Apparatus for extracting meat of small crustaceans

Abstract

The disclosed apparatus for extracting meat of small crustaceans comprises a mechanism for breaking up the shell of the crustaceans including a diffuser, and a mechanism for separating the meat from other components of the crustaceans. The separating mechanism includes a vertical vessel filled with a working fluid, communicating with a chamber for feeding the mixture of the meat with other components of the crustaceans, a line for removing the meat of the crustaceans and means for removing the rest of the components. The upper zone of the vertical vessel flares outwardly. The conduit connecting the mixture feed chamber with the vertical vessel is preferably located in the latter's upper zone. Preferably, a working fluid supply conduit is arranged at the central zone of the vessel. The lower zone of the latter, narrows downwardly and is connected with the meat removal line incorporating a liquid-type ejector. The outlet end of the line is situated above the top level of the working fluid in the vertical vessel. The mixture feed chamber has in the upper portion thereof a device for feeding the working fluid, with the diffuser underlying this device above the top level of the working fluid. The apparatus enables obtaining the meat of small crustaceans in the form of an integral lump of the muscular tissue, devoid of the shell, liver, lipids gastrointestinal tract and other components. The apparatus offers the simple and economically efficient technology of processing antarctic krill directly in the fishing area, to obtain an unconventional kind of food.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.