KR20240033395A - wet aging apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a wet aging device.
The first embodiment of the present invention includes a first control unit equipped with a refrigeration cycle, sealed by a door, and controlling the operation of the ripening warehouse; The ripening chamber further includes at least one power supply unit on an inner wall; It further includes a plurality of guide rails arranged on both inner walls of the ripening chamber while maintaining a set height; The guide rail further includes at least one water tank containing water for immersing vacuum-packed meat and having a power connection unit electrically connected to the power supply unit to be slidably mounted; Each of the water tanks is further equipped with a second control unit including a timer, and a pump that operates selectively or continuously under the control of the second control unit and circulates water in the water tank is further provided inside the water tank.

Description

Wet aging apparatus {wet aging apparatus}

The present invention relates to a wet aging device, and more specifically, to a wet aging device that effectively ages vacuum-packed meat by wet aging by efficiently improving the internal structure and function of the wet aging device for aging meat based on a refrigeration cycle. It is about a ripening device.

Recently, as people's income level has increased and interest in health has increased, the popularity of functional foods with differentiated taste and nutrition is increasing day by day.

Among them, meat, which can be said to be a treasure trove of fat, contains nutrients such as protein, vitamin B1, and iron, which are valuable energy sources.

Meat immediately after slaughter has the disadvantage of being tough or lacking in flavor and taste due to rigor mortis, and in the case of frozen meat stored for a long period of time, there are problems with deterioration due to acidosis that may occur during storage, and the inability to thaw and consume frozen meat. There was a problem that the taste deteriorated.

Therefore, aged meat that has gone through a process to relieve muscle stiffness that occurred during slaughter is gaining popularity.

Depending on the method, aging is broadly divided into dry aging and wet aging. Dry aging refers to naturally evaporating the moisture contained in the meat and leaving it unattended, while wet aging refers to leaving the meat in a plastic bag or sealed container. This refers to putting it in a plastic container and leaving it in a state where moisture is preserved.

The aging of meat is generally carried out at a temperature above 0℃~5℃ while suppressing the growth of microorganisms. Domestic Utility Model Registration No. 0450516 stipulates that the temperature of the meat aging room is in the range of 1.1℃~1.7℃ and the humidity is 50℃. A method of dry aging is disclosed while maintaining the content in the range of % to 75%.

Domestic Patent Registration No. 1372321 discloses that the range of ripening temperature is partially below zero, and a technology that varies the temperature for ripening according to the type of meat to be aged is proposed.

However, Utility Model Registration No. 0450516 is aged at a temperature above zero, so it is insufficient to prevent the activity or reproduction of microorganisms, etc., and Patent Registration No. 1372321 is aged at a sub-zero temperature, so it is better than Utility Model Registration No. 0450516. Although it is possible to further block the activity or reproduction of microorganisms, Patent Registration No. 1372321 has a drawback in that it has limitations in blocking the activity or reproduction of microorganisms because the lower limit of the ripening temperature is set to the freezing point of the ripening object.

In addition, Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1496839 proposes “Meat Aging Chamber,” and Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1810679 proposes “Ultra-low-temperature curing chamber and ultra-low-temperature aging method,” and Korea Patent Publication No. 10-2021 In No. -0068910, a “defrost system and a dry maturation chamber applying the same” is proposed.

The "meat aging room" posted in the above-mentioned patent registration number 10-1496839 is intended to minimize power consumption by reducing the temperature deviation of cold air generated in the ripening room when opening and closing the door to prevent loss of cold air.

In addition, the "ultra-low-temperature aging chamber and ultra-low-temperature maturation method" published in Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1810679 allows meat to be aged even below its freezing point, thereby minimizing the activity and reproduction of microorganisms, thereby improving food safety. It means wanting to contribute.

In addition, the "defrost system and dry maturation chamber applying the same" published in Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2021-0068910 operates two evaporators alternately during defrost, enabling continuous operation at the same time as the defrost operation, thereby relatively maturing the chamber. This means that it suppresses the temperature rise and continues the ripening cycle.

However, although the method for aging meat in common with the above-mentioned aging devices is technologically advanced based on the refrigeration cycle, the internal structure of the ripening chamber for aging meat due to the cold air formed by the refrigeration cycle is complex, and as a result, many It had the drawback of requiring parts.

In addition, since many parts are required, there is a structural problem that product prices inevitably rise as parts prices rise, and productivity decreases due to the cumbersome assembly process.

The above-described technical configuration is background technology to aid understanding of the present invention, and does not mean that it is widely known prior art in the technical field to which the present invention belongs.

KR 10-1496839 B1 KR 10-1810679 B1 KR 10-2021-0068910 A

Therefore, the technical problem to be solved by the present invention, that is, the purpose of the present invention, is to simply improve the internal structure of the aging chamber for aging meat based on the refrigeration cycle to reduce the number of parts and thereby reduce the increase in raw materials. The purpose is to provide a wet aging device that can be used.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a wet aging device that improves productivity by reducing the number of internal parts of a ripening chamber for ripening meat and thereby simplifying the assembly process.

In order to achieve the above object, the first embodiment of the present invention includes a first control unit equipped with a refrigeration cycle, sealed by a door, and controlling the operation of the ripening warehouse; The ripening chamber further includes at least one power supply unit on an inner wall; It further includes a plurality of guide rails arranged on both inner walls of the ripening chamber while maintaining a set height; The guide rail further includes at least one water tank containing water for immersing vacuum-packed meat and having a power connection unit electrically connected to the power supply unit to be slidably mounted; Each of the water tanks is further provided with a second control unit including a timer, and a pump that operates selectively or continuously under the control of the second control unit and circulates water in the water tank is further provided inside the water tank. Provides a device.

The second embodiment of the present invention includes a first control unit equipped with a refrigeration cycle, sealed by a door, and controlling the operation of the ripening warehouse; The ripening chamber further includes at least one power supply unit on an inner wall; It further includes a plurality of guide rails arranged on both inner walls of the ripening chamber while maintaining a set height; The guide rail further includes at least one water tank containing water for immersing vacuum-packed meat and having a power connection unit electrically connected to the power supply unit to be slidably mounted; Each of the water tanks is further provided with a second control unit including a timer, and a pump that operates selectively or continuously under the control of the second control unit and circulates the water in the water tank is further provided inside the water tank. A ripening device is provided.

A first modified example for effectively realizing the purpose of the second embodiment further includes an evaporator of a refrigeration cycle so that the ripening chamber is at least partially exposed to the inside, and in front of the evaporator, cold generated from the evaporator is disposed of. It is effective to further include a fan motor that circulates inside the ripening chamber.

A third embodiment of the present invention includes a first control unit equipped with a refrigeration cycle, sealed by a door, and controlling the operation of the ripening warehouse; An evaporator of a refrigeration cycle is disposed on the upper side of the ripening chamber, and a water cooling tank containing water is disposed; It further includes a plurality of guide rails arranged on both inner walls of the ripening chamber while maintaining a set height; The guide rail further includes a plurality of water tanks in which water for immersing vacuum-packed meat is slidably mounted; The water cooling tank and the plurality of water tanks are connected to an inlet pipe and a water outlet pipe, and a recovery pump is provided between the water outlet pipe of the water tank disposed on the lower side and the water cooling tank to recover the water in the water tank to the water cooling tank. A wet aging device is provided.

In a first modified example for effectively realizing the purpose of the third embodiment, the ripening chamber includes at least one power supply unit further provided on an inner wall; Each of the water tanks is provided with a power connection unit that is electrically connected to the power supply unit, and a second control unit including a timer is provided at an appropriate location of the water tank. Inside the water tank, the water tank is selectively or continuously controlled by the second control unit. It is effective to further provide a pump that operates and circulates the water in the tank.

In a second modified example for effectively realizing the purpose of the third embodiment, it is effective to further include a fan motor for circulating air inside the ripening chamber at the upper inner side of the ripening chamber.

A third modified example for effectively realizing the purpose of the third embodiment is that a plurality of cocks for passing or blocking water are further provided at appropriate positions in the water cooling tank, the plurality of water tanks, and the water intake pipe and the water outlet pipe. effective.

The present invention configured as described above has the following effects.

First, the internal structure of the wet aging device for ripening meat based on the refrigeration cycle has been functionally improved, which has the effect of efficiently maturing vacuum-packed meat through wet aging.

Second, it reduces the number of internal parts of the wet aging device for aging meat, thereby lowering the price of raw materials and simplifying the assembly process, thereby improving productivity.

1 is a side cross-sectional view showing a first embodiment of a wet aging device according to the present invention.
Figure 2 is a side cross-sectional view showing the second embodiment of the wet aging device according to the present invention.
Figure 3 is a side cross-sectional view showing the third embodiment of the wet aging device according to the present invention.

In detail, the present invention can be modified in various ways and can have various embodiments, and specific embodiments will be illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the detailed description.

However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to specific embodiments, and should be understood to include all transformations, equivalents, and substitutes included in the spirit and technical scope of the present invention.

Figure 1 shows a side cross-sectional configuration diagram showing a first embodiment of a wet aging device according to the present invention.

As shown, the ripening chamber 10 of the first embodiment to which the wet aging device according to the present invention is applied is equipped with a refrigeration cycle consisting of compression, condensation, expansion, and evaporation, and is sealed by the door 20.

The door 20 may be a single door or a plurality of doors depending on the internal capacity of the ripening chamber 10.

A first control unit 30 that controls the operation of the ripening chamber 10 is provided at the proper location of the ripening chamber 10 or the door 20. The structure and appearance as described above are a general meat refrigerator used as a ripening chamber. It is very similar to the composition of .

Of course, the ripening chamber 10 in the above-described first embodiment exemplifies a direct cooling structure in which a plurality of cold air inlets (not shown in drawings) are provided on the inner wall.

Here, one of the characteristics of the first embodiment according to the present invention is that the ripening chamber 10 is provided with at least one power supply unit 11 on the inner wall, and that the ripening chamber 10 has at least one power supply unit 11 on both inner walls. The point is that a plurality of guide rails 12 are arranged while maintaining the set height.

Another feature of the first embodiment is that at least one water tank 40 containing water for water aging while vacuum-packed meat is immersed is slidably mounted on the guide rail 12; , the water tank 40 is provided with a power connection unit 41 that is electrically connected to the power supply unit 11.

To facilitate understanding, the power supply unit 11 and the power connection unit 41 are shown installed at the rear of the maturation storage unit 10 in the drawing representation, but this is not limited to this and the guide rail 12 is manufactured using a plate-shaped lathe. After that, a power supply unit is placed on the bottom of the shelf, and a power connection unit is provided on the bottom of the water tank so that the power is energized when touched and the power is cut off when left.

Preferably, the power supply unit 11 and the power connection unit 41 should be connected in an airtight manner so as not to be affected by the humid environment inside the ripening chamber 10, and when not in use, the power supply unit 11 It is preferable that the power connection part 41 is sealed with a separate cover, not shown in the drawing.

In addition, each water tank 40 is independently equipped with a second control unit 42 including a timer, and inside the water tank 40, the water tank operates selectively or continuously under the control of the second control unit 42. A pump (43) is provided to circulate the water inside the water tank (40) in which the vacuum-packed meat (40) is immersed and to maintain a constant temperature.

That is, the second control unit 42 mounted on the water tank 40 operates independently and drives the pump 43 mounted inside the water tank 40 to circulate the water stored in the water tank 40. However, it is electrically connected to the first control unit 30 provided at the appropriate location of the door 20 or the ripening storage 10 and is installed inside the water tank 40 under the control of the first control unit 30. The pump 43 can be driven.

Therefore, the operation of the first control unit 30 or the second control unit 42 drives the pump 43 mounted on each water tank 40 and circulates the water stored in the water tank 40, The vacuum-packed meat immersed in the water tank 40 is aged by water aging.

And the cold air supplied into the ripening chamber 10 under the control of the first control unit 30 maintains the internal temperature of the ripening chamber 10 constant, and the temperature of the water stored in the water tank 40 is set to the above level. The vacuum-packed meat immersed in the water tank 40 is aged by water aging while maintaining the temperature set by the internal temperature of the ripening chamber 10.

Figure 2 shows a second embodiment according to the present invention.

Among the configurations of the first embodiment and the second embodiment, at least one power supply unit 11 provided on the inner wall of the ripening chamber 10 maintains the height set on both inner walls of the ripening chamber 10. A plurality of guide rails 12 arranged, a water tank 40 slidably mounted on the guide rail 12, a power connection unit 41 provided in the water tank 40, and a water tank 40 provided in the water tank 40. A second control unit 42 including a timer, and a pump provided inside the water tank 40 and circulating water stored in the water tank 40 by selective control of the first and second control units 30 and 42. Since the configuration of (43) is the same, redundant description thereof will be omitted, and the description will be limited to only the parts that differ in configuration from the first embodiment.

The difference between the first embodiment and the second embodiment is that, while the first embodiment has a direct cooling structure, the second embodiment has an indirect cooling structure to adjust the internal temperature of the ripening vessel 10. The point is to maintain it.

That is, in the second embodiment, the evaporator 50 of the refrigeration cycle is arranged to be at least partially exposed toward the inside of the ripening chamber 10, and the evaporator 50 generated in the evaporator 50 is located in front of the evaporator 50. The point is that a fan motor 60 is installed to circulate cold air into the interior of the ripening chamber 10.

Therefore, the fan motor 60 drives the cold air of the evaporator 50 in a low temperature state and forces it to circulate inside the ripening chamber, cools the water stored in the water tank 40, and vacuum-packed meat immersed in the water tank. The point is aging.

Figure 3 shows a third embodiment according to the present invention.

Likewise, in the third embodiment described above, at least one power supply unit 11 provided on the inner wall of the ripening chamber 10 is arranged to maintain a set height on both inner walls of the ripening chamber 10. A plurality of guide rails 12, a water tank 40 slidably mounted on the guide rail 12, a power connection unit 41 provided in the water tank 40, and a timer provided in the water tank 40. A second control unit 42 and a pump 43 provided inside the water tank 40 and circulating water stored in the water tank 40 by selective control of the first and second control units 30 and 42. Since the configuration is the same, redundant description thereof will be omitted.

In addition, a fan motor 60 is provided on the inner upper side of the ripening chamber 10 to circulate the air inside the ripening chamber 10. Since this also has the same configuration and function as the second embodiment, duplicate description thereof is also omitted. The description will be limited to only the constituent parts of the third embodiment that are differentiated from the first and second embodiments.

That is, the third embodiment described above is provided with a water cooling tank 70 on the upper side of the ripening tank 10, and the water cooling tank 70 and the plurality of water tanks 40 are connected to the water intake pipe 71. and the water outlet pipe 72 are connected, and between the water outlet pipe 72 of the water tank 40 disposed on the lower side and the water cooling tank 70, the water in the water tank 40 is transferred to the water cooling tank 70. The point is that a recovery pump 80 for recovery is provided.

An evaporator 50 is disposed in the water cooling tank 70, and the evaporator 50 is submerged in cooling water stored in the water cooling tank 70.

Accordingly, the cooling water stored in the water cooling tank 70 exchanges heat with the latent heat of the evaporator 50 and maintains the set temperature.

The cooling water stored in the water cooling tank 70 is supplied through the water intake pipe 71 to the water tank 40 disposed on the inner upper side of the ripening storage 10 to the water tank 40 disposed on the upper side. The immersed vacuum-packed meat is aged, and the cooling water that overflows from the water tank 40 located on the upper side is drained through the water intake pipe 71 and enters the water tank 40 located on the lower side. The vacuum-packed meat immersed in is aged.

And the cooling water that overflows from the water tank 40 disposed on the lower side is drained into the water discharge pipe 72, and the above series of operations is continuously circulated by the pumping force of the recovery pump 80.

Meanwhile, in order to satisfy the conditions of the second embodiment described above, cooling water is passed through the water cooling tank 70, the plurality of water tanks 40, and the water intake pipe 71 and the water outlet pipe 72 at appropriate locations. Multiple blocking cocks (C) must be provided.

Among the plurality of cocks (C), for example, the cock (C) installed between the water tank 40 and the water intake pipe 71 or the water outlet pipe 72 can be used to separate the water tank 40 or when necessary. When moved forward, it functions to block water from being supplied to the water tank 40.

The present invention as described in detail above will be understood by those skilled in the art that it can be implemented in other specific forms without changing the technical idea or essential features of the present invention.

Therefore, the embodiments described above should be understood in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and the scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims described later rather than the detailed description above, and the meaning and scope of the claims and All changes or modified forms derived from the equivalent concept should be construed as falling within the scope of the present invention.

10 ; Sukseonggo 20; door
11 ; power supply unit 12; guide rail
30 ; First control unit 40; water tank
41 ; Power connection 42; second control unit
43 ; pump 50 ; evaporator
60 ; fan motor 70 ; water cooling tank
71 ; Intake pipe 72 ; outlet pipe
80 ; Recovery pump "C"; cock

Claims (7)

It includes a first control unit equipped with a refrigeration cycle, sealed by a door, and controlling the operation of the ripening warehouse;
The ripening chamber further includes at least one power supply unit on an inner wall;
It further includes a plurality of guide rails arranged on both inner walls of the ripening chamber while maintaining a set height;
The guide rail further includes at least one water tank containing water for immersing vacuum-packed meat and having a power connection unit electrically connected to the power supply unit to be slidably mounted;
Each of the water tanks is further provided with a second control unit including a timer, and a pump that operates selectively or continuously under the control of the second control unit and circulates the water in the water tank is further provided inside the water tank. Ripening device.
It includes a first control unit equipped with a refrigeration cycle, sealed by a door, and controlling the operation of the ripening warehouse;
The ripening chamber further includes at least one power supply unit on an inner wall;
It further includes a plurality of guide rails arranged on both inner walls of the ripening chamber while maintaining a set height;
The guide rail further includes at least one water tank containing water for immersing vacuum-packed meat and having a power connection unit electrically connected to the power supply unit to be slidably mounted;
Each of the water tanks is further provided with a second control unit including a timer, and a pump that operates selectively or continuously under the control of the second control unit and circulates the water in the water tank is further provided inside the water tank. Ripening device.
According to claim 2,
The ripening chamber further includes an evaporator of a refrigeration cycle so that the interior is at least partially exposed,
A wet maturation device, characterized in that a fan motor is further provided in front of the evaporator to circulate cold air generated from the evaporator into the interior of the ripening chamber.
It includes a first control unit equipped with a refrigeration cycle, sealed by a door, and controlling the operation of the ripening warehouse;
An evaporator of a refrigeration cycle is disposed on the upper side of the ripening chamber, and a water cooling tank containing water is disposed;
It further includes a plurality of guide rails arranged on both inner walls of the ripening chamber while maintaining a set height;
The guide rail further includes a plurality of water tanks in which water for immersing vacuum-packed meat is slidably mounted;
The water cooling tank and the plurality of water tanks are connected to an inlet pipe and a water outlet pipe, and a recovery pump is further provided between the water outlet pipe of the water tank disposed on the lower side and the water cooling tank to recover the water in the water tank to the water cooling tank. Wet aging device.
According to claim 4,
The ripening chamber further includes at least one power supply unit on an inner wall;
Each of the water tanks is provided with a power connection unit electrically connected to the power supply unit,
A second control unit including a timer is provided at an appropriate location in the water tank,
A wet aging device further comprising a pump inside the water tank that operates selectively or continuously under the control of the second control unit and circulates water in the water tank.
According to claim 4,
A wet maturation device, characterized in that a fan motor is further provided on the inner upper side of the ripening chamber to circulate the air inside the ripening chamber.
According to claim 4,
A wet aging device further comprising a plurality of cocks for passing or blocking water at appropriate positions of the water cooling tank, the plurality of water tanks, and the water intake pipe and the water discharge pipe.

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