Improved poultry processing system and method

Abstract

A poultry processing system has a cleaning station, a scalding station, a dehairing base station, and a conveyor line for supporting poultry bodies passing through these processing stations in a head-down manner. The cleaning station includes a plurality of spray manifolds coupled to a cleaning liquid supply, each of the plurality of spray manifolds having a plurality of spaced apart spray nozzles for directing cleaning liquid onto the slaughtered body from the tail to the head as the slaughtered body is conveyed through the cleaning station, in this way, dirt, faeces and other foreign matter can be removed from the slaughtered body before the slaughtered body is conveyed to the scalding station and the dehairing station.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 330,565, filed on April 13, 2022, which is incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present invention relates to systems for commercially processing poultry, such as chickens and other feathered birds, and more particularly to apparatus and methods for more effectively cleaning poultry during the course of such processing. Background Art

[0004] Commercially processed raw poultry is a major source of foodborne illness in the U.S. and around the world. In commercial processing facilities, feathered birds often enter the facility in a highly soiled state. Testing has revealed that Total Aerobic Counts (TAC) on birds in flocks of more than a billion birds can cause serious illness.

[0005] In processing, the bird carcasses are bled (bleed to death), scalded in a scalding tank (immersed in hot water [123-135°F] to loosen the feathers) and plucked (the feathers are removed mechanically). All of this is done on the "Kill Floor".

[0006] Before feathers are removed, carcasses enter a common scalder, where the scalding water becomes a significant source of pathogens such as salmonella and campylobacter. The water is very hot, and as it continuously collects dirt such as mud and fecal matter from the treated birds throughout the operating shift, the water becomes contaminated within a few minutes. More than 100 birds hang on the hook and loop lines carrying bacteria and pathogens every minute, and they are processed by ordinary scalders, which may not be drained until the end of the day. At that time, the feces and accumulated dirt in the basin will also be difficult to clean. During the treatment, as most of the mud and fecal matter on the birds are forced into the scalding tank, the scalding water is usually referred to as "fecal soup" in the industry, which further exposes each carcass processed by the scalder to contaminants. In addition, once the feathers are removed, contaminants will enter the feather follicles and other tissues. At that time, it is difficult for disinfectants to reach the pathogens that have entered.

[0007] Although attempts have been made in the past to clean feathered carcasses using rotating brushes before they enter the scalder, most have been abandoned. Rotating brushes are easily contaminated, can damage the skin, are difficult to disinfect, and can drive dirt and pathogens into the skin and tissues of the bird. Summary of the invention

[0008] It is an object of the present invention to provide a poultry processing system operable to more efficiently and safely process poultry for human consumption.

[0009] Another object is to provide a poultry handling system as characterized above which minimizes the accumulation of contaminants in the scalding tank.

[0010] Another object is to provide a poultry handling system of the above kind which utilizes a brushless system to more effectively clean the poultry before the poultry enters the scalding tank.

[0011] It is yet another object to provide a poultry processing system of the foregoing type which minimizes the necessity and cost of frequent replenishment of water in the scalding tank.

[0012] Another object is to provide such a poultry handling system which effectively reduces fecal contamination and bacterial load throughout the handling plant plus reduces the amount of water required for washing the dehaired carcasses and subsequent handling stations.

[0013] Yet another object is to provide such a poultry cleaning system which is relatively simple in design and economical to manufacture and use.

[0014] Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description and upon referring to the accompanying drawings.The objects identified are not intended to limit the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Figure 1 is a perspective view of an illustrative poultry handling system having a poultry cleaning station in accordance with the present invention;

[0016] Figure 2 is an end view of the illustrated cleaning station;

[0017] Figure 3 is a side perspective view of the cleaning station;

[0018] Figure 4 is with Figure 3 a side perspective view of a similar cleaning station, but with the housing structure on one side removed to better depict the conveyance of poultry through the cleaning system;

[0019] Figure 5 yes Figure 4 A side view of a cleaning station shown in , with the housing structure and spray manifold arrangement on one side removed;

[0020] Figure 6 is a perspective view of the cleaning station with housing structures on two sides removed to better illustrate the spray manifold assembly and corresponding liquid supplies;

[0021] Figure 7 yes Figure 6An enlarged perspective view of a liquid supply of one of the spray manifold assemblies shown in FIG.

[0022] Figure 8 is another perspective view depicting a liquid supply to one of the injection manifolds;

[0023] Fig. 9 is a perspective view depicting the installation of a spray manifold on one of the vertical supports of an illustrative cleaning station;

[0024] Fig.10 is a cross-sectional view showing the installation of an injection nozzle on one of the injection manifolds; and

[0025] Fig.11A and Fig. 11B is an enlarged cross-sectional view of one of the illustrated spray nozzles showing the oscillating liquid discharge of the spray nozzle.

[0026] Although the present invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative constructions, a certain illustrative embodiment thereof has been shown in the drawings and will be described in detail below. However, it should be understood that there is no intention to limit the invention to the specific form disclosed, on the contrary, it is intended to cover all modifications, alternative constructions and equivalents that fall within the spirit and scope of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] Referring now more particularly to the drawings, there is shown an illustrative poultry processing system 10 in accordance with the present invention. The illustrated system 10 includes a cleaning station 11, a scalding station 12, and a dehairing station 13. It will be appreciated that prior to reaching the cleaning station 11, the poultry will be processed through a bleeding station (where the poultry is bled) and then to the dehairing station 13, to the evisceration station for evisceration prior to final processing.

[0028] The poultry carcasses 15 are processed by a conventional conveyor having a movable conveyor line 16 with spaced apart hooks 18 from which the poultry carcasses 15 are suspended headfirst. The scalding station 12 and the depilator station 13 may be of known type. As indicated, the scalding station 12 comprises a tank 12 containing scalding water. a The birds 15 are lowered into the scalding water via a conveyor line 16 and the scalded birds are then conveyed upwardly and passed through a plucking station 13 where the feathers are removed in preparation for subsequent processing.

[0029] According to the present invention, the cleaning station includes a plurality of liquid spray nozzles, which are arranged on opposite sides of the line of movement of the poultry carcasses through the cleaning station for forcefully spraying water and / or other cleaning liquids onto the poultry from a top-to-bottom direction so as to effectively clean the dirt, fecal matter and other foreign matter on the poultry before being directed to the scalding station. To this end, the cleaning station includes liquid spray manifold devices on opposite sides of the line of movement of the poultry carcasses through the cleaning station, each of the liquid spray manifold devices having a plurality of specifically arranged liquid spray nozzles. In the illustrated embodiment, each spray manifold device includes an upper horizontal spray manifold 20 arranged to be slightly elevated relative to the passing poultry, the upper horizontal spray manifold having a plurality of liquid spray nozzles 21 longitudinally spaced apart in the direction of movement of the poultry through the cleaning station 11. In this case, each spray nozzle 21 is supported on a mounting rod 23 extending laterally and in fluid communication with the spray manifold 20, and is secured to the cleaning station 11 by a retaining cap 21. a Secured to mounting rod 23 in conventional manner ( Fig.10 ). Each upper horizontal spray module 20 is supported between a pair of upright vertical supports 22 extending upwardly from respective sides of a housing base 24. A housing structure 25 is uprightly supported on opposite outer sides of the spray manifold 20 relative to the base 24 to contain liquid within the housing structure 25 during operation.

[0030] Each upper spray manifold 20 is supported between upright vertical supports 22 by an adjustable clamp and collar assembly 28, such as Fig. 9 Each clamp and collar assembly 28 comprises a clamp 29 releasably secured about a vertical support structure 22 (which is preferably cylindrical in form) and carries a laterally extending arm 29 a , for rotatably receiving a transverse mounting stud 30 of a collar 30 fixed about an end section of the horizontal injection manifold 20 a The collar 30 can be positioned relative to the arm 29. a can be rotatably positioned and can be positioned by means of a threaded bolt 29 b Secure in place.

[0031] High pressure liquid or other cleaning fluid can be drawn from a corresponding liquid inlet 35 in the base 24 that is coupled to a liquid supply 36 and pumped to a high pressure pump 38 ( Figure 6 ) is supplied to the injection manifold 20 under the guidance of the upper injection manifold 20. For each injection manifold 20, the corresponding liquid inlet port 35 is connected to the distribution manifold 40 through the inlet hose 39, and then connected to the distribution manifold 40 and the upper injection manifold 20 ( Figure 7 ) are connected by a supply hose 41 between the inlet ends.

[0032] In this case, the upper spray manifolds 20 are each supported slightly above a bird carcass 25 passing through the cleaning station 11, and wherein the spray nozzles 21 are angled downwardly for directing high pressure liquid onto the cloaca / tail region of the passing bird (which is conventionally the dirtiest part of the feathered carcass). The cloaca / tail region is often covered with dirt and fecal matter and is a major source of bacteria. In this case, the spray nozzles 21 of the upper spray manifolds 20 specifically target the cloaca / tail region for preliminary cleaning. The cleaning water is preferably preheated to a temperature of 130°F and directed at a pressure of up to 650 psi, which effectively engages, dislodges and removes dirt, feces and other foreign matter from the cloaca region of the bird carcass and pre-wets and loosens the feathers before being directed to the scalding station 12 to enable more efficient and sterile scalding of the carcass.

[0033] In implementing another feature of this embodiment, a plurality of additional spray manifolds 50 (three in this case) are provided on each side of the cleaning station, below the upper manifold 20 and so as to support a plurality of spray nozzles 21 progressively lowered in the direction of travel relative to the passing bird carcasses 15. Each of these additional spray manifolds 50 is mounted directly below a respective upper spray manifold 20, and the high pressure liquid spray discharge effectively drives fecal matter and dirt from the cloaca / tail region downwardly toward the head and away from the carcass 15. As the carcass 15 moves toward the scalding tank 12, the spray nozzles 21 are moved downwardly. a Fast forward, this gradual downward spray continues.

[0034] In this case, each of the lower spray manifolds 50 is angled downwardly in the direction of movement of the birds through the cleaning station 11, with the spray nozzles 21 of each of the angled spray manifolds 50 in a vertically aligned relationship. As the birds pass through the cleaning station 11, the vertically aligned nozzles 21 of the angled spray manifolds 50 direct high pressure liquid sprays at progressively lower levels onto the passing bird carcasses. Similar to the upper spray manifolds 20, the lower angled spray manifolds 50 are mounted between the vertical supports 22 by similar clamp and collar assemblies 28, which enable selected angular positioning of the spray manifolds 50 between the vertical supports 22.

[0035] The height adjustment scale 52 ( Fig. 9) allows similar settings to be achieved on opposite sides of the traveling bird carcass 15, and allows repeatability to be achieved with different settings. The angled spray manifolds 50 each receive pressurized liquid from the respective liquid inlet 35 and the cleaning fluid distribution manifold 40 through a respective cleaning fluid supply hose 54 coupled between the cleaning fluid distribution manifold 40 and the end of the respective angled spray manifold 50. Thus, as can be seen, as the bird carcasses 15 are conveyed through the cleaning station 11, the plurality of vertically aligned spray nozzles 21 of the angled spray manifolds 50 progressively further direct the cleaning fluid in a top to bottom manner. It will be appreciated that while in this case the lower spray manifolds 50 are angled to the horizontal, alternatively they may be arranged horizontally with the spray nozzles 21 mounted thereon in a descending relationship similar to the angled spray manifolds 50.

[0036] In keeping with the additional features of this embodiment, the spray nozzles 21 are each a jet spray nozzle assembly for discharging a high pressure, vertically oriented oscillating liquid spray discharge to more effectively dislodge foreign matter from the feathered carcass and drive such matter downwardly away from the bird carcass. The jet spray nozzles may be of the type disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 10,875,035 assigned to Spraying Systems Company, a common assignee of the present application, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. As finally described in Fig.10 , Fig.11A and Fig. 11B As depicted in FIG, the illustrated spray nozzle 21 has a nozzle body 70 with a liquid inlet passage 71 that communicates with an upstream passage 72 in the nozzle support rod 23 and the respective spray manifold 20, 50. The nozzle inlet passage 71 converges through an inwardly converging conical section 74 that defines a liquid inlet orifice 75. The liquid inlet orifice 75 communicates with a downstream expansion chamber 76 that in turn communicates with an axially aligned outlet orifice 78 that communicates with an outwardly flared section 79 having a vertically oriented elongated narrow rectangular configuration.

[0037] To produce a jet of oscillating liquid discharge, the nozzle body 70 has a pair of longitudinal veins or ribs 80 defining a central expansion chamber 76. a , 80 b , and a pair of outwardly disposed feedback channels 81 a ,81 b In this case, the vessel 80 a , 80 b Each having an enlarged upstream end portion 82 a , 82 b , the upstream end portion defines each feedback channel 81 communicating with the inlet orifice 75a ,81 b The curved right angle channel section 84 a , 84 b When liquid is introduced through the nozzle body inlet orifice 75 and directed downwardly against the lower vein 80 a When it is directed upward through outlet orifice 78 and discharge orifice 86, it is fed back to orifice 88 downstream. a This high pressure state is passed through the feedback channel 81 a Transmitted to the upstream orifice 90 a , thereby forcing the liquid from the inlet opening 75 upward to the upper vein 80 b Emissions (such as Fig. 11B ) and then discharged downwardly through outlet orifices 78, 86. This reorientation of the liquid is reflected at the downstream feedback orifice 88. b The downstream feedback orifice 88 generates high pressure. b With upstream orifice 90 b The liquid is forced to flow from the inlet opening 75 in a downward direction to the lower vein 80. b Emissions, such as Fig.11A The liquid flow stream passing through the nozzle body 70 creates a repeatable oscillating cycle, causing the jet exiting from the discharge orifices 78, 86 to oscillate vigorously vertically, penetrate the feathers of the passing carcass and direct the liquid downwardly from the carcass so that it enters the scalding tank 12. a Clean the carcass effectively before slaughter.

[0038] As can be seen from the foregoing, the brushless high water pressure cleaning system of the present invention cleans feathered poultry carcasses with clean hot water before they enter the scalding tank. The hot water kills most bacteria, and the oscillating high pressure spray pattern is aligned to gradually clean the feathered carcasses from top to bottom as they travel along the hook and loop line. This motion pushes dirt and fecal matter down and away from the carcasses before they enter the scalder. Fresh clean water is used for each carcass and by effectively scrubbing the feathered carcasses without using a brush for cleaning, the water is always clean and there is no equipment that cuts and / or scratches the skin and tissue of the carcass. In commercial operations, the system reduces the amount of dirt and fecal matter entering the scalding tank and downstream processing stations, the amount of clean water required to replenish the scalding tank and clean the downstream processing stations, and the bacterial load and cross contamination that may become trapped in the feather follicles of the treated carcasses.

Claims

1. A poultry processing system comprising: cleaning stations, scalding stations and dehairing stations; a conveyor line having a plurality of shackles, each of the plurality of shackles being used to support a poultry carcass head-down with its tail facing up for conveyance through each of: the cleaning station where the carcass is cleaned with a cleaning liquid; the scalding station at which the carcasses are successively positioned in a scalding tank; and the de-feathering station in which the feathers are removed to prepare the carcass for further processing; The cleaning station includes a spray manifold coupled to a cleaning liquid supply and having a plurality of spaced apart spray nozzles for directing cleaning liquid onto a carcass conveyed through the cleaning station for removal of dirt, fecal matter and other foreign matter from the carcass as the carcass is conveyed through the cleaning station prior to conveyance to the scalding station and immersion in the scalding tank.

2. The poultry processing system of claim 1 , comprising a plurality of said spray manifolds, wherein at least one of said spray manifolds is disposed above a carcass conveyed through said cleaning station for directing cleaning liquid onto a tail of said passing carcass.

3. The poultry processing system according to claim 1, comprising a plurality of said spray manifolds, wherein at least one of said spray manifolds is horizontally arranged above the level of the carcasses conveyed through said cleaning station and its spray nozzles are oriented downwardly for directing cleaning liquid downwardly onto their tails as the carcasses are conveyed through said cleaning station, and other of said spray manifolds are dispersed below said horizontally arranged spray manifolds.

4. The poultry processing system according to claim 1, comprising a plurality of said spray manifolds, which support spray nozzles at a descending level along the path of the carcass through the cleaning station, so as to successively direct cleaning fluid onto the carcass from the tail to the head as the carcass is conveyed through the cleaning station.

5. The poultry processing system according to claim 1, comprising a plurality of said spray manifolds, and the spray nozzles of said plurality of spray manifolds are arranged in a plurality of vertically aligned rows, wherein each of said plurality of vertically aligned rows is arranged at a lower level than a preceding vertically aligned row along a path along which the carcasses are conveyed through said cleaning station.

6. The poultry processing system of claim 4, wherein at least some of the spray manifolds are each disposed at an angle to a path along which carcasses are conveyed through the cleaning station so as to support a plurality of spray nozzles at a reduced level relative to a path along which carcasses are conveyed through the cleaning station.

7. The poultry processing system of claim 6, wherein the manifold supports a vertically aligned array of spray nozzles distributed at an angle to the conveying path of the carcasses.

8. A poultry processing system according to claim 7, wherein the spray nozzles of the vertically aligned arrays are each arranged lower than the previous array in a downstream direction of the path of the carcass conveyed through the cleaning station.

9. The poultry handling system of claim 5 wherein the plurality of spray manifolds are connected to a common supply of cleaning liquid that is preheated to a temperature of 130 degrees and directed at a pressure of up to 650 PSI.

10. The poultry processing system of claim 1, wherein the spray nozzles of the spray manifold are operable to spray a vertically oriented oscillating spray discharge onto carcasses conveyed through the cleaning station.

11. The poultry processing system of claim 1 , wherein the cleaning station comprises a first array of the spray manifolds on one lateral side of a path along which carcasses are conveyed through the cleaning station, and a second array of the spray manifolds on an opposite lateral side of the conveying path.

12. The poultry processing system of claim 1, wherein the cleaning station comprises a cabinet having side units disposed on opposite lateral sides of a path for carcasses to pass through the cleaning station for containing a spray of cleaning liquid within the cleaning station.

13. A method for treating poultry, the method comprising the steps of: conveying the poultry carcasses with the carcasses facing head downward and tail upward through a cleaning station, a scalding station, and a dehairing station; cleaning a carcass passing through the cleaning station by forcefully spraying a cleaning liquid onto the tail of the carcass as the carcass passes through the cleaning station to remove dirt, fecal matter and other foreign matter from the carcass; and scalding the carcass after the carcass has passed through the cleaning station by positioning the carcass in a scalding tank in the scalding station; And after scalding the carcass, the carcass is transferred to the dehairing station to remove feathers from the carcass.

14. The method according to claim 13, comprising: Cleaning liquid is sprayed downwardly onto the tail of a carcass passing through the cleaning station for driving the cleaning liquid downwardly along the carcass from the tail to the head.

15. The method according to claim 13, comprising: Cleaning liquid is sprayed onto carcasses passing through the cleaning station at progressively lower levels relative to the path of the carcasses passing through the cleaning station to the passing carcasses.

16. The method according to claim 13, comprising: As the carcass is conveyed through the cleaning station, vertically aligned oscillating jets of cleaning liquid are forcefully directed onto the carcass.

17. The method according to claim 13, comprising: As the carcass is conveyed through the cleaning station, vertically aligned oscillating jets of cleaning liquid are forcefully directed onto the carcass.

18. The method according to claim 17, comprising: The vertical array of discharges of cleaning liquid are sprayed onto carcasses passing through the cleaning station at a level that is progressively lowered relative to the path of the carcasses passing through the cleaning station to the passing carcasses.

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