Rotatable Meat Mold for Uniform Fiber Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for producing blocks of fish meat result in visually unattractive and inhomogeneous slices due to misalignment of muscle fibers, leading to increased waste and difficulty in further processing.
Innovation Solution
A device with an adjustable mold that allows fish meat to be inserted in layers, aligning muscle fibers transversely to the block's longitudinal extent, facilitating uniform slicing and improved processing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If fish meat pieces are stacked horizontally in a conventional mold, then the block can be easily assembled, but the muscle fibers become misaligned resulting in inhomogeneous and visually unsightly slices
Solution Approach 1:
The mold is designed to be rotatable between horizontal and vertical orientations. During assembly, the mold is positioned horizontally for easy stacking of fish meat pieces. After filling, the mold is rotated to a vertical orientation, which reorients the stacked pieces so that their long sides align transversely to the block length, creating uniform muscle fiber patterns in the slices.
2Ease of manufacture
If the mold is fixed in horizontal orientation for assembly, then assembly is simple, but the mold cannot be easily cleaned and hygienic conditions deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The mold's ability to rotate between horizontal and vertical orientations serves dual purposes: horizontal orientation facilitates easy assembly and disassembly for cleaning, while vertical orientation enables proper muscle fiber alignment. The mold can be completely disassembled into individual components that can be thoroughly cleaned, and the rotatable design allows efficient water drainage during cleaning operations.
3Ease of operation
If fish meat pieces are stacked with long sides parallel to block length, then assembly is straightforward, but the resulting slices are fragmented and difficult to process further
Solution Approach 1:
The mold rotates from horizontal to vertical orientation after filling. This rotation transforms the stacking arrangement: pieces stacked horizontally with long sides parallel to the block length are reoriented vertically, causing their long sides to align transversely to the block length. This creates continuous muscle fiber patterns that enable clean, uniform slicing and improve further processing efficiency.
4Device complexity
If conventional horizontal stacking is used, then the block structure is simple, but slice appearance is unsightly and waste increases
Solution Approach 1:
The rotatable mold transforms a simple horizontal stacking structure into an optimized vertical fiber alignment structure. The physical act of rotation reorients the fish meat pieces without complicating the basic block structure. The result is uniform muscle fiber alignment that produces aesthetically pleasing slices, reducing waste from rejected or downgraded product.
Data Source
Figure 1A~1E
Figure 2
Figure 3A
AI summary
The invention relates to a device (1) with at least one elongated mold (4) by means of which at least one block (2) of meat, in particular fish meat (F), can be produced, and with at least one elongated hold-down device (10) which can be received within the mold (4) for fixing a web of material (11) inserted therein, wherein the mold (4) is adjustably mounted between a first orientation (A1), in which the mold (4) is positioned lying down in its longitudinal extension (L) for assembly with the hold-down device (10), and a second orientation (A2), in which the mold (4) is positioned standing upright in its longitudinal extension (L) for receiving meat in superimposed layers (S). The invention further relates to a correspondingly shaped block (2) of meat, in particular fish meat (F), and a corresponding method.