Methods and equipment for cutting food products

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017028578-A1
Application number	US-201615266001-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 15, 2016
Priority date	Apr 23, 2012
Publication date	Feb 2, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

Methods and equipment for producing shaped food products having large amplitudes, for example, sliced, shredded, and/or strip-cut food products. The methods and equipment utilize a cutting apparatus having at least two sequential knives at different radial positions in reference to radial distances of the sequential knives in radial directions of the cutting apparatus. Each sequential knife has a corrugated shape comprising peaks and valleys, and the sequential knives are arranged to be in phase or out of phase alignment with each other.

First claim

1 . A method of producing shaped food products, the method comprising:
providing a cutting apparatus comprising at least two sequential knives having different radial positions in reference to radial distances of the sequential knives in radial directions of the cutting apparatus, each of the sequential knives having a corrugated shape comprising peaks and valleys; arranging the sequential knives to be out of phase alignment and to define gaps in the radial direction between the peaks of a leading knife of the sequential knives and the valleys of a trailing knife of the sequential knives; and operating the cutting apparatus to produce a large-amplitude food product slice having a periodic cross-sectional shape comprising valleys on opposite sides of the food product slice that define web portions therebetween and peaks on opposite sides of the food product slice that define second portions between the web portions, the web portions being defined by the gaps between the leading and trailing knives to have cross-sectional thicknesses in the radial direction that are less than cross-sectional thicknesses of the second portions.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the sequential knives are about 180 degrees out of phase alignment.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the food product slice has an amplitude of about 2.5 mm or more between the peaks of the second portions.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the second portions of the food product slice have round cross-sectional shapes.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the second portions of the food product slice have square cross-sectional shapes.

6 . A method of producing shaped food products, the method comprising:
providing a cutting apparatus comprising at least two sequential knives having different radial positions in reference to radial distances of the sequential knives in radial directions of the cutting apparatus, each of the sequential knives having a corrugated shape comprising flat peaks and/or flat valleys; and operating the cutting apparatus to produce a large-amplitude food product having a cross-sectional shape comprising at least one flat peak and/or at least one flat valley on opposite sides of the food product.

7 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the sequential knives are in phase alignment, the food product is a food product slice, and the cross-sectional shape of the food product slice is periodic and comprises flat peaks between flat valleys on each of the opposite sides of the food product slice.

8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the food product slice has an amplitude of about 2.5 mm or more between the flat peaks on the opposite sides of the food product slice.

9 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the sequential knives are in phase alignment, each of the sequential knives comprises at least one julienne tab metallurgically joined thereto, and the food product is a food product strip.

10 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the sequential knives are out of phase alignment.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the sequential knives are about 180 degrees out of phase alignment.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the radial distance of each flat peak of a leading knife of the sequential knives is equal to the radial distance of each corresponding flat valley of a next trailing knife of the sequential knives, the food product is a food product shred, and the cross-sectional shape of the food product shred comprises flat peaks on each of the opposite sides of the food product shred.

13 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the food product has an amplitude of about 2.5 mm or more between the flat peaks on the opposite sides of the food product shred.

14 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the radial distance of each flat peak of a leading knife of the sequential knives is greater than the radial distance of each corresponding flat valley of a next trailing knife of the sequential knives, the food product is a food product shred, and the cross-sectional shape of the food product shred comprises a flat peak on a first of the opposite sides of the food product shred and a flat valley on a second of the opposite sides of the food product shred.

15 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the cutting apparatus is a centrifugal-type cutting apparatus comprising knife assemblies, each of the knife assembly comprising one of the sequential knives, the knife assemblies being spaced around a circumference of a cutting head of the cutting apparatus.

Assignees

• Urschel Laboratories Inc

Inventors

• King Daniel Wade
• Jacko Michael Scot
• Mahaffey Ii Thomas R

Classifications

• B26D1/03 Primary

  with a plurality of cutting members · CPC title

• B26D3/26

  specially adapted for cutting fruit or vegetables, e.g. for onions · CPC title

• B26D2001/0033

  assembled from multiple blades · CPC title

• Y10T83/9457

  Joint or connection · CPC title

• Y10T83/0586

  Effecting diverse or sequential cuts in same cutting step · CPC title