Patent ID: 7024988

Claim:
Plant for treating and packaging meat product in a non-stop operation comprising: a brine injection station ( 10 ) for the treatment of meat products; a maceration station ( 20 ) for the injected meat products including at least a rotating massaging drum ( 22 ) for the injected meat product and a plurality of quiescent tanks ( 24 ) for the massaged meat products connected to drawing means for moving the tanks ( 24 ) forwards step-to-step along a closed path ( 26 ) around such rotating drum ( 22 ); and a packaging station ( 30 ) for the treated meat products such stations being coupled to each other for a non-stop operation, linked by a unit for accumulating and loading ( 40 ) the injected meat product in the rotating drum ( 22 ), located between an outlet of such injection station ( 10 ) and an inlet of the said maceration station ( 20 ), comprising: at least a first and a second hoppers ( 42 , 44 ); a distributing device ( 46 ) for distributing the meat product coming from the injection station ( 10 ) alternatively to the said first and second hoppers ( 42 , 44 ); a reloading unit ( 50 ) located between the said maceration station ( 20 ) and the said accumulating and loading unit ( 40 ) comprising means for newly transferring the massaged-settled meat product coming from the said quiescent tanks ( 24 ) to the said second hopper ( 44 ) to be reloaded in the said rotating drum ( 22 ); and a unit for transferring ( 60 ) the treated meat product to a feeding hopper ( 62 ) of the said packaging station ( 30 ), in addition the plant includes a unit for cleaning ( 70 ) the quiescent tanks ( 24 ) at a point of the path ( 26 ) after the unit for transferring ( 60 ) and at least a computer control centre being provided for coordinating the steps of such stations and units operation so that at any moment of a plant working cycle at least one of such stations is operating, a time being provided for cleaning each station, unit or part thereof during the said cycle, keeping the plant in non-stop operation characterized in that the plant further comprises an inlet hopper ( 12 ) for accumulating lots of meat products to be treated, the said inlet hopper ( 12 ) being provided with first means for detecting the weight of the said lots and means ( 13 ) for feeding the meat products of each weighed lots to an injection machine ( 14 ) of the said injection station ( 10 ), means being incorporated at the said computer control centre to determine an amount of brine to be injected to each lot depending on the weight detected.