Process for the continuous manufacture of sausages

Abstract

A process and apparatus for the continuous manufacture of food products such as sausages is provided which eliminates the need for intermediate stuffing of the food product into casings which are discarded prior to final packaging. The preferred apparatus of the invention includes first and second heated rollers (16, 17) each presenting a plurality of elongated, axially aligned channels or recesses (18,20) which are circumferentially and axially spaced on the corresponding rollers (16, 17); in addition, the second roller (17) includes a series of elongated, continuous, tube-receiving openings (22) extending between each series of aligned openings (20). Mechanisms (28, 29) are associated with the rollers (16, 17) in order to continuously feed elongated synthetic resin sheets (34, 35) into the nip between the rollers (16, 17). Rollers (24, 27) are provided for forcing portions of the sheets (34,35) into the recesses (18,20) and openings (22) prior to passage of the sheets (34,35) between the rollers (16, 17) where they are longitudinally heat sealed together to continuously form elongated, aligned food-receiving cavities (48). A plurality of feeding tubes (11) extend through the rollers (16, 17) and are located within the corresponding openings (22) and recesses (20) during rotation of the rollers (16, 17). The tubes (11) continuously direct the flowing food material into the cavities (48), the latter being transversely heat sealed via transverse sealing bars (60, 60′) to form complete, enclosed food packages.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The instant invention relates to a novel process for the continuous manufacture of sausages, to a machine for carrying out said process and to the product thus obtained.[0002]The process and machine of the instant invention may be used for manufacturing and packaging different varieties of sausages in the market, and in a preferred embodiment, the process and machine of the invention is used for manufacturing the known German sausages or of the frankfurter type.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]1. Prior Art[0004]At present, it is known that stuffed food, particularly sausages, are stuffed into a tripe or synthetic material (plastics) tube which then have to be “peeled” in order that the sausage may be packed.[0005]Known processes are comparatively expensive and time consuming, since they require steps that are deleted by the use of the method of the invention. In fact, summarizing the present operation, the food material is stuffed into a very long synthet...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0020]In the particular case of packaging German kind sausages, sausage packaging is attained without the use of synthetic tripe for shaping the sausage. This feature notably reduces the high cost of the conventional method, since said tripe should have a high amount of requirements for shaping uniform skin sausages, without wrinkles. Therefore, the cost is highly increased by the technology involved in manufacture.

[0021]The sausage is packed into the final package and then is subjected to cooking, which warrants non pollution of the product during the production process, and steps of tripe shaping and further peeling are prevented.

[0022]The pressure under which sausage paste is packed prevents any possibility of air within the package.

[0023]Further, the process and machine of the instant invention has important economic advantages, such as reduction of the costs of raw material required for manufacturing by the elimination of synthetic tripe, which is unavoidable in the conventional process; reduction of handling operations, since the sausage manufactured with the instant process and machine, as will be seen below, passes to cooking and then, directly, to delivery; reduction of 8% losses produced in the conventional process, these losses being almost completely eliminated; an important increase in production yield, since the machine of the invention, operating at a minimum speed, affords four times the production of conventional plants. At a higher speed, production could be increased eight times without difficulties. Further, the decreased surface of the production plant is also important, since the invention is comprised by a single machine of reduced size (2 meters), as compared to known machines requiring 12 meters. A further feature is a higher production speed as compared to conventional machines.

Problems solved by technology

Therefore, the cost is highly increased by the technology involved in manufacture.

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