METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING A PATTY TO ACCOMODATE TISSUE FIBER FLOW

摘要

A method and apparatus are disclosed in which a mold plate is provided for defining a mold opening and in which a foraminous member is provided with rows of apertures communicating between an upstream side and downstream side of the member. Narrow slots connect the adjacent apertures in each row. The foraminous member is disposed with the downstream side adjacent the mold plate and has spaced-apart ribs on the upstream side oriented between, and parallel to, the rows of apertures. Pressurized food material is forced from the upstream side of the foraminous member through the apertures to the downstream side of the foraminous member and into the mold opening as discrete extrudate masses which together define a packed array forming the patty. An agitator bar with spaced-apart teeth is disposed on the upstream side of the foraminous member with a tooth disposed between each pair of adjacent ribs. This bar is reciprocated across the upstream side of the member to dislodge tissue fibers that may have lodged on the upstream side of the member.