To provide a sterilizer achieving further safe and secured sterilization, and improvement of a storable duration of a food material by the sterilization.
This sterilizer comprises reducing pressure in a treatment tank 3 in which food materials 2 are held with an exhaust means 4, and restoring pressure by carbon dioxide-containing vapor with a carbon dioxide introducing means 5 followed by keeping for a setting time. It is possible to spread carbon dioxide even into space between the food materials and the inside of the food material by introducing carbon dioxide-containing vapor into the treatment tank after discharging air, and to decrease the pH of the food material and achieve sterilization of the food material by its acid by exposing the food material to carbon dioxide. Furthermore, the sterilizer comprises reducing pressure again in the treatment tank 3 with the exhaust means 4 followed by restoring to atmospheric pressure by air with an air supply means 6. As a result of this, safety of an operator when opening the treatment tank is secured. It is possible to decrease remaining of sodium hypochlorite and by-products in the food material by further sterilizing by carbon dioxide, the food material after sterilizing by sodium hypochlorite.
MIURA PROTECH LTD
Koyama
Masayuki Mukai
Takayuki Mayuki