JP3148996B2 - desiccant - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a desiccant used mainly for maintaining the quality of packaged foods.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For a long time, in order to maintain the quality of foods,
Moisture in the holding atmosphere is removed or adjusted. For this purpose, quicklime or the like is mainly used, and recently, silica gel is widely used. Also,
Oxygen absorbers for the purpose of preventing oxidation are also being used as one of the qualities for maintaining quality.

[0003] Silica gel, activated carbon, zeolite, quicklime, calcium chloride and the like are well known as such desiccants, and silica gel, zeolite, quicklime and the like are mainly used for foods. In some cases, calcium chloride is also used. These desiccants are contained in a small bag made of non-woven paper or a plastic film having a large number of air holes formed therein, and are sealed together with foods in a packaging tare.

[0004]

However, many small bags containing a desiccant at first glance have an appearance similar to small packaged confections in which candy or the like is sealed. In addition, there is a danger that an infant who wants to take various things into his / her mouth by mistake will mistakenly take it into his / her mouth. In addition, even a child who can determine these dangers is likely to be mistaken for a candy or the like and put it into the mouth. When put in the mouth, silica gel is still used as a desiccant to avoid accidental ingestion of quicklime (calcium oxide) because it is extremely dangerous due to strong alkalinity and heat generated by reaction with moisture. On the surface of the pouch that contains, a warning such as "I can't eat" is displayed.

[0005] However, even if such a warning caution display is described on the surface of the pouch, the warning display is completely meaningless for infants and children because the characters cannot be read. Therefore, the design of the sachet, the desiccant itself, etc. should be provided with a distinctive means that has a distinctive feature that makes it impossible or difficult to eat, so that it will not be eaten by mistake. It is conceivable to configure. However, such a configuration of the special identification means not only increases the product cost and lowers the marketability, but also has many problems such as adversely affecting the quality of foods. Therefore,
Such a harmless desiccant has been desired since such a consideration is not required if the desiccant itself has no toxicity, rather than constituting a special identification means.

Accordingly, the present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and uses coral fossil or coral sand containing calcium carbonate as a main component as a non-toxic substance as a desiccant. It is a desiccant that is safe without any obstacles even if a young child puts it in the mouth by mistake and swallows by mistake, and rather enables the intake of useful mineral components. The purpose is to provide.

[0007]

According to the present invention, a sandy coral fossil or coral sand containing calcium carbonate as a main component and containing substantially no salt is provided in the present invention. Is subjected to a heat treatment.

[0008] Further, it is characterized in that the same coral fossil or coral sand is immersed in a calcium chloride solution and then dried.

Further, the desiccant thus obtained can be sealed in a permeable tare.

The sandy coral fossil or coral sand used in the present invention is obtained by pulverizing reef-building corals derived from a natural organism, a coelenterate. In particular, a coral sand is clear and warm. The skeleton of the reef-building coral growing in the South Sea fossilized and became sandy and deposited on the sea floor. As is clear from Table 1, the components are mainly composed of calcium carbonate (96%), contain magnesium and other various minerals, have a myriad of fine pores having a diameter of 10 μm or less, and have strong adsorption. It is a substance with rich properties that shows its properties.

[0011]

[Table 1]

Therefore, by utilizing these properties, it can be used as a filter material for a water purifier, a water treatment agent such as a treatment agent for adsorbing heavy metals in wastewater, or as a nutritional supplement containing calcium, magnesium and other useful mineral components. Has been developed by the present inventor for many useful uses, especially as a nutritional supplement with marketing authorization from the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

That is, the present invention utilizes the above-mentioned properties as a drying agent. As described above, coral fossils or coral sands which have been desalinated and purified by washing with water and further subjected to heat treatment are used as they are or as hygroscopic substances. It is housed in reinforced non-woven paper, small bags made of plastic film and other materials with many air holes, and other tares made of materials suitable for this purpose. As an agent, it is enclosed and used with foods.

[0014]

In the desiccant according to the present invention, the granular material obtained by heat-treating a sandy coral fossil or coral sand containing calcium carbonate as a main component is porous and has a fine particle of 10 μm or less. The myriad of vacancies exhibit strong adsorption power, absorb moisture in the atmosphere, and dry.

A porous desiccant combined with a hygroscopic substance by being immersed in a calcium chloride solution and then dried to produce an extremely large hygroscopic action by synergistic action with the hygroscopic substance.

The desiccant enclosed in the air permeable tare makes the distinction from the substance to be dried clear, and absorbs the moisture in the sealed atmosphere through the tare.

[0017]

EXAMPLES Next, specific production examples of the desiccant according to the present invention and the results of performance tests on its water absorption will be described.

Example 1 A coral sand desalinated by washing with water was dried in a hot atmosphere at about 110 ° C., and the particle size was reduced to 10 to 60 by volatilization.
After adjusting to a mesh, the mixture is further heated at 150 to 170 ° C. for about 2 hours, and after cooling, about 3 g thereof is placed in a 40 mm square nonwoven paper storage bag, and the opening is heat-sealed to obtain a coral pack.

This coral pack, and similarly, 4
A comparative test of water absorption based on the relationship with the standing time was performed according to JISZ0701 for a case where 3 g of quicklime of the reagent was stored in a nonwoven paper storage bag of 0 mm square. The result is
As shown in FIG.

Example 2 After washing with water and drying in the same manner as in Example 1, the particle size was 10-60.
Adjust to a mesh and heat it at 500 ± 50 ° C. for 1 hour. Thereafter, the mixture is cooled to room temperature in a desiccator, and about 3 g thereof is stored in a nonwoven paper storage bag of about 40 mm square, and the opening is heat-sealed to obtain a coral pack.

As in Example 1, the result of comparison between the coral pack and the one containing quicklime as a reagent is shown in FIG.
It is as shown in FIG.

Example 3 In the same manner as in Example 1, washing with water and drying were performed, and the particle size was adjusted to 10 to 60 mesh. 50 g of this sample is immersed in a calcium chloride solution (50 g of CaCl ₂ ; 100 ml of water) and stirred occasionally. After about 3 hours, the supernatant is discarded and dried by heating.
After further heating to 300 ° C., the particle size was adjusted to 6.5 to 40 mesh, and about 3 g thereof was stored in a nonwoven paper storage bag of about 40 mm square as in Examples 1 and 2, and the opening was opened. Heat seal to form a coral pack.

As in Examples 1 and 2, the result of comparison between this coral pack and that containing the quicklime as a reagent is shown in FIG. 1, which exhibited extremely excellent water absorption. However, this sample deliquesces as moisture absorption progresses, and thus the amount of calcium chloride and its use range are limited.

[0024]

According to the present invention constituted as described above, the granular material obtained by heat-treating a sandy coral fossil or coral sand containing calcium carbonate as a main component is porous, In particular, the 10
Innumerable fine pores of a micron or less exhibit strong adsorption power, exhibit a moisture absorbing effect, absorb moisture in the atmosphere, and dry it.

At this time, by being enclosed in an air permeable tare, when enclosed together with a substance to be dried such as foods, the distinction from those foods is clarified.
Absorbs moisture in a sealed food tare.

As described above, for example, as a desiccant for preserving the quality of foods, they are used together with the foods in a sealed state, and the excellent hygroscopic action protects the sealed foods from moisture. And keep it dry.

The desiccant of the present invention utilizes coral fossils or coral sand containing non-toxic calcium carbonate as a main component. Even if a young child accidentally swallows the mouth and swallows it by mistake, it does not cause any injury on the body and is safe, and rather enables the intake of useful mineral components.

Incidentally, the desiccant of the present invention, as in the prior art,
For example, it is of course desirable to write a warning and cautionary message "Can not eat" on the surface of the tare.

Furthermore, the porous form combined with a hygroscopic substance by desalting, purifying, immersing in a calcium chloride solution and then drying out so as to contain substantially no salt exhibits an extremely large hygroscopic action. I do.

Therefore, as a natural product having a total amount of calcium, magnesium and other useful minerals exceeding 96%, coral sand of extremely high quality is used as a drainage agent and a nutritional supplement for water purifiers. By a suitable heat treatment or a combination with an appropriate hygroscopic substance, it is possible to provide a desiccant having extremely high safety at a low cost.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 shows the results of a water absorption test of the drying agent of the present invention obtained in each of Examples 1 to 3.

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] The present invention is characterized in that a sandy coral fossil or coral sand containing calcium carbonate as a main component, which is substantially free of salt, is immersed in a calcium chloride solution and then dried. desiccant. 2. A desiccant, wherein the desiccant according to claim 1 is enclosed in a permeable tare.