A system and method for removing a bone from a primal or sub primal meat cut that includes a conveyance system having a continuous conveyor extending along a path of conveyance from an upstream point at the loading end to a downstream point at the discharge. The system includes a pair of opposing support surfaces projecting vertically upward from a first position of the continuous conveyor along the path of conveyance whereby each of the opposing support surfaces of the pair inwardly extend one toward the other, from an upper level downward vertically to a lower level. Each opposing support surface of the pair has a downward slope and each opposing surface of the pair converges at a recessed valley at the lower level.

A meat processing apparatus has an automated analysis stage for analysing meat parts with penetrating radiation. Data is generated for sue in both feedforward and feedback information, and may be used for robotic control of trimming and boning operations. There is a radiation-shielded chamber within which there is a tomography scanner with a scanner controller, arranged to perform analysis of meat parts. A port is used for entry and exit of meat parts placed in carriers into and out of the chamber for analysis by the scanner, and a handling system performs automated movement of the carriers between the port and the scanner. The port has an interlock chamber, having an inner door and an outer door and a controller to ensure that while the scanner is operating only one door can open. The meat parts are inspected automatically by an inspection station and a controller of the inspection station feeds forward data which is used by the scanner controller to control scanner operation according to meat part physical attributes.

A system for processing meat pieces includes a radiation inspection apparatus configured to receive a primary stream of meat pieces conveyed by a conveyor and to detect trim products containing undesired objects; a reject device; a control unit configured to operate the reject device using the detected undesired objects as an operation parameter such that the meat pieces containing the undesired objects are separated from the primary stream of trim products; an object remover configured to remove the undesired objects from the meat pieces separated from the primary stream of trim products; and a recirculation apparatus configured to receive the meat pieces after undergoing the object remover and recirculate it as a secondary stream into the radiation inspection apparatus. The secondary stream is separated from the primary stream, and the radiation inspection is configured to detect whether any remaining undesired objects are in the secondary stream.

A system and a method for separating a fore end of a half pig carcass by making a first cut between ribs three and four up to the shoulder blade followed by a second cut through the rest of the carcass. The first cut is made using a regular knife blade, the second cut is made using a scissor blade.

Disclosed is a method for realizing batch-based traceability for pork based on a QR code. Based on the QR code, user information is added to a web address carried by the QR code to realize the traceability for the pork. The method includes: 1) registering basic information of pigs in breeding and brokering processes; 2) printing an initial traceability QR code of a carcass in a slaughtering process; 3) adding user information to the initial traceability QR code in a selling process, and updating the user information to the traceability system; and 4) scanning the traceability QR code to recall data of the traceability system in a catering process to achieve transparent information. The pork and pork products are traced from production process to the selling process.

A method for processing food products (12) includes transporting the food products by a first conveyor (11), an X-ray unit (13) positioned between the intake end and the discharge end of the first conveyor to acquire a first set of product-specific data relating to the food product transported. At least one first optical camera (17), assigned to the first conveyor, is used to acquire a second set of product-specific data relating to the food product. A control unit (18) is used to receive and integrate the first and second data sets to analyze the composition of the food product and determine parameters for the food product. Based on the determined parameters of the food product, the food product is cut with a cutting unit, under the control of the control unit.

An animal carcass is moved along a movement trajectory which passes through an inspection zone between at least one X-ray emitter and at least one X-ray detector, which are stationary relative to the inspection zone. X-ray detections are performed at successive moments during movement of the animal carcass through the inspection zone, the animal carcass being made to rotate around an axis of rotation which is transversal to lines of propagation of X-rays emitted by the at least one X-ray emitter in the inspection zone, so that what is obtained is a plurality of two-dimensional radiographic images of the animal carcass in different angular positions around the axis of rotation . The two-dimensional radiographic images are processed to determine a cutting pattern and/or a structure of the animal carcass, such as a position of bones, fat and/or lean parts in the animal carcass.

A method for evaluating (50) the health state of an anatomical element of an animal in a slaughtering plant provided with an image acquisition device. The evaluation method comprises the steps of: verifying the presence of the anatomical element; acquiring the image of the anatomical element; processing (S4) the image of the anatomical element through Deep Learning techniques, generating a lesion image representing lesioned portions of the anatomical element, and a number of processed images, each representing a corresponding non-lesioned anatomical area of the animal; for each of the lesioned portions and for each of the non-lesioned anatomical areas, determining a corresponding quantity indicative of the probability that said lesioned portion corresponds to said non-lesioned anatomical area; determining a score indicative of the health state of the anatomical element, depending on the determined quantities.

In certain embodiments, a method includes accessing, in response to a first user input and via an equine records storage system, digital equine records for equines that include equine data for the equines. The equine data includes equine inventory data, certification data, and health data. The method includes generating, according to the equine inventory data and health data, an equine inventory user interface that includes identifying information of a first equine and health information for the first equine. The method includes accessing, in response to a second user input and via the storage system, the equine certification data, and generating, according to the equine certification data, an equine certifications user interface that includes certifications of the first equine. The method includes receiving, via the equine inventory user interface, equine inventory update data, and, in response, transmitting an equine inventory update to the storage system for updating the equine inventory data.

Method and apparatus for processing slaughtered poultry that is conveyed in a slaughter line of a slaughter house, in order to establish at the start of said slaughter line whether the poultry was alive or dead on arrival at the slaughter house. Such can include the detection of a body parameter of the slaughtered poultry when the poultry is suspended by the legs in the slaughter line after stunning said poultry, and wherein an absorption spectrum of blood of the slaughtered poultry is determined.