Abstract:
A method and apparatus for treating processed food casing in preparation for stuffing. The method includes extending the casing, applying (e.g., spraying) an organic acid (e.g., a citric acid solution) to the exterior surface of the casing to produce a treated casing, and mounting the treated casing onto a stuffer. In one embodiment, extending includes removing the casing from a brine solution and laying the casing onto a support surface (e.g., attaching to a movable conveyor). The casing in the brine solution is commonly attached to a ring, and preferably attaching includes hooking the ring onto an engagement member on the conveyor. If desired, the method can also include rinsing the casing (e.g., spraying a water solution onto an exterior surface of the casing) after extending the casing and before and/or after applying the organic acid.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to processed meat products, and more specifically to treating sausage casing in preparation for stuffing. 
         [0002]    Processed meat products, such as sausage, are commonly stuffed into a casing, which forms the shape of the product. In the case of sausage, for example, the casing is tubular and is twisted closed at each end to form a generally cylindrical food product. 
         [0003]    One type of casing is a natural casing that comes from the intestine of an animal, such as a pig. Natural casing is harvested during the rendering process and is thoroughly cleaned prior to shipment to the meat stuffing facility. During transport, the casing is commonly placed in a mesh bag and into a barrel filled with a brine solution to reduce the growth of bacteria on the casing. Prior to stuffing, the bag is removed from the brine solution and placed into a water bath to rinse to brine solution from the casing. The bag is then placed into an acid bath to further reduce bacteria count on the casings in the bag. The bag is then rinsed with a water solution to reduce the amount of acid on the casings. Finally, the bags are opened, and the casing are placed onto a stuffer for the stuffing operation. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    The present invention provides a method of treating processed food casing in preparation for stuffing. The method includes extending the casing, applying (e.g., spraying) an organic acid (e.g., a citric acid solution) to the exterior surface of the casing to produce a treated casing, and mounting the treated casing onto a stuffer. In one embodiment, extending includes removing the casing from a brine solution and laying the casing onto a support surface (e.g., attaching to a movable conveyor). The casing in the brine solution is commonly attached to a ring, and preferably attaching includes hooking the ring onto an engagement member on the conveyor. 
         [0005]    If desired, the method can also include rinsing the casing (e.g., spraying a water solution onto an exterior surface of the casing) after extending the casing and before and/or after applying the organic acid. 
         [0006]    The above-referenced process can be performed utilizing an apparatus for treating a processed food casing prior to stuffing. The apparatus comprises a movable conveyor (e.g., having a support surface) including an engagement member that follows a conveyor path, and an organic acid rinse station (e.g., comprising a citric acid solution and a sprayer) positioned along the conveyor path (e.g., above the support surface). In one embodiment, the apparatus further comprises a water rinse station positioned above the support surface upstream and/or downstream of the organic rinse station. To facilitate loading of the casings onto the conveyor, the apparatus can further include a drain table positioned adjacent the inlet, and a barrel dumper positioned to dump a barrel&#39;s contents onto the drain table. 
         [0007]    Other aspects of the invention will become apparent by consideration of the detailed description and accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]      FIG. 1  is a side view of an apparatus for treating processed meat casing and embodying aspects of the present invention. 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  is a top view of the apparatus shown in  FIG. 1 . 
           [0010]      FIG. 3  is an enlarged perspective view of the product loading section. 
           [0011]      FIG. 4  is an enlarged perspective view of the product unloading section  26 . 
           [0012]      FIG. 5  is an end view of the apparatus in  FIG. 1 , taken from the unloading end. 
       
    
    
       [0013]    Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. Unless specified or limited otherwise, the terms “mounted,” “connected,” “supported,” and “coupled” and variations thereof are used broadly and encompass both direct and indirect mountings, connections, supports, and couplings. Further, “connected” and “coupled” are not restricted to physical or mechanical connections or couplings. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0014]    Referring to  FIGS. 1-3 , the illustrated apparatus  10  is designed to receive sausage casings  12  from a barrel  14 , treat the casings  12 , and discharge them to a portable cart  16 . The apparatus  10  includes a loading section  18 , a pre-rinse section  20 , an acid treatment section  22 , a post-rinse section  24 , and an unloading section  26 . An elevated walkway  27  allows workers to monitor the operation of the apparatus  10 . 
         [0015]    A conveyor  28  continuously travels from the loading section  18  to the unloading section  26 , and includes a series of fing  30  that separate the conveyor  28  into three distinct treatment paths, as will be described below in more detail. The conveyor  28  travels through a housing  32  that shields the pre-rinse section  20 , acid treatment section  22 , and post-rinse section  24 . Each section of the housing  32  includes a hinged hood  34  that can be pivoted upward to allow visual and physical access to the conveyor  28  and other parts inside the housing  32 . Lifting of the hoods  34  is facilitated by handles  36 . 
         [0016]    The casings  12  are supplied in a brine solution in the barrel  14 . In the barrel  14 , the casings  12  are each attached to a ring  38 . A single casing or multiple casings  12  can be attached to a single ring  38 . The use of a ring  38  facilitates easier handling of the casings  12  during the treating process. 
         [0017]    The illustrated loading section  18  includes a barrel dumper  40  and a portable drain table  42 . The barrel  14  filled with casings  12  and brine solution is mounted on the barrel dumper  40 , which facilitates dumping of the casings  12  onto the drain table  42 . The drain table  42  holds the casings  12  and allows the brine solution to drain off the table through a table drain  44 . The dumper can be manual or powered. 
         [0018]    In the loading section  18 , a worker pulls casings  12  from the drain table  42  and attaches them to the conveyor  28 . More specifically, the worker engages a ring  38  (attached to one or more casings  12 ) and engages the ring  38  with an engagement member  46  on the conveyor  28 . Each of the three defined treatment paths of the conveyor  28  includes a single engagement member  46  mounted on a support member  45  that will pass the loading section  18  once per revolution of the conveyor  28 . The engagement members  46  of the three treatment paths are staggered from each other so that they pass the loading section  18  at different times in order to facilitate easier loading of the casings  12 . 
         [0019]    After engaging the ring  38  onto the engagement member  46 , the engagement member  46  moves up and away from the drain table  42  to pull the ring  38  (and the attached casings  12 ) away from the drain table  42 . The presence of V-shaped separator bars  48  helps separate and untangle the casings  12 . As the conveyor  28  continues to pull the ring  38 , the worker and the separator bars  48  insure that the casings  12  are extended and do not tangle or get bunched up on the conveyor  28 . In the illustrated embodiment, the conveyor  28  is capable of simultaneously handling three separate rings  38  of casings  12  in the three treatment paths. 
         [0020]    The pre-rinse section  20  includes a series of pre-rinse sprayers  50  that spray a water-based solution toward the conveyor  28  and onto the casings  12  traveling on the conveyor  28 . The pre-rinse sprayers  50  are designed to remove at least some of the external substances (e.g., brine solution) from the outside surface of the casings  12 . In the illustrated embodiment, there are six pre-rinse sprayers  50  for each of the three treatment paths, for a total of eighteen pre-rinse sprayers  50 . 
         [0021]    The bottom  52  of the housing  32  in the pre-rinse section  20  is divided into four distinct sections. The bottom  52  closest to the loading section  18  is the lowest, and the other bottoms  52  are incrementally slightly higher, with the highest being the bottom  52  furthest from the loading section  18 . With this arrangement, the pre-rinse solution that falls to the bottom  52  of the housing  32  in the pre-rinse section  20  will drain toward the loading section  18 , and will exit the housing  32  through a pre-rinse drain  54 . 
         [0022]    The acid treatment section  22  is downstream of the pre-rinse section  20  and includes a series of acid sprayers  56  that spray a citric acid solution toward the conveyor  28  and on the casings  12  traveling on the conveyor  28 . The citric acid solution comprises a Ph in the range of about 2.8 to about 4.0, with an average pH of about 3.2. The acid sprayers  56  are designed to coat the exterior surface of the casings  12  with the citric acid solution to reduce the presence of bacteria on the exterior surface of the casings  12 . In the illustrated embodiment, there are two acid sprayers  56  for each of the three treatment paths, for a total of six acid sprayers  56 . After being sprayed onto the casings  12 , the citric acid solution falls to the bottom  52  of the housing  32  in the acid treatment section  22  and exits the housing  32  through an acid treatment drain  58 . 
         [0023]    The post-rinse section  24  includes a series of post-rinse sprayers  60  that spray a water-based solution toward the conveyor  28  and onto the casings  12  traveling on the conveyor  28 . The post rinse sprayers  60  are designed to remove at least some of the external substances (e.g., citric acid or brine solution) from the outside surface of the casings  12 . In the illustrated embodiment, there are two post rinse sprayers  60  for each of the three treatment paths, for a total of six post rinse sprayers  60 . After being sprayed onto the casings  12 , the water-based solution falls onto an inclined platform  62  and drains into the bottom  52  of the acid treatment section  22 , where it exits the housing  32  through the acid treatment drain  58 . 
         [0024]    The unloading section  26  includes an angled ramp  64  that receives the casings  12  from the conveyor  28  and provides them to the portable cart  16 . Specifically, as the rings  38  of the casings  12  reach the end of the conveyor  28 , the rings  38  and casings  12  fall off the conveyor  28  and onto the angled ramp  64 . The casings  12  can then be slid (or will slide on their own) down the ramp and into the portable cart  16 , which can be filled with a water-based solution. The cart  16  includes wheel so that the cart  16  can be easily transported to a stuffer, where the casings  12  can be used to produce sausage. 
         [0025]    Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 5 , the apparatus  10  further includes a conveyor bath  66  for rinsing the conveyor  28  after it discharges the casings  12  onto the angled ramp  64 . The bath  66  is filled with a cleaning solution (e.g., a caustic solution) through which the conveyor  28  will pass on its return path to the loading section  18 . A bath drain  68  allows the contents of the bath  66  to be drained. The conveyor bath  66  is hinged to the bottom  52  of the housing  32 , and can be pivoted down in order to provide access to the conveyor  28  and other parts in the post-rinse section  24  of the apparatus  10 . 
         [0026]    Various features and advantages are set forth in the following claims.