Patent Application
20090249964
The present invention relates to an apparatus for use in the food industry, for injecting liquid into food objects.
EP0297592B1 Discloses an apparatus for injecting brine, pickle or another liquid into a piece of food through groups of hollow needles, which are plunged into various parts of said piece of food. Different amounts of liquid are injected through said groups of needles in dependency of estimated liquid absorbing characteristics of the respective parts of the piece of food, so as to obtain a substantially uniform distribution of the brine or liquid therein. Pressurized liquid may be supplied to each group of needles from a common source through a liquid valve, and the amount of liquid injected into the various parts of the piece of food may then be controlled by controlling the pressure of the liquid supplied to said group of needles by adjusting the valve. Such adjustment may be controlled by an electronic control device comprising a micro processor.
EP1402783B1 Discloses an apparatus having multiple retractable needles for injecting pieces of meat and the injecting needle for same, said head comprising a liquid supply chamber. Injecting needles extend through the supply chamber. Said needles are provided with a penetration point, a passage, which communicates with the injection openings located close to the point, and a distal end, far from the point, which is provided with a limiting piece. The distal end is disposed opposite elastic retaining means that can be used to draw the needle back if said needle comes into contact with a bone in the piece of meat to be injected. The supply chamber comprises numerous parallel, interconnected and elongated conduits through which certain sections of the needles can be guided to slide. Said conduits are provided with a diameter greater than that of said sections and means for sealing and guiding/centering said sections at the inlet and outlet of each conduit. The needles comprise opposing openings which communicate with said passage, said openings being disposed in an area of said section at a distance from the limiting piece that is approximately equal to the length of the conduit.
There are mainly three problems with prior art methods of injecting liquid into food objects as well as pre and post processing of such food objects. Firstly, all prior art methods suffer from the problem of too harsh mechanical and/or manual handling of the objects. Secondly, all prior art methods suffer from maintaining the liquid inside the food product after the processing since the product is stacked one of top of the other causing the liquid to be pressed out of the product in the lower layers. Thirdly, all prior art methods suffer from lack of quality of the end product due to impurities injected into the product. The present invention minimizes these problems by providing an apparatus for injecting liquid into food objects, where the fluid is sifted before it is injected by a sift apparatus. The apparatus of injecting liquid into food objects is computer controlled with increased accuracy of penetrating the food objects and the conveyor used to transport the belt in and out of the injection site is intermittently moved. Furthermore, the movement of the belt is coordinated with the injection means through the computer. The sift apparatus has a unique design in that a perforated cylindrical drum is rotated and the holes prevent scales, blood clogs, parasites etc from penetrating and clog the needles of the injecting apparatus. The present invention further provides a tray system, where the food objects are transported through the whole processing on trays which reduces manual labor and results in a more valuable and presentable final product. Moreover, the present invention can inject liquid into the product of any desired density without any mechanical adjustments. The blending means, this sifting means and the apparatus for injecting liquid into food objects are all controlled and coordinated by the control computer for optimal control as well as efficient and gentle handling of the food objects, which increases the value of the food products.
In the first aspect the present invention discloses an apparatus for injecting liquid into food objects, the apparatus is comprised of a frame, an endless belt, means for propelling the endless belt, for conveying the food objects in substantially horizontal direction, a loading station, wherein the food objects to be processed are loaded onto the endless belt, one or more needle for penetrating the food objects, a needle holder for holding the one or more needle, blending means for blending together substances to create the liquid, supply means for supplying the liquid to the needle, a means for moving the needle holder in, wherein the needles injects the liquid into the food objects while communicating with the food objects, an unloading station, wherein the food objects are unloaded, after being processed, from the endless belt, means to sift the liquid, control means, wherein the control means controls the blending means for blending together plurality of substances to create the liquid based on predetermined recipes selected by the control means in response to an input from operator.
In the a second aspect the present invention discloses a sift apparatus comprising a tub, a rotating cylindrical part with plurality of through holes distributed over the surface and a scraping mechanism located on each side of the cylindrical part substantially close to the center line of the cylindrical part. The sifting means also comprises an inlet compartment on one side of the cylindrical part, where the liquid is directed from the apparatus into the sift and a collecting compartment on the other side of the cylindrical part, where heavy impurities are collected from the liquid as they sink to the bottom of the compartment. A bypass means is also provided for redirecting sifted liquid from the collecting compartment to the inlet compartment and an overflow means, where light impurities floating on the top of the liquid are directed out of the system. The sifting means also comprises an outlet compartment at one end of the tub, where sifted liquid is redirected back to the apparatus.
In a third aspect of the present invention an apparatus for injecting liquid into food objects is provided as disclosed above including the sifting apparatus of the present invention. In this aspect, the sifting apparatus is controlled by the same control means as the apparatus for injecting liquid into food objects. The control means, such as a PC computer, controls the blending of the fluid to be injected into the food objects as well as blending liquid for optional post processing of the food objects after fluid injection. The blending of fluid for injection and post processing depends on predetermined recipes, which are specific for different types of food products. The recipes can be pre-programmed and stored in the computer control system and recalled at any time.
In a forth aspect of the present invention a method is provided for injecting fluid into food objects, where the method comprises the steps of:
The food objects are conveyed on the endless belt in variable length stepwise movements to inject the liquid into the food objects in a predetermined pattern and the endless belt is also moved intermittently or stepwise.
In a fifth aspect of the present invention a system is provided for processing food objects, where the system comprises:
All the embodiments disclosed here below relate to the apparatus, method and the system of the present invention.
In an embodiment of the present invention the apparatus for injecting liquid into food objects comprises a frame, an endless belt and a loading station, where the food objects to be processed are loaded onto the endless belt. The apparatus also comprises one or more needles for penetrating the food objects, a needle holder for holding one or more needle and blending means for blending together substances to create the liquid. The apparatus further comprises supply means for supplying the liquid to the needle, means for moving the needle holder, where the needles injects the liquid into the food objects while communicating with the food objects. An unloading station is also provided, where the food objects are unloaded after being processed from the endless belt and the food objects are conveyed from the loading station to the unloading station. The apparatus is also provided with means to sift the liquid and a control means for controlling the blending means when blending together a plurality of substances to create the liquid to be injected. The blending is based on predetermined recipes selected by the control means in response to an input from operator. In an embodiment of the present invention the endless belt is moved intermittently in variable length stepwise fashion, such that the belt moves the food objects a certain length and then stops. During the period, when the belt is not moving, the needles are moved down for injecting fluid into the food product and then moved up again before the belt moves the belt again a certain length. The endless belt is driven by a propelling means, which can be a two step propelling means controlled by the control means.
In an embodiment of the present invention the plurality of needles form an array of needles spanning the width of the endless belt and can be a four pronged needle assembly forming a substantially horizontally square footprint, wherein the end of the needles occupy the four corners of the square. The means for moving the needle holder can move the needle holder in substantially vertical or horizontal direction. The means for moving the needle holder is controlled by the control means.
The control means of the invention controls the depth of penetration of the needles into the food objects, the time period the needles are in communication with the food items and the control means further synchronizes together the needle holder and the propelling means. The blending means is also controlled by the control means and the liquid is blended together from one or more substances according to the predetermined recipes.
In an embodiment of the present invention the plurality of needles comprise a longitudinal passage or a plurality of transversal passages for delivering fluid into the food objects.
The control means of the present invention is a computer which controls the end-to-end process. The supply means is a pump controlled by the control means which regulates the pressure of the liquid entering the needles according to the present invention. The pressure of the liquid entering the needles is between 0.3-2.0 bar, such as 0.5-1.7 bar or 0.7-1.5 bar as well as 1.0-1.3 bar and wherein the accuracy of regulated pressure is 0.01 bar.
According to the present invention the control means communicates with the operator via human machine interface, where the human machine interface is push button interface, wherein each push button represents certain end product based on the predetermined recipes. In a specific embodiment the human machine interface is a command prompt computer interface, where each available command prompt represents certain end product based on the predetermined recipes. In another embodiment the human machine interface is a graphical computer interface, wherein each available selection represents a certain end product based on the predetermined recipes. The human machine interface can also be a touch-screen interface. Moreover, the control means in one embodiment is networked and communicates with the operator via remote control.
In an embodiment of the present invention the propelling means is first pneumatic cylinder and ratchet mechanism. In a specific embodiment the control means controls the propelling movement of the first pneumatic cylinder.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the means for moving the needle holder are second and third pneumatic cylinders, where the control means optionally controls the vertical movement of the second and third pneumatic cylinders.
In an embodiment of the present invention the food objects to be processed can be manually or automatically loaded onto and/or unloaded from the endless belt.
In an embodiment of the present invention the food objects can be processed to remove minced meet from the product. The mince can be further minced in such a manner that it can be mixed with fluid with or without other substances and injected back into the meet by using the apparatus of the present invention.
In an embodiment of the present invention the blending means is controlled by the control means. The blending means of the present invention is used to control mixing of dry substances as well as liquid used for the post processing according to the predetermined recipes.
In an embodiment of the present invention the sifting of fluid comprises the steps of receiving fluid into the inlet compartment on one side of the cylindrical part of the sift means, where the liquid is directed from the apparatus into the sift. Next the fluid is pulled from the inlet compartment into the collecting compartment on the other side of the cylindrical part or drum of the sift means. The sift means comprises a plurality of through holes distributed over the surface which create the flow of liquid from inlet compartment to the collecting compartment, where heavy impurities are collected from the liquid as they sink to the bottom of the compartment. By applying scraping mechanism in the tub, which are located on each side of the drum substantially close to the center line of the drum, impurities are scraped off the drum. Thereafter, the sifted liquid is directed from the collecting compartment to the outlet compartment and light impurities floating on the top of the liquid are directed out of the system using the overflow means. Then the sifted liquid is redirected back to the apparatus from the outlet. In a specific embodiment the sifted liquid can be redirected to the inlet compartment using a bypass means.
During operation of the sift, the drum is rotated which causes the impure liquid in the tub to be pulled from the inlet compartment and over the drum to the collecting compartment. The liquid in the tub will penetrate the holes in the drum, whereas impurities will remain in the tub. The impurities, which become attached to the drum will be scraped off as disclosed above and in an embodiment of the present invention a spraying nozzle may be implemented over the drum in the collecting compartment for assisting with removal of impurities off the drum. The holes in the drum are advantageous over prior art sift means in that the prior art rotating sift means comprise longitudinal openings which allow impurities such as scales, parasites (nematodes etc) blood, liver pieces, fat and fibers to penetrate through or forced through by the scrape(s). This causes the needles of the prior art to clog easily and the color of the end product to be undesirable since the impurities such as blood clod, liver pieces, and parasites mix with the liquid and are injected into the product. The sift of the present invention is also capable of handling mince (minced meat) which is destined to be injected into meat by the apparatus of the invention.
In an embodiment of the present invention the perforated drum of the sifting apparatus is rotated and the holes in the drum are of sizes from 0.25 mm to 10 mm such as 0.65-5.0 mm, or 0.65 2.0 mm or 0.7-4.0 mm in diameter. The holes can have any shape such as, but not limited to circular triangular, rectangular, octagonal, hexagonal etc. The perforations in the drum cover between 15-40% of the area of the drum such as, but not limited to 20-30% or 23-25%.
According to the present invention an optional post-processing means is provided, where the post-processing means is located at either side of the unloading station and where the post-processing is carried out in tubs. The blending means can be used to fill up the post-processing tubs and the processed food objects can be manually unloaded from the endless belt and placed in the post-processing tub. Furthermore, the processed food objects can automatically be unloaded from the endless belt and placed in the post-processing tub.
In an embodiment the pre-processing comprises arranging food objects onto the conveyor at the loading station or at pre-processing area before the loading station, where the pre-processing and post processing comprises optionally an area and/or a dynamic scale located before the loading station. In a specific embodiment pre-processing comprises arranging food objects into trays at the pre-processing and unloading the food objects area either manually or automatically. The blending means for post-processing can be a pump for mixing liquid substances or one or more scales and mixer for mixing dry substances. A mincing means is also provided for mincing food objects where one of the substances to be injected is minced food objects. In one embodiment the process control computer receives in-weighing signal from the dynamic scale located before the loading station and out-weighing signal from the dynamic scale located after the unloading station for controlling the process of injecting liquid into food objects. The process control computer can further control the density of injection according to in-weighing and out-weighing signals received as well as controlling time needles communicate with the food objects and injection pressure according to in-weighing and out-weighing signals received.
In an embodiment the food objects are pre processed before they are injected with liquid and then placed in trays before the liquid injection and post treatment of the food products. In this manner, the operator places the food product in a tray and sends the tray to the loading station. The loading station optionally comprises a scale, which weighs the tray before the fluid is injected into the food product. The tray is then transported by the endless belt under the needle holder and fluid is injected into the food products as the tray is transported in a variable length stepwise fashion according to the desired injection pattern towards the unloading station. The unloading station optionally comprises a scale, which weighs the tray after the fluid has been injected into the food product and can therefore feed information regarding this part of the processing to the control unit. Several options of post processing are then possible to be carried out in the trays which both reduce manual labor and handling of the food products. One such post processing is placing the trays in tubs containing liquid. Thus, maintaining the product in liquid for some desired time period for marinating the outside of the product. Then the trays are placed on top of each other in the tub, without pressing onto the food products in the tray below, allowing the liquid to flow freely around the products in the tray. The try system will prevent pressure from products stacked in such a tub to press liquid and other substances out of the product underneath. Another post processing process is dry marinating the food products. Then the products are covered with desired mixture of dry substances, such as salt and spices, in the trays and the trays stacked one on top of the other for a period of time without other food objects pressing onto food objects underneath or causing uneven marinating of the food objects in the trays. The trays used in the present invention can be perforated such that when they are placed in tubs with fluid, it will be easy to transport them in and out of the tub and when they are removed from the tub the fluid will remain in the tub. The tray also solves the problem of further processing and weighing the food objects in that the food objects are placed in the tray by a worker, which can ensure that the food objects do not overlap in the tray for remaining processing steps. This reduces the harsh handling of the product significantly since the product is placed in the trays once and there after stays in the trays until packing of the final product. Furthermore, the apparatus can be adjusted in such a manner that the tray only activates the scale when it is correctly placed on the scale. Thereby the problem of errors in dynamic scales is solved in processing lines when part of the food objects overlap with the conveyor belt or two or more food objects overlay and give incorrect values of weight.
According to the method of the present invention the injecting means is moved while in communication with the food objects and the conveying of the food objects in a variable stepwise motion is computer controlled according to some predetermined recipes.
In an embodiment of the present invention the food objects are items such as, but not limited to fish fillets, red meet pieces, poultry pieces etc.
The present invention discloses an apparatus and system for processing food products. The implementations of the invention being described in the following text can obviously be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the present invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims. The invention will be described in detail with reference to the following figures.
Means for propelling (10) the conveyor is provided. The propelling means is computer (28) controlled and provides an adjustable stepwise movement of the conveyor belt. In this embodiment is adjustable stroke pneumatic cylinder and a ratchet mechanism, but other implementations are also applicable and easy to implement for someone skilled in the art. The fish travels on the conveyor (2) in the direction of the arrow (3) to the processing station (5). For safety and work-condition reasons the processing station could optionally be provided with a splash and safety guard (7). This is, however, not necessary for the implementation of the present invention.
Means for processing (8) the fish is provided at the processing station (5), and will now be described in some detail. The means for processing the fish is a holder with one or more needles which forms an array of needles spanning the width of the endless belt. In this embodiment a four pronged needle assembly, where the end of the needles, occupy the four corners of a square forms a substantially horizontally square footprint. However, different needle assemblies could be used such as shown in
The computer control means synchronizes together the movement of the needle holder and the movement of the propelling means. Such that the conveying means is in stand still while the needles are in communication with the fish flesh.
The computer control, moreover, controls the blending together of the various substances to create a liquid which is injected into the fish flesh by controlling substance pumps (22) and substance valve system (23). How the liquid is created depends on the desired end product. The operator selects the desired end product from a selection of choices, which the computer system presents to him via GUI (Graphical User Interface), by simply tapping an icon on a touch-screen. In the memory of the computer control means is stored a library of recipes which is selected from depending on the end product selected by the operator. Other types of Human Machine Interface could also be easily implemented by someone skilled in the art. Such implementation variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the present invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims. Substances pumped from one or more substance storage tanks (not shown on drawings) based on the recipe associated with the end product selected by the operator to a mixing tank (12).
A supply means for supplying the liquid to the needles is also provided. The supply means is a computer controlled pump (24) which is capable of regulating the pressure of the liquid entering the needles in the range of 0.3-2.0 bar at the accuracy of 0.01 bar. The supply means runs continuously while processing each batch. Therefore, the needles are not in communication with the fish flesh all the time and the liquid is sprayed through the needles over the fish flesh. The excess liquid which is not captured in the fish flesh is circulated from the apparatus to a means for sifting (25) the liquid.
The sift (25) has a tub with a rotating perforated cylindrical drum (17), scraping mechanism (18), and a filter (14). The drum is rotated by the rotating means (19) which may be implemented in different ways by someone skilled in the art. This embodiment uses pneumatic motor (19). The tub forms three compartments, an inlet compartment (15), a collecting compartment (16), and an outlet compartment (13). The scraping mechanism (18) is located on each side of the drum substantially close to its center line. The inlet compartment (15) communicates with and receives the liquid from the apparatus. The drum rotates such that the surface closest to the inlet compartment moves in upward direction and the surface closest to the collection compartment moves in downward direction. The scraping mechanism (18) is mounted in the inlet and collecting compartments with tight tolerances with respect to the drum.
Impurities such as scales which inevitably enter the inlet compartment with the liquid get transferred by the drum as it rotates from the inlet compartment to the collecting compartment where the scraper scrapes the impurities of the drum as the drum rotates past the scraper. In the collecting compartment heavy impurities are collected from the liquid as they sink to the bottom of the compartment, while lighter impurities such as liver which floats on top of the liquid are directed from the collecting compartment via overflow means (20). A bypass (29) is also provided for redirecting sifted liquid from the collecting compartment to the inlet compartment, this prevents the collecting compartment to overfill during harsh conditions and at the same time provide for multiple passes of the liquid through the sift.
An outlet compartment (13) is provided at one end of the tub where the sifted liquid is redirected back to the apparatus. The outlet compartment is separated from the drum by a filter insert (14). The outlet compartment communicates with the suction side of the supply pump (24).
Now, after the liquid has been injected into the fish flesh, according to the recipe selected by the computer according to the end product selected by the operator, the fish is-transferred to the unloading station. At the unloading station the fish is unloaded from the apparatus. This could be done for example by one or more robots, some machinery (26) specifically made for that purpose, or simply a manual labor. Optionally, the newly processed fish could undergo some post-processing treatment. In that case the tubs (27), on either or both sides of the apparatus, are filled with a liquid created by mixing together various substances. Mixing of the substances is done automatically by one or more computer controlled pumps (22) and substance valve system (23) according to recipes selected by the computer according to the end product selected by the operator. Sensors automatically monitor the size of, and content in, the tubs and the computer instruct the operator to replace tubs as needed.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8527 | Jul 2006 | IS | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/IS2007/000017 | 6/11/2007 | WO | 00 | 5/22/2009 |
