ITMO20130037A1 - PROSCIUTTO OF CONFORMED PIG, PROFILING PRESS AND RELATIVE METHOD - Google Patents

Description

CONFORMED PORK HAM, PROFILING PRESS AND RELATIVE METHOD.

DESCRIPTION

Field of application

The present invention relates to a conformed pork ham, that is to a cured ham which, after boning for consumption, is shaped in a standard form for consumption. The invention also includes the press which performs the profiling and the applied working method.

Known art

The state of the art includes the use of boning cured raw hams to make them easier to slice. A manual home use of the ham once took place without boning, but it required a particular skill in cutting the ham and made consumption problematic due to the difficulty of maintaining the freshness of the product. With the deboning, currently carried out on an industrial scale, expert deboners remove the bone from the cured raw ham and then tie the meat of the ham with bands, in the part of the walnut, that is the thickest part of the ham, and staple the part of the ham. leg with plastic clips planted in the ends of the rind, which was cut to remove the bone from inside the ham.

In this way, most of the cured raw hams are treated to prepare them for consumption. Moreover, not all hams have the same size and therefore cannot have the same conformation to be presented to the customer for cutting as desired, be it in a delicatessen, a pizzicagnolo shop, a supermarket counter or a bar with a strong sale of ham. in slices. That is, the boning does not leave the raw ham perfectly ready for consumption, but it requires a preparation of the end of the walnut in order to obtain the first slices that are presentable and acceptable for consumption. In fact, the end of the walnut generally remains pointed, similar to a spatula, and such as to require a not small preparation time for the boned ham, moreover, it needs to use the walnut clippings in a different way, which cannot be marketed as ham raw, but only as a by-product, precisely clippings.

It is known that in order to overcome this problem, presses have been created which, after boning, shape the ham by crushing it like a medal or vaguely resembling a large `` chestnut '', i.e. the ham is placed in a mold quite low in thickness and wide in the planar conformation so as to obtain a very flattened ham which is not very useful for high quality consumption, which includes round cut slices and dimensional proportions in height and width of about 1/2, with a thickness of fairly thin cut.

Document IT 263078, utility model, is also known in the art, in which a transparent tubular sock is described for the packaging of boneless raw hams that have an almost cylindrical shape and the press for insertion into the sock. The tubular sock is widened by the press with expandable jaws inside the sock and, due to its elastic return, the ham remains almost cylindrical and ready for consumption. However, given the very different final conformation, it is cylindrical and without rind except in the short terminal part of the cuff. The initial part does not have the pointed tip with a spatula, so its use does not require preparation time and does not generate clippings. The appearance is far from appealing to the end user and, generally, this shaped ham is used to prepare pre-sliced and packaged ham in trays, being sold mainly in supermarkets and retail, but without the fresh cut. from raw ham, typical of quality tasting. This ham, let's say with industrial processing, loses its quality certification, which is notoriously testified by the affixing of one or more fire marks on the rind of the consortium of reference, in the middle area between the walnut and the leg.

This state of the art is susceptible of further improvements with regard to the possibility of producing a raw ham conformed in a standard way which, while providing a considerable practicality of industrial preparation, allows to make the conformed ham very appealing to the end user.

The technical problem, therefore, underlying the present invention is that of producing shaped pork ham which, after boning for consumption, is profiled in a standard form for consumption; in fact, the boned ham needs to be put into shape and a consolidation in the shape reached.

A corollary to this technical problem here includes the realization of the press, which performs the profiling, and the applied working method, concerning manual and mechanized operations so as to be able to reach an industrially acceptable level of production.

Summary of the invention

This technical problem is solved, according to the present invention, by a shaped pork ham, comprising: a deboned ham shaped in a mold with a fixed dimensional proportion; characterized in that it presents the complete rind like a usual boneless raw ham, a walnut with a rounded shape and one end of it flat walnut and already of a size ready to be sliced; it also presents the walnut wrapped in a material suitable for food, to maintain the rounded shape of the walnut; finally, it presents on the rind the hot brands of the reference quality consortium, as present on the raw ham before the boning operation.

In a further form of profiling of raw ham: the wrapping enveloping the walnut is made with a sock in transparent plastic material suitable for food use.

Even more, in a specific form of ham: the ends of the rind, in the leg of the ham as conformed, are sewn with staples inserted into the rind to surmount the separation line of the rind.

Furthermore, in the specific realization of the aforementioned shaped ham, a pig ham profiling press is provided, comprising: a mold in which the boned ham is placed; at least one actuator cylinder which presses a movable part of the mold against a fixed part; characterized in that it has a mold in which the lower part is divided into two almost symmetrical parts and a vertically movable upper part to close the mold against the lower parts when joined; at least one actuator cylinder is connected to control the lower mobile part for closing the mold; and at least one actuator cylinder is connected to control the upper movable part against the lower movable and fixed parts, in order to press the boned raw ham into the profile of the parts of the mold.

In addition, a further realization of the press: the lower mobile part is connected for actuation to a pair of actuator cylinders in the horizontal direction; similarly, the upper mobile part is connected for actuation to a pair of actuator cylinders in the vertical direction.

Even more, in a specific form of press: the mold has open front and rear ends and in pressing the ends of the mold are placed in contact with containment surfaces.

Furthermore, in a specific embodiment: the separation line between the movable and fixed lower part of the mold is made near the center line of the mold.

Even more, in an improved embodiment: the closing surface of the front end of the mold is made with a mobile gate operated in closing by an actuator cylinder.

The profiling of a boneless pork ham is carried out by applying a method comprising steps in which:

- the deboned raw ham being processed is placed in a mold for pressing, which then closed under pressure determines the final shape of the raw ham thus prepared;

- after pressing, the raw ham so shaped is wrapped in a wrapping made of material suitable for contact with food, to maintain the shape created by pressing;

- the wrapping is made with a sock in food-grade and transparent plastic material, as known in the art and spread apart for the introduction of the conformed raw ham;

and characterized in what it also presents the phases in which:

- in the profiling mold, which is divided into three parts, two lower and one upper, the boned raw ham is placed with the whole rind, opposite the side where the bone was extracted, against the lower parts of the mold;

- the final pressing, with the closing of the mold, is preceded by a vibrating massage phase of the moving parts of the mold that gradually tighten the boned raw ham inside the mold in the usual walnut and leg shape of a raw ham ;

- after the pressing and extraction of the shaped raw ham from the mold, some staples are applied to fix the edges of the rind joined by the pressing, which the operator applies before the phase of coating the shaped raw ham with the aforementioned sock.

A further variant in the profiling method is realized with:

- the mold divided into three parts, one of which is lower fixed and one lower movable, which is operated with horizontal motion against the lower fixed part; the division between the two fixed and mobile parts is made in the middle of the final profiling form of the raw ham being processed;

- the vibration and pressing phase are variable in the application time according to the type of deboned raw ham being processed and according to the mass of the same.

The characteristics and advantages of the present invention, in the production of a shaped pork ham, of a profiling press and of a processing method, will result from the description, given below, of an embodiment example given as an indication and not limitative with reference to the four attached drawing tables.

Brief description of the drawings

- Figure 1 represents a schematic front view, that is from the operator's side, of a press made for the conformation of a standard deboned raw ham, according to the invention;

- Figure 2 represents a schematic front view of a mold for the conformation of a ham, seen from the operator's side, which is divided into two lower parts and an upper part;

Figure 3 represents a schematic side view of the mold of Figure 2;

Figure 4 represents a schematic plan view of the two lower parts of the mold of Figure 2;

Figure 5 represents a schematic V-V section of the mold of Figure 2 in which the upper part of the mold is sectioned and the lower parts are visible in the separation between them;

Figure 6 represents a schematic view from the side opposite the operator of the mold of Figure 2;

- Figure 7 represents a schematic side view of the press for the shaping of a standard deboned raw ham of Figure 1;

Figure 8 represents a schematic perspective view of a standard shaped ham immediately after extraction from the press of Figure 1;

Figure 9 represents a schematic perspective view of a standard shaped ham complete with containment sock and ready for packaging in the usual vacuum.

Detailed description of a preferred embodiment The Figures show: with 1 a conformation press for boned hams comprising a structure 2 and a work surface 3 on which a mold 4 is placed, which is shaped to receive the ham as soon as boneless; in the representation there is a mold generally understood to consist of two lower parts 5 fixed and 6 movable, almost symmetrical and an upper part 7 as a lid. The fixed lower part 5 is placed in the castle 8 of the press 1 and d is facing the center line 9 with the movable lower part 6, in turn pushed by pneumatic actuator cylinders 10 which are connected to it in the way known in the art and are connected for the reaction with the said castle 8 and the work surface 3. The upper part 7 of the mold is connected and movable behind the action of pneumatic actuator cylinders 11, connected for the reaction to the upper part of the said castle 8; the vertical actuation of the upper part 7 of the mold occurs in axis with the center line 9 of the lower parts of the mold 3 so as to always remain aligned with it, i.e. the compression motion of the moving parts of the mold 6 and 7 occurs first with the approach of the movable lower part 6 and immediately afterwards in the lowering of the upper part 7, to conform the ham into the standard shape, object of this invention.

The mold has at the two ends, front 12 and rear 13, openings 14 and 15 respectively, shaped to define the shape of these ends of the raw ham boned in a standardized way. For this purpose, the mold is closed in the rear part by a bottom wall 16 to avoid the exit of meat, in the compression of the ham, from the rear end 13 of the mold; thus in the front part a gate 17 is operated to rise, being connected to an actuator cylinder 18, to close the front end 12 of the mold and prevent the meat of the boned ham from escaping from it towards the operator. With 19 there is a work shelf for the operator in a position in front of the aforementioned gate 17 to allow the operator to rest the ham during the introduction and extraction phases of the deboned raw ham being processed. A transparent barrier 20 is made sliding in the front and upper part of the castle 8 to effect a protective barrier for the operator's hands. Both the transparent barrier 20 and the gate 17 are connected to position sensors, as known in the art, so as to prevent incorrect operator maneuvers and to allow the starting of the pressing phase only with said gate and transparent barrier duly closed.

In Figures 2 to 6 the mold 24 has a similar conformation to the mold 4, but for the sake of simplicity the attachments of the lower fixed parts 25 and of the lower movable parts 26 and upper 27 to the respective actuator cylinders are not shown, so the conformation of the internal shape to the aforementioned parts of the mold which, with the pressing on the boneless raw ham, determine the standardized conformation and more advantageous for an industrial use, but with the permanence of the high quality of cut than in the original product certified by 23 fire marks affixed to it. The ends of the mold 24 are identical to the ends of the mold 4 and perform the same function against the gate 17 and the bottom wall 16 of the press 1. Thus the internal shape of the mold is divided into a voluminous part 28, suitable for accommodating most of the boneless meat of raw ham, also called walnut 30, and give it a shape very similar to the original ham itself, but more useful, with zero waste and more captivating for a user who sees the ham being cut in comparison to the usual hams still wrapped with showy rings in plastic material and tendentially cylindrical. From the end of the operator, front end 12 of the mold, there is a bottleneck 29 to accommodate and shape the leg 31 of the ham, which must necessarily be opened to extract the bone and leaving a joint 34 between the rinds on both sides of raw ham 35 as processed.

As can be seen in Figures 8 and 9, the raw ham 35 after the conformation appears as in Figure 8 and the operator applies, as soon as it is extracted from the press 1, staples 36 in the most suitable points 37 to fix the said joint 34 between the rind parts . The shaped raw ham has the end 33 of the walnut 30 already shaped for cutting a first slice, while the end 32 of the cuff 31 is flattened by pressing against the gate 17 avoiding the exit of meat. Finally, the conformed ham, in order to maintain the shape reached, is wrapped with a sock in food-grade and transparent plastic material as made and described in the previous utility model IT 263078. The sock 38 is shown tightening the nut of the ham 35 in Figure 9, in this way the ham is kept in shape by the withdrawal of the stocking which takes place according to the local dimension of the walnut 30 without however deforming it.

The operation of the press with the described mold occurs as follows. The deboned raw ham, divided into sizes, that is in the mass of the various dimensions, which a ham to be shaped may have, is placed by the operator in the mold of press 1. The mold is advantageously positioned with the fixed and movable lower part resting within the castle 8 and the ham is placed with the junction between the rind parts at the top, so that the internal rind of the ham remains against the lower parts of the mold, while the operator sees the walnut and the open upper part of the rind. The ham is positioned with the front end of the leg 31 towards the operator and the opposite end against the closing wall 16 of the mold. For assembly on the press, several molds 4, 24 are available, suitable for the various dimensional typologies of the hams to be shaped; with three sizes from 5 to 7 kg, from 7 to 10 kg or over 10 kg it is possible to include most of the raw hams that are usually produced.

The operator then lowers the transparent barrier 20 and the press begins its operating cycle for the treatment of the boned ham introduced. The lower gate 17 is raised to close the front end 12 of the mold. The movable lower part 6, 26 is brought closer to the fixed lower part 5, 25 with the actuation of the horizontal actuator cylinders 10. The sliding of the edge of the center line 9 of the lower mobile part takes place without jamming, being in contact with the lower rind of the walnut 30 of the ham being processed. Before the lower parts of the mold are completely closed, the upper part 7, 27 is also lowered with the actuation of the vertical actuator cylinders 11. Reached a position close to the contact position of the upper and lower moving parts, they are activated by vibration, appropriately controlling the actuator cylinders 10 and 11, so as to obtain a massaging effect on the meat of the boned ham being processed. At the end of the vibration massage period, the moving parts are closed by pressing at the maximum pressure useful to shape the raw ham. After a brief pause, the mold 4 or 24 is opened and the operator extracts the ham on the shelf 19 and applies the staples 36 therein in points close to those indicated with 37, to ensure the permanence of the mold in the subsequent handling.

As a last step, the operator introduces the shaped raw ham 35 between the jaws of a sock spreader machine provided in the aforementioned utility model IT 263078 as known in the art. On releasing the grip on the sock 38 it withdraws and wraps the raw ham 35 keeping it in shape also in the nut 30, as shown in Figure 9. This operation of introduction into the sock is neither shown nor further described, as it is known in the art . The shaped ham produced in this way is then, as usual, covered with a vacuum-sealed wrapper to start it on the market.

The advantages in the production of a conformed pork ham, of the profiling press and of the method applied in the profiling can be summarized in the greater ease and precision of processing after boning, usually done manually by expert operators, as the meat is still cleaned from the bone it is moldable and can be positioned in such a way as to avoid waste at the beginning of the cut. Furthermore, the conformation obtained from the described mold provides for the creation of a walnut 30 with a size approximately corresponding to the usual size of a raw ham and managing to keep a large part of the rind, so as to preserve the quality of the meat and its visibility at the sight of the 'user, when the ham is being cut into slices. Finally, the people who see the cutting operation always see the branding 23 of the reference consortium, which certify the quality and goodness of the product even if it is conformed for industrial use with the press 1 and the process of placing form described.

Obviously, a person skilled in the art, in order to meet specific and contingent needs, can make numerous changes to the conformed pork ham, the profiling press and the method applied in the profiling described above, all of which are contained within the scope of protection of the present invention as defined by the following claims. Thus, albeit less conveniently due to the practicality and rapidity of conformation of the raw ham, the seam of the cuff 31 can be made with means other than the usual staples 36 inserted in the rind; or, the wrapping of the walnut 30 can be practiced with a strip material without using the sock referred to in the Italian utility model cited. Finally, the constitution of the raw ham profiling mold, for reduced dimensions of raw ham, that is of a few kilograms, can be carried out with the ends 12 and 13 or 32 and 33 closed directly in the parts of the mold itself. Thus, upon completion, the actuator cylinders 10 and 11 are declared pneumatic in the text, due to the intrinsic advantage of limiting pollution in the work area, however they can still be produced, albeit less advantageously, also in another known way. in the technique and compatible with the treatment of a food product to limit its pollution.

Claims (10)

CLAIMS 1. Shaped pork ham, comprising: a deboned ham shaped in a mold with a fixed dimensional proportion; characterized in that it presents the complete rind as a usual boned raw ham, a nut (30) with a rounded shape and an end (33) of it flat walnut and already of a size ready to be sliced; it also presents the walnut wrapped in a bandage made of a material suitable for food, to maintain the rounded shape of the walnut (30); finally, it presents on the rind the fire marks (23) of the reference quality consortium, as present on the raw ham (35) before the boning operation. 2. Shaped ham, according to claim 1, in which the wrapping enveloping the walnut (30) is made with a sock (38) in transparent plastic material suitable for food use. Ham, according to one of claims 1 or 2, wherein the ends of the rind, in the leg (31) of the ham (35) as shaped, are sewn with staples (36) inserted in the rind to surmount the line (34) of separation of the rind. 4. Press for profiling a pork ham, comprising a mold in which the boned ham is placed; at least one actuator cylinder which presses a movable part of the mold against a fixed part; characterized in that it has a mold (4, 24) in which the lower part is divided into two almost symmetrical parts (5, 25; 6, 26) and an upper part (7, 27) movable vertically to close the mold against the lower parts when joined; at least one actuator cylinder (10) is connected to control the lower mobile part (5, 25) for closing the mold; and at least one actuator cylinder (11) is connected to control the upper movable part (7, 27) against the lower parts, both movable and fixed, to press the mold parts into the profile (12; 28, 29; 13) boneless raw ham. 5. Profiling press, according to claim 4, wherein the lower movable part (6, 26) is connected for actuation to a pair of actuator cylinders (10) in the horizontal direction; similarly, the upper mobile part (7, 27) is connected for actuation to a pair of actuator cylinders (11) in the vertical direction. 6. Profiling press, according to one of claims 4 or 5, in which the mold has its front (12) and rear (13) ends open and in pressing, the ends of the mold are placed in contact with containment surfaces (16, 17 ). 7. Profiling press, according to one of claims 4 or 5, in which the separation line between the movable (6, 26) and fixed (5, 25) lower part of the mold is made near the center line (9) of the die. 8. Profiling press, according to claim 6, wherein the closing surface of the front end of the mold is made with a movable gate (17) operated in closing by an actuator cylinder (18). 9. Method of profiling boneless pork ham, comprising the stages in which: - the deboned raw ham being processed is placed in a mold for pressing, which subsequently closed by pressure determines the final shape of the raw ham thus prepared; after pressing, the raw ham so shaped is wrapped in a wrapping made of material suitable for contact with food, to maintain the shape created by pressing; - the wrapping is made with a sock (38) in food-grade and transparent plastic material, as known in the art, and spread apart for the introduction of the shaped raw ham (35); and characterized in what it also presents the phases in which: - in the profiling mold, which is divided into three parts, two lower (5, 25, 6, 26) and one upper (7, 27), the deboned raw ham is placed with the whole rind, opposite to the side where it is The bone was extracted against the lower parts of the mold; - the final pressing, with the closing of the mold, is preceded by a vibrating massage phase of the moving parts (6, 26; 7, 27) of the mold that gradually tighten the boned raw ham inside the mold in its conformation walnut (30) and leg (31) usual of a raw ham; - after the pressing and extraction of the shaped raw ham from the mold, some staples (36) are applied to fix the flaps (34) of rind joined by pressing, which the operator applies before the phase of coating the shaped raw ham with the sock (38) above. 10. Ham profiling method, according to claim 9, in which the following steps are also present: - the mold divided into three parts, one of which is fixed (5, 25) lower and one movable (6, 26) lower, which is operated with horizontal motion against the lower fixed part; the division between the two fixed and mobile parts is made in the center line (9) of the final profiling form of the raw ham being processed; - the vibration and pressing phase are variable in the application time according to the type of deboned raw ham being processed and according to the mass of the same.