Patent Application
20110248105
The present application claims the benefit of priority of European Application No. 10159735.9, filed Apr. 13, 2010. The entire text of the priority application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
The disclosure relates to a device and a method of manufacturing and filling up fine sausage meat, in particular an emulsion.
Traditionally, the production of fine sausage meat is carried out in several subsequent steps in different machines. Here, the production is usually subdivided into the following processing steps: pre-mincing—mixing—fine mincing—filling with vacuum filler. That means that the product is initially pre-minced and mixed and this mass is subsequently further minced to produce the fine sausage meat. In fine mincing, often so-called bowl choppers are used. Instead of the bowl chopper, so-called fine mincers can also be used. The finished fine sausage meat is then filled into the hopper of a filling machine to be subsequently filled e.g. into sausage casings. The former production process, however, is complicated, and several independent individual devices are necessary.
It was already described in DE 101 52 323 to connect a mincing machine to a filling machine so that the filling machine can be used not only for filling, but also as feed means. Here, the mincing machine is arranged downstream of the filling machine. For filling, it must be disconnected. The minced product is then collected and subsequently poured again into the hopper of a filling machine. This arrangement neither permits a continuous process. The product is moreover again and again exposed to the surrounding area during production.
Starting from this situation, one aspect underlying the present disclosure is to provide a device and a method which permit a facilitated continuous processing operation for manufacturing and filling up fine sausage meat.
So, according to the present disclosure, at least one fine mincer is arranged between the filling and/or portioning means and the feed pump. It is thus possible to produce fine sausage meat, in particular an emulsion, in only one device between the feed pump and the filling and/or portioning means and to then fill it in directly afterwards. The filling or portioning means is defined as a means which can either only fill in the product, or which can fill it in and portion it, that means divide it into individual portions. So the filling and/or portioning means can either exclusively be a filling tube, or else be an arrangement which comprises a filling tube and a portioning means, e.g. a wring-off unit or a clip machine, so that divided sausages can be manufactured.
Thus, a continuous processing operation that saves time and thus production costs and also energy can be ensured. The result is improved hygiene in the overall process due to short processing times and no dwelling time of the exposed product in the processing operation. Fine mincer is defined as a mincer which minces the product to such an extent that it has a smaller graining than e.g. in a coarse mincer, and after the last mincing stage has the consistency of fine sausage meat or an emulsion, respectively.
By the product being transported by the feed pump in the form of an adjustable and constant flow of product, the device is suited for producing sausages from fine sausage meat with high portioning accuracy in only one device.
According to a preferred embodiment, at least two mincing stages, i.e. here in the form of a coarse mincer and at least one fine mincer, are arranged between the filling and/or portioning means and the feed pump. It is thus possible to produce fine sausage meat, in particular an emulsion, even from coarser pieces of meat in only one device between the feed pump and the filling and/or portioning means and to then fill it in directly afterwards. Thus, even for coarser pieces of meat which have a diameter of >15 mm, in particular >20 mm, a continuous processing operation can be ensured which saves time and thus production costs and moreover also energy. The graining of the product after the coarse mincer is approximately >2 to 4 mm. In this embodiment, too, the result is improved hygiene in the overall process by short processing times and no dwelling time of the exposed product in the processing operation. By the product being processed in at least two mincing stages, it can be simply ejected as fine sausage meat or emulsion without any major pressure losses. An essential advantage also consists in only one single feed pump being required for coarse mincing and for fine mincing.
The coarse mincer and the fine mincer each comprise several mincing tools of which at least one each is rotating. The mincing tools in the respective mincing stages for example function according to the mincing principles rotor—stator, cutter—perforated plate, perforated plate—perforated plate, as well as a combination of these mincing principles. Here, the speeds of the mincing tools can be adjusted. Thus, the optimal speed can be adjusted for each product and each graining in each mincing stage.
According to a particular embodiment, the device comprises a controlling system which controls the drive of the at least one mincing tool of the fine mincer such that the speed is n >500 rpm. Thus, the product can be sufficiently fine minced to produce fine sausage meat with the fine mincer.
It is advantageous for the device to comprise a central control unit which controls a drive of the feed pump, the coarse mincer and the at least one fine mincer. If there are several fine mincers, their drives can also be controlled by the central control unit. Thus, the speeds of the individual mincing stages can be matched and also adapted to the filling capacity of the feed pump, i.e. the volume flow rate. Moreover, the capacity of the feed pump can also be correspondingly adjusted to a certain filling amount per time unit, so that pressure losses in the respective mincing stages can be compensated.
It is particularly advantageous for the feed pump, the coarse mincer and the at least one downstream fine mincer to each comprise a separate drive motor. Thus, an optimal speed can be adjusted in the various stages and also for the feed pump. This permits very high flexibility as then the combination of the set of cutters, i.e. the different mincing tools in the different mincing stages, can be freely selected and do not have to be adapted to each other. It would be also possible to couple certain drives to each other, so that defined, fixed speed ratios result. Then, however, the speeds must be matched and the sets of cutters adapted to each other.
It is particularly advantageous to provide a feed means for feeding additives between the coarse mincer and the downstream fine mincer, and/or to arrange a corresponding feed means between the fine mincer and a further fine mincer. Here, for example water or ice water can be supplied. Such an addition of further ingredients is required for certain masses to be filled in. By providing another mincing stage downstream of the feed means for feeding additives it can be ensured that these additional ingredients can be well mixed with the product.
It is particularly advantageous for the device to have a cooling which cools the product in the device at least in sections. The product can be cooled, for example, in a region of the mincing stages and/or the connection lines.
That means, according to the disclosure, the feed pump and at least one fine mincer and the downstream filling and/or portioning means or the feed pump, the coarse mincer, the at least one fine mincer and the downstream filling and/or portioning means are firmly connected via a piping system and form a unit. A closed system results. Closed system here means that from the filling pump to the outlet of the filling and/or portioning means, the product does not come into contact with the external atmosphere, which is particularly gentle to the product and hygienic.
It is advantageous for the mincing tools to be arranged in the mincers, in particular as exchangeable set of cutters. This offers maximum flexibility. The degree of mincing can thus be ideally adapted.
That means, in the method according to the disclosure, all manufacturing steps for manufacturing and filling fine sausage meat or an emulsion are carried out in one device. Here, the product is supplied to at least one mincing stage before it can be filled, e.g. via a filling tube. It is advantageous if upstream of the fine mincer, the product is fed in a first mincing stage from the feed pump to a coarse mincer and is pre-minced in the coarse mincer before it is finely minced in a second mincing stage.
As already mentioned, an additive can be supplied between individual mincing stages.
Advantageously, the speed of at least one rotating mincing tool of a mincing stage can be adjusted or controlled, respectively, depending on at least one of the following parameters: discharge of the feed pump, type of product, degree of mincing, i.e. desired degree of mincing after the mincing stage, type of mincing tool.
Thus, an ideal product quality can be ensured. Advantageously, the speeds of the drive of the feed pump and the rotating mincing tools in the different mincing stages are controlled by a central control unit. Thus, the different operating parameters can be easily matched.
The speed of the at least one rotating mincing tool in the first mincing stage is smaller than in the downstream stage or stages and is in particular n≦500 rpm for coarse mincing. The speeds in the downstream stage or stages is n>500 rpm.
The product is fed to the mincing stages under pressure which is generated by the feed pump. Additional feed means are not necessary.
It is particularly advantageous if in the first and the second mincing stages, solid parts, such as for example tendons, flexes, crusts, bone fragments, connective tissues or non-meat parts, such as metal parts, clips, etc., are separated by a separation means.
The fine mincer is operated such that the speed of the at least one rotating mincing tool is n greater 500 rpm.
If only at least one fine mincer is provided and the product is fed to the feed pump as required, it is advantageous to use product pieces having a maximum diameter of 20 mm. It is thus ensured that with exclusively one fine mincer, the fine sausage meat or the emulsion can be manufactured without any major pressure losses occurring or the fine mincer clogging.
It is also possible that an additional feed pump, e.g. in the form of a vane pump or screw pump, is provided downstream of the last mincing stage which pushes the fine sausage meat or the emulsion, respectively, into the filling and/or portioning means, e.g. the filling tube. This has the advantage that in case of too large pressure losses, in particular in several mincing stages, an exact portioning of the product into a sausage casing is possible. Nevertheless, continuous production is possible, where the product remains in the closed system during the manufacture of the fine sausage meat and during filling. This additional feed pump can also be controlled by the common control unit 50.
The disclosure will be illustrated below in greater detail with reference to the following drawings.
It will be seen that
The device 100 comprises a feed means 6, here in the form of a feed hopper for the product. As product, in particular food products, such as meat, bacon, salt and additives, are possible. The size and composition of the product is normally standardized. When the product is filled into the feed hopper 6 it can be pre-mixed. The embodiment shown in
For driving the shaft 13, a separate drive motor 7 in the form of an electric motor is provided. The motor 7 rotates the shaft 13 about the axis A, whereby the cutters 30c, b mounted on the shaft are rotated about the axis.
The set of cutters shown in
Advantageously, the sets of cutters are arranged in the individual mincing stages as overall unit or such that they can be exchanged partially. A set of cutters can be exchanged easily.
As can be seen in particular in
The second mincing stage is a fine mincer 3 and also comprises at least one rotating mincing tool and is otherwise structured as was described in connection with the mincer 2. In this embodiment, the fine mincer comprises a separate drive motor 8. The set of cutters for the fine mincer 3 is selected such that a desired degree of mincing can be obtained. In the embodiment shown in
So the feed pump 1, the coarse mincer 2 and at least one further fine mincer 3 are firmly connected via the pipings 10, 11. The filling and/or portioning means 12, here as filling tube 12, also directly follows the fine mincer 3, so that a closed system is formed.
Furthermore, the device 100 can comprise a (not represented) cooling device which cools the product in the device 100 at least in sections, in particular in a region of the mincing stages and/or the connecting lines 11. The cooling device can be embodied, for example, in the form of a heat exchanger and be externally arranged at the device 100.
Though in
It is advantageous for the mincing stages, i.e. the mincers, to each have their own drive motor 7, 8 and also for the filling pump 1 to have its own drive motor 9, such that the mincing tools can be driven independently. Thus, the speeds can be varied and adjusted to optimal values.
Advantageously, the drives of the different mincing stages (in this embodiment three), here designated with 2, 3 and 4, are controlled by a common central control unit 50 of the device, as can be seen in particular in
It is also possible not to provide a separate drive motor for each mincing stage and the filling pump but to rather couple certain drives with each other. In the embodiments shown in
The fine sausage meat or the emulsion, respectively, is filled up by means of the filling and/or portioning means 12 in a known manner, for example into a sausage casing. To this end, the filling tube 12 can comprise, as is well known and can be seen in
However, it is also possible to divide the sausages not by wringing them off, but, for example, by displacing the pasty mass in the sausage casing by placing a clip.
It is also possible that after the final mincing stage, in
Hereinafter, the method will be illustrated more in detail in connection with
First, product is fed into the feed hopper 6 of the device as required, in this case to the filling machine (S1).
The product is under pressure pushed into the line 10 by the feed pump 1, here the vane pump (S2). The capacity of the filling pump or the feed of the product corresponds to the required quantities and can be adjusted. This means a constant product feed, i.e. a constant flow of product, to the first mincing stage is taken care of. The pump can work continuously, for example if the sectioning points in the filled sausage length are created by wringing off. If the sectioning points are created by placing a clip, the feed pump works intermittently.
In the first mincing stage 2, the product is coarsely minced in the coarse mincer 2 (S3). By the selection of the mincing tools 30, 40 and by the speed of the rotating mincing tools or cutters 30c, b, a certain desired degree of mincing can be adjusted. The speed in the coarse mincer 3 is ≦500 rpm for generating the coarsely minced product. The rotating mincing tools 30, 40 are here driven by the drive motor 7. The drive motor 7 is, just as the drive 9 of the feed pump 1, controlled by the central control unit 50.
After coarse mincing, the product 11 is pushed further to the fine mincer 3 via the line 11 (S4). In the line 11, an additive, such as water or ice water, is then optionally supplied via the feed line 5 (S7).
In the fine mincer 3, the meat is then finely minced, so that fine sausage meat or an emulsion is produced (S5). The drive motor 8, too, is controlled by the central control unit 50. For fine mincing, the speed of the mincing tool in the fine mincer is n>500 rpm, but can also be >2000 rpm.
The fine sausage meat is then filled up via the filling and/or portioning means 12 and in particular pushed into a sausage casing as described above (S6).
The speed of the at least one rotating mincing tool 30b, 30c can be adjusted depending on at least one of the following parameters: discharge of the feed pump 1, type of product, desired degree of mincing, type of mincing tool. This means, the higher the discharge of the feed pump, the higher is the speed of the mincing tool. As the degree of mincing increases, the speed of the mincing tool also increases.
In the mincing stages, solid parts can be discharged via the respective discharge line 15. An additional external cooling of the product is possible at least in sections.
The method was illustrated in connection with two mincing stages, however, several mincing stages can also be provided between the feed pump and the filling and/or portioning means.
It is also possible to only drive one mincing stage.
The operating procedure of the embodiment shown in
The device 100 is embodied as a closed system in all embodiments. The device can be designed in the form of a vacuum filler, so that a vacuum can be set already in the filling pump. Advantageously, the complete device is designed to be pressure tight. Thus, the introduction of oxygen into the product can be prevented. The result is improved hygiene in the overall process by short processing times and no dwelling time of the exposed product in the processing operation. A continuous production of sausage meat is possible. The energy costs can be essentially reduced. Altogether, the production costs can be reduced.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10159735.9 | Apr 2010 | EP | regional |
