Abstract: An interchangeable hook-and-bracket system for a manufacturing process is disclosed. The interchangeable hook-and-bracket system may be configured to cooperate with a vertical conveying system of a food-processing system. Interchangeable hooks of the conveyor system may comprise hook portions and bracket portions that may be configured to releasably attach to one another. The bracket portions may be made substantially of a structurally robust material such as a metal and may be non-releasably attached to the conveyor system, and the hook portions may be made substantially of a flexible material such as a polymer-based material. More than one hook portion may correspond to a bracket portion, each hook portion having a configuration corresponding to a particular product, casing, throughput, and/or process condition.

Abstract: A food-processing system having a metering pump for filling a casing with food material, a linker for forming links in the filled casing and depositing a linked strand on a conveyor, and a plurality of servo motors arranged to drive each of a plurality of driven components of the processing system. The food-processing system being implemented according to a two-step ramp-up method that enables increased control of a first end and a second end of the linked strand using a first speed, and enables faster processing of the linked strand between the ends at a second speed higher than the first speed.

Abstract: An apparatus for coating a food product with a batter, includes a frame having a conveyor belt mounted on a rotatably driveable belt support member. The coating apparatus has a batter pump for pumping batter from a batter container towards an upper applicator positioned over the conveyor belt to form a stream of batter flow from the applicator to the conveyor belt to provide batter to an upper surface of the food product. The front roller is positioned at the food product entry section to provide a layer of batter on the conveyor belt at the entry section by a thrust on the batter towards the entry section by the front roller and/or the conveyor belt. The coating apparatus comprises a batter overflow device positioned at the entry section and is mounted between the transport run and the return run of the conveyor belt.

Abstract: An in-line coating machine adapted to coat food products with a particulate coating material has a food products conveyor; a coating device; an excess coating material separation station; an excess coating material recovery conveyor; and a particulate coating material elevator device. An elevator device fill assembly along the recovery conveyor is configured to fill the elevator device with recovered excess coating material. An adjustable discharge opening device controls a discharge opening in the recovered excess coating material bed support. An adjustable upper layer diverter device engages an upper layer of the recovered excess coating material bed passing over the recovered excess coating material bed support and diverts at least a portion of the upper layer at an adjustable rate into the particulate coating material elevator device.

Abstract: The invention relates to a production line for in-line processing of food products, comprising a food transport path that successively leads through: a brine unit; a liquid smoke unit; and a transit oven. The invention also relates to a method for in-line processing of food products, comprising the successive process step: moisturising the food products with a brine; moisturising the food products with a liquid smoke; and heating the food products.

Abstract: A system for forming all variants of hamburger steaks, without being dedicated to a single variant, from a mass of meat comprises a mold including at least one cavity for forming hamburger steak, a channel for supplying the meat mass to the mold, and an element for forming an interface between the channel for supplying the meat mass and the mold. The element for forming an interface includes a pipe length having a first end connected to an outlet of the channel for supplying the meat mass and an opposite second end connected to an inlet of the mold, a grinding plate, and edges for holding the grinding plate in a cross section of the pipe length, the edges for holding the grinding plate being discretely distributed along the pipe length.

Abstract: The invention relates to an in-line multi-mode coating machine adapted to coat food products with a particulate coating material, the machine comprising in-line with each other and in succession: an infeed conveyor assembly, a rotary tumbling drum, an elevator device and a discharge conveyor assembly. In a drum-mode, the rotary tumbling drum is adapted to be supplied with particulate coating material and to tumble the food products and particulate coating material together. In a conveyor-mode of the coating machine the infeed conveyor assembly and the discharge conveyor assembly are arranged to adjoin each other whilst extending through the rotary tumbling drum, so that food products bypass the rotary tumbling drum and the elevator device.

Abstract: A method for cleaning and/or evaluating a food products mould drum and a combination of such a food products mould drum and a mould drum cleaning and/or evaluating device are disclosed. The mould drum cleaning and/or evaluating device includes one or more pressure housings arranged against the outside of and over one or more mould cavities and form, together with the mould drum, an outside chamber. The outside chamber includes a chamber port connectable to a pressure line of a fluid circuit, and the mould drum includes a passage port connectable to a return line of the fluid circuit. Cleaning/evaluating occurs by allowing a pressurized fluid stream to enter via the chamber port into mould cavities and then via a wall part porous structure through a passage, and exit via the passage port to the return line of the fluid circuit.

Abstract: An apparatus for coating a food product with a batter, comprises a frame having a conveyor belt mounted on a rotatably driveable belt support member. The coating apparatus comprises a batter pump for pumping batter from a batter container towards an upper applicator positioned over the conveyor belt to form a stream of batter flow from the applicator means to the conveyor belt to provide batter to an upper surface of the food product. The front roller is positioned at the food product entry section to provide a layer of batter on the conveyor belt at the entry section by a thrust on the batter towards the entry section by the front roller and/or the conveyor belt. The coating apparatus comprises a batter overflow device positioned at the entry section and is mounted between the transport run and the return run of the conveyor belt.

Abstract: An in-line coating machine adapted to coat food products with a particulate coating material has a food products conveyor; a coating device; an excess coating material separation station; an excess coating material recovery conveyor; and a particulate coating material elevator device. An elevator device fill assembly along the recovery conveyor is configured to fill the elevator device with recovered excess coating material. An adjustable discharge opening device controls a discharge opening in the recovered excess coating material bed support. An adjustable upper layer diverter device engages an upper layer of the recovered excess coating material bed passing over the recovered excess coating material bed support and diverts at least a portion of the upper layer at an adjustable rate into the particulate coating material elevator device.

Abstract: A method for cleaning and/or evaluating a food products mould drum and a combination of such a food products mould drum and a mould drum cleaning and/or evaluating device are disclosed. The mould drum cleaning and/or evaluating device includes one or more pressure housings arranged against the outside of and over one or more mould cavities and form, together with the mould drum, an outside chamber. The outside chamber includes a chamber port connectable to a pressure line of a fluid circuit, and the mould drum includes a passage port connectable to a return line of the fluid circuit. Cleaning/evaluating occurs by allowing a pressurized fluid stream to enter via the chamber port into mould cavities and then via a wall part porous structure through a passage, and exit via the passage port to the return line of the fluid circuit.

Abstract: The invention relates to an in-line multi-mode coating machine adapted to coat food products with a particulate coating material, the machine comprising in-line with each other and in succession: an infeed conveyor assembly, a rotary tumbling drum, an elevator device and a discharge conveyor assembly. In a drum-mode, the rotary tumbling drum is adapted to be supplied with particulate coating material and to tumble the food products and particulate coating material together. In a conveyor-mode of the coating machine the infeed conveyor assembly and the discharge conveyor assembly are arranged to adjoin each other whilst extending through the rotary tumbling drum, so that food products bypass the rotary tumbling drum and the elevator device.

Abstract: A tooling for forming patties from a food mass includes a mould cavity holder; a mould cavity arranged such that it is received in the mould cavity holder, the mould cavity being made of a material porous to a fluid and including an internal face defining a patty forming mould and an external face separated from the internal face by a body of porous material; a clamp for clamping the mould cavity in the mould cavity holder; and a seal placed between the mould cavity and one of the mould cavity holder and the clamp. The seal is arranged such that it forces a pressure fluid, brought to the external face of the body of porous material to pass therethrough to the internal face.

Abstract: An installation for moulding of three dimensional products from a mass of pumpable foodstuff material includes a pump having at least one pump chamber, a pump drive, and a moulding device including a mould drum, a mould member drive for moving the mould drum along a path, and a mass feed member. The mass feed member has a chamber with an inlet, a discharge mouth facing the mould member at the fill position along the path of the mould drum, an orificed grinder body and multiple mobile grinder members each arranged at one of the distinct positions of the mold cavities and cooperating with the grinding face of the orificed grinder body. The installation is advantageously employed for the manufacture of meat products from a pumpable meat mass for the manufacture of meat patties.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for preparing a casing material for use in co-extruding food products comprising the steps of providing two or more casing material components; mixing the casing material components and feeding the resulting viscous gelling solution to the co-extrusion process to form an external layer on an extruded strand of food dough. Each of the casing material components in itself is not suitable for co-extrusion as an external layer and the composition of the viscous gelling solution is determined by changing the volumes of the casing material components used dependent on the required food product to be co-extruded and/or the composition of the viscous gelling solution is adjusted by changing the volumes of the casing material components dependent on the information on the properties of the food dough and/or the food product to be co-extruded.

Abstract: An installation for moulding of three dimensional products from a mass of pumpable foodstuff material includes a pump having at least one pump chamber, a pump drive, and a moulding device including a mould drum, a mould member drive for moving the mould drum along a path, and a mass feed member. The mass feed member has a chamber with an inlet, a discharge mouth facing the mould member at the fill position along the path of the mould drum, an orificed grinder body and multiple mobile grinder members each arranged at one of the distinct positions of the mold cavities and cooperating with the grinding face of the orificed grinder body. The installation is advantageously employed for the manufacture of meat products from a pumpable meat mass for the manufacture of meat patties.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a rotary cylindrical mould member and a method for manufacturing a rotary cylindrical mould member for moulding food products suitable for consumption. One or more recessed mould cavities (21) are formed in an curved outer surface (22c) of at least one porous mould body (22), defining the shape of the products which are to be produced. An airflow-resistive skin layer is formed by plastic deformation of a cavity surface layer, having a first flow resistance. An inner volume of the porous mould body (22) between an inner surface (22i) and the airflow-resistive skin layer has a porous structure with a second flow resistance to a compressed air flow through the porous inner volume, wherein according to the invention the first flow resistance is essentially the same as the second flow resistance.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of extruding sleeves extruded of collagen for encasing sausages, wherein a collagen fluid is fed to an extrusion head; the collagen fluid is guided through the extrusion head; and the collagen fluid is discharged from the extrusion head. The invention also relates to an extrusion head for performing such a process as well as a co-extrusion sausage line. Finally also the sleeve extruded with this method or devices is part of the invention.

Abstract: An installation for moulding of three dimensional products from a mass of pumpable foodstuff material, for example from ground meat. The installation comprises a feed pump and a moulding device with a mobile mould member having multiple mould cavities. A mass feed member is arranged at a fill position relative to the path of the mobile mould member, which mass feed member is connected to an outlet of the feed pump. The member has a housing defining an elongated chamber with a longitudinal axis and having a pair of spaced apart long lateral walls, short end walls, and a bottom wall facing the mould member at the fill position along the path of the mould member. The bottom wall is provided with a discharge mouth formed by one or more discharge openings spanning the path of said mould cavities, so that foodstuff mass flows into each row of mould cavities via said discharge mouth.

Abstract: Moulding device for moulding three-dimensional food products from a mass of foodstuff which can be transferred by pumping, for example a meat mass of minced meat. The device comprises a moulding drum having a peripheral surface containing multiple series of cavities extending in the peripheral direction. The device comprises a mass feed device which is arranged in a filling position with respect to the peripheral surface of the moulding drum. The peripheral surface is embodied as a profiled peripheral surface having a shaping profile. Multiple shoe segments are provided which are arranged next to one another and which have a profiled inner side with a profile which is in meshing engagement with the shaping profile. The shoe segments have freedom of movement with respect to one another, at least in the direction of the rotation axis, in order to each remain individually aligned with respect to the profile of the section with which the inner side of the shoe segment is in meshing engagement.