Methods for preventing caking of crystalline maltitol during storage

By using real-time temperature and humidity monitoring and controlled processing conditions, the method prevents crystalline maltitol caking, reducing costs and improving efficiency in storage and handling.

JP7663788B2Active Publication Date: 2025-04-16ZHEJIANG HUAKANG PHARMA
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Patent Information

Application Number
JP2024538755
Authority / Receiving Office
JP · JP
Patent Type
Patents
Current Assignee / Owner
Priority Date
2022-07-09
Filing Date
2023-06-25
Publication Date
2025-04-16
Estimated Expiration
2043-06-25

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Crystalline maltitol is prone to caking during storage, leading to difficulties in transportation and increased production costs due to the need for re-dissolution or waste disposal, and existing methods to prevent caking are inefficient and costly.

Method used

Implementing an online temperature and humidity monitoring system to determine the caking risk of crystalline maltitol, followed by sorting and packaging based on real-time data, and applying secondary drying or aging processes under controlled temperature and humidity conditions to prevent caking.

Benefits of technology

The method effectively prevents caking, reduces production costs, and enhances productivity by optimizing storage and processing conditions for crystalline maltitol.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for preventing the solidification of crystalline maltitol during storage, comprising the steps of detecting the temperature and humidity of crystalline maltitol after drying online and in real time, setting sorting and packaging conditions, secondary drying conditions and maturation conditions in an online temperature and humidity meter, respectively, and transporting crystalline maltitol under the corresponding temperature and humidity conditions for sorting and packaging, secondary drying and maturation, respectively, and detecting the temperature and humidity of crystalline maltitol after secondary drying or maturation, transporting those that meet the sorting and packaging conditions for sorting and packaging, and continuing the corresponding treatment until the sorting and packaging conditions are met for those that do not, and then transporting them for sorting and packaging. In the present invention, by transporting crystalline maltitol under the corresponding temperature and humidity conditions for sorting and packaging, secondary drying and maturation according to the preset temperature and humidity conditions, respectively, it is possible to save resources, reduce production costs and improve productivity.
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Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of preserving sugar alcohols, and in particular to a method for preventing caking of crystalline maltitol during storage. [Background technology]

[0002] Maltitol has the molecular formula C 12 H 24 O 11 It is a functional sugar alcohol, generally produced by processes such as hydrogenation, decolorization, and crystallization of maltose, and has many properties such as high sweetness, relative stability, low calorie content, and no risk of tooth decay, and also has strong hygroscopicity. Commercially available maltitol is generally classified into two types: a white crystalline powder and a colorless, transparent, neutral, viscous liquid.

[0003] At present, the production process for crystalline maltitol is mainly to make maltose syrup from starch through processes such as liquefaction and saccharification, and then hydrogenate the maltose syrup under high temperature and high pressure conditions to produce maltitol liquid. Finally, crystalline maltitol is produced through purification processes such as decolorization, crystallization, centrifugation, and drying. In addition to the unique properties of maltitol, the crystalline maltitol produced by this process has a high risk of solidification when stored because the crystals themselves have a high moisture content, are fine in particle size, can be extruded, or may encounter high environmental temperature and humidity. Generally, a provisionally solidified body is formed in about 6 months, and this mass can be re-crushed by a small amount of external force, but over time, if the storage period is more than one year and no treatment is performed, the provisionally solidified body will become a true solidified body. Crystalline maltitol that has become a true solidified body is difficult to crush and difficult to transport by equipment, which is disadvantageous for industrial use, and can only be treated as a re-dissolved material or waste, which increases production costs and wastes resources.

[0004] Regarding the problem of caking of crystalline maltitol, those skilled in the art can reduce the caking risk of crystalline maltitol by subjecting crystalline maltitol products to secondary drying or aging processes in advance. However, there is a lack of a method for determining the caking tendency of crystalline maltitol. If all crystalline maltitol products are subjected to secondary drying or aging processes, the production cost will increase and the production efficiency will decrease. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a method for preventing the caking of crystalline maltitol during storage, which can save resources, reduce production costs and improve productivity by monitoring real-time data of temperature and humidity of crystalline maltitol produced by drying process, determining the risk of caking, and transporting the crystalline maltitol under corresponding temperature and humidity conditions for sorting and packaging process, secondary drying process and maturation process respectively according to preset temperature and humidity processing conditions. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention is achieved as follows: A method for preventing the solidification of crystalline maltitol during storage, comprising the steps of temporarily storing the finally produced dried crystalline maltitol in a storage tank, providing an online temperature and humidity meter in the storage tank, setting sorting and packaging processing conditions, secondary drying processing conditions and maturation processing conditions in the online temperature and humidity meter, respectively, and transporting the crystalline maltitol under the corresponding temperature and humidity conditions for sorting and packaging processing, secondary drying processing and maturation processing, respectively, and detecting the temperature and humidity of the crystalline maltitol after the secondary drying processing or maturation processing, transporting those that satisfy the sorting and packaging processing conditions for sorting and packaging processing, and continuing the corresponding processing for those that do not satisfy the sorting and packaging processing conditions until they are satisfied, and then transporting them for sorting and packaging processing; The sorting and packaging process of crystalline maltitol includes the steps of controlling the flow rate of crystalline maltitol to 0-3t / h, screening the crystalline maltitol with a sorting machine equipped with a 5-20 mesh screen, and sealing and packaging the undersieve as a finished crystalline maltitol product with a satisfactory particle size, and storing it for a long period of time; The secondary drying process of crystalline maltitol includes the steps of drying the crystalline maltitol in a dryer by controlling the hot air inlet temperature of the dryer to 80-90°C, the cold air inlet temperature to 20°C or less, and the flow rate of the crystalline maltitol to 0-3t / h, and detecting the temperature and humidity of the crystalline maltitol after the secondary drying process and performing processing according to the detection results. The aging process of crystalline maltitol includes a step of aging the crystalline maltitol by controlling the supply air temperature during aging to 15°C or less, the supply air humidity to 20% or less, and the flow rate of the crystalline maltitol to 0 to 3t / h, and a step of detecting the temperature and humidity of the crystalline maltitol after the aging process and performing processing according to the detection result. The temperature and humidity conditions for sorting and packaging of crystalline maltitol are <20℃ and <70%RH. The secondary drying conditions for temperature and humidity are: temperature < 20℃, 70%RH < humidity < 80%RH, or 20℃ < temperature < 25℃, humidity < 80%RH. The method provides a method in which the temperature and humidity aging treatment conditions are a temperature of crystalline maltitol >25°C and any humidity, or a humidity of >80% RH and any temperature. Effect of the Invention

[0007] Compared with the prior art, the method for preventing caking of crystalline maltitol during storage according to the present invention has the following features:

[0008] 1. To provide a method for online evaluation of the tendency of crystalline maltitol to caking, which can rapidly respond to production conditions to determine the optimal production route for preventing caking of crystalline maltitol and produce crystalline maltitol with a low caking risk.

[0009] 2. It is possible to reduce production costs and improve productivity. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] In order to make the technical problems, technical solutions and beneficial effects of the present invention clearer and more obvious, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the following examples. It should be understood that the specific examples described in this specification are only used to explain the present invention and are not used to limit the present invention.

[0011] A preferred embodiment of the method for preventing caking of crystalline maltitol during storage of the present invention includes the steps of temporarily storing the finally produced dried crystalline maltitol in a storage tank, providing an online temperature and humidity meter in the storage tank, setting sorting and packaging processing conditions, secondary drying processing conditions and maturation processing conditions respectively in the online temperature and humidity meter, and transporting the crystalline maltitol under the corresponding temperature and humidity conditions for sorting and packaging processing, secondary drying processing and maturation processing respectively. The method includes the steps of detecting the temperature and humidity of the crystalline maltitol after the secondary drying or maturation treatment, transporting those that meet the sorting and packaging treatment conditions for sorting and packaging treatment, and continuing the corresponding treatment for those that do not meet the conditions until they meet the sorting and packaging treatment conditions, and then transporting them for sorting and packaging treatment.

[0012] Here, the sorting and packaging process of crystalline maltitol includes the steps of controlling the flow rate of crystalline maltitol to 0 to 3 t / h, screening the crystalline maltitol using a sorting machine equipped with a 5 to 20 mesh screen, and sealing and packaging the undersieve as a finished crystalline maltitol product with a satisfactory particle size, and storing it for a long period of time.

[0013] The secondary drying process of crystalline maltitol includes the steps of drying the crystalline maltitol in a dryer by controlling the hot air inlet temperature of the dryer to 80 to 90°C, the cold air inlet temperature to 20°C or less, and the flow rate of crystalline maltitol to 0 to 3 t / h, and the steps of detecting the temperature and humidity of the crystalline maltitol after the secondary drying process and carrying out processing according to the detection results.

[0014] The maturation process of crystalline maltitol includes a step of maturing the crystalline maltitol by controlling the supply air temperature during maturation to 15°C or less, the supply air humidity to 20% or less, and the flow rate of crystalline maltitol to 0 to 3 t / h, and a step of detecting the temperature and humidity of the crystalline maltitol after the maturation process and carrying out processing according to the detection results.

[0015] The sorting and packaging processing conditions for temperature and humidity of crystalline maltitol are temperature <20℃ and humidity <70%RH. This condition is suitable when both the temperature and humidity of crystalline maltitol after drying are low.

[0016] The secondary drying conditions for temperature and humidity are: temperature < 20℃, 70%RH < humidity < 80%RH, or 20℃ < temperature < 25℃, humidity < 80%RH. This condition is suitable when the temperature and humidity of the crystalline maltitol after drying are relatively high.

[0017] The aging conditions for temperature and humidity are: temperature of crystalline maltitol >25°C, arbitrary humidity, or humidity >80%RH, arbitrary temperature. This condition is suitable when both the temperature and humidity of crystalline maltitol after drying are high.

[0018] From the above temperature and humidity conditions, Table 1 corresponding to the treatment methods can be obtained.

[0019] [Table 1]

[0020] The method for preventing caking of crystalline maltitol during storage according to the present invention will be further illustrated below with reference to specific examples.

[0021] <Example 1> A first embodiment of the method of the present invention for preventing caking of crystalline maltitol during storage comprises the following steps:

[0022] Step 11: Maltose syrup with a refractive index of 50-60% was obtained through processes such as saccharification and liquefaction of starch. Maltose syrup was hydrogenated under conditions of reaction temperature ≦145℃, reaction pressure 6.5-9.5Mpa, and reaction time 110-180min to obtain maltitol liquid. The maltitol liquid was subjected to a decolorization and exchange process to obtain a purified liquid with a pH of 3.5-7.5 and a conductivity of ≦30μS / cm. The purified maltitol liquid was subjected to an evaporation concentration process to obtain a concentrated liquid with a refractive index of 75-85%. The concentrated liquid was subjected to a crystallization and drying process to obtain crystalline maltitol after drying.

[0023] Step 12: Detect the temperature and humidity data of the dried crystalline maltitol by online temperature and humidity meter, and the dried crystalline maltitol has a temperature <20℃ and humidity <70%RH, which meets the sorting and packaging processing conditions.

[0024] Step 13: The dried crystalline maltitol is directly sorted and packaged, that is, the flow rate of the crystalline maltitol is controlled at 0-3t / h, the crystalline maltitol is screened by a sorting machine equipped with a 10 mesh screen, and the undersieve is the finished crystalline maltitol with satisfactory particle size, which is sealed and packaged and stored for a long period of time, and the solidification status of the finished product is regularly detected and recorded, and the detection results are shown in Table 2.

[0025] <Example 2> A second embodiment of the method of the present invention for preventing caking of crystalline maltitol during storage comprises the following steps:

[0026] Step 21: Maltose syrup with a refractive index of 50-60% was obtained through processes such as saccharification and liquefaction of starch. Maltose syrup was hydrogenated under conditions of reaction temperature ≦145°C, reaction pressure 6.5-9.5Mpa, and reaction time 110-180min to obtain maltitol liquid. The maltitol liquid was subjected to a decolorization and exchange process to obtain a purified liquid with a pH of 3.5-7.5 and a conductivity of ≦30μS / cm. The maltitol purified liquid was subjected to an evaporation concentration process to obtain a concentrated liquid with a refractive index of 75-85%. The concentrated liquid was subjected to a crystallization and drying process to obtain crystalline maltitol after drying.

[0027] Step 22: Detect the temperature and humidity data of the dried crystalline maltitol by the online temperature and humidity meter, and the dried crystalline maltitol has temperature < 20℃, 70% RH < humidity < 80% RH, or 20℃ < temperature < 25℃, humidity < 80% RH, meeting the secondary drying treatment conditions.

[0028] Step 23: The dried crystalline maltitol was subjected to secondary drying, that is, the hot air inlet temperature of the dryer was controlled to 80-90°C, the cold air inlet temperature was controlled to 20°C or less, and the flow rate of crystalline maltitol was controlled to 0-3t / h, and the crystalline maltitol was dried in the dryer. The temperature and humidity of the crystalline maltitol after the secondary drying process was detected, and those that met the sorting and packaging conditions were transported for sorting and packaging, and those that did not met the conditions were continued to be subjected to secondary drying or aging.

[0029] The flow rate of crystalline maltitol is controlled at 0~3t / h, and the crystalline maltitol is screened using a sorting machine equipped with a 5-mesh screen. The undersieve is treated as the finished crystalline maltitol with the desired particle size, which is then sealed and packaged and stored for a long period of time. The solidification status of the finished product is regularly detected and recorded, and the detection results are shown in Table 2.

[0030] <Example 3> A third embodiment of the method for preventing caking of crystalline maltitol during storage according to the invention comprises the following steps:

[0031] Step 31: Maltose syrup with a refractive index of 50-60% was obtained through processes such as saccharification and liquefaction of starch. Maltose syrup was hydrogenated under conditions of reaction temperature ≦145°C, reaction pressure 6.5-9.5Mpa, and reaction time 110-180min to obtain maltitol liquid. The maltitol liquid was subjected to a decolorization and exchange process to obtain a purified liquid with a pH of 3.5-7.5 and a conductivity of ≦30μS / cm. The purified maltitol liquid was subjected to an evaporation concentration process to obtain a concentrated liquid with a refractive index of 75-85%. The concentrated liquid was subjected to a crystallization and drying process to obtain crystalline maltitol after drying.

[0032] Step 32: Detect the temperature and humidity data of the dried crystalline maltitol by the online temperature and humidity meter. When the dried crystalline maltitol has a temperature > 25°C and a given humidity, or a humidity > 80% RH and a given temperature, it meets the maturation treatment conditions.

[0033] Step 33: The crystalline maltitol after drying is aged, that is, the supply air temperature during controlled aging is controlled to be below 15°C, the supply air humidity is controlled to be below 20%, and the flow rate of crystalline maltitol is controlled to be 0-3t / h, to aged the crystalline maltitol, and the temperature and humidity of the crystalline maltitol after aging is detected, and those that meet the sorting and packaging conditions are transported for sorting and packaging, and those that do not meet the conditions are continued for secondary drying or aging.

[0034] The flow rate of crystalline maltitol is controlled at 0~3t / h, and the crystalline maltitol is screened using a sorting machine equipped with a 20 mesh screen. The undersieve is treated as the finished crystalline maltitol product with satisfactory particle size, which is sealed and packaged and stored for a long period of time. The solidification status of the finished product is regularly detected and recorded, and the detection results are shown in Table 2.

[0035] [Table 2]

[0036] From the above, the crystalline maltitol finished product prepared by the technical solution of the present invention can be stored for more than 24 months without solidification.

[0037] The above are only preferred embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention shall be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

[Claim 1] A method for preventing caking of crystalline maltitol during storage, comprising the steps of: The method includes the steps of temporarily storing the finally produced dried crystalline maltitol in a storage tank, providing an online thermometer / hygrometer in the storage tank, setting sorting and packaging processing conditions, secondary drying processing conditions and maturation processing conditions in the online thermometer, respectively, and transporting the crystalline maltitol under the corresponding temperature and humidity conditions for sorting and packaging processing, secondary drying processing and maturation processing, respectively; detecting the temperature and humidity of the crystalline maltitol after the secondary drying processing or maturation processing, transporting those that satisfy the sorting and packaging processing conditions for sorting and packaging processing, and continuing the corresponding processing for those that do not satisfy the sorting and packaging processing conditions until they are satisfied, and then transporting them for sorting and packaging processing, The sorting and packaging process of crystalline maltitol includes the steps of controlling the flow rate of crystalline maltitol to 0-3 t / h, screening the crystalline maltitol with a sorting machine equipped with a 5-20 mesh screen, sealing and packaging the undersieve as a finished crystalline maltitol product with a satisfactory particle size, and storing it for a long period of time; The secondary drying process of crystalline maltitol includes the steps of drying the crystalline maltitol in a dryer by controlling the hot air inlet temperature of the dryer to 80-90°C, the cold air inlet temperature to 20°C or less, and the flow rate of crystalline maltitol to 0-3 t / h, and the steps of detecting the temperature and humidity of the crystalline maltitol after the secondary drying process and performing processing according to the detection results. The maturation process of crystalline maltitol includes the steps of maturating the crystalline maltitol by controlling the supply air temperature during maturation to 15°C or less, the supply air humidity to 20% or less, and the flow rate of the crystalline maltitol to 0 to 3 t / h, and detecting the temperature and humidity of the crystalline maltitol after the maturation process and carrying out processing according to the detection results. The temperature and humidity conditions for the sorting and packaging process are: temperature of crystalline maltitol <20°C, humidity <70% RH; The secondary drying treatment conditions of temperature and humidity are: temperature of crystalline maltitol < 20°C, 70% RH ≦ humidity < 80% RH, or 20°C ≦ temperature < 25°C, humidity < 80% RH; A method characterized in that the temperature and humidity aging treatment conditions are a temperature of crystalline maltitol ≧25°C and any humidity, or a humidity of ≧80% RH and any temperature.

Citation Information

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