Quick freezing and tenderising of laminated pressed meat prod. - continuously effected by injecting refrigerated compressed air via hollow needles

摘要

Mfr. of a continuous, laminated slab of pressed meat is claimed. The slab is composed of several superimposed layers of small pieces of meat. The slab is tenderised by spiking right through with comb teeth. Simultaneously, compressed, refrigerated air is injected into the whole of the slab to quick-freeze it ready for immediate transfer to cold storage. The layers are pref. pressed together between a pair of superimposed, horizontal conveyor bands each faced with hollow needles which inject refrigerated air from air chambers inside the conveyor band advancing runs. Tenderising spikes are pref. forced into the slab laterally with an intermittent reciprocation synchronised with advance of the slab. Injected air can pref. be set to temps. between 0 and -15 degrees C. and the injection pressure between 4 and 8 bars. The machine pref. operates in a chamber where the temp. is controlled at about -4 degrees C.