초록 ▼

The post chill decontamination tank assembly 24 usually is positioned at the exit end of a chiller 10 of a poultry processing line. Eviscerated birds fall into the decontamination tank 25 and the paddles 42A-42D of the paddle assembly 34 revolve in the tank about the axis 37 and collect and lift th

The post chill decontamination tank assembly 24 usually is positioned at the exit end of a chiller 10 of a poultry processing line. Eviscerated birds fall into the decontamination tank 25 and the paddles 42A-42D of the paddle assembly 34 revolve in the tank about the axis 37 and collect and lift the birds through the liquid and discharge the birds from the tank. An antimicrobial is added to the liquid for treating the exposed surfaces of the birds.

대표청구항 ▼

What is claimed is: 1. A post chill decontamination tank assembly for positioning at a carcass discharge end of a poultry chiller that has a liquid capacity for chilling poultry carcasses and for containing a liquid solution of water and chemicals in a chemical concentration for reducing the contam

What is claimed is: 1. A post chill decontamination tank assembly for positioning at a carcass discharge end of a poultry chiller that has a liquid capacity for chilling poultry carcasses and for containing a liquid solution of water and chemicals in a chemical concentration for reducing the contamination of the poultry carcasses as the poultry carcasses pass through the chiller, said post chill decontamination tank assembly comprising: a tank for receiving the poultry carcasses from the poultry chiller, said tank including an upright entrance wall, an upright exit wall opposed to said entrance wall, and a semicylindrical perimeter wall extending between said entrance wall and said exit wall and defining a chamber for containing a decontamination solution, said chamber having a smaller liquid capacity than the liquid capacity of said poultry chiller for containing the decontamination solution, said decontamination solution having a different composition than the liquid solution in the chiller such that the decontamination solution in said chamber has more rapid antimicrobial effect than the liquid solution in said chiller for further reducing the microbial contamination on the surfaces of the poultry carcasses, said tank including an upwardly positioned opening, an entrance space in said chamber adjacent said entrance wall and below said opening for receiving poultry carcasses from the poultry chiller into the chamber, and a discharge space in said chamber adjacent said exit wall, a paddle assembly including a plurality of paddles mounted in said discharge space about a central axis and extending adjacent said exit wall and positioned at different angles about the central axis, power means connected to said paddle assembly for revolving said plurality of paddles in unison about the central axis in said tank, said paddles each including a wiping edge adjacent the exit wall of said tank and a face sloped away from the wiping edge toward the entrance wall of said tank and configured for gathering poultry carcasses against the exit wall and lifting the poultry carcasses through the decontamination solution and out of the tank as the plurality of paddles revolve in said tank. 2. The post chill decontamination tank assembly of claim 1 wherein said wiping edges of said paddles are oriented to become substantially horizontal when moving upwardly past the upwardly positioned opening of the tank for sweeping the poultry carcasses out of the discharge space. 3. The post chill decontamination tank assembly of claim I and further including a liquid circulation means in fluid communication with said tank for providing a turbulence of the liquid decontamination solution in the tank and about the poultry carcasses. 4. The post chill decontamination tank assembly of claim 1 wherein the paddles are revolved at a rate between one half revolution and one revolution per minute. 5. The post chill decontamination tank assembly of claim 1 wherein the plurality of paddles comprises four paddles positioned at intervals of 90�� about the central axis within said chamber. 6. The post chill decontamination tank assembly of claim 1 and further including a partition in said tank adjacent said plurality of paddles and forming in said tank an entrance chamber for receiving poultry carcasses, said partition including a lower edge positioned above the lower portion of said tank to guide the poultry carcasses from said entrance chamber to said plurality of paddles, such that the poultry carcasses are received in the entrance chamber and contacted by the decontamination solution in the tank before being engaged by the paddles. 7. A post chill decontamination tank assembly for treating and reducing microbial contamination of poultry carcasses received from a poultry chiller, the poultry chiller having a liquid capacity for chilling poultry carcasses and for containing a liquid solution of water and chemicals in a chemical concentration for reducing the contamination of the poultry carcasses in which the poultry carcasses were immersed as the poultry carcasses pass through the chiller, said post chill decontamination tank assembly comprising: a tank having a smaller liquid capacity than the liquid capacity of the poultry chiller for holding an antimicrobial bearing liquid of different content than the liquid solution in the poultry chiller, for further reducing the microbial contamination on the surfaces of the poultry carcasses, said tank including upper opening means for receiving the poultry carcasses in said tank and for discharging the poultry carcasses from said tank, a plurality of paddles mounted in said tank about a central axis within said tank and extending at different angles about the central axis, power means connected to said plurality of paddles for revolving said plurality of paddles about the central axis in said tank and in sequence past the opening means of said tank for urging poultry carcasses in sequence about said tank and toward the opening means, and said paddles each being sloped toward the opening means when reaching the opening means for urging the carcasses out of the said tank. 8. The post chill decontamination tank assembly of claim 7, wherein said paddles each include a wiping edge and a face sloped away from the wiping edge for gathering poultry carcasses as the plurality of paddles revolve in said tank, said wiping edge being movable across the opening means of said tank to urge the poultry carcasses through the opening means of said tank. 9. The post chill decontamination tank assembly of claim 8, wherein said wiping edges of said paddles are rectilinear and are oriented horizontally when moving upwardly at said opening means to discharge the poultry carcasses from said tank. 10. The post chill decontamination tank assembly of claim 7 wherein said paddles define openings therethrough for the circulation of the antimicrobial-bearing liquid about the poultry carcasses in contact with the paddles. 11. The post chill decontamination tank assembly of claim 10 wherein the paddles are revolved at a rate between one half revolution and one revolution per minute. 12. The post chill decontamination tank assembly of claim 7 and further including a partition in said tank adjacent said plurality of paddles and forming in said tank an entrance chamber for receiving poultry carcasses, said the partition including a lower edge positioned above the lower portion of said tank to guide the poultry carcasses from said entrance chamber to said plurality of paddles, such that the poultry carcasses are received in the entrance chamber and contacted by the liquid in the tank before being engaged by the paddles. 13. The post chill decontamination tank assembly of claim 12, and further including a liquid circulation means for directing the antimicrobial-bearing liquid from said entrance chamber beneath the partition and toward said paddles and for urging the carcasses beneath the partition and toward the paddles. 14. The post chill decontamination tank assembly of claim 7 and further including a second set of paddles configured to move poultry carcasses toward said plurality of paddles. 15. The post chill decontamination tank assembly of claim 14, wherein said power means is connected to said second set of paddles for revolving said second set of paddles about the central axis in said tank in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of said plurality of paddles. 16. The post chill decontamination tank assembly of claim 7, and further including an auger in said tank, said auger configured for feeding poultry carcasses to said plurality of paddles. 17. A process of reducing contamination on the surfaces of poultry carcasses that have been moved through a liquid chiller containing an antimicrobial liquid solution for reducing the contamination on the poultry carcasses, comprising: moving the poultry carcasses out of the liquid chiller and into a post chill decontamination tank having a smaller liquid capacity than the liquid capacity of the poultry chiller and filled with liquid containing antimicrobial agents of a different composition than the liquid in the liquid chiller such that the liquid in said tank has more aqggessive anti-microbial effect than the liquid in said chiller, revolving a paddle assembly about a central axis in the tank with the paddles of the paddle assembly arranged at substantially equal angles from each other about the central axis, and engaging the poultry carcasses with the paddles substantially in the sequence that the poultry carcasses were received in the tank, and moving said carcasses throuqh an arcuate path through the liquid and upwardly above the liquid and out of the tank. 18. The process of claim 17, and including moving the poultry carcasses with a stream of the liquid containinq antimicrobial aqents toward the paddles. 19. The process of claim 17, and including moving the poultry carcasses with an auger toward the paddles. 20. The process of claim 17, including moving the liquid containinq antimicrobial aqents beneath a partition in the tank and urging the poultry carcasses with the liquid containinq antimicrobial aqents beneath the partition and toward the paddles.