Butchering – Epidermal outgrowth remover – Power driven
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-02
2001-04-03
Little, Willis (Department: 3643)
Butchering
Epidermal outgrowth remover
Power driven
C452S125000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06210262
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The invention relates to fish processing and, more particularly, to the preparation of frozen fish bodies for skinning and to the subsequent treatment and cooking of fish meat pieces before canning to increase yield.
BACKGROUND ART
Today the processing of tuna fish for canning is a largely manual operation. To prepare the fish bodies for butchering, the frozen fish are first cooked. The skin, bone, entrails, blood meat, and other unwanted portions can then be cut from the delectable loin meat by hand. Finally, the cooked loin meat, along with broth and water, is put into cans and retorted.
A number of patents and patent applications owned by The Laitram Corporation, assignee of this invention, are directed to automating the tuna canning process. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,367,929, “Fluid Jet Cutting Knife Apparatus,” discloses a computer-controlled fluid jet knife that is capable of cutting the skin away from a fish steak whose outline has been scanned and electronically defined. Some shortcomings of the described system in removing skin are its relatively slow speed, its computational complexity, and its inability to handle indentations in the skin. U.S. Pat. No. 5,569,068, “Method and Apparatus for Skinning Fish,” shows an automated scraper system that uses spring-loaded scraper plates to scrape the skin from a partly frozen fish body conveyed through the scraper field. The scraper has some advantages over the water jet system in that it does not require computer control and the scrapers generally contact the entire skin surface. Nevertheless, the scrapers tend to skip or jump over the scales and pectoral and tail fins and do not perform so well in removing skin without gouging flesh in those areas. The task is made even more difficult because of the need to keep the fish in a frozen state to facilitate downline automated process steps, such as loin separation. Thus, there is a need to improve the skinning of frozen fish.
U.S. government regulations require that the average press weight of 24 cans of tuna exceed a specified minimum. The press weight is the weight of the drained contents of the cans after undergoing a press of 384 lb/in
2
. The residual material after press is a combination of fish meat and retained moisture. The greater the retained weight after press, the greater is the yield because less meat must be packed into each can to meet the regulations. Because even small percentage increases in yield represent millions of dollars in income to a processor, high yield is a primary goal. Thus, another objective of the invention is to increase yield.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
These needs and objectives are satisfied by methods and apparatus for preparing fish for skinning and canning having features of the invention.
A method for processing a frozen fish body for canning includes the steps of: immersing the frozen fish body in a first bath at a first temperature for a first period of time sufficient to thaw the skin and the subdermal layer of the fish body, immersing the fish body in a second bath at a second temperature lower than the first temperature for a second period of time to retard further thawing, scraping the skin from the frozen fish body, removing the fins from the frozen fish body, slicing steaks from the frozen fish body, separating blood meat portions from loin portions of each steak and retaining the frozen loin portions, maintaining the temperature of the frozen loin portions at a temperature substantially at or below the ice crystallization temperature, immersing the frozen loin portions in a broth mixture at a first temperature for a first period of time, and immersing the loin portions in water at a second temperature for a second period of time to cook the loin portions.
A method of skinning a frozen fish includes first immersing the body of the frozen fish in a hot water bath for a first period of time sufficient to thaw the skin and the subdermal layer of the fish. Then, the fish body is removed to a lower temperature bath, such as water at room temperature, to stop the thawing. Finally, the skin is scraped from the fish body. To enhance the scraping step, some or all of the scales, pectoral fins, thoracic fins, and tail fin can be removed at the outset.
Apparatus for removing the scales from a fish body includes a scaler assembly, a holder for the fish body, and means for moving the scaler assembly and the holder into close proximity. The scaler has a rotating assembly that rotates about an axis of rotation. Circumferentially spaced fingers are pivotally attached to the rotating assembly and extend outward from it. Means are provided to limit the pivotal movement of the fingers between two positions. The distal ends of the fingers project out a maximum radial distance from the axis of rotation at one of the limit positions. This maximum radial distance defines an outer sweep radius of the rotating scaler. As the fish body is moved within the sweep radius, the fingers repetitively contact the scaly portions of the fish body to remove the scales. Such an apparatus is effective in preparing a frozen fish body for skinning according to the described method of the invention.
To increase yield through increased press for a given mass of fish meat, a method of preparing fish pieces for canning is provided. The method includes the first step of maintaining the temperature of frozen, raw fish loin pieces at temperatures substantially at or below the ice crystallization temperature. The next step is to immerse the frozen, raw fish loin pieces in a broth mixture at a first temperature for a first period of time to coat the pieces with broth. Then the pieces are dipped in hot water at a second temperature and cooked for a second period of time. In a preferred version of the method, the cooking period is selected to ensure that the internal temperature of the pieces reaches about 50° C. (122° F.) for thorough cooking.
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Burch Ronald H.
DeRoche Thomas J.
Morales Eric W.
Rodboon Somsak S.
Selenberg Kirk T.
Cronvich James T.
Little Willis
The Laitram Corporation
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