Apparatus and Methods for Cutting Food Products into Portions
a technology of food products and apparatus, applied in the direction of feeding apparatus, peelers, automatic control devices, etc., can solve the problems of substantial product “give-away”, and achieve the effect of reducing deviation from the predetermined target weight of cooked portions, reducing the degree of control over the cooking process and the characteristics of cooked portions
Inactive Publication Date: 2010-11-18
THURNE MIDDLEBY LTD
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- Abstract
- Description
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AI Technical Summary
Benefits of technology
[0012]Apparatus of the invention may also improve the uniformity of cooking of food portions. A slice with a greater fat content will differ in its crispness after cooking from a slice of the same dimensions having a higher lean content. In accordance with the invention, the apparatus may cut a product region having a higher fat content into thicker portions which will then be cooked to a similar extent as thinner, leaner slices.
[0018]The controller may be operable to vary the rate at which portions from each of a plurality of products are outputted by the cutting machine independently of the rates for other products being cut into portions at the same time. The rate of product portion throughput through an oven may affect the cooking of each individual portion and so control of this rate (by adjusting the cutting rate and / or conveying speed through the oven) may be employed to improve the cooking performance.
[0024]The controller may be arranged to receive a feedback signal from a weighing device downstream of the cooker, and adjust its portion thickness calculations with reference to the feedback signal, so as to minimize deviation from the predetermined target weight for cooked portions. Where multiple lanes pass through the cooker, the cooked portions may be fed to a common weighing device. Alternatively, a weighing device may be provided in relation to each lane. The use of electronic feedback from a weighing device reduces the need for operator involvement in the weight monitoring procedure.
[0027]This may be particularly beneficial when handling inconsistently shaped natural products. This variation may lead to some portions being over or under-cooked. It can be addressed at extra cost by pressing the product into a consistent shape, and / or trimming the product prior to slicing. This results in undesirable give-away of the product. Instead, the controller may send an output signal to a cooker, having regard for example the dimensions and lean-to-fat ratio of a portion, which is then employed to adjust the cooker's performance and thus produce a more consistently cooked product.
Problems solved by technology
However, slices having a high lean content will exceed this minimum threshold to a significant extent, resulting in substantial “give-away” of product, that is, an excess of product in packs specifying a fixed minimum weight.
Method used
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Embodiment Construction
[0042]The system of FIGS. 1 to 3 includes a slicing machine 2 which is arranged to slice up to four logs of food product simultaneously. The logs are loaded onto four infeed beds 1. The slices are fed along a conveyor 3 in four parallel output lanes towards a microwave oven 4. The cooked food product then emerges from the downstream end of the oven and is carried along a conveyor 6 towards a packaging station (not shown).
[0043]By way of illustration four parallel streams 8 of raw bacon slices are shown partially in FIGS. 1 and 2 which are being fed into the oven. Four parallel streams 10 of cooked bacon slices are shown beyond the downstream end of the oven in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 includes a representation of an individual bacon slice 18 having substantial fat content 20, and lean content 22.
[0044]FIG. 3 shows some components of the slicing machine 2 depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2 including one of the four product infeed beds 1. A sensing arrangement 30 is able to generate a signal dependent o...
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Abstract
Processing apparatus and methods are provided for use in the division of a food product log(32) into separate portions prior to cooking of the portions. The apparatus includes a machine (2) for cutting portions from an end of the product log, a controller (34) for controlling the operation of the cutting machine, and a sensing arrangement (30) for generating a signal dependent on a cross-sectional dimension of the product at the end. The controller is arranged to determine the thickness of the next portion to be cut from the end by the cutting machine (2) with reference to the signal from the sensing arrangement and to the value of a cook-out parameter related to the proportion of the end of the product which is formed by at least one constituent of the product. The thickness is calculated with a view to the portion achieving a predetermined target weight after it has been cooked.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONSBackground of the Invention[0001]The present invention relates to apparatus and methods for division of food products into separate portions prior to cooking thereof.[0002]Food products are often divided into portions and the portions then grouped together and packaged for sale to consumers. For example, bacon is usually cut into slices. In some cases these portions are cooked by the food processor prior to packing.[0003]The food product is typically cut into individual portions of a given thickness by a cutting machine. The fat in a food product liquefies during the cooking process and so a portion having a higher fat content will experience a greater weight reduction during cooking than a portion of the same initial volume but a lower fat content. Accordingly, to ensure that cooked portions are not under-weight, the cutting thickness needs to be set so as to ensure that those portions having the highest fat content still meet a minimum weight...
Claims
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Login to View More IPC IPC(8): B26D1/00B26D5/02A47J43/00A47J44/00
CPCB26D5/00B26D7/30B26D7/00B26D5/007Y10T83/145Y10T83/04B26D7/32
InventorSEAGER, RICHARD DAVIDKELSEY, JOHN
OwnerTHURNE MIDDLEBY LTD