A conveying unit is designed and configured for automatically conveying fillet-like meat products, in particular fish fillets. The conveying unit has a first conveying element rotationally driven by a drive and a second conveying element rotationally driven by a drive, in transport direction of the meat products to be conveyed. The second conveying element is downstream of the first conveying element. The two conveying elements form a continuous transport path, along which different processing stations may be arranged. The first conveying element is a double belt with a gap running centrally and parallel to the transport direction, while the second conveying element is a segment chain which is triangular in cross-section. A method is also disclosed.

A conveying unit is designed and configured for automatically conveying fillet-like meat products, in particular fish fillets. The conveying unit has a first conveying element rotationally driven by a drive and a second conveying element rotationally driven by a drive, in transport direction of the meat products to be conveyed. The second conveying element is downstream of the first conveying element. The two conveying elements form a continuous transport path, along which different processing stations may be arranged. The first conveying element is a double belt with a gap running centrally and parallel to the transport direction, while the second conveying element is a segment chain which is triangular in cross-section. A method is also disclosed.

A device for hanging captured game is provided. The device includes a polymerized device body. The device body includes a front planar surface and a rear planar surface, wherein the rear planar surface is parallel to the front planar surface. The device body further includes a rimless boundary around a perimeter of the polymerized device body and a game hook formed unitarily with the polymerized device body such that a first surface of the game hook is coincident to the front planar surface and a second surface of the game hook is coincident to the rear planar surface. The front planar surface directly transitions to the rimless boundary. The rear planar surface directly transitions to the rimless boundary.

A device for hanging captured game is provided. The device includes a polymerized device body. The device body includes a front planar surface and a rear planar surface, wherein the rear planar surface is parallel to the front planar surface. The device body further includes a rimless boundary around a perimeter of the polymerized device body and a game hook formed unitarily with the polymerized device body such that a first surface of the game hook is coincident to the front planar surface and a second surface of the game hook is coincident to the rear planar surface. The front planar surface directly transitions to the rimless boundary. The rear planar surface directly transitions to the rimless boundary.

A cutting apparatus for cutting an essentially V-shaped strip from meat products fed in a transport direction has a knife carrier to which two knife units are assigned. Each knife unit has a circular knife and a drive for rotationally driving the circular knife about a central axis of rotation. The two circular knives are set substantially in a V-shape to each other in a position enclosing an angle. An adjustable arrangement of the knife units provides for setting of the size of the angle. The offset of the two central axes of rotation to each other is equal to zero in the transport direction and the two knife units are adjustable exclusively synchronously with each other. A corresponding apparatus and method for cutting an essentially V-shaped strip from meat products fed in transport direction is also provided.

A fish head cutting machine for decapitating a fish, comprising: a) a fish support for supporting a fish in an infeed loading zone with its belly side down and its backbone in a substantially horizontal orientation; b) a guide mechanism positioned adjacent the fish support to hold the fish via an anatomical body part, such as its gill plate, collar bone, pectoral fin or pelvic fin, so that only the body of the fish is supported by the fish support; c) a drive mechanism transporting the fish in a downward direction and at an acute angle to vertical from the infeed loading zone downstream to a head cutting zone while the fish is supported on the fish support and held by the guide mechanism; d) a head pusher located between the infeed loading zone and the head cutting zone that engages the head of the fish and tips the head of the fish upwardly and rearwardly as the fish moves downstream to the head cutting zone; and e) head cutting blades located downstream of the head pusher in the cutting zone that cut the head of the fish from the body of the fish.

An apparatus for saddling fish on holding apparatuses for further processing comprises: a frame structure; a transport device on the frame structure, for transporting fish tail first and abdominal cavity downwards in a direction T along a transport path, wherein the transport device comprises: a transport unit that is driven rotatingly, and a holding apparatus on the transport unit comprising a fastening element and a holding plate for holding the fish during processing; a feed device for feeding the fish into a region of the transport device; a catching and centring device to catch and centre the fish parallel to the transport direction T; and a take-over device for taking the fish from the catching and centring device, holding the fish, and releasing the fish as soon as a holding apparatus transported through the fish captures the fish and pulls them from the take-over device.

An apparatus for saddling fish on holding apparatuses for further processing comprises: a frame structure; a transport device on the frame structure, for transporting fish tail first and abdominal cavity downwards in a direction T along a transport path, wherein the transport device comprises: a transport unit that is driven rotatingly, and a holding apparatus on the transport unit comprising a fastening element and a holding plate for holding the fish during processing; a feed device for feeding the fish into a region of the transport device; a catching and centring device to catch and centre the fish parallel to the transport direction T; and a take-over device for taking the fish from the catching and centring device, holding the fish, and releasing the fish as soon as a holding apparatus transported through the fish captures the fish and pulls them from the take-over device.

The present invention provides a new method and apparatus for performing water jet cutting of food items on conveyor belts. The invention provides a cutting unit with a novel design and a method for the use of plurality of cutting devices for cutting, trimming and removing undesired tissue from food items in a more accurate but faster way than prior art methods.

The present invention provides a new method and apparatus for performing water jet cutting of food items on conveyor belts. The invention provides a cutting unit with a novel design and a method for the use of plurality of cutting devices for cutting, trimming and removing undesired tissue from food items in a more accurate but faster way than prior art methods.