Embodiments herein include systems and methods for forming meat products into chunks. In an embodiment, a system for producing irregular shredded meat pieces from a meat log is included. The system can include a conveying mechanism, a first rotational shredding shaft positioned adjacent to the conveying mechanism, a first plurality of shredding fingers connected to the first rotational shredding shaft, a second rotational shredding shaft positioned adjacent to the conveying mechanism, and a second plurality of shredding fingers connected to the second rotational shredding shaft. The first and second rotation shredding shafts configured to rotate in directions opposite from one another. In some embodiments, the system can also include a cutting blade disposed downstream from the first and second rotational shredding shafts. Other embodiments are also included herein.

A method for processing and batching food items in a food processing system according to a predefined batch target criterion, comprises the steps of conveying a food item to weight determining means, determining the weight of the food item by means of the weight determining means, and processing the determined weight of the food item together with a weight of a plurality of food items. The processing includes dynamically generating a control-cutting signal. The method further comprises determining if the dynamically generated control cutting signal indicates that cutting off a part of the food item will increase a prospect to meet the predefined batch target criterion, and in the confirmative convey the food item to a separation device wherein a part of the food item is cut off.

A slicer apparatus for slicing food items includes a conveying means for conveying a food item to be cut along a conveying path, where a gap is provided extending across the conveying path; at least one cutting blade. A cutting land is arranged in and along the gap, and the cutting land comprises a recess on at least one side such that during cutting the at least one cutting blade at least partly extends into the recess. A first moving means is connected to the at least one cutting blade for moving the at least one cutting blade in distance relative to the cutting land. A second moving means is connected to the at least one cutting blade for moving the at least one cutting blade angularly relative to the conveying path. A third moving means is connected to the cutting land for adjusting at least an angular position of the cutting land around its longitudinal axis. The third moving means is configured to independently adjust the at least angular position of the cutting land around its longitudinal axis.

The present disclosure describes new meat products and new processing and cutting techniques that more effectively utilize an animal carcass. A method of forming one or more bone-in products and one or more boneless meat products from the same segment of carcass are disclosed. The bone-in meat products and boneless meat products are formed by dividing a carcass segment having at least three rib bones into a bone-in meat portion and a boneless meat portion. The bone-in meat portion has a portion of rib bones exposed and a generally cylindrically meat member spanning its length. The boneless meat portion may be a formed by enveloping the meat portion with a flap created from attached fat or skin of the boneless meat portion thereby forming a boneless meat product that is a continuous piece of material and generally cylindrical in shape.

A cutting unit to facilitate ejecting a slice that is cut off from a product strand a radial distance between a blade edge of the rotating blade. The functional edge of the stop plate may be adjusted during the cutting movement. In one embodiment, the functional edge of the stop plate may be adjusted at an end of the cutting movement.

The rotating shaped blade for cutting slides from a product strand is only configured over a portion of its outer edge as a circular segment that extends about the rotation axis and which represents the cutting edge so that on the one hand side the cutting edge has a constant width radial distance from a circular segment shaped functional edge of the stop plate over an entire extension of the circular segment, and on the other hand side immediately after releasing the strand cross section by the blade a forward movement of the product strand can be performed up to the stop plate until the radial front edge of the blade has reached the strand cross section again.

In one aspect, a food product tray includes a pan including a top surface, a front end and a rear end, at least one side member extending upward from the pan, and a gate positioned near the front end of the pan. The gate is moveable between a blocking position, in which a top edge of the gate is positioned above the top surface of the pan, and a non-blocking position, in which the top edge is either at or below the top surface of the pan. During movement of the gate, the gate rotates relative to the front end of the pan about an axis displaced from the gate. In one aspect, a slicing apparatus includes a food product tray including a gate movable along an arcuate path defined by an axis displaced from the gate and a radius between the arcuate path and the axis.

Embodiments herein include systems and methods for forming meat products into chunks. In an embodiment, a system for producing irregular shredded meat pieces from a meat log is included. The system can include a conveying mechanism, a first rotational shredding shaft positioned adjacent to the conveying mechanism, a first plurality of shredding fingers connected to the first rotational shredding shaft, a second rotational shredding shaft positioned adjacent to the conveying mechanism, and a second plurality of shredding fingers connected to the second rotational shredding shaft. The first and second rotation shredding shafts configured to rotate in directions opposite from one another. In some embodiments, the system can also include a cutting blade disposed downstream from the first and second rotational shredding shafts. Other embodiments are also included herein.

In one respect, the invention is a coring machine for removing portions of food item blanks, the coring machine including a plate assembly for holding the food item blanks and a pair of coring assemblies, each having a plurality of coring bits that are aligned with passages in the plate assembly.

A belt tensioner for a food processing machine includes a base member, a nose member, a belt member, and a driving member. The nose member is pivotally connected with the base member. The belt member is moveably disposed around the base member and the nose member. The driving device is configured to pivotally move the nose member relative to the base member. As the nose member pivotally moves relative to the base member the nose member applies variable levels of tension on the belt member.