Beverage production device

Abstract

The present invention includes: a bottle that holds at least an extraction object 10 and a liquid; and a pressure increasing / decreasing mechanism 3 that is connected to the bottle via piping 4 and can increase / decrease the air pressure inside the bottle. The present invention executes a pressure increasing / decreasing cycle that comprises a pressure decreasing step for decreasing the air pressure inside the bottle to an air pressure that is lower than atmospheric pressure, a decreased pressure holding step for holding the air pressure inside the bottle at the air pressure that is lower than atmospheric pressure for a prescribed amount of time after the pressure decreasing step, a pressure increasing step for increasing the air pressure inside the bottle to an air pressure that is higher than atmospheric pressure after the decreased pressure holding step, and an increased pressure holding step for holding the air pressure inside the bottle at the air pressure that is higher than atmospheric pressure for a prescribed amount of time after the pressure increasing step.

Description

beverage manufacturing equipment

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

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

[0003] With the above-described configuration, it is possible to extract a larger amount of umami components in a shorter time while suppressing the amount of bitter and astringent components extracted from the tea leaves.

[0004] Patent No. 7020730

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

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

[0007] (1) A beverage production apparatus comprising: a bottle containing at least an extracting material and a liquid; and a pressurizing / depressurizing device connected to the bottle via a pipe and capable of pressurizing or depressurizing the air pressure inside the bottle, wherein the bottle has a lid to which the pipe is connected and capable of sealing the bottle; the pressurizing / depressurizing device comprising a compressor, a vacuum pump, an electromagnetic valve, a pressure sensor, and a control unit capable of controlling the compressor, the vacuum pump, and the electromagnetic valve based on the detection results of the pressure sensor; and the control unit executes a pressurizing / depressurizing cycle consisting of a depressurizing step of reducing the air pressure inside the bottle to an air pressure lower than atmospheric pressure, a depressurized / maintained step of maintaining the air pressure inside the bottle at the lower air pressure for a predetermined time after the depressurizing step, a pressurizing step of increasing the air pressure inside the bottle to an air pressure higher than atmospheric pressure after the depressurized / maintained step, and a pressurized / maintained step of maintaining the air pressure inside the bottle at the higher air pressure for a predetermined time after the pressurizing step.

[0008] (2) The beverage production apparatus described in (1) above is 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) A beverage manufacturing apparatus as described in (1) or (2) above, characterized in that the time during which the air pressure inside the bottle is maintained at an air pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure in the reduced pressure holding step is within 30 seconds, and the time during which the air pressure inside the bottle is maintained at an air pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure in the pressurized holding step is within 30 seconds.

[0010] (4) The beverage production device described in (1) or (2) above is characterized in that the time during which the air pressure inside 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 inside 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 / depressurization cycle to be performed three times.

[0011] According to the present invention, the substance to be extracted and the 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.

[0012] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the conventional manufacturing method disclosed in FIG. 5 of Patent Document 1. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the device configuration of a beverage manufacturing device in an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a pressurized / depressurized extraction method in an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is an example of a time chart illustrating a reduced pressure extraction method in an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a table illustrating the results of a sensory evaluation test in an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a time chart for the conventional manufacturing method of No. 1 in FIG. 5. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a time chart for No. 7 in FIG. 5. FIG. 7 is a table comparing the extraction amounts of each extracted component in an embodiment of the present invention with the extraction amounts of each extracted component by conventional manufacturing methods.

[0013] An embodiment of a beverage production apparatus according to the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 2 shows a schematic configuration of a beverage production apparatus 1 according to this embodiment. The apparatus mainly comprises a bottle 2 capable of containing the beverage to be produced, and a pressurizer / depressurizer 3 capable of pressurizing and depressurizing the interior of the bottle 2, connected by piping 4 such as a tube.

[0014] The pressurizer / depressurizer 3 includes at least a compressor 31, a vacuum pump 30, a solenoid valve 32, a pressure sensor 33, a control unit 34, and a power supply unit 35. The control unit 34 controls the compressor 31, the vacuum pump 30, and the solenoid valve 32 based on the pressure inside the bottle 2 detected by the pressure sensor 33, and controls the pressurization / depressurization inside the bottle 2 by a control program. The compressor 31 and the vacuum pump 30 are not necessarily limited to being separate devices, 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 under reduced pressure, and can be made of an appropriate material such as transparent resin, glass, ceramic, or metal. The bottle 2 is also airtight, and is provided with an openable / closable lid 21 at the top and an openable / closable bottom lid 22 at the bottom. The lid 21 is provided with a connecting part (not shown) that communicates with the interior of the bottle 2 and allows the piping 4 to be attached or detached.

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

[0017] (Method for Producing Beverage) Next, an example of a method for producing a beverage using the beverage production apparatus 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 extraction subject 10 are poured into the bottle 2, and the lid 21 is then closed. The extraction subject 10 may be tea leaves, herbs, fruit, dried flowers, spices, or the like. Next, the piping 4 extending from the electromagnetic valve 32 of the pressurizer / depressurizer 3 is connected to the connection portion of the lid 21. Next, after powering on the pressurizer / depressurizer 3, the number of pressurization / depressurization cycles (see FIG. 4, etc.), which will be described later, is set using an operation setting means (not shown), and the set predetermined number of pressurization / depressurization cycles are executed by pressing an operation start button (not shown).

[0018] After a predetermined number of pressurization and depressurization cycles have been performed, the pipe 4 is removed from the connection portion of the lid 21. This series of operations produces a beverage in the bottle 2, in which the components of the extraction target 10 have been extracted. When the extraction target 10 includes tea leaves, the bitter components of tea, "catechins," are easily extracted at high temperatures, while the umami component, "theanine," is extracted over the entire temperature range. Due to these properties, adding a predetermined amount of ice to the bottle 2, as described above, lowers the water temperature, suppressing the extraction of the bitter components, "catechins," while efficiently extracting the umami component, "theanine."

[0019] Next, the above-mentioned pressurization / depressurization cycle will be described in detail with reference to Figures 3 and 4. Before the pressurization / depressurization cycle is executed, a predetermined amount of water, ice, and the extraction subject 10 are placed in the bottle 2, as shown in Figures 3A and 4A. The air pressure inside the bottle 2 is normal (1 atm). Thereafter, the pressurization / depressurization cycle begins with the start of operation of the pressurizer / depressurizer 3. Generally, water is heaviest when its temperature is 4°C, and therefore accumulates at the bottom of the bottle 2, while water at temperatures lower than 4°C is lighter and therefore accumulates at the top. Therefore, the water temperature inside the bottle 2 is 4°C or lower.

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

[0021] After maintaining the reduced pressure for a predetermined time, as shown in (C) of Figure 3 and (C) of Figure 4, the reduced pressure is released and the interior of the bottle 2 is pressurized by controlling the pressurizer / depressurizer 3. The interior of the bottle 2 is gradually pressurized to 1.2 atm or higher, more preferably approximately 1.8 to 2.0 atm (pressurization step). This causes the expanded extraction subject 10 to return to its original state, and various components contained in the extraction subject 10 are extracted along with the water taken up into the cells during the depressurization. In this embodiment, the pressurized state is maintained for 30 seconds as a pressurization holding time (t3) to ensure that the various components are sufficiently extracted (pressurization holding step).

[0022] As described above, after the pressurization and depressurization cycle has been performed a predetermined number of times, the extraction target 10 in the bottle 2 is pressed and the beverage is taken out of the bottle 2, as shown in (D) of Figure 3 and (D) of Figure 4.

[0023] As the beverage is removed from the bottle 2, the extraction subject 10 and a small amount of liquid remain at the bottom of the bottle 2. In particular, when the extraction subject 10 contains tea leaves, the liquid remaining at the bottom of the bottle 2 contains a large amount of theanine, 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 last. The extraction subject 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 and closable bottom lid 22, making it easy to discard the remaining extraction subject 10.

[0024] (Comparison with Conventional Manufacturing Method) Next, a comparative evaluation was carried out between the beverage manufacturing method using the beverage manufacturing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment and a conventional manufacturing method, and the evaluation results will be described.

[0025] FIG. 5 shows the test results of the sensory evaluation test, in which the sensory evaluation result for the conventional manufacturing method is indicated by "No. 1." Based on this, the effectiveness of a number of manufacturing methods ("No. 2" to "No. 7") including the manufacturing method of the present embodiment is compared to the conventional manufacturing method to verify its effectiveness.

[0026] Here, the conventional manufacturing methods "No. 1", "No. 3", and "No. 5" 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 opening to the atmosphere and maintaining normal pressure is repeated. In other words, unlike this embodiment, there are no pressurization steps or pressurization maintenance steps.

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

[0028] As can be seen from the sensory evaluation test results in Figure 5, "No. 1," a conventional manufacturing method that serves as the sensory evaluation standard, involves five cycles of a 30-second reduced-pressure hold time and a 30-second open-to-air hold time, resulting in a total extraction time of 8 minutes. On the other hand, "No. 4" of this embodiment involves three cycles of a 30-second reduced-pressure hold time and a 30-second pressurized hold time, achieving a taste equivalent to that of "No. 1" using the conventional manufacturing method. Furthermore, the total extraction time is reduced from 8 minutes to 5 minutes. In other words, by adopting the pressurization step and pressurization hold step described above, it is possible to reduce the time required to extract the beverage by as much as 3 minutes.

[0029] 8 shows a table comparing the amount of each extracted component in tea produced by the conventional method (reduced pressure extraction) and tea produced by this embodiment (pressurized / reduced pressure extraction). As shown in the table, the amount of each extracted component extracted when three cycles of pressurized / 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 / depressurized extraction, it is possible to reduce the number of cycles from the conventional five to three, significantly reducing the time required to extract the beverage. In other words, even if the number of cycles is reduced to shorten the extraction time, it is possible to extract the same amount of the umami component "theanine" as with the conventional five-cycle depressurized 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 extraction amounts of each extracted component shown in Figure 8 were obtained when the pressurization pressure was 1.2 atm. However, if the pressurization pressure were further increased to approximately 1.8 to 2.0 atm, the number of pressurization / depressurization cycles could be reduced to three or less, further shortening the extraction time. Alternatively, the reduced pressure and / or pressurized holding time could be reduced to 30 seconds or less, further shortening the extraction time. By increasing the pressurization pressure in this way, the beverage extraction time could be reduced to approximately one and a half minutes.

[0033] From the above-mentioned evaluation results, it can be seen that the beverage production device 1 of this embodiment makes it possible to produce a beverage in an extremely short time while suppressing bitterness compared to conventional production methods.

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

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

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

[0037] In the above-described embodiment, the pressure in the reduced pressure state is approximately 0.2 atm, and the pressure in the pressurized state is 1.2 atm or more, more preferably approximately 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 carry out a test run in advance for each type of extraction subject 10 and determine the optimal pressure according to the type of extraction subject 10, etc.

[0038] In the above-described embodiment, the number of pressurization / depressurization cycles is set by the operation setting means, but this is not necessarily limited to this configuration. For example, the state, quality, and type of the extraction subject 10 may be configured to be operable and set, and the number of pressurization / depressurization cycles to be set according to the type of extraction subject 10 may be set by the control program. 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 theanine extraction vary depending on the type of tea leaves. Therefore, it is preferable to investigate the optimal extraction conditions for each type of tea leaf, and set the number of pressurization / depressurization cycles, the water temperature during extraction, the reduced pressure and pressurization holding times for each cycle, and other factors based on the results of the investigation. For example, by storing control information for the beverage production device corresponding to each type of tea leaf in a memory means (not shown) of the control unit 34, and then selecting and setting the type of tea leaf in the tea leaf selection means of the control unit 34, it is possible to produce a beverage under optimal extraction conditions for the selected tea leaves. This configuration allows the original flavor of the tea leaves to be extracted to the maximum extent.

[0040] In the above-described embodiment, a beverage is produced by putting water, ice, and the extraction subject 10 into the bottle 2, 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.), or carbonated water, and extract the extracted components of the extraction subject 10 into that liquid. This makes it possible to produce a variety of beverages.

[0041] In the above-described embodiment, the time required for extraction is approximately 3 minutes for two cycles of pressurized / depressurized extraction, approximately 5 minutes for three cycles, and approximately 8 minutes for five cycles, but it is possible to further shorten the extraction time by increasing the proportion of liquid filled in the bottle 2 and reducing the amount of air in the bottle 2. For example, the time can be shortened to approximately 2 minutes for two cycles of pressurized / depressurized extraction, approximately 3.5 minutes for three cycles, and approximately 6 minutes for five cycles.

[0042] Although one embodiment of the beverage production device of the present invention has been described above with reference to the drawings and the like, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims rather than the description of the above embodiment, and further includes all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims. Furthermore, 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.

[0043] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 beverage production device 2 bottle 3 pressure booster / decompressor 4 piping 10 object to be extracted 21 lid 22 bottom lid 30 vacuum pump 31 compressor 32 solenoid valve 33 pressure sensor 34 control unit 35 power supply unit

Claims

1. A beverage production device comprising: a bottle in which at least an object to be extracted and a liquid are contained; a pressurizing and depressurizing machine connected to the bottle via piping and capable of pressurizing and depressurizing the air pressure inside the bottle; the bottle has a lid to which the piping is connected and capable of sealing the bottle; the pressurizing and depressurizing machine comprising 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 the detection result of the pressure sensor; and the control unit executes pressurization and depressurization cycles consisting of a depressurization step of reducing the air pressure inside the bottle to an air pressure lower than atmospheric pressure, a depressurization holding step of maintaining the air pressure inside the bottle at the 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 depressurization holding step, and a pressurization holding step of maintaining the air pressure inside the bottle at the air pressure higher than atmospheric pressure for a predetermined time after the pressurization step.

2. The beverage production apparatus according to claim 1, 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.

3. The beverage production apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the time during which the air pressure inside 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 inside the bottle is maintained at a pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure in the pressurized holding step is within 30 seconds.

4. The beverage production device as described in claim 1 or 2, 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 to perform the pressurization and depressurization cycle three times.

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