Sweet potato leaf tea leaf manufacturing system

Abstract

We provide a system for manufacturing sweet potato leaf tea. [Solution] The sweet potato leaf tea production system 100 includes a washing facility 10, a forced-air drying facility 20, a cutting facility 30, a refrigeration facility 40, a steaming facility 50, a hot-air drying facility 60, a rolling facility 70, a decomposition facility 80, a first drying facility 90, a second drying facility 91, and a sieving facility 92. The sweet potato leaf tea powder produced by this invention has improved flavor, reduced grassy odor and color, making it closer to the appearance of tea leaves, while also retaining the health benefits of sweet potato leaves and increasing the variety of raw materials available in the caffeine-free market.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a tea leaf manufacturing system, particularly to a manufacturing system for sweet potato leaf tea.

Background Art

[0002] Taiwanese people like to drink tea, but quite a few people are concerned about the impact of caffeine on sleep or physical discomfort. For example, pregnant women, children or those who want to reduce their caffeine intake pay special attention to the selection of tea beverages. In order to balance the aroma of tea and good sleep, one can drink "decaffeinated tea beverages". In recent years, more and more consumers have spontaneously started to reduce their caffeine intake. Instead of completely rejecting stimulants, they are pursuing a more gentle and long-term drinkable beverage experience. This trend is particularly prominent in Asia. In Taiwan, Japan and South Korea, brands and new distribution channels themed on "decaffeinated tea beverages" have all emerged.

[0003] However, as various decaffeinated tea beverages are successively launched into the market, how to improve problems such as the taste, grassiness, color and appearance of tea beverages has become an important issue.

[0004] In view of the above, based on years of manufacturing development and design experience of related products, the inventor of the present invention has conducted a detailed design and careful evaluation for the aforementioned goals, and as a result, completed the present invention with reliable practicality.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In the prior art, although there are already many various decaffeinated tea beverages in the market, there is still room for improvement in aspects such as the taste, grassiness, color and appearance of tea beverages, and there is a drawback that the demand of consumers for a more gentle and long-term drinkable beverage cannot be fully met. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] This invention relates to a system for producing sweet potato leaf tea leaves.

[0007] The sweet potato leaf tea production system according to this invention includes washing equipment, forced-air drying equipment, cutting equipment, refrigeration equipment, steaming equipment, drying equipment, rolling equipment, decomposition equipment, first drying equipment, and second drying equipment. The washing equipment is used to immerse and wash multiple sweet potato leaves after harvesting. The blow-drying equipment is connected to the washing equipment and is used to blow air onto the sweet potato leaves after washing to remove moisture from the leaf surface and keep the fresh leaf surface dry. The cutting equipment is connected to the blow-drying equipment and is used to cut sweet potato leaves after blow-drying. The refrigeration equipment is connected to the cutting equipment and is used to store the cut sweet potato leaves at a low temperature to maintain their freshness and dryness. The steaming equipment is connected to the refrigeration equipment and is used to steam sweet potato leaves after low-temperature storage. The drying equipment is connected to the steaming equipment and is used to remove moisture from the steamed sweet potato leaves by blowing air and drying them. The kneading equipment is connected to the hot air drying equipment and is used to knead sweet potato leaves. The pulping equipment is connected to the kneading equipment and is used to disperse the sweet potato leaves after kneading. The first drying equipment is connected to the disintegration equipment and is used to roast and dry the dispersed sweet potato leaves. The second drying equipment is connected to the first drying equipment and is used to dry sweet potato leaves again to produce the finished product.

[0008] In the above structure, the sweet potato leaf tea powder produced by this invention can improve flavor, reduce grassy odor and reduce color, making it closer to the appearance of tea leaves, while also retaining the health benefits of sweet potato leaves and increasing the variety of raw materials available in the caffeine-free market. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a system block chart of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] As shown in Figure 1, a system block chart of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the sweet potato leaf tea production system 100 includes a washing facility 10, a forced-air drying facility 20, a cutting facility 30, a refrigeration facility 40, a steaming facility 50, a hot-air drying facility 60, a kneading facility 70, a decomposition facility 80, and a first drying facility 90.

[0011] The washing equipment 10 is used to immerse and wash multiple sweet potato leaves after harvesting, with an immersion time of 1 to 10 minutes. Sweet potato leaves accumulate soil and impurities during their growth, so it is necessary to wash and remove the soil and impurities after harvesting the leaves.

[0012] The forced-air drying equipment 20 is connected to the washing equipment 10 and is used to blow air onto the washed sweet potato leaves at a temperature of 20 to 45°C for 5 to 30 minutes to remove moisture from the leaf surface and keep the fresh leaf surface dry. After washing, a large amount of moisture adheres to the surface of the sweet potato leaves, so the moisture is removed from the leaves and they are air-dried.

[0013] The cutting equipment 30 is connected to the forced-air drying equipment 20 and is used to cut the sweet potato leaves (including the petioles) after they have been dried by forced air. Sweet potato leaves have relatively large leaf blades, and processing them as they are would result in an undesirable shape for the finished product. Therefore, the sweet potato leaves are first cut.

[0014] The size and width of the sweet potato leaves after cutting are approximately 1-7 cm.

[0015] The refrigeration equipment 40 is connected to the cutting equipment 30 and is used to store the cut sweet potato leaves at a temperature of 0 to 18°C for 16 to 24 hours at low temperature to maintain freshness and dryness.

[0016] The refrigeration equipment 40 is a refrigerator.

[0017] [[ID=X]]The steaming equipment 50 is connected to the refrigeration equipment 40 and is used to steam the refrigerated sweet potato leaves at a temperature of 95 to 110°C for 10 to 150 seconds. The steaming equipment effectively destroys enzyme activity using steam, softens the tissue, and removes the fishy smell of the sweet potato leaves. Since steam has strong penetration and a short blanching time, it can quickly and thoroughly destroy enzyme activity, and can also minimize the destruction of chlorophyll, thus having a good color retention effect. Moreover, because the steam blanching time is short, it can shorten the working time and improve efficiency.

[0018] The steaming equipment 50 is a steam-type steaming machine.

[0019] The hot air drying equipment 60 is connected to the steaming equipment 50 and is used to remove moisture by blowing hot air on the steamed sweet potato leaves at a temperature of 40 to 85°C for 30 to 180 minutes. After steaming, hot air and water vapor gather on the surface of the tea leaves, so it is necessary to remove moisture by blowing air to reduce the moisture on the surface of the tea leaves and cool them.

[0020] The hot air drying equipment 60 is a drying furnace.

[0021] The rolling equipment 70 is connected to the hot air drying equipment 60 and is used to roll the sweet potato leaves for 5 to 40 minutes. Pneumatic pressure, light pressure, and medium pressure are adopted for rolling. The purpose of rolling is to break a part of the tea leaf cell tissue by external force, allow the juice to flow out and adhere to the surface of the tea leaves, release the flavor, and improve the extraction rate.

[0022] The rolling equipment 70 is a barrel-type flat plate rolling machine. It should be noted that in the above translation, in line , the original text "蒸きょう設備50" is translated as "The steaming equipment 50" for better understanding in the context of food processing. If you have any specific requirements or corrections regarding this translation, please feel free to let me know.

[0023] The pulping equipment 80 is connected to the kneading equipment 70 and is used to disperse the sweet potato leaves after kneading. After kneading, the sweet potato leaves curl up, become sticky, and form clumps. Dispersing the sweet potato leaves using the aforementioned clump-dispersing machine facilitates subsequent uniform drying and prevents deterioration due to dampness and the generation of off-odors.

[0024] The first drying equipment 90 is connected to the pulping equipment 80 and is used to roast and dry the dispersed sweet potato leaves at a temperature of 70-120°C for 5-30 minutes, further drying the sweet potato leaves to make them more favorable for subsequent kneading.

[0025] The first drying equipment 90 may be a drum dryer or a Class A dryer.

[0026] The second drying unit 91 is connected to the first drying unit 90 and is used to dry the sweet potato leaves again to produce the finished product.

[0027] The second drying equipment 91 can perform low-temperature drying (50-90°C) or high-temperature drying (90-120°C) as needed.

[0028] The second drying equipment 91 may be a drying oven, a Class A dryer, a drum dryer, or a far-infrared dryer.

[0029] The moisture content of the finished product is 5% or less.

[0030] The sieving equipment 92 is connected to the second drying equipment 91 and is used to sieve and package the finished products.

[0031] The finished product can be manufactured into products such as powder, tea bags, or canned beverages.

[0032] In the structure described above, the sweet potato leaf tea powder produced by this invention can improve flavor, reduce grassy odor and reduce color, making it closer in appearance to tea leaves, while also retaining the health benefits of sweet potato leaves and increasing the variety of raw materials available in the caffeine-free market. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0033] 100 Sweet potato leaf tea leaf manufacturing system 10. Washing equipment 20. Air-drying equipment 30 Cutting equipment 40 Refrigeration equipment 50 Steam casing equipment 60 Hot air drying equipment 70 Rolling equipment 80 Deagglomeration equipment 90 First drying equipment 91 Second drying equipment 92. Sieving equipment

Claims

1. A sweet potato leaf tea production system comprising washing equipment, forced-air drying equipment, cutting equipment, refrigeration equipment, steaming equipment, drying equipment, rolling equipment, decomposition equipment, first drying equipment, and second drying equipment. The aforementioned washing equipment is used to immerse and wash multiple sweet potato leaves after harvesting. The aforementioned forced-air drying equipment is connected to the washing equipment and is used to blow air onto the sweet potato leaves after washing to remove moisture from the leaf surface and maintain the fresh leaf surface in a dry state. The aforementioned cutting equipment is connected to the aforementioned forced-air drying equipment and is used to cut sweet potato leaves after forced-air drying. The aforementioned refrigeration equipment is connected to the aforementioned cutting equipment and is used to store the cut sweet potato leaves at a low temperature to maintain their freshness and dryness. The aforementioned steaming equipment is connected to the aforementioned refrigeration equipment and is used to steam sweet potato leaves after low-temperature storage. The drying equipment is connected to the steaming equipment and is used to remove moisture from the steamed sweet potato leaves by blowing air dry them. The aforementioned kneading equipment is connected to the aforementioned hot air drying equipment and is used for kneading sweet potato leaves. The aforementioned pulping equipment is connected to the aforementioned kneading equipment and is used to disperse the sweet potato leaves after kneading. The aforementioned first drying equipment is connected to the aforementioned disintegration equipment and is used to roast and dry the dispersed sweet potato leaves. A sweet potato leaf tea production system characterized in that the second drying equipment is connected to the first drying equipment and used to dry the sweet potato leaves again to produce a finished product.

2. The aforementioned sweet potato leaf tea production system further includes a sieving device, The sweet potato leaf tea production system according to claim 1, characterized in that the sieving equipment is connected to the second drying equipment and used to sieve and package the finished product.

3. The sweet potato leaf tea production system according to claim 1, characterized in that the refrigeration equipment is a refrigerator.

4. The sweet potato leaf tea production system according to claim 1, characterized in that the steaming equipment is a steam-type steaming machine.

5. The sweet potato leaf tea production system according to claim 1, characterized in that the drying equipment is a drying oven.

6. The sweet potato leaf tea production system according to claim 1, characterized in that the aforementioned kneading equipment is a barrel-type flat-plate kneading machine.

7. The sweet potato leaf tea production system according to claim 1, characterized in that the first drying equipment may be a drum dryer or a Class A dryer.

8. The sweet potato leaf tea production system according to claim 1, characterized in that the second drying equipment may be a drying oven, a Class A dryer, a drum dryer, or a far-infrared dryer.

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