Fermentation tank

Abstract

The utility model relates to a fermentation tank and belongs to the field of fermentation devices. The fermentation tank comprises a tank body, a rotating shaft, a driving part and a stirring assembly. The tank body is provided with a fermentation cavity, the rotating shaft is rotatably and coaxially arranged in the fermentation cavity, and the axial direction of the rotating shaft is parallel to the gravity direction; the driving part is configured to drive the rotating shaft to rotate; the stirring assembly is arranged on the rotating shaft and comprises a first stirring rod and a scraper blade. One end of the first stirring rod is arranged on the periphery of the rotating shaft and extends in the radial direction of the rotating shaft; the scraping plate is arranged at the other end, far away from the rotating shaft, of the first stirring rod, is matched with the wall part of the fermentation cavity and extends in the gravity direction.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The utility model belongs to fermentation device field, and particularly relates to a fermentation tank. BACKGROUND

[0002] Edible fungi refer to the collective name of a kind of fungi with large fleshy fruit bodies and edible, common edible fungi include shiitake, straw mushroom, shiitake, pleurotus eryngii, boletus etc. Edible fungi contain rich protein and flavoring substances, and the content of flavoring amino acid substances is 10.71%-24.81%, which endows edible fungi with unique functional characteristics and physiological activity, so edible fungi are often used as main raw materials for flavor product development. The extraction method of protein mainly includes five categories such as alkali extraction and acid precipitation method, ultrasonic method, salt dissolution method, enzymatic hydrolysis method and composite extraction method, wherein the enzymatic hydrolysis method has mild reaction conditions and is easy to control reaction conditions, and is currently widely used in the research of edible fungi products and condiments.

[0003] Enzyme is a kind of protein with high specificity and catalytic efficiency to production substrate, under the catalysis of enzyme, reactant fermentation combines with enzyme to form complex, in the existing enzymatic fermentation tank, raw materials are prone to wall hanging, which causes insufficient reaction of enzyme and raw materials, and affects reaction rate. UTILITY MODEL CONTENT

[0004] In view of the above problems, the present application provides a kind of fermentation tank, can reduce the risk of insufficient reaction caused by raw material wall hanging, slow reaction rate.

[0005] The present application provides a kind of fermentation tank, including tank body, rotating shaft, driving part and stirring assembly. The tank body has fermentation cavity, the rotating shaft is coaxially arranged in the fermentation cavity, and the axial direction of the rotating shaft is parallel to the direction of gravity. The driving part is configured to drive the rotating shaft to rotate. The stirring assembly is arranged on the rotating shaft, and the stirring assembly includes a first stirring rod and a scraper. One end of the first stirring rod is arranged on the outer periphery of the rotating shaft and extends along the radial direction of the rotating shaft. The scraper is arranged on the other end of the first stirring rod away from the rotating shaft and is matched with the wall of the fermentation cavity, and the scraper extends along the direction of gravity.

[0006] Specifically, in the process of driving the rotating shaft to rotate by the driving part, the first stirring rod is driven to rotate to stir the raw materials in the fermentation cavity, so as to facilitate the mixing of the raw materials and the enzyme. At the same time, the first stirring rod drives the scraper to move relative to the cavity wall of the fermentation cavity. On the one hand, the scraper can transmit the supporting force of the cavity wall of the fermentation cavity to the first stirring part, so that the first stirring part moves more stably. On the other hand, the scraper can remove the raw materials adhering to the wall part of the fermentation cavity, so that the raw materials fully react with the enzyme, thereby reducing the risk of insufficient reaction caused by raw material wall hanging and slow reaction rate.

[0007] In some embodiments, the stirring assembly further includes a plurality of second stirring rods, which are alternately disposed on opposite sides of the first stirring rod in the direction of gravity and spaced apart along the extension direction of the first stirring rod.

[0008] In the above technical solution, multiple second stirring rods are alternately arranged on opposite sides of the first stirring rod in the direction of gravity, and spaced apart along the extension direction of the first stirring rod, thereby increasing the range of raw materials that the first stirring rod can stir when it is driven to rotate by the rotating shaft, so as to fully mix the raw materials and enzymes.

[0009] In some embodiments, the stirring assembly further includes stirring blades. The stirring blades are disposed on the rotating shaft and located below the first stirring rod.

[0010] In the above technical solution, the stirring blade is located below the first stirring rod, which facilitates the movement of the raw materials located between the bottom wall of the fermentation chamber and the first stirring rod, thereby reducing the risk of insufficient reaction and slow reaction rate due to the raw materials settling to the bottom.

[0011] In some embodiments, the fermenter further includes an observation window. An observation port for observing the interior of the fermentation chamber is provided on the tank body, and the observation window covers the observation port.

[0012] In the above technical solution, by setting an observation window, the operator can easily understand the mixing state of the raw materials and enzymes in the fermentation chamber and the degree of fermentation of the raw materials.

[0013] In some embodiments, the tank has a heating chamber surrounding the outer periphery of the fermentation chamber, and the tank has a first inlet for the heat exchange medium to enter the heating chamber and a first outlet for the heat exchange medium to leave the heating chamber.

[0014] In the above technical solution, by setting a heating chamber around the outer periphery of the fermentation chamber, the operator can control the temperature inside the fermentation chamber by adding a heat exchange medium to the heating chamber, so that the temperature is suitable for the enzyme reaction, thereby improving the reaction efficiency.

[0015] In some embodiments, the fermenter further includes a safety valve. The top of the tank has an exhaust port communicating with the fermentation chamber, and the safety valve is disposed on the tank and used to open and close the exhaust port.

[0016] In the above technical solution, a safety valve is provided to facilitate the operator to open and close the exhaust port to vent the fermentation chamber.

[0017] In some embodiments, the safety valve includes a frame, a baffle, and an adjusting assembly. The frame is disposed around the outer periphery of the exhaust port and has an air passage communicating with the exhaust port. The baffle is slidably disposed on the frame and has a first position and a second position. In the first position, the baffle completely blocks the air passage. In the second position, the baffle does not block the air passage. The adjusting assembly is used to drive the baffle to switch between the first position and the second position.

[0018] In the above technical solution, the baffle is switched between the first position and the second position by adjusting the component, so that the exhaust port can be opened and closed. The structure is simple and easy to implement.

[0019] In some embodiments, the adjusting assembly includes a pusher and a bolt. The pusher is slidably disposed on the frame and is used to drive the baffle to slide relative to the frame; the pusher is provided with a through hole, the frame is provided with a threaded hole, and the bolt passes through the through hole and is threadedly engaged with the threaded hole.

[0020] In the above technical solution, rotating the bolt drives the pusher to close the baffle and the air passage, which is simple in structure and easy to implement.

[0021] In some embodiments, the adjusting assembly further includes an elastic element. The pushing member and the baffle are elastically connected via the elastic element; the baffle is provided with a guide surface, and the air pressure in the fermentation chamber acts on the guide surface to generate a component force that drives the baffle to move to the second position.

[0022] Specifically, when the component force generated by the gas pressure in the fermentation chamber is less than the elastic force of the elastic element, the baffle does not move; when the component force generated by the gas pressure in the fermentation chamber is greater than the elastic force of the elastic element, the baffle moves to the second position to open the air passage and expel the gas in the fermentation chamber, thereby reducing the gas pressure in the fermentation chamber. This causes the component force generated by the gas pressure in the fermentation chamber to be less than the elastic force of the elastic element, which in turn causes the elastic element to drive the baffle to move to the first position to close the air passage, thereby reducing the impact of external microorganisms on the raw materials.

[0023] In some embodiments, the tank includes a shell and a lid. The shell contains the fermentation chamber, has an opening at its top, and a discharge port at its bottom; the lid is detachably mounted to the shell and is used to seal the opening.

[0024] In the above technical solution, the closed opening of the cap provides space for the raw materials to react stably. This helps to reduce the influence of external microorganisms on the raw materials. Attached Figure Description

[0025] 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 these drawings without creative effort.

[0026] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of the fermenter provided in this embodiment of the utility model;

[0027] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of the safety valve when the baffle is in the first position, provided in an embodiment of this utility model;

[0028] Figure 3 A cross-sectional view of the safety valve provided in this embodiment of the present invention when the baffle is in the first position;

[0029] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the structure of the safety valve when the baffle is in the second position, provided for an embodiment of this utility model;

[0030] Figure 5 A cross-sectional view of the safety valve provided in this embodiment of the present invention when the baffle is in the second position. Detailed Implementation

[0031] The embodiments of this application will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0032] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this application.

[0033] 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. Therefore, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means two or more.

[0034] In the description of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0035] Edible fungi refer to a general term for a class of fungi with large, fleshy fruiting bodies that are edible. Common edible fungi include shiitake mushrooms, straw mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, king oyster mushrooms, and porcini mushrooms. Edible fungi are rich in protein and flavor compounds, with flavor-enhancing amino acids accounting for 10.71%-24.81%, giving them unique functional properties and physiological activities. Therefore, edible fungi are often used as a primary raw material for the development of flavored products. Protein extraction methods mainly include five categories: alkaline extraction and acid precipitation, ultrasonic extraction, salt dissolution, enzymatic hydrolysis, and combined extraction. Among these, enzymatic hydrolysis offers mild reaction conditions and is easily controlled, and is currently widely used in research on edible fungi products and seasonings.

[0036] Enzymes are proteins with high specificity and catalytic efficiency for their production substrates. Under the catalysis of enzymes, the reactants ferment and combine with the enzymes to form complexes. In existing enzymatic fermentation tanks, raw materials tend to adhere to the walls, resulting in insufficient reaction between the enzyme and the raw materials and affecting the reaction rate.

[0037] To solve the above technical problems, refer to Figure 1 A fermenter 100 includes a tank body 10, a rotating shaft 20, a drive component 30, and a stirring assembly 40. The tank body 10 has a fermentation chamber 101. The rotating shaft 20 is rotatably and coaxially disposed within the fermentation chamber 101, and the axial direction of the rotating shaft 20 is parallel to the direction of gravity. The drive component 30 is configured to drive the rotating shaft 20 to rotate. The stirring assembly 40 is disposed on the rotating shaft 20 and includes a first stirring rod 41 and a scraper 42. One end of the first stirring rod 41 is disposed on the outer periphery of the rotating shaft 20 and extends radially along the rotating shaft 20. The scraper 42 is disposed at the other end of the first stirring rod 41 away from the rotating shaft 20 and is adapted to the wall of the fermentation chamber 101. The scraper 42 extends along the direction of gravity.

[0038] In some embodiments, please refer to Figure 1 The first stirring rod 41 is a set of multiple sets arranged at intervals along the rotating shaft 20. Each set of stirring rods is a set of multiple rods arranged at intervals around the rotating shaft 20. The scraper 42 is arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with the first stirring rod 41.

[0039] The drive component 30 is a component used to drive the rotating shaft 20 to rotate. For example, the drive component 30 can be a drive motor.

[0040] In some embodiments, one end of the rotating shaft 20 extends out of the tank 10 and is connected to the output end of the drive member 30. Understandably, the other end of the rotating shaft 20 may be rotatably disposed at the other end of the fermentation chamber 101 away from the drive member 30, or it may be a free end, without any limitation.

[0041] Specifically, during the rotation of the rotating shaft 20 driven by the drive component 30, the first stirring rod 41 is rotated to stir the raw materials in the fermentation chamber 101, so as to facilitate the full mixing of the raw materials and enzymes. At the same time, the first stirring rod 41 drives the scraper 42 to move relative to the wall of the fermentation chamber 101. On the one hand, the scraper 42 can transfer the supporting force of the wall of the fermentation chamber 101 to the first stirring component, so that the movement of the first stirring component is more stable, especially when the other end of the rotating shaft 20 is a free end, the effect is more obvious. On the other hand, the scraper 42 can remove the raw materials adhering to the wall of the fermentation chamber 101, so that the raw materials can fully react with the enzymes, thereby reducing the risk of insufficient reaction and slow reaction rate caused by raw materials sticking to the wall.

[0042] According to some embodiments of this application, please refer to Figure 1 The stirring assembly 40 also includes a plurality of second stirring rods 43, which are alternately arranged on opposite sides of the first stirring rod 41 in the direction of gravity and spaced apart along the extension direction of the first stirring rod 41.

[0043] In this technical solution, multiple second stirring rods 43 are alternately arranged on opposite sides of the first stirring rod 41 in the direction of gravity, and are spaced apart along the extension direction of the first stirring rod 41, thereby increasing the range of raw materials that the first stirring rod 41 can stir when it is driven to rotate by the rotating shaft 20, so as to fully mix the raw materials and enzymes.

[0044] According to some embodiments of this application, please refer to Figure 1 The stirring assembly 40 also includes stirring blades 44. The stirring blades 44 are disposed on the rotating shaft 20 and located below the first stirring rod 41.

[0045] In some embodiments, the stirring blades 44 are a plurality of blades spaced circumferentially around the rotation axis 20.

[0046] In this technical solution, the stirring blade 44 is located below the first stirring rod 41, which facilitates the movement of the raw materials located between the bottom wall of the fermentation chamber 101 and the first stirring rod 41, thereby reducing the risk of insufficient reaction and slow reaction rate due to the raw materials settling to the bottom.

[0047] According to some embodiments of this application, please refer to Figure 1The fermentation tank 100 also includes an observation window 50. An observation port for observing the inside of the fermentation chamber 101 is provided on the tank body 10, and the observation window 50 covers the observation port.

[0048] In some embodiments, a light source may be provided around the observation window 50, and the light source provides light into the fermentation chamber 101 through the observation window 50. The light source may be an electric lamp or an LED lamp, etc.

[0049] In this technical solution, by setting an observation window 50, the operator can easily understand the mixing state of the raw materials and enzymes in the fermentation chamber 101 and the degree of fermentation of the raw materials.

[0050] According to some embodiments of this application, please refer to Figure 1 The tank body 10 has a heating chamber 102 surrounding the fermentation chamber 101. The tank body 10 has a first inlet 1021 for the heat exchange medium to enter the heating chamber 102 and a first outlet 1022 for the heat exchange medium to leave the heating chamber 102.

[0051] Understandably, the heat exchange medium mentioned above includes, but is not limited to, water vapor, hot air, water, etc.

[0052] In this technical solution, by setting a heating chamber 102 around the outer periphery of the fermentation chamber 101, the operator can control the temperature inside the fermentation chamber 101 by adding a heat exchange medium to the heating chamber 102, so that the temperature is suitable for the enzyme reaction, thereby improving the reaction efficiency.

[0053] According to some embodiments of this application, please refer to Figure 1 The fermenter 100 also includes a safety valve 60. The top of the tank 10 has an exhaust port that communicates with the fermentation chamber 101. The safety valve 60 is located on the tank 10 and is used to open and close the exhaust port.

[0054] In this technical solution, a safety valve 60 is provided to facilitate the operator to open and close the exhaust port to exhaust gas from the fermentation chamber 101.

[0055] According to some embodiments of this application, please refer to Figures 2-5 The safety valve 60 includes a frame 61, a baffle 62, and an adjusting assembly 63. The frame 61 is arranged around the outer periphery of the exhaust port and has an air passage 611 communicating with the exhaust port. The baffle 62 is slidably disposed on the frame 61 and has a first position and a second position. In the first position, the baffle 62 completely blocks the air passage 611. In the second position, the baffle 62 does not block the air passage 611. The adjusting assembly 63 is used to drive the baffle 62 to switch between the first position and the second position.

[0056] In some embodiments, one side of the frame 61 is recessed to form a notch for inserting the baffle 62. The inner walls of two adjacent, oppositely arranged sidewalls are provided with first grooves 613, and the opposite sides of the baffle 62 are respectively slidably disposed in the first grooves 613 of the two oppositely arranged sidewalls.

[0057] In this technical solution, the baffle 62 is switched between the first position and the second position by adjusting component 63, so that the exhaust port can be opened and closed. The structure is simple and easy to implement.

[0058] According to some embodiments of this application, the adjusting component 63 includes a pusher 631 and a bolt 632. The pusher 631 is slidably disposed on the frame 61 and is used to drive the baffle 62 to slide relative to the frame 61; the pusher 631 is provided with a through hole, the frame 61 is provided with a threaded hole 612, and the bolt 632 passes through the through hole and is threadedly engaged with the threaded hole 612.

[0059] In some embodiments, a second slide groove 614 parallel to the first slide groove 613 is provided on the outer side of the two frames adjacent to the frame with the notch, and two extension strips 6311 are provided at intervals on one end of the pusher 631 facing the frame 61. The two extension strips 6311 are respectively slidably disposed in the second slide grooves 614 of the two oppositely disposed frames.

[0060] In this technical solution, rotating the bolt 632 drives the pusher 631 to drive the baffle 62 to close the air passage 611, which is simple in structure and easy to implement.

[0061] According to some embodiments of this application, the adjusting component 63 further includes an elastic element 633. The pushing member 631 and the baffle 62 are elastically connected by the elastic element 633; ​​the baffle 62 is provided with a guide surface, and the air pressure in the fermentation chamber 101 acts on the guide surface to generate a component force that drives the baffle 62 to move to the second position.

[0062] In some embodiments, the elastic element 633 may be a spring.

[0063] For example, along the direction close to the pusher 631, the distance between the guide surface and the side of the baffle 62 away from the tank body 10 gradually increases.

[0064] Specifically, when the component force generated by the air pressure in the fermentation chamber 101 is less than the elastic force of the elastic element 633, the baffle 62 does not move; when the component force generated by the air pressure in the fermentation chamber 101 is greater than the elastic force of the elastic element 633, the baffle 62 moves to the second position to open the air passage 611 to discharge the gas in the fermentation chamber 101, thereby reducing the air pressure in the fermentation chamber 101, which in turn makes the component force generated by the air pressure in the fermentation chamber 101 less than the elastic force of the elastic element 633, thereby causing the elastic element 633 to drive the baffle 62 to move to the first position to close the air passage 611, thereby reducing the impact of external colonies on the raw materials.

[0065] According to some embodiments of this application, the tank 10 includes a shell 11 and a cover 12. The shell 11 has a fermentation chamber 101 inside, an opening is provided at the top of the shell 11, and a discharge port 111 is provided at the bottom of the shell 11; the cover 12 is detachably installed on the shell 11 and is used to seal the opening.

[0066] In this technical solution, the opening is closed by the cover 12 to provide space for the raw materials to react stably. This helps to reduce the influence of external microorganisms on the raw materials.

[0067] It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in this application can be combined with each other.

[0068] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application and are not intended to limit this application. For those skilled in the art, this application can have various modifications and variations. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this application should be included within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A fermentation tank, characterized in that, include: The tank has a fermentation chamber; A rotating shaft is rotatably and coaxially disposed within the fermentation chamber, and the axial direction of the rotating shaft is parallel to the direction of gravity. The driving element is configured to drive the rotating shaft to rotate; A stirring assembly, disposed on the rotating shaft, comprises: The first stirring rod has one end disposed on the outer periphery of the rotating shaft and extends radially along the rotating shaft; A scraper is disposed at the other end of the first stirring rod away from the rotating shaft and adapted to the wall of the fermentation chamber, and the scraper extends along the direction of gravity.

2. A fermenter according to claim 1, characterized in that, The stirring assembly further includes: Multiple second stirring rods are alternately arranged on opposite sides of the first stirring rod in the direction of gravity, and spaced apart along the extension direction of the first stirring rod.

3. A fermenter according to claim 2, characterized in that, The stirring assembly further includes: The stirring blade is disposed on the rotating shaft and located below the first stirring rod.

4. A fermenter according to claim 1, characterized in that, The fermenter also includes: An observation window is provided on the tank body for observing the inside of the fermentation chamber, and the observation window covers the observation opening.

5. A fermenter according to claim 1, characterized in that, The tank has a heating chamber surrounding the fermentation chamber, and the tank has a first inlet for the heat exchange medium to enter the heating chamber and a first outlet for the heat exchange medium to leave the heating chamber.

6. A fermenter according to claim 1, characterized in that, The fermenter also includes: A safety valve is provided on the top of the tank, which has an exhaust port communicating with the fermentation chamber. The safety valve is located on the tank and is used to open and close the exhaust port.

7. A fermenter according to claim 6, characterized in that, The safety valve includes: A frame is arranged around the outer periphery of the exhaust port and has an air passage communicating with the exhaust port; A baffle is slidably disposed on the frame and has a first position and a second position. In the first position, the baffle completely blocks the air passage; in the second position, the baffle does not block the air passage. An adjustment component is used to switch the baffle between the first position and the second position.

8. A fermenter according to claim 7, characterized in that, The adjustment component includes: A pusher is slidably disposed on the frame and is used to drive the baffle to slide relative to the frame; The bolt and the pusher are provided with through holes, and the frame is provided with threaded holes. The bolt passes through the through holes and is threadedly engaged with the threaded holes.

9. A fermenter according to claim 8, characterized in that, The adjustment component further includes: An elastic element is provided, and the pushing element and the baffle are elastically connected through the elastic element. The baffle is provided with a guide surface, and the air pressure in the fermentation chamber acts on the guide surface to generate a component force that drives the baffle to move to the second position.

10. A fermenter according to any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that, The tank includes: The shell has the fermentation chamber inside, the top of the shell has an opening, and the bottom of the shell has a discharge port; A cover, detachably mounted to the housing, is used to seal the opening.

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