PROCESS AND DEVICE FOR FILLETING OF MEAT

Abstract: Process for filleting bone containing meat material, where the bone knuckle is secured during the removal of meat from the bone with a knife assembly and where the meat is removed by its being drawn/pushed from the bone in an approximately linear movement by means of non-rotating scraping knives. A device for performing the process is also disclosed.

Description: Process and device for filleting of meat. Disclosure The present invention concerns a process for filleting meat material containing bones, especially from poultry, live¬ stock, and pigs, as well as a device to carry out the process and where the filleted meat is kept mainly intact. Previously known are machine-using methods for filleting of meat from bone-containing material. Such devices, however, suffer from several weaknesses both in construction and em¬ bodiments. The general problem with filleting of bone containing meat material where the bone consists of a central bone which runs through the piece of meat, for instance a thigh-bone from chicken, lies in the shape of the bone. Generally, such a bone consist of a more or less straight bone pipe with an expansion (knuckle/club) on each end. These knuckles form an obstacle by mechanical pressing off of the meat from the bone, both as they are physically working as a stopper for the meat during the pressing off and in addition because knives which are used by the mechanical filleting have a tendency to dull when they cut into the bone mate¬ rial. It is thus known within the art a machine from Protecon systems (Protecon Automatic Deboning Systems for Poultry, P.A.D.) for automatical filleting of thigh bones and wings from poultry. This system comprises i.a. a transport band with upwards extending pins for introduction of the meat pieces in the filleting machine. However, such an embodi¬ ment of the trnsport band will, when used, cause the meat material to stick between the pins and the transport band and prevent further operation of the machine before it has been cleaned. This will lead to a stop in the operation and wasted working time. A further drawback of such a machine is that possible broken bones in the material are not considered. In industrially handled material, there may be as much as up to 30-40 & broken bones and this causes that the finished filleted material from the filleting machine may contain unacceptably large amounts of bone material. Also the forms of the transport band represents a drawback by the mentioned type of machine. These forms have no possibility for regulation, so that small meat pieces will have a poor fastening and may thus be led the wrong way into the machine, while large meat pieces will lead to the previously mentioned clogging of the form pins on the trans¬ port band with the disadvantages this leads to. Another known type of filleting machine is sold by Barker/ FoodCraft and uses rotating knives for the removal of the meat from the bone of meat material. This machine does not consider bones broken before treatment of the piece of meat for filleting either, even If the distributor maintains that breaks caused by the use of the machine are reduced. One disadvantage of this type of machine Is that the meat has a tendency to be ground into minced meat by the rotating knives, so that the production of whole fillets of meat is difficult to achieve. A third type of filleting machine is known from European Patent Application No. PCT/AI784/00246 with internatinal publication No. WO 85/02320. This type of filleting device however, uses another principle than the present invention, since there in this known device is used water with high pressure to remove the meat from the bone of the treated meat pieces. Such an embodiment has, however, the disadvan¬ tages that the meat easily may become insipid and that the piece of bone must be fastened very firmly since the piece of meat rotates at high speed during the filleting process to remove the loosened meat by help of the centrifugal force, and will thus comprise a cumbersome process for this type of filleting. The present invention has the intention to produce a process for filleting meat from bone containing meat material where the whole meat fillets are kept mainly without being destroyed, where the degree of utilization of the meat pieces is large and which is simple to perform. The distin¬ guishing features by such an embodiment is that one of the knuckles of the central piece of bone which passes through the meat material, is removed before the meat is pressed off the bone by help of a knife device which will be described later. Further, the present Invention has the purpose of producing a device for carrying out the process which is previously described. Such a device will be described below under reference to the enclosed drawings, where: fig. 1 shows an embodiment of the device according to the invention fig. 2 shows a partial view of the knife assembly in the device from fig. 1, fig. 3 shows an extreme position of the knife assembly from fig. 2, fig. 4 shows an embodiment of a holder in the device from fig. 1, fig. 5 shows an other embodiment of a holder in the device from fig. 1, shaped as a knife assembly. By using the device according to the invention shown in fig. 1, it is necessary to use pieces of meat where there is only one knuckle. Such pieces of meat may be produced either by previously removing one of the knuckles of the piece of meat or by dividing a piece of meat with bone into two, so that each part retains one knuckle. By removal of the meat from the bone in the treated piece of meat, the knuckle is placed in the slot (a) in the holder (1). The rest of the disclosed treatment steps are automatical and preferably pneumatically or hydraulicly controlled. To secure the piece of meat, a securing device on the figure shown as a piston (2) which is pneumatically or hydraulicly controlled, thereafter presses the knuckle securely in the groove (a) in the holder (1). The next step in the filleting process is to press together two knife assemblies which are pneumtically or hydraulicly controlled, and the knife assembly is then pressed forwards in a direction out from the machine. Thereby the meat will be removed from the bone and the mainly intact fillets will fall down on a separating shoot (8), while the meat-free knuckle will fall down on the other side of the separating shoot when the piston (2) again moves upwards to release the knuckle and to receive another piece of meat. > The described knife assembly (3) comprises the shown embodi¬ ment of four knives placed in pairs (4,4', 5,5' ) ,- whereof the undermost pair of knives (4,4') is mounted on the pneumatically or hydraulicly controlled arms (6), while the uppermost pair of knifes (5,5') is rotatably loaded by help of springs (7), so that the knives adapt themselves auto- maticly to the shape and size of the bone type which is to be filleted. In addition, the shape of the knives is such that they between themselves in a pressed together condition form an opening (10) wherein there is room for the bone (shown in fig. 3). After the piece of meat has been fastened in the holder (1) by the piston (2), the arms (6) are pressed together for the knives (4, ',5,5') to cut tendons and meat in the area around the secured knuckle. The pressure of the arms (6) may be regulated, for instance by a piston (9) which is mounted between the two arms (6). After the knives have been pressed together, the arms (6) are moved forwards relatively to the fastening device (2) and the holder (1), so that the meat is pressed from the bone. In an alternate embodiment the holder (1) may in itself com¬ prise an approximately V-formet knife. By placing the knuckle in such a holder a large part of tendons and liga¬ ments near the knuckle will be cut when the piston (2) presses the knuckle to secure it in the V-formed knife (see fig. 5). The holder (1) may in addition comprise grooves (b) for the correct positioning in the device according to the inven¬ tion. The device and process according to the invention may also be used for meat which has been pre-treated to loosen the bone from the meat, for instance by ultra-sound treatment or by treatment with ligament attacking enzymes etc. By using the process and device which has been described according to the present invention, the loss of meat mate¬ rial by filleting will be reduced considerably, compared to previous techniques, and at the same time meat splints will to a larger extent than previously be avoided in the filleted meat material. The present invention at the same time makes it possible to achieve better meat qualities, because the meat fillets after treatment in a device according to the invention will be present mainly as undama¬ ged meat. In addition, it will be of advantage that meat pieces with breaking damages in the central bone to a larger extent that previously may be used, whereby such pieces of meat according to the present invention may be cut into two pieces in the fracture before the filleting process begins. Thus, fractured bones will be of no consequence, and at the same time the extent of use of the pieces of meat will be significantly improved.

Claims: Patent claims 1. Process for filleting bone containing meat material, especially from poultry, livestock and pigs by securing one bone knuckle and removing the meat from the bone of the piece of meat by means of a knife assembly, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that one of the end knuckles of the bone which runs through the piece of meat to be filleted is removed, and that the meat is drawn/pushed off the bone by relatively to the piece of meat linearly moveable, non-rotating knives, whereby fillets are achieved where the meat is present mainly as undamaged meat. 2. Process according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that one of the mentioned end knuckles is cut so close to the bone that the main part of tendons and cartilage is removed. 3. Process according to claim 1 or 2, c h a r a c t e ¬ r i z e i n that at least a part of the tendons on the other end knuckle is cut when the end knuckle is placed in the fastening device. 4. Process according to claim 1 or 3, c h a r a c t e ¬ r i z e d i n that the piece of meat initially is cut in two, so that the central bone is cut into pieces where each piece has its knuckle intact. 5. Device for the removal of meat from the central bone of meat pieces where the device comprices organs for securing the bone knuckle as well as knife assemblies for removing the meat from the bone of the piece of meat, c h a r a c ¬ t e r i z e d i n that the securing device comprises a holder (1) with a pressing organ such as a piston (2) which co-operates with the holder (1) to secure one bone knuckle of the piece of meat, a knife assembly (3) for skraping away meat fillets from the central bone of the piece of meat, and a relatively to the fastening device movable frame (6) whereon the knife assembly is mounted. 6. Device according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d I n that the knife assembly comprises at least four separate scraping knives (4,4,5,5'). 7. Device according to claim 6, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the separate scraping knives comprise at least two pairs of knives, where at least one pair of knives (4,4') is securely mounted to the moveable frame (6), while at least the other pair of knives (5,5') is rotatably hinged and spring powered (7) for adaption to the central bone of the piece of meat. 8. Device according to claim 5-7, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the pair of knives (4,4',5,5') between themselves comprise a space approximately adapted to the central bone of the piece of meat. 9. Device according to claim 5-8, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the holder (1) comprises an approximately V- formed knife assembly to receive the central bone of the piece of meat. 10. Device according to claim 9, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the holder may be exchanged.

Inventors: MIELNIK JAN, MIELNIK, JAN
Applicants: NORSK INST NAERINGSMIDDELFORSK
Application year: 1987
Main classification: A22C17
IPC codes: A22C17