PRODUCTION OF LEAVE PRODUCT FOR BEVERAGE OF FOOD WITH REDUCED VIABLE CELL NUMBER OF MICROORGANISMS

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide leaf products such as tea leaves with a reduced number of microorganisms without deterioration of qualities such as color, smell, taste. SOLUTION: Vibrations are given to leaf raw materials for beverages or foods, or their cut or ground products simultaneously in the longitudinal and transverse directions so that the raw material, cur or ground products, are rotated. The rotated leaf raw materials or cut or ground products 33 are irradiated with an electron beam 31 of 160-230 keV to disinfect the leaf raw materials or their cut and ground products 33 without deterioration in quality. This disinfection process is superior to the other processes as heating or steam sterilization process in the germicidal power.