Shrimp processing apparatus and method

A shrimp processing apparatus useful in removing the sand vein from a desirable shrimp meat portion and peeling the shell therefrom, the apparatus comprising:

• a housing;
• a plurality of radially opposing flexible conveyor roller pairs carried by the housing in a spaced relation and rotatably driven for contacting a shrimp and conveying the shrimp from an upstream pair of conveyor roller pairs receiving the shrimp at an entrance end of the housing to a downstream roller pair for ejecting a processed shrimp therefrom, wherein each roller of the downstream roller pair includes a plurality of teeth elements radially extending therefrom for penetrating side wall shell sections of a cut shrimp and peeling the side wall sections from a desirable meat portion of the shrimp;
• a dorsal cutting blade carried by the housing and positioned for cutting a strip into a shrimp dorsal side along the longitudinal axis and exposing a sand vein in a cut shrimp, wherein the dorsal cutting blade includes a coaxially spaced pair of cutting blades separated by a spacer element having a diameter for limiting a depth of cut for the spaced pair of cutting blades;
• and
• a brush carried by the housing and positioned downstream the cutting blade for sweeping the sand vein from the cut shrimp as the cut shrimp is conveyed therepast through the conveyor roller pairs.

A shrimp processing apparatus useful in removing the sand vein from a desirable shrimp meat portion and peeling the shell therefrom, the apparatus comprising:

• a plurality of radially opposing conveyor roller pairs in a spaced relation and rotatably driven for directly contacting a shrimp and conveying the shrimp from an upstream pair of conveyor roller pairs receiving the shrimp at an entrance end of the housing to a downstream roller pair for ejecting a processed shrimp therefrom;
• a dorsal cutting blade positioned for cutting a strip into a shrimp dorsal side along the longitudinal axis and exposing a sand vein therein, wherein the dorsal cutting blade includes a coaxially spaced pair of cutting blades separated by a spacer element having a diameter for limiting a depth of cut for the spaced pair of cutting blades;
• and
• a brush carried positioned downstream the cutting blade for sweeping the sand vein.

A shrimp processing apparatus useful in removing the sand vein from a desirable shrimp meat portion and peeling the shell therefrom, the apparatus comprising:

• a plurality of radially opposing conveyor roller pairs in a spaced relation and rotatably driven for conveying a headless shrimp from an upstream pair of conveyor roller pairs receiving the shrimp at an entrance end of the housing to a downstream roller pair for ejecting a processed shrimp therefrom;
• a dorsal cutting blade positioned for cutting a strip into a shrimp dorsal side along the longitudinal axis and exposing a sand vein therein, wherein the dorsal cutting blade includes a coaxially spaced pair of cutting blades separated by a spacer element having a diameter for limiting a depth of cut for the spaced pair of cutting blades;
• a ventral cutting blade positioned downstream the entrance end for cutting through a shrimp ventral side along the longitudinal axis thereof;
• and
• a brush carried positioned downstream the cutting blade for sweeping the sand vein.

A method of processing shrimp for removing the sand vein from a desirable shrimp meat portion and peeling the shell therefrom, the method comprising the steps of:

• providing a plurality of radially opposing conveyor roller pairs carried within a housing in a spaced relation and rotatably driven for conveying a headless shrimp therethrough;
• receiving the shrimp at an entrance end of the housing;
• providing a first cutting blade carried by the housing;
• positioning the first cutting blade downstream the entrance end for cutting a strip into a shrimp dorsal side along the longitudinal axis of the shrimp conveying the shrimp past the first cutting blade;
• cutting a strip within the dorsal side of the shrimp along the longitudinal axis of the shrimp for exposing a sand vein;
• providing a second cutting blade within the housing;
• positioning the second cutting blade downstream the entrance end for cutting through a shrimp ventral side along the longitudinal axis of the shrimp;
• cutting the shrimp through a ventral side thereof along the longitudinal axis thereof for causing the shell of the shrimp to be severed into opposing left and right shell sections;
• providing a brush carried by the housing;
• positioning the brush downstream the first cutting blade between adjacent roller pairs;
• brushing into the access of the shrimp top wall portion and sweeping the vein therefrom as the shrimp is conveyed therepast through the conveyor roller pairs;
• providing an opposing peeler roller pair carried by the housing, rotatably driven in a spaced relation for receiving the shrimp therebetween;
• positioning the opposing peeler roller pair downstream the plurality of conveyor roller pairs for receiving the shrimp therefrom, wherein each roller of the peeler roller pair includes a plurality of teeth elements radially extending therefrom for penetrating the left and right shell sections;
• conveying the shrimp downstream;
• peeling the left and right shell sections from a desirable meat portion of the shrimp;
• and
• ejecting the deveined and peeled shrimp from the housing.

A method of processing shrimp for removing the sand vein from a desirable shrimp meat portion and peeling the shell therefrom, the method comprising the steps of:

• receiving a shrimp at an entrance end of a plurality of rotatably driven conveyor roller pairs aligned in a spaced relation for conveying the shrimp therethrough;
• conveying the shrimp downstream the entrance end;
• cutting an elongate strip having a width dimension within a dorsal side of the shrimp for removal therefrom and exposing a sand vein within a cut shrimp;
• conveying the cut shrimp downstream;
• sweeping the sand vein from the cut shrimp;
• peeling the shell away from a desirable meat portion of the cut shrimp;
• and
• ejecting the deveined and peeled shrimp from the housing.