JP6478522B2 - Cooling container mainly for cut vegetables - Google Patents

Description

  TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a cooling container, particularly a cooling container mainly for cut vegetables, which can store stored items at a low temperature at a predetermined temperature of less than 0 ° C., which keeps freshness of mainly cut vegetables.

  The conditions for maintaining the freshness of the cut vegetables for 15 days or longer are that the temperature of the vegetables is −0.5 ° C. ± 0.2 ° C. and the humidity is 70% to 100%. In particular, when the temperature drops even slightly, the water content of the vegetable cell tissue freezes, damages the cells, and the quality deteriorates all at once. In order to maintain the product temperature of the vegetables at −0.5 ° C. ± 0.2 ° C., it is necessary to maintain the temperature in the container for storing the vegetables at −2 ° C. to 0 ° C. However, in order to maintain the temperature in the container at −2 ° C. to 0 ° C., there is a problem that the cost is generally increased.

  In addition to fruits and vegetables, as a method for preserving fresh foods such as seafood, a method for preserving fresh foods in storage water at −2 ° C. to 0 ° C. (Patent Document 1 below) or non-freezing at 0 ° C. or lower A method of preserving fresh food by cooling with ultra-low temperature water maintained in a state (Patent Document 2 below) is known. However, in the invention described in Patent Document 1, since the object to be stored gets wet, there is a problem that it takes time to remove moisture after storage. In the invention described in Patent Document 2, the temperature is too low. There is a problem that the freshness of fruits and vegetables decreases.

JP 60-49740 A JP-A-8-116869

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems of the prior art, and is mainly used for cutting vegetables that can preserve stored items at a low temperature at a predetermined temperature of less than 0 ° C. that maintains the freshness of vegetables and the like. The purpose is to provide a container.

The invention according to claim 1 is a space between the storage unit that stores the objects to be stored, a housing that surrounds at least a side surface of the storage unit with a space therebetween, and the storage unit and the housing. An antifreeze aqueous solution that is hard to freeze filled in a space portion and a cooling means that cools the antifreeze aqueous solution, and the antifreeze aqueous solution that is not frozen in the space portion is frozen in the space portion It is related with the cooling container for cut vegetables characterized by coexisting with.
The antifreeze aqueous solution means an aqueous solution that does not freeze at 0 ° C. but freezes at a temperature lower than 0 ° C. Further, the present invention also includes a case in which a part of the side surface is opposed to the casing without the entire circumference of the side surface of the storage portion being surrounded by the casing.

  The invention according to claim 2 relates to a cooling container mainly for cut vegetables according to claim 1, wherein the temperature in the storage portion is −2 ° C. or more and less than 0 ° C.

  The invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that the product temperature of the cut vegetables or vegetable salad stored in the storage part is within -0.5 ° C ± 0.2 ° C. The description mainly relates to a cooling container for cut vegetables.

  The invention according to claim 4 is characterized in that the cooling means is a heat exchange panel provided in the space, and the cooling container mainly for cut vegetables according to any one of claims 1 to 3 About.

  The invention according to claim 5 is characterized in that the storage portion includes a pressure sensor that measures a pressure applied from the housing side to the storage portion side in the space portion. It mainly relates to the cooling container for cut vegetables described in 1.

  The invention according to claim 6 is characterized in that the antifreeze aqueous solution is an aqueous solution in which a salt, an organic acid salt, or an organic solvent is dissolved, mainly cut vegetables according to any one of claims 1 to 5 The present invention relates to a cooling container for use.

  The invention according to claim 7 is characterized in that the antifreeze aqueous solution is a salt aqueous solution, and the salt concentration of the salt aqueous solution is 0.1 wt% or more and 5.0 wt% or less. It mainly relates to the cooling container for cut vegetables described in any one of the above.

  According to the cooling container for mainly cut vegetables of the invention according to claim 1, since the antifreeze aqueous solution frozen in the space portion and the nonfreeze antifreeze aqueous solution coexist, the inside of the storage portion is made antifreeze. It can be easily maintained at a temperature close to the freezing point of the aqueous solution. Moreover, since the freezing point can be changed by adjusting the concentration of the solute in the antifreeze aqueous solution, the temperature maintained in the storage portion can be easily adjusted. As a result, the items to be stored can be stored at a low temperature at a predetermined temperature of less than 0 ° C. that maintains the freshness of vegetables and the like.

  According to the cooling container mainly for cut vegetables of the invention according to claim 2, since the temperature in the storage portion is −2 ° C. or higher and lower than 0 ° C., the freshness of the stored items such as vegetables can be maintained and preserved for a long time. it can.

  According to the cooling container mainly for cut vegetables of the invention according to claim 3, since the product temperature of the cut vegetables or vegetable salad is within −0.5 ° C. ± 0.2 ° C., the freshness of the cut vegetables or vegetable salad is increased. It can be maintained for a long time.

  According to the cooling container mainly for cut vegetables of the invention according to claim 4, since the cooling means is the heat exchange panel provided in the space portion, the size of the cooling container itself can be reduced.

  According to the cooling container mainly for cut vegetables of the invention according to claim 5, since the thickness of the frozen layer can be measured by the pressure measured by the pressure sensor, the heat exchange panel is based on the pressure measured by the pressure sensor. The thickness of the icing layer on the surface can be adjusted. Thereby, the penetration | invasion of the heat from the outside can be prevented and the temperature control in a storage part can be performed easily.

  According to the cooling container mainly for cut vegetables of the invention according to claim 6, since the antifreeze aqueous solution is an aqueous solution in which a salt, an organic acid salt, or an organic solvent is dissolved, the freezing point of the antifreeze aqueous solution can be changed. The temperature maintained in the storage unit can be easily adjusted.

  According to the cooling container for mainly cut vegetables of the invention according to claim 7, the antifreeze aqueous solution is a salt aqueous solution, and the salt concentration of the salt aqueous solution is 0.1 wt% or more and 5.0 wt% or less. The temperature in the part can be set to −2 ° C. or higher and lower than 0 ° C.

It is a schematic front sectional drawing of the cooling container mainly for cut vegetables which concerns on 1st embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic perspective view of the cooling container. It is other schematic front sectional drawing of the cooling container. It is a schematic front sectional drawing of the cooling container mainly for cut vegetables which concerns on 2nd embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic front sectional drawing of the cooling container which concerns on other embodiment.

(First embodiment)
A first embodiment of a cooling container 1 mainly for cut vegetables according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
The cooling container 1 mainly for cut vegetables includes a storage unit 2 that stores a storage object, a housing 3 that surrounds at least a side surface of the storage unit 2 with an interval, and the storage unit 2 and the housing 3. And an antifreeze aqueous solution 5 that is hard to freeze and injected into the space 4, and a cooling means 6 that cools the antifreeze aqueous solution 5. In the space 4, the frozen antifreeze aqueous solution 5 and the nonfreezing antifreeze aqueous solution 5 coexist.
The cooling means 6 is a heat exchange panel 61 inserted into the space 4.

The cooling container 1 mainly for cut vegetables has the following structures specifically.
The storage unit 2 stores fresh food, and a container having a fixed shape such as a box is preferably used. Although the material used for the accommodating part 2 is not specifically limited, In order to keep fresh food at low temperature, it is preferable that it is a material excellent in heat conductivity, and metal materials, such as stainless steel, are utilized suitably. Further, the shape of the storage portion 2 is not particularly limited, but for example, a square shape or a cylindrical shape is used. A storage unit lid 21 is detachably placed on the upper opening of the storage unit 2. Further, the size of the storage unit 2 with respect to the housing 3 is not particularly limited.

The housing 3 surrounds the side surface of the storage unit 2 with an interval. Note that the housing 3 may surround the bottom surface of the storage unit 2 with a space therebetween.
A housing lid 31 is detachably placed on the upper opening of the housing 3. As the material used for the housing 3, a heat insulating member is used to keep the inside of the housing 3 cool, and a fiber reinforced plastic (FRP), a foamable material such as foamed polystyrene is preferably used.

  As the antifreeze aqueous solution 5, for example, a salt, an organic acid salt, or an aqueous solution in which an organic solvent is dissolved can be used. The freezing point can be adjusted by adjusting the solute concentration. In the case of using a salt aqueous solution, for example, the salt concentration is preferably 0.1 wt% or more and 5.0 wt% or less in order to set the inside of the storage unit 2 to −2 ° C. or more and less than 0 ° C., and 0.5 wt% or more and 3. More preferably, it is 5 wt% or less.

  The heat exchange panel 61 is provided with a pipe through which the refrigerant passes, and is cooled by supplying the refrigerant cooled by a cooler (not shown) to the pipe.

Next, a method for cooling and storing the objects to be stored using the cooling container 1 mainly for cut vegetables will be described.
An object to be stored is stored in the storage unit 2. The space 4 is filled with, for example, an aqueous salt solution as the antifreeze aqueous solution 5. The salt concentration of the salt aqueous solution is set to a concentration suitable for the temperature at which the object to be stored is cooled and stored.
Subsequently, the storage lid 21 and the casing lid 31 are attached, and the cooled refrigerant is supplied to the heat exchange panel 61 to cool the antifreeze aqueous solution 5.
When cooling by the heat exchange panel 61 is started, the antifreeze aqueous solution 5 is frozen. The cooling by the heat exchange panel 61 is adjusted so that the frozen antifreezing aqueous solution 5 and the non-freezing antifreezing aqueous solution 5 coexist. At this time, it is preferable that the ratio of the frozen antifreeze aqueous solution 5 to the nonfreezing antifreeze aqueous solution 5 is within a predetermined range.

Since the antifreeze aqueous solution 5 frozen in the space 4 and the antifreeze aqueous solution 5 not frozen coexist, the storage portion 2 is easily maintained at a temperature close to the freezing point of the antifreeze aqueous solution 5. be able to.
In addition, when a salt solution is used as the concentration of the solute in the antifreeze aqueous solution 5, for example, a salt aqueous solution as the antifreeze aqueous solution 5, the freezing point can be changed by adjusting the salt concentration. Temperature can be easily adjusted.
As a result, in the cooling container 1 mainly for cut vegetables of the present embodiment, the stored items are inexpensive at a predetermined temperature of less than 0 ° C. that keeps the freshness of cut vegetables, cut fruits, vegetable salads, chilled processed foods, fish, meat, etc. Can be saved.
In particular, when the antifreeze aqueous solution is a salt aqueous solution and the salt concentration of the salt aqueous solution is 0.1 wt% or more and 5.0 wt% or less, the temperature in the storage portion can be set to -2 ° C or higher and lower than 0 ° C. It is possible to maintain and preserve the freshness of stored items such as vegetables for a long period of time.
Further, by further narrowing the temperature range in the storage section, the product temperature of the cut vegetables or vegetable salad stored in the storage section 2 is more preferably within −0.5 ° C. ± 0.2 ° C. for maintaining the freshness. It is also possible to make it.
Moreover, since the cooling means 6 is the heat exchange panel 61 provided in the space portion 4, the size of the cooling container itself can be reduced.

  In addition, it is preferable that the heat exchange panel 61 has the protrusion-shaped part 61a in the surface at the side of the accommodating part 2 at least among both surfaces. Since the contact area with the antifreeze aqueous solution 5 is increased by having the protruding portion 61a, the antifreeze aqueous solution 5 can be easily cooled. The protruding portion 61a may have any shape as long as it protrudes toward the antifreeze aqueous solution 5, may have a convex shape as shown in FIG. 3, or may have a fin shape.

  The solute of the antifreeze aqueous solution 5 may be anything that lowers the freezing point of water, but is preferably one that does not adversely affect the human body. For example, salt, alcohol, sucrose, or the like can be used. If the solute does not adversely affect the human body, even if the object to be stored comes into contact with the antifreeze aqueous solution 5, the solute can be easily washed away with water washing, and there is no problem in food hygiene. Examples of the salt used in the aqueous salt solution include sodium chloride, calcium chloride, phosphate, sulfite and the like, but are not particularly limited as long as they are used in food preservatives.

(Second embodiment)
The cooling container mainly for cut vegetables which concerns on 2nd embodiment is demonstrated with reference to FIG. In the description of the present embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same symbols, and the description thereof is omitted for simplification. In the second embodiment, a pressure sensor 7 that measures the pressure from the housing 3 side is provided on the outer surface of the storage unit 2.

By cooling the heat exchange panel 61, the antifreeze aqueous solution freezes in order from the surface of the heat exchange panel 61 to the storage unit 2 side. When the frozen layer 5a grows, the pressure sensor 7 is pressed.
Accordingly, since the thickness of the frozen layer 5a can be measured by the pressure measured by the pressure sensor 7, the cooling of the heat exchange panel 61 can be adjusted based on the pressure measured by the pressure sensor 7. Thereby, the temperature control in the accommodating part 2 can be performed easily.
In the present embodiment, the cooling of the heat exchange panel 61 is adjusted based on the pressure measured by the pressure sensor 7, but the cooling of the heat exchange panel 61 may be adjusted using a temperature sensor instead of the pressure sensor. .

<Others>
In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the cooling means 6 is the heat exchange panel 61, but other things may be used for the cooling means 6. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, a cooling device 62 may be provided outside the housing 3. However, in this case, it is preferable to use a material having excellent thermal conductivity instead of a heat insulating member as the material of the housing 3.

  Cooling containers mainly for cut vegetables according to the present invention include, for example, storage containers in production areas such as vegetables, fruits, cut vegetables, cut fruits, vegetable salads, chilled processed foods, fish and meat, transport containers used for transportation, It is preferably used as a storage container in a store.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Cooling container 2 Storage part 3 Housing | casing 4 Space part 5 Antifreeze aqueous solution 6 Cooling means 61 Heat exchange panel 61a Projection shape part 7 Pressure sensor

Claims (6)

A storage section for storing the objects to be stored;
A housing that surrounds at least a side surface of the storage portion with a space therebetween;
An antifreeze aqueous solution that is hard to freeze at 0 ° C. filled in a space that is a space between the housing and the housing;
Cooling means for cooling the antifreeze aqueous solution,
In the space portion, the frozen antifreeze aqueous solution and the nonfreezing antifreeze aqueous solution coexist ,
The cooling container for fresh food , wherein the cooling means is a heat exchange panel provided in the space. A storage section for storing the objects to be stored;
A housing that surrounds at least a side surface of the storage portion with a space therebetween;
An antifreeze aqueous solution that is hard to freeze at 0 ° C. filled in a space that is a space between the housing and the housing;
Cooling means for cooling the antifreeze aqueous solution,
In the space portion, the frozen antifreeze aqueous solution and the nonfreezing antifreeze aqueous solution coexist ,
A cooling container for fresh food , wherein the storage unit includes a pressure sensor for measuring a pressure applied from the housing side to the storage unit side in the space. The cooling container for fresh food according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the temperature in the storage portion is -2 ° C or higher and lower than 0 ° C. The cooling container for fresh food according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the product temperature of the cut vegetables or vegetable salad stored in the storage unit is within -0.5 ° C ± 0.2 ° C. . The cooling container for fresh food according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the antifreeze aqueous solution is an aqueous solution in which a salt, an organic acid salt, or an organic solvent is dissolved. The antifreeze aqueous solution is a salt solution;
The cooling container for fresh food according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the salt concentration of the aqueous salt solution is 0.1 wt% or more and 5.0 wt% or less.

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