A device for automatically cutting frozen food products into portions of an exact weight, including: an entry feeder that moves longitudinally a piece of a product to be cut; a detector that provides signals suitable for determining the total length and position of the end of the piece; a motorised movable head provided with claws for gripping and moving the piece of product in a longitudinal direction from the entry feeder to a cutting area; a scanner that determines the cross section of the piece of product during the movement thereof; a cutting area provided with a vertical band saw and a carriage that moves the piece to be cut, in a transverse and alternating manner; and a programmable automaton for programming the operation of the cutting device.

An automated apparatus for removing the tops (calyx) of strawberries as they move along a conveyor belt having a plurality of concave-shaped slotted rollers which operate to orient the calyx of each strawberry for being cut. Images are captured and processed for locating the calyx of each strawberry and determining an optimal cutting plane. In response to the image processing a control system actuates a blade in a cutting apparatus to pass through the produce item and into one of the slots in a roller, or rollers, to separate the calyx from the body of the strawberry.

A processing system (10) and corresponding method (158) are provided for processing workpieces (WP), including food items, to cut and remove undesirable components from the food items and/or portion the food items while being conveyed on a conveyor system (12). An X-ray scanning station (14) is located on an upstream conveyor section (20) to ascertain size and/or shape parameters of the food items as well as the location of any undesirable components of the food items, such as bones, fat or cartilage. Thereafter the food items are transferred to a downstream conveyor (20) at which is located an optical scanner (102) to ascertain the size and/or shape parameters of the food items. The results of the X-ray and optical scanning are transmitted to a processor (18) to confirm that the food item scanned by the optical scanner is the same as that previously scanned by the X-ray scanner. Once this identity is confirmed, if required, the data from the X-ray scanner is translated or transformed onto the data from the optical scanner. Such translation may include one or more of the shifting of the food items in the X and/or Y direction, rotation of the food item, scaling of the size of the food item, and sheer distortion of the food item. Next, the location of the undesirable material within the food item is mapped from the X-ray scanning data onto the optical scanning data. Thereafter, the undesirable material is removed by a cutter(s) (28). The food item may also (or alternatively) been portioned by the cutter(s) (28).

Methods and apparatus for a short-term wash treatment used in a food-processing system are provided. One example control system includes an interface configured to receive one or more first sensor signals from the food-processing system; and a processing system coupled to the interface and configured to determine, based on the one or more first sensor signals, to reduce an intensity of the short-term wash treatment; generate a first control signal to cause an increase in a pH of the short-term wash treatment in response to the determination; and control application of the short-term wash treatment with the increased pH to a product in the food-processing system. Further the system may include a human machine interface (HMI) configured to display information from the processing system to a user.

The present disclosure relates to a food processing apparatus with a scanner with a scanning unit for determining properties of a food product, in particular a food bar, with at least two substantially parallel separately drivable conveyor tracks for supplying the food products to the scanner, and with a control unit for controlling the drive of the conveyor tracks. According to the disclosure, the control unit is adapted to separately control the drive of the conveyor tracks to convey at least one food product of a first conveyor track and at least one food product of a further conveyor track sequentially through a scanning area of the scanner. The disclosure further relates to a method for scanning food products.

Machine for cutting to size rolls with a defined length from logs having a greater length using a conveyor belts to drive the log to a cutting blade. Photocells are used to determine the length of the longs and to assist with the overall workings of the machine.

Cutting wheels equipped with knife assemblies suitable for performing size reduction operations on products, methods of operating cutting wheels, knife holders for such knife assemblies, methods of manufacturing knife holders, and slicing machines capable of utilizing such cutting wheels. The knife assemblies each have a leading edge that faces a direction of rotation of the cutting wheel, a trailing edge oppositely disposed from the leading edge, and a cutting edge on the leading edge. Each knife assembly further has a knife holder having a first surface that faces the products advanced toward the cutting wheel in a feed direction and a registration surface formed in the first surface. The registration surface is defined by at least a first recessed planar surface that is recessed a distance relative to the first surface and defines with the first surface at least a first step therebetween.

A food processing system and a method for processing and batching food items conveyed by a conveyor means where the batches fulfil at least one target criteria including at least one weight target, including a first weight determining means for determining the weight of incoming food items, a batching system, a food item separation device positioned downstream in relation to the first weight determining means and upstream in relation to the batching system, and a control system for controlling the batching system and the food item separation device. The controlling including, repeatedly: monitoring the weight of the incoming food items, determining, based on the weight of the incoming food items, a prospect indicator indicating the prospect to meet the target criteria for the batches such that each batch fulfils the at least one target criteria, and comparing if the prospect indicator fulfils a pre-defined criteria.

Apparatus for moving logs (2) within cutting-off machines. The apparatus includes a platform (1) with one or more longitudinal channels (10) inside which the logs to be cut are disposed, and a pusher device (3) acting in correspondence of the platform (1) and intended for acting on the back of the logs (2) to push them, along respective guide channels (10), toward a cutting device (4) disposed downstream. The apparatus includes a clamping device (5) disposed intermediate between the pusher device (3) and the cutting device (4) and intended for engaging the logs (2) which are pushed along the channels (10) of platform (1) by the pusher device (3) and driving them along up to the cutting device (4).

There is disclosed a food slicing device for slicing food products which has a pre-cooling device for cooling the food product before the slicing and a cutting device with a cutting blade. A temperature registration device for measuring the temperature of the food product and a control unit are provided, wherein the control unit is designed to calculate, based on the temperature measured by the temperature registration device, an instruction for the operation of the pre-cooling device, wherein the pre-cooling device is controllable depending on this instruction. The disclosure furthermore relates to a method for slicing a food product in which the food product is pre-cooled in a pre-cooling device, the temperature of the food product is measured after the pre-cooling and before or after the slicing of the food product, and the operation of the pre-cooling device is adjusted depending on the measured temperature level of the food product.