| 摘要 |
An apparatus for de-shelling prawns, langoustines or the like comprises means to orientate (8B, Fig 2) and secure 24 the fleshy abdomen 20, in its shell 22 and 23, and the tail 21 of a langoustine to a processing member 8 and straightening 27 the abdomen so that it lies along the processing member. In this orientation a hollow needle 29 is inserted, between the scales, into the abdomen, adjacent to the tail, and a pulse(s) of fluid, preferably compressed air, is injected to create a pressure inside the shell. This pressure severs the flesh where the abdomen joins the tail and also severs connections between the abdomen and the shell, so that the fleshy abdomen is ejected, as a single entity, out of its shell and off the processing member into a product collector (16, Fig 2). The method of using the apparatus is also disclosed, as is a means to automate the process, so that a skilled operator could de-shell thousands of langoustines per hour. |
