Superheated steam contact treatment apparatus

Abstract

This invention provides a yeast treatment method for detaching the β-glucan-containing layer of the yeast cell wall from the outer and inner layers, and a yeast-treated product and composition obtained by this yeast treatment method. [Solution] The yeast treatment method comprises a mixing step S1, a hydration step S2a, a contact treatment step S3, and an ultrasonic treatment step S6. In the mixing step S1, yeast raw material 11, which is either yeast or yeast components, is mixed with siliceous shale 15 to form a mixture. In the hydration step S2a, water is added to the mixture. In the contact treatment step S3, superheated steam is brought into contact with the hydrated mixture. In the ultrasonic treatment step S6, water is added to the mixture after the contact treatment step S3, and then ultrasonic treatment is performed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a yeast treatment method and a composition.

Background Art

[0002] Many yeasts (waste yeasts) used in breweries and the like are discarded. In order to utilize them, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a reducing fertilizer obtained by subjecting a mixture of yeast, a yeast extract, or a yeast cell wall, phosphoric acid, and potassium to a hydrothermal reaction treatment. Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a reducing mixture derived from microorganisms for soil mixing, which contains a microbial material obtained by subjecting yeast or a yeast component to superheated steam treatment and yeast or a yeast component that has not been subjected to superheated steam treatment. Patent Document 1 describes that the reducing fertilizer further contains diatomaceous earth, and similarly, Patent Document 2 also describes that the reducing mixture derived from microorganisms for soil mixing further contains diatomaceous earth.

[0003] In addition, β-glucan in the yeast cell wall is hydrophobic and is known to exhibit human immunostimulating activity. Depending on the discovery of other actions and functions, various uses are expected. Industrially, β-glucan in the yeast cell wall is obtained by treating the yeast cell wall with hypochlorous acid to decompose α-galactomannoprotein, which is the main component of the outer layer of the yeast cell wall, and peeling off and removing the inner layer located inside the layer containing β-glucan by ultrasonic treatment in a reducing solvent.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, according to the methods described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, the detachment of the outer and inner layers of the yeast cell wall from the β-glucan-containing layer is insufficient. Furthermore, so-called chemical treatment methods, such as those using hypochlorous acid, attempt to reliably detach the outer and inner layers, but this can lead to changes in the three-dimensional structure and hydrophobicity of the β-glucan due to the decomposition of the cross-linked side chains in the β-glucan-containing layer.

[0006] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a yeast treatment method for detaching the β-glucan-containing layer of the yeast cell wall from the outer and inner layers, and a composition obtained by this yeast treatment method. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The yeast treatment method of the present invention comprises a mixing step, a hydration step, a contact treatment step, and an ultrasonic treatment step. In the mixing step, yeast raw material, which is either yeast or yeast components, is mixed with fine particles of siliceous shale to form a mixture. In the hydration step, water is added to the mixture. In the contact treatment step, superheated steam is brought into contact with the hydrated mixture. In the ultrasonic treatment step, water is added to the mixture after the contact treatment step, and then ultrasonic treatment is performed.

[0008] It is preferable to have a molding step in which the mixture is formed into a mass before the contact treatment step, and to subject the massed mixture to the contact treatment step.

[0009] It is preferable to have a freezing step to freeze the mixture before the contact step, and to subject the mixture to the contact step in a frozen state or after thawing.

[0010] The composition of the present invention comprises a plurality of first microparticles, a plurality of second microparticles, and a plurality of third microparticles. The first microparticles are composed of β-glucan derived from yeast cell walls. The second microparticles contain α-galactomannoprotein derived from yeast cell walls. The third microparticles are derived from the cell membrane of yeast having a yeast cell wall. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the yeast treatment method of the present invention, a composition in which the outer layer and the inner layer are detached from the layer containing β-glucan in the yeast cell wall is obtained.

Brief Description of Drawings

[0012] [Figure 1] It is a flowchart of the yeast treatment method which is an embodiment. [Figure 2] It is a photographic image of an optical microscope obtained by staining a mixture before application of ultrasonic waves with safranin. [Figure 3] It is a photographic image of an optical microscope obtained by staining a mixture before application of ultrasonic waves with methylene blue. [Figure 4] It is a photographic image of an optical microscope obtained by staining a mixture that has undergone an ultrasonic treatment step with safranin. [Figure 5] It is a photographic image of an optical microscope obtained by staining a mixture that has undergone an ultrasonic treatment step with methylene blue. [Figure 6] It is a graph of the pore size distribution curve of siliceous shale as a raw material. [Figure 7] It is an explanatory diagram of yeast treatment equipment. [Figure 8] It is a schematic perspective view of a contact treatment device. [Figure 9] It is an explanatory diagram of the arrangement of supply pipes. [Figure 10] It is a schematic diagram of a contact treatment device which is another embodiment.

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0013] As shown in FIG. 1, the yeast treatment method according to one embodiment of the present invention treats a yeast raw material 11 to obtain a yeast treated product 13. The obtained yeast treated product 13 can be used, for example, as an agricultural material used in the cultivation of agricultural crops. The agricultural material is a composition, for example, a growth promoting composition for improving the yield of agricultural crops. Therefore, this yeast treatment method is also a method for manufacturing an agricultural material and a method for manufacturing a growth promoting composition.

[0014] The yeast raw material 11 is at least one of yeast and yeast components. The yeast raw material 11 may be composed of at least one of yeast and yeast components, or may be composed of both. The yeast may be one cultured to produce the yeast-treated product 13, or may be the used one discharged from these production facilities after being used in the production of beer, sake, etc. The yeast component is, for example, the yeast cell wall, and the yeast cell wall is the residue obtained by extracting yeast extract or the one obtained by decellularization treatment. As the yeast, for example, various yeasts such as brewer's yeast and Torula yeast can be used, and it may be undried or the so-called dried yeast. Similarly, the yeast component may be undried or dried.

[0015] The yeast treatment method has a mixing step S1, a preliminary step S2, a contact treatment step S3, and an ultrasonic treatment step S6 in this order. The preliminary step S2 has a water-containing step S2a and preferably further has at least one of a forming step S2b and a freezing treatment step S2c. In this example, it has both the forming step S2b and the freezing treatment step S2c. The preliminary step S2 in this example has a water-containing step S2a, a forming step S2b, and a freezing treatment step S2c in this order as shown in FIG. 1, but the forming step S2b may be parallel to the water-containing step S2a, that is, the water-containing step S2a and the forming step S2b may be performed simultaneously.

[0016] In the mixing step S1, the yeast raw material 11 and the siliceous shale 15 are mixed to form a mixture 17. The siliceous shale 15 is mixed with the yeast raw material 11 for the purpose of facilitating molding in the subsequent molding step S2b and suppressing the Maillard reaction of the yeast raw material 11 under high heat in the contact treatment step S3. In the mixing step S1, for example, stirring may be performed until the yeast raw material 11 and the siliceous shale 15 are uniformly mixed. However, during the preliminary step S2 after the mixing step S1 and / or when the mixture 17 that has passed through the preliminary step S2 is supplied to the contact treatment step S3, they may be uniformly mixed. In such a case, it is not necessarily required to stir until uniform in the mixing step S1. Thus, the yeast raw material 11 and the siliceous shale 15 may be uniformly mixed by the start of the contact treatment step S3.

[0017] The volume V15 of the siliceous shale 15 mixed with the yeast raw material 11 in mixing step S1 is not particularly limited, but when the volume of the yeast raw material 11 is V11, it is preferable to mix the siliceous shale 15 with a volume V15 in the range of V11 × 0.1 to V11 × 0.5. The volume V15 of the siliceous shale 15 and the volume V11 of the yeast raw material 11 are so-called apparent volumes that include the volume of voids between grains. By setting the volume V15 to V11 × 0.1 or more, the moisture content of the mixture 17 can be sufficiently ensured in the subsequent step (the next step in this example), the hydration step S2a. On the other hand, even when the volume V15 is V11 × 0.5 or less, the moisture content of the mixture 17 tends to increase more easily in the hydration step S2a compared to when it is higher than V11 × 0.5. This is thought to be because, while the upper limit of the moisture content of the yeast raw material 11 is generally within the range of 1.5 to 1.7, the upper limit of the moisture content of the siliceous shale 15 is generally 0.39. Therefore, if the volume ratio of siliceous shale 15 to yeast raw material 11 exceeds a certain amount or is excessively high, it will suppress the moisture content of the mixture 11.

[0018] In this example, siliceous shale 15 is made of fine particles, resulting in a yeast-treated product 13 that contains extremely small particles. Details of the siliceous shale 15 will be described later.

[0019] The hydration step S2a is intended to ensure that delamination occurs in the subsequent contact treatment step S3. Delamination is the separation of the β-glucan layer of the yeast cell wall (hereinafter referred to as the β-glucan layer) from the outer layer outside the β-glucan layer, and from the β-glucan layer to the inner layer inside the β-glucan layer. In the hydration step S2a, water is added to the mixture 17 to obtain a hydrated mixture 17. This ensures that the endothermic reaction in the contact treatment step S3 occurs to the extent that it causes delamination of the yeast cell wall. Furthermore, by providing the mixture 17 in a hydrated state, particularly the siliceous shale 15 in a hydrated state, to the contact treatment step S3, the Maillard reaction in the yeast raw material 11 is suppressed in the contact treatment step S3. The delamination that occurs in the contact treatment step S3 separates the layers while maintaining the multilayer structure of the yeast cell wall, and it is acceptable for some areas to remain unseparated. On the other hand, if the mixture 17 is subjected to the contact treatment step S3 without performing the water content step S2a, the amount of water is too low, and the above-mentioned delamination does not occur, and the Maillard reaction occurs in the yeast raw material 11. The β-glucan in the yeast cell wall has a three-dimensional helical structure in which hydrophilic (soluble) β-1,6-glucan is bound to the hydrophobic β-1,3-glucan main chain.

[0020] In the hydration step S2a, it is preferable to hydrate the mixture 17 so that its moisture content is at least 40%, i.e., 40% or more. This ensures a longer duration for the endothermic reaction in the subsequent contact treatment step S3. As a result, delamination becomes more reliable. To further ensure delamination, in the hydration step S2a, it is preferable to hydrate the mixture 17 so that its moisture content is at least 50%, and even more preferably at least 60%. The moisture content (unit: %) is a percentage calculated by {(Wb-Wa) / Wb} × 100, where Wb is the mass of the sample sampled from the hydrated mixture 17, and Wa is the mass of the dried sample obtained by drying the sample in a vacuum dryer. In this example, the conditions for sufficiently drying the sample are a drying time of 24 hours in the vacuum dryer and a temperature within the range of 25°C to 35°C.

[0021] The water used is not particularly limited. In this example, considering the use of the yeast-treated product 13 as an agricultural material and various applications such as human immune-stimulating activity, water with a purity level suitable for human consumption is used, such as tap water or deionized water. Other types of water include distilled water, ion-exchanged water, and RO (reverse osmosis) water purified by an RO membrane.

[0022] The molding process S2b involves shaping the hydrated mixture 17 into a lump. The molding process S2b is performed before the contact treatment process S3. In this example, the lump-shaped mixture 17 is then subjected to the contact treatment process S3. Since the mixture 17 is made by adding siliceous shale 15 to the yeast raw material 11, it is easily formed into a lump. The molding is performed to prevent the lump from falling through the mesh of the mesh member 58a (Figure 8), which is used in the subsequent contact treatment process S3. Therefore, the size of each lump only needs to be large enough not to pass through the mesh of the mesh member 58a, and each lump may be of a different size. In this example, the lump may be roughly 2 cm to 4 cm in diameter, or about 0.5 mm in diameter. The shape, like the size, is not fixed and may be a mixture of prism, cylinder, and frustum shapes. Furthermore, if the mixture 17 is placed on a flat plate, for example, without a mesh like the mesh member 58a, and the contact treatment process S3 is performed, the molding process S2b does not need to be performed.

[0023] The freezing step S2c is intended to ensure more reliable delamination in the contact step S3. The freezing step S2c freezes the hydrated mixture 17 before the contact step S3. Since the β-glucan layer and the outer and inner layers that make up the yeast cell wall are composed of different materials, the freezing times required for them are different. This ensures that delamination occurs more reliably in the contact step S3. Since this effect is obtained through the freezing process, the mixture 17 may be provided to the contact step S3 either in its frozen state or after thawing. Thus, if the mixture 17 is frozen, the mixture 17 should be provided to the contact step S3 either in its frozen state or after thawing.

[0024] In the contact treatment step S3, superheated steam is brought into contact with the hydrated mixture 17. As described above, the hydrated mixture 17 may be one of the following: one that has not undergone the freezing treatment step S2c, one that is frozen, or one that has been frozen and then thawed. This contact treatment step S3 ensures that an endothermic reaction occurs in the hydrated mixture 17, causing delamination of the yeast cell walls. Since the mixture 17 contains water, and the siliceous shale 15 that constitutes the mixture 17 also contains water, the Maillard reaction in the yeast raw material 11 that constitutes the mixture 17 is suppressed even when subjected to high heat in the contact treatment step S3. Details of the contact treatment step S3 will be described later using another diagram.

[0025] In this example of yeast treatment, the step following the contact treatment step S3 is the ultrasonic treatment step S6. However, the method may also include a drying step (not shown) to dry the mixture 17 that has undergone the contact treatment step S3. In this drying step, it is preferable to cool the mixture 17, which has become hot due to the contact treatment step S3, to room temperature (25°C) to suppress condensation, or to dry it while cooling, and a vacuum dryer can be used. By drying in this way, contamination by microorganisms is suppressed, and the mixture 17 dried in the drying step can be stored for a long period of time. When storing, it is preferable to seal it (e.g., vacuum packaging).

[0026] The ultrasonic treatment step S6 is a post-contact treatment step S3 and is for desorbing the outer layer and inner layer from the β-glucan layer. In the ultrasonic treatment step S6, water is added to the mixture 17 that has undergone the contact treatment step S3, in an amount sufficient to immerse the mixture 17, and then ultrasonic treatment is performed. As a result, the yeast cell wall that was delaminated in the contact treatment step S3 is separated between each layer: the outer layer, the β-glucan layer, and the inner layer. In this way, the outer layer and inner layer are desorbed from the β-glucan layer. This ultrasonic treatment step S6 yields a composition dispersed in water, comprising a plurality of first microparticles composed of β-glucan derived from yeast cell walls, a plurality of second microparticles containing α-galactomannoprotein derived from the cell wall, a plurality of third microparticles derived from the cell membrane of yeast having a yeast cell wall, and a plurality of microparticles of siliceous shale 15. This is the yeast-treated product 13 in this example. Furthermore, by evaporating the water, a composition consisting only of solids can be obtained as the yeast-treated product 13, in which case the yeast-treated product 13 is a fine powder. When evaporating the water, it is preferable to evaporate it while suppressing the rise in temperature in order to avoid reducing the dispersibility of the fine particles, especially the first fine particles, in water due to their hydrophobicity when water is added again. For example, a method of drying at room temperature under reduced pressure can be used.

[0027] Desorption can be confirmed by staining. For example, the yeast raw material 11 and the outer layer of the yeast cell wall can be selectively stained with safranin, and the inner layer can be selectively stained with methylene blue. By staining with safranin and methylene blue and observing with a light microscope, the presence or absence of desorption can be confirmed. Specifically, by sampling from the solution of mixture 17 with water added before applying ultrasound and performing safranin staining, the α-galactomannoprotein constituting the outer layer is stained (see Figure 2; the black areas in the image are stained areas, which are observed as vivid red under a light microscope). Similarly, by sampling and performing methylene blue staining, the inner layer and the cytoplasm containing the inner layer are stained (see Figure 3; the black areas in the image are stained areas, which are observed as vivid blue under a light microscope). In contrast, when sampling from the solution obtained in the ultrasound treatment step S6 and performing safranin staining, many unstained microparticles are observed (see Figure 4), and similarly, many unstained microparticles are observed when performing methylene blue staining (see Figure 5). Furthermore, the microparticles that have undergone the sonication process S6 are larger than the microparticles before sonication (see Figures 2-5), which is thought to be due to the destruction of the cell walls and swelling caused by water. According to this observation method, the first microparticles in the presence of water are observed to have an elliptical shape with a diameter of 2 μm to 5 μm.

[0028] In the above observation, the diameter was 20 μm 2 Compared to the number of individuals (microparticles) in the unstained sample, approximately three times the number of individuals was observed in the safranin-stained sample, suggesting that the outer layer, inner layer, and β-glucan layer separated. Approximately twice the number of individuals was observed in the methylene blue-stained sample, suggesting that the β-glucan layer and inner layer separated. The microparticles resulting from the detachment of the outer and inner layers were 10 μm in size. 2 Individuals with the following diameters are observed. Furthermore, in the case of the aforementioned chemical treatment, and in the case where the contact treatment step S3 is performed without performing the mixing step S1, the water inclusion step S2a, and the ultrasonic treatment step S6, the number of individuals exceeding the above standard is not observed even after safranin staining and methylene blue staining.

[0029] These observations confirm that each microparticle is dispersed, and therefore, the β-1,3-glucan constituting the first microparticle also maintains its hydrophobicity. While sonication using a dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) solution is a known method for obtaining β-glucan, this method often decomposes the ends of the β-glucan. In contrast, the method described here, consisting of mixing step S1, water inclusion step S2a, contact treatment step S3, and sonication step S6 using water, suppresses the decomposition of the β-glucan ends. The duration of ultrasonic treatment in step S6 is not particularly limited; in this example, it is within the range of 5 to 20 minutes. It has been confirmed that increasing the sonication time reduces the diameter of the microparticles, especially the first microparticles; therefore, the diameter of the microparticles can be adjusted by increasing or decreasing the sonication time.

[0030] In the ultrasonic treatment step S6, the ultrasonic frequency is preferably no higher than 30 kHz. By using such low-frequency ultrasonic waves, the ends of the β-glucan (at least one of the ends of the main chain and the ends of the side chains) are less likely to be oxidized compared to when ultrasonic waves with frequencies higher than 30 kHz are used, and the treatment is performed while maintaining reducing properties, thus more reliably preserving the structure. As a result, β-glucan is obtained more reliably. The ultrasonic frequency is more preferably no higher than 28 kHz, and even more preferably in the range of 24 kHz to 28 kHz, and in this example, it is set to 24 kHz.

[0031] Here, we will describe the siliceous shale 15. Since the siliceous shale 15 in this example is fine particles, the processing efficiency of the contact treatment step S3 and the ultrasonic treatment step S6 is increased. The particle size (the largest diameter among the irregularly shaped particles) is not particularly limited, but considering a wide variety of applications such as agricultural materials and human immune-activating applications, it is preferably at most 2 mm, more preferably in the range of 100 μm to 2 mm, and even more preferably in the range of 0.5 mm to 2 mm. In this example, particles in the range of 0.5 mm to 1 mm are used. If only large chunks (blocks) of siliceous shale that cannot be called fine particles are available, the yeast treatment step may include a grinding step to grind the siliceous shale into granules. The grinding device (not shown) used in the grinding step is not particularly limited as long as it can grind the siliceous shale 15, and commercially available grinding devices may be used. Depending on the amount of siliceous shale 15 to be processed (amount to be crushed), the desired particle size and particle size, at least two types of crushers selected from crushers (roller mill, jet mill, high-speed rotary crusher, container-driven mill, etc.) and crushers (jaw crusher, bucket crusher, dittoretric crusher, cone crusher, double-roll crusher, impact crusher, etc.) may be used in combination. For example, impact-type and twin-shaft crushers manufactured by Horai Co., Ltd. can be combined with a high-speed rotary crusher to perform crushing while also adjusting the particle size. Diatomaceous earth with mesoporosity may be used instead of siliceous shale 15.

[0032] According to the IUPAC (International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry), the pores in siliceous shale 15 are classified as follows: micropores are those with a diameter of 2 nm or less; mesopores are those with a diameter of 2 nm to 50 nm; and macropores are those with a diameter of 50 nm or more. Based on this classification, siliceous shale 15 possesses all three types of pores: micropores, mesopores, and macropores, and all of them coexist. From the pore distribution curve described later, it can be inferred that mesopores are formed on the inner wall surfaces that define macropores, and micropores are formed on the inner wall surfaces that define mesopores. It should be noted that mesopores and micropores exist independently in siliceous shale 15, and some micropores are formed on the inner wall surfaces of macropores.

[0033] Siliceous shale may have microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, viruses, etc.) attached to the inner walls that define the pores, and the size of the pores in siliceous shale cannot be measured while taking into account the presence or absence of these attached substances. Therefore, there may be a very slight difference between the measurement results of the pore size of the siliceous shale 15 used as the raw material in this example and the measurement results of the pore size of the siliceous shale 15 contained in the resulting yeast-treated product 13. However, since contact treatment with superheated steam does not remove the components of the siliceous shale 15 itself, even if it removes attached substances such as microorganisms, the size of the pores in the porous material can be considered to be the same as the size of the pores in the raw material siliceous shale 15.

[0034] The raw material, siliceous shale 15, has a pore radius of at most 10 μm. As shown in Figure 6, in the pore distribution curve showing the relationship between pore radius and pore volume, the siliceous shale 15 has a pore radius of 0.02 cm in the first range where the pore radius is greater than 0 nm and less than or equal to 10 nm. 3 A first peak exceeding / g and a second range of 0.02 cm between 100 nm and 10 μm. 3It has a second peak exceeding / g. Therefore, the siliceous shale 15, which is a porous material component contained in the yeast-treated material 13, also has a pore radius of at most 10 μm. Note that the pore distribution curve shown in Figure 6 is data from pressure-molded siliceous shale 15, but the Horonobe Geosphere Environmental Research Institute has reported that pressure molding does not affect the pore distribution consisting of macropores, mesopores, and micropores. In Figure 6, the vertical axis is pore volume and the horizontal axis is pore radius, and the scale is logarithmic.

[0035] Geographically, siliceous shale is classified as a type of diatomaceous earth, and it is generally known that diatomaceous earth also has pores. Wakkanai Formation siliceous shale and the main types of diatomaceous earth produced in Japan have the pore characteristics shown in Table 1. The "average specific surface area of ​​diatomaceous earth" in Table 1 is the average value av1 of the specific surface areas x1 of four types of diatomaceous earth: Akita diatomaceous earth, Ishikawa diatomaceous earth, Okayama diatomaceous earth, and Oita diatomaceous earth. The "ratio of specific surface area to average diatomaceous earth" is calculated using the formula x1 / av1. The "average pore volume of diatomaceous earth" in Table 1 is the average value av2 of the pore volumes x2 of four types of diatomaceous earth. The "ratio of pore volume to average diatomaceous earth" is calculated using the formula x2 / av2. Table 1's "Average pore radius of diatomaceous earth" is the average value av3 of the average pore radius x3 of the four types of diatomaceous earth, and the "Ratio of average pore radius to average diatomaceous earth" is calculated using the formula x3 / av3. Table 1 is an excerpt from a report sent from the Horonobe Geosphere Environmental Research Institute, Hokkaido Science and Technology General Promotion Foundation, to Horonobe Gravel Industry Co., Ltd. (now Cerea Co., Ltd.) for analysis of molded siliceous shale. Furthermore, the Wakkanai Formation hard shale from Kami-Horonobe, Horonobe-cho, has the basic properties shown in Table 2. The source of Table 2 is the above report from the Horonobe Geosphere Environmental Research Institute. "Wakkanai Formation siliceous shale" in Table 1 and "Hard shale produced in Kami-Horonobe" in Table 2 refer to the Wakkanai Formation hard shale from Kami-Horonobe, Horonobe-cho, as mentioned above, and is the siliceous shale 15 used in this example. In this example, siliceous shale 15 is derived from the Wakkanai Formation of Kami-Horonobe, Horonobe-cho, Hokkaido. However, the siliceous shale used as raw material is not limited to siliceous shale 15 in this example. For example, diatomaceous earth and siliceous shale without the above-mentioned second peak may also be used, or diatomaceous earth and siliceous shale with a peak in the first range where the pore radius is greater than 0 nm and less than or equal to 10 nm, but the peak is 0.02 cm.3 Diatomaceous earth and siliceous shale with a value less than / g are also acceptable.

[0036] [Table 1]

[0037] [Table 2]

[0038] The siliceous shale 15 is not particularly limited, but the Wakkanai Formation siliceous shale mentioned above is preferred because it has the pores described above. The physical properties of the siliceous shale 15 used in this example are shown in Table 3. The physical property values ​​shown in Table 3 are a summary of the analysis results from the Hokkaido Prefectural Industrial Experiment Station and the Hokkaido Prefectural Central Agricultural Experiment Station (now within the Hokkaido Research Organization, a local independent administrative agency).

[0039] The "Water Absorption Rate" in Table 3 is the result of analysis conducted at the Hokkaido Prefectural Industrial Technology Center. The analysis method involved drying the sample, allowing it to absorb water for 24 hours, removing surface moisture, and then measuring the weight of the sample. Subsequently, the sample was dried in a dryer set to 150°C for 8 hours, and the weight of the dried sample was measured. The water absorption rate was determined from the weight before drying and the weight after drying. Two types of samples were used: one with a particle size of 1 mm and another with a particle size of 8 mm. For the 1 mm particle size, the water absorption rate is the average of the water absorption rates of two samples, and for the 8 mm particle size, it is the average of the water absorption rates of four samples.

[0040] The "Moisture Absorption Rate" in Table 3 is the result of analysis conducted at the Hokkaido Prefectural Industrial Research Institute (Industrial Research Institute Report No. 193123). The test method involved accurately weighing 1 g of the oven-dried sample into a weighing bottle and placing it in a constant temperature and humidity chamber at a constant temperature of 25°C, where the humidity was changed to 90% RH and 50% RH every 24 hours. The mass of the sample in each atmosphere was measured, and the moisture absorption rate was calculated using the following formula. Moisture absorption rate (%) = 100 x moisture absorption amount / absolute dry mass

[0041] The "base exchange capacity" in Table 3 is the result of analysis conducted at the Hokkaido Prefectural Central Agricultural Experiment Station (Chunichi Agricultural and Environmental Sciences No. 1-42). The analytical method is based on "Diagnostic Criteria for Soil and Crop Nutrients - Analytical Method (Revised Edition) -" (Hokkaido Prefectural Government, Department of Agriculture, Hokkaido Prefectural Central Agricultural Experiment Station, 1992). This analytical method (soil analysis method) uses ammonium acetate extraction - Schorenberger method - Formol titration.

[0042] The "Available Moisture Content" in Table 3 is the result of analysis conducted at the Hokkaido Prefectural Central Agricultural Experiment Station (Chunichi Agricultural and Environmental Sciences No. 1-37). The analytical method was based on "Diagnostic Criteria for Soil and Crop Nutrients - Analytical Method (Revised Edition) -" (Hokkaido Prefectural Government, Department of Agriculture, Hokkaido Prefectural Central Agricultural Experiment Station, 1992). In this analytical method (soil analysis method), the actual sample was packed into a 100 ml soil collection tube, and after saturation, the gas phase was measured using a three-phase meter. Subsequently, measurements were taken in three pF stages using the centrifugal method. Finally, the samples were heat-dried at 105°C and the water content was measured. The water content at pF0 was calculated by adding the water content at saturation and the gas phase ratio.

[0043] [Table 3]

[0044] The yeast-treated product 13 can be obtained, for example, by the yeast treatment equipment (hereinafter simply referred to as "treatment equipment") 31 shown in Figure 7. The treatment equipment 31 is used to process the yeast raw material 11 to obtain the yeast-treated product 13, and also serves as equipment for manufacturing agricultural materials and growth-promoting compositions.

[0045] The processing equipment 31 includes a mixing and water-infusion device 32, a superheated steam contact treatment device (hereinafter simply referred to as "contact treatment device") 33, and an ultrasonic treatment device 34. When the processing equipment 31 performs a molding process S2b and a freezing process S2c, as in this example, it is equipped with a molding and freezing device 35.

[0046] The mixing and hydration device 32 is for the mixing process S1 and the hydration process S2a, and mixes the yeast raw material 11 with siliceous shale 15 to form a mixture 17, and then adds water 36 to this mixture 17. Instead of the mixing and hydration device 32, a hydration device for the hydration process S2a (not shown) and a mixing device for the mixing process S1 (not shown) may be used.

[0047] The mixing and hydration device 32 comprises a container (not shown) for containing yeast raw material 11, water 36, and siliceous shale 15, and a stirrer (not shown) for stirring the contents contained in the container. The stirrer has, for example, a stirring blade (not shown) arranged inside the container, a rod-shaped support member (not shown) fixed to the circumferential surface of the stirring blade to support the stirring blade, and a drive unit (not shown) that rotates the support member in the circumferential direction to rotate the stirring blade inside the container. For example, the mixing and hydration device 32 performs a mixing step S1 by placing the yeast raw material 11 and siliceous shale 15 into the container of the mixing and hydration device 32 and stirring with the stirring blade to obtain a mixture 17. In the hydration step S2a, water 36 is added to the mixture 17 and left to stand for, for example, 24 hours to allow the mixture 17, especially the siliceous shale 15, to absorb sufficient water, and thus the hydration step S2a is performed. Preferably, the amount of water 36 added to the container is enough to completely submerge the mixture 17. If some of the water 36 placed in the container in the water absorption step S2a remains in the mixture 17 without being retained, it may be discharged from the container, or if the remaining moisture is sufficient to allow molding in the molding step S2b, it may be used directly in the molding step S2b without being discharged. By allowing the siliceous shale 15 to retain water, oxidation of the siliceous shale 15 is suppressed during the contact treatment in the contact treatment step S3, and it is more reliable to obtain a reducing siliceous shale that exhibits a reduced region with a lower oxidation-reduction potential than when subjected to the mixing step S1.

[0048] The molding and freezing apparatus 35 comprises a mold material (not shown) in which multiple recesses are formed as molds for the mass to be molded, and a refrigerator (not shown) that houses this mold material and is equipped with a temperature control mechanism (not shown). The mold material is formed in the shape of a tray, and by placing the water-containing mixture 17 into each recess, the recess functions as a mold for the mass of mixture 17. In this way, the molding process S2b is carried out. The molding process S2b can also be carried out using a commercially available kneading extruder. With a kneading extruder, methods such as kneading the water-containing mixture 17 and extruding it from the extrusion part at the tip to a diameter of, for example, 5 mm, and cutting it to a length of about 5 mm to form a cylindrical shape can also be used. The refrigerator houses the mold material in which the mixture 17 is placed. The refrigerator is adjusted by the temperature control mechanism to a temperature in the negative range, such as -5°C, where the mixture 17 will freeze, and as a result, the mixture 17 is placed in the refrigerator and the mixture 17 freezes. In this way, the freezing process S2c is carried out.

[0049] When the hydration process S2a and the molding process S2b are carried out in parallel, a commercially available bread granulator may be used, for example. A wet bread granulator that performs wet granulation should be used as the bread granulator.

[0050] The contact processing apparatus 33 is for the contact processing step S3. Both batch-type and continuous-type contact processing apparatuses can be used, and the contact processing apparatus 33 is a batch-type apparatus. The contact processing apparatus 33 consists of a contact processing unit 37 and a superheated steam supply unit 38, etc. The superheated steam supply unit 38 supplies superheated steam to the contact processing unit 37 and is connected to the contact processing unit 37. The contact processing unit 37 raises the temperature of the mixture 17 by bringing the superheated steam supplied by the superheated steam supply unit 38 into contact with the mixture 17 containing water 36. This causes the yeast cell walls of the yeast raw material 11 contained in the mixture 17 to delaminate, and the oxidation-reduction potential of the siliceous shale 15 decreases.

[0051] The superheated steam supply unit 38 is provided in the contact processing device 33, but the superheated steam supply unit 38 may be an external device located outside the contact processing device 33 as long as it is connected to the contact processing unit 37. Details of the contact processing device 33 will be described later using separate drawings.

[0052] The ultrasonic processing apparatus 34 comprises a container (not shown) for containing the mixture 17 that has undergone the contact processing step S3, a plurality of ultrasonic oscillators (not shown) provided in the container, and a control unit (not shown) that performs ultrasonic processing on the contents in the container by causing the ultrasonic oscillators to emit ultrasonic waves of a predetermined frequency. In the ultrasonic processing step S6, water 36 and the mixture 17 that has undergone the contact processing step S3 are placed in the container of the ultrasonic processing apparatus 34, and ultrasonic processing is performed on the contents in the container by emitting ultrasonic waves. A commercially available ultrasonic processing apparatus 34 may be used, and in this example a commercially available product (CGOLDENWALL's Ultrasonic NBK ultrasonic homogenizer, 16 mm probe (24 kHz)) is used.

[0053] The contact processing apparatus 33 will be described with reference to Figure 8. The superheated steam supply unit 38 is an example of a device that performs the contact processing step S3 (see Figure 1). The contact processing apparatus 33 comprises a steam generation unit 51 that generates superheated steam 23 from liquid water, a valve 52, and a controller 53 that controls the steam generation unit 51 and the valve 52 in an overall manner. Liquid water is supplied to the steam generation unit 51, and under the control of the controller 53, the amount of superheated steam 23 generated and the temperature of the superheated steam 23 are adjusted. The valve 52 is controlled by the controller 53 to open (including opening and closing), thereby adjusting the flow rate (supply flow rate) of superheated steam 23 supplied to the contact processing unit 37. Alternatively, the flow rate of superheated steam supplied to the contact processing unit 37 may be adjusted by holding the valve 52 at a constant opening, such as fully open, and adjusting the generation rate of superheated steam 23 in the steam generation unit 51.

[0054] The contact processing unit 37 comprises a processing unit body 56 and a support base 57 that supports the processing unit body 56. The processing unit body 56 comprises three mounting devices 58A to 58C on which the mixture 17 is placed, a plate-shaped support member 61 that supports the mounting devices 58A to 58C, and a supply pipe 62 that supplies superheated steam 23 to the mounting devices 58A to 58C. The three mounting devices 58A to 58C are arranged with a gap between them in the vertical direction, i.e., up and down, and are labeled with reference numerals 58A, 58B, and 58C from bottom to top. In the following description, if the mounting devices 58A to 58C are not distinguished, they will be referred to as mounting device 58. When multiple mounting devices 58 are provided, it is preferable to install them with a gap between them in the vertical direction, as in this example. The number of mounting devices 58 is not limited and can be determined according to the amount of mixture 17 to be used in the contact processing step S3.

[0055] The support members 61 are for supporting the mounting device 58 and are provided in pairs. In this example, the support members 61 are provided on the support base 57 for the purpose of positioning the supply pipe 62 such that the outlet 62 for the superheated steam 23, which is the tip opening of the supply pipe 62, is located below the mounting device 58A. The support members 61 are fixed to the support base 57 in an upright position, and projections 61a for supporting the mounting device 58 are formed on the opposing walls of the pair of support members 61 that face each other. The projections 61a of the pair of support members 61 are of equal height, and the mounting device 58 is supported in a state where it is floating above the floor while maintaining its posture. The shape of the projections 61a is not particularly limited, and in this example they are formed to extend horizontally, and the mounting device 58 slides along these projections 61a and is detachably attached to the support members 61. The direction in which the pair of support members 61 face each other is defined as the X direction.

[0056] The mounting device 58 is formed in the shape of a box with an open top and comprises a mesh member 58a and a frame 58b that supports the mesh member 58a while tension is applied to it. The mounting device 58 has external dimensions of 60 cm × 40 cm × 8 cm in height, but the size of the mounting device 58 is not particularly limited. The frame 58b is positioned at an angle to the mesh member 58a, and in this manner it is supported by the projection 61a and prevents the placed mixture 17 from falling from the mounting device 58. However, if the amount of mixture 17 placed is small, it is unlikely to fall, so depending on the possibility of falling, a frame that is horizontally flat, similar to the mesh member 58a, may be used instead of the frame 58b.

[0057] The mesh member 58a holds the mixture 17 and guides the superheated steam 23 from below to the mixture 17. The mesh member 58a has multiple meshes that act as through holes in the thickness direction, and each of these meshes allows the superheated steam 23 to pass through. In this example, the superheated steam 23 is sent out from the outlet 62 of the supply pipe 62 toward the lower surface of the mounting device 58A, as will be described later, and is guided to the upper surface of the mounting device 58 by the mesh of the mesh member 58a. As a result, the superheated steam 23 comes into contact with the mixture 17 on the mesh member 58a. In this way, the mounting device 58 functions as a support member that holds the mixture 17 while it is in contact with the superheated steam 23, and the mesh functions as a guide path that directs the sent-out superheated steam 23 to the mixture 17. Note that although the mesh member 58a is rectangular, it may be other shapes, such as circular.

[0058] The mesh member 58a is, for example, a mesh made of metal, and the frame 58b is also made of metal. The metal is not particularly limited as long as it can maintain its shape without melting even when in contact with superheated steam 23. In this example, the material of the mesh member 58a and the frame 58b is stainless steel. The mesh member 58a functions as a support member for the mixture 17, so the mesh size is such that the mixture 17 cannot pass through. If the mixture 17 would pass through, multiple mesh members 58a may be arranged overlapping in the thickness direction so that their mesh sizes are offset from each other, forming a mesh smaller than the individual mesh sizes of the multiple mesh members 58a. Note that the mesh member 58a is sized so that the mixture 17 cannot pass through.

[0059] The mesh member 58a is an example of a porous member, and the porous member is not limited to the mesh member 58a. For example, a porous plate may be formed by punching multiple holes in a metal plate, for example. Alternatively, multiple porous plates may be stacked in the thickness direction, or a porous plate and the mesh member 58a may be stacked in the thickness direction.

[0060] The supply pipe 62 is connected to the superheated steam supply unit 38, and the outlet 62o is positioned so that it faces the lower surface of the mounting device 58. If multiple mounting devices 58 are provided as in this example, the supply pipe 62 may be installed below each of the multiple mounting devices 58, with the outlet 62o facing the lower surface of each. However, since the superheated steam 23 moves upward when discharged from the outlet 62o, it is sufficient to have the supply pipe 62 installed only at the lowest mounting device 38A among the multiple mounting devices 58, as the superheated steam 23 will be guided to the mixture 17 on all the mounting devices 58A to 58C.

[0061] In this example, the supply pipes 62 are provided in pairs below each of the support members 61 so as to face each other in one of two intersecting directions on the horizontal plane, and each outlet 62o is located inward from the support members 61 in the X direction (see Figure 9). As a result, the superheated steam 23 discharged from the outlet 62o is guided upward between the pair of support members 61 by the plate-shaped support members 61. Therefore, it is guided to come into contact with the mixture 17 placed on the mounting devices 58A to 58C, and the discharged superheated steam 23 is used efficiently for contact with the mixture 17. Furthermore, with this configuration, since the superheated steam is supplied upward from below, even if the mixture 17 contains a large amount of water, the temperature of the processing space tends to become uniform, and the mixture 17 is treated with more even contact.

[0062] When superheated steam 23 comes into contact with mixture 17, the mixture 17 is heated to the center of each particle, and the liquid water 36 (see Figure 7) contained in mixture 17 turns into gaseous water, i.e., steam. By bringing superheated steam 23 into contact with mixture 17 containing water 36, interlayer delamination occurs in the yeast cell walls of the yeast raw material 11.

[0063] The temperature of the processing space is more preferably in the range of 160°C to 300°C, even more preferably in the range of 170°C to 250°C, and particularly preferably in the range of 180°C to 230°C. The temperature of the processing space may be determined by detecting the temperature around the mounting table 58, and this detected temperature may be considered as the temperature of the processing space. The temperature around the mounting table 58 can be detected, for example, by providing a temperature sensor (not shown) on the wall surface on the side where the mounting device 58 of the support member 61 is installed.

[0064] The maximum flow rate of the superheated steam 23 generated in the steam generation unit 51 varies depending on the temperature of the superheated steam 23, and the degree of this change differs depending on the steam generation unit 51 used. For example, some steam generation units 51 increase the flow rate by 1.5 times when the temperature of the superheated steam 23 decreases by 100°C. Furthermore, flow rate adjustment is not easily reproducible. For this reason, the temperature of the superheated steam 23 and the amount of liquid water used to generate the superheated steam 23 are kept constant.

[0065] The temperature of the supplied superheated steam 23 depends not only on the temperature of the steam adjusted in the steam generation unit 51, but also on the flow rate adjustment by controlling the opening of the valve 52. Therefore, it is preferable to control the temperature of the superheated steam 23 more precisely by controlling the opening of the valve 52, and this is done in this example as well. Specifically, for example, the opening of the valve 52 can be adjusted by the controller 53 based on the detection result of the aforementioned temperature sensor (not shown) provided on the support member 61. To increase the temperature of the superheated steam 23, the opening of the valve 52 is adjusted to decrease, and to decrease the temperature, the opening is adjusted to increase. The temperature of the superheated steam 23 may decrease between the time it is generated in the steam generation unit 51 and when it reaches the mounting device 58. In such cases, the temperature of the superheated steam sent out from the steam generation unit 51 should be adjusted by the steam generation unit 51, taking into account the decrease in temperature.

[0066] To further improve the contact treatment efficiency by contact with superheated steam 23 and to further promote interlayer delamination of the yeast raw material 11 contained in the mixture 17, it is preferable to minimize the distance between the outlet 62o and the lowest mounting device 58A.

[0067] The plate-shaped support member 61 may be, for example, a columnar (rod-shaped) member in an upright position, from the viewpoint of supporting the mounting device 58. In the case of such a columnar support member or when using the support member 61 in this example, the space between the support members is open, so the contact processing space where the superheated steam 23 and the mixture 17 come into contact is an open system. Alternatively, the contact processing space may be a closed system separated from the external space. If it is a closed system, for example, a box-shaped partition member may be used to separate the contact processing space from the external space by surrounding the mounting device 58. The lower surface of this partition member may be open to introduce the superheated steam 23. The upper surface of this partition member may be closed, but to promote the discharge of water vapor from the evaporation of water 36, an opening may be provided on the upper surface of the partition member to allow water vapor to be discharged naturally from this opening, or a suction mechanism may be provided at this opening to draw in water vapor. The position of the supply pipe 62 may be higher than the uppermost mounting device 58C among the mounting devices 58. However, in order to more effectively discharge the water contained in the mixture 17 out of the processing space when it evaporates, it is preferable to position the supply pipe 62 below the mounting device 58A.

[0068] The contact time of the superheated steam 23 with the mixture 17, i.e., the time of the contact treatment step S3, is not particularly limited, but is preferably at least 10 minutes. This further promotes delamination. More preferably, the time of the contact treatment step S3 is at least 15 minutes.

[0069] The processing equipment 31 includes the batch-type contact processing device 33 described above, but a continuous-type contact processing device may be provided instead of the contact processing device 33. In Figure 10, the continuous-type contact processing device 85 is not particularly limited as long as it can bring superheated steam into contact with the mixture 17, which is the material to be processed. The contact processing device 85 is a conveyor-type contact processing device that includes a conveying unit 86 for conveying the mixture 17 and a contact processing unit 87 for bringing superheated steam 23 (see Figure 8) into contact with the mixture 17 while it is being conveyed.

[0070] The conveying unit 86 comprises a long, annular conveying belt 90 on which the mixture 17 is placed, a hopper 91 that supplies the mixture 17 to the conveying belt 90 from above, and a plurality of rollers 92a to 92i that support the conveying belt 90 and form a conveying path, with at least one of the rollers 92a to 92i being a drive roller with a motor 93. In Figure 10, the upstream roller 92a and the downstream roller 92i in the conveying direction of the mixture 17 (hereinafter simply referred to as the conveying direction) are depicted as drive rollers. The conveying unit 86 further comprises a drive controller 94 that rotates the drive rollers in the circumferential direction with the motor 93, and a recovery container 96, etc. By rotating the drive rollers with the drive controller 94, the annular conveying belt 90 in contact with the circumferential surface of the drive rollers travels in a circulating manner. As a result, the mixture 17 placed on the conveying belt 90 from the hopper 91 is conveyed and collected in the recovery container 96 provided below one end of the conveying path of the conveying belt 90.

[0071] The conveyor belt 90 is formed by a long, annular mesh member 58a (see Figure 8). The contact processing unit 87 is provided above the conveyor belt 90 to form a processing space for bringing superheated steam 23 into contact with the mixture 17. In this example, a pair of support members 61 in the contact processing unit 37 are provided in an upright position at both ends in the width direction of the conveyor belt 90 to form the processing space. The support members 61 in this example are for separating the processing space from the external space. The length L61 of the support members 61 in the conveying direction can be appropriately set according to the length of the conveying path, the conveying speed, etc. Furthermore, a top plate may be provided above the pair of support members 61 to form a tunnel-like processing space.

[0072] A pair of supply pipes 62 for supplying superheated steam 23 to the processing space are provided below the conveyor belt 90 and on both sides in the width direction of the conveyor belt 90. Similar to the case in the contact processing section 37, the supply pipe 62 below the support member 61 is positioned in an upward-inclined position such that the outlet 62 (see Figure 8) for sending out the superheated steam 23 faces the underside of the conveyor belt 90 on which the mixture 17 is placed. As a result, the superheated steam 23 coming out of the outlet 62 passes through the mesh of the conveyor belt 90 and comes into contact with the mixture 17 on the conveyor belt 90. In this way, the processing space is formed on the conveyor belt. In this example, there is one supply pipe 62 in the conveying direction, but there may be two or more.

[0073] In this example, the temperature of the superheated steam 23, the amount of superheated steam 23 generated per hour, and the temperature at the outlet 62°O are fixed. However, the temperature at the outlet of the processing space (the downstream end of the support member 61 in the conveying direction) changes depending on the water content of the mixture 17. The inlet temperature is preferably at least 160°C, i.e., 160°C or higher, and from the viewpoint of processing efficiency of the mixture 17, it is more preferably in the range of 160°C to 300°C, even more preferably in the range of 170°C to 250°C, and particularly preferably in the range of 180°C to 230°C. If the outlet temperature cannot be detected, a temperature sensor (not shown) may be provided on the upper part of the conveyor belt 90 or on the inner surface of the support member 61 in the width direction of the conveyor belt 90 to detect the temperature around the conveyor belt 90, and this detected temperature may be considered as the outlet temperature. It is desirable to install temperature sensors at both the outlet 62°O and the outlet.

[0074] The temperature of the superheated steam 23 and the amount of liquid water used to generate the superheated steam 23 are kept constant. Under these constant conditions, the outlet temperature changes depending on the moisture content of the mixture 17. Using the change in outlet temperature as an indicator, the outlet temperature decreases after the start of processing, and then eventually rises. Until this rise begins, delamination mainly occurs. From the time the outlet temperature starts to rise until it reaches approximately the inlet temperature, the mixture 17 is dried and partially roasted (reducing roasting in which the siliceous shale component is reduced). For the decomposition of organic matter, it is more preferable to set the conveying speed of the conveyor belt 90, etc., taking into consideration the temperature of the outlet 62°, the contact treatment with superheated steam 23 in a state of high moisture content, and the timing of removal according to the change in outlet temperature.

[0075] According to the above configuration, interlayer delamination and the separation of the outer and inner layers from the β-glucan layer are carried out efficiently and effectively. Furthermore, when the resulting yeast-treated product 13 is obtained as an aqueous dispersion (suspension) with a concentration greater than 0% but less than or equal to 10%, and when it is dried first and then water is added to obtain an aqueous dispersion (suspension) of the same concentration, no coagulation is observed even when water is added further. Specifically, it has been confirmed that no coagulation is observed up to a 1000-fold dilution, and the Tyndall effect was observed when the yeast-treated product 13, which is a 10% aqueous dispersion, was diluted 1000-fold. Therefore, it can be seen that the hydrophobicity of β-glucan is maintained and the yeast-treated product 13 has extremely high dispersibility. As a result, the yeast-treated product 13 has the permeability to penetrate plant cell membranes, which requires moderate hydrophobicity and fine dispersibility in which extremely fine particles are dispersed in water. Furthermore, it is expected to pass through the interstitial spaces of human intestinal cells, which are said to be around 5 μm wide, for example. Therefore, it is useful as an agricultural material such as a growth-promoting composition, and opens up possibilities for various applications, including human immune-stimulating activity.

[0076] [Evaluation Experiment 1] Using the method described above, a dispersion of fine particles in water was prepared as yeast-treated product 13. The yeast raw material 11 was the yeast cell wall of commercially available Japanese domestic brewer's yeast. This yeast-treated product 13 was evaluated as an agricultural material. Specifically, the yeast-treated product 13 was used as a foliar spray applied to the leaves of crops, and its evaluation as a crop growth promoting composition was carried out as follows.

[0077] First, a foliar spray sample was prepared using the above-mentioned yeast-treated product 13, which contains water and fine particles, as an ingredient, based on the guaranteed ingredient label of a commercially available liquid fertilizer (hereinafter referred to as "liquid fertilizer") that is a foliar spray. The prepared foliar spray sample (hereinafter referred to as foliar spray sample 1) was applied as a foliar spray to the following crops, and the growth status of the crops was evaluated in comparison with the control experiment described later. The above-mentioned commercially available liquid fertilizer is a liquid trace element compound fertilizer that has trace elements (ingredients) added as an official standard, and contains boron (B) and manganese (Mn) (hereinafter referred to as BM type liquid fertilizer), and is "Night Soil BM (B:Mn=0.4:0.5)" (manufactured by Cerea Co., Ltd.). The ratio of boron to manganese in this commercially available liquid fertilizer was B:Mn=0.4:0.5 (unit is %) in the liquid fertilizer, so the same was done for the prepared foliar spray sample 1.

[0078] 1. Strawberry The strawberries were isolated by seedling and grown using elevated cultivation. Elevated cultivation is a method of cultivation where the main field is built at waist height, for example, to facilitate cultivation and harvesting, and is widely used for strawberries. When cultivated, although growth of the above-ground parts was suppressed after application of foliar spray sample 1, the harvest period during which fruit could be harvested was longer compared to the control experiment described later, and as a result, the yield was higher and better than in the control experiment. In addition to evaluating the growth state, we also evaluated the absorption at the leaf surface and the permeability of the cell membranes of plant cells as follows. (a) Absorption at the leaf surface A diluted solution was prepared by diluting foliar spray sample 1 with water 20 times, and this diluted solution was dropped onto the true leaves of strawberries. Visual observation revealed that absorption on the leaf surface was faster than in control experiment 1, and the diluted solution was absorbed into the true leaves within 30 minutes, with no residue observed. (b) Permeability in the cell membrane A 2000-fold dilution of foliar spray sample 1, which does not cause phytotoxicity when used alone, was added as a spreading agent to a 2000-fold dilution of a commercially available systemic fungicide and sprayed onto the true leaves of strawberries. The instructions for the systemic fungicide stated that phytotoxicity could occur with the use of a spreading agent and recommended its use alone, and listed strawberries as a highly susceptible crop. Visual observation of the true leaves after spraying revealed clear symptoms of phytotoxicity at the 2000-fold dilution, and the results indicated that the fungicide had cell membrane permeability.

[0079] 2. Onion (Variety: Sonic) In Hyogo Prefecture, early-maturing onion varieties of the above type were planted in 2021 and harvested before the rainy season. Although there was a drought from March during cultivation, root elongation was greatly promoted compared to control experiment 1. In the harvest after the drought, the yield was 120% of that of control experiment 1 (total bulb weight of 45 plants was 7.63 kg), which was extremely good. The presence of many thick roots and their elongation indicated that this method is effective as a drought countermeasure.

[0080] 3. Eggplant (Variety: Chikuyo) The evaluation was conducted from 2020 to 2021 at a greenhouse cultivation field in Kamimashiki District, Kumamoto Prefecture. Specifically, foliar spray sample 1 was diluted 1000 times to make a diluted solution, which was sprayed on the stems and leaves. There was no occurrence of black blight, and stable harvesting was achieved from September 2020 to early July 2021, per 10a (ares, 10a = 1000m²). 2 The yield was 29 tons per unit.

[0081] 4. Zucchini The evaluation was conducted in a greenhouse cultivation field in Sanbu District, Chiba Prefecture. By spraying the stems and leaves during the seedling stage, the effects on the roots as well as the leaves were assessed. Although wilting was observed immediately after spraying, the plants recovered by the next morning, and subsequent growth was extremely good, resulting in a yield of approximately 120% compared to control experiment 1. The enlargement of the stem and the taste were extremely good.

[0082] 5. Sweet potato This study was evaluated in Hyogo Prefecture in 2021. The treatment was applied to the stems and leaves 30 days before the planned harvest. Although 2021 was a year of poor harvest nationwide due to drought during the tuber enlargement stage, in this evaluation experiment, the amount of tuber per plant was 0.89 kg, which was significantly higher than in control experiment 1.

[0083] 6. Rice The average milled rice yield per 10 ares was approximately 533 kg.

[0084] [Comparative Experiment 1] A yeast-treated product was produced using a manufacturing method that did not involve the mixing step S1 and the preliminary step S2. In other words, this yeast-treated product did not contain siliceous shale 15 and did not undergo the hydration step S2a. Other conditions were the same as in evaluation experiment 1, and the results are as follows.

[0085] 1. Strawberry Compared to control experiment 1, the growth of the above-ground parts was slightly suppressed, and the yield was almost the same as in control experiment 1. Furthermore, as in Evaluation Experiment 1, we evaluated the absorption at the leaf surface and the permeability through the cell membranes of plant cells. (a) Absorption at the leaf surface Absorption at the leaf surface was slow, but most was absorbed within 30 minutes of application. However, Maillard reaction products remained on the application site of the leaf. (b) Permeability in the cell membrane Instead of foliar spray sample 1 used in evaluation experiment 1, a foliar spray sample using the above-mentioned yeast-treated product (hereinafter referred to as comparative foliar spray sample 1) was prepared, and a diluted solution of this comparative foliar spray sample 1 was prepared by diluting it 2000 times and used as a spreading agent. Other conditions were the same as in evaluation experiment 1. Visual observation of the true leaves after spraying revealed no symptoms of phytotoxicity, and the evaluation result showed that the permeability to the cell membrane was lower compared to foliar spray sample 1.

[0086] 2. Onion (Variety: Sonic) Although root elongation was observed compared to control experiment 1, the yield (tuber yield) was only about 80% of that of control experiment 1 (5.55 kg).

[0087] 3. Eggplant (Variety: Chikuyo) There was no occurrence of black blight, and no decline in tree vigor was observed. However, the yield per 10 ares was 22 tons, which was roughly the same as in control experiment 1.

[0088] 4. Zucchini Yield and quality were equivalent to those of control experiment 1.

[0089] 5. Sweet potato The amount of tubers per plant increased compared to control experiment 1, but decreased compared to foliar spray sample 1.

[0090] 6. Rice The yield was only slightly higher than in control experiment 1.

[0091] [Control Experiment 1] The plants were cultivated using the commercially available liquid fertilizer (BM type liquid fertilizer) mentioned above. All other conditions were the same as in Evaluation Experiment 1. 1. Strawberry In this experiment, the commercially available liquid fertilizer described above was used instead of foliar spray sample 1 from evaluation experiment 1. All other conditions were the same as in evaluation experiment 1. The yield was 101 compared to the previous year (2020). This year-on-year comparison is based on the previous year's yield being set at 100. Furthermore, as in Evaluation Experiment 1, we evaluated the absorption at the leaf surface and the permeability through the cell membranes of plant cells. (a) Absorption at the leaf surface Absorption at the leaf surface was very slow, and Maillard reaction products remained in the area where the solution was applied to the leaf surface. (b) Permeability in the cell membrane In this experiment, instead of using foliar spray sample 1 as in Evaluation Experiment 1, the above-mentioned commercially available liquid fertilizer was used, and a 2000-fold dilution was prepared to serve as a spreading agent. All other conditions were the same as in Evaluation Experiment 1. Visual observation of the true leaves after spraying revealed no signs of phytotoxicity, and the cell membrane permeability was evaluated as being lower compared to foliar spray sample 1.

[0092] 2. Onion (Variety: Sonic) The number of roots was fewer and the elongation was inferior compared to comparative experiment 1. The total bulb weight of the 45 plants was 6.20 kg.

[0093] 3. Eggplant (Variety: Chikuyo) The trees continued to decline in vigor from the peak harvest season, and black blight occurred at one point. The yield per 10 ares was 23 tons.

[0094] 4. Zucchini The yield was 97% compared to the previous year (2020).

[0095] 5. Sweet potato Although a harvest was achieved, the yield was approximately 20% lower than the previous year.

[0096] 6. Rice The average yield of polished rice per 10 ares was approximately 348 kg.

[0097] [Evaluation Experiment 2] A foliar spray sample using the same yeast-treated material 13 as used in Evaluation Experiment 1 was prepared based on the guaranteed composition label of a commercially available liquid compound fertilizer (hereinafter referred to as phosphorus-potassium liquid compound fertilizer) for which phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) were added, and the sample was applied as a foliar spray to the following crops. Other conditions were the same as in Evaluation Experiment 1. The prepared foliar spray sample will be designated as foliar spray sample 2. The above phosphorus-potassium liquid compound fertilizer is the home gardening compound fertilizer "Neo S Plus (N:P:K=0.5:5:4)" (manufactured by STRAW Co., Ltd.). Since the ratio of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) in this phosphorus-potassium liquid compound fertilizer was N:P:K=0.5:5:4 (unit is %) in the fertilizer, the same ratio was applied to the prepared foliar spray sample 2.

[0098] (1) Strawberries The harvest period was longer than in control experiment 2, and this extended period contributed to the increase in yield. (a) Absorption at the leaf surface Absorption was faster than in control experiment 2; the diluted solution was absorbed into the true leaves within 30 minutes, and no residue was observed. (b) Permeability in the cell membrane Clear symptoms of drug damage were observed at a 2000-fold dilution, and the drug was evaluated as having cell membrane permeability.

[0099] 2. Onion (Variety: Sonic) Compared to control experiment 2, the number and elongation of roots were greatly promoted, resulting in an approximately 20% increase in total bulb weight for 45 plants compared to control experiment 2.

[0100] 3. Eggplant (Variety: Chikuyo) There was no occurrence of black blight, and no decline in tree vigor was observed. Yield increased by approximately 20% compared to control experiment 2.

[0101] 4. Zucchini The yield was approximately 10% higher than in control experiment 2, and the taste was also better than in control experiment 2.

[0102] 5. Sweet potato The amount of tuber per plant was greater than in control experiment 2, at 1.2 kg.

[0103] 6. Rice The average milled rice yield per 10a was 550kg, significantly higher than in control experiment 2.

[0104] [Comparative Experiment 2] A yeast-treated product was produced using a manufacturing method that did not involve the mixing step S1 and the preliminary step S2. In other words, this yeast-treated product did not contain siliceous shale 15 and did not undergo the hydration step S2a. Other conditions were the same as in evaluation experiment 2, and the results are as follows.

[0105] 1. Strawberry Compared to control experiment 2, the growth of the above-ground parts was slightly suppressed, and the yield was almost the same as in control experiment 2. (a) Absorption at the leaf surface Although absorption at the leaf surface was slow, most of the solution was absorbed within 30 minutes of application. However, Maillard reaction products remained on the application site of the leaf surface. (b) Permeability in the cell membrane Instead of foliar spray sample 2 used in evaluation experiment 2, a foliar spray sample using the above-mentioned yeast-treated product (hereinafter referred to as comparative foliar spray sample 2) was prepared, and a dilution of this comparative foliar spray sample 2, diluted 2000 times, was prepared and used as a spreading agent. Other conditions were the same as in evaluation experiment 2. No phytotoxicity symptoms were observed, and the evaluation result indicated that there was no cell membrane permeability.

[0106] 2. Onion (Variety: Sonic) Although root elongation was observed compared to control experiment 2, the yield (tuber yield) was lower than in control experiment 2, at 4.38 kg.

[0107] 3. Eggplant (Variety: Chikuyo) There was no occurrence of black blight, and the yield was roughly equivalent to that of control experiment 2.

[0108] 4. Zucchini Yield and quality were equivalent to those of control experiment 2.

[0109] 5. Sweet potato The amount of tuber per plant was 0.84 kg.

[0110] 6. Rice The average weight of milled rice per 10a was approximately 491 kg.

[0111] [Control Experiment 2] The plants were cultivated using the above-mentioned phosphorus-potassium liquid compound fertilizer. Other conditions were the same as in evaluation experiment 2.

[0112] 1. Strawberry The yield was 98% lower than the previous year (2020). (a) Absorption at the leaf surface Absorption at the leaf surface was very slow, and Maillard reaction products remained in the area where the solution was applied to the leaf surface, penetrating to the underside of the leaf. (b) Permeability in the cell membrane No phytotoxicity symptoms were observed, and the cell membrane permeability was evaluated as being lower than that of foliar spray sample 2.

[0113] 2. Onion (Variety: Sonic) Compared to comparative experiment 2, the number of roots was smaller and their elongation was inferior. The yield (tuber yield) was approximately 6 kg.

[0114] 3. Eggplant (Variety: Chikuyo) The trees continued to decline in vigor from the peak harvest season, and black blight occurred at one point. The yield per 10 ares was approximately 20 tons.

[0115] 4. Zucchini The yield was approximately 97% of the previous year's (2020) figure.

[0116] 5. Sweet potato Yields were 82-85% of the previous year (2020), and the amount of tubers per plant was 0.39 kg.

[0117] 6. Rice The average weight of milled rice per 10 ares was approximately 333 kg. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0118] 11 Yeast raw material 13 Yeast-treated material 15 Siliceous shale 17 mixture 31 Processing equipment 32 Mixing moisture device 33, 85 Contact Processing Equipment 34 Ultrasonic Processing Equipment 35 Molding freezing equipment 36 water 37 Contact Processing Unit 38 Superheated steam supply unit S1 Mixing process S2 Preliminary Process S2a Hydration process S2b Molding process S2c Freezing Process S3 Contact Processing Process S6 Ultrasonication process

Claims

1. A mixture of yeast raw material, which is either yeast or yeast components, and fine particles of siliceous shale, along with water, is placed on a mounting device having multiple through holes that penetrate in the thickness direction, A supply pipe having a superheated steam outlet facing the lower surface of the mounting device, and supplying the superheated steam upward from below the mounting device, thereby bringing the superheated steam into contact with the object to be processed on the mounting device. A superheated steam contact treatment apparatus equipped with the following:

2. It further comprises a pair of plate-shaped members arranged in an upright position facing each other, The superheated steam contact apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the outlet is located inward of the pair of members in the direction in which the pair of members face each other, and discharges the superheated steam toward the lower surface of the holder described above which is supported between the pair of members.

3. The superheated steam contact apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising two supply pipes facing each other below each of the pair of members.

4. Multiple mounting devices are arranged at intervals in the vertical direction. The superheated steam contact apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the outlet discharges the superheated steam toward the lower part of the plurality of holders described above.

5. The superheated steam contact apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the mounting device is formed to be long and annular and travels in a circulating manner.

6. The superheated steam contact apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the object to be processed is the mixture formed into a lump.

7. The superheated steam contact apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the object to be processed is the mixture in a frozen state or thawed after freezing.

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