Conveyor for supporting sausage strands during coagulation cycle, and method of rinsing and drying the same

摘要

A conveyor assembly for moving an extruded strand of sausage from an extruding machine and for coagulating the outer surface of the strand has first and second conveyor elements mounted on a frame. The conveyor asssembly on the frame slopes downwardly from a point of beginning to a first discharge station and thence back to the point of beginning. A brine fluid circuit is disposed on the frame above the conveyor with a plurality of discharge nozzles thereon to spray brine on a strand of sausage moving with the conveyor assembly. The first conveyor element extends from the point of beginning to an intermediate discharge station upstream from the first discharge station. The second conveyor element extends from the immediate discharge station to the first discharge station. The second conveyor element has a plurality of openings therein so that brine fluid can pass therethrough by gravity.