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.

The present invention relates to increase processing efficiency, improve product quality, enhances product safety, improves sensory attributes, and meets customer demands. Due to the rapid carcass chilling in a given water consumption, this invention also related to sustainable agriculture, particularly environmentally-friendly food preparation, particularly resource-saving meat processing, particularly water-efficient and energy-efficient meat processing. The present invention provides, inter alia, methods to chill an animal carcass so as to improve tenderness in the finished fresh product, comprising: immersing an animal carcass in at least one saltwater solution, wherein the percentage of salt in the water is in the range of from about 1% salt/water to about 10% salt/water, and wherein the temperature of the saltwater solution is in the range of from about 0.6 C. to about 6.0 C.; and chilling the animal carcass.

An apparatus for thawing or cooling food products includes a tank adapted to be at least partly filled with a liquid. A spiral shaped blade extends between a first end and a second end of the tank, where the spiral shaped blade is mounted to a rotation axis which operates rotational movement of the spiral shaped bladed and thus the conveying of the food products from the first end towards the second end. A temperature controlling system is provided and adapted to control the temperature of the liquid by arranging multiple heat supplying units along the tank for injecting heating or cooling agents into the liquid so as to provide a substantial temperature distribution into the thawing liquid during the thawing or cooling of the food products.

There is disclosed an apparatus for storing organic materials, the apparatus including: a body having an opening for receiving the organic materials to be stored; an outlet formed in the body through which the organic materials are unloaded from the body; a cooling fluid circuit for circulating cooling fluid through the organic material collected by the hopper.

A meat quality and yield improvement process comprises hanging the hind leg(s) of a carcass and applying an additional pulling force of from 50 to 500 kgf to the leg and back muscles of the carcass. The additional force stretches the muscle filaments of the leg and back muscles and is maintained until rigor is complete. The hind leg(s) of the carcass may be hung at an angle of 90 to 170 degrees to the vertical.

A chiller bath includes a tank for holding a volume of chiller water; a dosing system for dosing a first solution and a second solution into the chiller water, arranged to create a plurality of zones within the volume of water, wherein each zone has a higher concentration of either the first or the second solution than surrounding portions of the volume of water; and a meat or poultry immersion arrangement for immersing and moving carcasses in the chiller water. A method for reducing bacterial load on meat or poultry includes generating a plurality of zones within a chiller bath containing water by dosing a source of alkalinity and antimicrobial into the water, wherein the plurality of zones comprises at least one alkaline zone with a pH above 8.5, and at least one antimicrobial zone with pH below 8.5; and submersing meat or poultry in the bath. The zones can also be generated using spray nozzles in a meat or poultry operation.

A poultry chiller comprises a tank having a conveyor within the interior for urging poultry for movement along the tank, wherein the tank has an opening extending along a length of the tank, and a cleaning system for automatically cleaning the interior of the tank, the cleaning system comprising a plurality of distribution nozzles extending along the tank to direct cleaning fluid to the interior surface of the tank. Retrofitting kits are provided to automate cleaning in place of chiller tanks.

A filter for removing particulate matter from a contaminated fluid. The filter includes a housing with an inlet for receiving the contaminated fluid and an outlet for releasing the filtered fluid. A sieve is mounted within the housing and includes perforations to allow both the passage of the contaminated fluid and collection of particulate matter from the filtered fluid. The filter further includes a turbine for rotating the sieve about a central axis and a spray bar mounted within the sieve. The rotation and spray removes particulate matter from the sieve for disposal.

In a hollow cylindrical housing which stores a coolant, a feeding device having a rotating shaft and spiral screw vanes fixedly installed on the periphery of the rotating shaft is provided. At least one first diffusion nozzle is provided in each pitch of the screw vanes on the inner wall of the housing. A pair of second diffusion nozzles are provided for every pitch of the screw vanes on the outer periphery of the rotating shaft respectively at different positions in the axial direction of the rotating shaft and at mutually opposite positions in the circumferential direction of the rotating shaft. The first diffusion nozzles are supplied with wash water through a high-temperature water piping provided on the upper outside of the housing, while the second diffusion nozzles are supplied with wash water through a channel formed in the interior of the rotating shaft.

Poultry carcasses are chilled rapidly when exposed to a flow of gaseous air at a temperature in the range from about 50 C. to about 120 C. for a period of time in the range from about 1 s to about 60 s. The flow is directed over and into the body cavity of the carcasses. The carcasses are orientated in the flow such that the sternum of each carcass faces downstream. One advantage of the process is that the number of viable microorganisms present on the carcasses is reduced significantly while avoiding freeze-damage to the carcasses.