# US 7,607,597 B2 · Meat processing machine comprising a fat analysing device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 7,607,597 B2 - Document ID: US7607597B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 10/476,944 - Filed: 2002-05-07 - Published: 2004-08-05 - Granted: 2009-10-27 - Earliest claimed: 2001-05-07 - Inventors: Stefan Linn; Willi Eschenröder; Dieter Evers - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7607597B2 ## CPC - A22C 5/00: Apparatus for mixing meat, sausage-meat, or meat products (mixing in general B01F) - A22C: PROCESSING MEAT, POULTRY, OR FISH (preserving A23B; obtaining protein compositions for foodstuffs A23J1/00; fish, meat or poultry preparations A23L; disintegrating, e.g. chopping meat, B02C18/00; preparation of proteins C07K1/00) ## Abstract The invention relates to a meat processing machine which is used for mincing, filling, degassing and/or mixing fresh and/or frozen meat. Said machine also comprises a fat analysing device (7, 8) for determining the fat content in said meat. ## Claims ### Claim 1 Meat processing machine comprising: a fat analysing device for the determination of the fat content in the meat in a subregion of the meat processing machine, the fat analysing device comprising a radiation source and a radiation detector, the fat analysing device being integrated in the meat processing machine in the area of one or more of a mincing unit, a screw conveyor of a conveyor unit, a filling unit and a mixer; a measuring path, located in the subregion, from the radiation source to the radiation detector, the measuring path being uninterrupted by moving metal parts; and wherein the meat processing machine is used for mincing, filling, degassing and/or mixing fresh meat and/or frozen meat. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) Meat processing machine according to claim 1, characterised in that it is a mixer or a filling machine. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) Meat processing machine according to claim 1, characterised in that it is a mincing machine. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) Meat processing machine according to claim 1, characterised in that the fat analysing device is based on X-rays, NIR and/or NIT. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) Meat processing machine according to claim 3, characterised in that it comprises at least one conveying unit and at least one mincing unit, whereby the conveying unit presses the meat through the mincing unit. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) Meat processing machine according to claim 5, characterised in that the fat measurement is performed in the area of the conveying unit or between the conveying unit and the mincing unit. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) Meat processing machine according to claim 5, characterised in that the fat measurement is performed in the area of the mincing unit or downstream of the mincing unit. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) Meat processing machine according to claim 7, characterised in that the mincing unit comprises at least one preliminary cutter and/or one perforated disk and that the measurement is performed in the area of the preliminary cutter and/or the perforated disk. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) Meat processing machine according to claim 8, characterised in that the preliminary cutter or the perforated disk comprises at least one recess and the measuring path is arranged in the recess. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) Meat processing machine according to claim 1, characterised in that the determination of the fat content is performed with a pressure in the meat of at least 0.5 bar. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) Meat processing machine according to claim 1, characterised in that the largest dimension of the pieces of meat to be processed is maximum 80 mm. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) Meat processing machine according to claim 1, characterised in that it also has a speed measuring device and/or volumetric throughput measuring device. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) Meat processing machine according to claim 12, characterised in that during the volumetric throughput measurement, gaps between the pieces of meat are ignored. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) Meat processing machine according to claim 1, characterised in that the fat analysing device also determines the density of the meat or its weight per unit area. ### Claim 15 Method for determining the fat content in fresh meat or frozen meat, wherein the fat content is determined in a meat processing machine during processing, wherein a fat analysing device is integrated in the meat processing machine in the area of one or more of a mincing unit, a screw conveyor of a conveyor unit, a filling unit and a mixer, the method comprising emitting a radiation by a radiation source and detecting the radiation with a radiation detector, the determination of the fat content in the meat being performed in a subregion of the meat processing machine in which a measuring path from the radiation source to the radiation detector is at least at times not interrupted by moving metal parts. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) Method according to claim 15, characterised in that the processing is mincing, mixing and/or filling. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) Method according to claim 15, characterised in that the measurement is performed with X-rays, NIR and/or NIT. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) Method according to claim 15, characterised in that the speed, the density and/or the volumetric throughput of the meat being processed is measured.