CN110384048B

CN110384048B - Cat litter containing bean curd by-product and method for producing the same

Info

Publication number: CN110384048B
Application number: CN201811093552.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 郑诚训
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Zheng Chengxun
Priority date: 2018-04-16
Filing date: 2018-09-19
Publication date: 2021-10-19
Anticipated expiration: 2038-09-19
Also published as: KR20190120530A; KR102042457B1; CN110384048A

Abstract

The present invention relates to a cat litter containing a bean curd byproduct and a method for producing the same. The manufacturing method of the present invention includes: preparing the bean dregs in an undried state; crushing the activated carbon with a mesh size of 30-60 meshes; adding the prepared bean dregs into a spiral belt type mixer, adding water-soluble adhesive particles, and stirring at a low speed; a step of further stirring at a low speed after the pulverized activated carbon is put in; blowing high-temperature air into the spiral belt mixer by using a blower, and performing primary drying to enable the water content to reach 45-65%; and transferring the molded product to an extruder to extrude the molded product into a predetermined shape.

Description

Cat litter containing bean curd by-product and method for producing the same

Technical Field

The invention relates to cat litter, in particular to cat litter capable of absorbing and solidifying excrement and urine of domestic pet cats and being conveniently recycled and a manufacturing method thereof.

Background

The cat litter is a pet article for treating excrement and urine of pet cats, and recently, various forms of cat litter have been developed with a drastic increase in the number of pets.

In particular, as a raw material of cat litter, various materials such as paper and bentonite are used.

In the case of paper materials, cats prefer to move around in earth, but paper materials are light in weight and are not preferred by cats, and thus there is a problem that the effect of inducing cats to defecate in cat litter is low and the price is relatively high.

Moreover, bentonite is heavy and cannot be disposed in a toilet, and needs to be separately collected and disposed in a garbage bag, so that the bentonite is inconvenient to use.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a relatively lightweight cat litter which is easy to use and has good absorbability and is produced from bean curd has been developed.

The cat litter made of bean curd is produced by using bean dregs, which are dregs left after soybean milk is produced in a bean curd production process, as a raw material.

Since the residue is left by the nutrients permeating into the soybean milk, the nutritional value of the soybean residue is not high, and the soybean residue is generally used as a feed for livestock, and has the advantage of reducing the raw material cost of the cat litter due to low raw material cost.

However, conventional tofu puddings are often eaten by pet cats in a manner that they are mistaken for food, and since cat puddings are not food but are articles for absorbing feces and urine, a large amount of chemicals are added, which adversely affects the health of the pet cat ingesting the tofu puddings.

And moreover, the phenomenon that the paws of the pet cat become white due to the fact that the tofu sands are crushed in the process that the pet cat defecates and urinates on the tofu sands or the sands are mixed is caused.

Further, there is a problem that a phenomenon in which powder generated by crushing the bean curd grit is scattered indoors, so-called desertification, occurs, which causes a bad indoor sanitary state and also has an adverse effect on the respiratory health of a human.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Document 1, Korean patent office, patent application No. 10-2016- "

Document 2, Korean patent office, patent application No. 10-2013- "

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object thereof is to provide harmless bean curd refuse.

More specifically, the present invention aims to provide bean curd jelly having a coating layer to prevent powder from scattering or contamination by pulverization.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a bean curd jelly in which a coating layer is melted and easily solidified to sufficiently absorb odor and moisture when the coating layer comes into contact with the feces and urine of a cat.

The present invention also provides a method for producing a bean curd jelly, which comprises dissolving bean curd into water when the bean curd jelly is put into a toilet, and dissolving the solidified particles to thereby allow the bean curd to be poured into the toilet.

In order to achieve the above object, the method for manufacturing cat litter containing bean curd by-products according to the present invention comprises the steps of: preparing bean dregs in an undried state; pulverizing activated carbon into particles of a prescribed size; adding the prepared bean dregs into a spiral belt type mixer, adding water-soluble adhesive particles, and stirring at a low speed; after the above pulverized activated carbon is added, further stirring at a low speed; blowing high-temperature air into the spiral belt mixer by using a blower, and drying the mixture of the bean dregs and the active carbon for the first time so as to enable the water content to be in a specified range; and transferring the mixture of the bean dregs and the active carbon which are subjected to primary drying to an extruder, and extruding the mixture into a specified shape.

Wherein, after the extrusion step, the following steps can be further included: adding liquid gelatin into a heating stirrer, heating to a predetermined temperature, adding the extruded product, and stirring at low speed; maintaining the temperature of the heating stirrer at a constant temperature, adding water-soluble solid particles, and stirring; and transferring to a drying furnace, and blowing high-temperature air by using a blower to perform secondary drying.

Wherein the rotational speed of the stirrer after the water-soluble solid particles are charged is higher than the rotational speed of the stirrer in the step of stirring after the extrusion product is charged.

On the other hand, the cat litter containing bean curd by-products manufactured by the above method may include: a filling layer formed by mixing bean dregs and granular activated carbon in a specified ratio by using an adhesive and then filling; a gelatin coating layer formed in a predetermined thickness on the outer side of the filling layer; and a plurality of water-soluble solid particles deposited on the gelatin coating layer.

Wherein the water-soluble solid particles penetrate the gelatin coating layer so that the filling layer is connected to the outside.

In this case, the gelatin coating layer may not extend to the inside of the center hole.

The cat litter containing bean curd by-products of the present invention is harmless and does not cause health problems even when ingested by pet cats.

Further, since the coating layer is formed on each of the bean curd grit particles, the bean curd grit particles are not crushed even if friction occurs between the bean curd grits or a pet cat digs out, thereby preventing a whitening phenomenon and a desertification phenomenon.

The coating layer is melted when contacting with the feces or urine of the cat, and after the coating layer is melted, the cat litter performs the functions of absorbing water and removing odor, so that the water absorption capacity and the odor removing capacity of the cat litter can be maintained.

In particular, the binder component is melted to make the cat litter, which has been stained with cat urine, well-agglomerated, and due to the high moisture absorption rate, can be immediately solidified after being melted by contact with pet cat excrement.

In addition, when the toilet bowl is put in the solidified state, the solidified state between the particles is dissolved by water, and therefore, the toilet bowl can be put in the solidified state and flushed with water, and thus the toilet bowl is easy to handle.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a flow chart illustrating the manufacturing process of the cat litter of the present invention in order.

Fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating the manufacturing process shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view illustrating a sectional structure of the cat litter containing bean curd by-products according to the present invention.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged view showing the composition of the litter of the invention.

Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating the appearance of the litter of the invention.

Fig. 6 is a diagram illustrating a modification in which a center hole is formed.

Description of reference numerals

10: filling layer

110: bean dregs

120: activated carbon

130: water-soluble solid particles

140: coating layer

150: center hole

Detailed Description

The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to preferred embodiments thereof and the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements.

In the present invention and claims, when a certain component "includes" another component, it is not to be construed as being limited to the case of being constituted by only the component unless otherwise specified, and it is to be understood that the component may include another component.

Hereinafter, an example of the cat litter containing bean curd by-products and the method for producing the same will be described with reference to specific examples.

Fig. 1 is a flowchart illustrating a manufacturing process of the cat litter of the present invention in the order named, and fig. 2 is a reference diagram illustrating the manufacturing process shown in fig. 1.

The first step is a step S11 of preparing the bean dregs 110 in an undried state.

In the bean curd manufacturing process, dregs remaining after the soybean milk is produced are squeezed to remove a certain degree of water, thereby manufacturing the bean dregs 110 without additional drying of the above bean dregs 110.

The second step is a step S12 of pulverizing the activated carbon 120 with a mesh size of 30 to 60.

The activated carbon 120 is a porous substance activated with charcoal using gas or chemicals, and has a large contact area, strong adsorbability, and rapid chemical reaction.

The activated carbon 120 is produced by a step of causing the surface of a carbide such as coal, coconut, nut shell, peat, soil carbon, wood, brown carbon, or the like, which contains a large amount of carbon, to be corroded by an oxidation reaction of carbon occurring at a temperature of 800 to 1100 ℃, thereby developing the microporous structure of the carbide.

The purpose of the activated carbon 120 is generally the purification of liquids and gases. As examples, deodorizers of refrigerators or absorbents for air purifiers, filter nets for water purifiers, and filter papers are used for removing malodorous substances and coloring substances in air or water.

In the present invention, the activated carbon 120 plays a role of removing excrement malodor in the process of treating excrement of pet cats with the cat litter of the present invention.

The prepared activated carbon 120 is injected into a pulverizer and pulverized with a mesh size of 30 to 60 mesh to produce granular activated carbon 120.

In the later step, since the activated carbon 120 is stirred with the bean dregs 110, the activated carbon 120 does not have to be coarse particles, but the pulverized state is more easily stirred.

On the other hand, the bean curd jelly completed by the present invention is substantially uniformly mixed with the bean dregs 110 and the activated carbon 120, and is shrunk during the drying process to form a porous structure inside.

Specifically, since most of the protein in the bean curd manufacturing process permeates into the soybean milk produced and only the cellulose remains in the bean curd 110, the bean curd 110 is mainly composed of cellulose, and the granular activated carbon 120 is mixed in the cellulose of the bean curd 110.

The third step is a step S13 of putting the prepared okara 110 into a ribbon blender, then putting the water-soluble binder particles, and stirring at a low speed.

As the granular water-soluble binder, starch is preferably used. The starch includes sweet potato starch, corn starch, potato starch, tapioca starch, etc., and any starch may be used without particular limitation as long as it is edible and viscous when dissolved in water.

Since the prepared bean dregs 110 have high water content while the water is removed once during the transfer, the starch is added and stirred at a low speed, and the starch is melted, so that the mixture of the bean dregs 110 and the starch has viscosity.

The fourth step is a step S14 of adding the pulverized activated carbon 120 to the mixture of the bean dregs 110 and the starch, and then stirring at a low speed.

The activated carbon 120 is pulverized into granules in the second step, so that it can be uniformly mixed when it is put into the mixture of the bean dregs 110 and the starch and stirred.

The fifth step is a step of blowing high-temperature air into the spiral belt mixer by a blower to dry the mixture produced in the fourth step for the first time.

The blower is a device capable of blowing air in a specific direction, and high-temperature air is blown into the spiral belt mixer so that the mixture produced in the fourth step is in a semi-dry state in which the water content is 45% to 65%.

Wherein the mixture of the bean dregs 110 and the activated carbon 120 is formed into a paste by the viscosity of the adhesive.

The sixth step is a step S16 of transferring the mixture primarily dried in the fifth step to an extruder and extruding the mixture into a predetermined shape.

The mixture dried for the first time in the fifth step is in the form of a paste and can be kneaded into a predetermined shape. The mixture was transferred to an extruder and extruded into an appropriate shape to form bean curd grit particles.

On the other hand, the following steps are further performed to form a coating layer 140 on the surface of the bean curd grit particles.

The seventh step is a step of pouring liquid gelatin into a heating stirrer, heating to a predetermined temperature, then pouring the extrusion product, and stirring at a low speed.

Fig. 2 (d) shows a heating stirrer, and liquid gelatin is poured into the heating stirrer and then heated.

The gelatin is maintained in a liquid state by heating the heating stirrer at a temperature of about 35 to 45 ℃, and the extrusion product of the sixth step is fed and stirred at a low speed to coat the surface of the extrusion product with the liquid gelatin.

On the other hand, in the case where the binder component is not completely dried in the extruded state, particularly when the binder is starch, it can also function as a curing agent for liquid gelatin. Therefore, no additional curing agent needs to be mixed, and only liquid gelatin is added.

Alternatively, a cellulose-based hydrocolloid may be added as the curing agent.

By a small amount of a curing agent (within 5 wt%), the liquid gelatin is cured during the drying process, thereby forming a gelatin coating layer 140 on the surface of the bean curd grit.

The eighth step is a step of adding the water-soluble solid particles 130 while maintaining the temperature of the heating stirrer at a constant level, and then further stirring the mixture.

The water-soluble solid particles 130 are dissolved in water, and serve to induce the separation of the coagulated state between the bean curd grit particles of the present invention and to reduce the water-soluble temperature of the coating layer 140.

Potassium chloride as the water-soluble solid particles 130 has suitable physical properties but is harmful to pet cats, and therefore, a salt (sodium chloride) may be used instead.

In particular, it is preferable that the rotation speed of the stirrer after the sodium chloride particles are charged is increased to a predetermined level or more.

Preferably, the rotation speed of the stirrer after the sodium chloride particles are charged is higher than the rotation speed of the stirrer in the step of charging and stirring the extrudate.

In the above stirring process, the water-soluble solid particles 130 are embedded in the gelatin coating layer 140 which is not completely solidified, and as shown in fig. 3, a boundary between the okara 110 and the outside air is formed.

The ninth step is a step of transferring the extrusion product produced in the eighth step to a drying furnace, and blowing high-temperature air by a blower to perform secondary drying.

Unlike the first drying step S16, the extruded product is completely dried to dry and solidify the coating layer 140 on the surface of the extruded product, and the bean dregs 110 and the activated carbon 120 inside become a porous structure.

Thereafter, a step of vacuum-compressing the package for shipment (not shown) may be included.

In the distribution step, since the bean curd grains are crushed by collision, it is necessary to perform vacuum compression packaging and then circulate the bean curd grains.

Hereinafter, the structure of the cat litter containing a bean curd by-product of the present invention will be described.

The resulting litter made by the above steps has the structure shown in fig. 3.

The filling layer 10 is formed inside the cat litter by mixing the bean dregs 110, the granular activated carbon 120, and a binder, preferably starch, at a predetermined ratio.

On the other hand, a gelatin coating layer 140 having a predetermined thickness is formed on the outer side of the filling layer 10, and a plurality of water-soluble solid particles 130 deposited on the gelatin coating layer 140 are formed.

Specifically, the bean dregs 110 and the pulverized activated carbon 120 are mixed, and a binder is added thereto and stirred, thereby forming a paste having viscosity.

The paste is put into an extruder, extruded into a predetermined shape, put into a mixer, and poured with liquid gelatin, thereby coating the surface with the liquid gelatin.

Before the liquid gelatin is completely solidified, the water-soluble solid particles 130 are put into a mixer and mixed, so that the water-soluble solid particles 130 are embedded in the gelatin coating layer 140, and the cat litter structure containing the bean curd by-product of the present invention is finally formed after the gelatin coating layer is completely dried.

On the other hand, the filling layer 10 is enlarged to have a structure as shown in fig. 4.

Referring to fig. 4, protein in the okara 110 is lost, only cellulose remains, thereby forming a network structure, and the activated carbon 120 is inserted between the network structures of the okara 110, whereby the okara 110 and the activated carbon 120 form a mixture.

Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating the appearance of the litter of the invention.

The cat litter is produced in a granular form, and may be formed into a cylindrical shape as shown in (a) or into a polygonal shape as shown in (b) to (d).

Fig. 6 is a view illustrating a modification in which a center hole 150 is formed in the center of the cross section of a litter.

Although it is not necessary to form a central aperture 150 in the litter, it is preferred to form the central aperture 150.

One center hole 150 may be formed, but it is preferable to form a plurality of center holes 150 for the reason that the larger the contact area with moisture is, the better.

On the other hand, in the manufacturing process, the liquid gelatin is bonded to the surface side during stirring, thereby forming the coating layer 140 on the outer side, and the coating layer 140 is not formed inside the center hole 150.

That is, the inner side surface of the center hole 150 still maintains a very high hygroscopic property.

On the other hand, the coating layer 140 is not formed on the inner surface of the central hole 150, and the bean curd is likely to be broken or stained white like the conventional bean curd jelly, but the broken parts of the bean curd jelly, which collide with each other or are scratched by cats, are not the inner surface of the central hole 150, and thus the degree of breakage is very small.

The outer surface serves as a part where bean curd grains collide with each other or are scratched by cats, and is protected by the gelatin coating layer 140 for the first time.

Therefore, even if the center hole 150 is formed in the cat litter of the present invention, the effect of preventing the whitening phenomenon or the desertification phenomenon is maintained.

On the other hand, urine from the pet cat leaks first into the central hole 150, and the water-absorbing capacity is maintained. The urine of the pet cat melts the gelatin coating 140 on the surface of the litter, causing the adhesive to melt, thereby causing the litter to stick together and become a mass.

Further, when the cat litter formed in a lump is thrown into a toilet, water penetrates through the center hole 150, and is dissolved in a solidified state, so that the cat litter is easily cleaned.

The technical idea of the present invention is explained above by means of several embodiments.

Various modifications and alterations of the embodiments of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the disclosure of the invention. Although not explicitly shown or described, the description of the present invention may be modified to include various modifications of the technical idea of the present invention, and still fall within the scope of the right of the present invention. The above-described embodiments explained with reference to the drawings are described for the purpose of explaining the present invention, and the scope of the right of the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.

Claims

1. A method for producing a cat litter containing a bean curd byproduct, comprising the steps of:

(a) preparing bean dregs (110) in an undried state, crushing activated carbon (120) into particles with a specified size, putting the prepared bean dregs (110) into a spiral belt mixer, then putting water-soluble adhesive particles into the mixer, and stirring the mixture at a low speed;

(b) further adding pulverized activated carbon (120) to the resultant of the step (a), and then stirring at a low speed;

(c) blowing high-temperature air into the spiral belt mixer by using a blower, and drying the mixture of the bean dregs (110) and the activated carbon (120) for the first time to enable the water content to be in a specified range; and

(d) transferring the mixture of the bean dregs (110) and the activated carbon (120) which are subjected to primary drying to an extruder, and extruding the mixture into a specified shape;

(e) after the extrusion product and the liquid gelatin produced in the step (d) are put into a heating stirrer, stirring at a low speed;

(f) adding water-soluble solid particles (130) to the resultant of the step (e), and stirring the mixture;

(g) transferring the resultant of the step (f) to a drying furnace to completely dry the resultant,

wherein, in the stirred mixture subjected to the step (a), moisture contained in the okara (110) in an undried state is combined with the water-soluble binder particles to maintain a viscous state,

the mixture of the okara (110) and the activated carbon (120) is maintained in a paste state by virtue of the viscosity of the water-soluble binder particles by the stirring of the step (b),

the paste becomes a semi-dried state by the first drying of the step (c),

in said step (e), said liquid gelatin is solidified due to moisture contained in a binder in the extrusion product produced in said step (d),

in the step (f), the water-soluble solid particles (130) are bonded to the gelatin coating layer (140) by maintaining a constant temperature.

2. The method for producing a soybean curd byproduct-containing cat litter according to claim 1, wherein the method comprises the step of mixing the soybean curd byproduct with the cat litter,

the stirring rotation speed of the step (f) is higher than that of the step (e).

3. A cat litter containing a bean curd by-product produced by the method for producing a cat litter containing a bean curd by-product according to claim 1, comprising:

a filling layer (10) formed by mixing bean dregs (110) and granular activated carbon (120) at a predetermined ratio by using a water-soluble adhesive and filling the mixture;

a gelatin coating layer (140) formed at a predetermined thickness on the outer side of the filling layer (10); and

a plurality of water-soluble solid particles (130) deposited on the gelatin coating layer (140).

4. The cat litter containing by-product of bean curd as set forth in claim 3,

the water-soluble solid particles (130) penetrate the gelatin coating layer (140) to connect the filling layer (10) to the outside.

5. The cat litter containing by-product of bean curd as set forth in claim 3,

a center hole (150) is formed by punching a hole in the longitudinal direction in the center of the cat litter, and the gelatin coating layer (140) does not extend to the inside of the center hole (150).