CA1079571A - Process and apparatus for the mechanical separation of a combination of meats and bone - Google Patents
Process and apparatus for the mechanical separation of a combination of meats and boneInfo
- Publication number
- CA1079571A CA1079571A CA314,363A CA314363A CA1079571A CA 1079571 A CA1079571 A CA 1079571A CA 314363 A CA314363 A CA 314363A CA 1079571 A CA1079571 A CA 1079571A
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- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- screen
- meat
- bone
- fraction
- conduit
- Prior art date
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Abstract
Abstract of the Disclosure In a process and apparatus for the mechanical separation of a combination of meats and bone the material is conveyed by a feed screw through a conduit having at least a part of its wall formed as a separator screen. The screw moves the material between its lands in a manner such that it is pressed radially outwards against the screen with a minimization of shear along the screen. The screen is constituted by a plurality of closely spaced plates which flex under the effect of the outwardly operative pressure to facilitate passage of the meat fraction therethrough while retaining the boney fraction on the inner wall.
Description
g~ a~
PROC~SS AND APPARATUS FOR T~E MEC~IANICAL SEPARATION OF
A COMBINATION OF MEATS AND BONE _ _ _ Fi~ld of the Invention This invention is concer~ed with improvements in or relating to processes and apparatus for the m~chanical separa, tion of a combination of meat~ and bone.
Review of the Prior ~rt The mechanical ~eparation of various meat and bone combinations to produce a high quality meat produc~ fraction is now a well-established industry. Some parts of the industry use primarily the various parts of poultry, fish and red~meat animals that would otherwise be di~cardedO owing to th~ high cost of manual separation, but the separation of entire carcasses - i~ al~o in some circumstances a viable commercial operation.
A number of different processes and apparatus have been proposed hitherto for this purpose and as examples of lS prior apparatus may be menticned those disclosed in U.S. Patent3 Nos. 3,396,768 (Kuribaia); 3,266,542 (Paoli); and 3,~39,994 ~ tMcFarland). In a}l of ~hese machines a combination of mPat ~: and small pieces.of broken bone is forced under pressure against a perfora~ed screen, the ~oft~r meat component being 20 ~ forced by the pressure through the ~creen~ while the more rigid bone component is sw~pt along the face of the screen without passing through, to a ~uitable discharge locationO
The resulting ractions are ~ubject to stxingent .regulation by the a~propriate goyernment authoxiky and mus~
25 : meet minimum ~tandards as to, for exa~ple~
:; a) Maximum bone (calci~m) content in the ~eparated meat.
,. ~ .
b) ~aximum temperature and temperatur~ rise to ..
~- which the separa~ad meat i~ ~ubjected.
: :
In addition to the~e yovernment applled standa~d~ ~
.,, , . , -- . .
the meat-processing industr~ which receiVes the ~oduct has its own standards as to bone content, homogenit~, colour and texture.
Defini:t:ion:o:f t:he ;Inve:nt:ion It is an object of the invention to provide a new apparatus for the mechanical separation of a meat and bone combination.
In accordance with the present invention there is provided apparatus for the mechanical separation of meat and bone into separate fractions thereof comprising:
a) a cylindrical conduit having an inlet end and an outlet end and containing a feed screw rotatable about a longitudinal axis, b) the feed screw comprising a plurality of successive lands and upon rotation about its axis moving a meat and bone combination to be separated along the conduit from the inlet ~: to the outlet end and applying radially outwardly operative pressure to the combination pressing it against the conduit wall, c) at least part of the conduit wall comprising a separator screen whereby the pressure of the combination against the screen part forces the meat fraction through the screen while the bone fraction is retained thereby and moved through the conduit to the outlet end, d) the said part of the conduit wall constituting the separator screen comprising a plurality of plates and having screen apertures in the form of elongated slots, the plates having their inner edges constituting the inner conduit wall .' and flexing under the effect of the said outwardly operative pressure to facilitate passage of the meat fraction through the screen slots while retaining the boney fraction on the said inner wall.
. ~ ~ .
' The term "meat" as used herein i~ intended to apply to meat derived from an~ source in addition to that derived from the conventional sources cattle, plgs.and poultry and, in particular, is ihtended to apply to meat derived from fish, crustacea, etc.
The ~erm "combination" as used herein i~ intended to apply to a range of products extending from those consisting predominantly of meat with some bon~ included, e.g~ whole carcasses, to those consisting predominantly of bone with some meat included, e.g. the bones resulting from hand deboning.
Description of the Drawin~s Apparatus and a process which are particular preferred : embodiments of ~he invention will now be described, by way of example, with refer~nce to the accompanying diagrammatic drawing, wherein:- .
Figure ~ is a plane cro~s section through the machine taken on the axis of rotatio~ of the conveying separating and : discharge ~crews, the upper half of the separating and discharge ~ :
screws being shown in cross-section for clarity o illustxation~
~20 while the lower halve~ of t~ese Bcrews are ~hown in ~ide - : elevation, Figure 2 i~ an end elevation o an annulu~ as u~ed to ~orm the separating screen of th~ apparatus of Eigure 1, and Figure 3 i~ a section taken on the l~:ne 3-3 o~
: Figure 20 .' ' : ~ ~ `, : :
Description of the Preferred Embodiments The apparatus of the invention comprises a base, indicated generally by the reference 10, in which a drive motor 12 is mounted. On the top of the base is mounted a ca -.5 ing 14 having a tubular extension 16, the casing providing ahopper 18 for the reoeption of the meat and bone combination to be separated. The casing 14 and extension 16 also provid~
a conduit 20 having mounted therein a conveyor screw 22, the screw being rotatable about a horizontal lo~gitudinal axi~
A-A. The rear end of the screw 22 i~ splined and i~ in rota-tional drivlng engagemen~ wi~h a splined boss 24 mounted in the casing by bearings 26; seals 28 are also provided. This boss is constituted by the free end of the output shaft 30 of a speed reduction gear 32, the input to the speed reduction gear bein~
via a belt drive 34 from the drive motor 12.
This conveyor screw 22 is of conventional form and the diameter of i~ body increa es progressively from the inlet provided by the hopper into the extension while the radial .
: depth of it~ lands decreases correspondingly to maintain a con-~ 2 stant external diameter for the whole screw; the pitch of the : screw between successive lands also ~ecreases progres~ively, ~ with the result that the meat and bone combination is forced ; ~ ~ into the tubular extension and ~8 subjected therein to an in-creasing pressure a~ it ~ravel~ along the conduit 20. Th~ :
pressurizcd combin~tion ~s fcd through a tapered annular outlet : 36 of decrc.~sing diamntcr in ~ho dircction o~ flow formed by inner taper~d~surface 38 o ~n annular part 40 fastened to : the extension 20 A separator ~cxeen indica~ed g2nerally by ref~renc~
. 30: 42:coop~rate~ wlth a separat~ng s~rew m~mber 44 mounted in , . . ~
~ 4 .
.. . ..
p~
bore or conduit 46 therein to separate into different fraction~
the pressurized combination o~ meat and bone fed thereto by the screw 22. The separator scr~en is to be described in detail below, and in this embodiment is constituted by a large numher of annular discs 48 (Fig. 2~, which are clamped tightly face-to-face b-~ a set of circumferentially-spaced longitudinal tie-rods 50 extending between the part 40 and an axially~spaced tubular part 52. Another tubular part 54 is slidable within a bore 56 in the par~ 52 and is embraced by a cap nu~ 58 ~ha~ is screw-threadPd on to the free end of the part 52. The end of the part54 within the bore 56 is provided with a tapered fare 60 cooperatîng with a tapered face at the adjacent end of the screw member 44 to constitute a throttle con~r~lling the pressure that is applied ~o the separating meat and bone within ~he cylindrical conduit 46.
The separating screw 44 has integral thexewith a discharge screw 64 which rotates within a bore ~6 in the part 54, ~ ` the other end of the screw 64 being carried by a bearing 68.
: In operation~ the meat and bone combination, which may comprise, for example, the otherwise~discarded necks and backs of broiler chickens, iQ fed continuously to the hopper 16 and passed by the screw 22 ~hrough the conduit 20 and under pressure ~: to the interior of the conduit 4~. Under the special action of the separating screw member 44, to be described belowj the 2S combination is pressed out~ardly-against the cylindrical in~8rior , surface 70 of the separator screen 4~. The so~ter meat fraction passes radiaily ou~wards through the screen and î~ collected in a suitable receptacle 72~ while the more rigid bone, sinew, etc.
raction is carried along by the screw member 44 wi~hin the ~: 30 bore 46 until it~ i~ di~charged through ~he throttle opening 66 . ~
~ 5 ~ :
.
' ~ 3~ ~
.
in the part 54. The bone etc. fraction i5 then moved by the discharge screw 64 through the bore 66 to an outl~t 74, where it is collected in a separate receptacle (not shown).
The separated meat fraction is found to have a markedly different physical structure from that produced by any of the machines at present known ~o U8, and may be dis-tinguished therefrom as being more coherent and not emulsified~
with greater retention of the longitudinal fibrous structure characteristic of animal muscle tissue. It is beliaved at present that this difference in physical structure is due to the new manner in which the separator screw member 44 presents the pressurized meat and bone to the separator screen 42 t and also to the new manner in which the screen is operative to separate ~he meat and bone fractions.
The screw 44 comprises a plurality of successive lands;
and the pitch of ths lands decreases progressively along its , length to compensate for the loss of separated mea~ produc~
; - through the separator screen, and so that the pressure applied .
to the meat and bone combination within the bore 46 is maintained within predetermined limits. Each land of the helix is shaped to have its rear face concave and i~ arranged to direct the combination radially outwards, while the front face of each land is shaped ko direct material it engage~ radially inwards toward the screw axis. Thi~ special land shape ~herefore ~ ~S crea~es between each immëdlately successive pair of leading and trailing lands an elliptical movement o~ the material, with - the material stationary or relatively so while it is in contact .
with the inner face of the separator screenO Thi~ movemen~, as indicated by ~he arrow~ 76~ i~ radially ou~wards adjac~n~ the .~ .
30 leading land~ radially lnward adjacent the t3:ailing land~ and ' . ' ~
~p~
forward rom the trailing land to the leadin~ land adjacent the screw body, and is superimposed upon the general movement of the material lengthwise of the screw toward the outlet 56.
Another way of describing the motion is that the material i5 "peeled" from the surface of the separator sereen by.the leading face of the trailing land, and is then "tucked under" the material already against the separator screen in its movement ~` in the direction of flow. While this movement is happening there is a cons~ant pre~sure radially outward upon the material.
This particular circulation, in which the part of the material in contact with the separator screen is stationary or at least relatively so, is believed to be a principal factor in the performance of the process and the apparatus. Thus, the material is forced under the radially outwardly opera~ive .pressure applied thereto against the screen with the minimum amount of shearing along ~he screen innex surface, and i~ is believed tha~ it is this shearing~which is responsible for : : ~ many undesirable effects of prior mechanical separating : ~ :processes and apparatus.
; 20 ~ The dif~erences in ph~sisal structure between the separated meat product of the apparatus and process of this invention shows t~at inherently a differen~ separating process is involved. Owing to the special movement of the material there is no oppor~unity for the accumulation o~ particl~ of .25 :bone against t~e inner sur~ace o~ the separatox screen. The meat tissue separates ~rom the bone and flow~ through the slots in the ~orm of relatively long thin shee~s, as compared to the "particlen emulsion or slurry structure obtained with prior - apparatu~ and processes. ~nother beneficial effect which i~
30 ~ believed to~ low from thi~ minimizat~on of ~hearing in the ~ 7 ~ ~ :
., : . .
direction of flow is the xPduction of bone slivers in the meat fraction. It is ~ound with our new process and apparatuR that the temperature increase in the product in passing t~rough the machine can be held to below the limits set by most authorities.
S This smaller temperature increase ha~ a number of beneficial effects:~
a) There is no requiremen~ for the pre-cooling of the pxoduct below the temperature at which it i~ in any case normally stored or transported.
b) A machine of given size can be operated harder with a greater throughput o~ product withou~ exceeding the specified temperature lLmit~ ,.
: . c) A reduced consumption o~ energy causèd by friction is evidenced by the lower temperature rise.
d) A sharp temperature increase is evidence of strong forces applied to khe mixture and is believed to be accompanied by damage ~o the cell s~ructure that permits rapid dehydration of the resulting meat product; the meat product of the invention shows a reduced tendenGy ~o subsequent . 20 dehydration and leaching.
: ~ Referring now especially to Figure 2 of ~he drawings, the separator screen o~ the inven~ion is made of a large number of annular plates or discs 48, on~ of which is illu~trated by the Figure. It will be seen that each plate ha~ an inner ~; 25 cylindrical fac~ 78 ~orming the bors 46, while the outer faca has a number of protrusions 80, each of which has a bore 82 therein for the passage of a respectiv~ locating s~ud 84 engaged in the members 40 and 52~ The parts 86 of the ring ~ on one side between each ~wo ~mmedia~ely adjacent protrusions : 30 70 are removed, 80 ~hat the clamping of the ring~ face~to ~ace - .
: ~ - 8 - `~
.
.
,, , . , . . . .. , . ' ~:
sg~~s~
leaves a ceries of thin circumferential slot~ through which the meat component flows to separate from the bone component, which moves through the bore to the outlet. Small portions 88 of the parts 86 are left to provide corresponding ~pacing elements, which will accurately maintain the axial ~pacing o the slots 76.
It has b~en found that the rigidity or flexibility of the rings is of impoxtance in obtaining a sa~isfactory separating action. If t~e rings are too flexible the proportion of the bone to the meat fraction increases and bone slivers pas through, while if they are too rigid the meat content of the bone frac~ion immediately is increased and higher pressures : must then be employed to obtain an acceptable separation, resulting in higher temperature rises, even with our improved . 15 process. Moreover, wi~h plate~ that are too rigid the desirable fibrous structure is more diffiCult or even Lmpossible to obtain.
It is known ~o those skilled in the art of mechanical meat and bone separation that apertures of about 0.02 inch : 20 (0.05 cm~ are required in the separating screen for adequate bone retention, and this is the usual ~pacing employed for the circumferential ~lots 76. However, the ~lexing that is possible in the plates of ~he apparatus of ~he invention appears to be .
highly beneficial for reasons which are not yet fully evident.
It is believed at present that ~he flexing may permit ~he passage of the "sheets" of fibrous tissue through the somewhat enlarged spaces, while closing down the immediately adjacent slo~s sQmewhat to provide better bone retention. I~ will be apparent that this effect ~annot be achieved with the 3 0 perforated ~creen~ that have been employed hither~o, compri~ing , ~ ' ~ .' . , . . . - .
a large number of closely sp.~ced holes, since there is no wa~
in which a hole can flex to any great extent to open further with a converse effect upon lmmediately adjacent holes.
The equivalent effect could therefore be achieved by the provision of a separator screen constituted by a large number of longitudinally disposed strips placed face-to faca, with longitudinal slots between them.
The annular discs or plat~s 48 may be fo~med from . stainless steel alloy sheets ~alloy 303 or 304) of thick~ess .060-.125 inch (0.1S-0.32 cm~. The par~s 86 may be mi}led to a depth o~ 0 . 015-0 . 02 in¢h (0. 037-û . OS rm) .
,j;. r `
' .
.
~: :
PROC~SS AND APPARATUS FOR T~E MEC~IANICAL SEPARATION OF
A COMBINATION OF MEATS AND BONE _ _ _ Fi~ld of the Invention This invention is concer~ed with improvements in or relating to processes and apparatus for the m~chanical separa, tion of a combination of meat~ and bone.
Review of the Prior ~rt The mechanical ~eparation of various meat and bone combinations to produce a high quality meat produc~ fraction is now a well-established industry. Some parts of the industry use primarily the various parts of poultry, fish and red~meat animals that would otherwise be di~cardedO owing to th~ high cost of manual separation, but the separation of entire carcasses - i~ al~o in some circumstances a viable commercial operation.
A number of different processes and apparatus have been proposed hitherto for this purpose and as examples of lS prior apparatus may be menticned those disclosed in U.S. Patent3 Nos. 3,396,768 (Kuribaia); 3,266,542 (Paoli); and 3,~39,994 ~ tMcFarland). In a}l of ~hese machines a combination of mPat ~: and small pieces.of broken bone is forced under pressure against a perfora~ed screen, the ~oft~r meat component being 20 ~ forced by the pressure through the ~creen~ while the more rigid bone component is sw~pt along the face of the screen without passing through, to a ~uitable discharge locationO
The resulting ractions are ~ubject to stxingent .regulation by the a~propriate goyernment authoxiky and mus~
25 : meet minimum ~tandards as to, for exa~ple~
:; a) Maximum bone (calci~m) content in the ~eparated meat.
,. ~ .
b) ~aximum temperature and temperatur~ rise to ..
~- which the separa~ad meat i~ ~ubjected.
: :
In addition to the~e yovernment applled standa~d~ ~
.,, , . , -- . .
the meat-processing industr~ which receiVes the ~oduct has its own standards as to bone content, homogenit~, colour and texture.
Defini:t:ion:o:f t:he ;Inve:nt:ion It is an object of the invention to provide a new apparatus for the mechanical separation of a meat and bone combination.
In accordance with the present invention there is provided apparatus for the mechanical separation of meat and bone into separate fractions thereof comprising:
a) a cylindrical conduit having an inlet end and an outlet end and containing a feed screw rotatable about a longitudinal axis, b) the feed screw comprising a plurality of successive lands and upon rotation about its axis moving a meat and bone combination to be separated along the conduit from the inlet ~: to the outlet end and applying radially outwardly operative pressure to the combination pressing it against the conduit wall, c) at least part of the conduit wall comprising a separator screen whereby the pressure of the combination against the screen part forces the meat fraction through the screen while the bone fraction is retained thereby and moved through the conduit to the outlet end, d) the said part of the conduit wall constituting the separator screen comprising a plurality of plates and having screen apertures in the form of elongated slots, the plates having their inner edges constituting the inner conduit wall .' and flexing under the effect of the said outwardly operative pressure to facilitate passage of the meat fraction through the screen slots while retaining the boney fraction on the said inner wall.
. ~ ~ .
' The term "meat" as used herein i~ intended to apply to meat derived from an~ source in addition to that derived from the conventional sources cattle, plgs.and poultry and, in particular, is ihtended to apply to meat derived from fish, crustacea, etc.
The ~erm "combination" as used herein i~ intended to apply to a range of products extending from those consisting predominantly of meat with some bon~ included, e.g~ whole carcasses, to those consisting predominantly of bone with some meat included, e.g. the bones resulting from hand deboning.
Description of the Drawin~s Apparatus and a process which are particular preferred : embodiments of ~he invention will now be described, by way of example, with refer~nce to the accompanying diagrammatic drawing, wherein:- .
Figure ~ is a plane cro~s section through the machine taken on the axis of rotatio~ of the conveying separating and : discharge ~crews, the upper half of the separating and discharge ~ :
screws being shown in cross-section for clarity o illustxation~
~20 while the lower halve~ of t~ese Bcrews are ~hown in ~ide - : elevation, Figure 2 i~ an end elevation o an annulu~ as u~ed to ~orm the separating screen of th~ apparatus of Eigure 1, and Figure 3 i~ a section taken on the l~:ne 3-3 o~
: Figure 20 .' ' : ~ ~ `, : :
Description of the Preferred Embodiments The apparatus of the invention comprises a base, indicated generally by the reference 10, in which a drive motor 12 is mounted. On the top of the base is mounted a ca -.5 ing 14 having a tubular extension 16, the casing providing ahopper 18 for the reoeption of the meat and bone combination to be separated. The casing 14 and extension 16 also provid~
a conduit 20 having mounted therein a conveyor screw 22, the screw being rotatable about a horizontal lo~gitudinal axi~
A-A. The rear end of the screw 22 i~ splined and i~ in rota-tional drivlng engagemen~ wi~h a splined boss 24 mounted in the casing by bearings 26; seals 28 are also provided. This boss is constituted by the free end of the output shaft 30 of a speed reduction gear 32, the input to the speed reduction gear bein~
via a belt drive 34 from the drive motor 12.
This conveyor screw 22 is of conventional form and the diameter of i~ body increa es progressively from the inlet provided by the hopper into the extension while the radial .
: depth of it~ lands decreases correspondingly to maintain a con-~ 2 stant external diameter for the whole screw; the pitch of the : screw between successive lands also ~ecreases progres~ively, ~ with the result that the meat and bone combination is forced ; ~ ~ into the tubular extension and ~8 subjected therein to an in-creasing pressure a~ it ~ravel~ along the conduit 20. Th~ :
pressurizcd combin~tion ~s fcd through a tapered annular outlet : 36 of decrc.~sing diamntcr in ~ho dircction o~ flow formed by inner taper~d~surface 38 o ~n annular part 40 fastened to : the extension 20 A separator ~cxeen indica~ed g2nerally by ref~renc~
. 30: 42:coop~rate~ wlth a separat~ng s~rew m~mber 44 mounted in , . . ~
~ 4 .
.. . ..
p~
bore or conduit 46 therein to separate into different fraction~
the pressurized combination o~ meat and bone fed thereto by the screw 22. The separator scr~en is to be described in detail below, and in this embodiment is constituted by a large numher of annular discs 48 (Fig. 2~, which are clamped tightly face-to-face b-~ a set of circumferentially-spaced longitudinal tie-rods 50 extending between the part 40 and an axially~spaced tubular part 52. Another tubular part 54 is slidable within a bore 56 in the par~ 52 and is embraced by a cap nu~ 58 ~ha~ is screw-threadPd on to the free end of the part 52. The end of the part54 within the bore 56 is provided with a tapered fare 60 cooperatîng with a tapered face at the adjacent end of the screw member 44 to constitute a throttle con~r~lling the pressure that is applied ~o the separating meat and bone within ~he cylindrical conduit 46.
The separating screw 44 has integral thexewith a discharge screw 64 which rotates within a bore ~6 in the part 54, ~ ` the other end of the screw 64 being carried by a bearing 68.
: In operation~ the meat and bone combination, which may comprise, for example, the otherwise~discarded necks and backs of broiler chickens, iQ fed continuously to the hopper 16 and passed by the screw 22 ~hrough the conduit 20 and under pressure ~: to the interior of the conduit 4~. Under the special action of the separating screw member 44, to be described belowj the 2S combination is pressed out~ardly-against the cylindrical in~8rior , surface 70 of the separator screen 4~. The so~ter meat fraction passes radiaily ou~wards through the screen and î~ collected in a suitable receptacle 72~ while the more rigid bone, sinew, etc.
raction is carried along by the screw member 44 wi~hin the ~: 30 bore 46 until it~ i~ di~charged through ~he throttle opening 66 . ~
~ 5 ~ :
.
' ~ 3~ ~
.
in the part 54. The bone etc. fraction i5 then moved by the discharge screw 64 through the bore 66 to an outl~t 74, where it is collected in a separate receptacle (not shown).
The separated meat fraction is found to have a markedly different physical structure from that produced by any of the machines at present known ~o U8, and may be dis-tinguished therefrom as being more coherent and not emulsified~
with greater retention of the longitudinal fibrous structure characteristic of animal muscle tissue. It is beliaved at present that this difference in physical structure is due to the new manner in which the separator screw member 44 presents the pressurized meat and bone to the separator screen 42 t and also to the new manner in which the screen is operative to separate ~he meat and bone fractions.
The screw 44 comprises a plurality of successive lands;
and the pitch of ths lands decreases progressively along its , length to compensate for the loss of separated mea~ produc~
; - through the separator screen, and so that the pressure applied .
to the meat and bone combination within the bore 46 is maintained within predetermined limits. Each land of the helix is shaped to have its rear face concave and i~ arranged to direct the combination radially outwards, while the front face of each land is shaped ko direct material it engage~ radially inwards toward the screw axis. Thi~ special land shape ~herefore ~ ~S crea~es between each immëdlately successive pair of leading and trailing lands an elliptical movement o~ the material, with - the material stationary or relatively so while it is in contact .
with the inner face of the separator screenO Thi~ movemen~, as indicated by ~he arrow~ 76~ i~ radially ou~wards adjac~n~ the .~ .
30 leading land~ radially lnward adjacent the t3:ailing land~ and ' . ' ~
~p~
forward rom the trailing land to the leadin~ land adjacent the screw body, and is superimposed upon the general movement of the material lengthwise of the screw toward the outlet 56.
Another way of describing the motion is that the material i5 "peeled" from the surface of the separator sereen by.the leading face of the trailing land, and is then "tucked under" the material already against the separator screen in its movement ~` in the direction of flow. While this movement is happening there is a cons~ant pre~sure radially outward upon the material.
This particular circulation, in which the part of the material in contact with the separator screen is stationary or at least relatively so, is believed to be a principal factor in the performance of the process and the apparatus. Thus, the material is forced under the radially outwardly opera~ive .pressure applied thereto against the screen with the minimum amount of shearing along ~he screen innex surface, and i~ is believed tha~ it is this shearing~which is responsible for : : ~ many undesirable effects of prior mechanical separating : ~ :processes and apparatus.
; 20 ~ The dif~erences in ph~sisal structure between the separated meat product of the apparatus and process of this invention shows t~at inherently a differen~ separating process is involved. Owing to the special movement of the material there is no oppor~unity for the accumulation o~ particl~ of .25 :bone against t~e inner sur~ace o~ the separatox screen. The meat tissue separates ~rom the bone and flow~ through the slots in the ~orm of relatively long thin shee~s, as compared to the "particlen emulsion or slurry structure obtained with prior - apparatu~ and processes. ~nother beneficial effect which i~
30 ~ believed to~ low from thi~ minimizat~on of ~hearing in the ~ 7 ~ ~ :
., : . .
direction of flow is the xPduction of bone slivers in the meat fraction. It is ~ound with our new process and apparatuR that the temperature increase in the product in passing t~rough the machine can be held to below the limits set by most authorities.
S This smaller temperature increase ha~ a number of beneficial effects:~
a) There is no requiremen~ for the pre-cooling of the pxoduct below the temperature at which it i~ in any case normally stored or transported.
b) A machine of given size can be operated harder with a greater throughput o~ product withou~ exceeding the specified temperature lLmit~ ,.
: . c) A reduced consumption o~ energy causèd by friction is evidenced by the lower temperature rise.
d) A sharp temperature increase is evidence of strong forces applied to khe mixture and is believed to be accompanied by damage ~o the cell s~ructure that permits rapid dehydration of the resulting meat product; the meat product of the invention shows a reduced tendenGy ~o subsequent . 20 dehydration and leaching.
: ~ Referring now especially to Figure 2 of ~he drawings, the separator screen o~ the inven~ion is made of a large number of annular plates or discs 48, on~ of which is illu~trated by the Figure. It will be seen that each plate ha~ an inner ~; 25 cylindrical fac~ 78 ~orming the bors 46, while the outer faca has a number of protrusions 80, each of which has a bore 82 therein for the passage of a respectiv~ locating s~ud 84 engaged in the members 40 and 52~ The parts 86 of the ring ~ on one side between each ~wo ~mmedia~ely adjacent protrusions : 30 70 are removed, 80 ~hat the clamping of the ring~ face~to ~ace - .
: ~ - 8 - `~
.
.
,, , . , . . . .. , . ' ~:
sg~~s~
leaves a ceries of thin circumferential slot~ through which the meat component flows to separate from the bone component, which moves through the bore to the outlet. Small portions 88 of the parts 86 are left to provide corresponding ~pacing elements, which will accurately maintain the axial ~pacing o the slots 76.
It has b~en found that the rigidity or flexibility of the rings is of impoxtance in obtaining a sa~isfactory separating action. If t~e rings are too flexible the proportion of the bone to the meat fraction increases and bone slivers pas through, while if they are too rigid the meat content of the bone frac~ion immediately is increased and higher pressures : must then be employed to obtain an acceptable separation, resulting in higher temperature rises, even with our improved . 15 process. Moreover, wi~h plate~ that are too rigid the desirable fibrous structure is more diffiCult or even Lmpossible to obtain.
It is known ~o those skilled in the art of mechanical meat and bone separation that apertures of about 0.02 inch : 20 (0.05 cm~ are required in the separating screen for adequate bone retention, and this is the usual ~pacing employed for the circumferential ~lots 76. However, the ~lexing that is possible in the plates of ~he apparatus of ~he invention appears to be .
highly beneficial for reasons which are not yet fully evident.
It is believed at present that ~he flexing may permit ~he passage of the "sheets" of fibrous tissue through the somewhat enlarged spaces, while closing down the immediately adjacent slo~s sQmewhat to provide better bone retention. I~ will be apparent that this effect ~annot be achieved with the 3 0 perforated ~creen~ that have been employed hither~o, compri~ing , ~ ' ~ .' . , . . . - .
a large number of closely sp.~ced holes, since there is no wa~
in which a hole can flex to any great extent to open further with a converse effect upon lmmediately adjacent holes.
The equivalent effect could therefore be achieved by the provision of a separator screen constituted by a large number of longitudinally disposed strips placed face-to faca, with longitudinal slots between them.
The annular discs or plat~s 48 may be fo~med from . stainless steel alloy sheets ~alloy 303 or 304) of thick~ess .060-.125 inch (0.1S-0.32 cm~. The par~s 86 may be mi}led to a depth o~ 0 . 015-0 . 02 in¢h (0. 037-û . OS rm) .
,j;. r `
' .
.
~: :
Claims (4)
1. Apparatus for the mechanical separation of meat and bone into separate fractions thereof comprising:
a) a cylindrical conduit having an inlet end and an outlet end and containing a feed screw rotatable about a longitudinal axis, b) the feed screw comprising a plurality of successive lands and upon rotation about its axis moving a meat and bone combination to be separated along the conduit from the inlet to the outlet end and applying radially outwardly operative pressure to the combination pressing it against the conduit wall, c) at least part of the conduit wall comprising a separating screen whereby the pressure of the combination against the screen part forces the meat fraction through the screen while the bone fraction is retained thereby and moved through the conduit to the outlet end, d) the said part of the conduit wall constituting the separator screen comprising a plurality of plates and having screen apertures in the form of elongated slots, the plates having their inner edges constituting the inner conduit wall and flexing under the effect of the said outwardly operative pressure to facilitate passage of the meat fraction through the screen slots while retaining the boney fraction on the said inner wall.
a) a cylindrical conduit having an inlet end and an outlet end and containing a feed screw rotatable about a longitudinal axis, b) the feed screw comprising a plurality of successive lands and upon rotation about its axis moving a meat and bone combination to be separated along the conduit from the inlet to the outlet end and applying radially outwardly operative pressure to the combination pressing it against the conduit wall, c) at least part of the conduit wall comprising a separating screen whereby the pressure of the combination against the screen part forces the meat fraction through the screen while the bone fraction is retained thereby and moved through the conduit to the outlet end, d) the said part of the conduit wall constituting the separator screen comprising a plurality of plates and having screen apertures in the form of elongated slots, the plates having their inner edges constituting the inner conduit wall and flexing under the effect of the said outwardly operative pressure to facilitate passage of the meat fraction through the screen slots while retaining the boney fraction on the said inner wall.
2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said plates are of stainless steel of thickness 0.060 to 0.125 inch.
3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the slots in the screen through which the meat fraction passes are of thickness 0.015 to 0.02 inch.
4. Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, and wherein the slots in the screen through which the meat fraction passes are of thickness 0.015 to 0.02 inch.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA314,363A CA1079571A (en) | 1975-11-28 | 1978-10-26 | Process and apparatus for the mechanical separation of a combination of meats and bone |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA240,747A CA1062539A (en) | 1975-11-28 | 1975-11-28 | Process and apparatus for the mechanical separation of a combination of meats and bone |
| CA314,363A CA1079571A (en) | 1975-11-28 | 1978-10-26 | Process and apparatus for the mechanical separation of a combination of meats and bone |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1079571A true CA1079571A (en) | 1980-06-17 |
Family
ID=25668155
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA314,363A Expired CA1079571A (en) | 1975-11-28 | 1978-10-26 | Process and apparatus for the mechanical separation of a combination of meats and bone |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1079571A (en) |
-
1978
- 1978-10-26 CA CA314,363A patent/CA1079571A/en not_active Expired
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