IE45555B1 - A press for separating meat from bones - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a press for separating meat from bones by generating a pressure in a pressure chamber such that the meat comes loose from the bones.

For this purpose the pressure has to be sufficiently high that the 5 meat, after separation and removal from the bones, has a constant composition particularly with respect to protein content and calcium content. The calcium content is an indication of the quality of bone remnants which have been removed along with the meat. T.he calcium content is compared to a permissable maximum so that the calcium content in the meat mass which is obtained determines the correct operation of the press. The meat can for instance be processed for the preparation of sausages.

According to the present invention, there is provided a press for separating meat from bones, the press comprising: a) a cylindrical wall defining a cylindrical pressure chamber for 15 containing meat and hopes to be separated, 5 5 5 b) a pressure piston slidable within the pressure chamber to exert pressure on the contents of the pressure chamber; c) a sealing wall for closing off the end of the pressure chamber opposite the pressure piston when pressure is to be exerted by the pressure piston; and d) an exchangeable cylindrical lining sleeve within the pressure chamber having openings extending therethrough and debouching into collector channels in the cylindrical wall, through which openings meat is forced to separate the meat from the bones when suitable pressure is exerted on meat and bones in the pressure chamber by the pressure piston.

Thus, a polluted lining sleeve can be replaced by a clean lining sleeve so that the press is quickly ready for use again and so that the lining sleeves and particularly the openings therein can be easily cleaned outside the press.

Preferably the press is provided with a plurality of mutually exchangeable cylindrical lining sleeves, the openings in each lining sleeve differing in diameter from the openings in the other lining sleeve(s) so that, by replacing the sleeve, the diameter of the openings in one and the same press can be adapted to the material to be processed. For instance, a lining sleeve may be provided for raw basic material having openings of at least 2 mm diameter and a lining sleeve may be provided for boiled basic material having openings of at least 3 mm diameter. However, the diameter of the openings in the lining sleeve for raw basic material can be up to 2.5 mm and the diameter of the openings in the lining sleeve for boiled basic material can be up to 4 mm. For fish and poultry, lining sleeves having openings with specially adapted diameters can be used. The diameter of the openings has to be small enough to stop small pieces of bone from passing therethrough, whilst, at the same time, being large enough to let pieces of meat pass.

The inner diameter of the or each lining sleeve may range between 100 and 300 mm, the diameter for boiled basic material preferably being at least 200 mm, most preferably 250 mm, and for raw basic material preferably being at the most 300 mm. If the inner diameter of the lining sleeve is too small, particularly high pressure has to be applied to separate the 45553 meat sufficiently from the bones leading to the disadvantage that the bones are splintered by the high pressure, and this can result in the permissible .· maximum calcium content in the meat being exceeded. If, on the other hand, the.inner diameter of the lining sleeve is too large, the pressure which has to be applied is too low to sufficiently separate the bones and the meat.

Furthermore the pressure piston is advantageously coated with a replaceable envelope of synthetic material which renders lubrication between the pressure piston on the one hand and the pressure cylinder and the lining sleeve on the other hand superfluous so that the meat is not polluted by. lubricating oil. Because the envelope on the pressure piston is replaceable, the further advantage is achieved that, in the case of wear of the envelope, not the complete pressure piston but only its envelope needs to be replaced.

The sealing wall at the end of the pressure chamber opposite the pressure piston is preferably movable away from the pressure chamber and is such that the said end of the pressure chamber can be opened over its complete surface. Thus, at the end of the process for separating of the bones and meat, the remaining wad of bones can be pressed out of the lining sleeve by means of the pressure piston without deforming the wad during said pressing-out, with the result that substantially no bone remnants will remain in the pressure chamber. This is important because otherwise the bone remnants would splinter during the next pressing cycle and thereby increase the calcium content in the removed meat. For this purpose the length of the pressure piston preferably is at least equal to the length of the or each lining sleeve and is displaceable up to at least the closable end of the pressure cylinder, with the result that the wad of bones can be completely pressed out of the lining sleeve so that the space within the lining sleeve is completely emptied. In view of the high pressure applied within the lining sleeve fo.r separating bones and meat, means are preferably provided for hydraulically pressing the sealing end wall against the cylindrical wall during the process for separating meat from bones.

In order that the present invention may be more fully understood, a press for separating meat from bones according to the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 5 5 5 Fig. 1 is a side view of the complete press; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through the pressure chamber of the press in the condition proceeding the process for separating meat from bones; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section similar to that of fig. 2 but at the end of the process for separating of the meat from bones; and Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section again similar to that of fig. 2 in which however the wad of bones is being pressed out of the pressure chamber.

Referring to figs.l and 2 the press consists of a pressure cylinder 1 with a filling opening 2 through which bones with meat adhering thereto, i.e. the basic material 7, can be introduced into the pressure chamber within the pressure cylinder. The filling opening 2 can be closed by a cover 3.

The pressure cylinder 1 is open at both ends and a pressure piston 4 projects through one end of the cylinder. The pressure piston 4 is mounted, as shown in fig. 3, on a piston rod 5 and can be moved, for instance by hydraulic pressing means 6, through the pressure cylinder 1 up to at least the other end of the cylinder, i.e. in the drawing from the left to the right, thus from the position shown in fig. 2 to the position shown in fig. 4.

As shown in fig. 2 the right hand end of the pressure cylinder 1 is provided with a bore 11 having inserted therein a cylindrical lining sleeve 8, which is provided with radial outlet openings 9 in its cylindrical wall.

The outer surface of the lining sleeve 8 closely fits on the inner cylindrical surface of the pressure cylinder 1. The outlet openings 9 debouch into collector channels 10 outside the lining sleeve 8 and in the surface of the bore 11 in the pressure cylinder 1, the collector channels 10 communicating with an outlet conduit 12 for the meat mass 15 which is indicated in fig. 3.

The right hand end of the pressure cylinder 1 with the lining sleeve 8 inserted therein is sealable as shown, for example, in fig. 3 by a Sealing wall 13 which is movable away from the lining sleeve by a distance at least equal to the length of the lining sleeve 8 by means of, for instance, hydraulic pressing means 14 as shown in fig. 1.

In order to separate meat remnants from bones, the pressure cylinder 1 is filled via the filling opening 2 with basic material and . the cover 3 is closed, so that the condition shown in figure 2 is achieved. Then the pressure piston 4 is pressed to the right by the pressing means tf and by this action meat is pressed away from the bones and flows away through the outlet openings 9 of the lining sleeve 8 to the collector channels 10 and from there through the conduit 12 as shown in Figure 3. A bone mass 16 remains within the lining sleeve 8.

Then, as shown in figure 4, the sealing wall 13 is moved from the lining sleeve 8 to the right by the hydraulic pressure means 14 and the wad of demeated bones 16 is pressed out of the lining sleeve 8 by the pressure piston 4. Tne sealing wall 13 is embodied such that the lining sleeve 8 is opened over its complete cross-section so that the wad of bones can be pressed out of the lining sleeve without being deformed. Finally the piston 4 is slid to the left into its starting position by the pressing means 6 and the sealing wall 13 is pressed against the lining sleeve 8 by the pressing means 14 after which the processing cycle can be repeated.

For separating meat remnants, adhering to bones, from the bones, a pressure of at least 200 atmospheres for boiled basic material and at least 300 atmospheres for raw-basic material should be applied. For poultry or fish suitably adapted pressures should be applied. The pressure is brought immediately to the required level in a single phase, i.e. without interphases of lower pressure. The pressure is preferably 250 atmospheres for boiled basic material and 350 atmospheres for raw basic material.

The lining sleeve 8 is preferably exchangeable so that a polluted lining sleeve cap be replaced by a clean lining sleeve, so that the press is quickly ready to be used again and so that the replaced lining sleeve and particularly its outlet openings 9 can easily be cleaned outside the press.

Another reason for the exchangeability of the lining sleeve 8 is that the diameter of the outlet openings 9 for raw basic material is preferably at least 2 mm and for boiled basic material is preferably at least 3 mm, and may be larger, for example up to 2.5 for raw basic material and 4 mm for boiled basic material. For fish and poultry lining sleeves with outlet openings having specially adapted diameters can be applied.

The diameter of the outlet openings 9 has to be small enough to stop small pieces of bone passing therethrough and, at the same time, it has to be large enough to let pieces of meat pass.

The inner diameter of the lining sleeve 8 is between 200 and 300 mm.

For instance, the diameter of a lining sleeve for boiled basic material should be at least 200 mm and preferably 250 mm and for raw basic material at most 300 mm. If the diameter is too small then too high a pressure has to be applied, incurring the danger of bone splintering leading to the maximum calcium content in the meat permitted by the Authorities being exceeded. If the diameter of the lining sleeve is too large, then the pressure is too low to sufficiently separate the bones and meat.

The pressure piston 4 is coated with synthetic material which renders lubrication between the pressure piston on the one hand and the pressure cylinder 1 and the lining sleeve 8 on the other hand superfluous so that the meat is not polluted by lubricating oil. Preferably the envelope for the pressure piston 4 is replaceable so that, in the case of wear of the envelope, not the complete pressure piston 4 but only its envelope has to be replaced, In order to completely press the interior of the lining sleeve 8 empty, the pressure piston preferably has the same length as the lining sleeve.

Claims (12)

1. A press for separating meat from bones, the press comprising: a) a cylindrical wall defining a cylindrical pressure chamber for containing meat and bones to be separated; 5 b) a pressure piston slidable within the pressure chamber to exert pressure on the contents of the pressure chamber; c) a sealing wall for closing off the end of the pressure chamber opposite the pressure piston when pressure is to be exerted by the pressure piston; and 10 d) an exchangeable cylindrical lining sleeve within the pressure chamber having openings extending therethrough and debouching into collector channels in the cylindrical wall, through which openings meat is forced to separate the meat from the bones when suitable pressure is exerted on meat and bones in the pressure chamber by the pressure piston. 15

2. A press according to claim 1, provided with a plurality of mutually exchangeable cylindrical lining sleeves, wherein the openings in each lining sleeve differ in diameter from the openings in the other lining sleeve(s).

3. A press according.to claim 2, wherein a lining sleeve is provided 20 for raw basic material having openings of at least 2 mm diameter and a lining sleeve is provided for boiled basic material having openings of at least 3 mm diameter.

4. A press according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the inner diameter of the or each lining sleeve is 200-300 mm. 25

5. A press according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the pressure piston is coated with a replaceable envelope of synthetic material. 4S555

6. A press according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the sealing wall at the end of the pressure chamber opposite the pressure piston is movable away from the pressure chamber and is such that the said end of the pressure chamber can be opened over its complete 5 cross-section.

7. A press according to any one of the claims 1 to 6, wherein the length of the pressure piston is at least equal to the length of the or each lining sleeve and is displaceable up to at least the closable end of the pressure chamber. 10

8. A press according to claim 6 or 7, wherein means are provided for hydraulically pressing the sealing wall against the cylindrical wall.

9. A press for separating meat from bones, the press being substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. 15

10. A meat product prepared using the press according to any preceding claim.

11. A method when carried out in a press according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the pressure in the pressure chamber is brought in a single phase to at least 200 atmospheres in the case of boiled basic 2. Θ material and at least 300 atmospheres in the case of raw basic material.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein the pressure in the pressure chamber is brought to 250 atmospheres in the case of boiled basic material and 350 atmospheres in the case of raw basic material.