A food processing attachment for a food processing device includes a rotational adapter configured to be selectively coupled with a drive system of the food processing device. A food holder is coupled to the rotational adapter and having a base, wherein the food holder is selectively rotated by the rotational adapter. A central spear extends perpendicularly from a center of the base. A plurality of radial flanges extend perpendicularly from the base, wherein each radial flange of the plurality of flanges is discontinuous with the other radial flanges, wherein the central spear and the plurality of radial flanges are adapted to secure a food item in a processing space and in communication with the rotational adapter. A blade is coupled to an operable carriage and is adapted to selectively engage the food item within the processing space to remove at least a portion of the food item.

A power operated rotary knife including an annular rotary knife blade supported for rotation in a blade housing. The rotary knife blade including a body and a blade section extending from the body. The body includes an outer wall including an arcuate surface having an upper region extending from a first upper end portion to a second intermediate portion and a lower region extending from the second intermediate portion to a third lower end portion. A plurality of gear teeth extend downwardly from the upper end of the body, each of the plurality of gear teeth including an outer peripheral face forming a portion of the upper region of the arcuate surface of the outer wall. The body outer wall includes a bearing surface having a lower bearing face in the lower region of the arcuate surface and an upper bearing face in the upper region of the arcuate surface.

A cutting land is configured to be used in relation with a slicer apparatus for slicing food items, where the food items are conveyed by a conveying means along a conveying path, where a gap is provided extending across the conveying path, and where the cutting land is configured to be arranged in and along the gap. The cutting land comprises a recess facing at least one cutting blade such that during cutting the at least one cutting blade at least partly extends into the recess. The recess is defined by elongated and opposingly arranged flexible materials arranged in relation to each other such that during cutting the flexible materials exert elastic forces onto the at least one cutting blade causing the flexible materials and thus a width of the recess to follow the thickness of the at least one cutting blade.

A horizontal char slicer for cutting a food product includes a frame housing having a heating housing and a cutting device located at a discharge end of the heating housing. The heating housing includes a heating element, and the cutting device has a generally horizontal cutting plane. A generally horizontal conveyor belt extends at least the length of the frame housing, between a heating inlet for delivering the food product through the heating housing to the cutting device. The horizontal conveyor belt also extends from the cutting device to an outlet of the frame housing. The horizontal conveyor belt transports the food product away from the cutting device. A finished-product conveyor also extends from the cutting device for transporting a finished-product away from the cutting device. The finished-product conveyor and the horizontal conveyor belt are configured to work in parallel downstream of the cutting device.

Image acquisition for meat grading. In one embodiment, a method includes aligning a suspended slaughtered animal half according to a predetermined orientation and retaining this orientation by a positioning device designed as part of a processing line until image acquisition of a cut surface; executing a 3D measurement and setting a trigger point in a control device, wherein the position of the cut surface is determined by an image processing device from a three-dimensional image recorded by a first image acquisition device; aligning the optical components of a second image acquisition device in accordance with the position in space determined for the cut surface; and trigger-initiated execution of at least one two-dimensional image acquisition of the cut surface by the second image acquisition device, the optical components of which are aligned beforehand, when a trigger condition coupled to the trigger point is met, as identified by the above control device.

A conveyor device for conveying food products on a plurality of parallel conveyor tracks and for formatting the food products in a specific product format, especially for conveying and formatting stacks or interleaved units made of a plurality of slices of cheese or meat products is provided. The conveyor device fills a product gap on one of the conveyor tracks incoming on the input side with a food product so that on the output side all parallel conveyor tracks are supplied with the food products when a product gap is sensed. A corresponding method is also provided.

A method of making bacon styled sliced pork by cutting a layer of muscle and fat from an outer surface of a pork ham. After smoking and curing the layer, the layer is rolled out and cut into blocks. The blocks are then fed into a slicing machine to make slices of bacon style pork.

A power operated rotary knife including an annular rotary knife blade supported for rotation in a blade housing. The rotary knife blade including a body and a blade section extending from the body. The body includes an outer wall including an arcuate surface having an upper region extending from a first upper end portion to a second intermediate portion and a lower region extending from the second intermediate portion to a third lower end portion. A plurality of gear teeth extend downwardly from the upper end of the body, each of the plurality of gear teeth including an outer peripheral face forming a portion of the upper region of the arcuate surface of the outer wall. The body outer wall includes a bearing surface having a lower bearing face in the lower region of the arcuate surface and an upper hearing face in the upper region of the arcuate surface.

A scribe saw head assembly is provided for a loin puller and has substantially reduced wear and increased life of the assembly components. A pinion assembly includes a pinion shaft and a thrust bearing. The shaft has a flange to support the thrust bearing, which is retained by a pair of retainers. The flange and thrust bearing provides constant contact between the pinion shaft and the standard of the scribe saw assembly, prevents side to side movement of the pinion shaft, and prevents longitudinal floating of the pinion shaft.

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.