Abstract: The present invention relates to the field of meat processing, and in particular the recovery and reuse of solutions injected into meat products. Methods are provided for injecting meat products with an injection solution, compressing the meat product to recover excess injection solution, and reusing the recovered excess injection solution to inject additional meat products. The present invention also provides systems and apparatuses for carrying out these methods. The present invention also provides meat products produced by these methods.

Abstract: An apparatus for decurling food material, such as slices severed from a food material supply, while the slices are being moved toward a transfer member includes a constriction positioned in close proximity to the slicing station and in general alignment therewith. The constriction is defined by opposing upper and lower surfaces; the upper surface is a stationary surface while the lower surface is a moving surface. The lower moving surface utilizes a plurality of flexible bands rotating around at least one roller, which are disposed proximate to the food material supply. The flexible bands are driven around a guide member having an arcuate profile that matches the curvature movement that the food material supply takes. The bands which form the lower moving surface are driven at a speed equal to or greater than the speed at which the slicer operates.

Abstract: An apparatus for decurling food material, such as slices severed from a food material supply, while the slices are being moved toward a transfer member includes a constriction positioned in close proximity to the slicing station and in general alignment therewith. The constriction is defined by opposing upper and lower surfaces; the upper surface is a stationary surface while the lower surface is a moving surface. The lower moving surface utilizes a plurality of flexible bands rotating around at least one roller, which are disposed proximate to the food material supply. The flexible bands are driven around a guide member having an arcuate profile that matches the curvature movement that the food material supply takes. The bands which form the lower moving surface are driven at a speed equal to or greater than the speed at which the slicer operates.

Abstract: Whole muscle slicing is accomplished in order to provide a plurality of meat slices, each of which is a single piece of meat, despite the fact that the muscle from which the slices originate had been reshaped prior to slicing in order to enhance slicing yield from each such muscle. The invention is particularly useful in forming roast beef slices which are used in preparing weight-controlled food products such as sandwiches.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for the automated and large scale preparation of layered stacks of one or more food items such as sandwich meats, hors d'oeuvre servings and the like ("set-ups"). The apparatus conveys a continuous web of paper through a plurality of slicer stations, each slicer station providing one or more slices of one or more food items to sequentially form set-ups of two or more stacked layers of horizontally spaced food slices. The apparatus is synchronized so that each sliced layer is conveyed to a subsequent slicer station before the next layer of food slices is deposited directly on top of that previous layer. The set-up is formed with two or more stacked layers of food slices before being conveyed to a cutter/wrapping station where the paper web is cut to separate the finished set-ups which are then wrapped by folding a portion of the cut paper over the finished set-up.

Abstract: An objective measurement of the relative sharpness of a slicing blade is made in accordance with the apparatus and method of this invention by making a test cut in a test specimen in a controlled manner in a sharpness tester device which records the peak force required to cut a standard test specimen 44.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for the automated and large scale preparation of layered stacks of one or more food items such as sandwich meats, hors d'oeuvre servings and the like ("set-ups"). The apparatus conveys a continuous web of paper through a plurality of slicer stations, each slicer station providing one or more slices of one or more food items to sequentially form set-ups of two or more stacked layers of horizontally spaced food slices. The apparatus is synchronized so that each sliced layer is conveyed to a subsequent slicer station before the next layer of food slices is deposited directly on top of that previous layer. The set-up is formed with two or more stacked layers of food slices before being conveyed to a cutter/wrapping station where the paper web is cut to separate the finished set-ups which are then wrapped by folding a portion of the cut paper over the finished set-up.

Abstract: A stacker assembly is provided that removes a product from a conveyor moving a flow of spaced products and that transfers such products to a discharge assembly. A plurality of products are deposited in this manner onto the discharge assembly until a stack of products having a desired size is formed. A product lifter assembly is included that passes through spacings in the conveyor in order to raise the product above the conveyor, and a comb assembly passes through spacings of the product lifter in order to subsequently receive the raised product for transfer to the discharge assembly.

Abstract: A product line is provided for forming a sheet product composed of products such as bacon slices resting on a pre-cut thin substrate such as a sheet of paper. The substrate sheets are pre-cut to a predetermined length, and a flow of individual products and a flow of pre-cut sheets are coordinated such that the products deposit onto the pre-cut sheets in a predetermined pattern. The line may also include an assembly for reducing the flow rate of the thus formed sheet products, after which the reduced flow is conveyed to a stacking assembly for forming stacks of sheet products of a preselected size.

Abstract: A food product is fed to and through a slicer blade of the type included within a commercial-scale meat slicer such as that used in slicing pork bellies into bacon slices. A slidable shelf is provided for temporarily storing the food product and for depositing the food product generally along a feed path after the butt portion of a previously sliced food product hassubstantially cleared the feed path. The thus deposited food product is then pushed into a prefeed orientation and gripped for feeding to and through the slicer blade.