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 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 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 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.

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.

A cutting machine for cutting up meat strands whose cross section varies over a longitudinal extension into weight precise slices as fast as possible, and a method for slicing such meat strands. Two or more strands may be received adjacent to each other in a respective form tube and pushed against a separately adjustable stop plate, which is assigned to each form tube, independently from each other by a controlled longitudinal press plunger. The strands may be compressed in the longitudinal direction and a cross section of the form tubes may be reduced in a first transversal direction jointly and in a second transversal direction independently from each other. Thus, the respective meat strand may be transversally compressed to a constant cross section for slicing.

A cutting machine for cutting up meat strands whose cross section varies over a longitudinal extension into weight precise slices as fast as possible, and a method for slicing such meat strands. Two or more strands may be received adjacent to each other in a respective form tube and pushed against a separately adjustable stop plate, which is assigned to each form tube, independently from each other by a controlled longitudinal press plunger. The strands may be compressed in the longitudinal direction and a cross section of the form tubes may be reduced in a first transversal direction jointly and in a second transversal direction independently from each other. Thus, the respective meat strand may be transversally compressed to a constant cross section for slicing.

A method of estimating weight of food objects, includes training an artificial neural network software module, and using the trained artificial neural network software module to provide a weight correlated data estimate for said food object based on a three-dimensional image of the food object.

A cutting machine comprising one or more form tubes that are divided in two in the longitudinal direction into a front form tube section and a rear form tube sectionat least across a portion of its circumference, so that the two form sections can be moved from a pressing position in which they are aligned with each other into a loading position in which they are not aligned with each other, and in the loading position the rear form tube section can be loaded with a new meat strand while the rest of the previous meat strand is still being cut into slices and moved in the front form tube section. The blade may be disposed to simultaneously cut slices from a plurality of form tubes and may be disposed for motion in the longitudinal direction as well as a direction transverse to the longitudinal direction.