A post-harvest differential pressure treatment device for pineapples

Abstract

This utility model relates to a post-harvest differential pressure treatment device for pineapples, belonging to the field of pineapple processing technology. It includes a treatment box with a drive motor installed on it. A tray is hung inside the treatment box. The two sides of the treatment box have a hollow structure. A frame plate is fixedly installed on one side of the hollow structure, and a circulation channel is installed on the other side of the frame plate. A circulation pipe is installed between the upper parts of the two circulation channels. A refrigeration compressor is installed at the lower end of the treatment box. Refrigeration pipes are fixedly installed in a serpentine pattern inside the frame plate. Electric heating tubes are fixedly installed between the refrigeration pipes inside the frame plate. Differential pressure fans are fixedly installed symmetrically inside the circulation channels. The device uses hot air to perform differential pressure scalding treatment on the pineapples, effectively killing latent pathogens on the fruit surface. After differential pressure scalding treatment, cold air circulation achieves the effect of differential pressure pre-cooling treatment of the pineapples. This not only avoids the pineapple's temperature rising after scalding treatment, which would accelerate ripening and rotting, but also improves the adequacy of low-temperature pre-cooling.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of pineapple processing technology, and in particular to a post-harvest differential pressure processing device for pineapples. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, most pineapple processing after harvesting is rough and lacks necessary preservation facilities such as pre-cooling, post-harvest handling, and low-temperature storage and transportation. This results in accelerated ripening and aging of pineapples after harvest, leading to severe quality deterioration. The main infectious disease affecting pineapples after harvest is black rot. This disease usually shows no obvious symptoms in the field, but after 3-4 days of storage at room temperature after harvest, the fruit begins to rot from the stem end, quickly rotting and leaking juice, causing significant losses to pineapple farmers and processing enterprises.

[0003] Currently, the most common methods for controlling pineapple black rot are chemical control and heat treatment. Chemical control involves using the fungicide imazalil. After harvesting, a small amount of imazalil solution is applied to the cut end of the pineapple stem with a brush. However, this method is inefficient, and the disease can still occur in areas not reached by the brush, resulting in poor control. Heat treatment is a physical method for post-harvest disease control in fruits and vegetables. Harvested fruits and vegetables are placed at a suitable high temperature for a period of time to kill or inhibit the activity of pathogens, reduce the activity of certain physiological metabolic enzymes, reduce post-harvest rot, and extend the shelf life. However, most treatments use hot water soaking. Hot water soaking easily leads to cross-infection of the disease, and a drying process is required after soaking. Furthermore, the increased temperature of the pineapple fruit after hot water soaking, if not cooled promptly, will accelerate post-harvest ripening and rot.

[0004] Pre-cooling is a crucial part of cold chain logistics in order to improve the shelf life of pineapples after harvesting. Fruit and vegetable pre-cooling methods include vacuum pre-cooling, cold water pre-cooling, and cold storage pre-cooling. However, to reduce costs, pineapples are mostly transported at room temperature after harvest. Even if pre-cooling is used, it is usually done in cold storage. Because pineapples are relatively large, pre-cooling efficiency is low; for example, it takes more than 12 hours to pre-cool several tons of pineapples from 30°C to 10°C. Cold water pre-cooling can easily lead to cross-infection of pineapple diseases. Vacuum pre-cooling is costly and makes it inconvenient to process pineapples after harvesting, resulting in easy rotting and a short storage period. Utility Model Content

[0005] To overcome the technical defects of the existing technology, this utility model provides a pineapple post-harvest differential pressure treatment device, which has the effect of preventing and controlling diseases after pineapple harvesting and pre-cooling treatment after harvesting, reducing rot and extending the storage period.

[0006] The technical solution adopted by this utility model is: a post-harvest differential pressure treatment device for pineapples, including a treatment box. A drive motor is fixedly installed at the upper end of the treatment box, and a tray for holding pineapples is hung inside the treatment box. The tray is rotated by the drive motor. The two sides of the treatment box have a hollow structure. A frame plate is fixedly installed on one side of the hollow structure, forming an air inlet and an air outlet. A circulation channel with one side open is fixedly installed on one side of the frame plate. A circulation pipe is fixedly installed between the two circulation channels for hot and cold air circulation. A refrigeration compressor is fixedly installed at the lower end of the treatment box. A refrigeration pipe is fixedly installed in a serpentine pattern inside the frame plate. The refrigeration compressor is connected to the refrigeration pipe for supplying cold air to the inside of the treatment box. Inside the frame, between the refrigeration pipes, are fixedly installed electric heating tubes. Differential pressure fans are symmetrically installed inside the circulation channel. In use, the pineapple to be processed is placed on a tray, which is then attached to the drive end of the drive motor. The electric heating tubes are turned on first, and the differential pressure fans circulate hot air inside the processing chamber to blanch the pineapple, killing any latent pathogens. After blanching, the electric heating tubes are turned off to expel any remaining hot air from the processing chamber. Then, the refrigeration compressor is turned on, and the differential pressure fans continue to operate, circulating cold air through the refrigeration pipes to pre-cool the pineapple. After processing, the pineapple is moved to a cold storage or storage area, and the tray is removed, completing the differential pressure processing.

[0007] Preferably, the tray has placement holes for placing pineapples, and the trays are arranged in a vertical array. The trays are fixedly connected to each other by a shaft, and the upper end of the shaft is connected to the drive end of the drive motor. This facilitates the placement of pineapples and allows the pineapples to rotate with the trays during differential pressure processing, improving the uniformity of processing.

[0008] Preferably, hooks are fixedly installed symmetrically on the upper end of the shaft, and a hanging ring is fixedly installed on the drive end of the drive motor. The hooks are attached to the hanging ring, which makes it easy to attach the tray to the drive end of the drive motor for easy loading and unloading.

[0009] Preferably, a double-leaf sealed door is hinged to one side of the processing box, an electronic control panel is fixedly installed on the sealed door on one side, and casters are fixedly installed at the four corners of the lower end of the processing box to facilitate the loading and unloading of the tray inside the processing box, and to facilitate control and movement.

[0010] Preferably, there are two circulation pipes, and the circulation pipes are located on both sides of the drive motor. An electric ball valve is fixedly installed in the middle of the circulation pipe to facilitate the control of the circulation state, so that cold or hot air circulates inside the processing box.

[0011] Preferably, the opening on one side of the circulation channel is connected to one side of the frame plate, and the interior of the circulation channel is connected to the interior of the processing box through the frame plate, which facilitates the formation of an air pressure difference and air convection inside the processing box.

[0012] Preferably, an electrically controlled valve is fixedly installed at the middle position of the upper end of the circulation channel. The two electrically controlled valves are used for air intake and exhaust, respectively, to facilitate the discharge of hot air after the scalding process.

[0013] Preferably, both the circulation channel and the circulation pipe are wrapped with heat-insulating cotton to reduce heat leakage and improve the processing effect on pineapples.

[0014] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: First, the pineapple is subjected to differential pressure scalding with hot air, ensuring uniform heating of the pineapple surface and effectively killing latent pathogens. This process is simple and requires no subsequent drying. After differential pressure scalding, the air inside the treatment chamber is cooled by a compressor, and the cold air is circulated to achieve differential pressure pre-cooling of the pineapple. This not only prevents the pineapple from overheating and accelerating ripening and rotting, but also improves the adequacy of low-temperature pre-cooling, ensuring sufficient pre-cooling of the pineapple core and improving the efficiency of post-harvest commercial processing. Furthermore, the attached tray facilitates loading and unloading of the pineapple, improving transportation efficiency. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention with one side of the sealed door open.

[0016] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention in a sealed state;

[0017] Figure 3 This is a structural schematic diagram showing the location of the processing box in this utility model;

[0018] Figure 4 This is a structural diagram of the tray position in this utility model;

[0019] Figure 5 This is a structural schematic diagram of the location of the circulation channel in this utility model.

[0020] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached diagram: 1. Processing box; 2. Drive motor; 3. Tray; 4. Frame plate; 5. Circulation channel; 6. Circulation pipe; 7. Refrigeration compressor; 8. Refrigeration pipe; 9. Electric heating element; 10. Differential pressure fan; 11. Shaft; 12. Hook; 13. Hanging ring; 14. Sealing door; 15. Electrical control panel; 16. Fuma wheel; 17. Electric ball valve; 18. Electrical control valve. Detailed Implementation

[0021] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings:

[0022] like Figures 1-5As shown, this embodiment provides a post-harvest differential pressure treatment device for pineapples, including a treatment box 1. A drive motor 2 is fixedly installed on the upper end of the treatment box 1, and a tray 3 for holding pineapples is hung inside the treatment box 1. The tray 3 is rotated by the drive motor 2. The two sides of the treatment box 1 are hollow structures. A frame plate 4 is fixedly installed on one side of the hollow structure, forming an air inlet and an air outlet. A circulation channel 5 with one side open is fixedly installed on one side of the frame plate 4. Two electrically controlled valves 18 are fixedly installed at the middle of the upper end of the circulation channel 5. The two electrically controlled valves 18 are used for air intake and exhaust, respectively. A circulation pipe 6 is fixedly installed between the upper parts of the two circulation channels 5 for hot and cold air circulation. There are two circulation pipes 6, and the circulation pipes 6 are located at the drive motor 2. Electric ball valves 17 are fixedly installed on both sides of motor 2 and in the middle of circulation pipe 6. A refrigeration compressor 7 is fixedly installed at the lower end of processing box 1. Refrigeration pipes 8 are fixedly installed in a serpentine pattern inside frame plate 4. The refrigeration compressor 7 is connected to the refrigeration pipes 8 to supply cold air to the inside of processing box 1. Electric heating tubes 9 are fixedly installed inside frame plate 4 between the refrigeration pipes 8. Differential pressure fans 10 are fixedly installed symmetrically inside circulation channel 5. In use, the harvested pineapples are first placed on tray 3 with the top bud facing upwards. Then, tray 3 is hung on the output end of drive motor 2, and processing box 1 is sealed. The electric control valves 18 on both circulation channels 5 are closed, and the electric ball valves 17 on circulation pipe 6 are opened, and the differential pressure fans 10 are turned on. The heating element 9 and the differential pressure fans 10 on both sides blow in the same direction, causing one side of the differential pressure fan 10 to blow air into the processing chamber 1, creating positive pressure, while the other side of the differential pressure fan 10 draws air out of the processing chamber 1, creating negative pressure inside the processing chamber 1. This causes the air to circulate through the circulation pipe 6 and the processing chamber 1 within the two circulation channels 5, and the heating element 9 heats the circulating airflow, continuously exchanging heat with the pineapple surface. This maintains the temperature inside the processing chamber 1 at 50-55℃, effectively blanching the pineapple. The processing time is controlled at 15-20 minutes, sterilizing any latent pathogens on the pineapple surface. After blanching, the heating element 9 and the electric ball valve 17 are closed, and the electric control valve 18 on the circulation channel 5 is opened to continue operation. A differential pressure fan 10 draws air into one circulation channel 5 and exhausts air from the other, creating convection between the air inside the processing chamber 1 and the ambient air outside. The blanched pineapple exchanges heat with the ambient air for 15-20 minutes, lowering the pineapple surface temperature to room temperature. Then, the electric ball valve 17 on the circulation pipe 6 is opened, and the electric control valve 18 is closed. The refrigeration compressor 7 is then turned on for differential pressure pre-cooling. The refrigeration compressor 7 supplies refrigerant to the refrigeration pipe 8, and the differential pressure fan 10 ensures that the cold air flows in the same direction as the air during blanching, thus pre-cooling the pineapple and allowing continuous heat exchange. The pre-cooling temperature is set to 10-12℃, and the pre-cooling time is controlled at 3-4 hours, until the pineapple core temperature drops to the set low temperature.Then, the refrigeration compressor 7, drive motor 2, and differential pressure fan 10 are turned off, and the processing box 1 is moved to the storage position. The tray 3 is then removed from inside the processing box 1 for easy storage of the pineapples. This method effectively solves the problems of pineapple rotting due to post-harvest bacterial infection and the difficulties in pre-cooling. Furthermore, the blanching process does not use chemical agents or hot water, making it environmentally friendly. It eliminates post-harvest food safety issues and the need for drying after hot water soaking, as well as the risks associated with bacterial infection. The pre-cooling efficiency is also higher than that of ordinary cold storage, facilitating post-harvest pineapple processing.

[0023] As a technical optimization solution of this utility model, specifically as follows: Figure 4 As shown, tray 3 has placement holes for placing pineapples, and trays 3 are arranged in a vertical array. The trays 3 are fixedly connected to each other by shafts 11. The upper end of shaft 11 is connected to the drive end of drive motor 2. Hooks 12 are fixedly installed symmetrically on the upper end of shaft 11, and hanging rings 13 are fixedly installed on the drive end of drive motor 2. The hooks 12 are hung on the hanging rings 13. The placement holes facilitate the placement of pineapples so that the top buds are facing upwards. The hooks 12 on shaft 11 are conveniently connected to the hanging rings 13 on drive motor 2, which facilitates the quick installation of trays 3 inside processing box 1. The trays rotate with the drive end of drive motor 2, improving the uniformity of blanching and pre-cooling treatments, and making it easy to quickly remove pineapples from inside processing box 1, which is convenient for operation.

[0024] As a technical optimization solution of this utility model, specifically as follows: Figure 1 As shown, a double-leaf sealing door 14 is hinged to one side of the processing box 1. An electric control panel 15 is fixedly installed on the sealing door 14 on one side. Casters 16 are fixedly installed at the four corners of the lower end of the processing box 1. The casters 16 facilitate the movement of the processed pineapples, making this technical solution a transfer tool. The electric control panel 15 facilitates precise settings during heat treatment and pre-cooling treatment. The sealing door 14 facilitates the loading and unloading of pineapples inside the processing box 1, making it convenient to use.

[0025] As a technical optimization solution of this utility model, specifically as follows: Figure 1 As shown, the opening on one side of the circulation channel 5 is connected to one side of the frame plate 4, and the interior of the circulation channel 5 is connected to the interior of the processing box 1 through the frame plate 4. Both the circulation channel 5 and the circulation pipe 6 are wrapped with heat insulation cotton to prevent heat loss during hot treatment and pre-cooling treatment, thereby improving energy saving and environmental protection.

[0026] The foregoing has shown and described the basic principles, main features, and advantages of this invention. Those skilled in the art should understand that this invention is not limited to the above embodiments. The embodiments and descriptions in the specification are merely illustrative of the principles of this invention. Various changes and modifications may be made to this invention without departing from its spirit and scope. All such changes and modifications fall within the scope of this invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A postharvest differential pressure treatment device for pineapples, comprising a treatment box (1), characterized in that: A drive motor (2) is fixedly installed at the upper end of the processing box (1), and a tray (3) for holding pineapples is hung inside the processing box (1). The tray (3) is rotated by the drive motor (2). The two sides of the processing box (1) are hollow structures. A frame plate (4) is fixedly installed on one side of the hollow structure to form an air inlet and an air outlet. A circulation channel (5) with one side open is fixedly installed on one side of the frame plate (4). A circulation pipe (6) is fixedly installed between the two circulation channels (5) for circulating hot and cold air. A refrigeration compressor (7) is fixedly installed at the lower end of the processing box (1). A refrigeration pipe (8) is fixedly installed in a serpentine state inside the frame plate (4). The refrigeration compressor (7) is connected to the refrigeration pipe (8) for supplying cold air to the inside of the processing box (1). An electric heating tube (9) is fixedly installed between the refrigeration pipes (8) inside the frame plate (4). A differential pressure fan (10) is fixedly installed symmetrically inside the circulation channel (5).

2. The postharvest differential pressure treatment apparatus for pineapples according to claim 1, characterized by: The tray (3) has a placement hole for placing pineapples, and the trays (3) are arranged in a vertical array. The trays (3) are fixedly connected to each other by a shaft (11), and the upper end of the shaft (11) is connected to the drive end of the drive motor (2).

3. The postharvest differential pressure treatment apparatus for pineapples according to claim 2, characterized by: The upper end of the shaft (11) is fixedly mounted with hooks (12) symmetrically arranged on the left and right, and the drive end of the drive motor (2) is fixedly mounted with a hanging ring (13), and the hooks (12) are attached to the hanging ring (13).

4. The postharvest differential pressure treatment apparatus for pineapples according to claim 1, characterized by: The processing box (1) has a hinged double-leaf sealing door (14) on one side, and an electric control panel (15) is fixedly installed on the sealing door (14) on one side. The processing box (1) also has four fixed casters (16) at the lower corners.

5. The postharvest differential pressure treatment apparatus for pineapples according to claim 1, characterized by: There are two circulation pipes (6), and the circulation pipes (6) are located on both sides of the drive motor (2). An electric ball valve (17) is fixedly installed in the middle of the circulation pipes (6).

6. The postharvest differential pressure treatment apparatus for pineapples according to claim 1, characterized by: The opening on one side of the circulation channel (5) is connected to one side of the frame plate (4), and the interior of the circulation channel (5) is connected to the interior of the processing box (1) through the frame plate (4).

7. The pineapple post-harvest differential pressure treatment device according to claim 1, characterized in that: An electric control valve (18) is fixedly installed at the middle position of the upper end of the circulation channel (5). The two electric control valves (18) are used for air intake and exhaust, respectively.

8. The pineapple postharvest differential pressure treatment device according to claim 1, characterized in that: Both the circulation channel (5) and the circulation pipe (6) are wrapped with heat-insulating cotton.

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