Abstract: The present invention relates to a fluid bed process for the removal of skins from edible nuts.

Abstract: Here is disclosed a bulb peeling apparatus wherein a means of incising grooves on the outer peripheral surface skins of bulbs while rotating the bulbs is arranged in the course of a bulb conveying means and a compressed air blowing means is arranged further in the rear of the groove incising means so as to peel off the surface skins.It is positive to manually peel off surface skins of bulbs. However, in order to peel off the surface skins of a large volume of bulbs, the rise of the labor and production costs will be inevitable and a mechanical means will have to be naturally resorted to.In the bulb peeling apparatus of the present invention, a means of forming incised grooves on the outer peripheral surface skins of bulbs while rotating the bulbs is provided in the course of a bulb conveying means so as to peel off the surface skins of a large volume of bulbs.

Abstract: An onion peeling machine having a wheel for transporting the onions past a series of stations, where the onions are topped and peeled, the outer skins slit longitudinally of the onion, and the skin removed by water jets. The machine also includes separation means to separate the peeled onions from the skins.

Abstract: Apparatus for peeling onion skins from the bulbs of onions comprising conveyor means for transporting the onion bulbs from a supply thereof and a roller conveyor including a plurality of rotatable cutters. The onion bulbs are supplied by the conveyor means to the roller conveyor with a flatwise planar orientation which prevents piling of the onion bulbs on one another. The rotatable cutters slit the skins of the onion bulbs, while simultaneously compressed air is blown onto the surface of the onion bulbs by the discharge parts of air nozzles coupled to a source of compressed air. Means are provided for swinging the discharge parts of the nozzles so that the air impinges on the width of the rotatable cutters.

Abstract: An apparatus for stripping onions, in which an onion is withdrawn into a cylindrical onion guide path by vacuum pressure produced as compressed air is discharged at a high speed from a nozzle and is discharged from the cylindrical path into a separating chamber facing the path due to the momentum of the onion, whereby the onion is stripped as it is struck by compressed air discharged from the nozzle. The cylindrical onion guide path has a diameter large enough to permit passage of one onion, and onions are supplied one after another at a predetermined interval. The separating chamber is a cylindrical path coaxial with the onion guide path. The lines of discharge of the compressed air intersect one another on the center line of the onion guide path. Beyond the separating chamber, there is provided a direction converter for converting the axial direction of progress of the stripped onion into a lateral direction.

Abstract: An apparatus for removing decayed portions from the exterior of potatoes is disclosed. The potatoes are supported and advanced on a series of rollers some of which include a plurality of resilient fingers which disrupt the decayed portions of the potato surface while leaving the remaining portions of the surface intact, and then advance the potatoes relative to a plurality of water spray nozzles, said rollers adapted to orient the potatoes so that the entire surface of the potato is subjected to spray emanating from said nozzles. The water sprays have sufficient force to disrupt and remove decayed portions of the potatoes while leaving the remaining portions of the potatoes substantially intact.

Abstract: Apparatus for flame peeling onions comprises a pair of parallel spaced apart rails along which onions are conveyed by a worm conveyor having a central shaft mounted above and parallel to the rails and having a periphery formed by helical teeth positioned in close proximity to the rails. Curved guards extend outwardly and upwardly from the rails adjacent to the worm conveyor periphery and direct onions displaced from the rails back onto them. A plurality of gas burners located directly below the rails are adapted to scorch the skins of onions being conveyed on the rails. Onions are loaded singly onto the rails from a container by a rotatable wheel having peripheral scoops, the wheel being mounted so that the scoops pass through and collect onions from the container and deposit them onto a chute leading to the rails.

Abstract: The machine comprises a lift-conveyor with a lower return-stretch (5) followed in succession by sets of accelerator-chains (7), cutter-device (25), pressure-shoe device (26), bottle-neck exit device (27) and deflector device (22). Sets of channels composed of one fixed (39) and one movable oscillating cheek (20) are arranged in succession about the periphery of the drum (15) and caused thus to rotate. A gulley (40) located between each pair of fixed channel-cheeks provides for discharging peeled tomatoes. Each of the movable channel-cheeks is fitted outermost with a roller (21) designed to pass through the deflector (22) which causes the cheek itself to be drawn toward a fixed magnet (23) and held thereby in the open position until coming against a flexible cam profile (24) which detaches it from said magnet in order to bring about the required squeezing action performed by the channel-cheeks in causing each single tomato to eject from its covering of skin, viz. (28).

Abstract: A rotatably supported pressure vessel is disclosed for treating product under high pressure. A pressure medium is supplied to the pressure vessel through two separate supply conducts feeding the pressure medium under different pressures. When supplying the pressure medium to the pressure vessel, in a first step the pressure medium is supplied under lower pressure. During this step, the pressure within the pressure vessel is monitored. When a predetermined pressure is reached indicating that the feed opening of the pressure vessel is completely closed by an associated cover, the pressure medium is supplied under high pressure. The pressure medium source may either comprise a high pressure supply and a lower pressure supply, or two separate supply conducts of substantially different cross-sectional areas are provided to provide different pressure differentials.

Abstract: A steam peeling or cooking apparatus for plants, such as potatoes, carrots, celery, red beets, Swedish turnips, apples and the like or for pulp, provided with a substantially cylindrical peeling vessel arranged rotatably about horizontal trunnions, having a supply or discharge opening disposed in one of the head faces, while the peeling vessel is furthermore provided with a steam supply or discharge opening, while the peeling vessel is provided with a stirring gear rotatable about the longitudinal axis.

Abstract: Vegetables such as onions are rotated about their axes which are vertically oriented. As the vegetables move from an orienting unit to a cutting/notching mechanism, their rectilinear movement is ensured by engaging their opposite sides by opposed members which are linked so as to move equal lateral distances when they are deflected by the vegetables.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods are described for separating the pulp from the skin of fruit, such as tomatoes, in which each fruit is gripped and transported by mechanism along a predetermined path, a cut to the skin of the fruit is produced by cutting device adjacent the path and the pulp is urged away from the gripping and transporting apparatus at a pulp discharge position while the skin remains gripped by that apparatus to separate the pulp from the skin.

Abstract: A system is provided for slicing raw, whole potatoes into sticks or strips; sorting the sticks, separating out sticks having black or discolored spots thereon, snipping the ends of the separated sticks and sorting the separated sticks after snipping.

Abstract: Apparatus for continuously processing produce such as fruits and vegetables. The produce is heated by being fed into a pipe coil immersed in hot water and is sucked from the coil by vacuum into an expansion chamber where it is subjected to cold water which then travels with the treated produce under the influence of the vacuum. The cold water traveling with the treated produce is thereafter separated from the produce and is returned to the cold water source.

Abstract: Improved process for peeling tomatoes under vacuum comprises the step of instantaneously connecting the container of the tomatoes to a vacuum vessel and, immediately after, the step of closing this connection and connecting the said container to a vacuum pump. The vacuum applied to the tomatoes is fluctuated downwardly for peeling the tomatoes. Also, disclosed is a machine for peeling tomatoes which comprises flexibles pipes connecting the containers of the tomatoes to a vacuum vessel and/or a vacuum pump via a dehumidifier.

Abstract: Citrus peels discharged from a juice extractor are first comminuted with water to form a slurry, and thereafter the slurry of comminuted peels and water is screened to separate from the slurry a larger particle size fraction consisting mainly of the flavedo portion of the peels and a smaller particle size fraction consisting mainly of the albedo portion of the peels. A preferred apparatus for separating peels into albedo and flavedo fractions includes a comminutor which utilizes a cutting action to reduce the peels to finely divided particles. Water is added to the comminutor to fluidize the peels so as to facilitate their movement through the comminutor and also to facilitate subsequent screening. The slurry of water and comminuted peels is sifted using a vibratory screen having an upper screen of a 20 Tyler mesh size to remove the flavedo fraction from the slurry and having a lower screen of a 60 Tyler mesh to separate the albedo fraction from the remaining slurry.

Abstract: A device and a method for either the continuous or the batchwise removal (blanching) of skins from peanuts and other nut products are provided. The nut blanching device includes a rotatable cylinder containing a structure for introducing at least one jet of air along the inside of the cylinder. By placing nuts in this cylinder, nuts are carried along by the rotation of the cylinder into a head-on collision with air from the air jet. The nuts are thus, blanched within the cylinder by a combination of abrasive forces and the force of air.

Abstract: An apparatus for extracting the pulp from citrus fruits for the preparation of a fruit drink containing separate juice vesicles or sacs of the pulp comprises a plurality of clamps mounted on the periphery of a rotary drum to hold the halves of the fruits each divided into two across the core, with the cut surfaces exposed, a rotating shaft located opposite to one of the clamps in gripping position and substantially aligned to the core of each clamped half of the fruits for rotation about the common axis, and a nozzle having an opening provided radially with respect to the core of each halved fruit and attached to the end of the rotating shaft, whereby the pulp in the form of separate juice sacs is forced out of the halves by a jet of fluid from the nozzle.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for processing citrus fruits into a drink, which is the juice of the fruits containing separate juice vesicles, or sacs, of the pulp, by cutting the fruits into pieces and directing jets of a fluid against the cut surfaces, thereby separating and forcing the pulp in the form of separate sacs away from the peel and segmental membrane of the fruit pieces.

Abstract: A peeling device for plants, such as potatoes, carrots, celery, red beets, Swedish turnips, apples and the like, comprising a substantially cylindrical peeling vessel with an inclined, at least partly hollow central shaft for the supply and discharge of a pressure medium, in particular steam, and having closable supply and discharge openings for the plant and the condensate. The vessel is rotatably mounted about the center line of the central shaft while the supply and discharge openings are disposed in the respective end walls.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device for opening and closing an inwardly opening door of a pressurized steam peeler which, in operation, is rotated on trunnions. The device consists basically of an operating arm and means for moving the arm all of which are mounted external of the vessel.

Abstract: An apparatus for facilitating separation of peel from fruit in which the fruit is sequentially loaded into a plurality of pockets extending around the circumference of a vertical, rotating reel. The reel is mounted in a tank holding a caustic treating solution so that the fruit in the pockets is carried downwardly into the solution as the reel rotates. Incoming fruit is conveyed into a receiving tank containing the solution so that the solution cushions the fall of the fruit from the conveyor. The solution is heated and recirculated into the receiving tank thereby carrying the fruit over a weir and into the pockets in the reel. The pockets are formed by a plurality of spaced apart paddles or dividers extending from a relatively large hub to the outer periphery of the wheel. The inner portions of the paddles are perforated so that the solution flows between pockets and through the fruit which, being less dense than the solution, is urged toward the hub by buoyant forces.

Abstract: Apparatus for vacuum peeling fruits and vegetables. The apparatus has a tank adapted to contain treating liquid, means for heating such liquid, a rotor mounted within the tank for rotation about a horizontal axis, the rotor being provided with a plurality of angularly spaced buckets for receiving the fruits and vegetables to be treated, the buckets having open radially inner and outer ends, coaxial radial inner and outer perforated cylinders within the tank between which the buckets move as the rotor rotates, the perforated cylinders closing the respective open ends of the buckets against the escape of fruits and vegetables therefrom, means for intermittently rotating the rotor so as to advance the buckets through the treating liquid in a series of steps, and a vacuum applying station into which the buckets are successively moved after they emerge from the treating liquid. The means for intermittently rotating the rotor provides a dwell period in which the buckets are disposed in the vacuum applying station.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for steam peeling produce in a pivotally mounted pressure vessel in which a bath of water is provided in the bottom of the vessel for receiving the produce charged to the vessel in a relatively impact-free manner and which can be withdrawn prior to steaming the produce under pressure and then returned to aid in the discharge of the peeled produce.

Abstract: The present apparatus for skinning or peeling of produce comprises a rotatably mounted pressure vessel having a cover operable from within the vessel for sealing the vessel. The cover is pressure operated and permitted to fall open under the force of gravity upon pressure release. A pivoted latching pawl is provided in the pressure vessel for engaging the cover to hold it open. The pawl is also gravity operated to latch the cover in an open position. In the process for skinning or peeling produce, the pressure vessel is loaded with the produce, sealed and steam is introduced therein to rapidly increase the pressure and temperature within the vessel sufficiently so that a layer under the skin of the produce will come to a boil in response to pressure release. The pressure is maintained for a given period until the layer of the produce under its skin is sufficiently heated.

Abstract: Machine for peeling tomatoes comprising a series of trays placed on a conveyor, and a series of covers arranged to seal said trays; each cover is connected to a tank under vacuum.

Abstract: A safety means for a skinning and/or slashing machine having a frame means with a skinning blade means mounted thereon which provides skin from the meat product to be skinned as the meat product is moved therepast. A plurality of spaced apart slashing blades are rotatably mounted on the frame means adjacent the skinning blade means and are adapted to slash the meat product to permit the inspection thereof. The blades are supported by a pair of support arms which are pivotally connected to the frame means so that the blades may be moved upwardly away from the skinning blade means. A first normally closed switch means is provided on the frame means and is adapted to deactivate the machine power supply when the support arms are pivotally moved to their raised positions. A transparent safety shield is secured to the support arms and extends over the blades. An inverted U-shaped safety guard extends over the feed conveyor to prevent the machine operator from extending his hands too far towards the skinning blade.