An article of manufacture, namely a poultry cut food product, and a method of producing the article of manufacture. The article of manufacture includes a portion cut of the thigh of a poultry item or other bird.

A method of, and an apparatus (1) for, continuously harvesting surrounding meat from a successive plurality animal legs having articulated first and second animal bones and an intermediate joint. The method continuously conveys the animal legs through a path of conveyance, and determines a location of the intermediate joint. Based on the determined location of the intermediate joint, adjusting a position of the intermediate joint and a cutting implement relative to one another, and performing cutting of tissue at a location commensurate with the location of the intermediate joint. The step of determining the location of the intermediate joint is performed contactless, and without interrupting continuous conveyance of the animal legs.

A food processing system and method for cutting a food item into cut food item portions includes a conveyor, an imaging system, a cutting device, and a controller. The conveyor conveys the food item past the imaging system allowing the imaging system to image the food item and image data is obtained. The controller receives the imaging data and determines the location of defective areas on the basis thereof. Then a distribution of portion cuts over the food item dividing the food item into food item portions is determined on the basis of at least the determined location of defective areas and a desired portion size and/or weight. The cutting device cuts the food item according to the determined distribution of portion cuts.

A food processing installation for processing food items includes: a food processing enclosure; a cutting device in the food processing enclosure; a particle capturing enclosure; an exhaust vent connected to the food processing enclosure via a vent inlet and connected to the particle capturing enclosure via a vent outlet; and a spray nozzle arrangement separate from the cutting device and located downstream relative to the vent inlet. The exhaust vent is configured to conduct an exhaust flow of exhaust air comprising food aerosols emitted from the food processing enclosure to the particle capturing enclosure, and the spray nozzle arrangement is configured to eject a spray of droplets that coalesce with the food aerosols. A method is provided for filtering air from a food processing installation and a particle capturing device.

A system and method are provided for processing a backhalve of a slaughtered poultry carcass, comprising a back portion and legs, and transported by a conveyor in a suspended manner. The system comprises a back turning device, having a stationary frame and a receiving element movably connected to the frame and configured to receive at least a part of the back portion and configured to be moved in the conveying direction with at least said part of the back portion received in the receiving element during continued movement of the backhalve so as to turn the back portion upside-down; and a separation device for separating the legs from the back portion with the back portion in said upside-down orientation.

Wing cutting apparatus for processing poultry carcasses includes a conveying device configured to convey a poultry carcass along a conveying line in transport direction. First and second separating devices are configured to separate wings or wing parts in pairs from one each of the poultry carcasses. The second separating device is offset from said first separating device. A plurality of concurrent pushing elements are configured to run along in the transport direction. At least one of the pushing elements is arranged to be in association with a carrier element and is configured to come into engagement with the wing or wing parts.

A method and apparatus for separating wings from a poultry carcass includes an overhead conveyor for conveying partially processed poultry carcasses sequentially along a processing path back-first. Each carcass is tilted on its back and its wings are separated and spread out to the sides of the carcass. The scapula bones of the carcass are urged to a desired position. A pre-cut is made in the back of the carcass along a specified location to sever a primary tendon associated with the scapula and holding each wing to the carcass. The wings are tensioned to dislocate the shoulder joints and to begin to pull the balls and sockets of the joints apart at the shoulder. Rotary blades cut through a piece of back meat and then between the separated balls and sockets of the shoulder joints while the wings are being prevented from moving along with the carcass. This progressively opens up the dislocated shoulder joint as the rotary blades cut until the wings are completely severed and removed from the carcass. The cutting of bones and attendant bone pieces and shards in the wing parts is virtually eliminated and valuable breast meat is not sacrificed for the sake of meatier wings.

Method for obtaining a food product for human consumption from a chicken back piece (2), the food product comprising at least one scapula bone (3, 4) of the chicken, the method comprising the steps: inserting a knife (6) in the length direction adjacent to the backbone (5) on its first side and subsequently on its second side in the width direction (W) of the backbone (5) and cutting the meat in the first and second width direction (W) under the first and second scapula bone (3, 4); inserting the knife (6) in the width direction (W) above the backbone (5) and subsequently cutting in the length direction (L) between the backbone (5) and the scapula bones (3, 4) so that the food product (8) comprising both scapula bones (3, 4) is removed from the backbone (5).

A system and method for measuring a shoulder joint position of a carcass part of slaughtered poultry are disclosed. The system includes a position measurement device, having a mechanical contact member which is adapted to engage at least one shoulder joint during a measurement of the shoulder joint position, and a product carrier which is adapted to support the carcass part during movement of the product carrier along the conveying path past the position measurement device. The position of the product carrier during the measurement of the shoulder joint position is such that the carcass part is arranged relative to the position measurement device with the left shoulder joint and right shoulder joint one behind the other as seen in the transport direction so as to allow the mechanical contact member to engage a shoulder joint bone structure of a shoulder joint.

The invention relates to a chain link for a support chain for supporting a compression belt in a separating device for separating materials of different flowability, the chain link having a support surface and an inner surface opposite said support surface and is characterized in that a protruding support element is arranged on at least one end face of the chain link so as to form an undercut. The invention further relates to a support chain for a support apparatus for supporting a compression belt in a separating device for separating materials of different flowability, the support chain being an articulated chain which has individual chain links connected to each other in an articulated manner, the chain links being threaded onto chain pins extending transverse to the conveying direction F with the chain links according to the invention. The invention also relates to a support apparatus having the support chain according to the invention.