An apparatus and method for inflating a casing enclosing a sausage stick is disclosed, wherein the apparatus includes a holder configured to receive the sausage stick enclosed in the casing and move together with the sausage stick thereby received from an inflation starting position to an inflation end position, and an inflating needle configured to penetrate the casing of the sausage stick received by the holder and to follow the holder immoveably relative to the holder moving together with the sausage stick from the inflation starting position to the inflation end position to inflate the casing between the inflation starting position and the inflation end position.

A process that includes receiving, by a trimmer via a conveyor system, a foodstuff, automatically trimming, by the trimmer and based on trimming instructions, the foodstuff that results in trimmings and a trimmed foodstuff. The process also includes advancing, via the conveyor system, the trimmings of the foodstuff to a trimmings collector, and advancing, via the conveyor system, the trimmed foodstuff out of the trimmer. The trimmer is provided on the conveyor system prior to an injector such that the trimmer performs the automatic trimming of the foodstuff prior to injecting the foodstuff with a liquid solution by the injector.

A process that includes receiving, by a trimmer via a conveyor system, a foodstuff, automatically trimming, by the trimmer and based on trimming instructions, the foodstuff that results in trimmings and a trimmed foodstuff. The process also includes advancing, via the conveyor system, the trimmings of the foodstuff to a trimmings collector, and advancing, via the conveyor system, the trimmed foodstuff out of the trimmer. The trimmer is provided on the conveyor system prior to an injector such that the trimmer performs the automatic trimming of the foodstuff prior to injecting the foodstuff with a liquid solution by the injector.

The residual brine remaining from a brine injection process is collected and filtered by a primary filter system. Thereafter, the filtered brine is routed to a saddle tank from where the brine is routed, as needed, to a secondary filter remove particulates from the brine sufficient to enable the brine then to be routed to an injection head for reuse for injection into the work product. Clean brine is used to clean the primary and secondary filter systems. Thereafter, the spent brine from cleaning the primary and secondary filters is routed to the primary filter system to undergo primary filtration in the same manner as the brine collected after being expelled by the injection process. After this primary filtration, the brine is routed to the saddle tank.

A modular device for introducing an edible fluid to a food product includes a dispenser body having a cartridge receiving cavity associated therewith. A dispenser base is coupled or coupleable to the dispenser body, and a dispenser tip is coupled or coupleable to the dispenser base and is in fluid communication with the cartridge receiving cavity when in place. An actuatable piston is operably coupled to the dispenser body in communication with the cartridge receiving cavity. An insertable and removable cartridge is carriable by the dispenser body in the cartridge receiving cavity, and is positionable so as to be in communication with the actuatable piston. An edible fluid is carried by the cartridge, the edible fluid being dispensable to a food product through the dispenser tip when in place as the actuatable piston is actuated to cause the edible fluid to be expelled from the cartridge through the dispensing tip.

An injection device for injecting a liquid into meat includes a housing, a conveyor, and a modular needle bridge arranged above and across an endless belt conveying surface of the conveyor. A drive system is provided to move the conveying surface in at least two opposite conveying directions. The needle bridge has vertically stacked needle bridge blocks with aligning means, and needle head cavities of a non-circular cross-section for receiving correspondingly shaped needle heads with hollow injection needles that can move vertically in the needle head cavities. The needle head cavities are arranged in rows to form a continuous regular injection pattern.

Systems and methods for providing food intervention, pumping up, and tenderization are discussed. While such systems can include any suitable component, in some cases, they include a needleless spray nozzle head that injects injectate into food without requiring the head to contact the food. In some cases, the head comprises an elongated needleless spray bar that defines multiple internal fluid channels that extend from a first end to a second end of the spray bar. In some cases, the head comprises a manifold system with a first manifold portion at the first end and a second manifold portion at the second end of the spray bar. In some cases, the first manifold portion directs the injectate towards the second end, and the second manifold portion directs the injectate towards the first end of the elongated needleless spray bar. Other implementations are described.

A process that includes receiving, by a first trimmer via a conveyor system, a foodstuff and automatically trimming, by the first trimmer and based on first trimming instructions, the foodstuff that results in first trimmings and a trimmed foodstuff. An injector receives the trimmed foodstuff and injects, based on injection instructions, a liquid solution into the trimmed foodstuff to generate an injected foodstuff. A cooker receives the injected foodstuff and cooks, based on cooking instructions, the injected foodstuff that results in a cooked foodstuff. A chiller receives the cooked foodstuff and chills the cooked foodstuff that results in a chilled foodstuff. A second trimmer receives the chilled foodstuff and automatically trims, based on second trimming instructions, the foodstuff that results in second trimmings and a trimmed chilled foodstuff. The second trimmer advances, via the conveyor system, the trimmed chilled foodstuff out of the second trimmer.

A food processing system that includes at least one food and/or feed processing device and at least one cleaning device. The at least one food and/or feed processing device includes at least one part with a surface which during use will come in contact with a food product. The at least one cleaning device is configured for cleaning at least the surface. The at least one cleaning device includes means for providing a cleaning fluid. The cleaning fluid is a plasma activated substance. The at least one cleaning device comprises or is coupled to a device for preparing the plasma activated substance and is provided in a porous structure of the device.

A brine injection machine for injecting brine to meat pieces is provided. The machine comprises an auxiliary frame (10) configured to carry a pre-filtering unit (6), and a pre-filtered brine tank (7), the auxiliary frame being detachable with regard to the main frame (1). At least one level sensors (32) is configured for detecting an amount of pre-filtered brine in the pre-filtered brine tank (7), and an electronic control device is configured for controlling the brine injection operation as a function of the amount of pre-filtered brine in the pre-filtered brine tank (7) that can be recycled, as detected by the at least one level sensor (32) at the end of a brine injection cycle. It is also disclosed a method for operating a brine injection machine according to the invention.