Aseptic filling system

Abstract

To enable the distribution of a processed food product made using an extruder at ambient temperature while reducing the heat history experienced by the processed object.SOLUTION: When a processed food product processed using an extruder 2 is charged and packed under aseptic environment, a heat insulated guide pipe 3 is connected to a discharge port of a barrel part of the extruder 2, the heat insulated guide pipe capable of being adjusted to a predetermined sterilization temperature, and the processed food product is sterilized according to the retention time when the processed food product discharged from the extruder 2 flows in the heat insulated guide pipe 3.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an aseptic filling system. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for producing a meat-like processed food as a meat substitute by heating and kneading raw materials containing proteins derived from plants such as soybeans and wheat in an extruder.

[0003] Such meat-like processed foods are preferably shipped in a dried state so that they can be distributed at room temperature. One example of the distribution form is that they are delivered to a food manufacturer as a food ingredient, reconstituted with water, cooked, and then provided to the end consumer. In this case, if distribution at room temperature is required, it is possible to fill them into a sealed container, sterilize them by pressurizing and heating, and distribute them as retort foods. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2022-160947 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in such a distribution form, the processed object may lose its flavor due to being subjected to a large amount of heat history in addition to the heat history in the extruder. Therefore, the inventors of the present invention have conducted extensive research to enable distribution of processed foods processed using an extruder at room temperature while reducing the heat history of the processed object, and have completed the present invention. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The aseptic filling system of the present invention is configured such that, when processing food that has been processed using an extruder is filled and packaged in a sterile environment, a heat-retaining conduit capable of being adjusted to a predetermined sterilization temperature is connected to the outlet of the barrel portion of the extruder, and the processed food is sterilized according to the residence time of the processed food discharged from the extruder as it flows through the heat-retaining conduit. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, by theoretically confirming that the processed food extruded from the extruder has been sufficiently sterilized, and then filling and packaging it in a sterile environment, it is possible to reduce the thermal history experienced by the processed objects while enabling the distribution of processed foods processed using an extruder at room temperature. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an outline of an example of a sterile filling system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of operation of a sterile filling system according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0010] The aseptic filling system 1 according to this embodiment is intended to enable distribution of processed foods processed using an extruder 2 at room temperature.

[0011] The specific configuration of the extruder 2 is not particularly limited as long as it is configured to process the raw material to be processed by extrusion molding, that is, so-called extrusion cooking, in which the raw material to be processed is compressed, sheared, crushed, heated, kneaded, etc. while being conveyed. It may be either a single-screw type or a twin-screw type, and in the case of a twin-screw type, it may be either a co-rotating type or a counter-rotating type, or further, a non-completely intermeshing type, a partially intermeshing type, or a completely intermeshing type.

[0012] The processed food processed using the extruder 2 is finally guided to the cooling die 4, where it is extruded into any shape such as a sheet while being cut at predetermined intervals, and then filled and packaged in a sealable container. This series of steps is carried out in a sterile environment. For this purpose, for example, the cooling die 4 may be extended into an aseptic chamber (not shown) in which filling and packaging equipment such as a filling and sealing machine and a bag-making, filling and packaging machine are installed, so that filling and packaging can be carried out in a sterile environment.

[0013] In the example shown in Fig. 1, an aseptic filling system 1 has a heat-retaining conduit 3 between an extruder 2 and a cooling die 4, the heat-retaining conduit 3 being capable of being adjusted to a predetermined sterilization temperature, and the heat-retaining conduit 3 is connected to the outlet of the barrel part of the extruder 2 via a three-way valve 5. In this way, by connecting the heat-retaining conduit 3 to the outlet of the barrel part of the extruder 2, the processed food discharged from the extruder 2 can be sterilized according to the residence time of the processed food as it flows through the heat-retaining conduit 3.

[0014] The heat-retaining conduit 3 can be made temperature-controllable, for example, by having a double-pipe structure in which steam or hot water circulates around the conduit through which the processed food discharged from the extruder 2 flows. The conduit through which the processed food discharged from the extruder 2 flows can be made a straight pipe with a constant diameter and a circular cross section, and the sterilization effect received by the processed food can be changed by adjusting the pipe length. In addition, the conduit through which the processed food discharged from the extruder 2 flows is not limited to a circular cross-sectional shape as long as the cross-sectional area is constant.

[0015] Japan's current Food Sanitation Act stipulates that, as the manufacturing standard for packaged, pressure-heat sterilized foods, excluding soft drinks, etc., foods with a pH exceeding 4.6 and a water activity exceeding 0.94 must be sterilized by pressure heating at a temperature of 120°C for 4 minutes or a method with an equivalent or greater effect for the foods with a pH exceeding 4.6 and a water activity exceeding 0.94. Therefore, in order to distribute foods with a pH exceeding 4.6 and a water activity exceeding 0.94 at room temperature, it is considered necessary to sterilize them to a level equivalent to or higher than the above standard (F0 value of 3.1 or higher).

[0016] Here, the F0 value is an index of the strength of the heat sterilization treatment, and is the F value calculated by the following formula, where the reference temperature (T0) is 121.1°C and the z value (z) is 10°C.

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[0017] The F0 value is the time converted into the number of minutes heated at 121.1°C, and can be calculated as the integrated value of the product of the retention time at a certain temperature and the mortality rate at that temperature, using the following formula.

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[0018] For example, by adjusting the temperature of the heat-retaining conduit 3 so that the sterilization temperature is 140°C and adjusting the length of the heat-retaining conduit 3 so that the residence time of the processed food discharged from the extruder 2 when flowing through the heat-retaining conduit 3 is 10.00 seconds, the average F0 value becomes 12.94 (10^((140[°C]-121.1[°C]) / 10)×(10.0[sec] / 60.0[sec])), and the sterilization effect received by the processed food can be made necessary and sufficient.

[0019] At this time, the throughput of the extruder 2, i.e., the discharge rate of the processed food discharged from the extruder 2, is 0.14 kg / sec, and the specific gravity of the processed food is 1200 kg / m 3In this case, the length of the heat-retaining conduit 3 can be adjusted as follows: In other words, in order to make the residence time of the processed food flowing through the heat-retaining conduit 3 10.00 seconds, the volume of the conduit should be adjusted to 1.16×10 -3 m 3 ((0.14[kg / sec] / 1200[kg / m 3 Therefore, for example, if the diameter of the conduit through which the processed food discharged from the extruder 2 flows is 30 mm, the length of the pipe should be 1.64 m (1.16 × 10 -3 [m 3 ] / ((30[mm] / 2) 2 ×π)), the above F0 value can be ensured.

[0020] In this way, according to the present embodiment in which the processed food discharged from the extruder 2 is sterilized according to the residence time when flowing in the heat-retaining conduit 3 whose temperature is adjusted to a predetermined sterilization temperature, the sterilization effect on the processed food can be theoretically confirmed. Therefore, by appropriately adjusting the set temperature of the heat-retaining conduit 3, the piping length, etc., it is possible to theoretically confirm that the processed food discharged from the extruder 2 has been sterilized sufficiently and sufficiently, and then to fill and package the processed food in a sterile environment, thereby enabling distribution of the processed food at room temperature. As a result, for example, it is possible to omit the drying process in the distribution form as described above as an example of the background art, and to reduce the heat history that the processed object is subjected to.

[0021] Next, the operation of the aseptic filling system according to this embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the operation of the aseptic filling system according to this embodiment.

[0022] [SIP (Instrument sterilization)] In order to sterilize the path along which the processed food discharged from the extruder 2 flows through the heat-retaining conduit 3 and the cooling die 4 in that order, the three-way valve 5 is switched as shown in the figure to supply steam from the steam inlet pipe 6. During this process, steam or hot water is circulated through the temperature control circuits provided in the heat-retaining conduit 3 and the cooling die 4, respectively, while monitoring the outlet temperatures of the heat-retaining conduit 3 and the cooling die 4. Then, while checking that these have reached the set temperatures, steam is continued to be supplied until a predetermined time has elapsed (see FIG. 2(a)).

[0023] [SIP cooling] After the sterilization process is completed, the supply of steam from the steam inlet pipe 6 is stopped and the three-way valve 5 is switched as shown in the figure. At the same time, the drain valve 8 on the CIP cap 7 side is closed to seal the above-mentioned path. At that time, the temperature control circuit in the heat retention conduit 3 is left circulating steam or hot water, and cooling water is circulated in the temperature control circuit in the cooling die 4 (see FIG. 2(b)).

[0024] [Initial discharge] After the extruder 2 starts operating, the three-way valve 5 and other valves are switched as shown in the figure until the temperature and pressure reach the specified values, and the processed food extruded from the extruder 2 is discharged through the back pressure valve 9. At that time, steam is supplied from the steam inlet pipe 6 as necessary to apply back pressure while discharging. At the same time, sterilized gas or steam such as sterile nitrogen is supplied from the CIP cap 7 side to apply back pressure to the heat retention conduit 3 and cooling die 4 (see Figure 2(c)).

[0025] [Production transition] Once it has been confirmed that the heat-retaining conduit 3 has reached the sterilization temperature, the three-way valve 5 is switched as shown in the figure so that the processed food discharged from the extruder 2 flows in the order of heat-retaining conduit 3 and cooling die 4. Next, when the internal pressure of the cooling die 4 begins to rise, the CIP cap 7 is removed from the cooling die 4 to evacuate it (see FIG. 2(d)).

[0026] [production] After the CIP cap 7 is removed, the cutter 10 is immediately operated to start production (see FIG. 2(e)).

[0027] Although the present invention has been described above by showing preferred embodiments, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the present invention.

[0028] The present invention is suitable for, but not limited to, meat-like processed foods made of plant-derived proteins, and can be applied to various processed foods that are processed by extrusion cooking. [Explanation of symbols]

[0029] 1. Aseptic filling system 2 Extruder 3 Heat insulation conduit

Claims

[Claim 1] When filling and packaging processed foods processed using an extruder in a sterile environment, This aseptic filling system is characterized in that an insulated conduit capable of controlling the temperature to a predetermined sterilization temperature is connected to the outlet of the barrel portion of the extruder, and the processed food is sterilized according to the residence time of the processed food discharged from the extruder as it flows through the insulated conduit.

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