Abstract: In known processes and known apparatus for mechanical separation of a combination of meat and bone into useful fractions, the combination is conveyed as by a screw through a screen, which constitutes a portion of an elongated cylindrical conduit, and softer components are expressed through the screen, while harder components are contained by the screen.

Abstract: In a process and apparatus for the mechanical separation of a combination of meats and bone the material is conveyed by a feed screw through a conduit having at least a part of its wall formed as a separator screen. The screw moves the material between its lands in a manner such that it is pressed radially outwards against the screen with a minimization of shear along the screen. The screen is constituted by a plurality of closely spaced plates which flex under the effect of the outwardly operative pressure to facilitate passage of the meat fraction therethrough while retaining the boney fraction on the inner wall.