Quality determination device and quality determination method for gel-forming food

Abstract

To provide a quality determination device and quality determination method capable of easily improving accuracy of quality determination for gel-forming food.SOLUTION: A quality determination device 1 for gel-forming food comprises: a first conveyor 11 that conveys an object X including the gel-forming food; a light source 14 that irradiates the object X with light in a section before the object X transfers to a second conveyor 12 after the object is conveyed from the first conveyor 11; and a camera 15 that receives the light transmitted through the object X.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for assessing the quality of a gel-forming food. [Background technology]

[0002] In quality control at food manufacturing plants, quality control personnel generally inspect the quality of intermediate or final products for each production lot or periodically. By using testing equipment and chemical analysis methods, objective judgments can be made, but there are problems with the time it takes to obtain inspection results and with inspections being overlooked. In addition, while workers pay close attention to all products during production and judge their quality by visual inspection and touch, carelessness and misjudgment cannot be eliminated.

[0003] Among foods, gel-forming foods in particular are foods that change from a liquid or sol state to a solid or gel state through processes such as heating, cooling, adding a coagulant, fermentation, and enzyme reactions, such as adding a coagulant to soy milk to coagulate it and turn it into tofu. As with general foods, a corner of the product is opened through a random inspection and evaluated for gel strength, etc. using a physical property tester such as a rheometer. Since this is a destructive test, this amount is lost. Furthermore, if a defective product is detected, even if it is only a small portion, the entire lot must be discarded. Processing operations that involve changes in physical properties, such as gelation, and quality judgments are heavily dependent on the subjectivity, experience, and intuition of the worker.

[0004] Patent Document 1 discloses a quality assessment method for measuring the quality (ingredients, texture, physical properties, shape, etc.) of a gel-forming food by a spectroscopic analysis measurement system that uses light in a specific wavelength range from visible light to the infrared region (400 to 50,000 nm). In this method, in a process in which the gel-forming food is moved by a moving device, light is projected obliquely onto the moving object and received in a direction perpendicular to the projection angle. The light absorbance by the object is measured to objectively assess the quality of the object and distinguish between defective products such as semi-solidified and unsolidified products. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2003-106995 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] As in Patent Document 1, when measuring quality by irradiating light onto an object, the light emitter and light receiver are generally placed near the conveyor that transports the object. When the light emitter and light receiver are placed on the same side as the conveyor, the light receiver receives the light reflected by the object, but a spectrometer or other device is required, making the device complicated. When the light emitter and light receiver are placed on opposite sides of the conveyor, the light receiver receives the light that has passed through the object, but the light also passes through the conveyor components, etc., which places a limit on improving the accuracy of quality judgment.

[0007] The present invention provides a quality assessment device and a quality assessment method that can easily improve the accuracy of quality assessment of a gel-forming food. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The quality assessment device for a gel-forming food of the present invention comprises: a conveyor for conveying objects including a gel-forming food product; a light emitting unit that irradiates light onto the object during a section from when the object is carried out from the conveyor until when the object is transferred to a next transport device; A light receiving unit that receives light transmitted through the object; The quality assessment device for gel-forming food is provided.

[0009] In the quality assessment device for gel-forming food of the present invention, for example, the light-emitting unit irradiates light perpendicular to the direction of movement of the object in the section, or from a widthwise lateral side relative to the direction of movement of the object.

[0010] In the quality assessment device for a gel-forming food of the present invention, for example, the light receiving unit receives light that has passed through the object in the section, from the light irradiation direction of the light emitting unit, a direction perpendicular to the light irradiation direction by 90°, or a direction at an angle less than 90° to the light irradiation direction.

[0011] In the quality assessment device for a gel-forming food of the present invention, for example, the subject includes a pack that contains the gel-forming food and a film that seals the pack; The light emitting unit irradiates light onto a bottom surface of the pack, The light receiving section receives the light transmitted through the film.

[0012] In the quality assessment device for gel-forming foods of the present invention, for example, the conveyor is a first conveyor and the subsequent transport device is a second conveyor.

[0013] In the quality assessment device for a gel-forming food of the present invention, for example, the second conveyor is disposed at a lower position than the first conveyor.

[0014] The quality assessment device for a gel-forming food of the present invention includes, for example, a guide for guiding the object between the first conveyor and the second conveyor.

[0015] In the quality assessment device for a gel-forming food of the present invention, for example, after the object is conveyed from the conveyor, the object falls toward the next conveying device, The light emitting unit irradiates light onto the object while it is falling, The light receiving section receives light that has passed through the object while it is falling.

[0016] The quality assessment device for a gel-forming food of the present invention is provided with, for example, a guide that guides the subject while it is falling.

[0017] The quality assessment device for a gel-forming food of the present invention includes, for example, an air blowing device that blows air onto the subject.

[0018] In the quality assessment device for a gel-forming food of the present invention, for example, the gel-forming food which is the subject is high-temperature filled tofu which is prepared by adding a tofu coagulant to warm soy milk at 30 to 95°C, filling the pack, and sealing it with a film.

[0019] In addition, the quality assessment method for gel moldable foods of the present invention uses the above-described quality assessment device for gel moldable foods, The quality assessment of the gel-formable food is carried out at any one of the steps of the solidification process of the gel-forming food (e.g., the addition of a coagulant, heating or fermentation), the maturation process, and the cooling process, and the temperature (core temperature) of the gel-forming food at the time of the quality assessment is 30 to 95°C. Effect of the Invention

[0020] According to the present invention, the quality of the object (solidified / unsolidified, hard / soft) can be judged by irradiating the object with light during the period from when it is taken out of the conveyor until when it is transferred to the next transport device, which makes it easy to improve the accuracy and speed of the judgment. Therefore, it becomes easy to inspect all the objects and improve the reliability of the products. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a side view of a quality assessment device for gel-forming food according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an example of a gel-forming food product that is the subject of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a side view of the quality assessment device for gel-forming food according to the second embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a side view of a quality assessment device for gel-forming food according to the third embodiment. [Diagram 5] 5 shows an air-blowing device in a quality assessment device for gel-forming food according to a fourth embodiment, where (A) is a top view and (B) is a side view. [Figure 6]FIG. 6 shows an air-blowing device in a quality assessment device for gel-forming food according to a fifth embodiment, where (A) is a top view and (B) is a side view. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0022] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the quality assessment device for gel-forming foods according to the present invention (also simply referred to as the "quality assessment device") will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Gel-forming foods include gel foods such as tofu (particularly, filled tofu and hot filled tofu), egg tofu, kamaboko, cheese, and yogurt, as well as liquid or sol foods such as soy milk, raw eggs, surimi, and milk that have the property of solidifying or gelling during processing or storage. In particular, with products such as filled tofu, egg tofu, and jelly that are sealed without air and then heated and cooled to gel, it is difficult to determine whether the gelation is good or bad, and there are cases where only a random inspection in which a sample is sampled and opened for confirmation or the sense of touch can be relied upon. The quality assessment device for gel-forming foods according to the present invention is a device that uses light to assess the quality of such gel-forming foods.

[0023] (First embodiment) As shown in FIG. 1, the quality assessment device 1 for gel-forming foods according to the first embodiment comprises a first conveyor 11, a second conveyor 12, a light source 14, a camera 15, and a guide (transition member) 20.

[0024] The first conveyor 11 conveys a plurality of objects X including gel-forming food arranged in a straight line in a line in the direction indicated by the arrow. The first conveyor 11 includes an endless conveyor belt made of resin or the like, and rollers for driving the endless conveyor belt. The objects X include, for example, a resin pack 41 that contains tofu Xa, which is a gel-forming food, and a transparent film 42 that seals the pack 41, as shown in FIG. 2, with the pack 41 forming the bottom and side surfaces of the object X and the transparent film 42 forming the top surface of the object X. For example, a flange 41a is formed at the top end of the pack 41, and the transparent film 42 is attached to the flange 41a and covers the top surface of the gel-forming food Xa contained in the pack 41.

[0025] The light source 14 is an example of a light emitting unit that irradiates the object X with light in a section after the object X is carried out from the first conveyor 11 and before it is transferred onto the next transport device (a second conveyor 12 described later in this embodiment). The type of light source 14 is not particularly limited, and may be a natural light source, a fluorescent lamp, an optical fiber, a laser source, a halogen lamp, an incandescent light bulb, a mercury lamp, an LED (Light Emitting Diode), or the like, or may be a light source that emits a mixture of light of multiple wavelengths. The light source 14 may emit light in a wavelength range from visible light to the infrared region (400 to 50,000 nm), for example.

[0026] However, it is preferable that the light source 14 is an LED capable of emitting stable light with low power consumption. The light source 14 may emit light at a constant interval, or may detect the object X by a separately provided sensor and emit light in response to the detection signal.

[0027] The camera 15 is an example of a light receiving unit that receives light that is emitted from the light source 14 and then transmitted through the object X. The camera 15 has a resolution that allows it to receive the light that is irradiated from the light source 14 and transmitted through the object X. Before being received by the camera 15, the light from the light source 14 may be split into wavelengths using a spectroscope or the like, but a spectroscope or the like is not essential. The light receiving section may be a camera 15, that is, an area sensor or line sensor made of a CCD element, a photomultiplier tube (PMT, photomultiplier), or a semiconductor element (CCD image sensor, CMOS image sensor).

[0028] The quality assessment device 1 of this embodiment further includes a second conveyor 12 and a guide 20. The second conveyor 12 is disposed downstream of the first conveyor 11 with a predetermined distance therebetween. It corresponds to a transport device next to the first conveyor 11. The second conveyor 12 is preferably disposed linearly with respect to the first conveyor 11 so as to follow the transport direction of the object X. The second conveyor 12 has a similar configuration to the first conveyor 11, but may be the same as or different from the first conveyor 11.

[0029] The guide 20 is a member provided between the first conveyor 11 and the second conveyor 1, and guides the object X to move along the conveying direction. The guide 20 may be, for example, a transparent plate with a smooth surface through which light irradiated from the light source 14 can pass, and the object X can slide on the plate to move in the conveying direction. The guide 20 may be, for example, a rod-shaped member. For example, two such rod-shaped members may be arranged apart from each other in the width direction perpendicular to the conveying direction, and the object X may move in the conveying direction in such a manner that the flange of the pack slides on the two rod-shaped members. Other examples of the guide 20 include a belt or a chute with a slit in the center, a light-transmitting belt (for example, the light-transmitting belts MX001SKL and MX002SKL of "Mamaline" manufactured by Mitsuboshi Belting), and a transparent resin plate (transparent plate material such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and acrylic polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA)). Any mechanism that allows light to pass through may be used.

[0030] The quality assessment device 1 according to this embodiment irradiates light from the light source 14 onto the object X when the object X moves on the guide 20 between the first conveyor 11 and the second conveyor 12. That is, the light source 14 irradiates light onto the object X in a section from when the object X is carried out from the first conveyor 11 until when the object X is transferred onto the second conveyor 12, which is the next transport device.

[0031] Next, camera 15 receives the light that has passed through object X, and sends data on the intensity (brightness) of the received light to an analysis device (not shown). The analysis device is a computer for image inspection, specifically a computer that includes image processing software and is equipped with an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). The analysis device can analyze the intensity of the light for each dispersed wavelength, or the intensity of the total light without dispersion, and can assess the quality of the gel-forming food by, for example, comparing it with an intensity pattern for normal object X (gel-forming food). Quality assessment can be based on a wide range of criteria, such as ingredients, texture, physical properties, and shape, but it can also be based on the gelling state, such as determining whether the food is solidified or not.

[0032] In the quality assessment method using the quality assessment device 1 according to this embodiment, it is not necessary to extract the object X from the transport process for inspection, and it is also not necessary to destroy the object X. That is, since the quality assessment device 1 automatically performs the quality assessment, it is possible to suppress human errors in judgment, etc. In addition, since 100% inspection is possible, it is also possible to prevent the outflow of defective products that were not subject to sampling inspection.

[0033] Furthermore, in the quality determination device 1 according to this embodiment, the light on which the quality determination is based is the light that has passed through the object X during the section in which the object X is transferred from the first conveyor 11 to the second conveyor 12 (even though the irradiated light is visible light, the light that has passed through the object X is received as red light or infrared light on the long wavelength side). In other words, since this light has not passed through a member such as a conveyor belt, it accurately represents the quality of the object X (gel-forming food). Therefore, the quality determination device 1 according to this embodiment can easily improve the accuracy of the quality determination of gel-forming foods.

[0034] Furthermore, the light source 14 and the camera 15 can be disposed between the first conveyor 11 and the second conveyor 12. Such an arrangement position can reduce interference between the light source 14 and the camera 15 and the conveyors. Therefore, compared to conventional devices, the quality assessment device 1 according to this embodiment can be installed by simply providing a small gap between the conveyors without requiring major modifications to the conveyor line. This ensures a higher degree of freedom in device design.

[0035] 1, the light source 14 irradiates the object X with light from a direction substantially perpendicular to the moving direction (transport direction) of the object X in the section after the object X is carried out from the first conveyor 11 and before the object X is transferred to the second conveyor 12. This allows the light source 14 to irradiate the object X with light from a short distance, making it possible to miniaturize the device.

[0036] The camera 15 also receives light from a direction approximately perpendicular to the moving direction (transport direction) of the object X in the above section. This allows the camera 15 to receive transmitted light from a short distance to the object X, making it possible to miniaturize the device.

[0037] Although light source 14 irradiates light from above in a direction approximately perpendicular to the direction of movement of object X, and camera 15 receives light from below in the approximately perpendicular direction, light source 14 may also irradiate light from below in the approximately perpendicular direction, and camera 15 may receive light from above in the approximately perpendicular direction. In addition to irradiating from the above direction, the light source 14 may irradiate light from a width direction side relative to the moving direction of the object X. In that case, the camera 15 may receive light from above in a direction approximately perpendicular to the moving direction of the object X, as described above.

[0038] Furthermore, camera 15 may receive light that has been transmitted through object X in the above section from any of the following directions: the light irradiation direction of light source 14, a direction perpendicular to the light irradiation direction by 90°, or a direction at an angle less than 90° to the light irradiation direction. For example, the light source 14 may irradiate the object X with light from above in a direction substantially perpendicular to the moving direction of the object X, and the camera 15 may receive the light from a width direction side of the object X with respect to the moving direction of the object X.

[0039] The object X may have various forms, but may include a pack that contains a gel-forming food, as described above, and a transparent film that seals the pack and covers the top surface of the gel-forming food contained in the pack. In this case, the light source 14 irradiates light onto the bottom surface of the pack from below the guide 20, and the camera 15, above the guide 20, receives light that has passed through the bottom surface of the pack, the gel-forming food, and the transparent film. This allows the quality of the gel-forming food to be determined with high accuracy.

[0040] This embodiment has a first conveyor 11 and a second conveyor 12 as a next transport device. This allows the object X to be smoothly transported from the first conveyor 11 to the second conveyor 12. Note that the next transport device does not need to be the second conveyor 12, and may simply be a platform for receiving the object X.

[0041] 1, the second conveyor 12 is disposed at a lower position than the first conveyor 11. This allows the object X to be transported smoothly from the first conveyor 11 to the second conveyor 12.

[0042] As described above, this embodiment includes the guide 20 that is disposed between the first conveyor 11 and the second conveyor 12 and guides the object X. This allows the object X to be transported smoothly and reliably from the first conveyor 11 to the second conveyor 12.

[0043] In particular, when the second conveyor 12 is disposed at a lower position than the first conveyor 11, the guide 20 is disposed so as to extend obliquely downward along the conveying direction, as shown in Fig. 1. This allows the object X to slide down the guide 20 due to the action of gravity, so that the object X can be conveyed more smoothly from the first conveyor 11 to the second conveyor 12. Of course, when the first conveyor 11 and the second conveyor 12 are disposed at the same height, the guide 20 is disposed so as to extend horizontally, but the object X can move on the guide 20 due to the inertia accompanying the movement on the first conveyor 11.

[0044] However, the guide 20 is not essential. For example, when the length of the object X in the transport direction is longer than the distance between the first conveyor 11 and the second conveyor 12, the guide 20 may be omitted.

[0045] Furthermore, in the quality assessment device 1 and the quality assessment method according to the present embodiment, the gel-forming food as the subject X may be hot-filled tofu, which is prepared by adding and mixing a tofu coagulant to warm soy milk at 30 to 95°C, filling the pack, and sealing it with a film. In other words, after adding a coagulant to hot soy milk, it is possible to distinguish between coagulated and uncoagulated states when coagulation has not yet been observed, and when the soy milk is still half-cooked and coagulation has not yet been completed.In either case, no correlation with hardness or accuracy is required, and the purpose is to detect uncoagulated defective gel moldable foods.

[0046] Therefore, the quality assessment device 1 and the quality assessment method according to the present embodiment are not limited to assessment in a cooled and solidified state. That is, the quality assessment of the gel moldable food may be performed in any of the steps of the gel-forming food solidification process (e.g., steps of adding a coagulant, heating, or fermenting), the maturation process, and the cooling process, and for example, the gel-forming food may be judged to be solidified or not solidified when the temperature (core temperature) is 30 to 95°C and the food is in a warm state or a soft-boiled state.

[0047] Second Embodiment 3, in the quality assessment device 1 for gel-forming food according to the second embodiment, the object X falls (so-called free fall) toward the next transport device arranged below the first conveyor 11 after being carried out from the first conveyor 11. The light source 14 irradiates the object X with light while it is falling (moving along the falling direction), and the camera 15 receives the light transmitted through the object X while it is falling. The light source 14 and the camera 15 are arranged at the same height.

[0048] The quality assessment device 1 according to this embodiment can effectively utilize the space in the height direction, so that more freedom can be ensured in the design of the device. Although the next transport device is not shown in Fig. 3, a second conveyor 12 as shown in Fig. 1 may be disposed, or a platform for receiving the object X may simply be disposed. This platform may be a slide having a curved surface so as to absorb shock and smoothly receive the object X.

[0049] (Third embodiment) 4, the quality assessment device 1 for gel-forming food according to the second embodiment is obtained by adding a guide 20 to the quality assessment device 1 for gel-forming food according to the second embodiment. The guide 20 can guide the object X while it is falling. The guide 20 includes a bottom guide portion 21, a side guide portion 22, and an upper guide portion 23.

[0050] The bottom surface guide section 21 guides the bottom surface of the object X. The bottom surface guide section 21 may be, for example, a rod-shaped member processed into a curve as shown in FIG. 4. For example, two such rod-shaped members may be arranged apart in the width direction perpendicular to the conveying direction, and the bottom surface of the object X may move in the conveying direction (falling direction) in such a manner that it slides along the bottom surface guide section 21. The bottom surface guide section 21 may be, for example, a transparent plate with a smooth surface that is processed into a curved surface and through which light irradiated from the light source 14 can pass, and the object X can slide along the plate to move in the conveying direction.

[0051] The side guide portion 22 guides the side surface of the object X. The side guide portion 22 may be, for example, a rod-shaped member processed into a curved shape as shown in Fig. 4. Two such rod-shaped members may be arranged, for example, spaced apart in the width direction perpendicular to the conveying direction, and the object X may move in the conveying direction (falling direction) in such a manner that the side surface of the object X slides along the side guide portion 22.

[0052] The upper surface guide section 23 guides the upper surface of the object X. The upper surface guide section 23 may be, for example, a bar-shaped member processed into a curve as shown in FIG. 4. For example, two such bar-shaped members may be arranged apart in the width direction perpendicular to the conveying direction, and the upper surface of the object X may move in the conveying direction (falling direction) in such a manner that it slides along the upper surface guide section 23. The upper surface guide section 23 may be, for example, a transparent plate with a smooth surface that is processed into a curved surface and through which light irradiated from the light source 14 can pass, and the object X can slide along the plate to move in the conveying direction.

[0053] The guide 20 allows the object X to be transported smoothly and reliably from the first conveyor 11 to the second conveyor 12. Although the second conveyor 12 is shown as the next transport device in Fig. 4, a platform for receiving the object X may simply be provided, as in Fig. 3. This platform may be a slide with a curved surface so as to absorb shock and smoothly receive the object X.

[0054] (Fourth embodiment) When the object X is wrapped in a surface wrapping material (including a pack or transparent film), especially when a hot product (gel-forming food) is wrapped, the surface of the object X may become distorted even if the surface wrapping material is not soft. If the surface wrapping material becomes distorted, wrinkles will be reflected when the camera 15 receives light that has passed through the object X, causing variation in the measurement results, making the judgment results unstable and reducing the inspection accuracy.

[0055] In response to these problems, as shown in Fig. 5, a quality assessment device 1 for gel-forming foods according to a fourth embodiment includes an air blowing device 30 that blows air onto an object X. The air blowing device 30 blows air onto the surface packaging material of the object X, thereby instantaneously removing distortion that has occurred in the surface packaging material and improving the inspection accuracy. In addition, the air can also remove dirt, water droplets, and the like from the surface of the packaging material, preventing deterioration of the inspection accuracy due to dirt or water droplets being reflected in the image.

[0056] In this embodiment, one air blowing device 30 is disposed above the object X, at a central position in the width direction perpendicular to the conveying direction, so as to be inclined at an angle θ with respect to the upper surface of the object X. The air blowing device 30 blows air from a direction at an angle θ with respect to the upper surface of the object X, in a direction opposite to the conveying direction of the object X. This makes it possible for the air blowing device 30 to effectively remove distortions occurring in the surface packaging material, and dust, water droplets, etc. on the surface of the packaging material.

[0057] Fifth embodiment 6, in the quality assessment device 1 for gel-forming foods according to the fifth embodiment, two air blowing devices 30 are disposed above the object X, at positions on both sides in the width direction perpendicular to the conveying direction, so as to be inclined at an angle θ with respect to the upper surface of the object X. The air blowing devices 30 blow air from a direction at an angle θ with respect to the upper surface of the object X, in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the object X. This makes it possible for the air blowing devices 30 to effectively remove distortions occurring in the surface packaging material, and dust, water droplets, etc. on the surface of the packaging material.

[0058] With respect to the embodiment of Figs. 5 and 6, the air blowing device 30 is disposed in the area after the object X is conveyed off the conveyor (first conveyor 11) and before it is transferred to the next conveying device, for example, on the guide 20 in the embodiment of Fig. 1, near the light source 14 and the camera 15. However, if the light source 14 and the camera 15 are positioned midway along the conveying process of the first conveyor 11 and the light from the light source 14 reaches the camera 15 through a transparent belt or slits between the belt components, the air blowing device 30 may be positioned midway along the conveying process of the first conveyor 11.

[0059] In addition, the pass / fail judgment of the object does not have to be performed only by the quality judgment device of the embodiment. A separate device such as a weight checker or a radiation thermometer may be provided before or after the quality judgment device of the embodiment, and quality judgment may be performed using the quality judgment device of the embodiment in combination with the separate device.

[0060] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be appropriately modified, improved, etc. In addition, the material, shape, size, numerical value, form, number, arrangement location, etc. of each component in the above-described embodiment are arbitrary as long as they can achieve the present invention, and are not limited. [Explanation of symbols]

[0061] 1. Quality assessment device for gel-forming foods (quality assessment device) 11 Conveyor (First Conveyor) 12 Second Conveyor 14 Light source (light emitting part) 15 Camera (light receiving part) 20 Guide 21 Bottom guide 22 Side guide part 23 Upper guide part 30 Air blowing device

Claims

1. a conveyor for conveying objects including a gel-forming food product; a light emitting unit that irradiates light onto the object during a section from when the object is carried out from the conveyor until when the object is transferred to a next transport device; A light receiving unit that receives light transmitted through the object; A quality assessment device for gel-forming food comprising:

2. The light emitting unit irradiates light in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the object in the section or from a width direction lateral side with respect to the moving direction of the object. The quality assessment device for a gel-forming food according to claim 1.

3. The light receiving unit receives light that has passed through the object in the section from the light irradiation direction of the light emitting unit, a direction perpendicular to the light irradiation direction by 90°, or a direction at an angle less than 90° to the light irradiation direction. The quality assessment device for a gel-forming food according to claim 2.

4. The subject includes a pack that contains the gel-forming food and a film that seals the pack, The light emitting unit irradiates light onto a bottom surface of the pack, The light receiving unit receives light transmitted through the film. The quality assessment device for a gel-forming food according to claim 1.

5. the conveyor is a first conveyor and the next transport device is a second conveyor; The quality assessment device for a gel-forming food according to claim 1.

6. The second conveyor is disposed at a lower position than the first conveyor. The quality assessment device for a gel-forming food according to claim 5.

7. A guide for guiding the object is provided between the first conveyor and the second conveyor. The quality assessment device for a gel-forming food according to claim 5 or 6.

8. After being removed from the conveyor, the object falls toward the next transport device, The light emitting unit irradiates light onto the object while it is falling, The light receiving unit receives light transmitted through the object while it is falling. The quality assessment device for a gel-forming food according to claim 1.

9. A guide is provided to guide the object during the fall. The quality assessment device for a gel-forming food according to claim 8.

10. 2. The quality assessment device for a gel-forming food according to claim 1, further comprising an air blowing device that blows air onto the object.

11. 2. The quality assessment device for a gel-forming food according to claim 1, wherein the gel-forming food being the subject of the test is high-temperature filled tofu which is prepared by adding a tofu coagulant to warm soy milk at 30 to 95°C, filling the pack, and sealing the pack with a film.

12. A method for assessing the quality of a gel moldable food product using the quality assessment device for the gel moldable food product according to claim 1, The method for determining the quality of a gel moldable food is characterized in that the quality determination of the gel moldable food is carried out in any one of a solidification process, a maturation process, and a cooling process of the gel-forming food, and the temperature of the gel-forming food at the time of the quality determination is 30 to 95°C.

Images