the water within these pores quickly crystallizes into ice crystals, expanding the pores and creating a porous konjac with a high proportion of honeycomb structure. The resulting porous konjac exhibits good elasticity and a superior texture. Attached Figure Description
[0021] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this utility model or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this utility model. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on the structures shown in these drawings without creative effort.
[0022] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the konjac steam explosion mechanism according to one embodiment of this application.
[0023] The realization of the purpose, functional features and advantages of this utility model will be further explained in conjunction with the implementation methods and with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0024] 100. Explosion-proof gas cylinder; 200. Compressed air pipeline; 300. Steam pipeline; 400. Exhaust pipeline; 500. Inlet pipe; 600. Vacuuming pipeline; 700. Sewage discharge pipeline; 800. Control valve;
[0025] 110. First gas explosion tank; 120. Second gas explosion tank; 130. Tank door; 140. Gas explosion tank body; 610. Vacuum pump. Detailed Implementation
[0026] The technical solutions of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of them. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.
[0027] It should be noted that all directional indicators (such as up, down, etc.) in the embodiments of this utility model are only used to explain the relative positional relationship and movement of each component in a certain specific posture (as shown in the figure). If the specific posture changes, the directional indicator will also change accordingly.
[0028] Furthermore, in this utility model, descriptions involving "first," "second," etc., are for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, a feature defined with "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of those features.
[0029] Furthermore, the technical solutions of the various embodiments of this utility model can be combined with each other, but only if they are based on the ability of a person skilled in the art to implement them. When the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or cannot be implemented, it should be considered that such combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection claimed by this utility model.
[0030] This utility model provides a konjac steam explosion mechanism, see [link]. Figure 1The konjac steam explosion mechanism includes a steam explosion tank 100, a compressed air pipeline 200, a steam pipeline 300, and an exhaust pipeline 400. The steam explosion tank 100 has a receptacle that can be opened and closed. The compressed air pipeline 200 is connected to the receptacle and is used to input compressed air into the receptacle. The steam pipeline 300 is connected to the receptacle and is used to input steam into the receptacle. The steam pipeline 300 and the compressed air pipeline 200 together regulate the pressure and temperature within the receptacle. The exhaust pipeline 400 is connected to the receptacle and is used to reduce the pressure in the receptacle to atmospheric pressure within 0.5 to 1.5 seconds.
[0031] The konjac steam explosion mechanism is mainly used to steam explosion konjac gel, which facilitates the formation of honeycomb-shaped konjac products through a shorter freezing time.
[0032] Konjac gel is a gel-like product made directly from fresh konjac, or a gel-like product made using or adding konjac ingredients; it can also be called konjac tofu. Regardless of the method used, konjac gel contains a large amount of water, with a water content of approximately 80% to 90%.
[0033] This study found that conventional steam explosion devices in the prior art only have pipes for introducing steam. Because steam has a high specific heat capacity, when only steam is introduced to reach the target pressure, the temperature inside the device becomes too high, causing the konjac gel to denature. This results in the konjac softening without any elasticity change during subsequent processes, affecting the texture.
[0034] Based on this, this application simultaneously provides a compressed air pipeline 200 and a steam pipeline 300. The steam pipeline 300 and the compressed air pipeline 200 jointly regulate the pressure and temperature within the receiving cavity. Thus, when the pressure within the receiving cavity reaches the target pressure, the temperature within the receiving cavity will not become excessively high. For example, the combination of the two can achieve a pressure and temperature within the receiving cavity of 0.35–0.45 MPa and 115–125 °C, respectively.
[0035] When the vapor explosion container 100 is closed, it forms a sealed space. Compressed air pipeline 200 introduces compressed air into the container of the vapor explosion container 100. Water vapor pipeline 300 introduces water vapor into the container of the vapor explosion container 100.
[0036] Specifically, the konjac gel is placed in a sealed space (containment cavity), and then the pressure and temperature of the sealed space are regulated through compressed air pipe 200 and water vapor pipe 300. For example, the initial pressure and initial temperature of the sealed space are atmospheric pressure and room temperature. During the control of the pressure and temperature of the sealed space, the konjac gel also heats up.
[0037] When the pressure and temperature within the containment chamber reach their target values, the corresponding konjac gel temperature also reaches its target value. Throughout the process, water vapor exhibits high heat transfer efficiency, allowing it to penetrate the interior of the konjac gel evenly and rapidly, ensuring uniform heating and quick attainment of the heating effect. Furthermore, the relatively low temperature of water vapor allows for rapid attainment of the target temperature, reducing heating time. Therefore, the nutrients and flavor compounds in the konjac gel are largely preserved. Due to the high pressure within the sealed space, the water in the konjac gel remains in a liquid state at 115–125°C.
[0038] Then, the 400°C exhaust pipe rapidly depressurizes, bringing the pressure of the sealed space back to normal within 0.5–1.5 seconds. Gas is then released through the exhaust pipe at a corresponding exhaust rate. When the pressure in the sealed space returns to normal, the moisture originally at 115–125°C within the konjac gel rapidly vaporizes and escapes, forming numerous pores and channels within the gel. This state of konjac gel is called vapor-exploded konjac.
[0039] Water vapor and compressed air can be introduced into the sealed space simultaneously, or one of them can be introduced at a time. For example, when water vapor is introduced, the compressed air is turned off, and then compressed air is introduced again and water vapor is turned off. Specifically, compressed air and water vapor are introduced into the steam explosion tank 100 through compressed air pipeline 200 and water vapor pipeline 300, respectively.
[0040] The aforementioned konjac steam-explosion mechanism regulates the pressure and temperature within the containment cavity of the steam-explosion canister 100 via the steam pipe 300 and the compressed air pipe 200. This prevents excessively high temperatures inside the canister after reaching the target pressure, which could cause denaturation of the konjac gel, resulting in softening and loss of elasticity, thus affecting the texture. The steam-explosion mechanism allows the konjac gel to form uniformly distributed fine pores after steam explosion. Upon subsequent freezing with water, the water within these pores quickly crystallizes, expanding the pores and creating a porous konjac with a high proportion of honeycomb structure. The resulting porous konjac exhibits good elasticity and a superior texture.
[0041] In some embodiments, see Figure 1 The end of the compressed air pipeline 200 near the receiving cavity and the end of the steam pipeline 300 near the receiving cavity share an air inlet pipe 500. The end of the air inlet pipe 500 away from the receiving cavity is connected to the air inlet end of both the compressed air pipeline 200 and the steam pipeline 300; both the air inlet end of the compressed air pipeline 200 and the air inlet end of the steam pipeline 300 are equipped with a control valve 800.
[0042] The compressed air pipeline 200 has a control valve 800, such as a pneumatic valve, which controls the opening of the compressed air pipeline 200, thereby controlling the flow rate of compressed air or shutting off the compressed air.
[0043] The steam pipeline 300 has a control valve 800, such as a pneumatic valve, to control the opening of the steam pipeline 300, thereby controlling the flow rate of steam or shutting off the steam.
[0044] Compressed air line 200 and steam line 300 share a section of intake pipe 500, which can save on pipeline costs and save on the layout space of steam explosion tank 100.
[0045] Water vapor and compressed air can be introduced into the sealed space simultaneously, or one of them can be introduced at a time. For example, when water vapor is introduced, the compressed air is turned off, and then compressed air is introduced again and water vapor is turned off. Specifically, compressed air and water vapor are introduced into the steam explosion tank 100 through compressed air pipeline 200 and water vapor pipeline 300, respectively.
[0046] In some embodiments, see Figure 1 The air inlet pipe 500 includes multiple branch pipes at one end near the receiving cavity, and the multiple branch pipes are evenly and equidistantly distributed along the axial direction of the gas explosion tank 100.
[0047] The air inlet branch pipe is distributed along the axial direction of the explosion tank 100, which ensures rapid and uniform distribution of the atmosphere within the explosion tank 100, resulting in uniform temperature and pressure distribution. In this way, a large quantity of konjac gel can undergo explosion under the same environment, ensuring stable quality within the same batch of konjac gel. Both the compressed air pipeline 200 and the steam pipeline 300 inject gas into the explosion tank 100 through the air inlet pipe 500.
[0048] In some embodiments, the konjac steam explosion mechanism further includes a thermocouple located within the receiving cavity and electrically connected to the steam explosion container 100, for insertion into the konjac gel.
[0049] Inserting thermocouples into konjac gel facilitates temperature monitoring, especially when there is a large quantity of konjac gel, such as when many gels are stacked together to form a pile. Due to the influence of heat conduction rate, the konjac gel on the outer edge of the pile heats up faster than the gel in the center. In this case, the konjac gel in the center of the pile needs to reach a temperature of 115–125°C. At this temperature, the konjac gel on the outer edge and in the center of the pile is essentially the same, only then can it be considered that all konjac gel meets the 115–125°C condition. Using thermocouples helps monitor whether the konjac gel reaches the conditions for steam explosion, thereby improving the product qualification rate.
[0050] In some embodiments, the thermocouple is electrically connected to the vapor explosion container 100 via a flexible wire. This configuration increases the thermocouple's range of motion and broadens its applicability, allowing it to be inserted into konjac gel at various placement heights.
[0051] In some embodiments, the number of thermocouples is multiple, and the multiple thermocouples are evenly and equidistantly distributed along the axial direction of the gas explosion tank 100.
[0052] This design can simultaneously measure the temperature of konjac gel at different locations, ensuring a more uniform temperature distribution in the konjac gel.
[0053] In some embodiments, see Figure 1 The konjac steam explosion mechanism also includes a drain pipe 700, which is connected to the receiving cavity. The drain pipe 700 is used to drain condensate from the steam explosion tank 100.
[0054] In some embodiments, the konjac steam explosion mechanism further includes a vacuum line 600, which is connected to the receiving cavity, and the vacuum line 600 has a control valve 800 and a vacuum pump 610.
[0055] Vacuum pump 610 is used to evacuate the vapor explosion container 100. Vacuuming is performed before introducing compressed air and water vapor.
[0056] In some embodiments, see Figure 1 The vapor explosion tank 100 includes a separate first vapor explosion tank 110 and a second vapor explosion tank 120, and the first vapor explosion tank 110 and the second vapor explosion tank 120 are respectively independently connected to the compressed air pipeline 200, the steam pipeline 300, and the exhaust pipeline 400.
[0057] In this way, the first steam explosion tank 110 and the second steam explosion tank 120 can operate in a staggered manner. While the first steam explosion tank 110 is performing steam heating, the second steam explosion tank 120 is performing vacuuming. Conversely, while the first steam explosion tank 110 is performing vacuuming, the second steam explosion tank 120 is performing steam heating. This alternating operation of the first steam explosion tank 110 and the second steam explosion tank 120 saves time and improves efficiency.
[0058] In some embodiments, see Figure 1 The explosive canister 100 includes a canister body 140 and a canister door 130; the canister door 130 covers the opening of the explosive canister body 140. Opening the canister door 130 facilitates the placement and removal of the product.
[0059] The above technical solutions of this utility model are merely preferred embodiments and do not limit the patent scope of this utility model. All equivalent structural transformations made under the technical concept of this utility model using the contents of this utility model specification and drawings, or direct / indirect applications in other related technical fields, are included in the patent protection scope of this utility model.
Claims
1. A konjac steam explosion mechanism, characterized in that: Described konjac steam explosion mechanism comprises: A steam explosion tank having a receiving chamber that can be opened and closed; A compressed air pipeline, connected to the accommodating chamber, for inputting compressed air into the accommodating chamber; A water vapor pipeline is connected to the accommodating chamber and is used to input water vapor into the accommodating chamber. The water vapor pipeline and the compressed air pipeline jointly adjust the pressure and temperature in the accommodating chamber. The exhaust pipeline is connected to the accommodating chamber and is used to change the pressure of the accommodating chamber to normal pressure within 0.5 to 1.5 seconds.
2. The konjac steam explosion mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: One end of the compressed air pipeline close to the accommodating chamber and one end of the water vapor pipeline close to the accommodating chamber share an air inlet pipe; One end of the air inlet pipe away from the accommodating chamber is connected to the air inlet end of the compressed air pipeline and the air inlet end of the water vapor pipeline; the air inlet end of the compressed air pipeline and the air inlet end of the water vapor pipeline are both provided with a control valve.
3. The konjac steam explosion mechanism according to claim 2, characterized in that: The air inlet pipe comprises a plurality of branch pipes at one end close to the accommodating chamber, and the plurality of branch pipes are evenly and equidistantly distributed along the axial direction of the steam explosion tank.
4. The konjac steam explosion mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The konjac steam explosion mechanism also includes a thermocouple, which is located in the accommodating cavity and electrically connected to the steam explosion tank and is used for being inserted into the konjac gel.
5. The konjac steam explosion mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that: The thermocouple is electrically connected to the steam explosion tank via a soft wire.
6. The konjac steam explosion mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that: The number of the thermocouples is multiple, and the multiple thermocouples are evenly and equidistantly distributed along the axial direction of the steam explosion tank.
7. The konjac steam explosion mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The konjac steam explosion mechanism also includes a sewage discharge pipeline, which is communicated with the accommodating cavity.
8. The konjac steam explosion mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The konjac steam explosion mechanism also includes a vacuum pipeline, which is communicated with the accommodating cavity and has a control valve and a vacuum pump.
9. The konjac steam explosion mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The steam explosion tank comprises an independent first steam explosion tank and a second steam explosion tank, and the first steam explosion tank and the second steam explosion tank are independently connected to a compressed air pipeline, a water vapor pipeline, and an exhaust pipeline.
10. The konjac steam explosion mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: The steam explosion tank comprises a steam explosion tank body and a tank door; the tank door is sealed on the opening of the steam explosion tank body.