Abstract: As a carcass moves down the conveyor in a meat processing plant, it may carry contaminants from an earlier processing step. The carcass surface is sterilized, and the contaminants are removed by bringing a cleaning wand to the carcass surface. The wand has a vacuum mouth, an internal hot water spray and an external steam spray. The wand sprays a sterilizing hot water spray onto the surface within the confines of the mouth of the wand. The wand sprays steam onto the carcass surface adjacent the wand. The wand vacuums away the water, steam and contaminants.

Abstract: As a carcass moves down the conveyor in a meat processing plant, it may carry contaminants from an earlier processing step. The surface is sterilized, and the contaminants are removed by simultaneous delivery of steam to the surface and vacuuming away of the steam. A sterilizing hot water spray is controlled by a valve so that the operator may deliver it to particular spots that need more cleaning.

Abstract: The head-separating tool is a pair of pivoted blades, each having two sections. The section closest to the pivot comprises a wedge on each blade positioned so that the wedges come together in nearly point-to-point contact to engage in the beef neck's Atlas joint to separate the joint. The portions of the blade farther from the pivot are shears which overlap when closing to cut the soft neck tissue below the Atlas bone. The blades are power-actuated to disjoint at the Atlas joint with substantially no bone chipping.