Meat deboning apparatus and method

摘要

An apparatus for deboning a piece of meat having an elongate bone portion, such as a loin piece provided with a spine portion, comprises an elongate support mounted on a frame for receiving the loin its spine portion being substantially aligned with a longitudinal axis defined by the support, and a plurality of press devices mounted on the frame for maintaining the piece of meat in a predetermined cutting position on the support. A first embodiment makes use of a cutting tool including an elongate shearing knife having a base portion pivotally mounted on the frame and an inwardly arcuate section defining a longitudinally extending cutting edge. The cutting tool further includes an actuating device mounted on the frame for selectively controlling pivotal movement of the knife between a first position allowing the loin to be disposed in the predetermined cutting position on the support and a second position wherein the spine portion is separated from the deboned meat piece following travel of the cutting edge through the meat piece according to a curvilinear cutting path transversely extending about the longitudinal axis. A second embodiment makes use of a cutting tool including a pair of elongate shearing knives having respective base portions pivotally mounted on the frame, and having respective inwardly arcuate sections defining longitudinally extending opposed cutting edges. The cutting tool further includes an actuating device mounted on the frame for selectively controlling pivotal movement of the knives between a tool open position wherein the knives are in a spaced relationship allowing the loin to be disposed in the predetermined cutting position on the support means and a tool closed position wherein the opposed cutting edges are brought into contact to separate the spine portion from the deboned loin following respective travels of the cutting edges through the loin according to convergent curvilinear cutting paths transversely extending about the longitudinal axis.