Method and apparatus for detaching meat from bone

摘要

Bones (10) with meat attached thereto are suspended in a substantially fluid medium (14). The fluid medium or matrix (14) includes meat, fat and other soft material (16) which behaves similarly to a fluid when a pressure is applied thereto. The substantially fluid medium (14) also includes a substantially compressible material (18) such as a gas included in voids within the matrix. Once the bones (10) are properly suspended, the entire matrix of material (14) is compressed from an initial pressure to a detachment pressure which may be in a range of 5 pounds per square inch over atmospheric to 1000 pounds per square inch over atmospheric. The meat attached to the bones (10) within the matrix (14) tends to migrate away from the bone and eventually detach from the bone. However, since of all of the bones (10) remain suspended in a substantially fluid medium, pressure is applied evenly across the entire surface of the bones without breaking the bones and contaminating the meat with bone fragments.