Scapula harvester for operating on a poultry carcass including instruments for breaking tissue connections and for harvesting scapula bones that connect to the poultry carcass. The instruments may include back knives and release hooks arranged to operate concertedly such that the back knives cut along and eventually assume a stationary position adjacent to the poultry spine for fixing the poultry carcass in position with the scapula bones directed upwards. The release hooks may execute a down and up movement while the back knives are stationary, wherein during the up movement the release hooks detach the scapula bones from the poultry carcass so as to harvest the scapula.

A wishbone separator device for separating a wishbone from a poultry carcass includes a primary wishbone cutter including a front cutter portion including a central front apex, a left and a right front cutting edge, which diverge from said central front apex, a wishbone limb cutter portion, including a left and a right limb cutting edge. An intersection point of an extension of the left limb cutting edge and an extension of the right limb cutting edge is arranged on a center line parallel to the cutting direction through the central front apex. The left and right front cutting edge are arranged forward of the left and right limb cutting edge, respectively as seen in the cutting direction and outward relative to said imaginary extension line from the left and right limb cutting edge, respectively.

A bone-meat separator includes a chassis, a driving mechanism, a transmission shaft, a spiral shaft, a feed hopper, a pressurization portion and a bone-meat separation portion. In this design, a separation spiral shaft portion is a conical spiral shaft; the bone-meat separation portion is a conical component coaxially sheathed on the periphery of the separation spiral shaft portion, and an inner wall of the bone-meat separation portion is in clearance fit with an outer wall of the separation spiral shaft portion. With regard to the bone-meat separator, since the inner wall of the bone-meat separation portion and the outer wall of the spiral shaft are always in a stable clearance fit state, the service life is improved.

A bone-meat separator includes a chassis, a driving mechanism, a transmission shaft, a spiral shaft, a feed hopper, a pressurization portion and a bone-meat separation portion. In this design, a separation spiral shaft portion is a conical spiral shaft; the bone-meat separation portion is a conical component coaxially sheathed on the periphery of the separation spiral shaft portion, and an inner wall of the bone-meat separation portion is in clearance fit with an outer wall of the separation spiral shaft portion. With regard to the bone-meat separator, since the inner wall of the bone-meat separation portion and the outer wall of the spiral shaft are always in a stable clearance fit state, the service life is improved.

A wishbone separator device for separating a wishbone from a poultry carcass includes a primary wishbone cutter including a front cutter portion including a central front apex, a left and a right front cutting edge, which diverge from said central front apex, a wishbone limb cutter portion, including a left and a right limb cutting edge. An intersection point of an extension of the left limb cutting edge and an extension of the right limb cutting edge is arranged on a center line parallel to the cutting direction through the central front apex. The left and right front cutting edge are arranged forward of the left and right limb cutting edge, respectively as seen in the cutting direction and outward relative to said imaginary extension line from the left and right limb cutting edge, respectively.

A filleting device and method for harvesting fillets from a poultry carcass that is moved in a conveyor-line and supported on a carrier. Fillets may be guided to a pulling device that may be placed in or adjacent to the path of the poultry carcass. Harvesting of the fillets may be completed with the pulling device while keeping the fillets pushed against the first guide rail or rails and/or the pulling device. Harvested fillets may be moved to at least one outlet for the fillets.

A method is disclosed of mechanically deboning animal thighs for separating and collecting meat there from and an apparatus and an alternative apparatus for performing the method, including automated individual processing steps. The processing steps include: grasping a thigh bone of an animal thigh at a hip knuckle with a bone holder; cutting tissue near the hip knuckle; and engaging the thigh bone adjacent the bone holder with a meat stripper. The processing steps further include: moving the bone holder and meat stripper away from one another in a direction substantially coextensive with the longitudinal extend of the thigh bone; allowing the meat stripper to pass over the knee knuckle; and collecting the meat separated from the bone. In particular the method includes and each of the apparatuses perform the process step of cutting tissue adjacent a knee knuckle of the thigh bone, prior to allowing the meat stripper to pass over the knee knuckle. The apparatuses include a plurality of processing stations for carrying out the individual steps, and the processing stations are arranged along a path of conveyance defined by a conveyor chain moving through a predefined path.

Method and device for processing a carcass part of slaughtered poultry in a processing line. A carcass part may be supported on a carrier that is movable in the processing line and includes wing joints, coracoids, a wishbone being embodied with two legs that merge into each other at an acute angle, a keel bone, and naturally present meat including inner and outer fillets, and means are applied for cutting and/or removing of the wishbone from the carcass part.

A method for cutting extra-large poultry to fit within existing industrial fryers and remain as recognizable pieces to the consumer is provided. The method provides for the cuts necessary to create pieces of poultry from the extra-large poultry that are sized comparably to a normal sized bird. Furthermore, the method provides for keeping the cut pieces in a shape that the consumer recognizes as a particular piece of poultry.

A method for cutting extra-large poultry to fit within existing industrial fryers and remain as recognizable pieces to the consumer is provided. The method provides for the cuts necessary to create pieces of poultry from the extra-large poultry that are sized comparably to a normal sized bird. Furthermore, the method provides for keeping the cut pieces in a shape that the consumer recognizes as a particular piece of poultry.