An apparatus for removing meat from crustacean legs includes a conveyor, and a plurality of leg meat extraction rollers. The conveyor has a crustacean body region flanked by laterally opposed crustacean leg regions. Each crustacean leg region includes a plurality of leg slots extending laterally outwardly of the crustacean body region. The leg meat extraction rollers are positioned laterally outwardly of the leg slots and oriented to receive crustacean legs moved laterally outwardly from the leg slots.

A separation and singulation system for presenting shrimps or other product individually to a processor. The separation and singulation system includes a divider pan that separates a layer of shrimp into several lanes, a shaker pan that receives the lanes of shrimp and agitates them to separate clumps of shrimp and a flume for providing further singulation and acceleration of the shrimp. The singulated, separated shrimps are then sent to a processor.

A shrimp deveining machine with adjustable blades. The deveiner has an inclined trough with groups of blades arranged in a zig-zag pattern. The trough is lubricated by water to help shrimps advance along the blades, which slit the shrimps' backs to expose their veins. Blade-height adjusters adjust the height of the blades above the trough. Blade-angle adjusters adjust the angles of the blades relative to the length direction of the trough. Magnets are used to hold the blades in place for easy replacement. A feed tank at the entrance to the trough includes a serpentine path to separate the shrimps.

A shrimp deveining machine with adjustable blades. The deveiner has an inclined trough with groups of blades arranged in a zig-zag pattern. The trough is lubricated by water to help shrimps advance along the blades, which slit the shrimps' backs to expose their veins. Blade-height adjusters adjust the height of the blades above the trough. Blade-angle adjusters adjust the angles of the blades relative to the length direction of the trough. Magnets are used to hold the blades in place for easy replacement. A feed tank at the entrance to the trough includes a serpentine path to separate the shrimps.

Shrimp processing apparatus to sever the mud veins of shrimp, along with methods for heading and mud vein severing are described herein. The shrimp processing apparatus may be provided in systems may include one or more processing stations configured to perform one or more of the following functions on each shrimp: measurement of individual shrimp, severing the mud vein of individual shrimp, and remove of pleopods of individual shrimp.

Shrimp processing apparatus to remove pleopods of individual shrimp, along with methods for removing pleopods of individual shrimp are described herein. The shrimp processing apparatus may be provided in systems may include one or more processing stations configured to perform one or more of the following functions on each shrimp individually: measurement of individual shrimp, heading of individual shrimp, peeling of individual shrimp, and severing the mud vein of individual shrimp.

The sorting systems and methods described herein provide for the sorting of shrimp. The sorting systems may be combined with a delivery system. The sorting systems employ a pair of rotating slides and optional guide chutes to deliver shrimp to selected delivery locations.