Retort rice meal producing system
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing retort rice meal production process is complex and energy-intensive, resulting in a product with poor outer appearance due to crushed rice grains and inconsistent texture.
Innovation Solution
A retort rice meal producing system that includes a pressurized steamer for gelatinizing the rice surface and creating a porous center, followed by single granulation, quantitative filling, and controlled moisture absorption to adjust texture, using a steamed-rice single granulation mechanism, quantitative filling mechanism, packing mechanism, and soaking/moisture-absorbing mechanism to produce retort rice meal with improved appearance and texture.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If raw rice is partially cooked and then cooled before adding remaining rice, then viscosity is reduced and pumpability is improved, but the production process becomes complicated and energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies preliminary action by pre-cooling only the portion of rice that has been cooked, rather than cooling the entire mixture. This preliminary cooling step prevents excessive gelatinization of the remaining raw rice while maintaining pumpability, simplifying the overall process by avoiding the need to cool and reheat the entire batch
Solution Approach 2:
The production process is segmented into distinct stages: cooking only a portion of the rice, cooling only the cooked portion, then mixing with remaining raw rice. This segmentation allows each step to be optimized independently, reducing overall process complexity and energy consumption compared to cooking and cooling the entire batch
2Quantity of substance
If multiple rice grain groups with different cooking histories are mixed, then viscosity control is achieved, but outer appearance deteriorates due to crushed grains
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies local quality by creating rice grains with non-uniform gelatinization - the outer layer remains relatively firm while the center becomes gelatinized. This local differentiation allows the rice to maintain good outer appearance while achieving desired viscosity and texture, avoiding the need to mix different rice grain groups
3Quantity of substance
If excessive cooling is applied to prevent gelatinization, then viscosity is reduced, but pumping becomes difficult due to increased viscosity
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies partial action by cooling only the cooked portion of rice rather than the entire mixture, and by controlling the cooling degree to achieve partial gelatinization. This partial cooling approach prevents excessive viscosity while maintaining pumpability, avoiding the harmful effects of both excessive cooling and excessive gelatinization
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system enables simple, energy-efficient production of retort rice meal with excellent outer appearance and adjustable texture, capable of producing both less-viscous and viscous rice meals by optimizing the gelatinization process and moisture absorption.
Implementation Method 1
a pressurized steamer mechanism performing a steam heating process on raw rice under pressurizing, thereby forming an gelatinized layer on a surface layer part of the raw rice grain and making a center part thereof porous
Implementation Method 2
forming an gelatinized layer on a surface layer part of the raw rice grain
Implementation Method 3
a soaking/moisture-absorbing mechanism reversing a package of the container sealed by the packing mechanism a plurality of times and causing the rice-cooking liquid to be absorbed into the steamed rice
Data Source
AI summary
A retort rice meal producing system includes a pressurized steamer mechanism performing a steam heating process on raw rice under pressurizing, a steamed-rice single granulation mechanism removing surface-layer moisture from the steamed rice processed for single granulation as being conveyed by a conveyer, a quantitative filling mechanism of measuring the steamed rice subjected to single granulation for each pack and filling a container with the steamed rice, a packing mechanism further filling the steamed-rice-filled container filled with the steamed rice with at least an amount of a liquid such as a rice-cooking liquid required for soaking and moisture absorption and air for allocating a head space, and sealing the container, a soaking/moisture-absorbing mechanism reversing a package of the sealed container a plurality of times and causing the rice-cooking liquid to be absorbed into the steamed rice, and a retort sterilizing apparatus.