Soup stock extraction device and soup stock extraction method

Abstract

A soup stock extraction device includes a stock take-out part that is connected to a bottom of a tank containing water and ingredients used for soup stock extraction and that is used to take out a stock including flavor compounds extracted from the ingredients and dissolved in the water, and a residue discharge part for discharging a residue of the ingredients. The stock take-out part includes a tubular body that is connected to the bottom of the tank and receives the stock and the residue flowing therein from the tank in a process of stock extraction, a screw conveyor disposed inside the tubular body, and a stock take-out port provided on the tubular body to take out the stock inside the tubular body. The residue discharge part includes the screw conveyor and a residue discharge port provided on the tubular body to discharge the residue.

Claims

1. A soup stock extraction device that is configured to be connected to a bottom of a tank containing water and ingredients used for soup stock extraction, comprising: a tubular body configured to be connected to the bottom of the tank; a screw conveyor or a helical plate disposed inside the tubular body; a stock take-out port disposed on a sidewall of the body; a residue discharge part provided on a bottom of the tubular body for discharging a residue of the ingredients, wherein a blade of the screw conveyor or the helical plate is configured to deposit the residue thereon to inhibit a fall of the residue, and wherein the stock take-out port is configured to take out a stock from the body through a space between plural ones of the blade of the screw conveyor or the helical plate inside the body by inhibiting the fall of the residue by the blade of the screw conveyor or the helical plate.

2. The soup stock extraction device according to claim 1, wherein a vertical position of the stock take-out port is between the vertical positions of the upper and lower edges of the blade of the screw conveyor or the helical plate.

3. The soup stock extraction device according to claim 1, wherein the residue discharge part comprises an opening comprising an openable and closable lid.

4. The soup stock extraction device according to claim 1, wherein the tubular body comprises a first part housing a blade of the screw conveyor or the helical plate and a second part provided under the first part and inclined with respect to the first part.

5. The soup stock extraction device according to claim 1, comprising a steam jacket that covers a surface of the tubular body.

6. The soup stock extraction device according to claim 1, wherein a vertical position of an upper edge of a blade of the screw conveyor or the helical plate is the same as a vertical position of an opening of the tubular body at an upper end or is higher than the vertical position of the opening.

7. A soup stock extraction method for extracting flavor compounds from ingredients used for soup stock extraction, taking out a stock comprising the flavor compounds dissolved in water, and discharging a residue of the ingredients, the soup stock extraction method comprising: extracting the flavor compounds from the ingredients contained in a tank; and taking out the stock through a stock take-out port that is attached to a tubular body configured to be connected to a bottom of the tank and a space between plural ones of a blade of the screw conveyor or the helical plate inside the body by inhibiting a fall of a residue of the ingredients by depositing the residue on the blade of the screw conveyor or the helical plate.

8. The soup stock extraction method according to claim 7, wherein the tubular body is heated during the extracting of the flavor compounds and the taking out of the stock.

9. The soup stock extraction method according to claim 7, wherein steam generated from water in the tank is compressed inside the tank by sealing the tank during the extracting of the flavor compounds, so that the extracting of the flavor compounds is accelerated by pressure of the steam.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is an external view showing a soup stock extraction device in an embodiment of the present invention and a tank.

(2) FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the soup stock extraction device in the embodiment.

(3) FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the tank to which the soup stock extraction device is connected.

(4) FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a process of taking out stock and discharging a residue.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

(5) Configuration of Soup Stock Extraction Device

(6) FIG. 1 is an external view showing a soup stock extraction device 1 in an embodiment of the present invention and a tank 2. FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the soup stock extraction device 1 in the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the tank 2 to which the soup stock extraction device 1 is connected.

(7) The soup stock extraction device 1 is a device to be connected to the bottom of a tank containing water and animal bones such as pig or chicken bones used for soup stock extraction, and is capable of taking out a stock (or an extraction liquid) with flavor compounds extracted from the bones and dissolved in water and also capable of discharging a bone residue (insoluble substances which are left after soup stock extraction).

(8) The soup stock extraction device 1 has a tubular body 10 which is connected to the bottom of the tank 2 and receives the stock and a residue flowing therein from the tank 2 during the stock extraction process, a stock take-out port 12 which is provided on the body 10 to take out the stock, a residue discharge port 13 which is provided on the body 10 to discharge the residue, and a screw conveyor 11 which is arranged within the body 10 and conveys the residue deposited in the body 10 toward the residue discharge port 13.

(9) The screw conveyor 11 has a rotating shaft 11a, and a helical blade 11b on the rotating shaft 11a. The screw conveyor 11 has a function of assisting take-out of the stock and also has a function of assisting discharge of the residue.

(10) Firstly, the function of the screw conveyor 11 to assist take-out of the stock will be specifically described. When taking out the stock through the stock take-out port 12, the residue which includes fine sand-shaped bone particles flows into the body 10 and is deposited. Thus, if the screw conveyor 11 is not provided, the deposited residue blocks the path from the tank 2 to the stock take-out port 12, and also, a large amount of the residue flows out from the stock take-out port 12 and causes clogging of a pipe (not shown) connected to the stock take-out port 12, hence, it is not possible to take out the stock.

(11) On the other hand, when the screw conveyor 11 is provided, the residue is unlikely to get under the blade 11b of the screw conveyor 11 since the blade 11b serves as a baffle plate for inhibiting a fall of the residue, and a space to be a stock take-out path is formed thereunder. It is also possible to prevent the residue from flowing out from the stock take-out port 12. Thus, it is easy to take out the stock.

(12) The stock take-out path is easily formed from the tank 2 to the stock take-out port 12 when the vertical position of the stock take-out port 12 is between the vertical positions of the upper and lower edges of the blade 11b, i.e., when the stock take-out port 12 is provided on a first part 10a of the body 10 since the blade 11b of the screw conveyor 11 forms the stock take-out path.

(13) Particularly, a vertical distance from an opening of the body 10 at the upper end (a vertical distance from the bottom of the tank 2) is preferably as short as possible and is preferably, e.g., not more than 200 mm. This is based on the fact that the residue is likely to flow out from the stock take-out port 12 when a lower region than the stock take-out port 12 (a region on the lower side of the stock take-out port 12 in FIG. 2) is completely filled with the residue.

(14) If a stock take-out port is attached to the bottom of the tank 2, the residue deposited on the bottom of the tank 2 becomes an obstruct and it is not possible to take out the stock.

(15) Meanwhile, the vertical position of the upper edge of the blade 11b is preferably the same as or higher than the vertical position of the opening of the body 10 at the upper end (the vertical position of the bottom surface of the tank 2) so that a fall of the residue can be inhibited by the blade 11b of the screw conveyor 11 more effectively.

(16) A gap between the blade 11b of the screw conveyor 11 and the inner wall of the body 10 is preferably not less than 5 mm and not more than 80 mm, and is, e.g., 5 mm. When the gap is smaller than 5 mm, the stock is less likely to flow between the blade 11b and the inner wall of the body 10. Meanwhile, when more than 80 mm, the residue is likely to flow between the blade 11b and inner wall of the body 10 and is thus likely to flow out from the stock take-out port 12.

(17) A pitch of the blade 11b of the screw conveyor 11 is preferably not less than 100 mm and not more than 200 mm, and is, e.g., 150 mm. Take-out of the stock and discharge of the residue can be effectively assisted when the pitch is in the range of not less than 100 mm and not more than 200 mm.

(18) When, for example, the screw conveyor 11 is not used for the residue discharge mechanism, a member other than the blade 11b of the screw conveyor 11, e.g., a helical plate having a similar shape to the blade 11b, can be used as a baffle plate for inhibiting a fall of the residue. In other words, it is possible to assist take-out of the stock also when using a baffle plate formed of a member other than the blade 11b of the screw conveyor 11.

(19) Next, the function of the screw conveyor 11 to assist discharge of the residue will be specifically described. Without the screw conveyor 11, the residue, which is fine sand-shaped bone particles, is highly densely deposited in the body 10 due to its own weight and it is thus very difficult to discharge the residue. In addition, since stock is generally extracted by applying pressure, the deposited residue is squeezed by pressure from above and this makes the discharge more difficult.

(20) On the other hand, when the screw conveyor 11 is provided, the blade 11b of the screw conveyor 11 serves as a baffle plate for inhibiting a fall of the residue as described above and it is thus possible to prevent high-density deposition of the residues. In addition, since it is possible to convey the residue toward the residue discharge port 13 by rotating the blade 11b at the time of discharging the residue, it is possible to easily discharge the residue.

(21) The screw conveyor 11 is rotated by an external stirrer motor 19 installed outside the soup stock extraction device 1. Since the external stirrer motor 19 is installed outside the soup stock extraction device 1, it is possible to easily control the rotation speed of the screw conveyor 11 (a residue discharging speed) or the rotation direction.

(22) In the example shown in FIG. 2, rotation of a sprocket 20 of the external stirrer motor 19 is transferred via a sprocket chain 22 to a sprocket 21 fixed to the rotating shaft 11a of the screw conveyor 11, and the screw conveyor 11 is thereby rotated. Although the lower edge of the rotating shaft 11a to which the sprocket 21 is attached is located outside the body 10 as shown in FIG. 2, the airtightness of the body 10 is maintained.

(23) Since the soup stock extraction device 1 is configured that the residue is automatically discharged by the screw conveyor 11, a large amount of stock can be extracted from a large amount of bones at a time by using the tank 2 with a large capacity and can be taken out. As a result, it is possible to reduce the manufacturing cost for the soup stock.

(24) The body 10 preferably has a first part 10a which houses the blade 11b of the screw conveyor 11, and a second part 10b which is provided on the lower side of the first part 10a and is inclined at a predetermined angle θ with respect to the rotating shaft 11a or the first part 10a, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

(25) The second part 10b can receive and hold the residue flowing down through a gap between the blade 11b of the screw conveyor 11 and the inner wall of the body 10. In addition, since the second part 10b has an inclination from the horizontal direction, compression of the residue inside the body 10 due to pressure from above can be reduced and the residue can slide down when being discharged.

(26) The inclination angle θ of the second part 10b is preferably not less than 30° and not more than 50°. When the inclination from the horizontal direction is more than 50°, the residue is less likely to slide down along the inner wall of the second part 10b during discharge of the residue. On the other hand, when less than 30°, the capacity of the second part 10b is reduced since a portion of the rotating shaft 11a of the screw conveyor 11 housed therein is increased, and the amount of the residue to be held during soup stock extraction is reduced.

(27) To facilitate discharge of the residue, the residue discharge port 13 is preferably an opening which is provided at an end of the body 10 on the opposite side to the tank 2 and has an openable and closable lid 14. In the example shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the lid 14 is a pressure-resistant lid fixed by a clamp 15. Alternatively, another opening and closing mechanism such as sluice valve or ball valve may be used instead of the lid 14 to discharge the residue. The residue discharge port needs to be located below the screw conveyor 11. Therefore, even if a residue discharge port is provided on the bottom of the tank 2, the residue cannot be discharged therefrom.

(28) In the soup stock extraction device 1, e.g., a steam jacket 16 covering the surface of the body 10 is provided as a heating device to heat the body 10. By heating the body 10, it is possible to prevent the stock from coagulating or the stock and the residue from getting rotten inside the body 10 during the stock extraction process and the stock take-out process. Steam is sent into the steam jacket 16 from steam inlet ports 17 and water produced by cooling of the steam is discharged from a water discharge port 18. Alternatively, another heating device such as electric heater may be used instead of the steam jacket 16.

(29) The shape of the tank 2 connected to the soup stock extraction device 1 is not specifically limited, and may be either a vertical tank or a horizontal tank. In addition, the capacity of the tank 2 is not specifically limited, neither, and it is possible to use, a 10-ton tank.

(30) FIG. 3 shows a relation between the body 10 of the soup stock extraction device 1 and the tank 2. The tank 2 has a lid 21. The tank 2 can be tightly closed by closing the lid 21 during extraction of the stock.

(31) It is preferable that the tank 2 be also provided with a stirrer 22 therein. The stirrer 22 has a rotating shaft 22a and a stirring part 22b. Water temperature can be maintained uniform by stirring bones and water in the tank 2 using the stirrer during stock extraction and it is thereby possible to obtain the stock with uniform quality more efficiently.

(32) Although it is possible to extract and obtain stock at ambient temperature, it is preferable to heat the tank 2 to efficiently extract the stock. A steam jacket 20 can be used for heating.

Method for Taking Out the Stock and Discharging the Residue

(33) A method for taking out stock and discharging residue using the soup stock extraction device 1 in the present embodiment will be described below as an example.

(34) FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a process of taking out stock and discharging residue. The method for taking out stock and discharging residue will be described below using the flowchart in FIG. 4.

(35) Firstly, after opening the lid 21 of the tank 2, water and animal bones such as beef, pig or chicken bones are loaded into the tank 2 (Step 1). Large bones such as beef bones are loaded into the tank 2 preferably after cutting to a size according to an inner diameter of the body 10 of the soup stock extraction device 1 for efficient extraction.

(36) The weight of water supplied to the tank 2 is generally not less than the weight of bones. The bone-to-water weight ratio is set to, e.g., 1:1.15. In general, bones are loaded after loading water.

(37) Next, stock is extracted from the bones contained in the tank 2 (Step 2). At this stage, the tank 2 and the body 10 of the soup stock extraction device 1 are heated by supplying high-temperature steam into the steam jackets 16 and 20. By heating the tank 2, steam generated from water in the tank 2 is compressed inside the tightly-closed tank 2 and extraction of the stock is accelerated by pressure of the steam.

(38) The bones and water are stirred predetermined number of times for a predetermined period by the stirrer 22 provided in the tank 2 every 30 to 60 minutes to promptly accelerate heat conduction, thereby obtaining stock with uniform quality. The predetermined period and the predetermined number of times here mean the stirring time and the number of stirrings not causing turbidity, and are, e.g., not less than five times and not more than ten times in not less than 30 seconds and not more than 1 minute.

(39) Next, the stock is taken out from the stock take-out port 12 of the soup stock extraction device 1 (Step 3).

(40) Next, after opening the lid 14 of the residue discharge port 13 of the soup stock extraction device 1, the screw conveyor 11 is activated to discharge the residue from the residue discharge port 13 (Step 4). The residue discharged from the residue discharge port 13 is conveyed by, e.g., a conveyor installed outside the soup stock extraction device 1.

Effects of the Embodiment

(41) According to the above-described embodiment, it is possible to automatically take out a large amount of stock and discharge a large amount of residue without exposure to the outside, allowing for economical, hygienic and safe soup stock production. In other words, it is possible to solve the previously-mentioned problems. In addition, the soup stock extraction device in the embodiment does not require work by human and thus allows for full automation by aggregate production such as automatic control using a computer.

(42) Although the embodiment of the invention has been described, the invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiment, and the various kinds of modifications can be implemented without departing from the gist of the invention.

(43) In addition, the invention according to claims is not to be limited to the embodiment described above. Further, it should be noted that all combinations of the features described in the embodiment are not necessary to solve the problem of the invention.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

(44) 1 SOUP STOCK EXTRACTION DEVICE 2 TANK 10 BODY 10a FIRST PART 10b SECOND PART 11 SCREW CONVEYOR 11a ROTATING SHAFT 11b BLADE 12 STOCK TAKE-OUT PORT 13 RESIDUE DISCHARGE PORT 14 LID