Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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FOOD PROCESSOR AND METHOD THEREFOR
This invention relates to processing food and
products for food. In particular, the invention is
directed to the kneading of a multiplicity of sub-
stantially integral food pieces, for instance, chunks of
meat, fruits or cheese wheels or the like.
The prior art of such food processing is described
with reference to the massaging and tumbling of chunks of
meat, and in this regard the meat products are,for
example, cured hams, ham products, bacon bellies, corn
10 beef briskets, or fresh meats, such as, meat beef rounds,
roasts, turkey breasts, or other poultry products. Such
meats have been subjected to a tumbling or massaging in
various kinds of known apparatus.
Cured meat products are normally needle injected
with a curing brine prior to mechanical tumbling or
massaging at atmospheric pressure, or alternatively under
a vacuum. The purpose of tumbling and massaging is to
accelerate the curing process, improve distribution of
the curing ingredient and to extract the "bind" protein
20 myosin.
The extraction of myosin results in a sticky or
tacky meat surface which improves moisture absorbtion and
retention and enhances product coherency during pro-
cessing.
Massaging boneless hams can improve and accelerate
the distribution of injected curing brine resulting in a
better cure in less time and most importantly, the yield
of the ham after cooking is increased by 5% to 7~.
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Tumbling of beef rounds or turkey breasts results in a
condition that permits several pieces to be stuffed in
casings or placed in molds for precooking. ~fter
chilling, the agglomerated meat can be thinly sliced
without falling apart. Tumbling or massaging also
results in other benefits such as improving uniformity of
color, tenderness, pliability, control of shrinkage, and
reduced cooking losses.
Generally, pale, soft meat such as pork and chicken
10 is massaged while dark, firm meat such as beef, mutton
and turkey is tumbled. Tumbling involves the result of
"impact energy" influences on muscle such as would occur
in allowing meat to fall from the upper part of a rota-
ting drum, or striking it with paddles or baffles.
Massaging is a less physically vigorous process and
involves "frictional energy" resulting fro~ the rubbing
of one meat surface on another, or on a smooth surface of
a container.
Known apparatus for this rnassage processing includes
20 vertical paddle massagers which are shown in U.S. Patent
4,038,426 (Jespersen) and U.S. Patent 3,934,860 (Michels).
In such vertical paddle massaging, the paddles are
suspended from above to engage the product, and the units
may be portable and transportable from the brine injector
lines to a process area. Unloading of the tanks is
accomplished by tipping the entire unit with hydraulical-
ly actuated dumpers. Such paddle massagers are not
suitable for bone-in ham due to product damage and are
used almost exclusively for boneless ham production.
30 Even for such boneless products, the rotating paddles or
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stirring blades drag products through the mass of the
load. This results in the tearing away and separation of
pieces from the main chunks.
Vacuum massagers are basically of two kinds. One
incorporates a drum or barrel shaped vessel which rotates
in a horizontal position on powered rollers. Such a unit
is internally equipped with longitudinal or angularly
rotated shelves to effect lifting and mixing. The drum
is loaded from the top while in a vertical position and
10 then tilted down 90 for tumbling on rollers. Such
massagers require considerable labor for loading and
unloading. An example of such an arrangement is shown in
U.S. Patent 3,880,067 (Hoffman).
The second kind of vacuum massager is of the sort
illustrated in U.S. Patents 4,029,824 (Langen), 4,036,122
(Langen), and 3,746,316 (Langen). This system involves
an elaborate "Y" configuration vessel with one leg of the
"Y" detachable. The drum rotates about a central axis to
allow the meat to tumble under the vacuum from one
20 chamber to the next. This system usually involves several
detachable chambers or round stainless steel meat tubs
mounted on wheels which are used as product collection
and transportation containers. Food containers are
attached to a conveyor system for indexing to the "Y"
drum area. Brine injector heads equipped with a pattern
of injection needles may be provided in the two perma-
nent chambers. Because of the height from which the
chunks of meat fall from chamber to chamber, damage in
the sense of bruising the~meat occurs. Where injector
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needles are employed, tearing or shredding of the muscle
is additionally caused.
In the prior art of tumblers~ it is known to provide
atmospheric pressure tumblers which are horizontal drums,
conical at each end and equipped with a manually operated
door. Internal horizontal shelves effect the necessary
lifting of the product. Such tumblers are used primarily
for extracting the bind protein myosin in the preparation
of precooked sectioned and formed beef products.
~acuum tumblers incorporate a horizontal drum
running on powered rollers and function much like a
laundry tumbler in that it tilts to discharge. The
product is loaded through a fold-away chute located at
the drum center. The chute is pivoted out of the way and
a vacuum door is placed over the charging opening during
processing.
There are various other devices designed for other
purposes that may have been used or tried by the meat
processing industry from time to time, such as ribbon
20 blenders employing helical paddles mounted on and rotated
by a central shaft in a cylinder that are used in the
chemical industry and small tilting drum-type concrete
mixers, but insofar as can be determined, none of such
devices has been considered satisfactory or successful,
since they have not been adopted.
In the field of kneading food pieces and in~view of
the above limitations and disadvantages of the prior art,
there is a need to provide a means for and method of food
processing which can provide a gentle low speed rolling
30 or massaging action on the food pieces.
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In particular, with the processing of meat it
is necessary to minimize bruising of the product and
situations where static load conditions can cause tear-
offs or separation. Also in regard to the vacuum tum-
bling or massaging of meat there is also the need to
produce high quality meat products which are uniform in
cure, bright in color, free of bruises with the entire
meat structure intact and dense in mess.
Furthermore, there is a need for a single high
10 productivity meat massager which permits for prompt
processing of slaughtered animals, thereby to minimize
the time during which muscles contract and rigor mortis
sets in. There is thus a need for a masssager which
requires less down time during which the curing brine
would only penetrate through osmosis.
There is also a need for a processer which can
operate both as a massager and a tumbler, and the prior
art discloses units which are either only tumblers or
massagers. In such a composite unit there is therefore
20 the requirement for slow speed massaging and a higher
speed dynamic tumbling where a requisite amount of
physical abrasion is desirable.
Additional needs include those of a reduced capital
cost, power, and handling requirements, working space and
maintenance. It is also desirable to have a processor
which is substantially more self-cleaning than existing
processors.
~ pparatus and method for kneading a multiplicity of
substantially integral food pieces including a rotatable
30 drum having spiralling flight means mounted about the
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inside wall between a closed end and an open end o-f the drum are disclosed
herein in which, upon rotation of the drum, the food pieces are kneaded by
contact with each other, with the type and magnitude of the kneading action
being variable by changes in drum speed and direction of rotation. A
further improvement includes door means provided on the open end of the
drum, and, in some preferred forms of the invention, a means for drawing
a vacuum in the drum during processing.
The invention also has application to various requirements in the
processing of food products such as the blending of different constituents
for a final food product, cooking food products and adding heat by steam
injection or otherwise, introducing flavoring additives into the drum so
as to process effectively the product as desired, either at atmospheric,
vacuum, or above atmospheric pressure.
According to one aspect of the invention apparatus for processing
a food product comprises a rotatable drum having a side wall, a closed end
to the drum, and an open end for feeding the food pieces into the drum and
discharging the food pieces from the drum, the open end being opposite the
closed end; a mounting mealls for the drum to permit drum rotation about a
longitudinal axis extending between the ends at an inclille to the
horizontal, the mounting means being connected w:ith the drum at least
about the side wall remotely located from the closed end; spiralling flight
means mounted on the inside of the s:;de wall of the drum and extending over
at least a substantial part of the length between the closed end to the
open end of the drum, and means adapted for drivingly engaging the drum
thereby to permit drum rotation whereby food pieces contained in the drum
are kneaded by contact with each other.
In a preferred form of the invention where the food product is a
multiplicity of substantially integral food pieces, the spiralling flight
means has a configuration to cause continuous movement of substantially
all the food pieces within the drum during rotation.
Also in some preferred forms of the invention there are door
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means mounted for movement hetween a positioll of closure with the open end
of the drum and a position removed from the open end, said door means
being adapted to form an airtight seal with the open end of the drum in
the closed operative position.
According to another aspect of the invention there is provided
a method of kneading a multiplicity of integral food pieces comprising:
a. feeding the food pieces into a rotatable drum mounted at an inclined axis
and having a spiralling flight means;
b. rotating the drum in a first direction about the axis whereby the food
pieces contact each other, the rotation of the drum and the action of the
flight means tending to draw the food pieces inwardly into the drum and
causing continuous movement of substantially all the food pieces throughout
the drum; and
c. reversing the direction of the rotation of the drum thereby to discharge
the food pieces from the drum under the action of the spiralling flight means.
In the accompanying drawings:
Fig. 1 is- a side view of the apparatus showing the drum partly in
section,
Pig. 2 is an end view along line 2-2 of Fig. 1 showing the drum
from the open end with the door means closed on the end,
Fig. 3 is a partial sectional side view showing details of the
door means and also illustrating, in phantom lines, the door means in an
open position,
Pig. 4 is a detailed sectional side view showing the engagement
reinforcing flange of the door means with the engagement reinforcing flange
about the open end of the drum,
Fig. 5 s a sectional end view through the drum along line 5-5
of Pig. 1 in the direction towards the open end of the drum,
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Fig. 6 is a sectional end view through the drum
along line 6-6 of Fig. 1 in a direction toward the closed
end of the drum,
Fig. 7 is a detailed sectional end view through a
vane of the flight means in the drum, and showing the
connection of the vane to the side wall of the drum, and
Fig. 8 is a detailed sectional side view showing the
hatch means in the side wall of the drum.
The apparatus of this invention for kneading a
10 multiplicity of substantially integral food pieces, such
as chunks of meat, includes a rotatable drum 10 of
stainless steel and having a glass bead blasted finish
mounted on an axis inclined to the horizontal and sup-
ported by pedestals 11 and 12. The drum includes a side
wall 13 made up of four segments 13a, 13b, 13c and 13d so
that segment 13a tapers away from a closed end 14 to a
larger diameter about the central section 13b and
thereafter tapers at segments 13c and 13d gradually
towards a smaller diameter at an open end of the drum 10.
20 The closed end 14 of the drum 10 includes a centrally
located internal conical housing 15. This housing 15 is
formed by a portion 16 of end wall 14, a conical internal
wall 17, and central circular segment 18 inside the drum
10. The conical housing 15 defines an area through which
a relatively conventional direct hydrostatic drive means
19 can be drivingly coupled to the closed end 14 of drum
10. The hydrostatic drive 19 is itself mounted on the
pedestal 11 and thereby effects the drum mounting
support axially at the closed end 14 of the drum 10.
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Pedestal 12 is located about the side wall 13
remotely from the closed end 14 and thereby provides an
additional mounting to the drum 10. On top of pedestal
12 there are rollers 20 on which a track 21 on the side
wall 13d of the drum is adapted to run. In this manner,
the drum is rotatable about its longitudinal axis which
is inclined to the horizontal in a range between about
10 to 15, preferably 12.
The drum 10 provides an open end 22 which is closed
10 by door means 23 as may be required in operation of the
drum 10. The flight means are mounted on the inside of
the side wall 13 and extend substantially over the length
of the drum 10 between the closed end 14 and the open end
22. The flight means are defined by two spiralling vanes
24 which are 180 out of phase with each other and are
mounted about the inside of the side wall 13 of the drum
10. The lead angle of the vane 24 is designed relative
to the side wall segments 13a, 13b, 13c, and 13d such
that upon rotation in a first direction the food pieces
20 or food product 25 within the drum 10 are urged towards
the closed end 14 of drum 10. Rotation in the opposite
direction causes the contents 25 to be urged toward open
end 22 and, when the door means 23 is opened, to be
discharged through the open end 22 of drum 10. The lead
angle in the central areas 13b and 13c of the drum 10 is
about 26 and is somewhat less at the discharge section
13d of the side wall 13 due to the decreasing diameters
of the side wall 13.
Vanes 24 meet the conical wall 17 at the closed end
30 14 substantially at right angles, and this is achieved by
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providing lips 26 substantially right angularly directed
relative to the normal planar section 27 of the vanes 24.
Such right angular engagement of the vanes 24 and wall 17
ensures that food pieces 25 do not wedge in a narrowing
tight angle which would otherwise be formed if the vane
sections 27 gradually tapered into engagement with the
conical wall 17.
The edge 28 of vanes 24 provides a thickened cross-
section 29 so as to minimize deleterious action on the
10 food pieces during operation of drum lO. Such action
could be the bruising of chunks of meat, or unwanted
severage of pieces of meat from the greater pieces 25.
The thickened cross-section 29 is formed by welding a
tubular pipe section 29 on top of the plate forming the
vanes 24.
The door means 23 is defined by a dish-shaped plate
30. Centrally through the plate 30 there is provided a
port 31 which is connected with a pipe 32. Between the
port 31 and the interior of drum 10 there is provided a
20 strainer 33 which prevents the passaye of particles of
food pieces into the port 31 and pipe 32. About the dish
30, there is a circular reinforcing flange 34 which is
provided with a circular slot 35 in which is located a
sealing ring 36. The flange 34 provides a tapered edge
37 relative to the plane of the dish 30 which is arranged
to ab~t with a tapered edge 38 formed in a circular
reinforcing flange which is welded to the segment 13d at
its end 40, namely the open end 22 of the drum 10. The
mating tapered edges 37 and 38 facilitate self-aligning
30 of the door means 23 with the open end 22 such that an
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air-tight seal can be created together with sealing ring
36 engaging with the tapered edge 3~ as shown.
In the side wall 13 of the drum 10, there are two
hatch means 54 and 55. The hatch means are offset from
each other in a lateral and longitudinal direction. Each
hatch means 54 and 55 includes an opening 56 in the a
side wall 13, and a cover 57 which is arranged to move
into and from engagement in an axial direction with the
opening 56 such that effective sealing of the openings 56
10 can be made. A sealing ring 58 abuts with the mouth 59
around opening 56. Handle 60, and transverse bar 62
effectively provide for operation of the covers 57.
About the open end 22 to drum 10 there is a mounted
shield 61 which covers the mounting rollers 20 and track
21 and effectively screens the opening 22 from those
portions of the drum and drive mechanisms 19 and 14
rearwards of the shield 61 in the direction towards the
closed end 14 of the drum 10. Affixed to the shield 61 is
a delivery hopper 62 so that food pieces 25 discharged
20 from the drum 10 can be fed suitably to a removal means.
A vacuum can be drawn in the inside of drum 10
through pipe 32 by means of a vacuum pump 41 which is
mounted on the framework 42 below the drum 10. General-
ly, pipe 32 is defined by a lead section 43 which is
connected with the port 31 and rotating union 44, and
elbow 45 connected with flexible vacuum tubing 46 or the
like. A valve can be provided in the pipe 32 at any
suitable place so that the vacuum pump 41 and drum 10 can
be isolated from or connected with each other as desir-
30 able. In some cases the union 44 may be removed and,
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after a suitable vacuum is drawn through the pipe 32, thevalve is closed. The vacuum pump 41 is thus isolated
from the door means 23 and drum 10.
The door means 23 is connected with an arm 47
projecting from and about the lead section 43 of pipe 32
to a mounting 48 laterally spaced from the side wall 12
of the drum 10. The mounting 48 of projecting arm 47
forms a hinge 49 about which the door means 23 is mov-
able. By having the hinge 49 remote from the dish-shaped
10 plate 30, there is sufficient flexibility permitted to
the door rneans 23 such that the self-alignment of the
door means 23 with the open end 22 is facilitated. From
the mounting 48 there is a stub 50 which is connected
with a piston rod 51 which passes into cylinder 52.
Such a piston and cylinder means can be pneumatically
driven through the supply pipes 53 to open and close the
door means 23 as required. In operation of the pro-
cessing apparatus the door means 23 is open and chunks oE
meat 25 are fed into drum 10. If desired, a curing fluid
2~ or the like 63 is also introduced into the drum to a
requisite level. Alternatively the curing fluid 63 can
be injected into the meat chunks 25 prior to loading into
the drum 10.
Door 23 is then closed and the drum is rotated in a
first direction causing a general force in a direction
towards the closed end 14. This acts to massage the meat
chunks 25 until the desired properties and characteristics
of the meat chunks 25 are obtained. As required, the
drum can also be rotated in a reverse direction and, in
30 this event, with the door closed a different and opposite
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force is applied to the meat chunks 25, thereby imparting
different properties to the meat chunks. In some pro-
cesses, the drum can be retained stationary for desired
time periods so as to impart other requisite character-
istics to the food pieces 25 in the drum 10.
Discharge of the meat chunks 25 is effected by
opening the door 23 and rotating the drum 10 in the
appropriate direction such that the meat chunks 25 are
drawn upwardly towards the open end 22 from where they
10 fall into the delivery hopper 62 and are removed.
In another application of the invention when the
door 23 is closed a suitable vacuum is applied to the
drum, which could be up to about one atmosphere, by
activating the vacuum pump 41. A pressure gauge 64
measures the vacuum within the drum 10. With the rotary
union 44, the vacuum pump 41 is retained connected to the
drum 10. In other cases, the vacuum tubing 46 can be
disconnected from the door means 23. The vacuum acts to
enhance the properties imparted to the meat chunks 25 and
20 also increases the speed with such improved properties
can be imparted to the nleat. For different processes,
different degrees of vacuum and pressure can be imparted
to the drum 10.
In a particular example of the processor of the
invention for massaging bone-in and boneless meat pro-
ducts, pieces weighing between 49 lbs. to 57 lbs. per
; cubic foot would be introduced into the drum 10. The
pieces 25 are injected with up to 40% curing brine 63.
Aside from the seepage of injected brine and a minor
30 amount of free brine, there would be little float present
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in the load. During massaging all of the free moisture
would be absorbed by the meat 25. Upon completion
of the process, the load would be more viscous, yet,
remain slippery and easy to handle.
The apparatus can be used for the kneading and
processing of other food pieces. In this regard, ex-
amples are massaging of citrus products whereby the fruit
is softened prior to squeezing or pulping. Likewise, the
massaging of cheese wheels to effect homogenous condi-
10 tions within the cheese is another process. There arealso applications for the blending of food products and
various components for food products in the apparatus.
Also, there is the use of the drum for cooking food
products, such as wheat kernels, under added pressure
generated by a pressure pump or vacuum or atmospheric
pressure. Heat can be added by steam injection or
otherwise. Flavoring additives can also be suitably
introduced.
Inspection of the contents of the drum 10 is made
20 possible through the hatch means 54 and 55. By having
the hatches 54 and 55 displaced on the drum 10 as in-
dicated, inspection of different areas within the drum is
possible. The hatch means also facilitate flushing of the
drum during cleansing, by keeping in the cleansing
operation, a cleansing fluid is added to the drum, the
hatch means 54 and 55 are closed as is the door 23, and
the drum is rotated in either or both directions so as to
effect a suitable cleansing action. Thereafter, flushing
and draining is effected through the hatch means 54 and
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55. or through the open end 22 when the drum 10 is
rotated in reverse.
By having the ring 36 mounted in the flange 34 of
the door means 23 it is possible to remove the ring 36
simply so as to facilitate the cleansing of the slot 35,
and thus enhances the sanitation associated with the
apparatus.
A suitable delivery hopper is provided on casters
for feeding food pieces 25 such as meat chunks into the
10 drum 10 and in this connection it is desirable that the
delivery hopper have a chute which enters the open end 22
of the drum 10. This avoids spillage of liquid which has
a high protein content and this can also avoid a loss in
the final yield of the product.
The vacuum pump 41 can be mounted separately from
the framework 42 in other embodiments of the invention.
Automatic programmed operation of the vacuum pump 41 and
hydrostatic drive 19 can be arranged so that preferred
operation cycles of processing can be Eollowed.
Advantages of the apparatus include the feature that
the structure permits for the increased productivity with
less equipment than prior art apparatus necessary for
such productivity. For instance, one unit of the inven-
tion with a 15,000 lb. capacity is equivalent to nine
vertical paddle massagers of 1,700 lb. each. Whereas the
unit of this invention operating under vacuum requires
only a 6 to 7-hour cycle time, the vertical paddle would
require three times as much time for the same massaged
end product. Similarly, a vacuum -tumbler system of the
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Langen kind referred to in the prior art above would
require two systems to equal the same production output.
Under atmospheric pressure, massaging occurs over a
period of about 18 to 24 hours. The speed of rotation
during massaging is normally about 2 to 4 rpm. Pre-
liminary tests with the invention have indicated that a
fast massaging of meat chunks is possible at a speed of
about 10 rpm without causing deleterious effects to the
product.
The invented apparatus, operating on a gentle low
speed rolling action or at the higher speed massaging,
effectively provides a superior product with minimized
damage, whether operating under vacuum or at atmosphere.
Furthermore, the massager can also tumble meat or
other food pieces at atmosphere or under vacuum, at a
speed up to 12 rpm and this versatility and multiple
application of the invention is an additional important
advantage and contribution of the invention in the art of
food processors.
Initial capital costs are substantially reduced with
the present invention as is the operating labor and
expenses. The costs and labor for cleansing the appara-
tus are reduced and this can be effected at a rotational
speed of about 10-12 rpm.
In different embodiments of the invention it is
possible to have the lead angle of the vane 24 in the
central areas 13b and 13c of the drum 10 in a range
between 20 and 45. It apears that the most desirable
is in the vicinity of 25 to 30. One factor which will
30 determine the desirable lead angle is the angle of
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inclination of the drum to the hori~ontal, which is also
variable according to specific product requirements.
In yet a different form of the invention it is
possible to have the hatch means 54 and 55 only lon-
gitudinally or only laterally offset from each other.
The hatch means 54 and 55 can be in a single section 13a,
13b, 13c, or 13d of the side wall 13, and the hatch means
can be midway between the vanes 24 of the ~light means.
In place of the piston 51 and cylinder 52 being
10 pneumatically operated, the door means 23 can be hy
draulically operated or any other suitable actuator can
be used.
In yet a further embodiment o~ the invention a
different sealing arrangement between the door 23 and
open end 22 is provided. The door 23 is arranged with a
face, rather than a flange 34~ which engages the peri-
meter of the open end 22, and between the face and
perimeter there is a sealing 36.
As a preferred embodiment of the present invention
20 has been described and illustrated in detail, those
skilled in the art will readily appreciate that various
modifications can be made without departing from the
spirit of the present invention. Accordingly, the scope
of the invention is to be limited only by the appended
claims.
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