Method to convert manual cuisine into automaticoperations based on time-temperature integrators

Abstract: Promoting the modernization, standardization and automation of Chinese cuisine is the main target of cuisine research. There have already been hundreds of patents involving automatic cuisine in China, however, problems have emerged. For example, how to control cuisine processing according to a reasonable principle or, in other words, how to convert manual cuisine arts to automatic operations with controlling program. There is not an efficient method to program cuisine processing at present. The author did, however, try to find a solution to this problem. First, all parameters of heat transfer and kinetic mathematical modeling were established which describe the influence of operations on culinary qualities, and were listed in their totality. After a comprehensive study, it was found that stirring is the only parameter of culinary operation processes which is not directly programmable in automatic cuisine,. Thus, stirring parameters of automatic cuisine should be assumed to be a certain value, and other easily available and reliable parameters would be collected from the object of manual cuisine, so that the cuisine programs could be combined and integrated. Then, the integrated automatic cuisine programs would be executed on automatic cuisine equipment, and the dish would be produced. The indicators representing heating degree in manual and automatic cuisine dishes, such as chemical, physical, biological, and sensory index, would be measured and compared. If the indicator parameters in automatic cuisine were not the same as that in manual cuisine, we would merely regulate the stirring parameters in order to make both closed, and repeat above steps until both were identical; thus, all parameters of automatic cuisine which have the same effect as manual cuisine would be acquired. The parameters obtained by the above method would finally be programmed, so both dishes, object manual cuisine and automatic cuisine, would have the same culinary quality. The above method is more cost effective, and the programs can be used repetitively in the long-term, hence the method is practicable. The principle of the above method was proved, because the solution of partial differential equations about mathematical physics that decides culinary quality is unique. If both indicators representing heating degree in manual and automatic cuisine dishes are the same, it is proved that both cuisines way have the same temperature history, and the same quality. In order to determine the indicators representing heating degree, sensory evaluation, heat-sensitive chemical physics index analysis, and TTIs (Time-Temperature Integrators) method would be applied. Because TTI indicators would be distributed in center or surface of volume, they are carried with food analog that has the same thermo-physical properties and dimensions. Hence, the TTI method is a more rigorous, objective, accurate and reliable analysis method than the others, and has a wider application. For example, the surface, center and average culinary quality would be characterized by TTI's. Based on TTI technology, the method was established with 13 steps which convert manual cuisine to automatic cuisine processing, including specific methods to parameterize manual cuisine, selecting of food analogs, and TTIs indicators, etc. Finally, open-loop controlling and closed-loop controlling in automatic cuisine were discussed. Due to the diversity and complexity of Chinese cuisine, open-loop controlling should be a realistic approach in terms of programs from manual cuisine. This thesis showed theoretically that it is possible to obtain the same quality dishes as manual cuisine via automatic cuisine.