A support for carrying a front-half of a chicken through a deboning process, including an upper portion, a lower portion, and a base for attaching to a conveyor belt. The upper portion includes a first shelf and a second shelf for resting under the shoulder knuckles of the front-half of the chicken and a protrusion positioned between the first shelf and the second shelf for spreading the shoulder knuckles. The lower portion of the support has two sections for resting under the breast meat of the front-half of the chicken. The first section of the lower portion of the support slopes downward and outward from the upper portion, while the second section of the lower portion slopes downward and inward from the first section.

A treatment device or method for preparing a poultry carcass, as provided herein, may serve to remove a portion of the carcass's keel bone on a conveyor line. The treatment device may include a blade carriage and bone blade. The blade carriage may be disposed at a preharvest station on a conveyor path of the conveyor line. The bone blade may be mechanically linked to the blade carriage at the preharvest station to remove a tip of the keel bone. The bone blade may be aligned with the keel bone between a pair of fillets of the carcass within the preharvest station. The bone blade may also be spaced apart from a sternum of the carcass.

Slaughter devices for poultry and methods thereof, which may include a track having a first guide and a second guide to define a slit for guiding the neck of the poultry. A rotary knife arranged in the first guide for cutting a first vein. A cylinder arranged in the first guide upstream of the rotary knife, which rotates in a first rotational direction to allow twisting of the neck in a second rotational direction.

A marinator apparatus for the preparation of pieces of a whole chicken includes a fluid-tight hollow drum with opposing top and bottom walls that are substantially planar and that include an opening with a lid configured to sealingly close the opening. The drum further includes an interior baffle fixed inside that separates the drum into a top compartment accessible only through the top opening and an opposite bottom compartment accessible only through the bottom opening. The drum is supported for rotation by a support axle projecting from one end wall and a drive axle projecting from the opposite end wall. The drive axle includes a driven gear configure to be driven by a powered drive gear.

A marinator apparatus for the preparation of pieces of a whole chicken includes a fluid-tight hollow drum with opposing top and bottom walls that are substantially planar and that include an opening with a lid configured to sealingly close the opening. The drum further includes an interior baffle fixed inside that separates the drum into a top compartment accessible only through the top opening and an opposite bottom compartment accessible only through the bottom opening. The drum is supported for rotation by a support axle projecting from one end wall and a drive axle projecting from the opposite end wall. The drive axle includes a driven gear configure to be driven by a powered drive gear.

Systems and methods for automated monitoring and control of food processing systems are disclosed. Data from one or more controllers of a food processing system is received during operation of the food processing system at a remote food processing facility. Values of one or more operating parameters of the food processing system are monitored, based on the received data. At least one event of interest occurring during the operation of the food processing system is detected, based on the monitored values of the one or more operating parameters. Control signals for adjusting a configuration of the food processing system are transmitted to the one or more controllers, based on the detected event.

A poultry breast deboning apparatus and method for guiding a plurality of poultry combinations that have a breast and attached wings, the apparatus including a transport assembly with carts mounted to a drive system. Each of the carts has an opening to receive one of the wings of each combination. Moveable cutters are disposed adjacent the transport assembly for seating against the carts for severing tissue connecting the wings and the breast. Moveable bars are biased to urge the wings into the cart openings.

A food processing facility having application apparatus located within the interior space of the food processing facility for applying a PAA solution to food, a mixing container for containing a PAA solution having a PAA solution concentration, with the mixing container connected to the application apparatus for delivering the PAA solution to the application apparatus, and a PAA gas sensor, located within the interior space, for sensing a PAA airborne concentration. An actuation control system connected to the PAA gas sensor is adapted to receive a measure of the PAA airborne concentration and, when the measure of the PAA airborne concentration exceeds a reference value, changes one or more of the PAA solution concentration of the PAA solution in the mixing container, the flow rate of the fresh air ventilation system, and the flow rate of the exhaust air system.

An exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure provides a system for rotating a product during processing comprising a shackle system comprising a trolley, a rotator, and a rotating shackle and a track wherein the trolley is coupled to the track and configured to undergo translational motion along the track causing the shackle system to move along the track and wherein and the rotator is configured to undergo rotational kinematics causing rotation of the rotating shackle.

A system and method are provided for processing poultry slaughter products, the system comprising a first transport line, running at a first speed, and comprising successive first product carriers spaced apart at a first distance, each configured to carry a respective one of the products, a second transport line, running at a second speed, and comprising successive second product carriers spaced apart at a second distance, each configured to carry a respective one of the products, and a product transfer device for successively transferring products from first to second product carriers. The product transfer device is configured such that it each time successively transfers a predefined plurality of products, wherein a location of transfer of a subsequent product of the plurality of products is each time more upstream or more downstream along the first transport line than the location of transfer of a previous product of the plurality of products.