GB1318742A - Process and apparatus for producing de-boned meat products - Google Patents

Abstract

1318742 Separating ground meat and fish from bone BEEHIVE MACHINERY Inc 5 Aug 1970 37867/70 Heading A2U [Also in Division B2] A ground mixture of boney and fleshy meat or fish material is processed to separate the fleshy material by forming a filter mat of the boney material and passing the fleshy material through it. In the apparatus described, carcase meat fed to a hopper 13 is conveyed by a rotary screw 12 to cutting and grinding means comprising a rotary cutter 18 coacting with a fixed, perforated plate 17 and then passes to the inlet of a screw conveyor 16 of which the helical groove 16b diminishes progressively in cross-section so that the conveyed material is compressed, the boney material forming a mat over perforations 22 in a stainless-steel tube 19 and the fleshy material being forced through the mat and perforations. The boney material is discharged through a valve comprising a coned end 16d of the conveyor surrounded by a coned sleeve 21 which is adjustable by a ratchet lever 26a to vary the size of the discharge opening and thereby the pressure in the conveyor. The coned end 16d is channelled at 23a and extended to engage a support bearing 29. The axial position of the conveyor 16 is adjustable by nuts 32, 33 to vary the clearance between the conveyor and tube 19 both of which are tapered slightly. Cutter blades (not shown) may be recessed into the periphery of the conveyor 16 to bear against the inner surface of the tube 19. The boney material discharged through the valve 16d, 21 may be processed further by the addition of a protein digestant and subsequent centrifuging. Material with a high bone content discharged through the perforations 22, resulting from a highpressure setting of the valve 16d, 21, may be improved by passing it through a colloid mill or other apparatus for effecting homogenization by attrition. In a modification, the means for axially adjusting the conveyor 16 has calibrated scales, the leading edge of the conveyor flights 16c is undercut to urge boney material towards the conveyor axis, and the feed conveyor 12 is omitted, ground material being supplied to the conveyor 16 by a pump, e.g. a rotary vane pump, fed from a hopper having twin mixing screws.