Embodiments of the present disclosure provide an auger dip apparatus for the application of antimicrobial solution to raw food. Embodiments of the present disclosure may use an auger as a single moving part to move the food work pieces through the application area for antimicrobial solution. Embodiments of the present disclosure are simple with only one moving auger part to move the food pieces, and the bearing for the moving part, supporting the shaft of the auger, may be configured to be outside of the cabinet with the reservoir of the antimicrobial solution, so that the bearing is not in contact with the antimicrobial solution. This provides for less maintenance and downtime, particularly unscheduled downtime, than a system using more complicated exposed parts. The present disclosure also permits a more compact and lighter configuration for an assembled application unit.

An apparatus and method for applying an antimicrobial agent to whole or split animal carcasses include a closed or essentially closed chamber for limiting the escape of antimicrobial agent to the environment during antimicrobial treatment of the carcass. In one embodiment, a series of carcass cabinet panels moves in line with the passing animal carcass and forms an enclosure around the carcass by means of panels closing ahead of and behind the carcass. In another embodiment, the direction and spray pattern of positively charged aerosolized antimicrobial particles in a carcass cabinet is controlled by attracting the particles to preselected negatively charged regions within the carcass cabinet.

A mop washing bucket has a container with an interior volume defined by a bottom and a wall extending upwardly from the bottom, a fluid inlet affixed adjacent to the bottom of the container, and a fluid outlet formed on the container in a location above the fluid inlet. The fluid inlet is adapted to be connected to a water hose. The fluid inlet extends through the wall of the container so as to have one end in the interior volume of the container and another end exterior of the wall of the container. The fluid outlet is adapted to allow water from the interior volume of the container to flow outwardly of the container.

An improved game washer is compatible with a variety of receptacles and includes one or more cradles for receiving and holding various types of game. Agitation for washing game is provided via one or more water flows at one or more outlets of an agitator. An outlet engages a bottom of a cradle to provide water flow at the cradle. The agitator extends out of an opening of a receptacle at a central portion thereof to receive a water supply, while forming a gap at the opening to permit a flow of water and waste material out of the receptacle.

A submersion conveyor system for processing materials that need to be completely submersed in a processing liquid, such as food products, the submersion conveyor system providing a continual looping motion with a conveyor belt and flights providing a semi-enclosed volume for containing the material to be processed, the semi-enclosed volume containing the material to be processed being completely submersed in at least a portion of a processing tank during operation to provide a washing, rinsing, coating, treating, sanitizing and/or chilling or heating of the processing materials.

Systems, methods, and devices are disclosed for removing lesion material from poultry feet. The systems, for example, can include at least one spray head located along a travel path of a plurality of movable shackles within a poultry processing line. Each shackle can be configured to hold a poultry member in a processing position as the shackles are moved along the processing line. The spray head configured to spray feet of the poultry members held by the plurality of shackles to remove the lesion material from the feet.

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 food safety quality and performance monitoring system is provided, which is part of Industry 4.0 factory monitoring, including: a slaughter production line monitoring module recording a first monitoring information including quantity, voltage, temperature and humidity, time, and the like; a processing line monitoring module recording a second monitoring information including quantity, temperature and humidity, time, metal detection, and the like; an intelligent central monitoring server storing the first monitoring information and the second monitoring information and allowing a user to register and log in; and a human-machine interface facilitating the security and performance monitoring of the food production line. A food safety quality and performance monitoring method is further provided.

A poultry carcass spraying cabinet having an inclined or declined section located between the entrance and exit, the inclined or declined section having a slope or angle such that the wing-area of adjacently shackled poultry carcasses being conveyed is spaced to increase spray performance of the carcass spraying cabinet, allow foreign material proximate the wing-area of the poultry carcasses to be dislodged, and thereby minimize cross-contamination during poultry processing. The spray nozzles of adjacent arbor members of the inclined or declined section being located in different horizontal planes to provide optimal spraying performance proximate the wing-area of the poultry carcass.

Methods and related apparatus for improving the efficacy of antimicrobial agents within processing tanks. Processing tanks can include side streams for introducing antimicrobial agents into the processing tanks. The antimicrobial agents will be added and mixed in the side stream to form a processing solution. Additional actions can be conducted on the processing solution within the side stream including any and or all of heating, pumping, sampling, measuring, testing and pH adjustment of the processing solution. The processing solution is divided into at least two processing solution steams, which can be introduced at two different and distinct locations within the processing tank such as a carcass introduction end and a carcass removal end. By simultaneously introducing at least two processing solution streams at different locations of the processing tank, large concentration gradients of the antimicrobial agent are avoided.