A method of separating a poultry leg into its constituent thigh and drumstick includes bending the leg at the knee to impart stress to the tissue surrounding the knee knuckle and urge the end of the drumstick bone away from the end of the thigh bone. Further stress is imparted and the bones are further urged apart by pushing the top of the drumstick in a direction opposite the knee. The tissue above the knee is then pushed up and the tissue below the knee is pushed down to maximize tension in the tissue and move the ends of the bones apart as far as possible without tearing the tissue. The tissue at the knee is then progressively sliced by a rotary cutter. The initial slice relieves tension in the tissue causing it to pull apart and move the ends of the bones further apart. The slice is then completed between the now spaced apart ends of the bones to separate the thigh from the drumstick without producing bone shards and splinters that can contaminate the meat of the thigh and the drumstick. An apparatus for performing the method is disclosed.

A poultry breast deboning apparatus and method for guiding a plurality of poultry combinations that have a breast and attached wings, the apparatus including a transport assembly with carts mounted to a drive system. Each of the carts has an opening to receive one of the wings of each combination. Moveable cutters are disposed adjacent the transport assembly for seating against the carts for severing tissue connecting the wings and the breast. Moveable bars are biased to urge the wings into the cart openings.

A mist management system for a processing machine includes a pressure distribution assembly configured to evacuate mist from a portion of the processing machine into a plenum using pressure differences between the portion of the processing machine and the plenum. In one aspect, the system may include a mist directing assembly configured to purposefully direct mist toward the plenum using movement and momentum of the mist.

Mist management systems are configured for a processing machine having a portioning station configured to portion a workpiece within an enclosed portioner housing having a first side wall extending along the portioning station, a second side wall, at least one hood portion between the first and second side walls, and at least one end wall between the first and second side walls, using at least one liquid jet cutter and a conveyor configured to move the workpiece in a longitudinal direction beneath the at least one liquid jet cutter. The systems may include a tray secured within the enclosed portioner housing beneath the at least one liquid jet cutter and the conveyor, the tray being downwardly angled and configured to direct a waterjet of the liquid jet cutter toward a low pressure plenum chamber positioned external to the first side wall of the enclosed portioner housing.

A slicer apparatus for slicing food items includes a conveying means for conveying a food item to be cut along a conveying path, where a gap is provided extending across the conveying path; at least one cutting blade. A cutting land is arranged in and along the gap, and the cutting land comprises a recess on at least one side such that during cutting the at least one cutting blade at least partly extends into the recess. A first moving means is connected to the at least one cutting blade for moving the at least one cutting blade in distance relative to the cutting land. A second moving means is connected to the at least one cutting blade for moving the at least one cutting blade angularly relative to the conveying path. A third moving means is connected to the cutting land for adjusting at least an angular position of the cutting land around its longitudinal axis. The third moving means is configured to independently adjust the at least angular position of the cutting land around its longitudinal axis.

A system and method for separating breast meat from at least a part of a keel bone of a carcass part of slaughtered poultry includes a product carrier and a pair of breast meat cutter blades adapted to make an incision along the keel bone in the longitudinal direction of the keel bone. The breast meat cutter blades are moveable relative to each other between and open position and a closed position. The system further includes a blade actuator, which comprises a closing assembly to apply a biasing force to the breast meat cutter blades to bias the breast meat cutter blades towards the closed position, and an opening assembly to apply an opening force to the breast meat cutter blades to hold the breast meat cutter blades in the open position.

Method and device for carrying out the method of mechanically harvesting inner and outer meat fillets from a poultry carcass breast cap. A poultry breast cap (23) is conveyed while being supported inversed to its natural position on a carrier (17) through a path of conveyance (25). The outer fillet is cut along a keel bone of the poultry breast cap (23) to enable separation of the inner and outer fillets. After separation and successive harvesting of the outer and inner breast fillets the carcass remains are discarded. The device (1, 13) for carrying out the method comprises means (15, 17, 29, 31, 33, 35, 37, 39, 41, 43) for performing at least the steps of conveying, separating and harvesting inner and outer breast fillets, and discarding carcass remains.

A system and method for separating breast meat from at least a part of a keel bone of a carcass part of slaughtered poultry includes a product carrier and a pair of breast meat cutter blades adapted to make an incision along the keel bone in the longitudinal direction of the keel bone. The breast meat cutter blades are moveable relative to each other between and open position and a closed position. The system further includes a blade actuator, which comprises a closing assembly to apply a biasing force to the breast meat cutter blades to bias the breast meat cutter blades towards the closed position, and an opening assembly to apply an opening force to the breast meat cutter blades to hold the breast meat cutter blades in the open position.

A slicer apparatus for slicing food items includes a conveying means for conveying a food item to be cut along a conveying path, where a gap is provided extending across the conveying path; at least one cutting blade. A cutting land is arranged in and along the gap, and the cutting land comprises a recess on at least one side such that during cutting the at least one cutting blade at least partly extends into the recess. A first moving means is connected to the at least one cutting blade for moving the at least one cutting blade in distance relative to the cutting land. A second moving means is connected to the at least one cutting blade for moving the at least one cutting blade angularly relative to the conveying path. A third moving means is connected to the cutting land for adjusting at least an angular position of the cutting land around its longitudinal axis. The third moving means is configured to independently adjust the at least angular position of the cutting land around its longitudinal axis.

Mist management systems are configured for a processing machine having a portioning station configured to portion a workpiece within an enclosed portioner housing having a first side wall extending along the portioning station, a second side wall, at least one hood portion between the first and second side walls, and at least one end wall between the first and second side walls, using at least one liquid jet cutter and a conveyor configured to move the workpiece in a longitudinal direction beneath the at least one liquid jet cutter. The systems may include a tray secured within the enclosed portioner housing beneath the at least one liquid jet cutter and the conveyor, the tray being downwardly angled and configured to direct a waterjet of the liquid jet cutter toward a low pressure plenum chamber positioned external to the first side wall of the enclosed portioner housing.