Method for manufacturing product generating aroma

Abstract

To provide a method for manufacturing a product that generates aroma, by which it is possible to adjust an aroma balance without using other material, such as fragrance, or while reducing an amount of use of the fragrance, etc.SOLUTION: A control method includes: an evaporation step (S105) of evaporating part of an aroma component from a raw material by continuously supplying the raw material to an evaporation system; a measurement step (S106) of measuring the aroma component generated by the raw material in the process of the evaporation step; and an adjustment step (S108) of adjusting a control parameter of the evaporation system 1 on a basis of a result of the measurement step.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to methods for producing products that emit fragrance, such as foods and cosmetics. [Background technology]

[0002] Manufacturing methods have been developed that realize flavors and textures that match the tastes of consumers by blending various ingredients such as flavorings, sugar raw materials, and emulsifiers with the main raw materials of food. For example, the following Patent Document 1 proposes a method for manufacturing chocolate that prevents the aroma components in the cacao nibs from evaporating by mixing cacao nibs with a sugar raw material and grinding them in an enclosed space. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2020 / 095913 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In conventional manufacturing methods, in order to adjust the aroma balance of food, it was necessary to add other ingredients such as flavorings to the main ingredients of the food. However, in recent years, consumers have become more conscious of raw materials, so it may be difficult to adjust the aroma balance by adding other ingredients from the perspective of product value. Moreover, such difficulties in adjusting the aroma balance are not limited to food, but occur in all products that emit aromas, such as cosmetics.

[0005] Therefore, the present disclosure proposes a method for producing a product that emits a fragrance, which allows the fragrance balance to be adjusted without using other materials such as fragrances, or while reducing the amount of fragrances and the like used. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] (1) The manufacturing method proposed in this disclosure is a method for manufacturing a product that emits an aroma, and includes an evaporation step of supplying a raw material to an evaporation system and evaporating a portion of the aroma components from the raw material, a measurement step of measuring the aroma components emitted by the raw material after or during processing in the evaporation step, and an adjustment step of adjusting control parameters of the evaporation system based on the results of the measurement step.

[0007] (2) In (1), it is preferred that the raw material is continuously supplied to the evaporation system.

[0008] (3) In the manufacturing method of (1) or (2), the measuring step and the adjusting step may be repeatedly performed, whereby the control parameters can be further optimized.

[0009] (4) In any of the methods of production (1) to (3), the measuring step may measure the amount of evaporation of the aroma components per unit amount of the raw material.

[0010] (5) In the manufacturing method of (4), the amount of evaporation of the aroma component may be calculated based on the flow rate of the gas flowing through the evaporation system in the evaporation step and the concentration of the aroma component in the gas.

[0011] (6) In any of the manufacturing methods (1) to (3), the measuring step may measure a concentration of the aroma components in the raw material after a portion of the aroma components has been evaporated in the evaporation step.

[0012] (7) In the manufacturing methods of (1) to (6), the evaporation step may be performed under reduced pressure, and the control parameters may include a degree of vacuum in the evaporation step. This makes it possible to evaporate aroma components with low vapor pressure, thereby increasing the freedom of aroma adjustment.

[0013] (8) In any of the manufacturing methods (1) to (7), the evaporation step may be performed under heating, and the control parameters may include a temperature in the evaporation step. This makes it possible to evaporate aroma components that are difficult to evaporate at room temperature, thereby increasing the freedom of aroma adjustment.

[0014] (9) In the manufacturing methods of (1) to (8), a carrier gas is supplied to the evaporation system together with the raw material, and the control parameters include the supply speed of the carrier gas. This allows the flow speed of the carrier gas on the surface of the raw material to be changed, and the evaporation of aroma components can be promoted or suppressed. As a result, the freedom of aroma adjustment can be increased.

[0015] (10) In the manufacturing method according to any one of (1) to (9), the evaporation system may include a stirring device, and the control parameters may include a stirring speed. This allows the frequency at which aroma molecules reach the surface of the raw material to be adjusted, thereby increasing the freedom in aroma adjustment.

[0016] (11) In any one of the manufacturing methods (1) to (10), the control parameters may include a supply rate of the raw material to the evaporation system, thereby increasing the degree of freedom in adjusting the aroma.

[0017] (12) In any of the manufacturing methods (1) to (11), the measurement step may measure aroma components, and the adjustment step may adjust a plurality of control parameters of the evaporation system based on the results of the measurement step. This allows a more appropriate aroma balance to be achieved.

[0018] (13) In the manufacturing methods of (1) to (12), a required evaporation amount of the aroma component may be input to a machine learning model generated using the evaporation amount of the aroma component emitted from the raw material and the control parameters of the evaporation system as training data, and the control parameters used in the evaporation process may be calculated. This allows a more appropriate aroma balance to be achieved.

[0019] (14) In any one of the manufacturing methods (1) to (13), the aroma components are preselected using as an index a level of variation in the amount of evaporation depending on the degree of vacuum and temperature in the evaporation system.

[0020] (15) In any one of the manufacturing methods described in (1) to (14), the method further comprises a step of classifying the aroma components emitted by the raw material into a plurality of groups based on their vapor pressures and octanol / water partition coefficients, and determining control parameters of the evaporation system for each of the plurality of groups.

[0021] (16) In the production method of (15), the vapor pressure is the vapor pressure at 20 to 25°C.

[0022] (17) In the manufacturing method of (16), the vapor pressure is the vapor pressure at 25°C.

[0023] (18) In the production method according to any one of (1) to (17), the groups each independently satisfy any one of the following (A1) to (D1): (A1) Vapor pressure range: 11.3 to 1.73 mmHg, and octanol / water partition coefficient range: 1.3 to 1.8; (B1) Vapor pressure range: 1.6 to 9.78 mmHg, and octanol / water partition coefficient range: 1.2 to 3.4; (C1) Vapor pressure range: 1.5 to 3.3 mmHg, and octanol / water partition coefficient range: 0.7 to 0.8 (D1) Vapor pressure range: 0.9 to 3.1 mmHg, and octanol / water partition coefficient range: 0.0 to 0.6.

[0024] (19) In the production method according to any one of (1) to (18), the plurality of groups each independently include any one of compound groups selected from the following (A2) to (D2): (A2) a compound group including at least one compound selected from 2-methylpropanal, ethyl acetate, butan-2-one, ethanol, butane-2,3-dione, pentanal, 3-methylbutanal, 2-methylbutanal, formic acid, pentan-2-one, (methyldisulfanyl)methane, acetic acid, and hexanal; (B2) a compound group including at least one compound selected from 1-methyl-4-prop-1-en-2-ylcyclohexene, nonanal, nonan-2-one, heptan-2-ol, 3-methylbutyl acetate, pentan-2-yl acetate, pentan-1-ol, benzaldehyde, pentan-2-ol, and 3-methyl-1-butanol; (C2) a compound group including at least one compound selected from 2-methylpropanoic acid, butanoic acid, 2-ethylpyrazine, 2,5-dimethylpyrazine, 2,3-dimethylpyrazine, furan-2-carbaldehyde, propanoic acid, 3-hydroxybutan-2-one, and 1-hydroxypropan-2-one; (D2) A compound group containing at least one compound selected from furan-2-ylmethanol, oxolan-2-one, 3-methylbutanoic acid, 2-phenylacetaldehyde, 3,7-dimethylocta-1,6-dien-3-ol, 2-ethylhexan-1-ol, 2-methoxyphenol, phenylmethanol, 2-phenylethanol, hexanoic acid, and acetamide.

[0025] (20) In the manufacturing method according to any one of (1) to (19), the product is a food product or a cosmetic product.

[0026] (21) In the manufacturing method according to any one of (1) to (20), the product is an oily food.

[0027] (22) In any one of the manufacturing methods (1) to (21), the evaporation system is a thin film evaporator.

[0028] (23) In any one of the manufacturing methods according to (1) to (22), the product contains cocoa.

[0029] (24) In the manufacturing method according to any one of (1) to (23), the product is chocolate.

[0030] (25) In the manufacturing method according to any one of (1) to (24), the degree of vacuum in the evaporation system is 0 to −0.08 MPa.

[0031] (26) In any one of the manufacturing methods (1) to (25), the processing temperature in the evaporation system is 45 to 80°C. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0032] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of an aroma component evaporation system proposed in the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the evaporator shown in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a flow diagram showing an example of a method for producing a fragranced product. [Figure 4] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a relationship between a control parameter and an evaporation amount. [Figure 5A] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing another example of the relationship between the control parameter and the evaporation amount. [Figure 5B] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing another example of the relationship between the control parameter and the evaporation amount. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a flow diagram showing another example of a method for producing a product that emits fragrance. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a machine learning model used in the manufacture of a fragranced product. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating an example of a manufacturing method that utilizes the machine learning model of FIG. [Figure 9] This is a graph showing the changes in aroma components of the resulting chocolate dough measured by GC-MS when the operating parameters of the thin film volatilization device in Test Example 1, namely, the stirring speed, jacket temperature, degree of vacuum, air flow rate, and dough flow rate, were varied. [Figure 10A] The figure shows the results of a hierarchical cluster analysis (Ward method) of the change in aroma over time when the degree of vacuum and jacket temperature were changed when processing chocolate dough using a thin-film evaporator. [Figure 10B]This graph shows that when chocolate dough is processed using a thin-film volatilization device, the aroma components are distributed along the two axes of "vapor pressure (25°C)" and "octanol / water partition coefficient (logKow)," and the above four volatilization pattern clusters (groups) are separated. [Figure 11] 10B is a graph showing the results of a sensory evaluation of a sample obtained by performing an evaporation process while controlling the operating conditions of a thin film volatilization device in Test Example 2 using the graph in FIG. 10B as an index. [Figure 12] 10B is a graph showing the results of a sensory evaluation of a sample obtained by performing an evaporation process while controlling the operating conditions of a thin film volatilization device in Test Example 3 using the graph in FIG. 10B as an index. [Figure 13A] 1 is a graph showing the results when TDS (Temporal Dominance of Sensations) was carried out in Test Example 4 (before treatment). [Figure 13B] 1 is a graph showing the results when TDS (Temporal Dominance of Sensations) was carried out in Test Example 4 (after treatment). DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0033] An example of a method for producing an aroma-emitting product proposed in this disclosure will be described below. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of an aroma component evaporation system 1 used in the production method proposed in this disclosure.

[0034] The evaporation system 1 is a system that evaporates a part of the aroma components contained in the raw materials of a product that emits an aroma, and changes (adjusts) the balance of the aroma components contained in the raw materials. Here, the product that emits an aroma is, for example, a food product. Examples of food raw materials supplied to the evaporation system 1 include cacao (including plants and cacao materials such as cacao beans, cacao nibs, and cacao mass), which is the main raw material of chocolate, soy milk, fermented milk, butter, vegetable juice, coffee, protein drinks, wine, sake, beer, miso, soy sauce, dashi, soup, and extracts. The food raw materials supplied to the evaporation system 1 may be raw materials for plant-based foods or raw materials for plant-based pseudo-foods. Plant-based foods are plant-based foods or foods made from plant-based raw materials, and the raw materials are, for example, wheat, wheat, soybeans, soy milk, oat milk, and almond milk. Moreover, the plant-based pseudo food is a food that imitates a conventional animal-based food by using a plant-based raw material, such as plant-based meat, plant-based chicken, plant-based ham, plant-based fish, plant-based squid, etc. The raw materials for plant-based pseudo food are, for example, wheat, barley, soybeans, soy milk, oat milk, almond milk, etc. The product that emits an aroma is not limited to food, and may be, for example, a cosmetic product.

[0035] According to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, the food is an oily food. Here, the term "oily food" refers to a food containing oil and fat, including foods containing a large amount of oil and fat, and oil-processed foods that are foods made by processing oil and fat, including butter, margarine, chocolate, etc.

[0036] According to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, the food product contains or is made from a cacao material including cacao beans, cacao nibs, or cacao mass. Here, "cacao beans" refers to the seeds of cacao (Theobroma cacao), and the variety and origin of the raw cacao beans are not particularly limited. Examples of cacao varieties include Forastero, Criollo, Trinitario, and their derivatives and hybrids. Examples of origins include Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, Nigeria, Brazil, Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago, Peru, Vietnam, and Madagascar. Furthermore, "cacao nibs" refers to cacao beans from which the shell has been removed and which have not been heated in the presence of moisture. However, cacao nibs include those that have been heat sterilized and / or roasted, which are commonly used in the manufacture of general chocolate and cocoa. Cacao nibs also include crushed products of the above. Furthermore, "cocoa mass" is prepared by conventional methods through the processes of fermenting, drying, sorting, sterilizing, roasting, removing the skin, coarsely crushing, and grinding cocoa beans.

[0037] According to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, the food is chocolate. When the food is chocolate, the manufacturing method is not particularly limited, but it can be manufactured by a general method such as described in "Beckett's Industrial Chocolate Manufacture and Use FIFTH EDITION" (Stephen T. Beckett, Mark S. Fowler Gregory R. Ziegler) or "The Science of Chocolate" (Stephen T. Beckett (author), Tetsuo Furuya (translator), Publisher: Saiwai Shobo, ISBN: 4782104049 / 9784782104040), and chocolate can be obtained through a cocoa bean selection process, a roasting process, a skin separation process, a coarse grinding process, a kneading process, a grinding process, a flavor adjustment process, a crystallization process, a molding process, a cooling process, a mold removal process, and the like. According to one embodiment, the method of the present invention is applied in the flavor adjustment process.

[0038] [System Overview] As shown in Figure 1, the evaporation system 1 includes an evaporator 10. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the evaporator 10 and devices connected thereto.

[0039] Examples of the evaporator 10 include the thin film volatilizer Exeva manufactured by Kobe Steel and the High Evaporator manufactured by Sakura Seisakusho, but are not limited to these and may be any other device capable of dispersing aroma by changing the temperature or degree of reduced pressure. 2, the evaporator 10 has, for example, a cylinder 11 and an agitator 14 disposed inside the cylinder 11. Note that, for example, as shown in FIG. 2, the agitator 14 has an agitator blade 14a and an agitator motor 14b that rotates the agitator blade 14a.

[0040] As shown in Fig. 2, the cylinder 11 is provided with a raw material supply port 12a for supplying raw materials for a product that emits an aroma. The raw material supply port 12a is provided, for example, at the top of the cylinder 11. The raw materials supplied to the cylinder 11 are liquid materials. For example, in the manufacturing process of solid foods such as chocolate, the raw materials are supplied from the raw material supply port 12a as crushed and liquefied raw materials (for example, cacao mass).

[0041] The raw material supplied from the raw material supply port 12a flows downward along the inner surface of the cylinder 11 and is agitated by the agitating blades 14a. When the agitating blades 14a agitate the raw material, the raw material is subjected to centrifugal force and forms a thin film along the inner surface of the cylinder 11. Thus, a flow path for the raw material is formed along the inner surface of the cylinder 11. A raw material receiving section 11d for receiving the raw material may be attached to the lower part of the cylinder 11. The processed raw material accumulated in the raw material receiving section 11d may be sent to a processed raw material tank 52 for the next manufacturing process.

[0042] 2, the evaporation system 1 has a raw material tank 51 that stores the raw material. The raw material supply pump 34 delivers the raw material stored in the raw material tank 51 toward the raw material supply port 12a of the cylinder 11.

[0043] A carrier gas is supplied into the cylinder 11. The carrier gas is, for example, air, but may be nitrogen, helium, oxygen, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, or the like, depending on the raw material to be processed. As the carrier gas, not only an inert gas that does not chemically affect the raw material, but also a gas that causes a chemical reaction such as oxidation or sulfurization with the components in the raw material and affects the aroma of the raw material may be used, or such gases may be mixed and used. As shown in FIG. 2, the gas supply port 11e is provided, for example, at the bottom of the cylinder 11. The carrier gas supplied to the cylinder 11 is discharged, for example, from a gas discharge port 11f provided at the top of the cylinder 11. The evaporation system 1 has a carrier gas pump 33 (see FIG. 1) for sending the carrier gas to the cylinder 11.

[0044] When the raw material is supplied to the cylinder 11, it receives centrifugal force due to the rotation of the stirring blades 14a and flows downward while forming a thin film along the inner surface of the cylinder 11. The aroma components are volatile, and some of the aroma components contained in the raw material evaporate in the process of flowing along the inner surface of the cylinder 11. The evaporated aroma components are transported to the upper part together with the carrier gas and are discharged from the gas discharge port 11f.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 2, the evaporation system 1 has a gas component measuring instrument 21A. The gas component measuring instrument 21A is connected to a pipe extending from the gas exhaust port 11f, and measures the components of the gas exhausted from the gas exhaust port 11f. The gas component measuring instrument 21A outputs information according to the type and amount (concentration in the gas) of the aroma components contained in the exhausted gas. It is desirable for the gas component measuring instrument 21A to output this information in a timely manner. In other words, when the components in the exhausted gas change, it is desirable for the change to be reflected in the output information of the gas component measuring instrument 21A without causing a substantial time delay. For example, a gas FTIR (Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometer) can be used as such a gas component measuring instrument 21A, but is not necessarily limited to this.

[0046] As shown in FIG. 2, the evaporation system 1 has a gas flow meter 22. The gas flow meter 22 outputs a signal according to the amount of gas discharged. As described later, the evaporation system 1 may perform evaporation processing under reduced pressure, so it is desirable that the gas flow meter 22 be a flow meter that can measure the volume (flow rate) even under reduced pressure. In addition, in order to deal with unknown aroma components, it is desirable that the gas flow meter 22 be a flow meter that can measure the volume even when unknown gas components are included. As such a gas flow meter 22, for example, an impeller type flow meter can be used, but the type is not limited thereto.

[0047] A vacuum pump 31 (see FIG. 2) is attached to the pipe connected to the gas outlet 11f. The pressure inside the cylinder 11 is adjusted by driving the vacuum pump 31. In particular, in the present disclosure, the pressure inside the cylinder 11 is set to a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure by driving the vacuum pump 31. This allows aroma components that are difficult to evaporate under atmospheric pressure due to their low vapor pressure to be evaporated.

[0048] 2, gas component measuring instrument 21 and the devices of gas component measuring instrument 21 may be arranged in any order as long as they can perform their functions. For example, gas flow meter 22 may be arranged downstream of gas component measuring instrument 21, and vacuum pump 31 may be arranged downstream of gas flow meter 22.

[0049] As shown in FIG. 2, the evaporator 10 is provided with a jacket 13 that covers the outside of the cylinder 11. The jacket 13 has a heat medium passage 13a that is arranged along the outer surface of the cylinder 11. The raw material flowing in the cylinder 11 is heated by the heat medium flowing through the heat medium passage 13a. When the raw material is heated, the evaporation of the aroma components can be promoted. As the heat medium, water vapor can be used, but is not limited to this. The evaporation system 1 has a heater 32 (see FIG. 1). The heater 32 heats the heat medium supplied to the heat medium passage 13a. Unlike the example shown in the figure, the heater 32 may be directly attached to the outer surface of the cylinder 11.

[0050] 1, the evaporation system 1 includes a pressure gauge 23, an agitation speed meter 24, a thermometer 25, a raw material flow meter 26, and a gas component measuring instrument 21B. The evaporation system 1 also includes a control device 41, an input device 42, and a display device 43.

[0051] The outputs of the pressure gauge 23 etc. are input to the control device 41. The pressure gauge 23 is provided in the gas flow path and outputs a signal corresponding to the air pressure inside the cylinder 11. The stirring speed meter 24 outputs a signal corresponding to, for example, the rotation speed of the stirring blade 14a (stirring motor 14b). The thermometer 25 outputs a signal corresponding to the temperature of the raw material flowing inside the cylinder 11. The raw material flow meter 26 outputs a signal corresponding to the amount of raw material supplied to the cylinder 11 per unit time (raw material flow rate).

[0052] 2, the gas component measuring instrument 21B is connected to, for example, the raw material receiving portion 11d of the cylinder 11, and measures aroma components emitted from the raw material after the evaporation process in the evaporator 10. As with the above-mentioned gas component measuring instrument 21A, the gas component measuring instrument 21B can be a gas FTIR (Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometer), but is not necessarily limited to this.

[0053] The control device 41 detects the air pressure inside the cylinder 11 based on the output of the pressure gauge 23, detects the rotation speed of the agitator blade 14a based on the output of the agitator speed meter 24, detects the temperature of the raw material based on the output of the thermometer 25, and detects the flow rate of the raw material (amount supplied per unit time) based on the output of the raw material flow meter 26.

[0054] The control device 41 includes a central processing unit (CPU), a storage device, etc. The storage device includes a random access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), a hard disk drive (HDD), etc. The control device 41 may be composed of one or more personal computers, server computers, etc.

[0055] The control device 41 operates according to a program stored in the storage device or instructions input by an operator via the input device 42, and controls various devices provided in the evaporator 10 or connected to the evaporator 10. Specifically, the control device 41 controls the stirring motor 14b, the vacuum pump 31, the heater 32, the carrier gas pump 33, and the raw material supply pump 34. In addition, the control device 41 receives information (type and concentration of aroma components) output from the gas component measuring devices 21A and 21B, and signals from the gas flow meter 22, the pressure gauge 23, the stirring speed meter 24, the thermometer 25, and the raw material flow meter 26.

[0056] The input device 42 includes a keyboard and a pointing device, and inputs signals to the control device 41 in response to user inputs.

[0057] The display device 43 includes a display panel made of liquid crystal or organic electroluminescence material, and presents to an operator information output from the control device 41. For example, the display device 43 may display information obtained from the gas component measuring instrument 21A, a temperature detected based on a signal from the gas flowmeter 22, and the like. The display device 43 may also display the air pressure inside the cylinder 11, the temperature of the raw material, the rotation speed of the stirring blade 14a, the flow rate of the raw material, and the like.

[0058] [First example of manufacturing method] FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating an example of a method for producing a product that emits a fragrance.

[0059] Raw materials for products that emit aromas usually contain multiple aroma components. Examples of aroma components include acetic acid and ethyl acetate. The aroma component may be water vapor. FIG. 3 illustrates an example in which the content of one of these aroma components is reduced to adjust the aroma balance. Hereinafter, the aroma component to be reduced in the evaporation system 1 is referred to as "target aroma component A."

[0060] First, the control device 41 measures the concentration of the target aroma component A emitted from the raw material stored in the raw material tank 51 (the concentration of the target aroma component A emitted from the raw material before evaporation processing) (S101). For example, the raw material supply pump 34 is driven to supply the raw material to the cylinder 11 without rotating the stirring blade 14a or heating the cylinder 11 (without operating the evaporation system 1). Then, the concentration of the target aroma component A is detected based on the information obtained from the gas component measuring device 21A. In other words, the concentration of the target aroma component A emitted from the raw material is measured in an environment similar to the environment in which the raw material is consumed by the consumer. When the raw material to be processed is a food raw material, for example, the concentration of the target aroma component A emitted from the raw material is measured in an environment in which the food is eaten (for example, room temperature, atmospheric pressure). The concentration measurement in S101 may be performed before the raw material is placed in the raw material tank 51.

[0061] Next, the control device 41 calculates the difference (concentration difference) between the target concentration for the target aroma component A and the concentration measured in S101 (S102). The target concentration here is, for example, the concentration of the target aroma component A emitted by a product that provides a desirable aroma. The target concentration can be calculated, for example, as follows: A sensory test is performed on the product to identify and select a product that emits a desirable aroma. Then, the concentration of the target aroma component A emitted by the product is measured with a gas component measuring device, and the measured concentration is set as the target concentration. The target concentration may be stored in advance in a storage device included in the control device 41. The control device 41 refers to the target concentration stored in the storage device and executes the calculation process of S102.

[0062] Next, the control device 41 calculates the required evaporation amount per unit amount of raw material based on the concentration difference calculated in S102 (S103). The required evaporation amount here refers to the amount of target aroma component A that needs to be evaporated from the raw material in order to reduce the concentration of target aroma component A emitted from the raw material from the concentration actually measured in S101 to a target concentration.

[0063] The relationship between the required evaporation amount and the concentration difference may be specified in advance by experiment. For example, the concentration of the target aroma component A emitted from the raw material is measured before and after a process for evaporating the target aroma component A (for example, a heat treatment under reduced pressure) (the concentration before the evaporation process is referred to as "C1" and the concentration after the evaporation process is referred to as "C2"). The amount of the target aroma component A evaporated by the evaporation process is also measured (the evaporation amount is referred to as "Ae"). This measurement is then performed multiple times, and a regression analysis is performed on the difference between the concentrations C1 and C2 (concentration difference) and the evaporation amount Ae, thereby obtaining the relationship between the concentration difference and the required evaporation amount (correlation curve). In S103, for example, the correlation curve is referenced to calculate the required evaporation amount corresponding to the concentration difference calculated in S102.

[0064] However, the process of S103 is not necessarily limited to this. When the concentration difference and the required evaporation amount are in a proportional relationship, the required evaporation amount per unit amount may be calculated based on the concentration difference using the relational expression.

[0065] Such a relational expression or a table representing a correlation curve may be stored in a storage device. In this case, the control device 41 may refer to such a relational expression or table to calculate the required evaporation amount corresponding to the concentration difference.

[0066] Next, the control device 41 acquires control parameters that specify the operating conditions of the evaporation system 1 based on the required evaporation amount obtained in S103 (S104). The control parameters may include, for example, the following five items. Control parameter 1: Pressure in cylinder 11 (driving speed of vacuum pump 31) Control parameter 2: Temperature of the raw material flowing inside the cylinder 11 (current supplied to the heater 32) Control parameter 3: Stirring speed (rotation speed of the stirring motor 14b) Control parameter 4: Flow rate of the raw material supplied to the cylinder 11 (amount supplied per unit time by the raw material supply pump 34) Control parameter 5: Carrier gas flow rate (amount supplied per unit time by carrier gas pump 33)

[0067] By reducing the pressure inside the cylinder 11 (by lowering the pressure inside the cylinder 11 below atmospheric pressure) by driving the vacuum pump 31, it becomes possible to evaporate aroma components with low vapor pressure. Therefore, using the pressure inside the cylinder 11 as one of the control parameters is effective in ensuring the degree of freedom in aroma adjustment.

[0068] Moreover, it is possible to evaporate aroma components that are difficult to evaporate at room temperature by heating the raw material flowing inside the cylinder 11. Therefore, using the raw material temperature as one of the control parameters is also effective in ensuring the degree of freedom in aroma adjustment.

[0069] Furthermore, stirring the ingredients with the stirring blades 14a increases the frequency with which aroma component molecules reach the surface of the ingredients (the interface with the air) and thins the film of ingredients flowing inside the cylinder 11. Therefore, using the stirring speed as one of the control parameters is also effective in ensuring the freedom of aroma adjustment.

[0070] Increasing the flow rate of the carrier gas flowing over the surface of the raw material can promote the evaporation of aroma components. Therefore, using the flow rate of the carrier gas (the supply rate of the carrier gas) as one of the control parameters is also effective in ensuring the freedom of aroma adjustment.

[0071] Increasing the flow rate (feed rate) of the raw material shortens the residence time of the raw material in the cylinder 11. As a result, the evaporation of aroma components per unit amount of raw material is suppressed. Therefore, using the flow rate of the raw material as one of the control parameters is also effective in ensuring the freedom of aroma adjustment.

[0072] The inventors of the present application have found that the environment in which aroma components tend to evaporate differs depending on the aroma component. For example, they have found that acetic acid tends to evaporate under reduced pressure, whereas the amount of evaporation of ethyl acetate is limited even under reduced pressure. They have also found that the amount of evaporation of acetic acid increases as the pressure is lowered.

[0073] Therefore, in S104, a value of a control parameter corresponding to the required evaporation amount is calculated based on a correlation curve that represents the relationship between the evaporation amount and a control parameter related to the target aroma component A. The control parameter related to the target aroma component A is a parameter that effectively acts on the evaporation of the target aroma component A.

[0074] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of such a correlation curve. In the figure, the horizontal axis is the value of the control parameter, for example, any one of the above-mentioned control parameters 1 to 5. Meanwhile, the vertical axis is the evaporation amount of the target aroma component A emitted from the raw material per unit amount. When the control parameter shown in FIG. 4 is the pressure inside the cylinder 11, FIG. 4 shows that the evaporation amount emitted from the raw material per unit amount increases as the pressure is lowered. In S104, such a correlation curve is referred to and a control parameter corresponding to the required evaporation amount obtained in S103 is calculated. For control parameters for which no correlation curve is provided, a value that is specified in advance may be used. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the evaporation amount decreases as the control parameter increases. However, depending on the type of control parameter, the evaporation amount may also increase as the control parameter increases. In addition, there may be other relationships between the control parameter and the evaporation amount.

[0075] Such a correlation curve may be determined in advance, for example, by an experiment. That is, the control parameters are set to certain values, the amount of evaporation of the target aroma component A obtained from a unit amount of raw material is measured, and then the control parameters are set to other values ​​and the amount of evaporation is measured in the same manner. By measuring the amount of evaporation multiple times in this manner, the correlation curve shown in FIG. 4 can be obtained.

[0076] Note that multiple correlation curves may be provided for one target aroma component A. For example, a correlation curve representing the relationship between the evaporation amount and the pressure inside the cylinder 11, a correlation curve representing the relationship between the evaporation amount and the flow velocity of the carrier gas, etc. may be provided in advance. In this case, in S104, the control device 41 may refer to the multiple correlation curves and calculate the values ​​of multiple control parameters corresponding to the required evaporation amount.

[0077] Next, the control device 41 operates the evaporation system 1 with the control parameters acquired in S104 (S105, evaporation step). That is, the control device 41 drives the vacuum pump 31, the heater 32, the stirring motor 14b, the raw material supply pump 34, and the carrier gas pump 33. Furthermore, the control device 41 drives the devices related to the control parameters acquired in S104 according to the control parameters. Since the control device 41 drives the raw material supply pump 34, the raw material in the raw material tank 51 is continuously supplied to the cylinder 11. Then, the target aroma component A evaporates from the raw material supplied to the cylinder 11, and the amount of the target aroma component A contained in the raw material is reduced. This changes the balance of the aroma components emitted by the raw material.

[0078] Next, the control device 41 calculates the actual evaporation amount of the target aroma component A from the unit amount of raw material (S106, measurement step). Specifically, the control device 41 calculates the actual evaporation amount of the target aroma component A based on the concentration of the target aroma component A obtained from the output of the gas component measuring device 21A and the gas flow rate obtained from the output of the gas flow meter 22. Here, the measured actual evaporation amount may be the mass of the target aroma component A calculated from the concentration of the target aroma component A, the gas flow rate, and the gas pressure. Moreover, this actual evaporation amount may be calculated based on the supply rate of the raw material obtained from the output of the raw material flow meter 26 in addition to the concentration of the target aroma component A, the gas flow rate, and the gas pressure. Then, the control device 41 calculates the difference (evaporation amount difference) between the actual evaporation amount per unit amount of raw material calculated in S106 and the required evaporation amount calculated in S103 (S107).

[0079] Next, the control device 41 adjusts the operating conditions of the evaporation system 1 based on the evaporation amount difference calculated in S107 (S108, adjustment step). Specifically, the control device 41 changes the value of the control parameter calculated in S104 by an amount corresponding to the evaporation amount difference. For example, when the control parameter is the pressure in the cylinder 11 and the actual evaporation amount does not reach the required evaporation amount, the control device 41 drives the vacuum pump 31 so that the pressure in the cylinder 11 decreases by an amount corresponding to the evaporation amount difference.

[0080] The raw material that has passed through the cylinder 11 and undergone the evaporation process is stored in the raw material receiving section 11d provided at the bottom of the cylinder 11. In S109, the control device 41 measures the concentration of the target aroma component A emitted by the raw material that has undergone the evaporation process, and determines whether the concentration is within a reference range. As with S101, the concentration measurement in S109 may be performed in an environment similar to the environment in which the raw material to be treated is consumed by consumers. The concentration measurement in S109 may be performed, for example, by the gas component measuring device 21B on the raw material stored in the receiving section 11d of the cylinder 11, or on the raw material stored in the treated raw material tank 52.

[0081] In S109, if the concentration of the target aroma component A emitted from the raw material after the evaporation process falls within a reference range, for example, if the difference between this concentration and the target concentration is equal to or less than a threshold, the control device 41 determines whether or not to terminate the operation of the evaporation system 1. For example, it determines whether or not the evaporation process has been completed for the entire amount of raw material stored in the raw material tank 51 (S110).

[0082] If the evaporation process is not yet complete, the control device 41 returns to the process of S105 and executes the subsequent processes again. As a result, the measurement of the actual evaporation amount in S106, the calculation of the evaporation amount difference in S107, and the adjustment of the operating conditions (control parameters) based on the actual evaporation amount difference in S108 are repeatedly executed until the operation of the evaporation system 1 is completed. As a result, the operating conditions (control parameters) are adjusted so that the actual evaporation amount of aroma component A emitted from the raw material per unit amount follows the target evaporation amount.

[0083] In addition, as for the change of the control parameter in S108, proportional control may be performed in which the change amount of the control parameter is proportional to the evaporation amount difference, or differential control may be performed in which the change amount of the control parameter is proportional to the temporal derivative value of the evaporation amount difference, or integral control may be performed in which the change amount of the control parameter is proportional to the temporal integral value of the evaporation amount difference.

[0084] If it is determined in S109 that the concentration of the target aroma component A is not within the reference range, the control device 41 notifies the operator that the current operation of the evaporation system 1 may not be appropriate (S111). This notification may be, for example, by displaying a predefined warning on the display device 43.

[0085] The manufacturing method shown in Figure 3 makes it possible to produce a product that emits aroma component A at a concentration close to the target concentration. For example, when the aroma of aroma component A is strong, by using this manufacturing method, it is possible to achieve the desired aroma without adding fragrances, etc.

[0086] [Second example of manufacturing method] 3, the concentration of one target aroma component A is adjusted by the evaporation system 1. However, the concentrations of multiple aroma components may be adjusted by the evaporation system 1. Here, an example will be described in which the concentrations of aroma components A and B are adjusted. Hereinafter, aroma components A and B will be referred to as target aroma component A and target aroma component B, respectively.

[0087] In this case, in S101, the concentrations of the target aroma components A and B before evaporation are measured. Then, in S102, the concentration difference between the concentration measured in S101 and the target concentration is calculated for each of the target aroma components A and B. Then, in S103, the required evaporation amount per unit amount of raw material for each of the two target aroma components A and B is calculated based on the concentration difference (S103). Then, the operating conditions of the evaporation system 1 are calculated based on the required evaporation amount (S104).

[0088] When adjusting the concentrations of two types of target aroma components A and B in this way, it is desirable that the control parameters that affect the evaporation of the two types of target aroma components A and B are different from each other. Figures 5A and 5B are diagrams showing examples of correlation curves for two types of target aroma components A and B. In Figure 5A, when control parameter 1 (e.g., pressure) is low, the amount of evaporation of target aroma component A increases, whereas the amount of evaporation of target aroma component B is low regardless of the value of control parameter 1. Conversely, in Figure 5B, as control parameter 2 (e.g., temperature) increases, the amount of evaporation of target aroma component B increases, whereas the amount of evaporation of target aroma component A is low regardless of the value of control parameter 2.

[0089] When the control parameters 1 and 2 have such a relationship with the evaporation amounts of the target aroma components A and B, for the target aroma component A, the correlation curve shown in FIG. 5A is referenced and the value of control parameter 1 is calculated based on the required evaporation amount calculated in S103, and for the target aroma component B, the correlation curve shown in FIG. 5B is referenced and the value of control parameter 2 is calculated based on the required evaporation amount calculated in S103.

[0090] Thereafter, the following process is performed for each of the target aroma components A and B. That is, the evaporation system 1 is operated with the calculated control parameter values ​​(S105, evaporation process). Then, the actual evaporation amount per unit amount of raw material is calculated for each of the target aroma components A and B (S106, measurement process). Then, the difference between the actual evaporation amount and the required evaporation amount (evaporation amount difference) of the target aroma component A is calculated, and the difference between the actual evaporation amount and the required evaporation amount (evaporation amount difference) of the target aroma component B is calculated (S107, measurement process). Then, the operating conditions of the evaporation system 1 are adjusted based on the evaporation amount difference of the target aroma components A and B (S108, adjustment process). That is, the value of the control parameter 1 is adjusted based on the evaporation amount difference of the target aroma component A, and the value of the control parameter 2 is adjusted based on the evaporation amount difference of the target aroma component B. Then, the concentrations of the target aroma components A and B are measured for the target raw material stored in the raw material receiving section 11d, and it is determined whether or not the concentrations are within a reference range (S109). The processes from S105 to S109 are repeatedly executed until the operation of the evaporation system 1 is completed, for example, until the evaporation process is completed for the entire amount of the raw material.

[0091] This method makes it possible to produce products that emit aroma components A and B at concentrations close to the target concentration. For example, when the aroma components A and B are strong, this manufacturing method can be used to achieve the desired aroma without adding fragrances, etc.

[0092] [Third example of manufacturing method] In the example described with reference to Fig. 3, the control parameters were adjusted based on the difference between the actual evaporation amount and the required evaporation amount per unit amount of raw material (evaporation amount difference). Alternatively, the control parameters may be adjusted based on the difference between the concentration of the target aroma component A after the evaporation process and the target concentration. Fig. 6 is a flow diagram showing an example of a production method in such a form. Here, an embodiment in which aroma component A is reduced to change the aroma balance, as in the example of Fig. 3, will be described. The steps from S201 to S205 shown in Fig. 6 are the same as the steps from S101 to S105 described in Fig. 3, and therefore will not be described here.

[0093] After starting the operation of the evaporation system 1 under the operating conditions (control parameters) calculated based on the required evaporation amount, the control device 41 measures the actual evaporation amount of the target aroma component A emitted from the raw material per unit amount, and judges whether the actual evaporation amount is within a reference range (S206). As described above, for example, the control device 41 calculates the actual evaporation amount based on the concentration of the target aroma component A obtained from the output of the gas component measuring device 21A and the gas flow rate obtained from the output of the gas flow meter 22. In addition to the concentration of the target aroma component A and the gas flow rate, the flow rate of the raw material obtained from the output of the raw material flow meter 26 may be used to measure the evaporation amount from the unit amount of raw material. Then, the control device 41 judges whether the difference between the actual evaporation amount calculated in this way and the required evaporation amount is within a threshold value. Here, if the actual evaporation amount is not within the reference range, the current operation of the evaporation system 1 may be inappropriate, and the control device 41 notifies the operator of this fact (S211). This notification is made, for example, by displaying a predefined warning on the display device 43.

[0094] If the actual evaporation amount falls within the reference range in S206, the control device 41 measures the concentration of the target aroma component A emitted from the raw material after the evaporation process (S207). The concentration measurement in S207 may be performed in an environment similar to the environment in which the raw material is consumed by the consumer, similar to S201 (S101). For example, if the raw material to be evaporated is a food raw material, the concentration of the target aroma component A may be measured in an environment in which the raw material is consumed (e.g., room temperature, atmospheric pressure). This concentration measurement may be performed, for example, by the gas component measuring device 21B on the processed raw material stored in the raw material receiving section 31d. Alternatively, it may be performed on the raw material stored in the processed raw material tank 52.

[0095] Next, the control device 41 calculates the difference (post-treatment concentration difference) between the concentration of the target aroma component A measured in S207 and the target concentration (e.g., the target concentration used in S202) (S208). Then, the control device 41 adjusts (changes) the operating conditions of the evaporation system 1 based on this post-treatment concentration difference (S209). Specifically, the control device 41 changes the value of the control parameter set in S204 by an amount corresponding to the post-treatment concentration difference. For example, when the control parameter is the pressure in the cylinder 11 and the concentration after the evaporation process is higher than the target concentration, the control device 41 drives the vacuum pump 31 so that the pressure in the cylinder 11 is reduced by an amount corresponding to the post-treatment concentration difference.

[0096] Thereafter, it is determined whether or not to terminate the operation of the evaporation system 1. For example, it is determined whether or not the evaporation process has been completed for the entire amount of raw material stored in the raw material tank 51 (S210). If the evaporation process has not yet been completed, the process returns to S205 and the subsequent processes are executed again. As a result, the measurement of the concentration of the target aroma component A after the evaporation process in S207, the calculation of the post-processing concentration difference in S208, and the adjustment of the operating conditions (control parameters) based on the post-processing concentration difference in S209 are repeatedly executed until the evaporation process is completed.

[0097] The method shown in FIG. 6 also makes it possible to produce a product that emits aroma component A at a concentration close to the target concentration.

[0098] [Fourth example of manufacturing method] In the manufacturing method described in Figures 3 and 6, the value of the control parameter was calculated from the required evaporation amount of the target aroma component by referring to the correlation curve that shows the relationship between the control parameter and the required evaporation amount. However, many products that emit aroma, such as food ingredients, contain multiple aroma components. Therefore, when a certain aroma component is evaporated, other aroma components may also evaporate, although the amount may differ. For example, when the evaporation system 1 is operated at a certain pressure and temperature to evaporate aroma component A, aroma components B and C may also evaporate, although the amount may be small, and as a result, the concentration of aroma components B and C emitted from the raw material may be lower than the desired value. In other words, it may not be appropriate to determine the operating conditions (control parameters) of the evaporation system 1 by focusing only on the required evaporation amount of aroma component A.

[0099] Therefore, a plurality of control parameters may be calculated so that the plurality of aroma components evaporate in a good balance. In this case, a machine learning model may be used that inputs the required evaporation amounts of the plurality of aroma components and outputs the values ​​of the plurality of control parameters. Hereinafter, this machine learning model is referred to as a "control parameter calculation model."

[0100] Fig. 7 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of such a control parameter calculation model. A regression model such as a neural network can be used as the control parameter calculation model. Fig. 7 shows a neural network as an example. The values ​​of the input layer are the evaporation amounts of the aroma components A to H evaporated in the evaporation system 1, and the values ​​of the output layer are, for example, the values ​​of the control parameters 1 to 5 described above.

[0101] This control parameter calculation model is generated using data including a set of the evaporation amounts of multiple aroma components and the values ​​of multiple control parameters as teacher data. That is, the evaporation system 1 is operated under certain operating conditions (control parameters), and the evaporation amounts of each of the multiple aroma components obtained thereby are measured. Then, the operating conditions (control parameters) are slightly changed, and the evaporation system 1 is operated, and the evaporation amounts of each of the multiple aroma components obtained thereby are measured. This operation is repeated multiple times. The control parameters obtained in this manner and the measured evaporation amounts of each aroma component are used as teacher data. As the learning progresses, a machine learning model is generated that reflects the degree of relationship between the control parameters and the evaporation amounts of each aroma component. The evaporation amount of each aroma component is obtained based on the multiplication of information obtained from the gas component measuring device 21A (the concentration of each aroma component) and the gas flow rate obtained from the output of the gas flow meter 22. The machine learning may be executed by the control device 41.

[0102] Fig. 8 is a flow diagram showing an example of a manufacturing method in the case where such a control parameter calculation model is used. In the following, differences from the method referred to in Fig. 3 will be mainly described. Items not described may be the same as the example in Fig. 3.

[0103] First, the control device 41 measures the concentrations of multiple target aroma components A-H emitted from the raw material stored in the raw material tank 51 (S301). This measurement is performed, similar to S101, for example, based on information obtained from the gas component measuring instrument 21A in a state where the stirring blade 14a is not rotating (a state where the evaporation system 1 is not operating). The concentration measurement in S301 may be performed before the raw material is placed in the raw material tank 51.

[0104] Next, the control device 41 calculates the difference (concentration difference) between the target concentration for the multiple target aroma components A-H and the concentration measured in S301 (S302). The target concentration here is, for example, the concentration of the target aroma components A-H emitted by a product having a desirable aroma balance. The control device 41 calculates the concentration difference for each of the multiple target aroma components A-H. Next, the control device 41 calculates the required evaporation amount per unit amount of raw material for each of the multiple target aroma components A-H based on the concentration difference calculated in S302 (S303).

[0105] Next, the control device 41 inputs the required evaporation amounts calculated for the target aroma components A-H into a control parameter calculation model to obtain values ​​of control parameters 1-5 (S304).Then, the evaporation system 1 is operated with the values ​​obtained in S304 (S305, evaporation step).

[0106] Next, the control device 41 measures the actual evaporation amount per unit amount of raw material for the multiple target aroma components A-H (S306, measurement step). This measurement is performed based on the respective concentrations of the target aroma components A-H obtained from the output of the gas component measuring instrument 21A, the gas flow rate obtained from the output of the gas flow meter 22, and the raw material flow rate obtained from the output of the raw material flow meter 26. The control device 41 calculates the difference (evaporation amount difference) between the actual evaporation amount calculated in S306 and the required evaporation amount calculated in S303 for the multiple target aroma components A-H (S307, measurement step).

[0107] Next, the control device 41 adjusts the operating conditions (control parameters) based on the evaporation amount difference (S308, adjustment step). This adjustment may be performed in various ways. For example, the control device 41 may focus on one of the evaporation amount differences calculated for the target aroma components A to H (e.g., the largest evaporation amount difference) and adjust the operating conditions so that the evaporation amount difference is reduced. For example, when the evaporation amount difference of the target aroma component A is the largest and the main control parameter that affects the evaporation amount of the target aroma component A is the pressure in the cylinder 11, the control device 41 may drive the vacuum pump 31 so as to reduce the pressure.

[0108] Next, the control device 41 measures the concentrations of the target aroma components A-H for the raw material that has passed through the cylinder 11 and been through the evaporation process, and determines whether the concentrations are within a reference range or not (S309). This concentration measurement may be performed, for example, by the gas component measuring device 21B for the raw material stored in the receiver 11d of the cylinder 11, or for the raw material stored in the treated raw material tank 52.

[0109] In S309, if the concentrations of the target aroma components A to H emitted from the raw material after the evaporation process are within the reference range, it is determined whether or not to end the operation of the evaporation system 1. For example, it is determined whether or not the evaporation process has been completed for the entire amount of raw material stored in the raw material tank 51 (S310). If the evaporation process has not yet been completed for the entire amount, the process returns to S305 and executes the subsequent processes again. As a result, the measurement of the actual evaporation amount in S306, the calculation of the evaporation amount difference in S307, and the adjustment (change) of the operating conditions (control parameters) based on the actual evaporation amount difference in S308 are repeatedly executed until the evaporation process is completed.

[0110] On the other hand, if it is determined in S309 that the concentration of any of the target aroma components A to H is not within the reference range, the control device 41 notifies the operator of that fact (S311). This notification may be, for example, by displaying a predefined warning on the display device 43.

[0111] [Fifth example of manufacturing method] It should be noted that the method of calculating a plurality of control parameters using a machine learning model is not limited to the examples shown in FIGS.

[0112] For example, if any of the evaporation amount differences calculated in S307 of FIG. 8 is greater than a threshold value, or if the total of the evaporation amount differences is greater than a threshold value, the machine learning model (i.e., the control parameter calculation model) may be updated. That is, the actual evaporation amount measured in S306 and the control parameters used in the current operation (the control parameters calculated in S304) may be used as teacher data to update the control parameter calculation model (transfer learning). In this case, the processing from S304 onward may be repeatedly executed until it is determined in S310 that the operation of the evaporation system 1 has ended. As a result, the control parameter calculation model is sequentially updated, and the control parameters obtained therefrom may also be more appropriately adjusted (adjustment process).

[0113] 7 has as its input the required evaporation amounts of the multiple aroma components A to H. However, the control parameter calculation model may also have as its input the target concentrations of the multiple aroma components A to H and the actually measured concentrations of the aroma components A to H, and output the values ​​of control parameters 1 to 5. In this case, data including the target concentrations of the multiple aroma components A to H, the actually measured concentrations of the aroma components A to H, and the control parameters 1 to 5 may be generated using as teacher data.

[0114] [summary] The control method proposed in this disclosure includes an evaporation process (S105, S205, S305) in which raw material is continuously supplied to an evaporation system and some of the aroma components are evaporated from the raw material, a measurement process (S106, S207, S306) in which aroma components emitted from the raw material after or during the evaporation process are measured, and an adjustment process (S108, S209, S308) in which control parameters of the evaporation system are adjusted based on the results of the measurement process. This manufacturing method allows the aroma balance to be adjusted without using other materials such as flavorings or while reducing the amount of flavorings used.

[0115] It should be noted that the manufacturing method proposed in the present disclosure is not limited to the examples described with reference to the drawings and the like.

[0116] For example, in the manufacturing methods described with reference to Figures 3, 6 and 8, each procedure is executed by the control device 41. However, some of the procedures shown in these figures may be executed by an operator.

[0117] [Sixth Example of Manufacturing Method] According to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, in the evaporation system for evaporating aroma components from food ingredients, the aroma components to be measured are preferably selected and distinguished using the level of variation in the amount of evaporation according to the degree of vacuum and temperature as an index. Such aroma components can be advantageously used to check changes in aroma balance and adjust the aroma balance of a product.

[0118] The level of variation in the amount of evaporation according to the degree of vacuum and temperature varies depending on the food ingredient, and may be selected for each food ingredient. For example, in a food containing cacao, a heat treatment at about 45°C can be used to preferentially evaporate aroma components with a relatively high vapor pressure, and a vacuum treatment at a degree of vacuum of about -0.08 MPa can be used to evaporate aroma components with a low vapor pressure and a tendency towards lipophilicity, which are relatively difficult to evaporate.

[0119] According to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, it is preferable to classify the aroma components emitted by the raw material into a plurality of groups based on the vapor pressure (20-25°C) and the octanol / water partition coefficient (logKow), and to determine the control parameters of the evaporation system for each of the groups. The term "vapor pressure" refers to the pressure of the vapor when the liquid and the vapor are in vapor-liquid equilibrium. The term "octanol / water partition coefficient (logKow)" refers to the logarithmic ratio of the concentration of a chemical substance when it is placed in two liquid layers, octanol, which is non-polar, and water, which is polar, and how much of the chemical substance dissolves in each liquid. The above information on aroma components can be obtained, for example, from PubChem. Determining the control parameters of the evaporation system for each of the groups as in the method of the present disclosure is advantageous in adjusting the operating conditions of the evaporation system so that the aroma balance of the food is within a predetermined range.

[0120] For example, it is said that there are as many as 300 kinds of aroma components contained in cacao. However, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, 14 aroma components may be selected. The aroma is not proportional to the amount of the component, and a new aroma is only sensed when multiple components are present as a complex odor, and there are components that have a sensory threshold for each component and have a strong aroma intensity even in small amounts. Therefore, in general, aroma research often targets trace amounts of aroma components. However, there are many analytical issues with trace amounts of aroma components, such as large detection errors in GC-MS analysis and overlapping detection peaks when components with similar molecular structures are detected simultaneously, making accurate detection difficult. Therefore, GC-MS, which is the most reliable analytical method for aroma components, is plagued with the problem of not being able to accurately grasp the amount of the components. For this reason, it has been difficult and difficult to pattern the volatilization behavior of aroma components in the past.

[0121] Under such technical circumstances, according to the present disclosure, by deliberately eliminating aroma components that become noise (components that are difficult to analyze, such as those that are present in trace amounts or have overlapping peaks) and performing cluster analysis on components that are stably detectable, the aroma components can be classified into multiple groups based on their vapor pressure and octanol / water partition coefficient (logKow), and the control parameters of the evaporation system can be determined for each of the multiple groups, making it possible to control the aroma, as has been made clear through experiments by the present disclosure, which will be described later. The vapor pressure used in classifying the aroma components into a plurality of groups is, for example, that at 20 to 30°C, preferably 20 to 25°C, and more preferably 25°C.

[0122] The number of groups of multiple aroma components based on the vapor pressure and octanol / water partition coefficient is not particularly limited and can be appropriately determined depending on the type and properties of the product. For example, it is preferable to adjust the number of groups to 6 to 14, preferably 4 to 5, and more preferably 2 to 3.

[0123] According to a more specific embodiment of the present disclosure, the plurality of groups each independently satisfy any one of the following (A1) to (D1): (A1) Vapor pressure range: 11.3 to 173 mmHg, and octanol / water partition coefficient range: -1.3 to 1.8; (B1) Vapor pressure range: 1.6 to 9.78 mmHg, and octanol / water partition coefficient range: 1.2 to 3.4; (C1) Vapor pressure range: 1.5 to 3.3 mmHg, and octanol / water partition coefficient range: -0.7 to 0.8 (D1) Vapor pressure range: -0.9 to 3.1 mmHg, and octanol / water partition coefficient range: 0.0 to 0.6.

[0124] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the vapor pressure range of (A1) is preferably 11.3 to 300 mmHg, more preferably 11.3 to 173 mmHg. According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the octanol / water partition coefficient range of (A1) is preferably −2.0 to 8.20 mmHg, more preferably −1.3 to 1.80 mmHg.

[0125] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the vapor pressure range of (B1) is preferably 1.5 to 300 mmHg, more preferably 1.6 to 9.78 mmHg. According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the octanol / water partition coefficient range of (A1) is preferably 1.2 to 8.2 mmHg, more preferably 1.2 to 3.4 mmHg.

[0126] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the vapor pressure range of (C1) is preferably 1.5 to 300 mmHg, more preferably 1.5 to 3.3 mmHg. According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the octanol / water partition coefficient range of (A1) is preferably −2.0 to 1.2 mmHg, more preferably −0.7 to 0.8 mmHg.

[0127] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, in (D1), the vapor pressure range is preferably −2.0 to 5.0 mmHg, more preferably −0.9 to 3.1 mmHg. According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, in (A1), the octanol / water partition coefficient range is preferably 0.0 to 8.2 mmHg, more preferably 0.0 to 0.6 mmHg.

[0128] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, each of the plurality of groups independently includes any one of compound groups selected from the following (A2) to (D2): (A2) a compound group including 2 to 494 compounds selected from 2-methylpropanal, ethyl acetate, butan-2-one, ethanol, butane-2,3-dione, pentanal, 3-methylbutanal, 2-methylbutanal, formic acid, pentan-2-one, (methyldisulfanyl)methane, acetic acid, and hexanal; (B2) a compound group including 2 to 494 compounds selected from 1-methyl-4-prop-1-en-2-ylcyclohexene, nonanal, nonan-2-one, heptan-2-ol, 3-methylbutyl acetate, pentan-2-yl acetate, pentan-1-ol, benzaldehyde, pentan-2-ol, and 3-methyl-1-butanol; (C2) a compound group including 2 to 494 compounds selected from 2-methylpropanoic acid, butanoic acid, 2-ethylpyrazine, 2,5-dimethylpyrazine, 2,3-dimethylpyrazine, furan-2-carbaldehyde, propanoic acid, 3-hydroxybutan-2-one, and 1-hydroxypropan-2-one; (D2) A compound group including 2 to 494 compounds selected from furan-2-ylmethanol, oxolan-2-one, 3-methylbutanoic acid, 2-phenylacetaldehyde, 3,7-dimethylocta-1,6-dien-3-ol, 2-ethylhexan-1-ol, 2-methoxyphenol, phenylmethanol, 2-phenylethanol, hexanoic acid, and acetamide.

[0129] Moreover, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, (A2) is a compound group containing preferably 2 to 20 compounds, more preferably 21 to 100 compounds, and even more preferably 101 to 494 compounds, among the above compounds.

[0130] Moreover, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, (B2) is a compound group including preferably 2 to 20 compounds, more preferably 21 to 100 compounds, and even more preferably 101 to 494 compounds, among the above compounds.

[0131] Moreover, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, (C2) is a compound group including preferably 2 to 20 compounds, more preferably 21 to 100 compounds, and even more preferably 101 to 494 compounds, among the above compounds.

[0132] Moreover, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, (D2) is a compound group including preferably 2 to 20 compounds, more preferably 21 to 100 compounds, and even more preferably 101 to 494 compounds, among the above compounds.

[0133] Moreover, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, by controlling the evaporation conditions of the compounds for each of the compound groups by referring to the correlation between the flavor components and the aroma characteristics, it is possible to appropriately determine the evaporation conditions according to the desired flavor to be imparted to the product.

[0134] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the evaporation system used in the method for producing an aroma-emitting food is a thin-film volatilizer as described above. The operating conditions of the evaporation system, such as the processing temperature and degree of vacuum, are not particularly limited and may be appropriately adjusted according to the type and properties of the food, depending on the results of the aroma component analysis, but in the case of a food containing cacao, the processing vacuum degree in the evaporation system is, for example, 0 to 200°C, preferably 30 to 90°C, and preferably 45 to 80°C. The processing vacuum degree in the evaporation system is, for example, -0.10 to 0 MPa, preferably -0.09 to 0 MPa, and more preferably -0.08 to 0 MPa. EXAMPLES

[0135] The present disclosure will be described below with reference to examples, but is not limited to these examples. The measurement methods and units in the present disclosure are in accordance with the provisions of the Japanese Industrial Standards (JIS) unless otherwise specified.

[0136] Test Example 1 Using the thin-film volatilization apparatus shown in Figure 2 and chocolate dough as a test sample, the volatilization effect for each operating parameter was confirmed by GC-MS. The volatilization pattern of aroma components was numerically understood through statistical processing, and a technology for controlling the volatilization of the target aroma was investigated according to the following method.

[0137] Chocolate dough production The entire amount of chocolate raw materials (60% by weight of cacao mass, 29.6% by weight of sugar, 10.0% by weight of cocoa butter, 0.3% by weight of lecithin, 0.1% by weight of emulsifier) ​​was put into a closed grinder (ball mill), and the mixed raw materials were ground until the particle diameter D90 was 30 μm or less to obtain a chocolate dough. The cacao mass was obtained by grinding cacao nibs derived from Brazilian cacao beans in a closed environment to obtain a chocolate dough, which was then applied to a thin film volatilization device. The particle size was measured on a volume basis using a laser diffraction particle size distribution measuring device (Shimadzu Corporation, SAL-2200).

[0138] The operating parameters of the thin film volatilization device were varied, including the agitator rotation speed, jacket temperature, degree of vacuum, air flow rate, and dough flow rate, and the changes in the aroma components of the resulting chocolate dough were measured using a GC-MS (Agilent Technologies).

[0139] The results are shown in Figure 9, and it was found that vacuum operation (degree of vacuum) and heating operation (jacket temperature) were effective in changing the aroma balance. This suggests that the characteristics of aroma components that are easily volatilized and those that are not easily volatilized can be classified depending on the operation parameters.

[0140] Next, because the aroma balance changes significantly depending on the operational parameters, particularly the degree of vacuum and jacket temperature, a hierarchical cluster analysis (Ward method) was performed to analyze the change in aroma over time when the degree of vacuum and jacket temperature were changed.

[0141] The results are shown in FIG. 10A, and it was found that the evaporation patterns of the aroma groups were classified into four clusters: (part of A2), (part of B2), (part of C2), and (part of D2).

[0142] The components shown in Table 1 were selected for the cluster analysis. In preliminary experiments, statistical processing such as cluster analysis was performed on all aroma components, but when components with unstable GCMS values ​​were included, analytical noise occurred, making correct cluster analysis impossible. Therefore, by narrowing down the targets to components with stable GCMS values ​​shown in Table 1, it was found that they could be classified into four clusters.

[0143] [Table 1]

[0144] Additionally, using the software JMP, we investigated which of the characteristic values ​​of each component, such as "vapor pressure," "octanol / water partition coefficient (logKow)," "molecular weight," "number of OH groups," "number of H groups," "number of carbon chains," "boiling point," "melting point," "solubility," "density," "surface tension," and "viscosity," which are molecular characteristics of aroma components, are important in aroma. Note that in the following experiments, "vapor pressure" was examined at 25°C, and it was confirmed that similar results were obtained at temperatures between 20 and 25°C.

[0145] The results are shown in Figure 10B. When the aroma components were distributed on the two axes of "vapor pressure" and "octanol / water partition coefficient (logKow)", the above four volatilization pattern clusters were separated, indicating that these two axes are important for aroma volatilization.

[0146] The specific information on the "vapor pressure" and "octanol / water partition coefficient (logKow)" of the above four volatility pattern clusters (groups) is shown in Table 4 below.

[0147] [Table 2]

[0148] The volatilization phenomenon found in industrial machine operations is, in principle, the same as the expression of aroma in the mouth. Therefore, it is believed that the aroma balance created by industrial machine operations directly leads to the adjustment of aroma expression in the mouth. In addition, each aroma component and its descriptor (aroma characteristics) can be associated with publicly available information and a complete table. Therefore, from the above experiment, the graph in Figure 10B, in which the cacao aroma components are plotted on the two axes of "vapor pressure" and "octanol / water partition coefficient," can be used as reference information for the aroma component volatilization phenomenon in industrial and sensory evaluation, and the evaporation of multiple aroma components can be controlled by machine operations to obtain the final product.

[0149] Test Example 2 One of the undesirable aromas of cacao is "solvent." The causative agent is 3-methylbutyl acetate, and when this aroma component is reduced to a certain level, it is perceived as a desirable "fruity" aroma. Therefore, it is necessary to adjust the amount of excess 3-methylbutyl acetate. In Test Example 1, the analysis diagram in Figure 10B revealed that 3-methylbutyl acetate has the characteristic of being easily volatile at 80°C.

[0150] Therefore, 3-methylbutyl acetate was controlled by processing the chocolate under controlled operating conditions in a device with a jacket temperature of 80°C in accordance with Test Example 1, and a sensory evaluation of the chocolate was carried out. The sensory evaluation was carried out by a panel of 13 experts who were selected after passing flavor evaluation tests for cacao foods held several times a year. Peruvian cacao beans were used as the raw material for the chocolate to be evaluated. The evaluation items were eight flavors (acidity, fruity, solvent, cacao, roast, floral, astringency, preference level) that were commented on in the free comments section of a preliminary flavor survey of Peruvian cacao beans.

[0151] Figure 11 shows the results of the sensory evaluation of the samples obtained by the evaporation process. The "solvent," which is generally considered a negative aroma in chocolate, was selectively reduced. The results of the above test showed that it is possible to adjust the balance of specific flavors.

[0152] Test Example 3 From the above test results, it is considered that it is possible to achieve a different aroma balance even from the same chocolate dough by combining the jacket temperature and the degree of vacuum, and removing (subtracting) aroma components with a masking effect without using flavorings (addition), and controlling the operating conditions of the device with reference to the aroma component volatilization pattern shown in Figure 10B. Therefore, to see if it is possible to express multiple flavors with different characteristics from one chocolate dough, four test samples were produced by changing the operating conditions with reference to the aroma component volatilization pattern shown in Figure 10B, and a sensory evaluation was performed. The sensory evaluation was performed by a panel of 13 experts selected after passing flavor evaluation tests for cacao foods several times a year. In addition, cacao beans from the Dominican Republic were used as the chocolate raw material to be evaluated. In addition, four flavors were selected as evaluation items based on comments made in the free comments section of a preliminary flavor survey of Dominican cocoa beans (dried fruits such as raisins, prunes, and apricots; red berries such as cherries, raspberries, grapes, and blackcurrants; citrus fruits such as oranges and lemons; and others such as apples, oranges, bananas, pineapples, plums, and fresh apricots).

[0153] Figure 12 shows a graph of the sensory evaluation results of the samples obtained by the evaporation process. Figure 12 shows that multiple flavors with different characteristics can be expressed from the same dough, and that it is possible to bring out the desirable aroma of the ingredients by removing (subtracting) the aroma components that have a masking effect, without using flavorings (adding).

[0154] Test Example 4 In addition, using the same samples as in Test Example 3, the operating conditions of the device were controlled and TDS (Temporal Dominance of Sensations, J-SEMS, Sensory Evaluation System) was performed. The TDS method is a technique that can capture the changes in multiple sensory characteristics over time in a single evaluation, and is used mainly in the fragrance and food industries as a flavor design tool that introduces a time axis. In this experiment, participants tasted the samples and answered over time about the "taste" and "flavor" that they found most impressive, and the results of N=14 (people) were statistically processed and visualized as a curve.

[0155] The results are shown in Figures 13A and 13B. Figures 13A and 13B show the changes over time before and after the volatilization treatment in the impressive items (nature, fermentation (fermented aroma), acidity, fruity, solvent, cacao, roast, floral, astringency, and bitterness).

[0156] It has been shown that chocolate with a quality that gives a "solvent" top note before evaporation can be adjusted to a quality that gives a "fermentation" top note and "acidity" and "fruity" middle notes. In other words, it is possible to visually see the phenomenon that the components with high vapor pressure contain "solvent," and when this is removed, the next highest vapor pressure notes, "fermentation," "acidity," and "fruity," are felt. From these results, it has been possible to establish a method for creating a vaporization pattern of aroma components by controlling the operating conditions of the evaporation device using a new index that can estimate the vaporization pattern by vapor pressure and the processing vacuum in the evaporation system, and to achieve the desired aroma balance without adding flavorings as in the past. [Explanation of symbols]

[0157] 1: Aroma component evaporation system (evaporation system) 10: Evaporator 11: Cylinder 11d: Raw material receiving section 11e: Gas supply port 11f: Gas exhaust port 12a: Raw material supply port 13: Jacket 13a: Heat transfer medium passage 14a: Stirring blade 14b: Stirring motor 21A·21B: Gas component measuring instrument 22: Gas flow meter 23: Pressure gauge 24: Stirring speed meter 25: Thermometer 26: Raw material flow meter 31: Vacuum pump 31d: Raw material receiving section 32: Heater 33: Carrier gas pump 34: Raw material supply pump 41: Control device 42: Input device 43:Display device 51: Raw material tank (treated) 52: Raw material tank (treated)

Claims

1. an evaporation step of supplying a raw material to an evaporation system and evaporating a portion of the aroma components from the raw material; A measuring step for measuring aroma components emitted from the raw material after or during the evaporation step; and A method for producing a fragranced product comprising the step of adjusting a control parameter of the evaporation system based on the results of the measuring step.

2. The manufacturing method according to claim 1 , wherein the measuring step and the adjusting step are repeatedly performed.

3. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the measuring step measures the amount of evaporation of the aroma components per unit amount of the raw material.

4. The amount of evaporation of the aroma component is calculated based on the flow rate of the gas flowing through the evaporation system in the evaporation process and the concentration of the aroma component in the gas. The method of claim 3.

5. In the measuring step, the concentration of the aroma components in the raw material is measured after a part of the aroma components has been evaporated in the evaporation step.

2. The method of claim 1.

6. The evaporation step is carried out under reduced pressure; The control parameters include the degree of vacuum in the evaporation process.

2. The method of claim 1.

7. The evaporation step is carried out under heating, The control parameters include the temperature during the evaporation process.

2. The method of claim 1.

8. A carrier gas is supplied to the evaporation system together with the raw material; The control parameters include a supply rate of the carrier gas.

2. The method of claim 1.

9. the evaporation system includes an agitator; The control parameters include the stirring speed.

2. The method of claim 1.

10. The control parameters include a feed rate of the feedstock to the evaporation system.

2. The method of claim 1.

11. In the measurement step, aroma components are measured, In the adjusting step, a control parameter of the evaporation system is adjusted based on the result of the measuring step.

2. The method of claim 1.

12. A required evaporation amount of the aroma component is input to a machine learning model generated using the evaporation amount of the aroma component emitted from the raw material and the control parameters of the evaporation system as training data, and the control parameters used in the evaporation process are calculated.

2. The method of claim 1.

13. The manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein the aroma components used to adjust the control parameters of the evaporation system are preselected using as an index the level of variation in the amount of evaporation depending on the degree of vacuum and temperature in the evaporation system.

14. The method according to claim 11, further comprising the steps of classifying the aroma components into a plurality of groups based on their vapor pressures and octanol / water partition coefficients, and adjusting control parameters of the evaporation system for each of the plurality of groups.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the plurality of groups each independently satisfy any one of the following (A1) to (D1): (A1) a vapor pressure range of 11.3 to 173 mmHg and an octanol / water partition coefficient range of -1.3 to 1.8; (B1) a vapor pressure range of 1.6 to 9.78 mmHg and an octanol / water partition coefficient range of 1.2 to 3.4; (C1) Vapor pressure range: 1.5 to 3.3 mmHg, and octanol / water partition coefficient range: -0.7 to 0.8 (D1) Vapor pressure range: -0.9 to 3.1 mmHg, and octanol / water partition coefficient range: 0.0 to 0.

6.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein the plurality of groups each independently includes any one of compound groups selected from the following (A2) to (D2): (A2) a compound group including at least one compound selected from 2-methylpropanal, ethyl acetate, butan-2-one, ethanol, butane-2,3-dione, pentanal, 3-methylbutanal, 2-methylbutanal, formic acid, pentan-2-one, (methyldisphanyl)methane, acetic acid, and hexanal; (B2) a compound group including at least one compound selected from 1-methyl-4-prop-1-en-2-ylcyclohexene, nonanal, nonan-2-one, heptan-2-ol, 3-methylbutyl acetate, pentan-2-yl acetate, pentan-1-ol, benzaldehyde, pentan-2-ol, and 3-methyl-1-butanol; (C2) a compound group containing at least one compound selected from 2-methylpropanoic acid, butanoic acid, 2-ethylpyrazine, 2,5-dimethylpyrazine, 2,3-dimethylpyrazine, furan-2-carbaldehyde, propanoic acid, 3-hydroxybutan-2-one, and 1-hydroxypropan-2-one; (D2) A compound group containing at least one compound selected from furan-2-ylmethanol, oxolan-2-one, 3-methylbutanoic acid, 2-phenylacetaldehyde, 3,7-dimethylocta-1,6-dien-3-ol, 2-ethylhexan-1-ol, 2-methoxyphenol, phenylmethanol, 2-phenylethanol, hexanoic acid, and acetamide.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the evaporation system is a thin film evaporator.

18. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the product is a food product or a cosmetic product.

19. The method according to claim 1, wherein the product is an oily food product.

20. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the product comprises cocoa.

21. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the product is chocolate.

22. The manufacturing method according to claim 1 , wherein the processing vacuum in the evaporation system is 0 to −0.08 MPa.

23. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing temperature in the evaporation system is 45 to 80°C.

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