JP2567325B2 - Method and apparatus for continuous steam heat treatment of food - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a continuous steaming and heat treating means in the production of steamed buns, gooseberries and other steamed foods.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As conventional techniques relating to steam heating means, for example, steam steaming, box steaming, horizontal tunnel steaming,
There are various steaming means such as vertical moving steam, and the inside of the box is filled with steam and the processing is performed while maintaining a constant temperature.

[0003]

When a food material is carried into these atmospheres, the surface of the food material is rapidly heated due to the rapid temperature rise of the food material, and bubbles are formed between the skin and the inner layer. Cracks occur, and decolorization does not give the desired steam color, which is a cause of quality deterioration. In order to solve such a problem, the applicant of the present invention has provided a steam heating apparatus (Japanese Patent Application No. 63-240532) provided with a preheating chamber for performing preheating at a low temperature before performing rapid steam heating.
However, this invention has a drawback that it cannot be downsized because the preheating chamber must be separately provided in addition to the steaming chamber.
Moreover, the processing steps were complicated.

[0004]

The present invention solves various problems of these prior arts, and provides a simple structure and is capable of performing steam heat treatment in a small space. Of steamed products can be obtained. The structure is a method of steam-treating food materials stored in a tray in a box, in which a steam exhaust port is provided on a side wall of the box, and steam is supplied from a steam outlet provided in an upper part of the box to discharge the gas. A high temperature region is formed above the mouth, a low temperature region is formed below the exhaust port, and the food material is moved from the low temperature region to the high temperature region. This exhaust port is an exhaust port that discharges steam after steaming the food material, and what was conventionally provided on the top of the box body is provided on the side wall of the box body and supplies steam to the box body. The upper part of the box body from the lever exhaust port is in a high temperature region, and the lower part of the box is in a low temperature region.

[0005]

EXAMPLE A carry-in port 3 of a tray 2 is provided at the bottom of a box-shaped steaming chamber 1, and a carry-out port 4 thereof is provided at the upper part of the steaming chamber 1. Inside the steaming chamber 1, there is a carrying device 5 for raising the tray 2, and the tray 2 is intermittently driven by a driving device (not shown).
To be transported. A steam supply port 6 is provided in the upper part of the steaming chamber 1. The carry-in conveyors 7 and 8 are arranged in series at the carry-in entrance 3, and the space between them is used as the carry-in entrance 3, and the lid 31 opens and closes. A chain 53 is stretched vertically by sprockets 51 and 52, and the carrier device 5 has left and right chains 53 facing each other. Hooks 54 are attached to the left and right chains 53 at equal intervals and at the same height. Rotate to transport the tray. To explain the transfer of the tray 2, the tray 2 on which the food material 10 is placed is transferred into the steaming chamber 1 by the carry-in conveyors 7 and 8 and intermittently stopped. Next, the chain 53 rotates and the tray 2 is supported by the hooks 54 to raise the tray one step.
The tray 2 is sequentially loaded by such intermittent transport,
It rises and is carried out from the carry-out port.

The steaming time can be adjusted by changing the intermittent operation time, the conveying speed and the number of tray stages.
Since the atmosphere in the steaming chamber 1 is provided with the exhaust port 9, the steam supplied from the upper portion moves downward to steam the food material in the tray to be exhausted from the exhaust port 9, so the steaming chamber below the exhaust port 9 Will not be filled with high temperature steam and will be in the low temperature range. The tray 2 is first carried into this low temperature region in the box body, and the food material 10 is steamed by this low temperature, and gradually steamed as the conveying device 5 rises.

Nine trays can be stored in the steaming chamber of the present embodiment, and the temperature in the steaming chamber in the fourth stage and above above the exhaust port 9 is a high temperature range of 98 degrees Celsius or more, which is almost unchanged. On the other hand, the third stage with the exhaust port is 9 degrees Celsius.
The second stage was 70 degrees and the first stage was 50 degrees. It was found that although the temperature changes depending on the amount of steam supplied, the position below the exhaust port always keeps a low temperature region as compared with the position above the exhaust port. This equipment steamed brown sugar manju, but compared to the one treated with conventional steaming equipment,
A product with good color and gloss was obtained. Further, since the exhaust passage 91 is provided in the steam exhaust port 9, the steam passes through this passage and the so-called chimney effect of the exhaust passage 91 causes the steaming chamber 1
Convection is generated inside, and the vapor in the low temperature region is sucked in, which suppresses the rise in the low temperature region. In this embodiment, the tray carry-in port is provided at the lower part of the steaming chamber and the carry-out port is provided at the upper part. However, as another embodiment, as shown in FIG. Are connected to each other, and a tray passage is provided so as to communicate with each other at the upper portion, and the tray loading / unloading is provided at the lower portion of the steaming chamber. In this case, the preheating section can be used as a predetermined section after the tray is loaded, and the steaming chamber where the tray descends can be used as a steaming chamber.

[0008]

As described above, according to the present invention, in a method of steaming food material stored in a tray while moving it in a box, steam is supplied from a steam supply port provided in the upper part of the box, Vapor is exhausted from the steam exhaust port provided on the side wall in the box body, a high temperature region is formed above the exhaust port, a low temperature region is formed below the exhaust port, and the food material is changed from the low temperature region to the high temperature region. Since it is carried out by moving, a high quality product can be obtained by a simple means.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional side view of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional front view of the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional side view of another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Steaming Room 2 Tray 3 Carry In 4 Carry Out 5 Carrying Device 6 Steam Supply 9 Exhaust

Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-60-53112 (JP, A) JP-A-62-34518 (JP, A) JP-A-2-88016 (JP, A)

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A method of steam-treating food materials stored in a tray in a box, wherein steam is supplied from above the box and exhausted from below, and a high temperature region of steam is provided above the box and below the box. The method is characterized in that a low temperature region of steam is created and the food material is moved from below to above this space. 2. A method of performing steam heat treatment while moving food materials stored in a tray in a box body, wherein steam is supplied from a steam supply port provided in an upper part of the box body, and steam provided on a side wall of the box body. Vapor is exhausted from the exhaust port, a high temperature region is formed above the exhaust port, a low temperature region is formed below the exhaust port, and the food material is moved from the low temperature region to the high temperature region. The method to do. 3. A continuous steaming apparatus for foods, which has a tray transfer device in a box, and has openings for loading and unloading the tray in the upper and lower parts of the box, which openings can be opened and closed by a lid. The apparatus has a steam supply port in the upper part of the box body, and a steam exhaust port is provided on a side surface of the box body in a transfer section of the tray transfer device. 4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein an opening at a lower portion of the box body serves as a tray carry-in port and an upper opening serves as a tray carry-out port.