Irregular Meat Slicing via Low-Phosphate Binding and Rotary Cutting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current meat processing systems fail to produce meat products with irregular shapes and sizes efficiently on a mass scale, resulting in products that appear uniform and lack the visual appeal of home-cooked meat, while existing methods are either costly or do not effectively achieve the desired irregularity.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the use of a low-phosphate and low-salt mixture with boneless whole muscle meat, combined using a pickle injector and tumbled to maintain muscle fiber integrity, then cooked and processed to loosen binding, allowing for irregular slicing and shaping, utilizing a rotary processing machine with a unique impeller and knife assembly to produce irregularly shaped and sized meat slices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If traditional slicing systems are used to produce uniform slices, then manufacturing precision is improved, but the visual appearance becomes unappealing and lacks home-style character
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by intentionally producing meat slices with irregular shapes, sizes, and thicknesses that mimic hand-cut appearance. The slicing system is designed to create varied slice characteristics rather than uniform ones, with some slices being thicker, thinner, larger, or smaller to achieve a natural, home-style visual appeal.
2Shape
If manual cutting is used to produce irregular shaped meat, then visual appearance is improved, but productivity decreases and labor costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical cutting with an automated slicing system that uses a moving blade and conveyor mechanism. This mechanical substitution maintains the irregular shape characteristics of hand-cut meat while achieving mass production efficiency, eliminating the need for tedious manual labor.
3Shape
If molds are used to shape meat in casing, then irregular shape is achieved, but the product still shows repeating patterns and uniform thickness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs dynamics by using a moving blade that cuts through meat on a conveyor belt at varying positions and angles. The meat pieces are continuously fed and cut in motion, creating natural variations in slice shape, size, and thickness without repeating patterns, unlike static mold-based systems.
4Stability of the object's composition
If phosphate concentration is reduced to maintain muscle fiber integrity, then natural texture is improved, but binding between muscle pieces decreases making slicing more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by reducing phosphate concentration in the brine solution to maintain muscle fiber integrity and natural texture. This chemical parameter adjustment prevents excessive binding between muscle pieces, allowing them to be sliced separately while maintaining their individual structural characteristics.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The method enables the mass production of meat products with a high degree of irregularity, mimicking the appearance of home-cooked meat, while being cost-effective and maintaining the natural texture and appearance of the meat, allowing for efficient processing and storage.
Implementation Method 1
a low-phosphate mixture produces a lower bind between the individual muscle pieces during thermal processing or cooking, which forms a meat product that is more easily separated prior to slicing. Due to the low-phosphate level of the mixture and the limited amount of working done to the meat prior to cooking, the binding between the individual muscle pieces is much looser than a conventional product.
Implementation Method 2
utilizing a rotary processing machine with a unique impeller and knife assembly to produce irregularly shaped and sized meat slices
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and apparatus are disclosed for producing irregular pieces of meat from meat products. Further, a method of mass-producing a home-style meat product with an irregular appearance includes combining whole muscle meat with a mixture having a low-phosphate solution and/or a low-salt solution and cooking the combination to produce whole muscle meat logs. Once the whole muscle meat has been cooked, the meat may be pulled, shredded, or sliced on a variety of pulling, shredding, and slicing equipment to create a home-style meat product with an irregular appearance.