Okinawa’s Specialty Food Spreads in the Mouth – New Texture Sweets ~Utilization of artificial salmon roe production technology~
Okinawa's Specialty Food Spreads in the Mouth - New Texture Sweets
~Utilization of artificial salmon roe production technology~
Date: 2022.12.23
The area where our high school is located is one of the central fruit tree production areas in Okinawa Prefecture, where pineapple, mango, tangerine, and shikuwasa (okinawan citrus fruit), cultivation, as well as passion fruit and other tropical fruit trees, are thriving. Many municipalities have been certified as center production areas, including Higashi Village for pineapple; Kunigami Village, Nakijin Village, and Ginoza Village for mango; Kunigami Village, Motobu Town, and Nago City for tangerine; Ogimi Village, Nago City, and Motobu Town for shikuwasa ; Motobu Town for acerola; and Onna Village for passion fruits.
However, when we learned that the demand for tropical fruit trees had plummeted due to the C-19 pandemic and that this was a major blow to farmers, we wondered if we could contribute to the region by developing a new product.
We thought that the decrease in the number of tourists and the peak of shipments would cause the prices of tropical fruit trees to collapse and the farmers' profits to fall.
We want more people to be able to enjoy Okinawa's specialties easily.
We want people to discover new tastes combining Okinawa's specialties (butterfly peas, passion fruit, mangoes, etc.).
We want to make the most of the sweetness and aroma that characterize tropical fruit juices.
Background 2
But …
We have realized through tasting questionnaires during product development (jams, etc.) that the distinctive sweetness and aroma of tropical fruit juices can be liked or disliked by different people.
*About Smell Harassment (Smell Harassment)
Smell harassment is harassment that causes distress to those around you through the smell of bad breath, body odor, food, cigarettes, or other odors. Since each person perceives smells differently, it is difficult to define what exactly constitutes harassment and how strong it is.
Example of Smell Harassment
At a small office company with about 10 employees, some people do not properly dispose of their lunch boxes or fast food during their lunch break, causing the smell to permeate the office. Those who take their breaks outside the office have to endure feeling sick every time after returning to the office.
Conditions
Even though the perpetrator may not have any bad intentions, smelling bad is intolerable to those around. We decided to develop a new form of assorted fruit sweet that does not diffuse its aroma even in rooms where many people gather, such as trains, airplanes, and boats, and allows the aroma to spread only in the mouth wherever and whenever it is desired.
Hypothesis
By utilizing the "artificial salmon roe" manufacturing technology, could the aroma of the fruit juice be locked in?
Outline of Idea
We want you to eat what you want, wherever and whenever you want! We have focused on the "artificial salmon roe" technology to realize this goal. And because it is a fruit juice, we can make effective use of out-of-spec products.
We actually made artificial salmon roe.
We actually made artificial salmon roe.
A certain amount of liquid containing sodium alginate in a certain amount of fruit juice with a dropper is dropped into an aqueous calcium chloride solution to solidify, then scooped out and rinsed with water. Five types of grained fruit juices were planned,using pineapple, passion fruit, mango, shikuwasa and tangerine. By placing grains of these five types of fruit juices on top of the bavarois, the product is not only colorful, but also allows the taste to change with each bite.
Role 1: Dropping the juice with a dropper
Role 2: Measuring the reaction time and scooping it out with a mysid. Both salmon eggs and membrane reinforcement are done.
(1) It is easy to do, but most of the process time is spent waiting (artificial salmon roe production time = 5 minutes and 20 seconds).
(2) It is difficult to make drops of the same size, so the size of the salmon roe is uneven.
(3) Simple work, but requires concentration. It is simple but difficult without automation, so we challenged ourselves to make a fully automated artificial salmon roe making machine by utilizing the knowledge of programming and robot making that we learned.
Objectives
1. Improvement of work process efficiency
2. Standardization of artificial salmon roe size
3. Easy production by anyone
Case of Proposal 1: Belt conveyor type
Process efficiency could not be improved because the number of processes became too many and complicated.
In the case of Proposal 2: Rotating table type, it may be possible to realize it.
Explanation of Functions
Function 1: Turning the turntable
The L-motor and sprocket are used to rotate the turntable. The L-motor and sprocket are used to rotate the turntable 〈 Problems 〉 The turntable and L-motor must always be in contact, but the training table is slippery, and the vibration of rotation causes both the L-motor and turntable to separate (mondai_1.jpg)
Improvement method (1): Gel tape was placed under the turntable to increase friction between the training table and the turntable (kaiketsu_1.jpg). (kaiketsu_1.jpg)
Improvement method (2): A suction cup was attached to the L motor to fix it (kaiketsu_2.jpg)
Function (2): Dropping
Using M motor and screw (toy) to push syringe
〈 Problems 〉
-Need three worm gears long enough to push syringe -When pushing syringe, it spins around at the connecting part(mondai_2.jpg)
Improvement method (1): Using screw of toy to push the syringe without connecting.
Function ③: Move up and down
Using a motor to lift and lower a tea strainer
- Total length of the device: 20 [cm]
- 180-degree rotation
- Vertical drop difference: 8 [cm]
- Tea strainer: Diameter 6.5 [cm], Weight 10g
〈Issue〉
The gear for lifting is slipping due to the weight, causing problems during the 180-degree rotation.
Improvement Method ⑴: Lightweight Lift
- Removed the intelligent block on the base to reduce weight.
- Rotated the lift directly with the motor without using gears.
Prototype created
We created an artificial salmon roe making robot with the following functions
Moving a tray using a rotating stand.
Dropping using a syringe
Function to move a tea strainer up and down using a lift
Future tasks
It was fun to build the device imagined using LEGO bricks, but it was time consuming. Also, the more sensors and motors we had, the more we could do, and the more imaginative we could be.
Since the tray needs to return to the same position when the turntable makes one lap, we would like to add color to the start position and use a color sensor to return to the start position when the tray makes one lap. We would also like to automate all processes so that mass production is possible.
We are interested in exploring the quantification of fragrances when artificially produced using a specialized machine. We are contemplating whether this venture could potentially lead to the development of a new industry in Okinawa, with a significant impact on the local economy.
Participating Schools
Okinawa Prefectural Hokubu Agriculture and Forestry High School
