Patent ID: 7287559

Claim:
Apparatus for processing lubricant-free sauerkraut that is substantially free of added edible vegetable oil for packaging in single-serve packets, said apparatus comprising, in combination: a hopper for receiving the sauerkraut from a supply, said hopper having a pivoted baffle for periodically reciprocating to and fro within said hopper, said hopper being adapted to receive sauerkraut at a location between a front of said baffle and at least one outlet from said hopper, said hopper further comprising means for periodically reciprocating said baffle toward and away from said outlet; at least one tube extending substantially vertically downwardly from said hopper and aligned with said at least one outlet; at least one rotatable screw extending downwardly through said hopper and coaxially aligned with said at least one outlet, said rotatable screw extending to and at least partly into said at least one tube and rotatable to move said sauerkraut downwardly; and means positioned above said hopper for rotating said at least one rotatable screw.