A cutting machine includes a cutting device and a co-operating conveyor device for conveying food products in a conveying direction. The conveyor device includes at least one conveyor unit having a conveyor belt which is guided by at least one deflection roll and which comes into contact with the food products in the contact area and having at least one guide means for guiding the conveyor belt. The at least one guide means has a first support portion for supporting the conveyor belt at a first height and a second support portion for supporting it at a second height, these heights being spaced apart in a direction extending perpendicularly to the conveying direction, and at least one recess arranged between the first height and the second height, in which the conveyor belt can give way at least partly due to contact with a food product.

The present invention relates to a clipping machine for producing sausage-shaped products, like sausages, by filling a tubular or bag-shaped packaging casing with filling material and closing said filled tubular or bag-shaped packaging casing. The clipping machine includes a filling tube through which the filling material is fed into said tubular or bag-shaped packaging casing which is stored on said filling tube, a casing brake assembly arranged on the filling tube for limiting the movement of the tubular packaging casing at least while being filled, gathering means for gathering said filled tubular packaging casing and for forming a plait-like portion thereto, and a clipping device for applying at least one closure means, like a closure clip, to the plait-like portion formed on the filled tubular or bag-shaped packaging casing in a closing region. The clipping machine further comprises a housing defining at least a front wall, a rear wall, and two side walls of the clipping machine, for enclosing at least the clipping device and the gathering means. The housing includes at least one housing element arranged in the front wall of the housing for covering at least the closing region, wherein the at least one housing element is coupled to the clipping machine by a linking device including a shifting mechanism for reversibly shifting the housing element relative to the clipping machine, in a shifting direction, for granting access to the closing region of the clipping machine.

A sausage rolling machine utilizes gravity to reduce costs when rolling a food dough casing around a sausage. A first conveyor rotates in a first direction so as to move a food dough casing toward an edge of the first conveyor. A second conveyor is disposed below the first conveyor. A sausage dispenser dispenses a sausage. A hinged unit is disposed below the sausage dispenser and includes a hinge and a tray portion extending from the hinge. The hinged unit receives the food dough casing that is falling off the edge of the first conveyor when the hinged unit is at rest, initiates wrapping of the food dough casing around the sausage, and rotates the tray portion about the hinge, causing the sausage to roll onto the second conveyor while also causing the sausage to be partially wrapped by the food dough casing.

A device for treating individual sausages, including: a sorting device having an endless conveyor belt traveling around a triangular geometry and having rails or carrier bars, on which belt the sausages, which are loosely deposited onto an ascending run of the belt, are distributed individually into the rails or carrier bars; an endless first conveying device with individual rails or carrier bars to accept the sorted sausages, wherein each individual rail or carrier bar accommodates one sausage; a grouping device, in which the sausages delivered by the first conveying device are combined into groups; a second conveying device with receiving sections, each of which accommodates the sausages of one group, and into which the sausages, lying side by side, are transferred from the grouping device; and a transfer device having a gripper device for gripping a sausage group and for transferring and depositing the sausage group into a receiving container.

Process and an apparatus adapted to carry out the process steps for producing sausage products, which includes the following steps: Comminuting raw meat with fat, adding seasoning, salt and further additives, mixing in order to produce a raw sausage mass, forming the raw sausage mass, warming and fermenting the formed raw sausage mass, warming the formed fermented sausage mass to a temperature of approximately 57 C., and incubating at approximately 57 C. for germ reduction, immediately subsequently cooling the cooked fermented sausage mass to 1 C. or below with reduced pressure being applied, in order to produce a dried and cooled cooked sausage mass.

Apparatus for orient sausages and methods of orienting sausages. The apparatus has at least one conveyor device with a moveable, in particular circulating, conveyor element on which individual sausages can be placed and transported in a conveyor direction along a path of movement. Two orientation devices are spaced from each other transversely relative to the conveyor direction and which are arranged above the moveable conveyor element, and each having at least one respective guide for laterally guiding the sausages.

A casing brake assembly is provided for applying a frictional force to a tubular or bag-shaped packaging casing being arranged on a filling tube of a production apparatus, like a clipping machine, which is used in the production of sausage-shaped products, like sausages, and for limiting the movement of said tubular or bag-shaped packaging casing at least while being filled. The casing brake assembly comprises a tubular support device for supporting at least one brake element having an at least approximately ring-shaped design. The casing brake assembly further comprises a tubular bushing for accommodating the tubular support device and the at least one brake element, and an attachment device including an at least approximately tubular accommodation portion for accommodating the tubular bushing, and at least one attachment portion configured for attaching the casing brake assembly to the production apparatus. Furthermore, an apparatus for producing sausage-shaped products, like sausages, includes a mounting device for reversibly mounting a casing brake assembly thereto and a casing brake assembly for applying a frictional force to the tubular or bag-shaped packaging casing while being filled.

A process for manufacturing dry sausage. The process includes preparing a dry sausage meat mixture, stuffing the mixture into a casing or mould, fermenting the mixture, heat treating the mixture, cooling the mixture to a temperature sufficiently low to permit slicing, slicing the sausage, placing the sausage onto a conveyor, and passing the conveyor and sausage through a chamber. The process also includes introducing a supply of conditioned air into the chamber, the air having a relative humidity below about 60% and a temperature in the range of at least about 40 F. to 130 F., and introducing a supply of microwaves into the chamber. The air supply and microwaves are selected to reduce the moisture content of the meat to a predetermined moisture to protein ratio.

A process for manufacturing dry sausage. The process includes preparing a dry sausage meat mixture, stuffing the mixture into a casing or mold, fermenting the mixture, heat treating the mixture, cooling the mixture to a temperature sufficiently low to permit slicing, slicing the sausage, placing the sausage onto a conveyor, and passing the conveyor and sausage through a chamber. The process also includes introducing a supply of conditioned air into the chamber, the air having a relative humidity below about 60% and a temperature in the range of at least about 40 F. to 130 F., and introducing a supply of microwaves into the chamber. The air supply and microwaves are selected to reduce the moisture content of the meat to a predetermined moisture to protein ratio.

The present invention relates to a clipping machine for producing sausage-shaped products, like sausages, by filling a tubular or bag-shaped packaging casing with filling material and closing said filled tubular or bag-shaped packaging casing. The clipping machine includes a filling tube through which the filling material is fed into said tubular or bag-shaped packaging casing which is stored on said filling tube, a casing brake assembly arranged on the filling tube for limiting the movement of the tubular packaging casing at least while being filled, gathering means for gathering said filled tubular packaging casing and for forming a plait-like portion thereto, and a clipping device for applying at least one closure means, like a closure clip, to the plait-like portion formed on the filled tubular or bag-shaped packaging casing in a closing region. The clipping machine further comprises a housing defining at least a front wall, a rear wall, and two side walls of the clipping machine, for enclosing at least the clipping device and the gathering means. The housing includes at least one housing element arranged in the front wall of the housing for covering at least the closing region, wherein the at least one housing element is coupled to the clipping machine by a linking device including a shifting mechanism for reversibly shifting the housing element relative to the clipping machine, in a shifting direction, for granting access to the closing region of the clipping machine.