Method and apparatus for processing shrimp and the like

摘要

De-headed and unshelled shrimp are automatically processed by apparatus including a feed station, an uncurling station, a cutting station, a flattening or spreader station, a cleaning station and a pair of endless conveyor belts which are supported on guides to form a generally V-shaped trough for receiving the shrimp and continuously moving it from the feed station and through the other stations. The uncurling station includes a plurality of leaf members which resiliently engage the underside of the shrimp as it passes thereunder and cause it to be uncurled to a substantially horizontally extended position prior to entering the cutting station. At the cutting station a rotating cutter blade cuts through the belly of the shrimp to the point at which the alimentary canal is located. The spreader station includes a stationary spreading element having a progressively broadening V-shaped cross section and adapted for spreading portions of the shrimp on the opposite sides of the cut to thereby cause the shrimp to assume a substantially flattened or butterfly position. The flattened shrimp is then moved through a first stage spray assembly where a flow of pressurized cleaning fluid is directed onto the exposed surface of the shrimp to purge or flush away loose debris. Following this initial cleaning, the central, exposed portion of the flattened shrimp is contacted by the outer peripheral surface of the rotating cleaning wheel having a plurality of circumferentially spaced cavities. Finally, the shrimp is moved beneath a second stage spray assembly for final purging or flushing with a pressurized cleaning fluid.