Food portion forming

Abstract

A method of forming consumer portions from a block of frozen foodstuff is described, in which similarly sized sections of the frozen block are removed by severing for shaping into the differently shaped consumer portions under pressure between tooling of a forming press. Each section is of a similar size and volume so that when the press is operated the severed section is formed into a consumer portion of known volume. Each consumer portion is ejected for further processing after the tooling separates. The surface of each severed section of frozen foodstuff is wetted with a liquid (typically water) just before the pressing operation. Apparatus for performing this method is also described comprising a severing device for severing sections from a block of frozen foodstuff, forming apparatus comprising upper and lower tooling which is adapted to receive a severed section of frozen foodstuff therebetween and is further adapted to close thereon to compress the severed section into a desired shape determined by the internal topography and dimensions of the tooling, an apparatus for expelling the formed product after the tooling separates, and a water jet for wetting each severed foodstuff section before it is subjected to shaping by the tooling.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.