The present invention relates to a method for the treatment of carcasses or parts of these, especially fore-ends, comprising cutting, deboning and chilling.

When pigs are slaughtered at slaughterhouses a surface treatment is performed, and the carcass is eviscerated, after which it is split up through the spine. The carcass is classified, then it passes through a chilling tunnel, and next it is placed in a temperature equalization room where the temperature of the carcass is typically equalized to approx. 4 C. Then each half of the carcass will be cut into three parts, dividing the carcass into hams, middles and fore-ends.

At slaughterhouses and meat-processing factories a manual processing is performed of these pieces of meat, resulting from the cutting-up of carcasses. Thus, a cutting and deboning operation is performed by a cutting operator who cuts up the piece of meat into different parts, each having its own use. Through this operation the operator provides proper cuts which may be used for roasts, chops and the like, diced meat which may e.g. be used for the production of forcemeat articles, and offal, primarily bone, cartilage, rind and fat.

Because of the irregular shape of the split-up carcass or parts thereof, the transport between the different stations of treatment may require special equipment, and the handling and storage of the pieces of meat will often be difficult.

Because of the size of the piece of meat and the location and shape of the muscles and bones, the processing of the fore-ends is a time-consuming and physically demanding job for the cutting operator, requiring a high degree and efficiency, too.

Deboning of a fore-end comprises a series of sub-operations which entails several handling operations of the fore-end, by which the operator will have to rotate, lift and turn the piece of meat in order to be able to cut it up in the desired way.

These sub-operations may typically be:

1 Cutting free neck-bone meat

2 Cutting free neck bone 3 Cutting free ribs

■ Cutting off neck bone and ribs

5 Cutting off neck fillet

6 Cutting off jowl

7 Cutting free shoulder blade 8 Extracting shoulder blade

9 Cutting of the rind of the shoulder

10 Derinding the shank

11 Cutting off humerus, radius and ulna

12 Cleaning and trimming the shoulder

The objektive of the present invention is to provide a method which may facilitate the transportation and storage of split-up carcasses or fore- ends of these. The method will also to a substantial extent facilitate a mechanized and/or manual deboning and derinding of fore-ends.

According to a first aspect of the present invention the shanks or forelegs are separated from the carcasses before the deboning takes place. After this seperation the carcass will consist of two parts (shank/foreleg and trunk) which each has a uniform and manageable shape, which increases the possibility of automation. The regular shape of the obtained pieces of meat also enables a rational transportation and storage.

Deboning of the fore-end without shank may now more easily be performed by the operator. The operation is no longer rendered difficult by a shank which is in the way when the piece of meat is rotated, lifted and turned during the series of sub-operations. This increases the possibilities for the operator to place the piece of meat in a position which is most convenient for the deboning process, which results in better working postures. The fore-end, which is now without the weight of the shank, is easier to handle, since it is lighter in weight. Consequently, the working conditions are improved and at the same time precision cutting is facilitated.

Deboning of the shank is also facilitated considerably, as this relatively small piece of meat may be handled separately and as it is not dependent on the placing of the fore-end, which is an advantage especially by automation of the derinding and deboning of this piece of meat.

In a preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention the seperation takes place before the carcasses or parts of these are chilled e.g. immediately after the classification. In this way the cold-storage and cold-transportation of carcasses or fore-ends will be less bulky due to the more regular shape and the resulting improved packing and piling properties. An improved utilization of the capacity in temperature- equalizing rooms, cold-storage warehouses and refrigerated lorries is made possible in this way, since it is not necessary to make allowance for the shanks when the carcasses are packed together in such rooms. By the procedure applied till now, the shanks render the packing together more difficult, since they protrude from the trunk part of the carcass. Till now the packing-together of the carcasses is made by "inserting" a shank from one carcass into the split carcass hanging immediately in front of it. This means a risk of contamination of the carcass hanging in front of the shank, which contamination is perfectly avoided by the procedure according to the invention.

This embodiment also has an economic advantage. The consumption of energy for refrigeration is reduced, as energy is only used for the refrigeration of actual shank meat, whereas the bones, which constitute a fairly large proportion of the entire volume of the shank, are removed in the deboning process prior to the chilling.

The same embodiment also opens up the possibility of further processing of the shank meat before the chilling, which in some cases may be desireable, both from an economic and a qualitative point of view.

A remarkable feature of another preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention is that it facilitates the deboning of the fore-end, and that the advantages mentioned above are also retained (i.e. rational storage and transportation of the carcasses and cuts - and the possibility of derinding and deboning of the shank by machine) .

This is achieved by:

cutting through the shank meat to humerus, exerting pulling power on humerus away from the carcass, at the same time as the meat surrounding the part of humerus which is located in the fore-end is cut free, and dividing humerus, possibly by cutting it over by means of a knife or shears close to the joint connecting humerus and shoulder blade.

What is achieved by this embodiment of the method according to the invention is a regular shape of shank as well as of fore-end or carcass, with a consequent possibility of mechanical deboning of the shank, and a less complicated procedure for the deboning of the fore-end. This is due to the fact that the stump of humerus left in the fore-end may easily be removed together with the shoulder blade when this is extracted. In this way the sub-operation of cutting humerus out of the fore-end is saved.

This procedure may be performed by manually cutting free the meat surrounding humerus and by manually dividing humerus, e.g. by cutting with shears or sawing. The procedure may also be performed fully or partly by machine while applying a combination of well-known techniques for securing and pulling bones, trimming meat off bones, and cutting or sawing off bones.

In another embodiment of the method according to the invention the carcasses are chilled before the separation is performed. Only a minimum of rearrangement of the traditional process schedule will be required from the companies, and still the advantages as to working conditions will be achieved.

The dividing line between shank and fore-end may go through humerus or radius + ulna, or through the joint connecting these two bones. The location of the dividing line will depend on the technology available at the slaughterhouse in question, and an essential factor will be the current accounting price for shoulder meat and shank meat. Consequently, each slaugherhouse will have to chose individually the optimum embodiment of the procedure for the cutting and deboning processes.

In a preferred embodiment the separation takes place by cutting the shanks by means of a knife or a shearing tool. This ensures smooth cuts in the meat.

In another embodiment of the method according to the invention the separation is done in the joint between humerus and radius + ulna. This is desirable when you do not want to contaminate the surrounding pieces of meat with remnants of bone marrow.

In another preferred embodiment the joint between humerus and radius + ulna is wrenched or broken out of joint before the carcasses are chilled. The shanks or forelegs may be separated from the carcasses after the chilling. This procedure ensures that the forelegs will hang down parallel along the carcass during the chilling, which improves the packing properties during cold storage and transportation.

In another embodiment of the method according to the invention the separation takes place right through humerus or radius + ulna.

The shanks may be separated from the carcasses or parts of these by a sawing process as well as by a cutting process using knife or shears, by which process the joint between humerus and radius + ulna may be broken by bending or squeezing.

In another embodiment of the method according to the invention the shanks are sawed off. This will e.g. be an advantage in connection with semi or fully automatic cutting operations, where the carcass on a conveyor belt passes a saw.

The method according to the invention may be applied either before or after a possible cutting of a split carcass into three parts, e.g. fore- end, middle and ham, depending on which is most advantageous for the individual company.

The proportion of shoulder meat and shank meat may easily be varied depending on where the dividing line between shank and carcass is placed, and thus the method allows the company to adapt its range of products to the demand that will arise.

A further advantage accomplished by applying the method according to the invention before the split-up carcass is cut into three parts is that the placing of the cut between fore-end and middle is facilitated, since the tip of the shoulder muscle is now visible.

The invention is described in further detail in the following by way of examples and with reference to the drawing, in which

1 indicates a split carcass

2 indicates humerus 3 indicates radius + ulna

4 indicates spine

5 indicates ribs

The line A-A is a dividing line between shank and carcass/trunk which line cuts through humerus.

E X A M P L E 1

At a slaughterhouse pigs are slaughtered in the usual way, the surface is treated, the carcasses are eviscerated and split-up through the spine.

A carcass, suspended in its hocks, is conveyed by means of the usual conveyor system to classification, and from here on to a cutting operator. The operator cuts the shanks off the carcass along the line A-A, as indicated on the drawing, by means of a suspended shearing tool. What is achieved by the indicated location of the dividing line is that both the shank and the trunk get a very regular shape, which is an advantage for the subsequent cutting and deboning operations whether the cutting and deboning operations are manual or by machine. The further processing of trunk and shanks, respectively, will then take place independently.

The shanks will be carried on by a conveyor system from the cutting operator to another cutting operator who now removes bones and rind from the shanks. After that, the shank meat may be chilled or used immediately, e.g. in the sausage production.

The carcass is carried in the usual way through a chilling tunnel and further on to the temperature equalization room, where this and many other carcasses are packed together for temperature equalization. After the

temperature equalization the split carcass will be cut into three parts, and the deboning operation of the shank-free fore-end will be performed by a cutting operator in a more convenient way than by traditionally treated fore-ends.

The most important products from the fore-end are then the neck muscle (which is e.g. used for export or for neck roasts and neck chops) and the deboned shoulder (which is also used for export or for "production meat", e.g. in forcemeat products and canned meat). The products do not differ from products obtained in the traditional way.

EXAMPLE 2

On the slaughter line the shanks are separated from the carcass in the following way. An operator cuts through the shank meat along a line A-A as indicated on the drawing, which line on the whole follows the edge of the carcass. Then an outward pull is exerted on humerus by means of an auxiliary tool which grasps humerus where the shank meat has been cut through. Simultaneously, the operator cuts free the shank meat around humerus, and then humerus is cut over by shears.

Consequently, the carcass has got a regular shape, which facilitates transportation and storage. Next, the shank may be derinded and deboned by machine, and the deboning of the fore-end has furthermore been facilitated.