How to supply water to a noodle mixer

Abstract

To achieve a uniform mixing process free from unevenness by removing milling unevenness of powder (wheat flour or the like) in a double shaft type noodle-making mixer.SOLUTION: In a water supply method to a noodle-making mixer, water is supplied so that water spray is supplied between a pair of revolving shafts inside the mixer, while powder is rotated and agitated, concerning the noodle-making mixer including a frame body 3 for storing powder of wheat flour or the like, the pair of revolving shafts 15 penetrating the frame body approximately in a horizontal direction, and arranged in parallel at a prescribed interval, and a plurality of agitation rods 5 extending approximately in a vertical direction from the revolving shafts 15.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a water supply method in a noodle-making mixer for forming dough by kneading wheat flour in a production line of instant noodles or the like, and to the noodle-making mixer.

Background Art

[0002] In a production line of instant noodles or the like, it is necessary to supply moisture to powders such as wheat flour and starch for the production of noodle strands. In many cases, in addition to water, the moisture is supplied as kneading water in which salt, kansui, or thickening polysaccharides are dissolved. Generally, various methods are used for supplying moisture to the mixer. For example, a method of locally supplying water into the mixer using rod-shaped water can be mentioned. However, in the case of water supply using rod-shaped water, locally high moisture is supplied to the powder, so uneven kneading of the powder (such as wheat flour) occurs, and there has been a problem that the powder is likely to scatter and kneading cannot be made uniform. The following prior arts can be mentioned as improvement techniques during kneading of wheat flour.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Disclosure of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Therefore, the present inventors have made it an object to eliminate uneven kneading of powder (such as wheat flour) in a two-axis noodle-making mixer and to realize a uniform mixing process without unevenness. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] As a result of diligent research by the present inventors, a noodle-making mixer comprising a frame for storing powder such as wheat flour, a pair of rotating shafts that penetrate the frame in a substantially horizontal direction and are arranged parallel to each other at a predetermined interval, and a plurality of stirring rods extending substantially vertically from the rotating shafts, We have found that supplying water from above so that it is sprayed between the pair of rotating shafts inside the mixer while the powder is being rotated and stirred is ideal for achieving uniform mixing. In other words, the first invention of this application is, A noodle-making mixer comprising a frame for storing powder such as wheat flour, a pair of rotating shafts that penetrate the frame in a substantially horizontal direction and are arranged parallel to each other at a predetermined interval, and a plurality of stirring rods that extend substantially vertically from the rotating shafts, The water supply method for a noodle-making mixer is characterized by supplying water from above so that water is sprayed between the pair of rotating shafts inside the mixer while the powder is being rotated and stirred.

[0006] Next, it is preferable that the water supply be carried out in a manner in which the water is spread out in a state of being atomized into fine particles. In other words, the second invention of this application is, "A water supply method for a noodle-making mixer according to claim 1, wherein the water supply is carried out in a manner in which the water is spread out in a state of being atomized into fine particles."

[0007] Next, the atomization of the water described above is preferably carried out using a diffusion nozzle. In other words, the third invention of this application is, "The water supply method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the water supply is performed using a diffusion nozzle."

[0008] Next, it is preferable that the water pressure during the water supply described above be above a predetermined level. In other words, the fourth invention of this application is, "The water supply method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the liquid supply pressure during water supply is 0.1 MPa to 0.5 MPa."

[0009] Furthermore, the inventors also intend to provide an apparatus that can realize the above method. In other words, the fifth invention of this application is, A frame for storing powders such as flour, The frame is penetrated by a pair of rotating shafts arranged parallel to each other in a substantially horizontal direction at predetermined intervals, and a plurality of stirring rods extending substantially vertically from the rotating shafts. The frame has a lid that can be opened and closed, A noodle-making mixer equipped with a diffusion nozzle positioned between the pair of rotating shafts within the frame so as to be able to spray water. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] By using the water supply method or apparatus of the present invention, the kneading of powder in a noodle-making mixer can be performed uniformly and without unevenness. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] This is a front cross-sectional view of a noodle-making mixer according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a right side view of a noodle-making mixer according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] This is a cross-sectional perspective view of the first embodiment of the present invention, shown along line AA' in Figure 1. [Figure 4] This is a perspective cross-sectional view showing the direction of rotation of the rotation axis 15. [Figure 5] This is a perspective cross-sectional view showing the region between the axes of rotation. [Figure 6] This is a perspective cross-sectional view showing the approximately elliptical spray region between the axes of rotation. [Figure 7] This diagram shows the dimensions of the noodle-making mixer used in Example 1. [Figure 8] (1) A front cross-sectional view and (2) an oblique cross-sectional view showing the water supply state of Example 1. [Figure 9] (1) A front cross-sectional view and (2) an oblique cross-sectional view showing the water supply state of Example 2. [Figure 10](1) Front cross-sectional view and (2) perspective cross-sectional view showing the water supply state of Example 3. [Figure 11] (1) Front cross-sectional view and (2) perspective cross-sectional view showing the water supply state of Comparative Example 1. [Figure 12] (1) Front cross-sectional view and (2) perspective cross-sectional view showing the water supply state of Comparative Example 2.

Explanation of Reference Signs

[0012] 1 Noodle-making mixer 3 Frame body 5 Stirring rod 7 Lid part 11 Powder supply port 13 Drain port 15 Rotating shaft 17 Hole part of the frame body 18 Between the rotating shafts (dark-colored part) 19 Diffusion nozzle 21 Spraying area 25 Pipe

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0013] The first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. FIG. 1 is a front cross-sectional view of the noodle-making mixer of the first embodiment of the present invention. Further, FIG. 2 is a right side view, and FIG. 3 shows a perspective cross-sectional view taken along line AA' of FIG. 1.

[0014] ─Noodle-making mixer─ The noodle-making mixer 1 in the present invention refers to a batch-type noodle-making mixer for supplying water to powders such as wheat flour and starch to form dough when manufacturing noodles. Usually, noodle strands are formed by adding kneading water in which kansui or salt is dissolved in water, if necessary, to powders such as wheat flour and kneading them, and then passing through processes such as compounding → rolling → cutting to make noodles. "Water supply" in the present invention naturally includes not only the case of simply supplying only water, but also the case of supplying kneading water in which kansui or salt is dissolved in water to the powder. Furthermore, the noodle-making mixer of the present invention is also intended to be used as part of production equipment for mass production in factories, such as in instant noodle manufacturing lines.

[0015] ─Frame─ As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the frame 3 serves as a container for holding the raw materials to be mixed. In the first embodiment of the present invention, the overall shape is that of a roughly rectangular parallelepiped, and the bottom of the frame 3 has a shape in which two roughly cylindrical bodies are connected so that the movement of the stirring rod 5, which will be described later, extends to the entire storage area of ​​the frame 3. In addition, a lid is provided at the top, and the opening of the frame 3 is configured to be openable and closable.

[0016] Furthermore, the lid portion 7 is provided with two water supply pipes 9 for supplying water to the powder from the outside. In addition, a powder supply port 11 for supplying powder and a drain port 13 for cleaning the inside of the frame are provided. However, the shape of the frame 3 is not particularly limited to the first embodiment of the present invention, and various forms are possible. Furthermore, although not shown in the diagram, the frame 3 is rotatable on a predetermined support shaft so that its opening can face downwards in order to discharge the dough after mixing. Furthermore, it goes without saying that the present invention can also be used as a so-called vacuum mixer, which enhances the airtightness of the frame 3 from the outside and reduces the internal pressure to create a reduced pressure state inside the frame.

[0017] —Rotating shaft and stirring rod— Next, in the noodle-making mixer 1 of the present invention, the frame 3 has a pair of rotating shafts 15 that penetrate substantially horizontally at predetermined intervals and are arranged parallel to each other. In the first embodiment of the present invention, two holes 17 are provided on the left and right side surfaces of the frame, and a pair of rotating shafts 15 are inserted through the holes 17 in a substantially horizontal direction. The rotating shaft is connected to a motor for driving to obtain rotational force, and guides, belts, chains, etc., are appropriately arranged for power transmission from the driving means. Of course, known methods can be used for these. Furthermore, the direction of rotation of the rotating shaft 15 is such that both stirring rods 5 rotate upward between the rotating shafts. That is, the direction of the arrow in Figure 4.

[0018] —Water supply between the rotating shafts— Next, the present invention is characterized by supplying water between the pair of rotating shafts 15 while the powder is being rotated and stirred. Furthermore, as mentioned above, the term "water supply" here includes not only supplying water alone, but also supplying it in the form of kneading water, which is water in which salt, brine, thickening polysaccharides, etc., are dissolved as needed. In the first embodiment of the present invention, the distance between the rotation axes refers to the distance between a pair of rotation axes 15 that penetrate the frame in a predetermined direction and are arranged at a predetermined interval, as shown in the dark-colored portion 18 of Figure 5. The spacing can be appropriately determined by the length (size) and spacing of the stirring rod-shaped members (stirring rods) 5 attached to the rotating shaft 15.

[0019] Next, the water supply between the rotating shafts only needs to be within the distance between the rotating shafts, and a wider area is preferable. However, it is not necessarily required to cover the entire area; it is sufficient if the main amount of water is supplied to the distance between the shafts. Furthermore, it goes without saying that water may be supplied to parts other than the area between the rotating shafts, for example, to the rotating shaft itself or to the space between the frame 3 and the rotating shaft 15.

[0020] ─Water supply amount─ For every 1 kg of flour or other powder, approximately 250 ml to 400 ml of water is used to prepare the kneading water by dissolving salt, lye, etc. Therefore, since mixers are typically used for 100 kg or 250 kg mixing, the amount of water used for 250 kg mixing is approximately 65 L to 100 L.

[0021] —Watering— In this invention, water is supplied between the rotating shafts by spraying. Here, the term "spraying" in this invention is intended to mean more than just a stream of water; for example, it is possible to place obstacles in the path of the stream of water to disperse the water. It is also possible to disperse the stream of water into a number of linear streams.

[0022] Furthermore, it is preferable that the water is supplied in a manner in which it spreads out in a state of being atomized into fine particles (a so-called sprayed state), rather than in a manner in which the water trajectory is a single linear line. Furthermore, there are no particular limitations on the method of atomizing water; various methods are possible. In addition, various methods are possible for atomization, including a single-fluid type using only water, a two-fluid type using water and gas, and so on.

[0023] —Diffusion nozzle— In the present invention, it is preferable to use a diffusion nozzle 19 in order to supply the water in a manner in which it is dispersed in a finely atomized state. While the diffusion nozzle 19 can be a single-fluid type containing only water, or a two-fluid type containing water and gas, a single-fluid type containing only water is preferably used.

[0024] ─Placement─ It is preferable that the watering is carried out inside the mixer via a water supply pipe 9 located on the upper part of the mixer lid 7. A pressurized water flow system can be provided to supply a water flow at a predetermined pressure from the outside. In addition, there may be cases where the water supply pipe 19 for the water supply is not located in the center of the lid 7. In such cases, it can be adjusted so that the water can be sprayed into the center by, for example, using S-shaped piping inside.

[0025] —Water supply configuration— The spray shape is not particularly limited, but for example, when two diffusion nozzles 19 are arranged on the upper part of the frame 3 as shown in Figure 6, it is preferable that the spray area 21 (dark colored area) is substantially elliptical as shown in Figure 6. However, it is not limited to this spray shape, and various shapes are possible. Furthermore, it is preferable that the spray area of ​​atomized water is wide and extends over the entire surface. Furthermore, the number of diffusion nozzles 19 is not particularly limited and can be set appropriately according to the size of the frame, etc., but generally it is around 1 to 6 units.

[0026] —Fluid delivery pressure— When using S-shaped piping or the like to supply water at high pressure, guide vanes or the like may be installed inside the piping to eliminate turbulence in the flow within the piping. The rotation inside the mixer will generate turbulence due to the powder. When this turbulence occurs, the powder will scatter and adhere to the inside of the lid 7, etc., reducing the efficiency of the mixing process. Therefore, to avoid this turbulence, it is preferable to increase the straightness of the finely atomized mixing water. For this reason, a relatively high liquid supply pressure is preferable. Therefore, the liquid supply pressure when supplying water is generally in the range of approximately 0.1 MPa to 0.5 MPa. More preferably, it is around 0.2 MPa to 0.3 MPa. In this invention, the liquid supply pressure during water supply refers specifically to the pressure at which the mixed water supplied from the liquid supply pump is sprayed. This liquid supply pressure can be measured by installing a pressure gauge directly in front of the diffusion nozzle 19.

[0027] —Timing of water supply— There are no particular limitations on the water supply time. Water is supplied while the powder is being stirred, and it is possible to supply the entire amount continuously during the stirring, or to supply water continuously at regular intervals, i.e., intermittently. Furthermore, while the usual mixing time is about 6 to 15 minutes, it is common practice to start adding water 0 to 3 minutes after adding the required powder to the mixer and completing the watering in about 1 to 3 minutes. In addition, it is preferable to continue mixing for about 5 to 10 minutes after adding water to form the dough. [Examples]

[0028] Examples of the present invention are described below, but the present invention is not limited to these examples.

[0029] [Example 1] (Diffusion nozzle, water spraying between rotating shafts) As shown in the first embodiment of the present invention, a batch-type noodle mixer 1 of various sizes, as shown in Figure 7, was used, which included a frame 3 for storing powder such as wheat flour, a pair of rotating shafts 15 that penetrate the frame 3 in a substantially horizontal direction and are arranged parallel to each other at a predetermined interval, and a plurality of stirring rods 5 that extend substantially vertically from the rotating shafts 15. Furthermore, a diffusion nozzle 19 guided into the interior from a water supply pipe 9 was installed, and the system was configured to allow water to be sprayed from the diffusion nozzle 19.

[0030] 250 kg of powder (225 g of wheat flour and 25 g of starch) was added to the noodle-making mixer described above, and rotational stirring was started (750 rpm). One minute after starting rotational stirring, 100 kg of separately prepared kneading water (95 L of water, 500 g of lye water, and 4.5 kg of salt) was supplied at a pressure of 0.2 MPa for 2 minutes through two diffusion nozzles 9 located below the upper lid 7 of the mixer, while rotational stirring continued (1,450 rpm). After kneading for 9 minutes, dough for noodle making was obtained. Figure 8(1) shows an approximate image of the amount of water supplied (dark area: the height of the dark area represents the amount of water supplied). Figure 8(2) shows an approximate image of the main area (dark area) where water is supplied.

[0031] The evaluation criteria were (1) the scattering of powder during mixing, and (2) the uniformity of the dough obtained after mixing (dough moisture content). Scattering during mixing was evaluated on a five-point scale (1: scattering present (poor) → 5: no scattering (good)). Dough uniformity was also evaluated on a five-point scale (1: uneven (poor) → 5: even (good)). The evaluation results are shown in Table 1.

[0032] [Example 2] (Linear water, water sprayed between rotating shafts) In Example 1, instead of using a diffusion nozzle, water was supplied using linear water streams divided into 10 streams via a simpler piping 25 from the water supply pipe 19. Figure 9 shows the water supply state. Other conditions were the same as in Example 1. The evaluation results are shown in Table 1.

[0033] [Example 3] (Diffusion nozzle, with a portion spraying water between the rotating shafts) In Example 1, as shown in Figure 10, water was supplied to only a portion of the area between the rotating shafts (the rest was supplied to the rotating shafts themselves) using the diffusion nozzle 19. The evaluation results are shown in Table 1.

[0034] [Comparative Example 1] (Water in a rod-like stream, water sprayed onto a rotating shaft) In Example 1, instead of using the diffusion nozzle 19, water was supplied from two locations using a simple piping 25 from two water supply pipes 9 provided in the upper lid 7, and the water supply area was directed towards the rotation axis itself rather than between the rotation axes, as shown in Figure 11. The evaluation results are shown in Table 1.

[0035] [Comparative Example 2] (Linear water, water sprayed onto a rotating shaft) In Example 1, instead of a diffusion nozzle, water was supplied using linear water divided into 10 streams via a simple pipe 25, and the water supply area was directed towards the axis of rotation rather than between the axes of rotation. Other conditions were the same as in Example 1. Figure 12 shows the water supply state. The evaluation results are shown in Table 1.

[0036] [Table 1]

[0037] Using a stream of water resulted in poor powder dispersion and poor dough uniformity. By supplying water between the rotating shafts using a diffusion nozzle, good results were obtained in both powder dispersion during mixing and dough uniformity.

Claims

[Claim 1] A method for supplying water to a noodle-making mixer, used in a method in which, after adding powder such as wheat flour to a noodle-making mixer and starting stirring, water is added 0 to 3 minutes later, water supply is completed in about 1 to 3 minutes, and stirring is continued for about 5 to 10 minutes after the water supply to form dough, wherein A noodle-making mixer comprising a frame for storing the powder, a pair of rotating shafts that penetrate the frame in a substantially horizontal direction and are arranged parallel to each other at a predetermined interval, and a plurality of stirring rods that extend substantially vertically from the rotating shafts, While the powder is being rotated and stirred, water is supplied to the space between the pair of rotating shafts inside the mixer, so that the main amount of water is supplied. The water supply is carried out in a manner in which the water is spread out in a state of being atomized into fine particles. The aforementioned water supply is performed using a diffusion nozzle. The liquid supply pressure during water supply is set to 0.1 MPa to 0.5 MPa to enhance the straight-line propagation of the atomized water. A water supply method for a noodle-making mixer for reducing uneven mixing of powder, characterized in that the spray shape produced by the water supply is a substantially elliptical spray area.

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