A fish head cutting machine for decapitating a fish, comprising: a) a fish support for supporting a fish in an infeed loading zone with its belly side down and its backbone in a substantially horizontal orientation; b) a guide mechanism positioned adjacent the fish support to hold the fish via an anatomical body part, such as its gill plate, collar bone, pectoral fin or pelvic fin, so that only the body of the fish is supported by the fish support; c) a drive mechanism transporting the fish in a downward direction and at an acute angle to vertical from the infeed loading zone downstream to a head cutting zone while the fish is supported on the fish support and held by the guide mechanism; d) a head pusher located between the infeed loading zone and the head cutting zone that engages the head of the fish and tips the head of the fish upwardly and rearwardly as the fish moves downstream to the head cutting zone; and e) head cutting blades located downstream of the head pusher in the cutting zone that cut the head of the fish from the body of the fish.

The present invention relates to a method, a system and an apparatus for treating food items. Such method and device may, for instance, be used to cool down food items, bleed freshly slaughtered fish and treat live fish against parasites. The device and method of the present invention further uses temperature differences and agitation to tread food items. A method for reducing or eliminating sea lice from salmon fish, said method comprising: a) transporting the salmon fish from a reservoir and the feeding salmon fish in liquid into the tubing of a first pumping device, said liquid being at a temperature from +15 to +28° C., b) transporting the salmon fish in liquid through the tubing of the pumping device at a first set time period for treatment in said liquid, c) feeding the salmon fish out of the first pumping device, d) separating the liquid from the salmon fish, and e) transporting the salmon fish back to the reservoir, wherein the liquid media from the pumping device is redirected after separation from the salmon fish in step d) through a heat exchange element back into the pumping device for continued treatment of further salmon fish, and wherein the temperature difference between the liquid used in steps b) and the reservoir is more than 15° C.

A vertical packaging machine for packaging products is provided that includes a forming element with an upper mouth and a hopper upstream of the forming element. At least the hopper and the forming element form a conduit through which the product falls. A flow generator includes an injection device for injecting a gaseous fluid through a distributor for directing the fluid to the conduit. The distributer has an inlet mouth for receiving the gaseous fluid and an outlet mouth with an area smaller than the area of the inlet mouth. The injection device is controlled by a control device that is configured to cause the injection device to perform an injection for each product to be packaged in one and the same package, the start and end of which depend on the position of the product with respect to the upper mouth and the outlet mouth.

A bleeding method for a fish includes step of forming a slit SL that connects pericardial cavity 11 to an outer part of the fish by cutting membrane 16 to split a head and an abdomen such that abdominal aorta 19 is not cut and internal organs incorporated in abdominal cavity 12 are not exposed to an outside air, step of spreading the slit such that arterial sphere 18 does not tomozure, and a caudal side surface of ventricle 171 is exposed, step of inserting tubular instrument 2 in heart 17, which runs through the spread slit SL from the caudal side surface of the ventricle toward arterial sphere 18, step of fixing tubular instrument 2 to heart 17, and step of discharging blood of the fish outside by press-fitting liquid into vascular system of the fish via tubular instrument 2.

A bleeding method for a fish includes step of forming a slit SL that connects pericardial cavity 11 to an outer part of the fish by cutting membrane 16 to split a head and an abdomen such that abdominal aorta 19 is not cut and internal organs incorporated in abdominal cavity 12 are not exposed to an outside air, step of spreading the slit such that arterial sphere 18 does not tomozure, and a caudal side surface of ventricle 171 is exposed, step of inserting tubular instrument 2 in heart 17, which runs through the spread slit SL from the caudal side surface of the ventricle toward arterial sphere 18, step of fixing tubular instrument 2 to heart 17, and step of discharging blood of the fish outside by press-fitting liquid into vascular system of the fish via tubular instrument 2.

A device and method configured to jet pressurized liquid from hemal arch of fish into arteries and veins to perform instantaneous fish body blood removal, thereby cleansing the blood vessel interior. The device jets pressurized liquid into hemal arch from severed fish tail to perform fish ikijime (quality-preserving quick kill). A pressure applying device applies pressure to and discharges liquid and a hose conveys the pressurized liquid discharged from the pressure applying device. A valve connected to the hose opens and closes the flow path of the liquid and a nozzle jets the liquid when the valve is in open state. The valve opens or closes the flow path in response to a button being pushed down or pulled up. The nozzle is formed to taper from a large diameter base region toward a tip region, and tip region center hole diameter is formed thin.

A device and method configured to jet pressurized liquid from hemal arch of fish into arteries and veins to perform instantaneous fish body blood removal, thereby cleansing the blood vessel interior. The device jets pressurized liquid into hemal arch from severed fish tail to perform fish ikijime (quality-preserving quick kill). A pressure applying device applies pressure to and discharges liquid and a hose conveys the pressurized liquid discharged from the pressure applying device. A valve connected to the hose opens and closes the flow path of the liquid and a nozzle jets the liquid when the valve is in open state. The valve opens or closes the flow path in response to a button being pushed down or pulled up. The nozzle is formed to taper from a large diameter base region toward a tip region, and tip region center hole diameter is formed thin.

Gutting machine for fish, comprising a conveyor belt to receive fish, where the fish is placed with the abdomen facing a number of cutting and cleaning tools for gutting and cleaning of the fish when it is transported on said conveyor belt, in which said conveyor belt is equipped with a number of holding devices where respective holding devices are adapted for firmly holding the fish, and that one or more barriers arranged adjoining said conveyor belt are adapted to slow down the movement of the fish until the fish is firmly held in a respective holding device and is brought by the conveyor belt in its direction of movement. Also described is a method for gutting the fish in a gutting machine.

A portable fish cleaning assembly includes a platform that has a drink aperture, a tool aperture, a plurality of hook apertures and a pair of storage holes each extending therethrough. A pair of grapples is each removably coupled to the platform. Each of the grapples releasably engages a top pier rail having the platform being horizontally oriented on the top pier rail. In this way a fish can be positioned on the platform for filleting the fish. A pair of legs is each pivotally coupled to the platform. Each of the legs extends downwardly from the platform when the legs are positioned in a deployed position. In this way each of the legs abuts horizontal pier rails thereby retaining the platform in the horizontal orientation. A clamp is pivotally coupled to the platform to engage the fish for retaining the fish on the platform for filleting the fish.

A portable fish cleaning assembly includes a platform that has a drink aperture, a tool aperture, a plurality of hook apertures and a pair of storage holes each extending therethrough. A pair of grapples is each removably coupled to the platform. Each of the grapples releasably engages a top pier rail having the platform being horizontally oriented on the top pier rail. In this way a fish can be positioned on the platform for filleting the fish. A pair of legs is each pivotally coupled to the platform. Each of the legs extends downwardly from the platform when the legs are positioned in a deployed position. In this way each of the legs abuts horizontal pier rails thereby retaining the platform in the horizontal orientation. A clamp is pivotally coupled to the platform to engage the fish for retaining the fish on the platform for filleting the fish.