The disclosed technology includes a food system that prepares food based on a user's preferences and environment (e.g., health and diet, tastes, availability of food, costs, location, and what is stored or available for the food preparation system). The food system can store, cool, serve, prepare, juice, recognize with an antenna array, cut, weigh, sanitize, or compost food. The food system can include a robotic arm or water jet for cutting a food item. The disclosed technology improves food consumption for users based on diet and observed behavior (e.g., tracking caloric intake and exercise).

A food safety quality and performance monitoring system is provided, which is part of Industry 4.0 factory monitoring, including: a slaughter production line monitoring module recording a first monitoring information including quantity, voltage, temperature and humidity, time, and the like; a processing line monitoring module recording a second monitoring information including quantity, temperature and humidity, time, metal detection, and the like; an intelligent central monitoring server storing the first monitoring information and the second monitoring information and allowing a user to register and log in; and a human-machine interface facilitating the security and performance monitoring of the food production line. A food safety quality and performance monitoring method is further provided.

A food safety quality and performance monitoring system is provided, which is part of Industry 4.0 factory monitoring, including: a slaughter production line monitoring module recording a first monitoring information including quantity, voltage, temperature and humidity, time, and the like; a processing line monitoring module recording a second monitoring information including quantity, temperature and humidity, time, metal detection, and the like; an intelligent central monitoring server storing the first monitoring information and the second monitoring information and allowing a user to register and log in; and a human-machine interface facilitating the security and performance monitoring of the food production line. A food safety quality and performance monitoring method is further provided.

An automated process assesses an amount of meat remaining on a trimmed animal carcass by generating image data of the carcass and processing the image data in a computer to calculate the amount of meat remaining on the carcass. The automated process can be carried out using an equation developed by counting pixels in an area of interest in images of a plurality of reference trimmed carcasses from which the remaining meat is thereafter scraped and weighed, to produce data points used to develop the equation which is then used to calculate the amount of meat remaining on a trimmed carcass as it proceeds down a processing line.

Disclosed is a method for realizing batch-based traceability for pork based on a QR code. Based on the QR code, user information is added to a web address carried by the QR code to realize the traceability for the pork. The method includes: 1) registering basic information of pigs in breeding and brokering processes; 2) printing an initial traceability QR code of a carcass in a slaughtering process; 3) adding user information to the initial traceability QR code in a selling process, and updating the user information to the traceability system; and 4) scanning the traceability QR code to recall data of the traceability system in a catering process to achieve transparent information. The pork and pork products are traced from production process to the selling process.

A power operated rotary knife including an annular rotary knife blade supported for rotation in a blade housing. The rotary knife blade including a body and a blade section extending from the body. The body includes an outer wall including an arcuate surface having an upper region extending from a first upper end portion to a second intermediate portion and a lower region extending from the second intermediate portion to a third lower end portion. A plurality of gear teeth extend downwardly from the upper end of the body, each of the plurality of gear teeth including an outer peripheral face forming a portion of the upper region of the arcuate surface of the outer wall. The body outer wall includes a bearing surface having a lower bearing face in the lower region of the arcuate surface and an upper bearing face in the upper region of the arcuate surface.

A poultry chiller includes a tank and an auger rotatably held in the tank. The auger includes a first auger section and a second auger section. The first auger section includes a first auger shaft and a first auger flight. The first auger flight includes a first helical portion on the first auger shaft and a first flight extension that extends away from the first helical portion. The second auger section includes a second auger shaft coupled to the first auger shaft and a second auger flight. The second auger flight includes a second helical portion on the second auger shaft and a second flight extension that extends away from the second helical portion. The chiller includes a hanger bearing assembly between the first and second auger sections and extending to an upper portion of the tank.

A system for recovery of animal byproducts and providing water reuse from an animal processing plant waste stream. In one embodiment of the invention there is an equalization tank forming part of an animal processing plant that is mechanically filtered to recover animal byproducts from a water mixture in the equalization tank. In another aspect of the invention there is a skimmer tank that contains a skimmer mixture with water and animal byproducts. The system mechanically separates the animal byproducts from the skimmer mixture in a manner that is suitable for human consumption. The system also allows the separated water to be reused in the animal processing plant.

A system for recovery of animal byproducts and providing water reuse from an animal processing plant waste stream. In one embodiment of the invention there is an equalization tank forming part of an animal processing plant that is mechanically filtered to recover animal byproducts from a water mixture in the equalization tank. In another aspect of the invention there is a skimmer tank that contains a skimmer mixture with water and animal byproducts. The system mechanically separates the animal byproducts from the skimmer mixture in a manner that is suitable for human consumption. The system also allows the separated water to be reused in the animal processing plant.

A carcass cutting system including a belt positioned below a conveyor such as to stabilise a carcass during imaging and/or cutting operations. An offset section of conveyor track in the region of the belt may be utilized to urge the carcass against the belt. Imagining may use an optical imaging system, an X-ray imaging system, a laser scanning camera, a time of flight camera or a Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry system. Imaging information may be used to calculate cutting paths and/or weight distribution of carcass portions. Cutting may be performed by a robotic cutter using a circular saw or a circular knife.