Patent ID: 6997089

Claim:
A method of classifying groups of slices collected in a stack after being cut from a food product, comprising the steps of: removing a plurality of slices in succession from a food product by cutting, using a high speed slicing apparatus; dropping said plurality of slices from said food product and accumulating said plurality into a stack on a conveyor system having at least one conveying surface; moving said stack on said conveying surface into an image field of a digital image receiving device; generating pixel-by-pixel image data of a top slice of said stack using the digital image receiving device; determining a surface area of the pot slice from the data; determining a fat content of said top slice on a pixel-by-pixel basis; comparing the fat content to at least one predetermined limit; and classifying said stack according to said fat content and said limit; and depending on how said stack is classified, conveying said stack to a corresponding destination.