Abstract: Apparatus for extracting pomegranate seeds from pomegranates including a pomegranate breaker operative for breaking open pomegranates generally without cutting pomegranate seeds at the interior of the pomegranates and a pomegranate seed extractor operative to engage broken open pomegranates for separating the pomegranate seeds from other parts of the pomegranates.

Abstract: An Avocado Skinning and Pulping Device. The avocado pulper has two grip belts approximately oval in shape and further having a plurality of grip plates around the grip belts. The grip plates are knurled thereby facilitating a grasping of an avocado as it is conveyed into the grip belts and rides through to the rear opening. A pivotable and adjustable belt guide within an inner section of each grip belt is adapted to exert maximum squeezing pressure on the avocado at the approximate middle section of the grip belts at which point the grip belts are in approximate contact with one another. Pulp is thereby squeezed from the avocado. The grip belts separate at the approximate rear defining space for releasing the skin of the avocado. A de-seeder adjacent to the front end opening of the grip belts removes the seed from the avocado prior to its entry into the maximum squeezing section.

Abstract: The present example provides an automated or mechanized, way of making a pepper boat from a de-stemmed pepper. In making the pepper boat, de-stemmed peppers may be split by a splitting assembly. As the pepper is split, or subsequently, a whisk assembly tends to clean a portion of the veins and seeds from the split pepper pod to form two substantially equal halves of a pepper boat, suitable for further food processing.

Abstract: The present example provides an automated or mechanized, way of making a pepper boat from a de-stemmed pepper. In making the pepper boat, de-stemmed peppers may be split by a splitting assembly. As the pepper is split, or subsequently, a whisk assembly tends to clean a portion of the veins and seeds from the split pepper pod to form two substantially equal halves of a pepper boat, suitable for further food processing.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for pitting olives (or other fruit) and slicing the pitted fruit. In preferred embodiments, a pitting knife and a coring knife horizontally translate each olive to be pitted while the pitting knife, coring knife, and olive revolve together about a horizontal axis, the pitting knife pushes out the pit horizontally as the olive and cup translate along a segment of a circular first path around the axis, the apparatus includes slicing pockets (in positions horizontally separated from the first path) which translate along a circular second path parallel to the first path, after pitting, a pitting knife pulls the pitted olive horizontally away from the first path and into one of the pockets, and the pitted olive in the pocket is sliced by slicing knives as the pitted olive and pocket translate around the axis along a segment of the second path into engagement with the slicing knives.

Abstract: An automatic machine for cutting and pitting fruit, especially peaches, iudes three fundamental parts or working zones, the first of which is a feeding device for feeding the fruit to the second zone which includes an automatic positioning device in the form of an endless conveyor carrying a plurality of cups or receptacles to receive the fruit from the feeding device. The third and final zone of the machine is an automatic cutting and pitting device having a fruit gripping assembly, a circular knife which divides the fruit into two parts, and a knife for pitting the fruit. The fruit feeding device includes a hopper to which, by any suitable system or means, the fruit is supplied, the hopper being mounted on the frame of the machine at an angle. The hopper is supported by a flexible damper and is subjected to the action of a conventional vibrator. The hopper has at the outlet thereof as many channels as there are cups or receptacles in a column of the automatic positioning device.

Abstract: An olive pitter and stuffer comprising a machine structure which includes two sets of pitting plungers disposed along one side each of respective chains for carrying the olives into alignment with these plungers. On the other side of each chain is an olive-opening device aligned with the pitting plunger for cutting an opening through which the pit is ejected by the plunger. The olives are then transported by the plunger to a pair of stations at which mechanisms maintain the opening of the olives while further plungers insert respective stuffings in the olives. According to the invention, a pair of mechanisms are provided with respective chains, all operated by a synchronous drive so that the output of the machine is doubled.

Abstract: In the case, where fruits, which are relatively soft and liable to be bruised upon contact or collide with other object such as particularly in the case of white peaches, are to be separated into flesh and pit automatically, means for assuring a high efficiency and a high yield is provided for separating and taking out flesh from the fruits without bruising the flesh as much as possible.

Abstract: A single-stone containing fruit of the drupe family is laid open to permit removal of the stone and implanting of a filling, if desired, by centrally impaling it on a row of tines, every other one of which is held on one half of a split platform with the remainder being held on the mating other half of the platform such that when the split platform is forceably opened the fruit is torn open exposing the stone. The row of tines has tines of lesser length in mid-portion to accommodate the stone and an overhead moveable bar carries a mating row of tines that pierce the fruit above the stone. This bar can be carried on a strike arm adapted to engage a strike plate on one of the platform halves and force the platform to open when the bar is forced downwardly as by being struck smartly with the hand.

Abstract: Squeezing-shredding machine for tomato pulp comprises a conveyor at one end of which a suitable cutters cut the tomatoes along a longitudinal axis into halves and a separator device downstream of each cutter which positions each half tomato on a perforated flat conveyor which passes beneath idle pressure rollers which are suitably spaced apart.