Beverage making equipment

Abstract

The apparatus includes a bottle 2 that contains at least an object to be extracted 10 and a liquid, and a pressurizer / depressurizer 3 that is connected to the bottle via a pipe 4 and is capable of pressurizing and depressurizing the air pressure inside the bottle, and executes a pressurization / depressurization cycle consisting of a depressurization step of reducing the air pressure inside the bottle to an air pressure lower than atmospheric pressure, a reduced pressure holding step of holding the air pressure inside the bottle at the lower air pressure for a predetermined period of time after the depressurization step, a pressurization step of pressurizing the air pressure inside the bottle to an air pressure higher than atmospheric pressure after the reduced pressure holding step, and a pressurization holding step of holding the air pressure inside the bottle at the higher air pressure for a predetermined period of time after the pressurization step.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a beverage preparation device capable of preparing a beverage. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 is an invention for a beverage production device that has been patented by the applicant of the present application. The invention disclosed in Patent Document 1 extracts tea by controlling a vacuum pump in a bottle that contains at least tea leaves, water, and ice, and executing a pressure reduction cycle consisting of a pressure reduction step for reducing the air pressure in the bottle to a predetermined pressure, a pressure reduction holding step for holding the predetermined air pressure for a predetermined period of time, an opening step for releasing the predetermined air pressure to normal pressure, and a normal pressure holding step for holding the normal pressure for a predetermined period of time after the opening step.

[0003] With the above-mentioned configuration, it is possible to extract a larger amount of umami components in a short period of time while suppressing the amount of bitter and astringent components extracted from the tea leaves. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7020730 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the extraction method described in Patent Document 1 mentioned above, as shown in FIG. 1 (FIG. 5 of Patent Document 1), for example, to extract the same amount of theanine as tea brewed in conventional water for four hours, eight decompression cycles are required, which takes approximately 13 minutes, so there was a demand for reducing the time required to produce the beverage.

[0006] In view of the above-mentioned problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a beverage preparation device that can effectively reduce the time required for beverage preparation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] (1) A beverage production apparatus comprising: a bottle that contains at least an object to be extracted and a liquid; and a pressurizing and depressurizing machine that is connected to the bottle via piping and is capable of pressurizing and depressurizing the air pressure inside the bottle, wherein the bottle has a lid to which the piping is connected and which is capable of sealing the bottle; the pressurizing and depressurizing machine comprises a compressor, a vacuum pump, a solenoid valve, a pressure sensor, and a control unit that is capable of controlling the compressor, the vacuum pump, and the solenoid valve based on the detection results of the pressure sensor, and wherein the control unit executes a pressurization and depressurization cycle including a depressurization step of reducing the air pressure inside the bottle to an air pressure lower than atmospheric pressure, a reduced pressure holding step of maintaining the air pressure inside the bottle at an air pressure lower than atmospheric pressure for a predetermined time after the depressurization step, a pressurization step of pressurizing the air pressure inside the bottle to an air pressure higher than atmospheric pressure after the reduced pressure holding step, and a pressurization and depressurization step of maintaining the air pressure inside the bottle at an air pressure higher than atmospheric pressure for a predetermined time after the pressurization step.

[0008] (2) The beverage production apparatus described in (1) above, characterized in that the object to be extracted includes at least tea leaves, the liquid is water, and ice is contained in the bottle while the pressurization and depressurization cycle is performed.

[0009] (3) The beverage production apparatus according to (1) or (2) above, characterized in that the time during which the air pressure in the bottle is maintained at a pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure in the reduced pressure holding step is within 30 seconds, and the time during which the air pressure in the bottle is maintained at a pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure in the pressurized holding step is within 30 seconds.

[0010] (4) The beverage production apparatus according to (1) or (2) above, characterized in that the time during which the air pressure in the bottle is maintained at an air pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure in the reduced pressure holding step is 30 seconds, and the time during which the air pressure in the bottle is maintained at an air pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure in the pressurized holding step is 30 seconds, and the control unit controls the pressurization and depressurization cycle to be performed three times. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, the substance to be extracted and liquid are placed in a bottle, and a pressurization / depressurization cycle consisting of a depressurization step, a depressurization holding step, a pressurization step, and a pressurization holding step is carried out, thereby making it possible to produce a beverage of the same quality as conventional methods in a significantly shorter time than conventional methods. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the conventional manufacturing method disclosed in FIG. 5 of Patent Document 1. [Diagram 2] 1 is a diagram showing a device configuration of a beverage production device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining a pressurized / depressurized extraction method in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 4 is an example of a time chart illustrating a reduced pressure extraction method according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] 1 is a table illustrating the results of a sensory evaluation test in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a time chart of the conventional manufacturing method No. 1 in FIG. 5. [Figure 7] FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the time chart of No. 7 in FIG. 5. [Figure 8] 1 is a table comparing the amount of each component extracted in an embodiment of the present invention with the amount of each component extracted by a conventional production method. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Hereinafter, one embodiment of the beverage production device of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 2 shows a schematic configuration of a beverage production device 1 in this embodiment. In addition, a bottle 2 capable of containing the beverage to be produced and a pressurizing / depressurizing device 3 capable of pressurizing and depressurizing the inside of the bottle 2 are mainly connected by piping 4 consisting of tubes or the like.

[0014] The pressurizer / depressurizer 3 includes at least a compressor 31, a vacuum pump 30, an electromagnetic valve 32, a pressure sensor 33, a control unit 34, and a power supply unit 35. The pressurizer / depressurizer 3 includes a control program for the control unit 34, which is capable of controlling the compressor 31, the vacuum pump 30, and the electromagnetic valve 32 based on the pressure inside the bottle 2 detected by the pressure sensor 33. The pressurizer / depressurizer 33 and the vacuum pump 30 are not necessarily limited to being separate, and a vacuum pump that also serves as a compressor may be used.

[0015] The bottle 2 is a container that does not deform under pressure or pressure, and can be made of an appropriate material such as transparent resin, glass, ceramic, metal, etc. In addition, the bottle 2 is configured to be airtight, and is provided with an openable and closable lid 21 at the top of the bottle and an openable and closable bottom lid 22 at the bottom of the bottle. The lid 21 is provided with a connecting part (not shown) that communicates with the inside of the bottle 2 and allows the piping 4 to be attached and detached.

[0016] The pressurizing and depressurizing device 3 is provided with a display means (not shown) and an operation setting means consisting of an operation button, etc., and is configured to execute a pressurization and depressurization cycle (described later) once or multiple times based on the setting operation of the operation setting means.

[0017] (Beverage manufacturing method) Next, an example of a method for producing a beverage using the beverage production device 1 of this embodiment will be described. First, the bottom lid 22 of the bottle 2 is closed, the lid 21 is opened, a predetermined amount of water, ice, and the extraction subject 10 are poured into the bottle 2, and the lid 21 is closed. The extraction subject 10 may be tea leaves, herbs, fruits, dried flowers, spices, etc. Then, the pipe 4 extending from the solenoid valve 32 of the pressurizer / depressurizer 3 is connected to the connection part of the lid 21. Next, after the power supply of the pressurizer / depressurizer 3 is turned on, the number of times to execute a pressurization / depressurization cycle (see FIG. 4, etc.) described later is set by an operation setting means (not shown), and an operation start button (not shown) is pressed to execute the set number of pressurization / depressurization cycles.

[0018] After a predetermined number of pressurization and depressurization cycles have been performed, the pipe 4 is removed from the connection part of the lid 21. Through this series of operations, a beverage is produced in the bottle 2, with the components of the extraction subject 10 extracted. When tea leaves are included as the extraction subject 10, the bitter components of tea, "catechins," tend to be extracted at high temperatures, while the umami component, "theanine," is extracted at all temperature ranges. Due to these characteristics, as described above, a predetermined amount of ice can be added to the bottle 2 to lower the water temperature, suppressing the extraction of the bitter components, "catechins," while efficiently extracting the umami component, "theanine."

[0019] Next, the pressurization and depressurization cycle will be described in detail with reference to Figs. 3 and 4. At the stage before the pressurization and depressurization cycle is executed, a predetermined amount of water, ice, and the extraction target 10 are put into the bottle 2 as shown in Fig. 3(A) and Fig. 4(A). The air pressure inside the bottle 2 is normal pressure (1 atm). After that, the pressurization and depressurization cycle is started with the start of operation of the pressurizer and depressurizer 3. Generally, water is heaviest when its temperature is 4°C and accumulates at the bottom of the bottle 2, while water with a temperature lower than 4°C is lighter and accumulates at the top. Therefore, the water temperature inside the bottle 2 is 4°C or lower.

[0020] As shown in (B) of Fig. 3 and (B) of Fig. 4, the pressure inside the bottle 2 is gradually reduced to approximately 0.2 atm (reduced pressure step). This causes the extraction subject 10 to swell, and water can be effectively taken into the cells of the swelled extraction subject 10. In order to sufficiently take up water into the cells, in this embodiment, the reduced pressure state is maintained for 30 seconds as a reduced pressure holding time (t1) (reduced pressure holding step).

[0021] After maintaining the reduced pressure state for a predetermined time, as shown in (C) of FIG. 3 and (C) of FIG. 4, the reduced pressure state is released and the inside of the bottle 2 is pressurized by controlling the pressurizer / depressurizer 3. The inside of the bottle 2 is gradually pressurized to 1.2 atm or more, more preferably to about 1.8 to 2.0 atm (pressurizing step). As a result, the swollen extraction subject 10 returns to its original state, and various components contained in the extraction subject 10 are extracted together with the water taken into the cells during the depressurization. In this embodiment, the pressurized state is maintained for 30 seconds as the pressurized holding time (t3) so that the various components are sufficiently extracted (pressurized holding step).

[0022] As described above, after the pressurization and depressurization cycles have been performed a predetermined number of times, the extraction subject 10 in the bottle 2 is pressed and the beverage is taken out of the bottle 2, as shown in (D) of FIG. 3 and (D) of FIG.

[0023] When the beverage is removed from the bottle 2, the subject of extraction 10 and a small amount of liquid remain at the bottom of the bottle 2. In particular, when the subject of extraction 10 contains tea leaves, the liquid remaining at the bottom of the bottle 2 contains a large amount of theanine, which is a flavor component. Therefore, by pressing the remaining tea leaves and removing the liquid contained in the tea leaves, the liquid with a strong flavor can be removed at the end. The subject of extraction 10 remaining in the bottle 2 is discarded by opening the bottom lid 22. In this embodiment, the bottom of the bottle 2 is provided with an openable bottom lid 22, so that the remaining subject of extraction 10 can be easily discarded.

[0024] (Compared to conventional manufacturing methods) Next, a comparative evaluation was carried out between the beverage production method using the beverage production apparatus 1 of the present embodiment and a conventional production method, and the evaluation results will be described.

[0025] FIG. 5 shows the results of the sensory evaluation test, in which the sensory evaluation result for the conventional manufacturing method is indicated by "No. 1." This is used as a standard to compare with multiple manufacturing methods ("No. 2" to "No. 7"), including the manufacturing method of this embodiment, to verify their effectiveness.

[0026] Here, "No. 1", "No. 3", and "No. 5" of the conventional manufacturing method are to execute the decompression cycle disclosed in Patent Document 1, and as shown in the time chart of Fig. 6, a cycle of decompression, maintaining the decompression, and then releasing to the atmosphere and maintaining normal pressure is repeated. In other words, unlike this embodiment, there is no pressurization step or pressurization maintenance step.

[0027] "No. 7" in FIG. 5 is a case where decompression and pressurization were repeated without maintaining the pressure for a predetermined period of time under a specific decompression and pressurization, as shown in the time chart in FIG.

[0028] As can be seen from the results of the sensory evaluation test in FIG. 5, the conventional manufacturing method "No. 1," which is the sensory evaluation standard, performs five cycles of a reduced pressure holding time of 30 seconds and an open-to-air holding time of 30 seconds, and the total time required for extraction is 8 minutes. On the other hand, "No. 4" of this embodiment performs three cycles of a reduced pressure holding time of 30 seconds and a pressurized holding time of 30 seconds, and achieves a taste equivalent to that of the conventional manufacturing method "No. 1." In addition, the total time required for extraction is reduced from 8 minutes to 5 minutes. In other words, by adopting the pressurized step and the pressurized holding step described above, it is possible to reduce the time required for beverage extraction by 3 minutes.

[0029] Next, Fig. 8 shows a table comparing the amount of each extracted component extracted in tea produced by the conventional method (reduced pressure extraction) and tea produced by this embodiment (pressurized and reduced pressure extraction). As shown in the table, the amount of each extracted component extracted when three cycles of pressurized and reduced pressure extraction in this embodiment are performed is equivalent to the amount of each extracted component extracted when five cycles of reduced pressure extraction, which is the conventional method, are performed.

[0030] More specifically, by using pressurized / decompressed extraction, it is possible to reduce the number of cycles from the conventional 5 cycles to 3 cycles, and it is possible to significantly reduce the time required to extract the beverage. In other words, even if the number of cycles is reduced and the extraction time is shortened, it is possible to extract the same amount of "theanine," a flavor component, as in the conventional 5-cycle reduced pressure extraction.

[0031] Furthermore, by reducing the number of cycles and shortening the extraction time through pressurized / depressurized extraction, it is possible to suppress the amount of catechins (epigallocatechin gallate, epicatechin gallate), which are bitter components, extracted.

[0032] The amount of each extracted component shown in Figure 8 was obtained when the pressure during pressurization was 1.2 atm. However, if the pressure during pressurization is further increased to about 1.8 to 2.0 atm, the number of pressurization / depressurization cycles can be reduced to 3 or less, and the extraction time can be further shortened. Alternatively, the extraction time can be further shortened by reducing the reduced pressure holding time and / or the pressurized holding time to 30 seconds or less. By increasing the pressure during pressurization in this manner, the beverage extraction time can be reduced to about one and a half minutes.

[0033] From the above-mentioned evaluation results and the like, it is apparent that the beverage production apparatus 1 of the present embodiment makes it possible to produce a beverage in an extremely short time while suppressing bitterness compared to conventional production methods.

[0034] (Other embodiments) While one embodiment of the beverage production device of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not necessarily limited to the above-mentioned configuration, and various modifications such as those described below are possible.

[0035] For example, in the above-described embodiment, the reduced pressure holding time and the pressurized holding time are set to 30 seconds or less, but the reduced pressure holding time and the pressurized holding time can be set arbitrarily, and an appropriate time can be set depending on the state, quality, and type of the object 10 to be extracted.

[0036] Specifically, the reduced pressure holding time and pressurized holding time can be set by investigating the optimal reduced pressure holding time and pressurized holding time for each state, quality, and type of the extraction subject 10, and operating the operation setting means. As another method, the control unit 34 can be provided with an extraction subject selection means (not shown), and the reduced pressure holding time and pressurized holding time suitable for the type of extraction subject 10 can be set and controlled by operating the extraction subject selection means to input the type of extraction subject 10, etc.

[0037] In the above embodiment, the pressure in the reduced pressure state is about 0.2 atm, and the pressure in the pressurized state is 1.2 atm or more, more preferably about 1.8 to 2.0 atm, but the pressure suitable for extraction varies depending on the state, quality, and type of the extraction subject 10. Therefore, it is more preferable to perform a test run for each type of extraction subject 10 in advance and find the optimal pressure according to the type of extraction subject 10, etc.

[0038] In the above embodiment, the number of times the pressurization / depressurization cycle is performed is set by the operation setting means, but the present invention is not necessarily limited to this embodiment. For example, the state, quality, and type of the extraction subject 10 may be configured to be operationally set, and the number of times the pressurization / depressurization cycle is performed may be set by the control program according to the type of the extraction subject 10. With this configuration, anyone can easily make a delicious beverage regardless of the type of extraction subject 10.

[0039] When the extraction subject 10 includes tea leaves, the theanine content and the optimal water temperature for efficient extraction of theanine vary depending on the type of tea leaves. Therefore, it is preferable to investigate the optimal extraction conditions for each type of tea leaves and set the number of pressurization and depressurization cycles, the water temperature during extraction, the depressurization holding time in each cycle, and the pressurization holding time based on the results of the investigation. For example, by storing control information of the beverage manufacturing device according to the type of tea leaves in a storage means (not shown) of the control unit 34 and selecting and setting the type of tea leaves in the tea leaf selection means of the control unit 34, it is possible to make a beverage under the optimal extraction conditions for the selected tea leaves. With such a configuration, it is possible to extract the original flavor of the tea leaves to the maximum extent.

[0040] In the above-described embodiment, water, ice, and the extraction subject 10 are put into the bottle 2 to produce a beverage, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, it is of course possible to produce a beverage without adding ice. Furthermore, it is also possible to use a liquid other than water, such as alcohol, oil (olive oil, etc.), carbonated water, etc., and extract the extract components of the extraction subject 10 into the liquid. This makes it possible to produce a variety of beverages.

[0041] In the above-mentioned embodiment, it takes about 3 minutes for two cycles of pressurized / depressurized extraction, about 5 minutes for three cycles, and about 8 minutes for five cycles, but it is possible to further shorten the time required for extraction by increasing the filling ratio of liquid to the bottle 2 and reducing the amount of air in the bottle 2. For example, it is possible to shorten the time to about 2 minutes for two cycles of pressurized / depressurized extraction, about 3.5 minutes for three cycles, and about 6 minutes for five cycles.

[0042] Although one embodiment of the beverage production device of the present invention has been described above based on the drawings and the like, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims, not the description of the above embodiment, and further includes all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims. In addition, the specific materials, dimensions, shapes, etc. described in the above embodiment can be modified within the scope of solving the problems of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] 1 Beverage production equipment 2 bottles 3. Pressure regulator 4 Piping 10 Extraction target 21 Lid 22 Lower lid 30 Vacuum Pump 31 Compressor 32 Solenoid valve 33 Pressure Sensor 34 Control section 35 Power supply section

Claims

1. A bottle in which at least the extraction subject and liquid are contained; a pressure increase / decrease device connected to the bottle via a pipe and capable of increasing or decreasing the air pressure in the bottle; the bottle is provided with a lid to which the pipe is connected and capable of sealing the bottle; the pressurizing / depressurizing device includes a compressor, a vacuum pump, a solenoid valve, a pressure sensor, and a control unit capable of controlling the compressor, the vacuum pump, and the solenoid valve based on a detection result of the pressure sensor; the control unit executes a pressurization / depressurization cycle including a depressurization step of reducing the air pressure inside the bottle to approximately 0.2 atm, a depressurization holding step of holding the air pressure inside the bottle reduced in the depressurization step for a predetermined time after the depressurization step, a pressurization step of pressurizing the air pressure inside the bottle to between 1.2 and 2.0 atm after the depressurization holding step, and a pressurization holding step of holding the air pressure inside the bottle pressurized in the pressurization step for a predetermined time after the pressurization step; The extraction subject includes at least one of tea leaves, herbs, fruits, dried flowers, and spices. A beverage production apparatus comprising:

2. The object to be extracted includes at least tea leaves, the liquid is water, and ice is contained in the bottle, and the pressurization and depressurization cycle is performed.

2. The beverage production apparatus according to claim 1 .

3. In the decompression holding step, the time during which the air pressure inside the bottle is held at a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure is within 30 seconds, and in the pressurization holding step, the time during which the air pressure inside the bottle is held at a pressure higher than atmospheric pressure is within 30 seconds.

3. The beverage production apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

4. the time during which the air pressure in the bottle is maintained at a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure in the reduced pressure maintaining step is 30 seconds, and the time during which the air pressure in the bottle is maintained at a pressure higher than atmospheric pressure in the pressurized maintaining step is 30 seconds; The control unit performs control to execute the pressurization / depressurization cycle three times.

3. The beverage production apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

5. After the pressurization and depressurization cycle is performed, the subject to be extracted is pressed in the bottle.

3. The beverage production apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

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