Abstract: The invention relates to a tenderizing machine for tenderizing pieces of meat, the machine comprising a first tenderizing roller (1) rotating about a first axis (3) supported in a fixed position in a structure (51), a second tenderizing roller (2) rotating about a second axis (4) parallel to said first axis (3) and movably supported in said structure (51) with the possibility of being separated from the first axis (3) against the force of antagonist means due to the effect of the passage of the pieces of meat between said first and second tenderizing rollers (1, 2), and drive means for rotating the first and second tenderizing rollers (1, 2) in opposite directions comprising a first motor (5) operatively connected by means of a first mechanical transmission (7) to rotate the first tenderizing roller (1), and a second motor (6) operatively connected by means of a second mechanical transmission (8) to rotate the second tenderizing roller (2).

Abstract: A valve device for a pasty food product volumetric metering apparatus, and to a volumetric metering apparatus. Both apparatuses have a valve body (1) with a cavity (2) having a first radial opening (3) connected to an inlet conduit (6), a second axial opening (4) connected to a metering chamber (7), and a third radial opening (5) connected to an outlet conduit (8), a plug (9) rotatably arranged inside said cavity (2), and a driver (10, 11) for moving the plug (9) between first and second positions. The plug (9) has an outer surface (12) and an oblique surface (13). In the first position, the oblique surface (13) faces the first and second openings (3, 4) and the outer surface (12) shuts the third opening (5), and in the second position, the oblique surface (13) faces the second and third openings (4, 5) and the outer surface (12) shuts the first opening (3).

Abstract: A machine for injecting fluids into meat or fish products includes an injection head with parallel hollow needles that can be retracted by a contrast elastic device, provided to be lifted and lowered in relation to a conveyor for conveying products, each needle having an inlet opening leading into its cannula that can be located in a pressurized fluid injection chamber having a fluid inlet, the chamber being formed by a block with longitudinal ducts interconnected by ducts and a plurality of transverse ducts for the passage of the needles intersecting the longitudinal ducts, each duct including sleeves provided with seals, the block being detachable from a housing for the head and fixed by oscillating plates, one for guiding the needles and the other carrying a plurality of cylinders supplying the contrast elastic device.

Abstract: The apparatus includes a slicing machine (1) for cutting rows of slices (A) from several pieces of food product, and a loading unit (2) comprising a set of array-forming conveyor belts (7a, 7b, 7c) arranged in parallel, a device for aligning each of the array-forming conveyor belts (7a, 7b, 7c) with the slicing machine (1) for receiving successive rows of slices (A) arranged in a direction transverse to the forward movement direction while the array-forming conveyor belt is made to move forward synchronously with the operation of the slicing machine (1) until forming a partial array of slices (A) on each array-forming conveyor belt, and a transfer device for transferring a complete array of slices (A) formed by the partial arrays from the array-forming conveyor belts (7a, 7b, 7c) to a moving conveying surface.

Abstract: A brine filtering device, applicable to a meat product injection machine, including a pre-filtering unit with two pre-filtration drums arranged to rotate coaxially about a horizontal axis and a safety filtering unit with at least one safety filter sleeve submerged in a tank and connected to an outlet. An inlet hopper receives brine to be filtered and forces it into the first pre-filtration drum through an upper region of its filtering wall. The brine which exits a lower region of the first pre-filtration drum is collected in a tub, then it enters into the second pre-filtration drum through a lower region of its filtering wall, and next it is poured into tank through an open side wall of the second pre-filtration drum.

Abstract: A unit with a conveyor device for conveying slices of meat product arranged in a single layer on a permeable support surface along a path inside an enclosure, and an air circulation device with a air moving device associated to an arrangement of conduits provided with a plurality of inlet and outlet mouths in communication with the inside of the enclosure and arranged to make two mutually parallel conditioned air currents, in opposite directions parallel to said support surface and transverse to the direction of travel of the conveyor device, pass through two respective regions of the enclosure traversed by the slices along said path. The process has several steps for preparing a relatively tender sausage meat product, cut into slices, using said unit.

Abstract: A plant has a line to convey trays and a processing chamber under modified atmospheric conditions that has a regulating chamber with gates at an entrance and a regulating chamber (9) with gates at an exit to introduce and extract trays with foodstuff. Before the input regulating chamber there is a stacking device for stacking trays, after the exit of the input regulating chamber (4) and inside the processing chamber there is an unstacking device, and transfer device are arranged to introduce stacks of trays in the processing chamber through the regulating chamber in order to provide sufficient time to regulate the atmospheric conditions in the regulating chamber without lowering the advance rate of the trays in the line.

Abstract: An automatic plant for the treatment and packing of meat product, including an injection station for injecting brine into a meat product, first and second maceration stations for macerating the injected meat product, and a packing station for packing the treated meat product. The injection station is connected to the first and second maceration stations by an accumulating and loading unit for accumulating meat product coming from the injection station and selectively loading it into the first and second maceration stations which are connected to the packing station by a transfer unit adapted for transferring the meat product from the first and second maceration stations to feed hoppers for feeding the packing station. The plant is controlled by computerized control.

Abstract: The invention relates to a system and method for the immersion cooking/cooling of food in diffused forced convection. The inventive system comprises: a tank for housing the food to be cooked/cooled, filling/emptying means for filling the vessel with a cooking or cooling liquid and emptying same, and heating means for heating the liquid. The tank comprises a lower region and an upper region, and circulation means which are intended: (i) to collect liquid from the lower region by means of various outlets in a first lower side wall and to introduce said liquid into the upper region through various inlets in a first upper side wall, and (ii) to collect liquid from the upper region by means of various outlets in a second upper side wall and to introduce said liquid into the lower region through various inlets in a second lower side wall, thereby generating diffused forced convection in a turbulent flow.

Abstract: A machine for injecting fluids into meat or fish products includes an injection head with parallel hollow needles that can be retracted by a contrast elastic device, provided to be lifted and lowered in relation to a conveyor for conveying products, each needle having an inlet opening leading into its cannula that can be located in a pressurized fluid injection chamber having a fluid inlet, the chamber being formed by a block with longitudinal ducts interconnected by ducts and a plurality of transverse ducts for the passage of the needles intersecting the longitudinal ducts, each duct including sleeves provided with seals, the block being detachable from a housing for the head and fixed by oscillating plates, one for guiding the needles and the other carrying a plurality of cylinders supplying the contrast elastic device.

Abstract: The invention relates to a food cooking installation comprising numerous cooking tanks which are used to receive the food items to be cooked; means of loading/unloading the food items into/from said cooking tanks; and means of conveying, driving and storing liquids, which are used to connect a heated liquid container, a cooled liquid container and a piped water delivery point with the aforementioned cooking tanks. In this way, the tanks can be filled and emptied independently and the food items contained therein can be subjected to successive baths for different periods of time and at different temperatures, at least one of the baths being a cooking bath and the other a cooling bath. According to the Invention, each of the aforementioned cooking tanks comprises at least one lateral opening which is equipped with impervious sealing means and which is used to load/unload the food items using the above-mentioned loading/unloading means.

Abstract: The invention relates to a tenderizing machine which is designed to tenderize deboned meat pieces. The inventive machine is equipped with two stacked tenderizing assemblies, each of the assemblies comprising an integrated pair of rotating rollers which are provided with cutting members that extend out from the periphery thereof and which are disposed close to one another, such as to define an adjustable-size opening. In addition, at least one of the rollers of each assembly is supported such that it can move away from the other roller against an opposer as the meat pieces move between said two rollers. Moreover, each of the tenderizing assemblies is equipped with respective controls for adjusting the distance between the cutting members of each pair of rollers and for selectively blocking the movement of at least one of the moving rollers of each of the assemblies.

Abstract: The invention relates to a stuffing/dosing machine comprising a tilting hopper. The machine comprises a hopper with a hermetic cover bearing a screw feeder and a narrowed base which communicates with an antechamber, said antechamber communicating in turn with at least one forming chamber which is connected to an outlet. Moreover, at least one actuated piston performs a stroke with one first section in the antechamber and a second section in the forming chamber. First and second structural units, which are formed respectively by the aforementioned hopper, cover, screw feeder and narrowed base and by said antechamber, forming chambers, pistons and actuation means, can be tilted independently between operating positions and cleaning and maintenance positions in relation to fixed frame comprising the valve and the outlet.

Abstract: The invention relates to a sliding door comprising a hermetic closure device which is intended to withstand internal pressure. According to the invention, a panel is supported in a sliding manner in a guide system which is fixed in relation to an opening in a vertical wall of a closed structure. The guide system enables the panel to move: (i) longitudinally, parallel to the vertical wall, between an open position and a pre-closed position; and (ii) transversely between the pre-closed position and a hermetically-closed position. The invention comprises closure means which perform the aforementioned transverse movement by compressing a sealing strip between the panel and the wall, such that the panel is held in the hermetically-closed position by means of first, second and third closure elements which act respectively on front, rear and lower edges of the panel.

Abstract: The invention relates to a system and method for the immersion cooking/cooling of food in diffused forced convection. The inventive system comprises: a tank for housing the food to be cooked/cooled, filling/emptying means for filling the vessel with a cooking or cooling liquid and emptying same, and heating means for heating the liquid. The tank comprises a lower region and an upper region, and circulation means which are intended: (i) to collect liquid from the lower region by means of various outlets in a first lower side wall and to introduce said liquid into the upper region through various inlets in a first upper side wall, and (ii) to collect liquid from the upper region by means of various outlets in a second upper side wall and to introduce said liquid into the lower region through various inlets in a second lower side wall, thereby generating diffused forced convection in a turbulent flow.

Abstract: The invention relates to an automatic plant for the treatment and packing of meat product, comprising an injection station for injecting brine into a meat product, first and second maceration stations for macerating the injected meat product, and a packing station for packing the treated meat product. The injection station is connected to said first and second maceration stations by an accumulating and loading unit for accumulating meat product coming from the injection station and selectively loading it into the first and second maceration stations which are connected to the packing station by means of a transfer unit adapted for transferring the meat product from the first and second maceration stations to feed hoppers for feeding the packing station. The plant is controlled by computerized control.

Abstract: The invention relates to a tenderising machine which is designed to tenderise deboned meat pieces. The inventive machine is equipped with two stacked tenderising assemblies, each of the assemblies comprising an integrated pair of rotating rollers which are provided with cutting members that extend out from the periphery thereof and which are disposed close to one another, such as to define an adjustable-size opening. In addition, at least one of the rollers of each assembly is supported such that it can move away from the other roller against an opposer as the meat pieces move between said two rollers. Moreover, each of the tenderising assemblies is equipped with respective controls for adjusting the distance between the cutting members of each pair of rollers and for selectively blocking the movement of at least one of the moving rollers of each of the assemblies.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device for portioning flowable food products, consisting of: a first group of cylinders (1) comprising pistons (3) which communicate with a chamber (5) having an inlet (5a) and an outlet (5b); a second group of cylinders (2) comprising pistons (4) which communicate with a chamber (6) having an inlet (6a) and an outlet (6b), and dispensing means. Said dispensing means are controlled by synchronisation and control means in order to: alternately communicate a food product inlet (9) with said chamber (5) whereby the cylinders (1) open the inlet (5a) and close the outlet (5b) thereof; and simultaneously communicate an outlet (10) with said chamber (8) whereby the cylinders (2) close the inlet (56a) and open the outlet (6b) thereof and vice versa. Fluid dynamic cylinders (26) actuate each piston (3, 4) consecutively or actuate on sub-groups of pistons (3, 4) consecutively in order to empty the cylinders (1, 2).

Abstract: An apparatus for filtering fluid substances is used with a machine for injecting meat products. The device comprises a container (4) comprising filter units (3a, 3b) communicated independently with a suction outlet (6) through respective valve devices (9a, 9b) that can be moved between open and closed positions. Each filter unit (3a, 3b) is mounted to the end of a pivoting connecting conduit (22a, 22b) which is connected to the respective valve device (9a, 9b) thereof. Each conduit (22a, 22b) and filter unit (3a, 3b) can pivot between a lowered operating position, whereby the valve device (9a, 9b) is open and the filter unit (3a, 3b) is submerged in the fluid, and an erect maintenance position, whereby the valve device (9a, 9b) is closed and the filter unit (3a, 3b) and the fixing means (13) thereof emerge out from the fluid and are accessible so that they can be released.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for a meat processing plant includes an injecting station (10) for injecting meats with brine, a macerating station (20) for massaging the injected meat including movable, plural resting tasks (24) and means (26) for moving these tables with respect to an accumulating and loading station (40) for repeated processing of the injected mean in a rotating drum (22) of the macerating station (20). A packing station (30) can accept treated meat from the resting tanks (24) for final packing in one or more packing machines (32). The method and apparatus can continuously process one or more types of meat products without interruption.