Post kill tenderization of poultry meat through constant electrical stimulation
OwnerBertram B. Burnettinventor
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Abstract
An apparatus and method for automatically electrically stimulating poultry carcasses in poultry processing plants in order to tenderize the poultry meat are disclosed. Carcasses suspended by shackles from a moving processing line are transported between two preferably curved electrical conductive bars, which are positioned to apply the electrical stimulation across the breast of the suspended carcass. The carcasses may otherwise be dragged through a charged saline or water solution, or across a charged metal mesh or grill. The carcasses are subjected to almost constant electrical stimulation for 8 to 13 seconds by the application of an intermediate level, 100 percent duty cycle, AC voltage for the period of stimulation.
Claims20
A method of tenderizing poultry meat, comprising the step of:
- (a) passing a substantially constant electric current through the body of a bleeding but dead or substantially dead poult r carcass not less than 20 seconds after the bleeding of the carcass has been initiated.
A method of tenderizing poultry meat, comprising the steps of:
- (a) stunning a live poultry bird;
- (b) while still stunned, cutting the bird's throat;
- (c) allowing the bird to bleed until at least substantially dead, but for not less than a period of 20 seconds measured from the completion of step (b);
- and
- (d) promptly after completion of step (c), passing a substantially constant electrical current through the body of the bird.
A method of tenderizing poultry meat, comprising the steps of:
- (a) mortally wounding a poultry bird;
- and
- (b) upon at least substantial death of the bird, and not less than 20 second after mortally wounding the bird, passing a substantially constant alternating current through the body of the bird for between 8 and 13 seconds, the current selected from within the range from 120 milliamps to 500 milliamps, the current generated by a substantially constant alternating voltage selected from within a range from 110 volts AC to 250 volts AC and having a duty cycle of about 100%.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.