JP5072929B2 - Heating device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a heating apparatus that heats an object to be heated using microwaves.

  There is a microwave oven as an apparatus for heating an object to be heated such as food using a microwave. The microwave oven heats food with the energy of microwaves. The principle is to irradiate water in food with microwaves to vibrate polar water molecules and increase their energy (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  However, when water molecules are excited by microwaves, the water molecules may be decomposed to generate trace amounts of hydroxyl radicals and hydrogen radicals. Such radicals are highly reactive and may break down nutrients contained in the food. Therefore, it is desirable to suppress the generation of these radicals as much as possible. Alternatively, the nutrient itself may be decomposed by the microwave.

JP 2000-348858 A

  An object of the present invention is to solve the above problems.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a heating chamber that accommodates an object to be heated, a heating unit that supplies microwaves to the object to be heated, and heats the object to be heated, and the object to be heated, a spray means for spraying the antioxidants, the timing of spraying the anti-oxidant to the object to be heated, the spray amount of the antioxidant, and a control means for controlling one of the spray time of the antioxidant, the Maintaining the reduced pressure state of the heating chamber from 0.4 atm to 0.9 atm before heating the heated object by heating means to remove dissolved gas contained in the moisture of the heated object There is provided a heating device characterized by comprising a decompression means capable of

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, even if a to-be-heated material is heated using a microwave, decomposition | disassembly of the nutrient contained in a to-be-heated material is suppressed.

It is a principal part schematic diagram of a heating apparatus. It is a figure explaining operation | movement of a heating apparatus. It is the flowchart explaining the operation | movement of a heating apparatus, and an experimental result. It is a principal part schematic diagram of a heating apparatus. It is a principal part schematic diagram of a heating apparatus.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a main part of a heating device. FIG. 1A shows the top surface of the heating device 1, and FIG. 1B shows a cross section taken along the line XY of FIG. 1A.
The heating device (heating cooker) 1 is a so-called microwave oven, and has a heating chamber 10 for storing the object to be heated, a heating means for heating the object to be heated by microwave irradiation, and an antioxidant against the object to be heated. Spraying means for spraying the agent.

  A door 11 for opening and closing the heating chamber 10 is provided on the front surface of the heating device 1. An operation panel 12 is provided next to the door 11. The operation panel 12 includes a display unit for displaying information, operation switches, and the like (not shown). A rotatable turntable 13 is provided on the bottom surface of the heating chamber 10. On the turntable 13, foods to be heated, containers (tableware) for supporting and storing foods, and the like are placed.

  A machine room 20 is provided on the back side of the operation panel 12. In the machine room 20, a waveguide 21 is arranged on the heating chamber 10 side. A magnetron 22 is disposed outside the waveguide 21. An antenna 23 extends from the magnetron 22. The antenna 23 is inserted into the waveguide 21. The distal end portion of the waveguide 21 is connected to a microwave supply port 14 provided in the heating chamber 10.

  With such a configuration, the microwave (for example, frequency 2.45 GHz) generated by the magnetron 22 is radiated from the antenna 23. The microwave radiated from the antenna 23 is guided to the microwave supply port 14 in the waveguide 21. Then, the microwave is supplied into the heating chamber 10 from the microwave supply port 14. The microwave supply port 14 may be provided in the upper part of the heating apparatus 1 in addition to the illustrated position, or may be provided in the bottom part.

A tank 30 is provided in the machine room 20 of the heating device 1. In the tank 30, a solution 31 containing an antioxidant (anti-denaturation agent) such as vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, derivatives of these vitamins, β-carotene, and polyphenol is stored. Polyphenols are isoflavones, anthocyanins, catechins, tannins, rutins, chlorogenic acids, lignans, ellagic acids and the like.
As the solvent of the solution 31, for example, water is used as the water-soluble antioxidant, and vegetable oil or synthetic oil is used as the fat-soluble antioxidant, for example.

  One end of a pipe 32 disposed across the heating chamber 10 and the machine chamber 20 is connected to the lower portion of the tank 30. The other end of the pipe 32 is connected to a sprayer 33 provided in the heating chamber 10. The sprayer 33 has, for example, a circular shape as viewed from above the heating device 1. The sprayer 33 is provided with a plurality of holes 33 h so as to face the turntable 13. From this hole 33h, the solution 31 containing an antioxidant is sprayed from the sprayer 33 to the turntable 13 side, for example, in the form of a mist. As described above, the heating device 1 includes spraying means for spraying the solution 31 containing an antioxidant in a fat-soluble or water-soluble solvent from the sprayer 33 to the object to be heated.

The heating chamber 10 of the heating device 1 is provided with a control unit (control means) 40. The control unit 40 controls the timing at which the solution 31 is sprayed onto the object to be heated, the spray amount of the solution 31, the spray time of the solution 31, and the like. In addition, the control unit 40 controls microwave output, rotation control of the turntable 13, and the like.
Such control is automatically performed by a program, a control circuit, or the like stored in the memory. Thereby, the heating of the to-be-heated object according to a user's request | requirement and the spraying of the solution 31 are realizable.

An operation method of the heating apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.
FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the heating device. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the heating device and the experimental results.
First, as shown to Fig.2 (a), the to-be-heated material 50 is installed in the heating chamber 10 (step S10). For example, an object to be heated 50 such as soup, vegetables, and seafood is placed on the turntable 13 of the heating device 1. The object to be heated 50 is stored in a container 51.

Next, when a switching operation is performed by the user, the solution 31 is sprayed on the object to be heated 50 as shown in FIG. Thereby, the antioxidant in the solution 31 is sprayed in the to-be-heated material 50 (step S20). In this case, for example, the pressure in the tank 30 is adjusted by the control unit 40, and the solution 31 is supplied to the sprayer 33. And the sprayer 33 becomes what is called a spray, and the solution 31 is sprayed on the to-be-heated material 50. FIG.
Next, a microwave is output and the article to be heated 50 is heated (step S30). In addition, when the to-be-heated material 50 has fluidity | liquidity, such as soup, the solution 31 permeates in the to-be-heated material 50 uniformly by the thermal convection at the time of heating the to-be-heated material 50.

  By the way, in a heating apparatus not equipped with a spraying means for spraying the solution 31, hydroxyl radicals or hydrogen radicals may be generated in the article to be heated 50 even though a trace amount is generated due to the output of the microwave. These radicals (in particular, hydroxyl radicals) are known to be active and highly reactive. Therefore, these radicals may oxidize a part of the object to be heated 50 or decompose nutrients in the object to be heated 50. In addition, nutrients such as vitamin C may be decomposed by a microwave even though the amount is small.

  On the other hand, in the heating apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the heated object 50 is sprayed with antioxidants such as vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, derivatives of these vitamins, β-carotene, and polyphenol. The object 50 is irradiated with microwaves.

Therefore, even if hydrogen radicals or hydroxyl radicals are generated, these radicals are immediately deactivated by the presence of the antioxidant. The deactivated hydroxyl radical and hydrogen radical are mainly restored to water. That is, if the heating apparatus 1 is used, it is suppressed that a part of the to-be-heated object 50 is oxidized by radicals, or a nutrient in the to-be-heated object 50 is decomposed.
Moreover, the antioxidant mentioned above is also a nutrient simultaneously. Therefore, even if nutrients (for example, vitamin C) in the heated object 50 are decomposed by microwave irradiation, these nutrients are captured by the heated object 50 by spraying the solution 31 on the heated object 50. The

  It should be noted that the spraying start timing of the solution 31 may be before the start of microwave output as described above, or at the same time as the start of microwave output. The timing of the end of spraying of the solution 31 may be the same as the end of the microwave output or after the end of the microwave output.

  In particular, when the solution 31 is sprayed on the object to be heated 50 after the microwave output is completed, the antioxidant (nutrient) in the solution 31 is not decomposed by the microwave output. Therefore, the user can also take any amount of nutrients as a supplement. In this case, the spray amount of the solution 31 is adjusted as appropriate, and the amount of nutrients to be ingested is optimized.

  In addition, according to the present embodiment, even if the object to be heated 50 is irradiated with microwaves for a long time, the hydrogen radical or the hydroxyl radical continues to be deactivated due to the presence of the antioxidant. Therefore, even if the object to be heated 50 is irradiated with microwaves for a long time, these radicals hardly accumulate in the object to be heated 50.

The phenomenon in which generation of hydroxyl radicals and hydrogen radicals is suppressed by the heating device 1 was confirmed by the following experiment.
For example, a salt solution having a salt concentration of 1% was used as a model of the object to be heated 50. The presence or absence of hydroxyl radicals was confirmed among hydrogen radicals and hydroxyl radicals generated in the saline solution. As the radical scavenger, for example, DMPO (5,5-Dimethyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide) was used. As samples for evaluation, for example, sample A, which is 200 ml (milliliter) of saline, and sample B in which 2 ml of a vitamin C aqueous solution (vitamin C concentration of 500 ppm) is added to 200 ml of saline, for example, were prepared.

  These samples A and B were irradiated with, for example, 700 w of microwaves for 2 minutes. Then, using an ESR (Electron Spin Resonance) apparatus, it was confirmed whether or not hydroxyl groups were present in the samples A and B. For the detection of hydroxyl radicals, radical analysis based on manganese markers was performed.

As a result, in sample A, the radical compound DMPO-OH was detected. This is presumably because the hydroxyl radical was captured by DMPO. That is, it was found that when the sample A was irradiated with microwaves, hydroxyl radicals were generated.
On the other hand, in sample B, DMPO-OH was below the detection sensitivity. The results of these experiments are summarized in FIG.
That is, it was found that Sample B containing vitamin C, which is an antioxidant, can suppress the generation of hydroxyl radicals even when irradiated with microwaves.

  From the above results, it can be seen that by spraying the solution 31 on the object to be heated 50, the generation of hydroxyl radicals by microwaves can be suppressed. Thereby, even if chlorine (chlorine ion) is contained in the food, for example, hypochlorous acid (HClO) is hardly generated. Actually, when ion detection was attempted for samples A and B using an ion detector, hypochlorite was detected in sample A, although a small amount was detected. In sample B, hypochlorous acid was detected. Was not detected.

Next, a modification of the heating device will be described. In the following description, the same members as those of the heating device 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted as appropriate.
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a main part of the heating device. 4A shows the top surface of the heating device 2, and FIG. 4B shows a cross section taken along the line XY in FIG. 4A.

  The heating device (heating cooker) 2 maintains the decompressed state of the heating chamber 10 that stores the object to be heated, the heating means that heats the object to be heated by microwave irradiation, and the heating chamber that stores the object to be heated. Decompression means. Furthermore, the heating device 2 includes spraying means for spraying an antioxidant to the object to be heated.

  In addition to the above-described members, the heating device 2 includes an exhaust unit 60 and a pipe 61 that connects the exhaust unit 60 and the heating chamber 10. The exhaust means 60 is controlled by the control unit 40. A shield member 11 s such as an O-ring is disposed around the inside of the door 11. The heating chamber 10 can maintain an atmosphere that is depressurized from the atmospheric pressure by the exhaust means 60.

By the way, when water is irradiated with microwaves, if dissolved gases such as nitrogen (N ₂ ) and oxygen (O ₂ ) are present in the water, the interaction between the dissolved gas and water molecules occurs, and the water molecules are more It becomes easy to be excited. For this reason, the amount of generated hydroxyl radicals and hydrogen radicals tends to increase as the amount of dissolved gas increases. In addition, the dissolved gas is more easily released from water to the atmosphere as the atmospheric pressure is lower.

The operation method of the heating device 2 will be described with reference to FIG. 4 described above and the flowchart explaining the operation of the heating device shown in FIG.
First, the object to be heated 50 is installed in the heating chamber 10 on the turntable 13 of the heating device 2 (step S10).

Next, when a switching operation is performed by the user, the heating chamber 10 is brought to a pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure by the exhaust means 60 (step S20).
In this case, the heating chamber 10 is set to a predetermined time, for example, 0.4 atm to 0.9 atm (1 atm: 1013 hPa). Thereby, the predetermined amount of dissolved gas contained in the moisture of the article to be heated 50 is removed from the moisture.

  Next, a microwave is output and the article to be heated 50 is heated (step S30). Here, even if the object to be heated 50 is heated by microwaves, the dissolved gas is removed from the moisture of the object to be heated 50 by a predetermined amount. After the dissolved gas is removed from the moisture, the interaction between the dissolved gas and water molecules is less likely to occur, and the water molecules are less likely to be excited. As a result, the amount of hydroxyl radicals and hydrogen radicals generated is smaller than when the article to be heated 50 is heated under normal pressure.

That is, when the heating device 2 is used, it is possible to suppress a part of the object to be heated 50 from being oxidized by radicals and the decomposition of nutrients in the object to be heated 50.
In addition, as operation | movement of the heating apparatus 2, you may use together spraying of the solution 31 demonstrated in the Example mentioned above.

Thus, according to this Embodiment, decomposition | disassembly of the nutrient contained in the to-be-heated material 50 is suppressed in the heating using a microwave. As the antioxidant, it is preferable to use vitamin C and vitamin E having higher antioxidant action.
Further, the present embodiment is not limited to these specific examples. In other words, those specific examples that have been appropriately modified by those skilled in the art are also included in the scope of the present invention as long as they have the characteristics of the present invention. Each element included in each of the specific examples described above and their arrangement, material, condition, shape, size, and the like are not limited to those illustrated, and can be appropriately changed.

In addition, each element included in each of the above-described embodiments can be combined as long as technically possible, and combinations thereof are also included in the scope of the present invention as long as they include the features of the present invention.
In addition, in the category of the idea of the present invention, those skilled in the art can conceive of various changes and modifications, and it is understood that these changes and modifications also belong to the scope of the present invention. .

1, 2 Heating device
10 Heating chamber
11 Door
11s shield member
12 Operation panel
13 Turntable
14 Microwave supply port
20 Machine room
21 Waveguide
22 Magnetron
23 Antenna
30 tanks
31 solution
32 pipes
33 Nebulizer
33h hole
40 Control unit
50 Object to be heated
51 containers
60 Exhaust means
61 pipe

Claims (5)

A heating chamber for storing an object to be heated;
Heating means for supplying microwaves to the object to be heated to heat the object to be heated;
Spray means for spraying an antioxidant to the object to be heated;
Control means for controlling any one of the timing of spraying the antioxidant to the object to be heated, the spray amount of the antioxidant, and the spray time of the antioxidant;
Before the heated object is heated by the heating means, the reduced pressure state of the heating chamber is maintained at 0.4 atmospheric pressure to 0.9 atmospheric pressure during heating and the dissolved gas contained in the moisture of the heated object is removed. Decompression means capable of,
A heating apparatus comprising:   The heating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the spraying means sprays a solution containing the antioxidant in a fat-soluble or water-soluble solvent onto the object to be heated.   The heating apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the antioxidant contains at least one of vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, derivatives of these vitamins, β-carotene, and polyphenol.   The heating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the antioxidant can be sprayed before the start of the microwave output or simultaneously with the start of the microwave output.   The heated object includes water, and hydrogen radicals or hydroxyl radicals decomposed from the water by the microwave can be deactivated by spraying the antioxidant. The heating apparatus as described in any one.

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