Poultry Carcass Leg Separation via Depth-Controlled Tissue Cutting
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Solution Overview
Problem
The muscle tissue left attached to the back of a poultry carcass during processing decreases the consumable yield, as existing methods fail to effectively separate the leg and back without detaching valuable meat.
Innovation Solution
A cutting tool with adjustable guide plates and cutting edges that make a precise cut in the connective tissue between the leg and the back at a depth below the surface, allowing the muscle tissue to remain intact, thereby enabling a larger amount of meat to stay connected to the leg when the leg bones are disengaged from the hip sockets and the back is separated.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of substance
If existing separation methods are used to separate the leg and back, then the separation process is completed, but muscle tissue remains attached to the back decreasing consumable yield
Solution Approach 1:
The cutting tool is divided into multiple cutting edges positioned at different depths, with each edge responsible for cutting connective tissue at a specific depth level. This segmentation allows precise control over the cut depth to separate connective tissue while preserving muscle tissue attachment
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the cutting tool have different cutting edge configurations - the first cutting edge is positioned to cut connective tissue at a first depth, while the second cutting edge is positioned to cut connective tissue at a second depth. This local differentiation enables selective cutting of connective tissue at multiple depths without damaging muscle tissue
2Loss of substance
If the cutting edge is positioned deeper to separate connective tissue, then separation is achieved, but muscle tissue may be detached decreasing meat yield
Solution Approach 1:
The cutting tool makes preliminary cuts in the connective tissue at controlled depths before complete separation occurs. The first cutting edge makes an initial cut at a first depth, and the second cutting edge makes a subsequent cut at a second depth, progressively separating the connective tissue while maintaining muscle tissue integrity
Solution Approach 2:
The cutting tool allows for adjustable positioning of cutting edges at different depths, enabling dynamic adaptation to variations in carcass anatomy. The depth of each cutting edge can be adjusted independently to optimize the separation process for different tissue conditions
Data Source
AI summary
A method of processing a poultry carcass includes exposing an area of tissue between a leg and the carcass, cutting the tissue between the leg and the carcass where the muscle tissue connecting the leg to the back of the carcass remains intact, and separating the leg bone from the carcass with the leg muscle tissue remaining connected to the back muscle tissue. The cut extends between about 0.1 mm to about 7.0 mm below the surface of the tissue. In an implementation, the teres ligament is cut.